Badass Thrift Store Shopping

[jeninco]

This is fairly ridiculous, but we decided to add another set of ski equipment to our quiver. (We're looking down actually retiring, or at least scaling back, in the next year or three, and skiing with friends in Europe is a candidate activity. For which we both need to be able to ski on regular alpine ski gear -- DH has never done anything but cross country/telemark skiing, and it's been three decades since I skied with my heels locked down). DH spent last year learning to ski on Alpine Touring equipment (basically, Alpine gear that can be adjusted so you can go uphill on it) and I told him I'd join him this year.

At a used equipment/outdoor gear store here in the fancy outdoor equipment capital of the USA last weekend, someone brought in a used pair of skies with Alpine Touring bindings on them while we were standing there that were about my size and a reasonable(ish) cost. Today I wandered into the other used equipment store in town (a Play It Again) and they had multiple pairs of corresponding ski boots in my size, along with skins (which one needs to attach to the bottoms of the skis to go uphill). I tried them all on, then purchased my favorites (which happened to be the least expensive, but that wasn't driving the decision.)

Short version: this kind of equipment is stupidly expensive, but I just fully equipped myself for about the cost of buying a pair of new skis. Without the bindings. We already "invested" (haha) in ski passes at a small local area that's a reasonable drive away (if you're not going on the weekend) and committed to going skiing every Wednesday morning.

[iris lily]

I love our new local Goodwill. It is right  next door to a JC Penny store ( yes! There are still some of those around) and when I popped my head in recently to see the anomaly that is a live JCPenney store, it was  a ghost town. But the Goodwill  thrift store was crowded and buzzing with shoppers.

Our new Goodwill store has new, gender-less bathrooms where each  one of three is an individual unit with a locked door. All the merchandise is bright and shiny, nothing is dusty or dirty. They do not have dressing rooms, though, but I think that’s the standard now in thrift stores because the ones in the big city took away their dressing rooms.

And then, in the location where this Goodwill store used to be, a for-profit thrift store moved in so now we have two good options for thrift stores.

80% of my clothes are from thrift stores and have been for decades. For household furnishings, I buy used, thrift, or antique whenever possible. I always have a running list of possible purchases on eBay, used items, of course.

[slackmax]

Dropped off an Eddy Bauer full length black leather coat at a consignment shop. Had to go online and fill out a form.

They are asking $80 for it, and I'll get $40 if it sells at that price.

I don't think I would have even had any inquiries if I had put it on Facebook or Craigslist.  This way I have a chance to get some moolah for it. And minimal hassle.

[Cranky]

I went to the coat sale at St. Vinny’s this morning. It’s an annual event and it is *packed*. I waited to get in, and I spent a full hour in the checkout line.

But I bought 11 super nice kids coats and snow pants to donate to the school coat bank, @ $1/ item.

[AMandM]

Went to the thrift store on Saturday for their 20% off Veterans day sale. The Christmas stuff is out, including a rack of Christmas pajamas, some of which were brand new. Looks like some store dumped last year's leftovers. I found three matching (actually identical) sets in the correct sizes for the three kids who still get pajamas, $8 each.

When I got home I realized there was a tagging error and I had two smalls and a medium, instead of one small and two mediums. D'oh!

Today I went back and there was another medium in the same pattern, so I was able to make the exchange!

[Dicey]

Went to the thrift store on Saturday for their 20% off Veterans day sale. The Christmas stuff is out, including a rack of Christmas pajamas, some of which were brand new. Looks like some store dumped last year's leftovers. I found three matching (actually identical) sets in the correct sizes for the three kids who still get pajamas, $8 each.

When I got home I realized there was a tagging error and I had two smalls and a medium, instead of one small and two mediums. D'oh!

Today I went back and there was another medium in the same pattern, so I was able to make the exchange!

That is amazing!

[Toorg]

Backpack recently shredded itself somehow, possibly involving getting caught in a car door and possibly involving a manufacturing defect. 

