Okay, the kids may be going back to school, this week or next and you are starting to wind down after the whirlwind of the holiday season. Its hard to believe that its all over, but as you put away your decorations and prepare for, Valentines day and some time away from the kitchen and entertaining, you may want to finish your reorganization project.
Its time to take your bags and boxes of donations to your favorite local thrift store. Usually I just smile, drop our items, get a receipt and go. But how many of us have ever think to venture INSIDE the store…well let me tell you it is a treasure trove of fun and savings.
GET RID OF THE BIG NASTY OLD STUFF AND BUY FUN NEWER STUFF, THAT IS LESS NASTY
So if you are like me and you have little kids and at a pet or two, it is safe to assume that your furniture will get nasty, unless you don’t let kids, dogs, food, or husbands on it. I know a lot of families that have “the room” that never gets touched and that is a great place for guests, but as your usable furniture takes a beating, you may think about getting something new that isn’t covered in peanut butter, pen markings and pet hair. So you look and you look and you finally decided that spending $500 to $5,000 for something that will inevitably be covered in gunk again until your children are…ten (no not ten), 15 (definitely not 15) 22?? (no…) and then you say never mind, I’ll just clean the couch again. And this is a wise decision to continually clean your furniture, but there will come a day when it simply isn’t cleanable anymore or you just plain hate it. 🙂
Here is where thrift stores come in handy, for a couple hundred dollars or less you can get a new less nasty piece of furniture, that you won’t mind as much if it gets crumbs in the cracks. You will still want to make an attempt to uphold the sanctity of a clean couch, but you are realistic, you do have kids, pets, reptiles etc. And you won’t go nuts if you only spent $125 dollars on your “new couch” vs. $1,200.
Here are some great places to save money on used furniture:
FURNITURE
GOODWILL INDUSTRIES
Goodwill is going to be hit or miss on their goods, like most thrift stores, but if you check in often, you can spot some amazing finds. Also ask the sales representative at your local store about in store specials and deals, especially on furniture. Goodwill also has an online shop.
SALVATION ARMY
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf
The Salvation Army will usually have sales on Fridays and Saturdays, check with the store to see what specials they are running on those days.
I got a beautiful micro suede couch for half off, so what was originally $160 ended up being $80 bucks, not too bad for a beautiful new four person couch.
CRAIGSLIST
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/
Craigslist is a great online community that lists people who are selling items, you can get some great deals, but do watch out for scams, make sure you familiarize yourself with their policy on scams.
BUY USED CLOTHES
Thrift stores can also be a great place to get clothes, especially gently used kids clothes. Again, kids are gonna mess up their clothes, I feel much better as a mom paying $3 dollars for a piece of clothing that eventually ends in the trash than $30. You have to hunt, but you can also find amazing deals on designer clothes for the whole family. You just never know what someone has chosen to clear out.
GET FUN TABLEWARE
You can find, fun dishes, plates and serving ware, some are real antiques and others are just quirky, functional or fun. Again the thrift store is a great place to find dishes that you don’t care if the kids, oops drop them, or heaven forbid, you do :-).
BIKES and OUTDOOR PLAY TOYS
Thrift stores are great places to find bikes and out door toys and because they will eventually be left in the rain, crashed or otherwise terrorized, especially if you have sons, you might want to skip the assembly and buy used. I found a great trike for my youngest who is just learning to ride for $4 dollars, which was almost like stealing it.
Just about anything can be bought at a thrift store, but here is some advice you may want to follow. First be prepared, there is a lot of junk at thrift stores and it can be depressing and overwhelming, so go in with a good attitude. Remember you will be jumping for joy when you discover the savings. Scope out your local thrift store scene and see what stores are nearby, then call them and see if they carry what you are looking for.
If you want to shop online try…
EBAY
If you know how to work an auction, you can get some great deals. The best thing to do is watch the item and bid in the last few minutes to get the best deal on a popular auction.
Lastly, remember that shopping at thrift and second hand stores helps the planet as it creates less waste and promotes re-use. Be creative and turn that tacky green table that is just the perfect size for the playroom into a work of art, better yet, let the kids help.
