Tips for getting the most out of thrift store shopping. Post your ideas.
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I go to the Goodwill on one-half off days (holidays or first Saturday of the month), as it makes my dollars go farther. I pick up things for my five grandchildren and others I know that are living on a minimum wage income. This way we all win--Goodwill, my family, friends, the people who donate to Goodwill, and myself, as I am helping others.
By Rosanna Stefano
Does anyone know how to get the ink mark off of the bottom of tennis shoes bought at goodwill?
You may want to try the orange cleaner you can pick up at a dollar store. I have used it on a lot of things and it has successfully removed them!
Good Luck!
You could try hairspray on the bottom of the tennis shoe. Or perfume or rubbing alcohol.
Shop at thrift stores regularly - you can't just walk in and find what you want like you can in a retail store so you need to look often. Also have a list of your needs. Its not very thrifty to buy whatever you see that you fancy if you don't really need it so keep a list in your purse, (e.g. appliances, gaps in your wardrobe, furniture), and then you will know if you actually need the item you are considering, or just want it!
Regards
Jo
I shop at Good Will, Salvation Army,and Volunteers of America. When I buy something I always say keep the change or add a couple dollars to it.
Lets face it they are doing me more a favor then say A chain store does.
I have been where those workers are.
No. I buy only what I need and I usually donate to them stuff I no longer use several times a year.
You can't beat those thrift shops for books. Puzzles,furniture and Nic-Nacs,
I'm sorry I can't wear the clothes I am just too tall.
I guess not many tall people donate.
One thing Salvation Army And Volunteers Of America do.
They have sales every day on diffeant stuff.
One dat It Furniture another day Books.
And the clothes have different colored tickets that tell you how much you get off listed prices.
Happy Thrifty Shopping
Mr. Thrifty
Get your kids interested in Thrift shopping, and garage sales early in their lives. Our family considers it an adventure, and a lesson on stretching a dollar. We have found very cute clothes for my kids at a fraction of what they go for new. My ten year old daughter gets compliments on her outfits. Little does anyone know she may have gotten the pants for a dollar, and top for a quarter.
A tape measure is useful to have along. Not all items are marked with the dimensions , such as curtains or picture frames.
If you want to spoil yourself, go to Goodwill and look for the good names, I get LLBean, Ralph Lauren, Gap stuff with tags still on for almost nothing!
Goodwill has great variety of clothes so it's like your at many stores but one-stop shopping!
By Amy Farwell
I keep a small card with the kids sizes on it including shoes and accessories also my husbands sizes then when I see something that they might want then I dont have to guess at the size.
If you are a seamstress you can sometimes find items you can use the material for other projects. Great Halloween costumes from out of date styles Our local salvation army auctions antique items off.It goes to the highest bidder.I have gotten several good collectable items this way.
I recently went to the local Goodwill and noted that all of last season's clothes were on sale. Thrift stores tend to do this at the same time that regular stores are changing over their clothing merchandise for the upcoming season, so don't hesitate to check out the thrift store first. You can easily get a very nice shirt or pair of pants for about 2.00 on sale at the thrift store. College areas or areas with a young demographic tend to yield the best secondhand merchandise.
By Jackie Reitnauer
I have 2 sons who have learned to like Goodwill. To cycle clothes out, our local Goodwill has some clothes for 1/2 price on Saturdays and on Mondays certain clothes are a quarter. My 16 year old son has learned that he can get great Hilfiger, Gap and American Eagle clothes for a quarter. He bought a new Nike winter coat for $4.00 last fall.
My 10 year old has learned the same however he looks for Nike and Adidas stuff.
Last Christmas, I shopped every Monday night and purchased men's dress shirts for a quarter. I then took them home and made them in to placemats for gifts. This was a great gift as it was inexpensive for me but homemade for the recipient.
These are great deals for me and we all have fun looking through all the racks of clothing.
When shopping thrift stores, you may find something or you may not. Visit often as their inventory changes daily.
Happy shopping
Leslie
I'm a quilter and I've made many denim, ragged edge quilts from jeans bought from the thrift stores. I just buy the largest men's jeans I can find. I want to make a crazy quilt, so I've been collecting little girls holiday dresses, with velvet and satin fabric. The little dresses have just the right amount of fabric I need, as opposed to an adult size. I also bought an incomplete set of ceramic plates, broke them up and did a mosaic bird bath. For quilters and crafts people, thrift stores RULE!!!!
By Dawn
Thrift Stores Rock!! I go all the time. Like almost every other day if I can get away with it. I have gotten so far in the last weeks... A LARGE Trunk that would go for at least 70 bucks in the stores. for 20 bucks. Brand new nothing wrong, just missing the key to lock it.
Goodwill, would have charged a lot for that tho...I am not knocking Goodwill but sometimes they are way to pricey.
I have found tons of 70's stuff to decorate my house. I missed the homey feeling I used to have as a child, and went completely retro.
Thanks to my thrift store and its 10 cents here and there. I not only save money but I am also earth concise too. No more paper towels for me.. I bought 12 napkins for 1.20
I have purchased a mint condish... Black Futon for 20 bucks.
