All that said, I don’t think that all thrift store finds make the best gifts in my opinion.

Goods to avoid for sure include…

• Many toys – be careful about toys. It’s not always safe to give toys because without a warranty card parents won’t know about recalls. Also many thrift store toys are plastic or may contain lead. Although in good news, plenty of thrift stores are now watching out for toxic suspect toys. Before you buy toys used read how to find toxic free toys.
• Baby items. Many baby items are no bargain and can be very dangerious. Before buying used baby items make sure you know what’s safe and what’s not when it comes to reused baby goods.
• Electronics – most newer electronics use less energy and will actually work. I haven’t had great luck with many tech thrift store items. The same goes for appliances.
• Stuffed animals – don’t wash well and are a little too germ ridden for me.

Be very careful when buying…

• DVDs, CDs and records – any you buy should be scratch free and in really great condition.
• Dishes – may contain lead and if cracked can harbor germs. IF you have a pal who collects old dishes or teacups or what have you for visuals not edibles you’re good to go though.

Great thrift store holiday gifts…

• Books! My boyfriend just came home from the thrift store yesterday with the last three Harry Potter books – hardcover, perfect condition, and they look like new. Guess how much he paid for all three? $8. Oh yeah. Books are a super duper gift at the thrift store.
• Puzzles.
• Baskets for holding other gifts.
• Flower vases.
• Picture frames – you can put family photos in these for a great gift.
• Kids costumes (such as dress up clothing, costume jewelry, and so on). See how to make a DIY kid’s dress up kit.
• Wooden toys – which breaks my above toy rule, but wood is much safer. Just make sure toys are smooth, unpainted, and in one piece. Blocks are often a nice thrift store find.
• Kid’s clothing is often very nice because kids outgrow stuff so fast. Holiday dresses are an especially nice find.
• Stocking stuffers like marbles, costume jewelry, and sometimes even art supplies.
• Bikes – IF you look it over.
• Sports equipment.

PS – If you’re having issues about giving used gifts maybe you just need to consider how much happier the planet is when you give a reuse gift OR change your wording – recycled or reclaimed is oh so much nicer and less blunt than used.

Do you give thrift store gifts? What sorts?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Best Thrift Store Gifts

Reusable Bags offers these (and other) facts related to plastic bags:

• 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used per year – or one million per minute. Insanity; um yeah. Most don’t make it to a recycling facility.
• “According to Australia’s Department of Environment, Australians consume 326 plastic bags per person, per year.”
• “Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in coastal cleanups, according to the nonprofit Center for Marine Conservation.”
• In 2001, Ireland consumed around 316 plastic bags per person. After the PlasTax, a tax on plastic bags was introduced in Ireland, plastic bag consumption was actually reduced by 90%. That amount has saved around 18,000,000 liters of oil.

Think paper bags are the answer? Think again. Paper bags are almost as much of a drain on the environment as plastic bags. The only green option is to go reusable. ECOBAGS can help you out as they carry many different reusable bag options and offer affordable prices too. I recently tested two of their bags…

ECOBAGS Certified Organic Cotton Lunch Bag: At just $7 this 100% GOTS certified organic cotton canvas lunch sack  is an excellent value, but has a few cons. First the pros though – Fair Trade, SKAL Certified Organic, lovely natural creamy shade, easy to use VELCRO like closure, natural string handle and flat-gusset bottom, plus it’s machine washable. Nothing fancy just a nice basic lunch sack for a great price.

My con with a bag like this is that you can’t put an ice pack in it. You can get a reusable ice pack with a cloth cover but a sack like this just won’t keep food cold for all that long. Also, with bag style lunch sacks I’ve found that my son will dump out all his food or he won’t and then won’t find stuff (i.e. he’ll fail to eat). He likes to pop open his lunch kit and see his food laid out. There are better reusable lunch bags for kids. However, if you’re an adult on the go, and don’t need the icepack this is a great simple lunch sack. It’s also roomy enough to use for a bunch of toddler snacks and small gear, for say, a play date.

ECOBAGS Organic Net Drawstring Bag: I don’t usually like drawstring, mesh bags. I own produce bags but they’re basic organic cotton, non-mesh bags. In any case, it turns out that this mesh bag is pretty useful. This produce bag is GOTS certified organic and can be used for carrying vegetables, fruits or whatever else you choose to tote.It’s also machine washable, and when I did wash it (in cold) it cleaned up fine, and didn’t massively shrink or experience undue wear and tear.

The best thing about this is how cashiers manage this bag. I get so many freaked out cashiers when I use reusable produce bags. Cashiers roll their eyes, sigh, and make a big deal of pulling out a flipping apple to see what type it is. Yeah, they shouldn’t, but they do. With these bags, the cashiers are able to glance at the bag, and still see what’s inside which makes their job faster and I get fewer eye rolls. At just $4 (less when you buy more) these are an excellent deal. You can never have too many reusable produce bags in my opinion because not only can you use them for produce, but you can also use them for bulk soaps at the farmers market, and the non-mesh ones for other bulk food items.

Visit ECOBAGS to see all their reusable bag options and check out their cute Loofah Art products too!

[images via ECOBAGS]

Post from: Blisstree

ECOBAGS Organic Bag Choices

Cute reusable bags from three beans & co shown above.

I agree personally, because plastic bags are a complete eco-nuisance, but I am wondering how a law like this might affect everyone without reusable bags. Paper bags will still be around for sure, but paper bags are almost as un-eco-friendly as plastic. I’m thinking that if this becomes law, stores will make a move to a more eco-friendly bag material somehow  OR have massive chain wide promotions of store brand reusable bags.

What you should do – start learning more about your reusable bag options asap. You can always go with store brand reusable bags, but with few exceptions, these bags seem to have a very short lifespan and can be made of questionable materials. You’re better off going with a set of more expensive, but stronger and longer lasting cloth bags.

Do you think a worldwide ban on plastic grocery bags is a good idea? I do, even though I’m wondering about the logistics.

Post from: Blisstree

Plastic supermarket bags ban

ACME Bags – Plastic Bags Blow Dual-Handled Tote via Reusable Bags

Reusable Bags offers the following facts about non-reusable bags…

• According to the EPA, the U.S. uses over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps annually.
• According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually.
• AND that’s just the U.S.
• The bags we use also have a negative environmental Impact
• “Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.“
• When plastic bags break down they don’t technically biodegrade they break into small pieces that can contaminate the water and soil plus animals can ingest the pieces and choke.
• The Center for Marine Conservation reports that plastic bags are among one of the top 12 items found in coastal clean-ups.

Tips for using reusable bags:

Get a lot. Once you start using them, you’ll never want to use plastic again. You need about 7-8 sturdy bags for a cart of groceries. However, get more than you think you need, because you should leave some in your car for when you forget the bags at home.

Get good bags, not store brand bags that will bust up sooner rather than later. See some amazing bag options or read Cute Bag Designs for the Picky if you happen to be, well, picky.

Don’t forget about other reusable bags. For example, don’t use disposable bags for your lunch or your kids lunches. Check out earth friendly lunch boxes.

Do you use reusable bags at the grocery store? How about at other stores.

Post from: Blisstree

Why use reusable grocery bags