Thrift Store Scores
Last night I decided that we needed some new pajamas for our son. He’ll be one in a couple weeks, and this is the first time we’ve ever had to go clothes shopping for him. This is due to the generosity of a friend who gave me her son’s hand me downs (which were given to her as hand me downs – we’re really into recycling around here), and to the fact that I believe that it doesn’t matter what babies wear as long as they are comfortable (thus you’ll never find me at the mall looking for cute outfits for him). Anyway, after nearly a year, we had run out of pjs that fit. So we headed to our two neighborhood thrift stores today, on a pj mission.
I found lots of pajamas (including two piece sets that have not been treated with flame retardants, one of which had never been worn). In addition to the pajamas for our son, we found all sorts of other goodies. We spent a total of $46 between the two stores. Here’s a look at our loot:
Two pair of zip-up pjs, a sleep sack, and a cute little shirt.
A Columbia jacket for me, two pair of shorts for my husband, a big saucepan for our solar oven, a yoga band, a garlic storage container (I currently store all of my produce in one huge bowl on the counter. So my garlic snuggles with my mangos. Now the garlic will have it’s own little home), and a Hip Hammock. The Hip Hammock was only $3.50, and I tried it out in the store before I bought it. I still love my Moby Wrap when we’re walking long distances, but it’s not the easiest thing to put on. The Hip Hammock took about 5 seconds to get on, and our son happily rode around in it while we finished our shopping. I checked it out online when I got home and found that some had been recalled a few years ago, but this one is a newer model that hasn’t had any problems. Not bad for $3.50!
And more stuff for the little guy: Two sun hats, a pair of swim trunks, two more sets of pjs, a really cool jacket that I think is handmade (it doesn’t have any tags or logos in it. It’s amazingly well made), a pair of little guy slippers, a soft book with all sorts of little person-friendly activities that our son didn’t put down the whole time we were in the store, and a sweatshirt.
All of that for $46. Have I ever mentioned how much I love thrift stores? I can’t imagine ever shopping anywhere else. Even if we made twice as money as we do now, I think I would always see it as a waste of money to buy things brand new. Not only are there bargains around every corner when you shop second hand, but I love the idea that you never know what you’ll find when you go thrifting. It’s always an adventure.
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Nice finds! I love the excitement of getting a great deal on those little necessities
That is amazing!!!!! I can’t believe you got 22 items for 46 dollars.. That is almost two dollars an item…. FABULOUS—AMAZING— AND WELL WORTH ANY TIME SPENT. May I ask at which stores you made these awesome scores (hey, that rhymes
?? I have been wanting to go thrifting forever, but I can’t think of anywhere and I haven’t seen any places here. I will eventually make it into Buffalo Exchange, but I have a feeling I will be spending a bit more money there.
Awesome finds! I too love the adventure of thrift shopping. If I go to the mall- I know for sure I will see dozens of things I want/like. It usually leaves me feeling poor or lacking. And, after almost two years of avoiding the mall altogether, it’s quite over stimulating. I end up buying nothing because I just can not make up my mind.
At a thrift store tho, I never know if I will find something I want and when I do, I feel successful!
Oh, I love thrift stores! My problem is making sure I really need all the great deals I want to buy– sometimes I “think” I needs something just because I can get it for 50 cents! ; )
I love the Thrift Stores! Check out America’s Thrift Stores online. http://www.americasthrift.com
I love going to charity shops (I’m in the UK) and I always get such bargains. We are also lucky to have friends with children slightly older than my eldest daughter so things get passed down to us and then onto other people.
I love thrift stores. I read alot and buy all my books there. I am always amazed when friends think a good deal is $150 for a couple of pieces of clothing. A good deal for me is when I hit the $1 day versus the $5 day at the thrift store. I have noticed children’s clothing is usually in excellent condition at my thrift stores. Great scores!
You got some great bargins. I got most of our pj collection from yard sales, sometimes I buy the next size up if it is a good deal because often times they have shrunk from being washed and dried. Oh and here is a tip for when the potty training begins. Stick with the two piece jammies. I love the warmth of the blanket sleepers and the ease of the zipper but my twin girls think they need to totally disrobe to go potty now
They are two and a half and we are just getting the hang of the potty thing.
I LOVE thrift stores and yard sales! Saturday I picked up 3 dvds at $1 each and a brand new looking hoodie for my 11 yr old for .25!
I don’t mind thrift stores. I visit them a few times a year. Typically I’m dropping off donations for tax purposes, but occasionally I’ll go inside to shop. I’m typically looking for holloween costume supplies, but I’ve found a rough sweatshirt or two in my many years of visiting them.
Again, I don’t mind thrift stores, it is the crazy, annoying and smelly people inside. I realize I am generalizing, but unfortunately the generalization holds up all too often. I wish they had “non crazy smelly” hours. I once had someone walk over and pull something I was looking at out of my hands. He took it, grumbled something and walked off with a wierd sneer on his face. OBVIOUSLY he needed that shirt more than I did.
Manda – the ones I go to most often are a Habitat for Humanity thrift store and an ARC thrift store. But that’s just because they’re very close to where we live. I’ve also had good luck at Goodwills, Salvation Army stores, Savers, and small local thrift stores. Check the yellow pages in your area under “thrift stores” and see what you find. Good luck.
FupDuckTV – I don’t even know what to say to that. I guess you must be shopping in very different thrift stores than I am. I’ve been thrifting since I was a kid – hundreds of times, easily. And I’ve never once seen large quantities of “crazy, annoying, and smelly people.” Around here, the people in thrift stores are pretty much just like the people I see anywhere else I go. I’m thinking that perhaps you might have some pre-conceived notions that are influencing what you see when you are in thrift stores. But if you’re paying retail for everything you own, I suppose it’s your loss.
the thrift stores around my area are, well, places where things go to die. The one thrift store that was really good closed down a few years ago. Maybe I’ll make it to a consignment store a few miles north of here real soon, but in the meantime, I just don’t see myself finding the types of deals you find.
[...] Babe shares her thrift store finds. I don’t shop thrift stores too much but I did actually shop at one this weekend and got a [...]