*Thrift Store Shopper

Overcoming the Fear of Thrift Stores

2008-05-30T04:09:00.000-07:00

I must confess. I do not like thrift stores. Most often they are over crowded with clothing and it's 100 to 1 I'll find some thing I'll like, that fits. We live in a small community that does not have a thrift shop. This fact adds to my dislike for them-inconvenience.

What has changed my mind is the effort of a few Church ladies. For the past 11 years they have been collecting, organizing and selling thrift store items and giving 100% of the proceeds to missions in the form of a rummage sale.

With their ministry and our current need I was tempted to look. Wow! WAS I IMPRESSED! So I had to pick through a hundred things to find one...,more like 50 to 1 for the kids. But I got over a hundred dollars worth of clothing and shoes for just $20.

My reasons for not using the thrift store have been chipped away. It is no longer inconvenient to go to the rummage sale. I know my dollar is going to a good cause. And the ratios...I'm simply trading time for money.

Goodwill High Prices

2008-03-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I stopped in at Goodwill and not looking at the price went up to buy 2 t-shirts and a book , Shocked it came to $11.75 ! This is Goodwill , they are given free stuff . How can they sell it for so much? It's not always a great deal at the Goodwill. I think I'll hold out for the sales. I feel Sometimes they just rip people off . Every t-shirt is not equal and worth $5. and every pair of jeans should not be marked $7.
The same day at a big shopping store they had a rack , brand new clothing 90% off . I could get
a t-shirts for $2 .

EXXON AND MOBILE

2008-03-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

THIS IS NOT THE 'DON'T BUY' GAS FOR ONE DAY, BUT IT WILL SHOW YOU HOW WE CAN GET GAS BACK DOWN TO $1.30 PER GALLON.
This was sent by a retired Coca Cola executive. It came from one of his engineer buddies who retired from Halliburton. If you are tired of the gas prices going up AND they will continue to rise this summer, take time to read this please.
Phillip Hollsworth offered this good idea.
This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the "don't buy gas on a certain day" campaign that was going around last April or May!It's worth your consideration. Join the resistance!!!!
I hear we are going to hit close to $ 4.00 a gallon by next summer and it might go higher!! Want gasoline prices to come down?
We need to take some intelligent, united action. The oil companies just laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to "hurt" ourselves by refusing to buy gas.
It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them.BUT, whoever thought of this idea, has come up with a plan that can Really work. Please read on and join with us!
By now you're probably thinking gasoline priced at about $2.00 is super cheap. Me too! It is currently $ 3.15 for regular unleaded in my town.
Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at $1.50 - $1.75, we need to take aggressive action to teach them that BUYERS control the marketplace...not sellers.
With the price of gasoline going up more each day, we consumers need to take action.
The only way we are going to see the price of gas come down is if we hit someone in the pocketbook by not purchasing their gas! And, we can do that WITHOUT hurting ourselves.
How? Since we all rely on our cars, we can't just stop buying gas.
But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all act together to force a price war.
Here's the idea: For the rest of this year, DON'T purchase ANY gasoline from the two biggest companies (which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL.
If they are not selling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit.
But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of Exxon and Mobil gas buyers. It's really simple to do! Now, don't wimp out on me at this point...keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!
I am sending this note to 30 people. If each of us send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300) .. and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000)...and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth group of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers.If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted!
If it goes one level further, you guessed it..... THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!
How long would all that take? If each of us sends this e-mail out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!!If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on. I suggest that we not buy from EXXON and MOBIL UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE $2.00 RANGE AND KEEP THEM DOWN. THIS CAN REALLY WORK.

Playing the Lotto

2008-03-04T04:20:00.000-08:00

Do you like to gamble? I say that I don't, but I think we all gamble. It's just on what we value. However, I want to encourage you in gambling on some thing you can use. Instead of throwing away your money on a lotto ticket, spend a couple of bucks on an antique. Have you ever heard stories of people paying $0.50 on a picture to find out it is worth a couple of hundred dollars? I have a box full of stamps in my garage. I have held on to these stamps for over 10 years in hopes that one of them is worth millions. Truly one in a million. I just think you can spend your money better than on a lotto ticket.

Wisdom From the Past

2008-03-03T05:16:00.000-08:00

I have begun asking older Home Makers what has saved them money over the years. With out fail the answer has been, "cooking from scratch." My grandfather said his best investment has been realestate, but the last place he worked on he owned it for 7 years. There certainly isn't any quick turn over.

When I observe the generations ahead of us I see those who have been consistent in a few things are doing better than those who bounce around a lot.

Finding Your Own Stuff At The Thrift Store

2008-02-14T19:06:00.001-08:00

Love to give my stuff away and feel like I did a good job cleaning out the kids closet. The freeing feeling of haling it away, but to find my stuff with tags on it. Someone making a killing on my good junk and you stand holding it saying to the stranger next to you" this was mine ". The home made Raggedy Ann doll with the mitten hands that I thought looked more like Lobster Claws. Still after weeks not shopping at that Salvation Army I come back to see nobody wanted it ,and I feeling bad for the doll thinking , maybe I should bring it back home and reached to take it by the hand and realize... ya.. don't think I want it.

