(This is the whole collection…I wish you could really see all the goodies here! Be sure to look and find the cute little table in the back–cast iron, fold up stand with glass top–$5.00! Then there’s an old, wooden train you can barely see that is awesome!)I’m loving our Thrift Store anyway, but when my Mom called inviting me to go with her to the “10-70% off sale”…well, we just had to arrange a way to do that! (I convinced my husband I would save him sooooo much money if he let me go 😉
Fortunately, our “poor sheltered children” do not yet measure the value of an item by whether it still has the original price tag *BIG SMILES* which makes shopping for Christmas so very easy and more affordable!
(Actually, through my constant reminder of “it’s used the first time you wear it”, most of us are OK with pre-owned presents…don’t feel sorry for us, it’s really OK.)
But I couldn’t resist sharing our finds with you…maybe some hesitating individual will be converted! 😉
Matching skirts for the girls…what are the odds? Actually, they’re not bad. I find matching outfits all the time!
My daughter’s foot has grown incredibly huge–she literally had no shoes to fit her. I found these barely-worn Timberlands. $4.88
I loved this cabinet (I think I’ll keep it.) $3.88
Hubby needed some sweaters…there just happens to be a Timberland and American Eagle in the lot…not a brand person, really, but something about it still makes me feel smarter.
Books for Christmas gifts…some of them appear new…particularly one I bought for my Dad–“How Now Shall We Live”, by Colson
This is my sweet Mama! We visit everyday–either by phone or in person. I’m so thankful for her blessing in my life!
This copper bowl is even cooler in real life!
And here’s the jewel I didn’t even know I had! It’s a Lee Middleton. I loved it because it was life-like. The lady next to me grabs it out of my buggy, looks at the price ($1.48) and squeals, and proceeds to tell me how lucky I am. (She’s a doll collector–I did offer it to her!) So now I’m thinking about Ebay-ing it! (Any offers out there?) Or maybe not…this would be a great keepsake for the girls. Just have to find some clothes!
Speaking of Ebay…when these proved too small for me, Ebay came straight to mind. They’re Merrells that look like they may have been worn once. (The name brand in this case matters, or so says my husband. He said nothing wears like Merrell.) They’re already up for bid!
Is this skirt not adorable?
16 comments
Good job on the shopping trip… thanks for sharing that idea. 🙂 I am all about thrift shops & Ebay!!! We have found a lot of things with price tags still attached.
I have a couple of stories I want to share just in case anyone needs extra encouragement to look at thrift stores and Ebay:
The year my hubby lost his job we were so broke.
My two oldest sons were big time into sharks & sea creatures. There birthdays are close together. So I looked on Ebay for sea creatures.
I won the bid on Ebay for a used set of plastic sea animals for $5!!! I think there were about 20 in there (various sizes) and it included a tape of sea sounds.
I was so excited!!! That was about 3 years ago, but all three boys still play with them.
Another time, my boys like to play army with action figures and such and I once won a bid on ebay for a huge box of them for really cheap (I think it was around 5 bucks too).
Those types of gifts have been the best and longest lasting gift decisions we have made.
One more thing….
I have to mention this too: I was wanting Arthur Maxwell's "THE BIBLE STORY" set. It is almost $400 new (10 hardback books written around the 1950s with over 400 Bible stories.. fabulous!).
I prayed that the Lord would help me find a good used set for a reasonable price. The answer to my prayer came when I won the bid for an almost perfect set on Ebay and paid around $20 total (including shipping).
Praying is very helpful when you want to save money.
I love those skirts!
We live in a town where there are a lot of pentecostal & holiness churches, so the thrift stores are packed with pretty feminine skirts. I find that a big blessing!
oops..*their
You made some stunning finds! I love the cabinet, copper bowl, and doll.
My mother-in-law says that the stuff you buy “new” in the stores is not really new, because many people have already tried the stuff on. “You just think they’re new…they’re not!” she says.
My mom reminds me that department stores do have sales, but once you pay $5 for your fav outfit there’s no going back. Last year I spent $10 on my sister’s present, a large bowl in alovely shade of green. It was as much as I could afford. Turned out to be a Bauer bowl, and worth, well, a LOT. I am so thankful that God let me go to that store on that day, and I thank God for all those people who are so intent on “out with the old, in with the new” that I get the goodies!
