I am not a thrift shopper, but my aunt furnished most of the kitchen of their lovely bay front ($$$$) home with thrift store finds. It’s great from both the hobby and savings perspective. I sometimes send her things I’m looking for - right now a metal 8x8 pan and some pie plates for my son.
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this brings back memories from 6 years ago. My d16 as a senior decided to wear dresses to school every day. (not sure why) but it was a really fun project for her to do. she bought tons from the thrift stores; dresses are often in really good shape. Sometimes she’d wear them a few times, and then just donate them back. She’s off to grad school soon; we went thrifting last weekend and the first spot she hit was the dresses. 
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I got my kid two pairs of Exofficio hiking shorts and an Exofficio skirt this week…$4 each. Not bad.
How about Lululemon running pants for $6 a pair…NWT! That was my best deal this year. They retail for $98 a pair.
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I didn’t know it was NTSD today, and happened to be thrifting (can’t always do that these days due to life, etc.). How ironic.
Vintage skeins of yarn, only one of each mostly and an eclectic variety, for 50 cents a pop! I tend to stay away from any acryllcs unless they are something made in Europe that’s a novelty yarn. My stash is such that the odd skeins are matched until enough of them come together for a project. I also like to find fabric whenever possible.
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My mom and three of her friends spend each Thursday morning at a particular thrift shop and then go out to lunch. She ALWAYS finds something, and I always comment on how nice she looks in her dead-person outfit as I like to tease her that everything in that store is a post-funeral donation. You know, just to mess with her.
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I love thrift stores. I’ve had lots of great finds.
My wedding dress came from a secondhand store. It’s a vintage tea length gown with capped sleeves and sweetheart neckline made of cream silk covered with matching lace. The hem and sleeves are trimmed with pink ribbon. At that time dresses at the local bridal shop were going for $700+. I paid $125 plus the cost of alterations (probably another $100). Our videographer was able to capture my DH’s face when he saw me walking down the aisle. Priceless.
When we got engaged I bought DH a beautiful set of china at a thrift shop. They’re white with a small grey and pink flower design in the center and a small gold leaf border on the edges. He loves to cook so he had pots and pans but not many dishes or serving pieces. I think the entire service for 12 was under $100.
Before online sales became a thing it was easier to find name brand clothes at secondhand stores. I don’t care much for names but I like well made. I’ve purchased silk dresses, dress suits for DH, overcoats, clothes for the children, and lots more at a fraction of the original cost. You can still find deals but it takes some legwork.
I found a new hardwood desk (floor model) for one of my kiddos that I’d been eying at a local store. I couldn’t afford retail so I was waiting for the price to go down. I walked into the local thrift shop one day to see the desk for 50% off the original cost. It had some scrapes but otherwise it was in great shape. It took one afternoon for my DH to repair it. When he was done it looked good as new.
I always visit the houseware and toy sections. I’ve found replacement covers for casserole dishes and carafes for my coffee maker. And they’re a great place to find replacement pieces for board games.
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I LOVE that you got your vintage wedding dress from a secondhand store! The me of today would 100% do that. I would fully support one of my daughters doing that. My sister in law did and her dress was vintage, simple, perfect.
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I went to resale shops a lot when I was 35 pounds heavier (10 years or so ago) because the retail stores had few attractive items in plus sizes then. I got most of my dress up clothes there. I also got son’s nicer clothes there when he was little and would outgrow them in six months. Our upscale suburb had plenty of mothers who contributed great items to the local shop.
I LOVE haunting thrift shops, for all sorts of reasons. I feel like I’m contributing in a small way to the overabundance of merchandise,with fewer items going to landfills. The quality of vintage items are typically better than new, and for much less cost. It limits my choices (I’m overwhelmed when shopping at a Macy’s type store). Plus I’m “cheap” (ahem frugal).
Most all our wall decor consist of photos from trips & family in frames and mats from thriftshops (as in $5-$10 for a 30x40 piece). Some fun purchases: A new $2 tee with swarovski crystal bling, so unlike me, but fun to wear during winter holidays. Older dated electronics to run my older dated programs. Games that we play 3-4x and then pass on to the next thrift shop hunter. Fancy dishes that I bring to pot-luck dinners and simply leave there.
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You definitely should check out thrift shirts for flannel shirts for your mom.
Last summer after my 89 year old mother died I donated LOTS of clothing to our local ARC thrift shop. (Well actually the first pass donation was when she was starting to downsize at her apartment readying to move in with us… we had some fun doing that together, a bit of a project with conversation and memories.) Many of the items were soft flannel long sleeved shirts, which she wore in all but the hottest weather. Most of the flanner shirts were women’s but some were men’s … including a few I think from her small framed dad. So don’t forget to stop by the men’s section too.
I was a casual thrifter before I started my Poshmark closet…now I’m a FT thrifter! It’s just amazing to me the things people practically give away. I’ve found so many things I could resale, but kept for myself. I’m almost happy when I find things I love NOT in my size. I had one high neck halter top I debated and debated keeping, even put it in my own closet. It sold 2 hours after I listed.
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Back when son was in junior high school band he needed a black suit jacket. Since he was growing an inch a week it seemed, thrift was #1 concern. Wife found him a jacket at Savers for all of $7 that fit him like it was tailored!! Then she had the extra bonus of advising a guy buying a sports jacket for court…
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@Colorado_mom I actually ended up stopping at a Goodwill yesterday and looked for flannel shirts for my mom. I was dropping off a box of stuff to donate (“bag a day thread!”) and realized I should check. Their inventory actually seemed low - wondering if they are waiting a bit to put out fall stuff? And I did check mens as well. I picked up two soft blouses - not flannel but a cozy cottony material without structured cuffs that I thought she could use now before fall!
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@conmama would love to hear more of your thrift store finds/sell stories!!!
A
From the hospital thrift store, $10. Son was hosting a Clue party, and he was the Professor. This is that famous London name, with the elbow patches. Harris tweed
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That weave is a dead ringer (ha!) for the Professor! Great find!
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I have used the local ARC thrift shop to buy a variety of running clothes. It’s great to buy cheap, give away if it does not work out.
I like cycling and triathlon tops for the pockets, when I can find them loose enough to not be too hot. Here’s an XL that I bought last month and love. It has two side pockets (for phone and water flask), large arm holes for venting, and nice long front zipper for when it gets hotter. Price tag was $3.99, but I bought on a half price day…so $2
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Is it easy to do Poshmark? Thinking of that for the designer clothes my D does not want anymore lol…
It’s very easy to do Poshmark on a casual basis like selling your own clothes. Upload and join the app. Take a max of 16 good pictures and upload. Write a description and good header. Brand, color, what it is, size. See what others are selling theirs for. Designer clothes where you are asking more than $500 have to be sent to Poshmark to be authenticated before listing, the downside is there are scammers so seller beware.
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My latest great flip was a Lilly Pulitzer absolutely gorgeous spring ivory/cream coat that retails for $350 to $400. Excellent like new condition at Goodwill. I bought it for $4.71 and it sold on FB marketplace the same day I listed it for $135. Another good flip was an Anthropologie baby blue mohair spring coat I bought for .65 at the Goodwill bins retails fir about $350. Sold for $115. Those great flips are few and far between. I typically average only $20 profit per item sold. I spend about 5-6 hours a week right now at GW and other consignment stores at their clearance racks, or senior days. There’s a benefit to being 61!
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