I was pretty pleased with the jeans and so were my kids.  Here are some reasons that I like thrift stores.

6)  I don’t have the guilt.  I can’t force myself to pay $10-15 for clothing. And even if I did, there would be some major guilt.

7)  Thrift stores usually give back to the community.  The thrift store where I shop helps others in need with food and other necessary items.

8)  No worries about wear and tear.  I told my daughter this week that I don’t like to buy her new clothes.  The reason is because she stains just about everything she wears.  I can’t tell you the number of times I have put something new on her and been so upset because she permanently stained it.  When I pay $1 for something, I don’t get so upset about stains.

9)  I am able to give to others.  When you’re only paying $1 for clothing items, it’s easy to purchase a few extra things for others.  Since you’re already searching the racks, many times you’ll come across items that others you know can use.  I try to remember the sizes that my younger cousins wear or my friend’s children.  When I was shopping this week, I remembered to look for athletic pants for my friend’s son.  She had mentioned duing an earlier conversation that he needed them.

10)  Sometimes you get your money back.  When I shop for used clothing items, many times I can get my money back for them when we’re done.  Sometimes I can sell them at my yard sale or local consignment store for close to what we paid for them.  It’s also easy to give them away since you don’t have much money invested.

Do you shop at thrift stores?

Please check out part 1 of 10 Reasons I Like Thrift Stores.

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

You never know what you’ll find at a thrift store.  This week, I was blessed with some bargains.  I found 12 pairs of pants for my kids for only $12!  That’s $1 per pair.

I enjoy shopping at thrift stores.  Here’s some reasons I like them so much.

1)  Shopping at a thrift store is like going on a treasure hunt. You never know what you’ll find.  Sometimes you’re really surprised.

2)  The items are unique.  You don’t have to worry about seeing five other people at school wearing the same shirt.

3)  You can find name brand clothing.  I’m not one to sport a big name brand across the front of my shirt, but it is true that some brands hold up better than others.  Some of the pants I found this week were from Old Navy, Gap, Children’s Place, and JCPenney. 

4)  It helps the environment.  Shopping thrift stores keeps products from landfills.

5)  Shopping thrift stores usually saves so much money!  This is probably my favorite reason!

Do you shop at thrift stores?

Stay tuned for part 2 of 10 Reasons I Like Thrift Stores.

image by tome213 at sxc.hu

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

We all have habits. Some of our habits include spending more on some items over others. I bring this up because sometimes I think about the thrifty books I read, or blog posts, and it seems I could be doing more to save money. Some of those authors of thrifty books come off as if they NEVER spend a dime more than they have to. This makes me wonder about the rest of us. Do we all hold back or do some of us splurge once in a while?

I do splurge, not often, but I do. I do however look for sales on the items below, but if I can’t find one, I’ll still hand over the cash for them. Here’s what I won’t compromise on…

• Coffee: I’ve tried to buy cheaper coffee, I really have. But the coffee snob in me hates me for doing it, and I may as well not drink coffee at all. NOT an option.
• Organic fruits and veggies: You see conventional for really good deals, and many I will buy conventionally, but if a fruit or veggie is on the dirty dozen list, it’s very rare that I won’t buy the organic version.
• Organic milk: Milk is already expensive. Organic milk is a lot more. But dairy rates high on the list of conventional food baddies, so I always buy the more expensive organic.
• Lip gloss: I hate cheap kid lip gloss. I splurge (sadly) on my faves instead.
• Lotion: I usually buy organic or natural lotions (when I don’t make homemade) and it costs more than say, a store brand, but I like that they work better and don’t come chock full of chemicals.
• Recycled toothbrushes: These really cost more than store brand toothbrushes, and work just the same, but the greenie in me makes me need to spend more in order to lower my footprint some.

I’ve known folks who only buy the best meat but would never dream of shelling out cash for a book they can get at the library. I know others who splurge on shoes but clip coupons and search for sales all day long for groceries. I suppose my splurges are mainly affected by my eco-issues, but all of our splurges are slanted by something.

What do you splurge on and why? OR do you think you should try to save money 100% of the time – no compromise?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Follow these rules when shopping for big ticket used items…

Only buy what you need: Obviously this is a smart tip no matter if you’re buying used or new, but it’s soooo much easier to plunk down money for a low-cost chair than a high-priced one, so be careful. If you don’t need it, won’t use it, and can’t imagine it in your home, then don’t buy it simply because it’s cheap. Buy what you need and can use only.

Use high standards: Just because you’re buying used, don’t lower your standards. Would you buy a table with one leg broken off new? Well, it might not be smart to buy a table like that used (even at a lower cost). If fixing it seems daunting, don’t do it.

If it’s too broken, leave it: Following along with the above rule, anything out of your means to fix should be left alone. Trust me, if you haven’t been handy your entire life, that won’t change just because you buy something that needs fixed. Unless you’re committed to solving the problem that desk has, or know someone who can, don’t buy it. This is how folks end up with an attic full of “good deals.”

Be reasonable: You should be reasonable about price, but you should expect the same from the seller. Just because it’s used doesn’t mean it’s worth only pennies, so be realistic when bargaining with a seller. However, on the other hand, if time and labor is going to be involved and the seller won’t budge on the price, think twice.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy