a new way to thrift

sometime i'll share the list local thrift & consignment shops that I love to hit up.  but I need to just start with this one, because it has changed my life.  Appleton recently opened up a goodwill outlet.  yes, a thrift store outlet.  where you load up your cart & pay by the pound.  they roll out bins & then keep rolling in new ones the entire day, so the store is constantly changing all day. 

I couldn't tell you how much I spend on each item (i'm not patient enough to weigh each thing to see if it's 25 cents or 75 cents!)  but I can tell you this....I always leave with a 1/3-3/4 cart filled with mostly clothing & a few home goods & have paid anywhere from $16-28 each time.  and i'm finding used clothes in BETTER condition than I do in my local thrift store.  please know that i'm an average size, so i'm used to either not finding items for myself or having the items in my size being very used & worn at thrift stores.  my favorites from my trips the last 4 months or so:

* brand new condition tops for myself from the limited, gap, etc.
* a like-new pair of jeans from lands end for myself
* snow pants for henry
* a stack of 10-15 piano books by classic composers (valued new @ $5-20 each!) for $5
* a new condition Cuisinart muffin pan (YES, I scrubbed it.  it was from a thrift store!)

okay, if you have thrift store issues & just find the trip to be an unpleasant experience, please take along these tips before you give it another try.

1. don't go thrifting for one particular item.  bring along your list of all the items you & your family will need in the next year.  thrifting for the year makes a successful trip.  it is a GREAT investment of time, b/c you are using your time to stockpile for the future needs.

2.  have an idea of how much you will or won't pay ahead of time for a specific item.  it is possible to thrift away all of your money for things that are lower quality -- it is much better to swipe ultra-cheap thrift finds.

3. expect the store environment to be less comfortable than a normal store.  look at it as a fun treasure hunt & a sacrifice you make to save $ for your fam.  thankfully, you can toss your items in the washing machine when you get home & take away any old or catty smells.  I have the kids wash their hands after every thrift trip. 

4. get rid of all pride.  there is no shame in thrifting.  I laugh when my kids get into it & are enjoying the hunt.  doing things that help break them out of the American ideal that the goal is to make enough money so we never have to "stoop"....that alone is worth trips to the thrift store.  I want to raise humble kids & this is one step towards that end.  granted, I used to be forced to thrift to make ends meet back when we were newlyweds.  we are now at a spot where thrifting could be out of our lives & we could just buy new, but I think God has so much better use for that $.  right now thrifting is helping us put away extra for our adoption.

5. thrifting is one ethical way to not participate in the slave labor that many American brands participate in.  for us, it's freeing up $ so that most new items can be fair trade or ethical.