Your No-Fail Guide To Thrifting If You've Never Done It Before

Media stereotypes always paint girls out to be fashion-loving addicts with closets full of—no, erupting with—different pieces of clothing she rarely gets to rotate because of the sheer amount of clothes in there.

Hi, that's me—I'm "girls," with my exploding closet that's no longer able to close fully over the clothes spilling out of it, its door literally on its last hinges. The worst part? I still want more clothes, much to the dismay of my aforementioned dying closet.

But the good news is that my closet will be the only one in pain—not my wallet—because most of my clothes actually come from the beautiful and magical world of thrifting. ✨

I very seldom buy from branded stores, and that's largely because once you start thrifting, there's no going back—once you see how cheap clothes can go for when they're thrifted, it will physically hurt you to see how outrageously some stores price their items.

But if you're new to this wonderful world, it can be a bit overwhelming—I mean, where do you even start? Lucky for you, the barrier to entry of thrifting is pretty much non-existent. Anyone can start at any time! There are, however, some things you only learn once you've tried it, so here are some tips to accompany you on your first ukay-ukay.

Once you step foot into your first thrift store, your eyes will probably be assaulted by the rows upon rows of garments and heaps of clothing filling every open space. And obviously, most, if not all, of the items are secondhand, which means they may not exactly be the cleanest. 

The thing with thrifting is that you can't be afraid to get your hands dirty—literally. You have to plunge your hands into the mysterious stacks and hanging clothes to look for pieces you’re interested in. 

I highly recommend bringing rubbing alcohol with you on your ukay excursions. There's a very specific feeling you get on your hands after rummaging through the clothes, and admittedly, you'd probably be itching—not literally, thankfully—to get some alcohol on them after your trip.

Though it's not exactly rare to locate good finds, it does take time—and effort! Sometimes, it takes hours of scouring racks until you finally find the cutest cold-shoulder sweater or the mint-green dress bursting with potential.

It may start to feel exhausting, especially when you allow your gaze to scan the rest of the place you haven't even begun to search through, but I promise you, the moment your eyes land on the perfect skirt you've spent your whole life searching for, it'll be worth every minute.

There are no words to describe the feeling of walking over to the cash register with your finds and hearing the worker behind the counter telling you the four items you chose cost a total of 100 pesos. 🤤 (It's important to remember, though, that prices vary.)

When thrift stores get a restock, that usually means their prices go up. Similarly, later on in the month, right before they get new stocks, that's usually when the numbers are as low as they can go.

From experience, the cheaper end of the spectrum is 100 and below. I once found the most unique yellow dress and the most vintage-looking Alice in Wonderland-esque top for 25 pesos each at Divisoria. And yes, obviously, their price became my favorite flex when people complimented those items.

Sometimes, it's hard to believe you can find so much love for clothes people didn't want anymore and pay so little for them! Still, you should always remember to…

The truth is that you don't know where these clothes have been—they might have an even worse past than the boy you've been talking to, who claims you're the only girl he's ever loved like this. 

I know you're excited to wear your newest and coolest finds and brag that you got them for the price of a commute journey, but the safest bet is always to wash 'em before you wear 'em. 🫧 

Some things you learn from reading this article (thanks, by the way!), but other things you only learn on the go, so what are you waiting for? Ignore the whines of your too-full closet, go to your nearest thrift store, and root through clothes until you find the dress to say yes to!