Went to a set of thrift stores, and found a series of irrelevant but awesome things (a bookshelf as my apartment slowly accumulates them, hand weights as I start up strength training again) and one thing relevant:

Under some suitcases, an Italian leather briefcase/laptop bag with two corners coming apart for ten bucks. Bought it instantly. Turns out similar bags are selling on Ebay for over a hundred bucks. Spent fifteen more bucks on a leather upholstery kit and sealed up everything good, now I have an all but waterproof way of carrying around my electronics and notebooks and papers to my research job!

[Dicey]

Backpack recently shredded itself somehow, possibly involving getting caught in a car door and possibly involving a manufacturing defect. 

Went to a set of thrift stores, and found a series of irrelevant but awesome things (a bookshelf as my apartment slowly accumulates them, hand weights as I start up strength training again) and one thing relevant:

Under some suitcases, an Italian leather briefcase/laptop bag with two corners coming apart for ten bucks. Bought it instantly. Turns out similar bags are selling on Ebay for over a hundred bucks. Spent fifteen more bucks on a leather upholstery kit and sealed up everything good, now I have an all but waterproof way of carrying around my electronics and notebooks and papers to my research job!

Yay! Thanks for reviving this thread.

[Allie]

Over the last week, I have fallen down a deep rabbit hole of thrift resellers/ebay sellers.  I always had this huge block about reselling our clothes and stuff…it seemed so difficult and frustrating.  But, after watching these videos, I feel much more confident.  I have a pile of my own clothes to list and I will see how it goes.

But, the last time I was at the thrift store, I got a little wild.  I found a pair of sorel Xt glacier boots in new condition for $16.  They were marked as size 7 womens, which is too small for me and too big for DD.  I decided I would buy them.  I could list them and see if they sold and if they didn’t DD could wear them in a year or two.  When I got them home, I realized they didn’t look small.  Turns out they are a size 7 MENS boot…which is the size DS wears AND my size!  They are super comfy and will be keeping our feet warm for years!

[Gerard]

the size DS wears AND my size! 

Either you're really lucky that you can wear each other's stuff, or you're gonna fight over whose turn it is! :-)

[Allie]

the size DS wears AND my size! 

Either you're really lucky that you can wear each other's stuff, or you're gonna fight over whose turn it is! :-)

Thankfully, he will probably only stay my size for half a second.  I don’t mind wearing men’s technical snow boots, but as a middle school boy he’ll not be caught dead in my stuff!

[Gerard]

Thankfully, he will probably only stay my size for half a second.  I don’t mind wearing men’s technical snow boots, but as a middle school boy he’ll not be caught dead in my stuff!

Yeah, I suspect most growing-male/adult-female clothing borrowabilities skew in one direction!

[Sugaree]

I'm currently wearing two pairs of my kid's shoes that he's outgrown.  Last year when we were buying appropriate clothing for snow, I almost bought two pairs of snow boots for me and let him choose one to wear.  But, in the end I found a pair of lightly used Sorrells for me and a sufficient-for-three-days pair for him.

[Morning Glory]

Husband was at the habitat store today picking up a new couch i bought a few days ago and they let him have a patio table for free because it was "rusty" and they were going to throw it out. We were prepared to paint it but then I took a closer look when he got it home and the "rust" was yellow pollen that wiped right off. Looks like it was only used for a couple years. He also got a free shelving unit with some actual surface rust that we can paint or just use in the shed.

[srad]

I love thrift stores, and I shop em all the time.  This deal surprised even me. Went to a local outlet store last Tuesday (government run btw). There was a mint Herman Miller Aeron Chair, priced at $10, but wait.  All chairs were half off. I walked away with it for $5.  Put it on FB marketplace Wednesday, Sold it for $300 yesterday (Sunday). I need more of those deals in my life :) 

[Dicey]

Our son-in-law is a fly fisherman and outfitter. He absolutely loves Simms Bugstopper Hoodies. I think they cost about $60. I found one today at my favorite thrift store on Senior Day for $4.50. Christmas present completed!

[AMandM]

Our son-in-law is a fly fisherman and outfitter. He absolutely loves Simms Bugstopper Hoodies. I think they cost about $60. I found one today at my favorite thrift store on Senior Day for $4.50. Christmas present completed!

