You have probably seen the bumper sticker “I brake for garage sales’. I raised my children as a single parent, and after leaving a well paying career, we went through a number of years of real hard times. I did not though want my children to dress in rags or be too out of place with other kids. I have learned as many others, the fine art of shopping Thrift Stores and Rummage or Garage Sales. The key is to develop a keen eye, and to know what , how and when to look.
Shopping just thrift stores and rummage sales, I found quality clothing. (Sometimes even brand new.) One of the advantage of children’s clothes is that children grow quickly, so quality used clothing can be purchased with little wear or tear. Really poor folks cannot afford to wince at used clothing, and if one is discreet, no one knows where very wearable items were purchased anyhow. Every town has private and well known thrift stores and garage sales. Some have consignment stores and flea markets: the best source for what’s available locally is your classified section of your newspaper (ours lists weekly garage and rummage sales and locates them on a map for efficient shopping). I was able to dress my children in name brands such as bugle boys, Oshkosh, Old Navy and other solidly constructed nice fitting clothing. Once we found a high quality brand new Eva Picone suit for my daughter in a thrift store.
There are several tips that help not just reduce costs but buy dirt cheap.
1. Go on ‘value’ days: some have Tuesdays half off sales, or at the end of a church rummage sale in the last hours they may have stuff a bag for a dollar sales. I used to go in and get house items such as hot plates, place mats, shower curtains, rugs, tablecloths and sometimes even antique items: all at the end of the sale for the extraordinary price of one dollar. You really can have a nice looking house or apartment for very little money: buy color coordinated items and items in a suit instead of mismatched dishes etc. There is an edifying element to even if poor, put a few finishing touches on the house.
2. Never buy items that need too much repair: unless it is an expensive super deal that just needs a zipper, and you are a seamstress, chances are you will buy it and never repair or wear it. You will end up giving it away. Never buy stained or soiled items: even really poor people deserve better. Avoid personal care items that might carry bacteria: e.g. combs or brushes, undergarments, etc. Alot of these can be purchased for very little money at ‘dollar stores’. Be careful of pots and pans used: if teflon, no stick pans are scratched more than a tiny bit, it was the end of the pan with the last user: no sense burning valuable food or ending up with teflon bits in your children’s lunch. Be cautious about things like tea kettles: I bought one once and it was rusted inside. Some stores and sales sell shoes that are practically new: this is a bargain, but beware of worn shoes, conformed to someone else’s feet, who may have had disease or other problems: you don’t want to pay .50 for a wearable pair of shoes and the 100 dollars for a doctor and medications. Use the principle across the board.
3. Garage and rummage sales usually allow some bartering and have an ‘as is’ policy. I would not personally advise buying certain items such as computers at garage sales: some have malware so bad that it will either ruin everything you do, or allow someone at a remote location to see it. Some are dirt cheap for a reason: they may be so old they have next to no storage, or usb outlets may be corrupted, or there may be no way to save a file on an external disc. The best items are found at the beginning of a tag sale, but the end has the best bargains. Some people especially in moving sales will even let you haul away whatever you want at the end just to get rid of it. A word of caution: don’t think you can return an item, and be wary of the circumstances: occasionally someone will sell an item and then use it as an excuse to case your house and break it: always get a signed receipt from a garage sale or pay with a traceable means. Make sure items you purchase are functional: a beautiful queen anne chair for 20 dollars is not a good deal if the legs are broken and hard to repair or if the fabric has burns in it. Plug in electric appliances before you buy them: make sure there are no sparks. Don’t buy things like used coffee makers as over time they become difficult to clean and can carry bacteria impossible to remove.
