Saturday, February 27, 2010

The Good Rules

If you want to be successful in your thrift store shopping, you gotta know the rules!


Here's the truth... Some thrift stores, Goodwill included, will over-price some items that realistically, should not be. Sometimes it is due to a lack of knowledge or just plan laziness. I recall several years back when "Crocs" were a hot selling item and stores like Walmart and Target jumped on the Croc bandwagon and began making their own version of mock Crocs. I recall seeing a pair of Walmart brand mock Crocs on the shoe rack and Goodwill had them priced at $19.99. Yep. That's right. Goodwill was trying to price gouge. I've seen it time and time again, so beware. Just because it's a thrift store, doesn't mean it's a bargain!


Oh, yes, indeed! Brand does matter. I see a lot of Target (Mossimo), Walmart (Faded Glory) and Kohl's (Sonoma) brands, et. al, at Goodwill and thrift stores. If you love the way Gap jeans fit you, then look for the brand Gap. I've seen brands like Prada, Coach, Ann Taylor, Express, Banana Republic, J. Crew and the list goes on and on. Stick to the brands you know and love.


Simply put... if you can't wash it, hose it down or throw it in the dishwasher, you are probably better off not buying it. Why? Well, for obvious reason, I suppose! I like to wash all clothing items I buy from GW in hot water to kill any lingering cooties from it's previous owner. That's just me!


There is an exception to Rule #3, and that is if the item is a real steal... or, it is something you have been searching for. Case in point... I found a beautiful long black blazer. It was Express brand, fully lined, well made and in excellent condition. But, it was dry clean only. I have always put it in my mind that I would never buy 'dry cleaning only' items at GW, but I put that rule aside for this awesome blazer. The blazer was only $10 bucks! I thought it was a real steal!


Okay, listen up... just because something is priced low, doesn't mean you have to buy it. Goodness knows that I would have a house full of stuff if I bought every item that was a good buy. Last week, I saw a really great bag for $6.00. It was fabulous. But, for the life of me, I couldn't justify the purchase. Sure, I would have found a reason to put it to use, but eventually I would put it away with all of the zillion other bags I have in my closet.


This is a very important rule. Why? Because of cigarette smoke. Nothing infiltrates an item quite like cigarette smoke. Found that book you've always wanted to read and it smells like smoke? Don't buy it! You will regret it. Check out your local library instead!

This rule, of course, only applies if you are a non-smoker. I was selling an item on Craigslist that I bought from another individual on Craigslist who was a smoker. I didn't know it at the time and I came home with an item that reeked of smoke. I turned right around and re-sold it on Craigslist, but mentioned in the ad that is smelled of smoke. The guy who bought it... was a smoker.


You will not find a deal every time you walk into a thrift store. In contrast, you will sometimes find deals around every corner.


Use your imagination! You may find something that is just not quite perfect, but it MAY still work. Paint can be your best friend. I bought a two-tiered wire basket and I really liked it. But, it needed a fresh coat of paint. So, I bought a $3.00 can of black lacquer spray paint and now, it looks as good as new!


I'm really speaking about myself here. It's so easy to get pulled into the Goodwill game...to find the next great deal, etc. I usually only shop at Goodwill once a week. It really can be addictive!


If you've never set foot in a Goodwill store or local thrift shop, then get over yourself! Thrifting is fun and rewarding. Resale shopping is also a great way to support local charities and small businesses. I know there is still a stigma associated with shopping at thrift stores, but there shouldn't be. We are called to be good stewards of our money and these days it doesn't hurt to save as much money as you can, when you can.

Specialty Shoes

Seems like every soccer season, be it Spring or Fall, I'm in the market for a new size in soccer shoes for at least one of my girls. Luckily, Kyla has been able to wear her sister's hand-me-down soccer shoes for the past couple of seasons, but this year, Kyla's feet have caught up with her big sister's feet.

Since I began shopping at Goodwill, I noticed a huge collection of specialty shoes for kids, like cleats and tap shoes. So, if you are in the market for kids' specialty shoes, check out Goodwill first!

I bought the pink Nike soccer cleats for Kyla this week. They were $5.00. In fact, all of the shoes shown in this picture were $5.00 or less.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Great Shopping Week

I am so excited about this week's finds!

Since we're going to Disney World in May, I have been looking for lightweight backpacks or fanny packs for the girls to carry. I'll be honest here... I've not been looking THAT hard, but I decided this week, I need to get busy in my search.

Today, I totally scored on this convertible backpack/purse for Elisan.
Remember when I found this exact purse in baby blue in December?

Now, we'll be carrying the same purses at Disney. I love Kipling because it is lightweight and durable. Perfect for a trip. And at $3.99... you cannot beat that price!

I also found this for Kyla. Since she's six, I knew a fanny pack would be more suitable for her. Here's what I found for her today. It's not my favorite, but I know she loves "The Little Mermaid" and since we'll be at Disney, I thought it was very appropriate.


And finally, I found this great workout tank and shorts by Adidas. The guy at the GW didn't know how to price the tank top, since it was not considered a "blouse" so he said, "Will you take $.99 for it?" I said, "Um, YES... and can I go back and get the other three I decided NOT to buy?"

Haha, I was joking... sort've.

Anyway, I got the tank, running shorts and another "Faith Girlz" book for Elisan all for $8.50. Not bad!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Books!

I love to go book shopping at Goodwill. There is a untold wealth of books at every single Goodwill I have ever been in.

A good rule of thumb for book shopping at Goodwill is to go in with an idea of the types of books you want to find, rather than go to Goodwill on a mission to find a particular book.

Case in point:
I have been looking at "Young Women of Faith" series books for quite some time. A girlfriend mentioned them to me a while back. I've looked on Amazon (for used books) and on eBay, but was still finding the cost to be a bit more than what I wanted to spend at this time. So, I tucked it away in the recesses of my mind for a later date. Then, on Thursday, I found these at one of my favorite Goodwills!

Three books from the "Lily" series by Nancy Rue! Each book was $1.29.

What a great find. I'm excited to have found these. It pays to wait sometimes!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

I'm back in action!

Okay, so February is here and I'm back posting about my cool Goodwill finds!



I bought these super cute Keds "Teagan" style for $3.99. Aren't they adorable? I just threw them in the washing machine and they came out perfect! My youngest daughter loves them!

Piperlime has a similiar style regularly priced at $40.00.