We do a lot of Christmas shopping at the thrift store, too. Some relatives think it's weird or sort of icky, so if I am shopping for them I make sure you can't tell the item came from a thrift store ;-)

I once ran into the wife of the president of DH's employer at the thrift store. She has a bunch of grandkids and her shopping cart was full of Christmas pajamas and velvet dresses.

[Car Jack]

I do some of the "usual" bargain finds at Goodwill, who seems to have random, unadvertised sales all the time.  "What?  These 3 $2 T shirts today cost $1.35 in total?  Ok."  I shop Savers only on Tuesday, senior 30% off day.  Recently, I went into Habitat for Humanity ReStore and they had all CD's and DVDs and other media on sale for 10 cents each.  I did the decluttr app and scanned CDs till I filled a box.  Get the mailing label and off it went.  Awaiting the ACH into my account.

[PMG]

I went to the thrift shop today for cleaning rags. For $7 I bought 2 large towels and 2 hand towels. All thick solid cotton.

I flipped through the clearance rack where everything is 20c an item and found a nautical polo shirt, new, 100% cotton for my partner to wear to work. He’s newly in person and needs no a few more nice but comfortable options. Then I found him 2 tshirts both look new, one is especially nice, thick, high quality 100% cotton, and in one of his favorite colors.  It is a size bigger than he usually wears. I’ll wash it and dry it then let him try it on for fit. If needed I’ll alter it. It’s easily in my skill set to do a professional job on it, and worth it to do for a high quality 20c shirt. I’d easily spend $25 on the fabric to make it and more buying it new of the rack.

Oh, I also picked up a pack of swim diapers. That might have felt a little skeevy if I didn’t have a pack of swim diapers from last year that are too small for my kid. I’ll be donated them and glad to find these just in time for the splash pad to open!

Eta. Then I stopped at goodwill where I bought my partner a brand new pair of swimming trunks and a Jos a bank cashmere sweater. I may save the cashmere for a birthday gift. His birthday is in deep fall and about the time he’ll be excited to add another wool sweater to his wardrobe.

[Dicey]

Our son-in-law is a fly fisherman and outfitter. He absolutely loves Simms Bugstopper Hoodies. I think they cost about $60. I found one today at my favorite thrift store on Senior Day for $4.50. Christmas present completed!

We do a lot of Christmas shopping at the thrift store, too. Some relatives think it's weird or sort of icky, so if I am shopping for them I make sure you can't tell the item came from a thrift store ;-)

I once ran into the wife of the president of DH's employer at the thrift store. She has a bunch of grandkids and her shopping cart was full of Christmas pajamas and velvet dresses.

Since they're both gone now, I'm okay using their names...

Mrs. Ken Bering was a regular at the thrift where I volunteer. She continued to come in after Ken had passed. She even continued coming when she needed caregivers to get her there. Toward the end, she wasn't really buying much, but it was obvious that she still loved the thrill of the hunt. It's noteworthy that there are quite a few other thrifts closer to her estate than ours, so we got a tickle of that.

It's a fun rabbit hole, if you want to Google them. Or, you can just oogle their home, currently listed for a cool $25M. Their museum is also a fun excursion if you're in the region.

https://www.behringestateblackhawk.com/

https://blackhawkmuseum.org/

[AMandM]

A couple of my grandkids knocked over the standing lamp in the living room and the glass shade was smashed. I looked up replacement shades and they cost $50 and up.

Today I went to our local building resale store and found a perfect match for $2.

[oneday]

@AMandM I thought my $2 water bottle that retails for $18 was a great deal, but you beat that by a mile.

[Trifle]

I just had one of my biggest thrift store scores!  Our best local thrift store sells almost all adult clothing for $4 a piece, to keep things simple.  Last week I got a bunch of Patagonia clothes for my husband, all in new condition:  two pair of hiking pants, two flannel shirts, and one short sleeved technical shirt.  Retail for that stuff is over $400 total, and we got it for $20 ka-ching.   

[Nutty]

Our Goodwill was marvelous when it first opened.  Now the word is out and you either get something when it first hit the floor or the person behind you does.

