0:03
Hi, it's Lindsay Diane from
0:05
dianecor.com. In this video, let's talk
0:08
about three important questions that you
0:10
should ask yourself before you thrift
0:12
items for your home. Thrifting is a
0:15
great way to decorate on a budget. You
0:18
can find some really amazing high
0:21
quality pieces at a fraction of their
0:24
original price when you thrift or buy
0:28
However, whether you are thrifting for
0:31
small decorative accents or looking for
0:34
accent furniture or statement furniture
0:36
or functional furniture pieces for your
0:38
home, there are three things that you
0:40
should absolutely consider before you
0:43
make that purchase. So, let's get
0:45
started with question number one.
0:48
Question number one is, can I clean it?
0:51
Items that are coming secondhand or from
0:53
the thrift store are often dirty. You do
0:56
not know how long anything has been
0:58
sitting around. It could have been
1:00
abandoned in a home for 10 years before
1:02
a relative decided to clean out a house
1:05
and sell it. You know, you never know.
1:07
So, you have to take the time to clean
1:11
your thrifted furniture before you bring
1:13
it into your home. And cleaning
1:15
furniture and other accents can
1:18
sometimes be a little bit more
1:19
challenging than you would think. So ask
1:22
yourself, am I going to need an
1:24
upholstery cleaner or a steam cleaner
1:26
for this item? Am I going to need silver
1:29
polish or something to remove tarnish
1:32
from a decorative bowl or um some other
1:36
sort of metal piece? Will I need a rust
1:40
remover or a wood cleaner? Is a
1:43
professional cleaning required? And does
1:45
that fit into my budget?
1:48
Always inspect cracks, crevices, seams,
1:51
and drawers for signs of pests, nests,
1:55
and webs before you thrift and load them
1:59
into your car. If cleaning feels
2:01
overwhelming or unrealistic, it's
2:04
usually best that you walk away. In
2:07
short, if you can't clean it, don't buy
2:09
it. Question number two, can I transport
2:12
it? Most thrift stores and Goodwill
2:16
stores do not offer delivery services
2:19
and so it is left up to you to sort out
2:22
the transport of larger items on your
2:25
own. Now this means that before you
2:30
thrift for large items like headboards,
2:33
chairs, sofas, and desks, you need a
2:36
transportation plan. Measure your
2:38
vehicle opening ahead of time. Not just
2:42
from seat to seat, but what is the
2:43
opening of your trunk, the area where
2:45
you're going to put or the the area of
2:48
your door frame? You know, wherever
2:50
you're going to slide that piece of
2:52
furniture into your car or your truck,
2:54
you should measure that first before you
2:56
even purchase this item to make sure
2:59
that you can fit it into your vehicle.
3:01
And even when you've measured and you've
3:03
decided ahead of time that you're going
3:05
to go ahead and buy this piece, remember
3:07
to take tools with you. take a
3:09
screwdriver or a cordless drill so that
3:12
just in case you have to disassemble a
3:15
leg or something like that to fit it
3:16
into your car, you're prepared. Now, if
3:19
you don't have a truck or a large
3:22
vehicle, consider using a third party
3:24
moving service like Dolly Lug or finding
3:28
somebody on Thumbtac. These service
3:30
providers can meet you at the store and
3:32
then deliver it directly to your home.
3:36
You can also rent a U-Haul, but often
3:38
that's more expensive. And again, you
3:40
have to factor that price into the
3:42
purchase price of your item to decide
3:44
whether or not you're really getting a
3:45
good deal by purchasing this thing. On
3:49
average, a one-way local delivery should
3:51
cost anywhere between like $50 and $75.
3:54
So, be sure to add that price into your
3:57
thrifted finds when deciding whether or
3:59
not it's worth it before you thrift.
