Thrift stores get scoffed at, made fun of, treated like second-class citizens, and worse. There is one thrift store where I live that sees its busiest time of year at Halloween! But your local thrift store has so much more to offer you than gardening clothes and costume material.
My favourite place to shop is the Salvation Army Thrift store. This store has been a revolving door for my family as we bring clothes the kids grew out of, then buy what they need. One time, a pair of jeans my daughter found ended up going back to the thrift store a couple years later, still in wearable condition!
We have discovered that living in a an affluent city such as Kelowna means that people give away the most amazing things! I have a long fur vest that I paid roughly $25 for one year, that would have cost 5 times that new on a department store rack. My daughter found a two-piece winter coat that allows her to remove the inner lining to use as a spring jacket in its own right. We paid less than $15 for it at the store that gets halloween business. A blender I bought from the same store a couple years ago is still working fine. The toaster I’ve written about twice now, was bought from the Salvation Army Thrift Store, meaning it was used when we got it, and all these years later it finally died!
If you’re concerned about brand-name clothing, my daughter just recently picked up a Levi’s and another pair of designer jeans for roughly $5 each at Salvation Army as well. You seriously never know what you’ll find when you show up, but the quality of stuff people give away will blow your mind!
Next time you need to go buy another pair of jeans, tops, skirts, yarn, dishes, linens, furniture even, check out your local thrift store first! A set of dining chairs fits my redone table top extremely well!
There is no need to hit department stores unless you need an item “yesterday” or can’t find it in the second-hand stores by the time you need it! $40 formerly spent on a single pair of jeans will get you several pairs plus a few shirts to go with them.
Help your wallet smile and take advantage of the amazing generousity of others who give away name-brand stuff, sometimes with the tags still on. Dress well for a fraction of the price!