I am looking for Le Creuset cast iron and starting to find All Clad pots.  The last pot looked like a wine bottle ice bucket with a strainer.  For $10, I took a chance and now own an asparagus steamer.  I never knew they made these things.  It is going to be great for boiling small batches of shrimp or eggs.  We don't eat enough asparagus to need a dedicated pot.

Even better were the two pair of heavy canvas pants in my size for $7 each.  Good work pants normally $100 a pair.  Didn't look used at all.

[Dicey]

This one's a variation on the theme.  I volunteer at a Thrift shop. We were invited to come the day after an estate sale and take whatever we wanted for the shop. I borrowed DH's truck and loaded it up with bags, boxes, moving blankets. I'm responsible for supplies at the shop. Processing the plastic bags is boring and tedious, so I usually take them home to do. On impulse, I brought along a sack of processed bags I had at home to give to the estate sale person who had invited us. She was over the moon.

The house was a large tri-level. My friend who does Arts and Collectibles (A&C) took the upstairs, and I headed below. I scooped up all the leftover sewing stuff (Buttons! Wooden spools of thread! Notions!). The true motherlode was in the office. I found price tags, a ticket gun, scores of Avery labels, card stock,  staplers, tape dispensers, and oodles of cash register tape. There were several baskets and wooden trays. In the garage, I found a huge pile of hangers on the floor, which were "trash". Of course, I poked at it and discovered a lot of the primary hangers we use in the shop. Since we're very low on them, I scrounged through the pile and found sixty perfectly usable hangers - score!! I looked up from that task to see scrappers loading a metal "full sheet"* sign onto their truck. We could use one at the store, so I sweet talked them, saying it wasn't ready for the scrapyard yet, and they gave it to me off the truck!

At the end, I was chatting up the Estate Sale business owner. At the shop, I have a supply of bags that we don't use. I offered them to her and she flipped. She's going to pick them up at my house this weekend. A win-win for both of us. (Of course, this is strategic. We want to be invited to do this again and again.)

My A&C friend found lots of good things upstairs. The truck cab and shell were packed full of great stuff. It took most of the day to pick/pack up and half of the next to unload, but we had a blast.

*A full sheet sign is the free-standing kind you see outside of stores. It holds a full sheet of poster board. We're going to put a whiteboard in it, so we can show what's featured each day as customers enter the store.

[jeninco]

Our Goodwill was marvelous when it first opened.  Now the word is out and you either get something when it first hit the floor or the person behind you does.

I am looking for Le Creuset cast iron and starting to find All Clad pots.  The last pot looked like a wine bottle ice bucket with a strainer.  For $10, I took a chance and now own an asparagus steamer.  I never knew they made these things.  It is going to be great for boiling small batches of shrimp or eggs.  We don't eat enough asparagus to need a dedicated pot.

Even better were the two pair of heavy canvas pants in my size for $7 each.  Good work pants normally $100 a pair.  Didn't look used at all.

Those pots are also good for steaming artichokes (can usually hold 2) and water-bath canning small jars of stuff (so you can do small-batch canning of, say, jam. Or fruit. Or tomatoes...) I'm surprised by how much we use ours...

[AMandM]

At our local Value Village, certain brands are regularly priced low, presumably because the staff at this location don't know they are valuable. A couple of weeks ago my daughter found a kids' bike in a hard-to-find size that costs $400 new , priced at $20. Yesterday she scored a pair of Plae brand kids' shoes for $6. They cost $70 new and are worth it because they adjust to a wide range of foot shapes and they are practically indestructible: she has a pair that has been worn by four children and is still going strong.

I found her an Irish dancing dress, needing some mending, priced at $15. My granddaughter has been doing Irish dance for a couple of years and DD, who is a skilled seamstress, has been hoping to learn how to sew dresses for her because they are crazy expensive. Taking this dress apart could be a good way to understand the construction. Then she looked up the label and decided she might mend the dress instead and sell it. It comes from a custom seamstress in Ireland, whose terms are "£300 deposit when dress is ordered, £300 six weeks before delivery, and balance upon delivery."

