Thrift goals 2016

The New Year went off with a bang -- a Goodwill bang! Jan 1., and I was shopping at Goodwill bright and early trying to snag some 2016 deals. Now is the best time to thrift. Read here to see why.

But seriously. I've got serious thrift goals this year.

1. Don't overthrift. I gave away a shit ton of stuff in the last week. Things I was going to sell, fix, didn't fight right, didn't like, whatever. And guess what? I still have more to go. This year, I'm only buying items that I really like. Thanks to thrifting, I don't need for much. So I'm going to try extra hard to keep duplicate items out of my closet and avoid clutter whenever possible.

2. Don't add more projects. Seriously. I have bought things that were 2-3 sizes too small or that need repairs at the thrift store.  And guess what? Those items are still waiting for me to fix them. Fixing them won't happen. At least for me, it won't. This year, I'm not buying anything that's broken or not ready to wear. If I don't love it, I'm not buying it. It stays at the thrift store; that's someone else's thrift gift.

3. Yaaasss to designer thrift goals. I'm on the lookout for things I don't have in my closet - name brands like Diane Von Furstenberg, Louis Vuitton, etc. I may not find all of these at Goodwill, but I'm sure going to try, along with online consignment stores. Here's to a better thrift game this year!

4. Documenting. I am going to post more, whether that's here on this blog or on YouTube. I'm all about sharing my thrift finds with Bargainistas.

5. Set a budget. This one is a biggie. I drastically cut down my thrifting since the end of September. But it wasn't unusual for me to go into a Goodwill and buy everything I wanted -- $30-50 at a pop, sometimes once or twice a week. With no budget. No more. When I looked at all the things I bought in 2015 -- and some of them I returned back to charity-- I was being wasteful. No more.

That's it for me. What are your 2016 thrift goals? May your 2016 be filled with thrift wishes.~

Giving Bargainistas what they want

So, I was taught that when you do something wrong, you apologize. And it is you my readers, whom I apologize. 

See, I started this blog last fall. And I really have not been keeping up with it. Now, that doesn't mean that I don't thrift -- I do, way too much. But I just don't write about it so much. And I will change that, but I have to apologize first.

Thrift apology

I'm sorry for not telling you about my fab thrift finds.


I'm sorry for not making videos, showing you my great discounts.

I'm sorry for  not showing you Bargainistas how I thrift -- so that you can be thrifty, too.

This is all going to change.

You'll hear more from me on a regular basis -- and not just an occasional post here and there.  I want you to know exactly what I'm wearing, how I'm wearing it and, more importantly -- how much I'm saving.

I've begun to thrift more in my home, too, so you'll even be seeing that as well.

You ready? Get your thrift life with BargainistasATL! 

Thrifting in FLA .... again

Thrifting isn't just something I do; it's a passion.

I get my thrift on even while on vacation in Panama City Beach, Fla. My hubby just shakes his head and drives.

No thrift store is the same and, no matter how dumpy they tend to look from the outside, this Bargainista usually finds something. I was pleased to find two area Goodwills in PCB had quite a few brand new items from Target (Altuzarra) but not my size (welp).

These stores are much smaller than ATL, but there's always SOMETHING. 

Pictures to come soon. 


I've already hit up several thrift stores in Panama City Beach over the last few days. I have checked a few things off my thrift wish list -- an army jacket for, get this, $5 (it was discounted from $10) and a pair of lovely Bandolino snakeskin boots (they are a bit snug and I may sell them, but maybe not).


Salvation Army is on my thrift wish list this Christmas Eve. Can't wait to see what I'll find. 

My thrift store adventures in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.

By Tenisha Mercer
www.BargainistasATL.Blogspot.com

It's when you go thrift store shopping at stores out of town that you realize just how lucky you are to have so many thrifting options.

Atlanta, where I live, has tons of thrift stores and consignment boutique options - from the tried-and-true 'you never know what you're gonna find' Goodwills and the swankiest of the swank dripping with Louboutins consignment stores, to the, "Do I really want to get out of this car?" stores that make you second guess your decision to thrift there in the first place.

I wasn't sure what I was going to find when I went thrifting in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. recently.  The experience has made me appreciate thrift stores in Atlanta even more. 

For starters, the entire store was half the size of most Goodwills in Atlanta. No joke. And what was there, wasn't enough to write home about -- though I did find a cute pair of shoes and a dress.

Ft. Walton Beach may have sunshine aplenty and white sand kissed beaches for miles on the Emerald coast, but good thrift stores? No, ma'am, at least not in the tiny community where I vacationed.

Though I suspect that I'd have done better had I gone five miles down the beach to Destin.(Next time).

Inside, I felt like everything was a mashup - no color coordination or anything else at that Goodwill. It was rather dreary. I just knew I wouldn't find much of value here, but I did find a few things. 

What I picked up

Anywho, this is what I got:;

Don't let the wrinkles fool you; this is actually a cute dress from Willi Smith (TJ Maxx) that will be good for the spring.

New pair of Sam & Libby shoes with tags still on 'em.

If you live in a major city, be grateful. Thrift shopping could be a lot worse. I did have a blast in the sun, tho. My shorts are thrifted, below.