The list goes on. I love thrift stores.
My best friend and I go thrift store shopping as often as we can. It is not normal for girls our age (14) to want to get the best deal on our clothing, but it is BY FAR our favorite hobby. We can spend the whole day in a thirft store, and then spend the whole night talking about how great of a deal we got! Also, we have HUGE wardrobes, and have spent near nothing on them. We absolutly love how every article of clothing is unique! Although we do occasionly have an argument about who gets that AWESOME pair of boots, we always have a blast, and end up looking like rock stars for DIRT CHEAP! After all, it is the "thrill of the hunt", so grab your best friend and get out there!
Don't be afraid to shop your local Goodwill, consignment and other thrift stores for gift items. I have found many things that still had the original store tags on them. There is nothing wrong with them and they make a great, inexpensive gift!
By Robin
I love thrift stores, I try to go as often as I can. I always find clothes, books, and knick knacks. As long as you're patient and willing to really look you will almost never walk out empty handed.
I did school shopping for my 2 kids (boy7, girl10) at thrift stores, and got them everything they needed, except socks and underwear and some supplies for 150.00 bucks, thats lunch boxes, backpacks, some school supplies, 10 outfits each, and a pair of dress shoes for my daughter. I bought their tennis shoes new at walmart for 7.50 each, when they went on sale a couple of weeks ago, and the backpacks were washed and look new. My son is happy with his the way it is, but, I sewed on some iron-ons and ribbon, and, added a couple of keychains to really spruce hers up. Thrift stores are great, and we couldn't live without them. I get the prices off the bottom of shoes with a course file, works every time.
Love love love the Thrift Stores. Stores in my area (Tampa Fl) have senior citizens (55 & over) days, half price for a particular color ticket items days. One even has an Email notification for their once a month 1/2 price clothing sale when they stay open till 10:00 P.M. Went there last Thursday-spent $16.00, bought many many knit tops.....Liz, Lauren, Top Names! Most expensive was $2.95 ($1.50 to me). Cheaper than Goodwill. Dress like a Queen on a Pauper's Budget. Tampa's Yellow Pages has category for Thrift Stores.
I love to buy at Thrift stores. I buy Tupperware lids or containers that I want, because later on I'll find the match at a yard sale!!! I recently bought 3 dresses 1/2 price just for the fabric. I want to make a layered skirt from them. You can also buy a dress or skirt that is too small and too long. Cut off the top at a measurement that is about 3 inches larger than your waist size. Sew in a casing for elastic or make a drawstring from fabric or purchased cord and you have a new skirt! Scraps can be used to applique onto a coordinating solid color top to make them a matching outfit. Lots of half price summer items right now. I also bought a "new" Hawaiian shirt for a party $2. It has dolphins which are my school's mascot so it won't be a "wear only once shirt" after all. Debby from MI
PS My kids won't buy name brands from Thrift Stores. They don't want anyone to think they are foolish enough to spend that much on clothes.
I enjoy shopping a thrifts shops. Monday is a good day to shop there. Most people who had yards sales during the weekend will bring whats left over to the thrift store on monday.
The General Dollar store sells a spray called ...thunder blast.. it takes the black price marker off right now..... it is hard on my hands so i wear gloves.. but it does work.. and it is cheap too .. big spray bottle for like two dollars....
When shopping at a thrift store, it is wise to take a sewing tape measure, because inevitably, many of the size tags will be cut out of the clothing.
Also, be very careful to look for spots, tears, bad zippers or other flaws.
Some flaws might be "fixable" if one is good at sewing or crafts repairs. You might wind up with some quality clothing that only needed a new button, and you only paid a fraction of the original price.
I do not buy underwear at thrift stores for sanitary reasons.
If there are no dressing rooms and if the weather is not too cold, I wear a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt inside a thrift store so I can try on jeans or even a suit that I like right there in the aisles. I've never gotten any strange looks doing that, and nobody can really blame me anyway since every thrift store's policy here in Virginia Beach is "no refunds or exchanges" after you buy something.
I live in Fairfax, VA. I would like to know names of thrift stores so that I buy trendy clothes that will come cheap.
I have tried everything to remove the ink residue from a stoneware bowl. I'm very irked at Goodwill for using those amrkers. You can still see the $2.00 impression in the stoneware. Grrr.
I love to shop at thrift stores. However, if you have never shopped at these types of stores, here are some helpful hints:
-Be prepared to rummage;
-Usually clothes are color coded, so if you are in the market for a particular color blouse; you can browse through those colors;
-Do not be disappointed if you do not find anything that you like, there is always next time;
-Check the garment for stains, rips, zippers that do not work, etc. Most things are perfectly fine; however, it would be wise to check them.
http://www.EasyWaystoSaveMoneyEveryday...
Shop in rich neighborhoods, where stylish people donate clothes. At one Goodwill I went to, almost everything was brand name. You could get an Ann Taylor suit for just 30 dollars.
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