[Dicey]

I posted some of this elsewhere, but I made five trips to the Motherlode Mercantile at the Pitkin County (CO) Dump while visiting family in the area. On the last trip, I found an extremely good quality rolling rack, new in box. Best of all, SIL found a bunch of other stuff, including a Webber moveable fire pit in excellent condition, so he paid for the whole pile of stuff we scored. Free to me, yippee!

[glacio09]

I found her an Irish dancing dress, needing some mending, priced at $15. My granddaughter has been doing Irish dance for a couple of years and DD, who is a skilled seamstress, has been hoping to learn how to sew dresses for her because they are crazy expensive. Taking this dress apart could be a good way to understand the construction. Then she looked up the label and decided she might mend the dress instead and sell it. It comes from a custom seamstress in Ireland, whose terms are "£300 deposit when dress is ordered, £300 six weeks before delivery, and balance upon delivery."

Those dresses are insanely expensive! I wonder how they ended up there.

[jeninco]

I found her an Irish dancing dress, needing some mending, priced at $15. My granddaughter has been doing Irish dance for a couple of years and DD, who is a skilled seamstress, has been hoping to learn how to sew dresses for her because they are crazy expensive. Taking this dress apart could be a good way to understand the construction. Then she looked up the label and decided she might mend the dress instead and sell it. It comes from a custom seamstress in Ireland, whose terms are "£300 deposit when dress is ordered, £300 six weeks before delivery, and balance upon delivery."

Those dresses are insanely expensive! I wonder how they ended up there.

Because (and I have experience with other specialized stuff, not this) you purchased it (for whatever reason), and now it's damaged and/or the kid has moved on to different interests. What do you do with it now? How much time are you going to invest in getting it to the "perfect" new home?

[Cranky]

I found her an Irish dancing dress, needing some mending, priced at $15. My granddaughter has been doing Irish dance for a couple of years and DD, who is a skilled seamstress, has been hoping to learn how to sew dresses for her because they are crazy expensive. Taking this dress apart could be a good way to understand the construction. Then she looked up the label and decided she might mend the dress instead and sell it. It comes from a custom seamstress in Ireland, whose terms are "£300 deposit when dress is ordered, £300 six weeks before delivery, and balance upon delivery."

Those dresses are insanely expensive! I wonder how they ended up there.

Because (and I have experience with other specialized stuff, not this) you purchased it (for whatever reason), and now it's damaged and/or the kid has moved on to different interests. What do you do with it now? How much time are you going to invest in getting it to the "perfect" new home?

I had a good friend who’s girls did Irish step dancing, and there’s a big market for used gear because it’s so amazingly expensive.

[jeninco]

I found her an Irish dancing dress, needing some mending, priced at $15. My granddaughter has been doing Irish dance for a couple of years and DD, who is a skilled seamstress, has been hoping to learn how to sew dresses for her because they are crazy expensive. Taking this dress apart could be a good way to understand the construction. Then she looked up the label and decided she might mend the dress instead and sell it. It comes from a custom seamstress in Ireland, whose terms are "£300 deposit when dress is ordered, £300 six weeks before delivery, and balance upon delivery."

Those dresses are insanely expensive! I wonder how they ended up there.

Because (and I have experience with other specialized stuff, not this) you purchased it (for whatever reason), and now it's damaged and/or the kid has moved on to different interests. What do you do with it now? How much time are you going to invest in getting it to the "perfect" new home?

I had a good friend who’s girls did Irish step dancing, and there’s a big market for used gear because it’s so amazingly expensive.

Sure, but when it's damaged?

[AMandM]

I found her an Irish dancing dress, needing some mending, priced at $15. My granddaughter has been doing Irish dance for a couple of years and DD, who is a skilled seamstress, has been hoping to learn how to sew dresses for her because they are crazy expensive. Taking this dress apart could be a good way to understand the construction. Then she looked up the label and decided she might mend the dress instead and sell it. It comes from a custom seamstress in Ireland, whose terms are "£300 deposit when dress is ordered, £300 six weeks before delivery, and balance upon delivery."

Those dresses are insanely expensive! I wonder how they ended up there.

