Staying up to date with the current trends can be expensive, so some students minimize the amount of money they spend on their styles by thrift shopping.

“I started [thrifting] around freshman year when I bought my first Hawaiian [shirt]. I have 16 now. All of my t-shirts are basically from thrift shops,” Anthony Mantoan (12) said.

Thrift shopping is a beneficial way to save money and come across fashionable items.

“[I’ve been thrifting for] probably forever really. My parents are really frugal because we always talk about saving for college. I don’t want to be in debt from student loans, so I’m just trying to be really frugal now. Because of it, I’ve saved so much money over the years that I got a car and now I have a lot in my savings for college and school,” Natalia Kuzbiel (12) said.

There are many places across the region to go thrift shopping and find the best deals, including Goodwill in St. John, Plato’s Closet in Merrillville and the Village in Hammond. Deals at these places range depending on the day, the brand and the usage.

“I actually like to go to Salvation Army. It’s in Merrillville. There’s a Goodwill by our school that I like as well. It’s kind of on the expensive side for a thrift store, but I like that one. They have a lot of LC stuff, actually. There’s Hearts in Motion in Munster on 45th. That one is my favorite because all their proceeds go towards missions in Guatemala. They have a little section in it where they bring back stuff that people at Guatemala handmake, like trinkets and stuff,” Kuzbiel said.

Though some items like underwear or shoes are more popularly bought name-brand, one way to save a quick buck is to thrift shop for the basic clothing items.

“[Thrifting has] influenced my life for the better,” Mantoan said.