4:01
Now, consignment shops, on the other
4:03
hand, do often offer delivery as a part
4:07
of the purchase price of your item. They
4:10
usually don't charge you any more for
4:12
delivery. That's usually added in for
4:13
free, and they have a contract with a
4:15
third party company. And so, they'll
4:17
arrange a date and a time. It's usually
4:20
not same day, although it may be. Um,
4:22
but generally, they're going to have to
4:24
arrange a date and a time in the future
4:26
for them to deliver that item to you.
4:29
That being said, consignment items are
4:32
usually at a higher price point than a
4:35
place like Goodwill or Salvation Army.
4:37
Um, because consignment is a place where
4:42
someone is going to basically sell the
4:44
stuff. They are not donating like with
4:47
Goodwill or Salvation Army or some of
4:50
these other donation centers. Instead,
4:52
with consignment, I'm going to bring my
4:55
gently used, really high-end piece to a
4:59
consignment store so they can put it in
5:00
their showroom where people are going to
5:02
come and go and look at it. And when
5:04
they purchase it, they're going to take
5:06
a certain cut. They're going to give
5:07
some money to me. And there we go. I've
5:09
gotten rid of my item. I'm not donating.
5:11
I'm trying to sell it. And I'm going to
5:13
give a cut to the consignment shop for
5:16
selling it for me. So, when you shop
5:18
consignment, expect that you're going to
5:20
have a higher price tag, but you're also
5:22
going to have a much higher quality item
5:25
as well. Now, that's not to say that you
5:28
won't find high quality, you know,
5:30
diamonds in the rough at uh Goodwill or
5:32
something like that. Um, but you're much
5:35
more likely and almost guaranteed to
5:37
find them at a consignment shop. And the
5:40
last question you want to ask yourself
5:41
before you thrift is, can you restyle
5:44
it? Is this item going to work as is? If
5:47
so, fine, purchase it. But if not, can
5:50
you restyle it so that it will work for
5:55
Do you have to paint it, stain it, and
5:59
do you have those supplies at home? Will
6:02
this require uh a spray painter, new
6:05
hardware, or craft materials? Can I
6:09
realistically finish this project on my
6:11
own? These are all the types of
6:13
questions that you want to ask yourself
6:15
when you're thinking about going about
6:17
restyling something. So whether you want
6:19
to change the color or the finish of a
6:21
piece of furniture, maybe you want to
6:23
reupholster a chair, it's got good
6:25
bones, but you hate the fabric that's on
6:27
there and you think that you could
6:29
reupholster it. Ask yourself
6:31
realistically, do I have the materials
6:33
on hand? If I don't, how much are those
6:35
going to cost? Because you've got to
6:36
factor that into the purchase price of
6:38
this item. If by the time I buy this
6:41
staple gun and this fabric to
6:44
reupholster and maybe some um particular
6:47
screws that go with this chair, all
6:50
those things plus the price of the chair
6:52
and possibly plus the price of the
6:57
is it really worth it? You know, is this
6:59
going to be a good thrift for me? So,
7:01
make sure you ask yourself the right
7:03
questions about whether or not you can
7:05
restyle it before you thrift. The best
7:09
thrift finds are ones that require
7:11
little to no restyling and can be used
7:14
multiple ways. Smaller items like
7:17
baskets are a classic example. They work
7:20
in every room. Candy dishes can hold
7:23
jewelry or sugar packets and trays can
7:26
be styled on coffee tables, vanities, or
7:28
kitchen counters. These small items are
7:31
the ones that are great to target if
7:34
you're shopping secondhand.
7:36
That's it for this video. I hope you
7:38
found it helpful. Those are the three
7:40
questions you should ask yourself before
7:42
you thrift. If you like this video,
7:44
please give it a like and consider
7:45
subscribing to my channel. I thank you
7:47
so much for watching. Don't forget to
7:49
visit me at diancor.com. I post all
7:52
about home decorating ideas over there.
7:54
Thanks again for watching. I'll see you
7:56
in the next one. Bye.