Because (and I have experience with other specialized stuff, not this) you purchased it (for whatever reason), and now it's damaged and/or the kid has moved on to different interests. What do you do with it now? How much time are you going to invest in getting it to the "perfect" new home?

I had a good friend who’s girls did Irish step dancing, and there’s a big market for used gear because it’s so amazingly expensive.

Sure, but when it's damaged?

This is where having some skills is beneficial. My DD can do what the original owner presumably can't, that is mend the dress and acquire the increased resale value.

Of course, it might have ended up at teh thrift store because someone died and whoever handled it didn't know it could be valuable.

[Cranky]

I found her an Irish dancing dress, needing some mending, priced at $15. My granddaughter has been doing Irish dance for a couple of years and DD, who is a skilled seamstress, has been hoping to learn how to sew dresses for her because they are crazy expensive. Taking this dress apart could be a good way to understand the construction. Then she looked up the label and decided she might mend the dress instead and sell it. It comes from a custom seamstress in Ireland, whose terms are "£300 deposit when dress is ordered, £300 six weeks before delivery, and balance upon delivery."

Those dresses are insanely expensive! I wonder how they ended up there.

Because (and I have experience with other specialized stuff, not this) you purchased it (for whatever reason), and now it's damaged and/or the kid has moved on to different interests. What do you do with it now? How much time are you going to invest in getting it to the "perfect" new home?

I had a good friend who’s girls did Irish step dancing, and there’s a big market for used gear because it’s so amazingly expensive.

Sure, but when it's damaged?

I suspect that given the extreme expense of new gear, even damaged stuff has some value. We have people turning up with stuff that needs repair at our knitting  group (we don’t do repairs), like the special socks for Scottish dancing. They’re willing to pay for repairs because the originals cost a lot. Stuff like that stays in circulation for a long time.

So my guess is that either someone cleaned out who didn’t realize the value of the item, or someone had ferried kids to dance class for many years and was sick and tired of the whole thing.

[JAYSLOL]

I keep saying this, but the thrift shops in my area are absolute trash.  I do love the garage sales here though, so far this year I’ve gone out a few Saturday mornings and found a brand new set of Nokian winter tires for $150 that will fit our car, a box full of old coins for $50 that had $300 worth of silver alone in it, a few good tools I can use for cheap, and a Yeti cup for $1 that I’m currently sipping coffee out of.  Going to be a big community sale in my area this weekend as well, so I’m gearing up for that. 

[meadow lark]

I donate things to thrift stores even when they are somewhat valuable.  Like a boat, a car, lots of nice furniture.  I don’t enjoy selling things and since I choose thrift stores with missions I care about, I consider it a form of charitable giving. 

Plus I have a vision of a river of goods that flows past us: sometimes I pull something amazing out of the river, sometimes I put something back in.  Giving valuable things away is part of my belief in material abundance.

[Dicey]

I donate things to thrift stores even when they are somewhat valuable.  Like a boat, a car, lots of nice furniture.  I don’t enjoy selling things and since I choose thrift stores with missions I care about, I consider it a form of charitable giving. 

Plus I have a vision of a river of goods that flows past us: sometimes I pull something amazing out of the river, sometimes I put something back in.  Giving valuable things away is part of my belief in material abundance.

It totally is charitable giving.

[jeninco]

I donate things to thrift stores even when they are somewhat valuable.  Like a boat, a car, lots of nice furniture.  I don’t enjoy selling things and since I choose thrift stores with missions I care about, I consider it a form of charitable giving. 

Plus I have a vision of a river of goods that flows past us: sometimes I pull something amazing out of the river, sometimes I put something back in.  Giving valuable things away is part of my belief in material abundance.

It totally is charitable giving.

We use  the same metaphor, except in our version it’s a river circling our town. If you’re done with something, put it in. If you need something, pull it out.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

We’ve done pretty well with our thrift store shopping lately.  I turned DH on to half price days and 10¢ books and records days, so we go more often than when I was going alone.

DH found a subwoofer and two speakers for $150, but it was half price day so they were $75.  I think he said the subwoofer — which works perfectly — was over $1000.  He used the speakers to add to what we already have so he can watch movies in Atmos.

