Why buy new if you can have new for almost free along with the satisfaction of helping out a good cause? One may think that a thrift store is for people with little means… I think it is mostly for smart people who know how to efficiently spend their money and are excited by the possibility to find real treasures!
When I first looked for a nearby thrift store, I was about to move and was trying to quickly find a new home to many unused items I did not want to pack, only to store them again in the new place. I thought some of them could help out other people and I had no time, or energy, to try and sell the ones I could have sold. Plus I was a little intimated by either Craig’s List or ebay. I was later proven wrong, but at the time they both seemed complicated and time sucking to me.
Terra Cotta clay spice jars with cork lids
I was comforted by the idea of doing something good as I looked to donate perfectly usable things to people who otherwise may not be able to afford them. So I packed my items and went to the local Church’s thrift store, happy to “do good”. Not only was I able to donate most of my items (they could not take strollers due to lack of space even though the demand for them was high; fortunately Freecycle solved that in no time), but I ended up spending a good hour there, going from one rack to another, one floor to another and finding real gems (in my own terms of course). At the time I was in the midst of removing all plastics from my kitchen and I found these beautiful ceramic jars with real cork lids, purchased at a whopping $2 for 12 of them!
Each time I drop things off, I tour around the place and rarely leave without an item or two. The volunteers holding up shop there are always very happy to see more items coming in because they know they will be put to good use and it gives full meaning to the time they spend there. I might just be even happier than them, liking the way I unload what I don’t use knowing that they can become lifesavers, and rewarding my trip with a little but always useful treasure.
Recycled glass containers (jars, bottles)
The last time I dropped items back in Spring, I picked out these four completely mismatched glass containers out of two tables full of random odd glassware, paid $3 for them 4, used them to store mixed nuts, grains and cereals, and since then have been tapping into them daily as I prepare my daughters’ lunch boxes.
You can find old and new things alike in a thrift store, I just really enjoy the older things because they are most of the time made of durable material like glass, wood, or stainless steel. Much better than nowadays’ plastic. Visiting a thrift store really is one of a few great, easy, time saving and good doing options to de-clutter your home, and your life.
Do you know of and visit a thrift store in your area? If so, what do you like about the experience?
If not, would you consider it in the future?