By the way, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – check out craigslist.org (the reg. categories and the – HELLO – free listings) and freecycle.org. Free classified ads. It dosen’t get better than that.
Oh, at the risk of hogging the space, here’s another thrift store idea: books with beautiful illustrations can be bought for nickles, dimes and quarters (an sometimes, occasionally, the green stuff). Frames are almost as cheap. Buy a book with beautiful pictures, or ten. Buy the frames. Choose an illustration that suits the intended recipient, and paint the frame in a color that suits the picture and coordinates (hopefully) with the intended’s decor. Let dry and fix in frame. Box and wrap. I always buy the decent frames when they’re a good price ($.25 – $20 depending on the quality), so I always have a stash of unique art. And if the intended hates it (sadly, it can happen), you didn’t break the bank, so no hard feelings. (A present with baggage isn’t much of a present, right?) I got this idea from my lovely and clever Mom!
Oh, yeah, sometimes you have to buy the pretty, cheap frame with an ugly picture inside it. That’s fine! So the next time you see a hideous 80’s print for a buck, glance at the frame before passing! And… a wobbly frame can almost always be fixed for far less than the cost of new, if it’s good material. Or maybe a handy friend would do it for you for a favor or trade. Sorry, thrifting is one of my VERY favorite subjects, pastimes, etc. 🙂
I’ve been checked out at Walmart twice by women who took the job for Christmas present money. One already had a full-time job and both had kids. While I’m glad they didn’t just go on a charge-fest, I think of their poor children who will have very few Christmas memories that their mothers are actually IN. 🙁
And it’s o.k. to just NOT give presents. Not everyone needs, or even wants, another thing to dust.
Mmmm. . . those books look good – I’ll take the Jane Austen one, lol! One of my favourite things about thrift stores (or opportunity shops, “op-shops”, as they’re generally called here!) is the chance to find several treasures among the book shelves/cases/boxes in the shop!
I love it! I have actually been toying with the idea of doing a thrift store Christmas openly with my family. Money is tight, and hunting is fun.
I also love Paperback swap. I find cheap books at thrift stores and turn them in to earn credit for books I need for homeschooling.
Grace and peace,
Debra
Good for you! I’ve done all my shopping this year at Dollar General, yardsales, and Goodwill. My girls are 3 and 5 and have no idea about new things or name brands.
Blessings–
Dana
So did you top the day off with some chocolate cake? :o)
That's awesome! I don't get out much, with all my kiddos & special needs etc, but I would love to find a way to get to some thrifts around us. Ebay is too expensive with shipping & all, but oh so convenient! I do sell there too but not enough :-). How do you get past all the fees to make it worth it??
Blessings, Michele
I noticed you found “How Now Should We Live.” I did a teen workbook version of that with a group of homeschool high-schoolers. It’s great! Bria would really enjoy it.
I love that cabinet! I want things like that for books when we start accumulating more!
I love this post; it was such fun!!! I almost felt like I was “sharing” in your finds 🙂 I must admit that I am somewhat new to thrift store shopping. I was forced into it by changes in the economy and the houseing “crash”. (Unfortunately, we are now the owners of THREE houses that are worth LESS than we owe on them…ouch!) Anyway, I have fallen in love with thrift store and yard sale shopping. I recently slipped into one of my old department stores (just to look to see if there were any “good” sales :-). I looked at the prices on the sale items (the ones with the add’l 70% off) and thought, “NO WAY, I’m not paying that much for a blouse when I can get a nice one for much less at the thrift store!” I got out of there as quickly as possible and have not been tempted to go back. I don’t think it will matter WHAT the economy does or what our income is, my perspective has changed. I now seem to have an “aversion” to excess.
What an incredible find on the Middleton doll. My daughter has one. It’s really fun shopping for their clothes at thrift stores, since newborn and sometimes 0-3 mo baby clothes fit them well. I LOVED all the other items also and am VERY exciting now about doing MY Christmas shopping 🙂
My sister and I buy almost all our clothes, books, etc. from thrift stores. It’s fun and you save money. We always get excited and call each other with our finds. When I go to visit her, a day of thrift shopping is almost always included. This year we agreed on a $10 limit for each child at Christmas, and we agreed if the goodies come from a second hand store, all the better.