I found a new in box soy milk maker marked at $24 on a half price day, so $12.  It’s a little older model but still sells for $200.  I am now making organic soy milk for my oldest at a cost of 65¢ per batch (cost of soy beans, salt and sweetener, and few extra pennies for electricity), which is 1.5 quarts, or 87¢ per 2 quarts, which is the size Silk organic soy milk comes in.  The lowest price I can find on Silk organic soy milk is $4.12 at Walmart.

Back in March I bought 3 older All Clad pots from the D3 Stainless line: a 3 QT saucepan with a steamer insert and lid, a saute pan with lid (I think about 5 quarts), and an 8 quart stockpot with lid.  All made in the USA, all nice and thick, all in good shape.  Retail on the pieces individually is $900, which isn’t likely what anyone would actually pay, but these are still pricey pans.  I paid $50, and it wasn’t even a half price day.

[meadow lark]

Wow!  That’s amazing!  I used to make my own soy milk.  My favorite flavor was actually a blend of soybeans, rice and soaked almonds.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Wow!  That’s amazing!  I used to make my own soy milk.  My favorite flavor was actually a blend of soybeans, rice and soaked almonds.

I’ve made various non dairy milks over the years (rice, almond, cashew, oat), but now that my son has returned to plant based eating he’s looking for all the protein he can get.  The great things about the soy milk maker (which can also make mils from nuts and grains) is that the soy milk doesn’t separate in the fridge, which has been a big turnoff for him and DH in the past.  Flavor wise, I’m a fan of rice milk or almond milk, but I’ve developed a tree nut allergy so almond milk is out.  I’ve yet to make rice milk in the soy milk maker, but plan to try it soon.

I’d actually researched soy milk makers over the years but couldn’t bring myself to buy one new, not when I have a vitamix.  But this is much easier than soaking, blending, straining, and then having to boil the soy milk on the stove.  I just never could bring myself to do all that when almond milk is so much easier.  This is better though, since organic soy is much less expensive that almonds, and the soy milk has more protein.

[Warlord1986]

Used bookstores are a blessing. There's one in my city that is run by the Friends of the Library. Clean, good selection, well-organized. I bought a bunch of Fr. Andrew Greeley novels recently. $2 for hardbacks, $1 for paperbacks.

They also gave me a punch card, so after I make 5 purchases I get a free book. ^.^

[Dicey]

Used bookstores are a blessing. There's one in my city that is run by the Friends of the Library. Clean, good selection, well-organized. I bought a bunch of Fr. Andrew Greeley novels recently. $2 for hardbacks, $1 for paperbacks.

They also gave me a punch card, so after I make 5 purchases I get a free book. ^.^

I'm the President of a Friends of the Library group. Does yours have clearance events? Do they operate with volunteers? Our volunteers get first choice, and our books are only $1. (We don't have room to carry anything over, so it HAS to go at our quarterly events.) Best of all, volunteers who help with takedown can keep any leftovers they want for free!

To anyone who loves libraries/books/reading: If your library has a Friends Group, support them!

[Warlord1986]

They do have clearance events and the store is staffed largely by volunteers. It seems very well run, and I will be going back.

[Dicey]

Today I found a girl's Hanna Andersson summer dress for $2.50 and a pair of Children's Place shorts for $3.50. The dress was probably about $40 new and the shorts about $25. Who the hell pays those prices? My granddaughter will love them both and won't even notice or care they're not brand-new. I also got two puzzles on BOGO, for a total of $3.00. Those are for me.

[Knapptyme]

We recently moved to Spain and needed to acquire all "new" kitchen supplies, i.e. pots, pans, silverware, etc.

One place had a three different Le Creuset pots/pans, one of which had a lid that fit two of them. At 58 euros total it seemed a little expensive until you consider the retail value and that these are lifetime guaranteed iron pots.

That was our best deal, but we've gotten a lot of our stuff second hand.

[LaineyAZ]

Got one of these small C-shaped sofa tables for $3, they usually go for $30. 
Looks like this:
https://www.amazon.com/VASAGLE-C-Shaped-Industrial-Bedroom-ULET354B01/dp/B0B58PQX2S/ref=asc_df_B0B58PQX2S?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80333198738458&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583932719654212&psc=1

It's turned out to be a movable play table for the grandkids and convenient for guests to hold a drink or tablet.