Love Free Samples !

2008-02-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

This weeks Free Sample !!!!!

Keeping The Change ?

2008-02-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

Putting your extra change into a jar, thinking this is a great way to save money. This is not always true, you might be losing money. The classic money jar has been a way for our family to feel we always have a backup plan. We always empty out your pockets and put all coins into jars. When the jar is full we start a new jar. This is a easy way to find an extra $300
bucks for Christmas and not feel the pinch, or great for something unexpected.
As for the penny... spending them a little at a time is better then having Jars full of them. As much as I like to save, I also like to save money by spending my penny's. When we hold onto a bunch of penny's , counting out your change jars will look like a chore and like most people the money counting machine starts to look tempting. The fees for coin counting machines are about 9% thats maybe $36 in fees for your $400 in spare change.

Get Paid Not To Shop

2008-02-06T06:33:00.000-08:00

Employ Yourself and Get Paid NOT To Go Shopping! Keep Your Money, Get Paid NOT To Eat At Restaurants! Get Paid NOT To Go To The Movies! Many people have made this a full time job. Many non shoppers are earning between $10 and $40 every time they decided not to spend money! This is perfect for Stay at home moms, college students as well as the retired!! You can start immediately!
What Do I Get By NOT Shopping?
* Discovering you have a choice to keep your money.
* Feeling empowered
* Finding a new hobby
*Ability to take charge of your money
*Transform your life .

No Magic Pill for Cleaning

2008-01-29T04:41:00.000-08:00

So often I want to have a magic pill for cleaning. The advertisers know this and play right up to my magic pill desire, for a pretty penny too. They know we will pull out the wallet for promises of a clean toilet, sink and tub with little to no effort. Well I get a big E. I don't like cleaning my bathrooms, they are yucky and I am unwilling to pay an arm and a leg for magic pills. I would rather keep my arms and use their "elbow grease" to get the job done. To over come the "yuck" factor, I must do a little something every day. I then found these "cheepos".

I highly encourage you to make visiting your local (true) $ store part of your shopping day. When I walk into my local $ store I always ask myself, "why do I shop the super centers? Why don't I come here more often?" The answer is that the super centers are so convenient and they know it. I bought these 3 little "cheepos" for 50 cents or 6/$1. They are plastic/nylon scrubbers. They pull off the grime better than any chemical. I scrub a little every time I take a shower. I am so pleased to see white again. When I do my sink it takes less than a minute to wipe it down with my scrubber. Beautiful! Elbow grease is free, these scrubbers are cheep and effective.

The toilet...well, maybe I'll find a magic pill for that. :)

When is Spending $ Not a Good Deal

2008-01-25T03:58:00.000-08:00

Just because some thing is on sale, sold in bulk or at the thrift store for a greatly reduced price, does not mean it is a good deal for YOU. Will storing 20 roles of toilet paper be practical? Where do I put all the rice? When we consider buying some thing, we should not only think of the savings in money, but where in the world it can stay in our homes for the next...oh lets say, year.

Another question I ask myself is if I actually need the sales store item. Yea, I might have seen it on TV for $200, and it is on sale at the thrift store for $2. What a deal! But do I even need this thing? Where will it go in my house? In the garage with all the other things I don't use? Think, think, think.

The advertisers job is to get you to spend your money on them. My number one job...to keep my money.

Take One, Please

2008-01-20T06:28:00.000-08:00

One of the best ways to save money is to get it free. Companies want you to buy there products and most of the time people might never try them unless maybe it were free.-- Every week Walmart gives away many awesome free samples. I have received over $50 worth of free stuff in the past 6 months.This week you can get a free Curves Cereal bar, free Netflix, and Dove shampoo. My favorite free sample has got to be deodorant, it comes in a great travel size and worth sending away for.
Free Stuff

Find of the Week

2008-01-15T05:10:00.001-08:00

Thank you Ahna for your post "Eureka". We are starting a new contest. The winner will be advertised/featured on this site, "Thrift Store Shopper."

Leave a link to your site in the comments. We want to see what you have found this week, what it cost and what you will use it for. Like this:

Description: Four glasses and a Lionel brand clock. Cost: My grandmother was having a garage sale...free to us. She got them for cheep. Use: We are trying to teach the children good manners at the table. I wont mind if these free glasses get broken as they practice. My husband needed a clock for his shop. Bonus, he likes trains.

Eureka!!

2008-01-15T05:03:00.001-08:00

Man, we've been hitting up the thrift stores a lot lately. Time to share your latest discovery. The best thing I've bought at a thrift store was humm.......Tell us all about your most recent bargain!
I hope you check out my finds, click here!

Home Decor for Pennies

2008-01-14T04:01:00.000-08:00

This weekend I am visiting my grandparents. My grandmother has a beautiful home and a knack for decorating. When I asked where she got a monkey figurine, she told me, "$0.50 at garage sale!

