Needs

Over the years I've spent many hours in thrift stores for various reasons. I've gone there out of necessity as well as being environmentally conscious and trying to make less of a footprint on our earth. In my mind there are many things you can buy used and still get what you need from them. One of the other reasons I have gone also is just being social with my friends. It seems funny but friends go out shopping together and so there's no difference I feel in shopping at a thrift store aka the treasure store.

One of my best purchases to this day is an old iron. I remember I was buying many of the newer irons, and they'd stop working in less than a year. I don't recall how many I bought like this until I finally went in search of an old heavy iron at a second hand shop or the Sally Ann (Salvation Army) as we call it. When I was growing up I always used my mom's iron to press the family's clothes, and she had one of these old heavy irons; and so that is how I thought of it when I got tired of purchasing new ones. The iron I got was not quite as old as the one in the picture as you could still plug it in and put water in it, but it was older than the new fangled pretty ones and much heavier. I still have and use this iron to this day. It looks a little more battered up, but what matters most to me is it still works.

The second most useful items I have found at the second hand shops is clothing. When my daughter was a kid in school, I'd take her shopping each year as let's face it kids grow and some years more than others. My budget wasn't always able to stretch to buy all new clothing for her, so we'd hit the second hand stores for t-shirts. I remember one year we found a deal where I believe it was 10 t-shirts for $10 which was quite the deal. My daughter found many she liked and my wallet loved it. The other bonus to this is that sometimes you'd find brand new clothing with tags still on them for a fraction of the price new.

Two winters ago, I bought all three of my grandkids winter jackets with snow pants for $120. Winter came early that year and my daughter or the kids' dad did not have the funds for an emergency purchase. I usually save up to buy their winter gear, but didn't have enough yet so we all headed down to the local thrift store. The kids picked out their own snow gear which all looked new to boot.

The last purchases I'd like to mention are holiday related purchases specifically, halloween or Christmas purchases. Sometimes when we are making our costumes, we go to the thrift stores in search of specific items. For instance, I was Mother from Psycho one year and I bought one of those old flowery, farm style dresses as part of my costume. We also have bought some used costumes that other children have outgrown but are still in perfect shape for another use. We also donate our old costumes that the grandkids don't fit anymore and that will not be worn by another one of them.

After Christmas is over, many people donate their leftover unopened wrappings, bags, decorations or stockings to the thrift shops. And the same as with the other purchases they sometimes have sales within the thrift shops to get rid of the excess, so it's a great time to save some money on these items. I have many to buy for, so these purchases are used in the next year, safely stored away in a rubbermaid box waiting for their second life.