[Cranky]

I bought some yarn yesterday, including a sweater’s worth of MadTosh wool for $25. This thrift store is run by the group that does hospice, and I assume that they get a lot of clean outs from dead people. They always have great craft stuff.

[oneday]

I bought some yarn yesterday, including a sweater’s worth of MadTosh wool for $25. This thrift store is run by the group that does hospice, and I assume that they get a lot of clean outs from dead people. They always have great craft stuff.

Wow, that is an amazing score!!!!

[englishteacheralex]

I really liked this video by A to Zen Living about her thrift shop tips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZLYOhoQ69M

The tip that surprised me was that she recommends covering the items in your cart while you're shopping, because thrifters can be ruthless and will just take stuff from your cart if you're not looking. Wow. I've never experienced that.

The tip that had me nodding vigorously was that she said always look up the retail prices of the items you're considering, because thrift stores aren't always the bargain you think they are. YES. This is actually why I mostly don't thrift anymore, and why I basically am boycotting Goodwill.


As long as I'm here, talking about how scammy Goodwill feels to me lately, here's a massive digression about thoughts I've been having on the topic of consumer goods in America currently:

My kids and I like to watch classic episodes of The Price is Right. It's streaming on Roku. We're talking 70's/80's Bob Barker Price is Right. Tell you what, the show is a trip. The fashion/hairstyles! The games!

But the craziest part is the price of many products...so many prices are basically the same now as they were thirty/forty years ago. I think I saw a washer/dryer set on there that was $900. You can buy a washer/dryer set NOW for ~$900. It'll be a barebones model, but still. And tvs! And furniture! It's like inflation just never happened...which makes me realize that actually consumer goods back when I was a kid were really, really expensive. People must have had to save up for ages to buy their stuff. Having to buy a new washer/dryer must have seemed catastrophic for a lower/middle class family back then. Whereas for me, if my dryer craps out, we buy another one and don't even have to go into savings for it.

The fact is that "crap" and clothes of the sort you find at thrift stores is just dirt cheap nowadays to buy new. The quality is typically pretty poor, so thrifting is often not really a great deal, because by the time most items wind up there, their lifespan of usefulness is effectively over.

Want more of a digression? This has led me to better understand an interesting phenomenon I've been noticing for years among the boomer parents of me and my friends. The boomers so frequently have a completely different relationship to clothes and stuff than the attitude among my (Gen X/Millennial)  cohort.

Until last summer, when she finally brought herself to downsize into a 2 bedroom apartment, my mom had an attic full of stuff that she could hardly bring herself to even consider letting go of. Lots of it was antiques from the 19th century. Slowly but surely she was able to sell some of it to dealers and on ebay, which I was proud of her for, because so many of my friends' parents can't even do that much. My friend's mom still has all the carseats/pack n plays from when my friend was a baby! My friend is 39 years old!!!

Meanwhile I'm over here decluttering things the SECOND my kids give me the okay. Sometimes I actually pay my kids to donate their toys. My mom watches me and is horrified. "What if you want another kid?" she'll ask, while I ruthlessly donated strollers and onesies and all the clutter of babies/toddlers. "I bought all this stuff at the kids consignment sale or my friends gave it to me and I could probably replace all of it for under $200 if I needed to. Out it goes!" And my mom is like..."You just don't seem to get attached to stuff..." She's kind of horrified by me. I think it feels really wasteful to her.

And I think that's because stuff used to be so much more expensive, people felt way more precious about their stuff. And now as a culture we're absolutely awash in stuff. It's now actually more of a flex to have a simplified, organized, minimalist home.

Anyway I mostly avoid thrift shops (and don't even get me started on things like Ross or TJMaxx--thrift shop quality for ridiculously high prices) because I'd rather save money by buying as little as possible, and what I do buy, I buy new of the highest quality I can find so I don't have to replace it for as long as possible. Although I do still love the kids' consignment sales.