"Wow! She then proceeded to give a tour of all her good deals. From curtains to tea cups. She is a confessed dish-a-holic. I'm sold on garage sales and sales places, how about you?

CHEEPOS

2008-01-12T07:52:00.000-08:00

Puzzling over play things for a two year old, my mother ended up purchasing sponges. This gift became the play thing of choice over many expensive toys. The two year old was my self. I now have four children and have discovered that boxes, sponges, plastic cups and other day-to-day items are choice for my children's imagination.

This idea is not new. We have generations of experience. My grandmother calls them "cheepos". All the little things that are so cheep, yet make us smile. All the granddaughters would spend hours at the mirror Christmas day, applying the "old" make up they received from grandma. We were delighted to have this treasure from her. She was (and is) so beautiful. Having her old make up offered us the opportunity to look just like her.

Opening gifts on Christmas Eve was anticipated...we wanted to see what kind of "cheepo" she found at garage sales and sales places, just for us.

Don't underestimate cheep stuff. Often they are the play thing of choice with kids.

This was written by our first guest writer and my very beautiful sister Rachael, from http://thriftyroost.com/ Get your Bread Basics from Rachael today! Read about how to make homemade bread using your very own homemade yeast.

Free Stuff

2008-01-04T14:56:00.000-08:00

It's a new year so time to make out your list. You might think it's impossible but if you want it you will find it. Easy to do, Just make out a list of all your wants and needs. Whats on your list? Last year I was looking for Looking for a piano, treadmill and ,2 toddler beds and I got them all free. You have to check out freecycle.org ,

"entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills."

Do you have a stack of lumber full of rusty nails, bits old carpet or a litter of kittens? I have given so much stuff away, and you can make people really happy. I gave away gym lockers, 5 gal. of pink paint, baby clothing, and the piano I thought would be so great. If I am only going to give it to the thrift store so they can sell it, why not just cut out the middle man and give it away? Sometimes I'd rather see my stuff in the trash than at the thrift store, being sold for way too much. A clean basement and garage is also a benefit and you don't have to waist your time haling it away or having a garage sale.

After Christmas closet clean out

2007-12-30T19:12:00.000-08:00

I'm doing inventory and seeing what I can get rid of. We don't need bigger storage containers. The old toys and nicknack's have got to go. Hoarding stuff is a waist of time. If you are a Thrift Store Shopper this will be easy. Paying so little for the stuff we enjoy and the freedom to hall it all away and not think twice about it, priceless.

Silver Bells And big Red Bow

2007-12-25T10:42:00.000-08:00

Have A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Paying with Cash

2007-12-17T07:20:00.000-08:00

We forget the true value of money when swiping a card. When you actually have a cold $50 in your purse, you think twice about spending it. I might even decided to squeal it away for a little while. Did you see the TV commercial where every thing is going perfect, people spending money with credit cards, until a stupid person holds up the line to pay cash. Using a card doesn’t have the same effect as physically handing the money. When you do need to use that $50 your less likely to want break it for a pack of gum. How much would we save if we only paid in cash?

The Inside Scoop

2007-12-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

And you might say "I can never find anything good". Yes, at a glance it can be overwhelming to see the amount of stuff at a thrift store. Racks of clothing and bins of toys can have some looking for the nearest fire exit. Giving the once over wont guarantee that you'll find anything but color and shapes . Take a second to look under and behind things and you'll be surprised . Finally check that bottom shelf, things get kicked back in there and it could be a real gold mind. Remember, giving up too soon Is your greatest mistake .

2007 Christmas Spending

2007-12-07T04:49:00.000-08:00

Americans spending an average of $859 for gifts this year, down from $907 last year according to the survey on Christmas spending from the American Research Group, Inc. Top toys of the year are Fisher-Price I Can Play Guitar System $69.99, Dream Town Rose Petal Cottage $78.88 ,Puppy Grows And Knows Your Name Poodle $57.00. That is a lot of money. Considering that for many families the gifts are bought using credit cards. The fact is, family's will be paying for toys longer then children will be playing with them.

Year	Average Spending	Percent Change

2007	$859	- 5%
2006	$907	- 4%
2005	$942	- 6%
2004	$1,004	+ 3%
2003	$976	- 6%
2002	$1,037	-1%
2001	$1,052	+ 9%
2000	$968	+ 3%
1999	$939	+ 1%
1998	$928	+ 34%
1997	$692	+ 29%
1996	$535	- 23%

STOP WASTING YOUR MONEY

2007-12-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

If you can't take another day blowing all your money at the Mall , you're ready to do some work. You can't keep throwing your money away each month on brand new items and expect to get anywhere. America has more stuff then it knows that to do with . Our homes are filled with things, and still we go buy more crap. The truth is you can't afford it. I am not saying give up shopping, Who doesn't like to shop. We're brainwashed to think we need to buy everything brand new, full price at a retail store. If you stop and think about how many people are looking to get rid of the very same item your looking for. It's time to roll up your sleeves and get dirty, The hunt is on!