A Thrifty Recovery

Bargains this Way!

I get it.

 Times are tough.

 Despite somewhat diminutive signs of an economic recovery, many people find themselves either without jobs, in underpaying jobs, or in multiple jobs, all trying to keep afloat.

 Yet clothes still need to be bought for growing kids.

 Furniture does wear out.

 So do shoes.

 Plates break and so do glasses.

 School assignments still often feature reading lists.

 Proms sometimes need to be attended.  And weddings.

 All in addition to those pesky bills for light and heat that keep showing up in the mailbox, the car persistently seems to run on “E,”, and tummies still rumble for dinner.

 What to do?

 In these times, priorities must be established and budgets drafted (and adhered to!) so a modicum of normal life can be obtained while situations (hopefully) change.

 One solution?  You guessed it…

 …Thrift stores.

 As I mentioned in my post, “Rethinking Thrift,” venturing into a thrift store is no longer a journey into dangerous territory.

 With a little time, patience, product knowledge, and willingness to get a bit dusty and perhaps have one’s comfort zone stretched, it is possible to save literally hundreds of dollars by shopping second hand.

For instance,

you …may actually find yourself rethinking your preconceived notions of all things secondhand. If you are brave enough to voluntarily enter one of these value-added venues, you may find yourself a convert. For within those walls lies a treasure trove just waiting to be uncovered.

Like what, you ask?

Like an HP Photosmart scanner/fax/printer combination I found for $4.99 at Goodwill.  It lists anywhere from $50-350 online.

An old(er) but a good(er)?

I vacuum my floor with a Kenmore Progressive canister vacuum, complete with HEPA filter.  I paid a whopping $9.99.  It sold originally for about $600.00.  I guess I could resell it on eBay for ten times that price (at least) but then I’d have to use a broom on my floors. 

Dust Bunnies Beware!

I found a pair of Keen Newport shoes, in my size, for $3.99.  Had I located those first, I would not have bought my other pair on Amazon for 80 bucks.

I'm Keen on my shoes!

Don’t get me started on books.  Or cooking implements.  The list goes on.

A tiny Waterford clock for which I paid 99 cents.

Or furniture.

More and more folks are getting in on this thrifting bandwagon.  Check out this article on Huffington Post by author Brie Dyas, entitled, “Thrift Store Shopping: Find the Best Second Hand Furniture at Goodwill/Salvation Army.”  In it, she states what I have been saying for years…

The fact is, we all would like to save money, especially when it comes to home items. Furniture, tableware and accessories can be staggeringly overpriced and/or shoddily constructed. Visiting a thrift store can yield genuinely high-quality items that have withstood the test of time for far, far less than you’d get retail, on ebay and especially on etsy.

Again, as I previously mentioned in my post “Rethinking Thrift,”

See, thrifting isn’t what you think.  No longer remanded to the back recesses of shopping society, more and more folks these days are rethinking preconceived notions of second-hand and discovering thousands of bargains at their local thrift stores.

Happy shopping!  Let the Recovery begin.