Thrift store shopping

Contrary to popular belief, the things you get in thrift stores are not "bottom of the barrel" crap that no one wants. Some of my best shopping experiences have been in thrift stores. The pictures below show some of the great buys that I've found at a thrift store called "Boomerang's".

There are several things to remember if you decide to take the plunge and shop at a thrift store. It takes a little more effort than shopping in a regular store because everything is used and the quality varies a lot more. Here are some tips to make your thrift store trip a successful one.

1. If there is a dressing room, try on everything if you are buying clothes. This might not be necessary at your favorite store because the sizes will be constantly running large or small. Since all of the clothes at a thrift store are from all over the place, the size 6 might not really be size 6 at your favorite store. So, try it on.

2. Plan to spend a little more time than usual. A thrift store is not the kind of place you go in and come out in only 5 minutes. It's almost an event because thrift stores usually have many items even if it's a small store. This is especially true if you are going to buy clothes.

3. Since everything is so cheap, it is very tempting to buy it just because it's only a buck. This kind of thinking can get out of hand very quickly when you have 20 things that are in your basket because they are only a buck each. Try to ask yourself if you are actually going to use the thing you are buying before you put it in your basket. Otherwise, your house is going to get extremely cluttered with junk.

4. If you buy clothes, you will notice a funny thrift store kind of smell. This should be very obvious but I'll say it anyway. Wash your clothes before wearing them! The great thing about thrift store clothing is that it is used and probably already washed. So, whatever you try on will not shrink much more in the wash.

5. Go to thrift stores to buy kitchen items and then complete your collection at your regular kitchen store (e.g. Crate and Barrel, Williams Sonoma). I have found the most amazing stoneware dishes and plates that cost much more at the fashionable kitchen stores. Since I live with room mates, dishes break all the time. Accidents happen especially with fragile dishes. So, if you get your dishes for only 50 cents or a buck each, who cares if a few break?

6. Baking pans are also a great deal because those are usually over priced at department stores or anywhere else. I have never paid more than a buck for a muffin pan.

7. Get cookbooks there! Recipes really do not change that much over time. If you're on a diet and want a cookbook for healthy food or low fat things, you can probably find one at the thrift store because many people who donate to thrift stores are wealthy women, who love to go on diets. Sure, this sounds a little stereotypical but who else can afford to go on a low carb diet and eat steak and seafood all the time? After they get sick of one cookbook, they throw 'em to the thrift store! Trust me, if you dig around a thrift store, you'll find a diet cookbook.

Well, that's all the advice I have for shopping at your local thrift store. It's unfortunate that they are not as popular in the Northeastern United States as they are in Canada and other parts of the U.S. It's environmentally friendly and economical because you are reusing things and getting new but used things at dirt cheap prices. It's not only for students and philosophers any more!