Thrift Shopping-What I Found

"Early to bed early to rise" I say when it comes to a full day of garage sale/thrift store shopping.  Well almost a full day.  We did make a stop at Target in the middle and I am happy to say we made it home with some amazing finds. 

I love garage sale and thrift store shopping.  Why pay full price for something if you do not have to.  Oh sure there are things I pay full price for, but I am a frugal gal and am always looking for a deal.  Thrift shopping is a practical, reasonable, and easy way to stretch your family’s dollars.  If your family lives on one income, and you’re the home manager assigned the job of managing the spending, then consider shopping at thrift stores your income contribution – you’d be surprised at the money saved.

Our first stop was a garage sale.  At garage sales I go looking for things for the home.  Odds and ends to decorate with quickly catch my eye.  Just look what I found on Saturday!

Trunk load!! Less than $8

-colorful wicker basket
-wine basket
-old John Middleton tobacco tins

-double boiler (I have wanted one of these for a long time.  No more bowl on top of the pot!)
-candle stick (with old wax! Yep, I'm leaving it on.)
-wooden stool/seat

-Budweiser blimp (for the boys and not our brand anyway!)

And last, but certainly not least and the best part of my day........drum roll please......WOODEN SHUTTERS for FIFTY CENTS EACH!!!!!!!!  Brant couldn't handle the low price and paid a $1 a piece.  And they WILL work in my kitchen windows.

It was so worth getting up early on a Saturday for this purchase alone!  


Target was our next stop.  When shopping with eight year old boys you always take their dares.  A simple mask was entertainment for some Target shoppers as we walked around the store looking for Brant.  And as you can tell the boys found their own entertainment.  It was all in good fun.

Our final stop after Target was a thrift store.  The boys were beyond done at this point, but did enjoy looking through all kinds of FUN things in this store. 

NOTE: Never take boys to thrift store again.  Shopping at thrift stores means having to sift through lots of aisles of crammed-full racks.  Eight year old twin boys do not do well in this type of situation.  At least not over 10 minutes.   

On Saturdays all clothing is buy one get one FREE at this particular store.  So you know exactly where I was headed.  Always check the store to find out the specials.  When looking for clothing in thrift stores, Goodwill or a garage sales (its rare for me to find clothing I like at a garage sale) I look for unusual pieces.  Although I usually try to stay away from trendy styles here is where I can justify a trendy piece.  And I always look for quality brands.  You’d be surprised by the amount of well-made, expensive clothing hiding in thrift shops, just waiting to be found.  On Saturday I picked up this top.  It goes well with black dress pants and I adore it with jeans and boots.  Make sure when purchasing clothing at thrift stores you look for any rips, tears or seams coming apart.  I often ask for a discount if I find something wrong with it.  Since clothing was buy one get one FREE my other top I went for a basic long sleeve button-up cotton shirt.  And like the other it goes great with dress pants or perfect with jeans and cute little flats.  Just because something is $2 I make sure I stop and really think about how I would wear a top/pants, etc.  I visually put an outfit together and always try things on if there is a dressing room.

Other recent finds.

Small prints, Nine West gypsy cross-body bag, Ralph Lauren ladies flannel shirt and Rosie the chicken.

So there you have it.  Are you a thrift store shopper?  Are you looking for household gems?  Maybe designer clothes for a fraction of the price.  Find a thrift store and get to shopping.  Or get up early this Saturday and hit up some garage sales.  Have FUN, be patient and grab it while you can.