4. Scout out special programs related to thrift stores: some have ministries or programs that will give vouchers to families under a certain income limit for one or two outfits each. Some have programs to aid women returning to the workforce who have nothing to wear, and they set aside ‘office’ clothing as a charity. Some thrift stores as an added benefit, once a week get donations of free day old bread and bakery items: you can shave sometimes 30 dollars off a grocery bill, by being willing to sort through very edible day old items: freeze those you will not use within a few days.
more later
Shopping just thrift stores and rummage sales, I found quality clothing. (Sometimes even brand new.) One of the advantage of children’s clothes is that children grow quickly, so quality used clothing can be purchased with little wear or tear. Really poor folks cannot afford to wince at used clothing, and if one is discreet, no one knows where very wearable items were purchased anyhow. Every town has private and well known thrift stores and garage sales. Some have consignment stores and flea markets: the best source for what’s available locally is your classified section of your newspaper (ours lists weekly garage and rummage sales and locates them on a map for efficient shopping). I was able to dress my children in name brands such as bugle boys, Oshkosh, Old Navy and other solidly constructed nice fitting clothing. Once we found a high quality brand new Eva Picone suit for my daughter in a thrift store.
There are several tips that help not just reduce costs but buy dirt cheap.
1. Go on ‘value’ days: some have Tuesdays half off sales, or at the end of a church rummage sale in the last hours they may have stuff a bag for a dollar sales. I used to go in and get house items such as hot plates, place mats, shower curtains, rugs, tablecloths and sometimes even antique items: all at the end of the sale for the extraordinary price of one dollar. You really can have a nice looking house or apartment for very little money: buy color coordinated items and items in a suit instead of mismatched dishes etc. There is an edifying element to even if poor, put a few finishing touches on the house.
2. Never buy items that need too much repair: unless it is an expensive super deal that just needs a zipper, and you are a seamstress, chances are you will buy it and never repair or wear it. You will end up giving it away. Never buy stained or soiled items: even really poor people deserve better. Avoid personal care items that might carry bacteria: e.g. combs or brushes, undergarments, etc. Alot of these can be purchased for very little money at ‘dollar stores’. Be careful of pots and pans used: if teflon, no stick pans are scratched more than a tiny bit, it was the end of the pan with the last user: no sense burning valuable food or ending up with teflon bits in your children’s lunch. Be cautious about things like tea kettles: I bought one once and it was rusted inside. Some stores and sales sell shoes that are practically new: this is a bargain, but beware of worn shoes, conformed to someone else’s feet, who may have had disease or other problems: you don’t want to pay .50 for a wearable pair of shoes and the 100 dollars for a doctor and medications. Use the principle across the board.
3. Garage and rummage sales usually allow some bartering and have an ‘as is’ policy. I would not personally advise buying certain items such as computers at garage sales: some have malware so bad that it will either ruin everything you do, or allow someone at a remote location to see it. Some are dirt cheap for a reason: they may be so old they have next to no storage, or usb outlets may be corrupted, or there may be no way to save a file on an external disc. The best items are found at the beginning of a tag sale, but the end has the best bargains. Some people especially in moving sales will even let you haul away whatever you want at the end just to get rid of it. A word of caution: don’t think you can return an item, and be wary of the circumstances: occasionally someone will sell an item and then use it as an excuse to case your house and break it: always get a signed receipt from a garage sale or pay with a traceable means. Make sure items you purchase are functional: a beautiful queen anne chair for 20 dollars is not a good deal if the legs are broken and hard to repair or if the fabric has burns in it. Plug in electric appliances before you buy them: make sure there are no sparks. Don’t buy things like used coffee makers as over time they become difficult to clean and can carry bacteria impossible to remove.
4. Scout out special programs related to thrift stores: some have ministries or programs that will give vouchers to families under a certain income limit for one or two outfits each. Some have programs to aid women returning to the workforce who have nothing to wear, and they set aside ‘office’ clothing as a charity. Some thrift stores as an added benefit, once a week get donations of free day old bread and bakery items: you can shave sometimes 30 dollars off a grocery bill, by being willing to sort through very edible day old items: freeze those you will not use within a few days.
more later
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