Ten Tips for Thrifty Witches

Having just come home from a vacation to Savannah, GA (where I got engaged by the way!) I haven't had a chance to do any DIYing. But while I was in the low country, I made sure to check out their thrift scene. Inspired by this, I thought it might be a fair trade-off to do a thrift tips post to help any budding #thriftywitches!

1. Bring hand sanitizer or gloves.

This is especially important with the COVID floating around town. But even with a deadly disease aside, on a much more minuscule scale, some of the objects you might pick up have mysterious sticky residues on them. Or even if not, by the time I get back to my car my hands always feel kinda icky from everything I've touched. Stay safe and stay clean, witches!

2. Check the aisles and spots you might not normally think to check.

Two of my favorite spots to find little treasures are in the holiday aisle and that wall with those little bagged goods. In the holiday aisle, you might come across some sweet angel figurines, candle holders, or even other Halloween related spooky items. In those little bags, you can find candles, stones to paint runes on, shells, dice, ribbon; I'm honestly constantly surprised by what I find there!

3. Keep an eye out for the carts of new items.

Another spot to check! Throughout the day, workers will bring carts of freshly tagged items out to put them up on the shelves. They never really mind if you look through them a bit (if anything, it makes their job easier by not having to put it away). Some of my best finds have come from snooping in those carts. Just make sure the cart you're digging through is in fact that of an employee's and not a customer's cart!

4. Do some curating prior to shopping.

Some witches like to let their altar's aesthetic develop naturally, but some (like myself) are a little too into aesthetics that we have to have a vision in mind before executing. If you're like me, a big tip is pinning and saving photos of altars, walls, bookshelves, bedrooms, et cetera that fit within the style frame you're into. When you're out thrifting you might come across a piece here or there that you're on the fence about. Pull out those photos and ask yourself if 1: you'd really miss it if you put it back and 2: if it fits the look you're going for.

I promise that even if your style isn't a loaded potato of witchy shit like mine, it's possible to find items that will fit your decor! Minimalist? Thrift. Free-spirited? Thrfit! Tattoo-parlour-esque? Thrift! Delicate and vintage? Thrift. I promise you, the thrift store has something for everyone and every style.

5. When you goand how often you go can change what's there.

The best time to go is in the morning right when the open, if you can. If not, totally okay! I always recommend either making a full day of it and hitting a few different thrift stores in one trip; or swinging by your local thrift store a few times a week. People are always donating items, so the shelves are always being restocked with new goodies!

Beyond that, most stores have special savings days! Most places have different colors that are discounted on different days- it's good to get familiar with this if you're trying to spend as little money as possible! Other times stores will have huge sales around holidays or on certain days of the week for certain departments. Either way, it's good to know their schedules! I personally like to skip big discount days unless I can get there early- I'm not a big crowds person, and usually if I get there later in the day, everything has already been picked through.

6. Go in with a game plan.

If you don't have a ton of time (or money) don't let yourself get distracted! I can't tell you how many times I've gone in blindly and wind up leaving with a bunch of stuff I wasn't so sure about. Make a grocery list! It's so helpful to know what it is that you're looking for. That leads me to my next tip...

7. Identify your wants, and brainstorm creative solutions or substitutions!

This is something I can never stress enough: be creative! And I can already hear some people saying "Well I'm not really creative..." Everyone has the creativity gene! I like to look at this creative problem solving as a big puzzle, we might not have the pieces that came with the puzzle, but we can find other things that fit!

So for example, I recently was looking for something to hold my wands and mini besom. While I imagined one of those little old-timey straw holders working, I couldn't find one at the store. So while I was roaming the aisles, I kept this need in mind until I stumbled across a toothbrush holder. Aha! My favorite creative solution was a vintage marriage chalice in place of a ritual chalice!

8. Cleanse whatever you bring home.

Always very very important! You can either smoke cleanse them, soak them in salt or salt water, or spray them down with Florida water! Whenever I get new scarves or clothing, I like to try and leave them outside in the sun if I can as well. This will not only cleanse the item, but charges it with warmth and joy as well!

9. Don't just look at decor!

My craft aside, this is something I really struggled with when I started thrifting. I was always so overwhelmed by the racks and racks of clothing and didn't feel like digging through all of them. Sometimes I still don't feel like doing it, so I typically split my thrift trips into either decor trips or clothing trips. Either way, I always make sure to check the section with the scarves and bags. 95% of my altar and tarot cloth collection are silk scarves that I've thrifted for about three bucks a pop. I also love checking the purse section for bags I use to carry or store some of my tools when I'm taking my craft with me, and for smaller bags that I use daily to carry crystals, herbs, or my runes.

10. You probably won't find properly witchy items; make your own magic!

It's been only on very rare occasions that I've come across items that clearly once belonged to a fellow witch. I think I've only spotted an offering bowl with a pentagram once, my vintage Ouija board once, and a small Venus statue. So again, you're not really going to find things that are clearly witchy. But that doesn't mean that you can't make them! Looking for a tarot box with little moons on it? Buy a simple wooden box that'll fit your deck and paint it! Or build off of it with clay!

Cauldrons were something I was always looking for and never came across while thrifting. Only recently have I come across vintage fire starters and started snatching them up. Prior to finding those, I was purchasing silver trays, bowls, souffle dishes, really any heat resistant dish and using that as a cauldron! I just recommend filling a portion of it with sand for safety first.

One other thing that I'm constantly doing is scouring the figurines aisle. Like I mentioned, I've never actually found any statues that are explicitly deities that I've worked with. But this is the perfect place to find statues you can endow. Looking for a statue of Selene? I may find a beautiful small figurine of a woman in blue that makes me think of the moon goddess; and that's perfect! I might take her home, cleanse her and charge her in order to endow her to use in my rituals where I'm working with the goddess of the moon. Or if I'm planning on doing a spell about working hard and being fruitful, I may find a little bumble bee figurine that calls out to me that I may have on my altar while performing that spell.

So biggest moral of the story? Be creative, have fun, and don't be afraid to let your intuition guide you! Remember that crafting is a part of witchcraft; don't be afraid to dabble in that! Have any questions about anything? Or have a recommendation for an upcoming blog post? Don't hesitate to let me know! Send me an email at wisteriawitchblog@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram @wisteriawitch. Blessed be and happy thrifting, witches!