5 Tips for Thrifting Home Decor and Furniture

Thrifting and buying secondhand items have always been commonplace. However, as the cost of living continues to rise, thrifting and buying goods secondhand are becoming even more common, especially for clothing, home decor, and furniture. If you’ve considered checking out Goodwill or other local thrift stores, you’re in the right place. Find out why thrifting and buying secondhand items have grown in popularity, and five tips to help you search for the best pieces!

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The Benefits of Thrifting Furniture and Home Decor

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1. Affordability

Moving into a new home can be a costly expense—between move-in rental costs, moving companies, buying the necessities, and other additional fees, the bills can quickly pile up. Not to mention the cost of furnishing and decorating your new home, it can be overwhelming, to say the least. To minimize move-in costs or simply decorate your home on a budget, thrifting furniture and home decor will be your best friend. Even if you're not moving into a new place anytime soon, buying secondhand allows you to furnish and decorate your home on a budget. 

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So, how much can you save by thrifting or buying second-hand furniture and home decor? While it depends on what you buy, it’s estimated that thrifting items can save you anywhere from 25% to 50% off the retail price. When budgets are tight, every dollar counts. While decorating your home may not be necessary, everyone deserves a cozy, safe house, and buying pre-loved items can make all the difference.

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2. Eco-Friendly

Thrifting and buying secondhand items is a great way to minimize environmental impact while keeping perfectly good items out of landfills. Shopping for pre-loved goods is the most sustainable option for decorating and furnishing your home since your purchase won’t consume more resources or require additional energy to produce and transport goods. Additionally, thrifting home goods lowers the overall product demand, leading to decreased manufacturing, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and lower energy and resource consumption, reducing overall carbon footprints.

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3. Unique and Quality Finds

Many products nowadays are made with practicality and mass production in mind. While this is great from a business perspective, finding unique, quality pieces of furniture or home decor at a reasonable price can be challenging. By shopping secondhand, you can easily find affordable home items with character and charm made of real, quality materials. Don’t want your home items made of mostly plastic or particleboard, but don’t want to finance your furniture either? No problem, thrift stores and secondhand boutiques often have affordable furniture and other home goods made of quality materials. Want your furniture and decor to feel less cookie-cutter? Shopping secondhand almost ensures your home interior will be uniquely you.

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4. Supporting Local Communities

By shopping for pre-loved goods instead of purchasing from major retailers, you often get to support your local communities. Many secondhand shops are typically managed by community members, which offers an excellent opportunity to strengthen your neighborhood or town’s economy. Buying secondhand keeps the money circulating in local economies, rather than supporting a corporation with thousands of locations. Your purchase can make a big difference in the lives of small shop owners, whereas it's just another number for a major retailer. Plus, shopping local allows you to strengthen your community ties and make new connections.

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5. Healthy Consumer Habits

Thrifting or buying secondhand goods often requires more patience and intentionality to find what you’re looking for than it would to shop at a major retailer. This way, consumers must slow down before making purchases and be more mindful of the items they bring home. Buying pre-loved items is guaranteed to save money, minimize your environmental impact, and make better purchasing decisions. When you take an additional moment to determine what you need and want, buyer’s remorse is less likely.

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Tips for Thrifting Furniture and Home Decor

While thrifting is an affordable and eco-friendly option for furnishing and decorating your home, finding the right quality pieces isn’t always easy. Here are a few thrifting tips to help you search for the best furniture and home decor!

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1. Research Thrift Store Locations

If you aren’t familiar with your local thrift stores, it’s worth researching before venturing out to the shops. You may just find a couple more thrift store locations to explore for quality secondhand furniture and home decor. The more thrift stores you can explore, the better your chances of finding the right home items!

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2. Find Out Your Thrift Store’s Restock Days

Like all retail locations, thrift stores have specific restock days when new items go out on the floor. To check out the latest stock before it gets bought up, you’ll want to find out when each thrift store does its floor restocks. Chat with the staff to learn the best days to shop for new secondhand items at their location. This way, you’ll have first pick on the best furniture and home decor options, maximizing your chances of finding the perfect item for your home!

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3. Learn How to Identify Quality Materials

Identifying quality materials is crucial for those who desire well-made home items, regardless of where you shop. However, being able to identify quality materials is even more important when shopping secondhand. For example, if you want real wood furniture, start by learning the differences between particle board, real wood, and other common alternatives, as well as the different types of wood. This way, you’ll be better prepared to find what you’re looking for and ensure the goods are reasonably priced.

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4. Check Out Estate Sales and Yard Sales

When shopping for pre-loved furniture and home decor, don’t forget about estate sales and yard sales in your neighborhood! Estate sales are where people are invited to check out the furniture and home items for sale inside a home; typically, estate sales occur when the homeowner has passed or when a homeowner is looking to sell most of their items before a big move. Meanwhile, yard sales occur in the lawn or garage of your neighbor's home and can range from small to large yard sales.

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Most people have at least a few items they’re looking to find a new home for, and your neighbors might just have the exact home item you’re looking for. Estate and yard sales typically happen on early weekend mornings, so plan a day or two to wake up early and drive or walk around your neighborhood for potential sales. Often, signs will be set up to indicate when and where a yard sale or estate sale will happen, although this depends on the neighborhood. Don’t forget to check out other neighborhoods in your area, and research if your communities host neighborhood yard sale events.

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5. Search Online Marketplaces and Boutiques

Thrifting or buying secondhand is no longer exclusive to just in-person locations; now, you can shop secondhand goods online from the comfort of your home with online marketplaces and boutiques. Plus, you’ll often buy your online secondhand goods from someone in your local community, so it’s a great way to support your neighbors, all without leaving your home. You may have to leave the house to pick up the item if they don’t deliver it; however, shopping secondhand doesn’t get any easier than that!

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Overall, thrift shopping for home goods is an excellent option for decorating and furnishing your home. Shopping for preloved items allows you to live a more sustainable lifestyle while crafting the perfect cozy home. Next time you’re looking to refresh your home for the season, don’t forget to check out your local thrift stores and other secondhand shopping locations—with a little extra patience, you’re guaranteed to find the perfect home goods!

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A Better Living Experience

At Bridge Homes, we believe everyone deserves a quality home. With thousands of new or renovated home rentals in desirable neighborhoods across the United States, our dedicated team ensures each property adheres to our standards of quality, cleanliness, and safety. Explore our listings and take the first step towards a well-maintained and fulfilling living experience.

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Additional Sources:

Is Thrifting Sustainable?

How Much Does it Cost to Save the Earth? How Thrifting Reduces Your Carbon Footprint

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