Bag Sales- For the Ultimate Thrifter

Have any of you ever tried Bag-Sale-ing?? I'm willing to bet that the majority of you have not. They kind of sound...well, trashy or something, yes?

Well, let me tell you- they are the ULTIMATE thrift experience. BUT- that being said- you have to be able to handle chaos, disorganization, mayhem, noise, AND have the time and patience to put into digging through piles and piles and piles of clothing, accessories and toys.

I'm not going to lie. My first Bag-Sale-ing experience was back when I lived in Calgary and I was simply not prepared for it. I ended up getting extremely dizzy and leaving with an-almost migraine! I have since acclimatized and can do very well at them now, thankfully. But, it is like running a marathon. You would never decide to run one without training for it. In a similar fashion- you shouldn't jump right into Bag-Sale-ing before you try, say Value Village- where every item is itemized properly by gender, size and type.

The thing that makes a bag sale great though, is that you fill a bag for one set price. The Mountain Kidz Klub has one a couple of times a year, however they can be VERY hit and miss. This is because it depends solely on what has been donated to them over the last few months. For example, you may be looking for 18 month girl clothes, but if they didn't receive any - there won't be any to grab. As long as I go without any high expectations, I'm never disappointed. ;)

This scarf is probably my favourite bag sale purchase- EVER. I grabbed it at one of the Mountain's Kidz Klub Bag Sales: where they have 'fill a white kitchen garbage bag for $2' or 'fill a black garbage bag for $5'!!  

So, I filled up my white bag, mostly with boys clothes- but topped it off with this scarf. I am so glad I found it. It is my favourite scarf in my closet by far. I love the teals, greens, and beiges in it. I love the ethnic pattern on it. I love everything about it. And it probably cost me less than a quarter.

My Scarf

My scarf, I believe, just finishes off this outfit (worn to this month's Art Crawl on James St N). Love.

Cardigan- $12.99 Value Village

Tank- $5.99 Talize

Leggings- $9.99 Value Village

Silver Bangle- $12.99 Hawk and Sparrow

Again, this fabulous scarf just adds life to an otherwise drab and boring ensemble. It really brightened up the look and made it the perfect outfit for my son's birthday party instead of a day at the morgue...

Black tank- $5.99 Talize

Skirt- $7.99 Talize

Silver Bangle- Hawk and Sparrow

So, in conclusion...Bag Sales are fabulous for A: getting bags full of clothing at a hugely discounted rate, and B: supporting a local church or community group.

DO NOT try Bag-Sale-ing if A: you have children with you (you simply won't have the time OR the patience to dig through piles of clothing items), B: you ever get claustrophobic, and C: you don't like a great deal.

But, most of all- have fun with it! Don't take it too seriously! It's not about finding that ONE perfect item (although, I'm pretty sure that I did find it in my scarf ), it's about stocking up on a bunch of items for you and your family at a ridiculously inexpensive price. :)