How Far Does $100 Go At Value Village? + 4 Tips for Thrifting

Did you know that Value Village is opening a new location in New Westminster? The grand opening is today, May 15th. (Queensborough Value Village is at 1135 Tanaka Court, in New Westminster, BC)

I like shopping there because thrift shopping is an eco-friendly way to get some new-to-me stuff. It not only keeps those clothes, housewares, furniture items, toys & more out of the landfill but also conserves the resources & energy needed to make a new shirt, pot, chair or whatever it is again. In fact, Value Village is one of the largest clothing recyclers in the world: they keep more than 600 million pounds of quality goods from the landfills.

Another bonus: Value Village partners with local nonprofits in each community where they're located. For every donation to the Community Donation Centre at the store, VV pays it's nonprofit partner. The last big reason to shop Value Village: price. It's way cheaper than buying new, sometimes incredibly so. I've scored amazing deals on so many things over the years. Win win win, right?

To help celebrate the grand opening of the Queensborough store, Value Village has given me $100 to spend there. I'll be shopping & then showing you how far that money can go in a blog post later this week. In the meantime, if you want to go check out the new store too, here are some tips for you:

1. Think big. Sometimes you'll find amazing pieces that aren't quite your size. If they're a bit big,  you can alter them yourself or have them tailored & end up with a great quality garment for way less than you'd pay new.
2. Keep an open mind. I like to have a very general shopping list when I go to Value Village. If you go looking for specific styles, colours, etc, you will quite likely be disappointed. I often have a list like: kids clothes, a skirt for myself, maybe some glassware, for example. Then I'll look in those departments & possibly find a steal or two. Or I might find something that wasn't on my list at all, but it's too good to pass up.
3. DIY Heaven. Value Village is a great place to find 'raw materials' for crafty projects. I've found great quality wool yarn there for a fraction of the cost at the yarn shop. I've found clothing that I used for fabric to make kids clothes. I've bought outfits that I completely reworked for myself.
4. Take your time. Value Village stores are well organized into different sections, but they're huge & they have thousands of unique items. You need to budget a good amount of time to just browse through the racks & try on a few things.

Hope those tips are useful. Be sure to tweet, Instagram, or post on Facebook any great scores you find! You can also follow me & check out what I've found on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook. Just follow the green buttons below to find me there. Happy hunting!

You can keep up with all things thrifty & share your haul on Twitter @SaversVVillage, Google+ +SaversVVillage, or Facebook.com/ValueVillage, or Pinterest.com/SaversVVillage. 

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