Are Thrift Stores Worth It?

Thrift stores have become one of the top ways that I have save thousands of dollars every year on my budget! Thrifting can literally be a life saver if you are a family on a tight budget.

Buying items from a thrift store not only helps your wallet, but it also helps the environment and your community! If you know when to go, how to hunt for deals, what to buy, and what items to skip, you can save tons of money every year just by buying gently used items at thrift stores.

Best times to shop at thrift stores

Whenever I find a new thrift store, the first thing I do is look around at their signs. What are their hours and when do they accept donations? By using these two vital pieces of information, I can make a pretty good guess at when will be the best time to shop at this store!

Some bigger stores like Goodwill are open 7 days a week, but some smaller stores may only be open Wednesday to Saturday. If you notice a gap of days when they are closed, this may mean that they will put out new items on the first day back open after being closed.

Does the thrift store only accept donations on Tuesdays and Thursdays? Then I am much more likely to stop by and browse on Wednesdays and Fridays! Another good way to find out about their procedure to put out new items, is to simply ask the staff. Most will let you know exactly when they put out new items.

Goodwill is constantly restocking their shelves, so for me I start to look at their sales patterns to find the best times. Our local Goodwill store has $1 Mondays, Senior Citizen Discounts on Tuesdays, and new colors sales change on Sundays. This is just the main sales they run every week.

Most Goodwill stores use a color tag system to date their donations, so they can discount the oldest items. For instance, my store uses the colors blue, red, yellow, orange, and green. Each week one of these colors is 50% off and that color will be items that are still in the store after 4 weeks. They also will further discount that color on Mondays to be just $1.00 so for me, I am shopping for basic needs like t-shirts, jeans, kid’s clothes, and books on Mondays.

Every store will have different cycles and sales, so just ask the staff about any discounts they offer. Some stores hold “bag sales” every month or quarter too! These sales involve putting as much stuff as you can in a bag for a set amount like $5-$10.

Some stores also charge by the weight and not just by the individual item. So always check out and browse a store first to find out when the best time to go shopping!

What should you not buy at thrift stores?

I am such a huge fan of going to thrift stores because I can literally find brand new items for pennies on the dollar! There are a few items that I am just not going to purchase at a thrift store though….

1. Shoes – Shoes are generally worn by one person and then the soles actually mold to your particular foot and walking pattern. This means wearing someone else’s worn shoes can actually make your feet hurt due to different wear patterns. The only time I will buy shoes is if the shoes look brand new and have absolutely no signs of wear on them.
2. Underwear, Undergarments, Bras, Swimsuits – this is more of a hygiene issue for me, but I will skip this section in any thrift store.
3. Old Tech (examples: computers, tvs, machines) – unless you are a collector of outdated items that fall in the tech category I would probably pass on this section. If you are super handy and can fix these items or upcycle them into something else, then you might find some really good deals.
4. Make-up & Perfumes – Unfortunately there is no way to tell how well the make-up or perfume was stored prior to being in a thrift store, so it’s better to just skip it. The only possible here is if you collect vintage perfume bottles, and in that case you could find some treasures. For more information, check out “What’s the difference between Thrift and Vintage?“.

Is it safe to buy clothes from thrift stores?

In most cases, clothing from thrift stores are safe to buy. As a precaution, I recommend washing all clothing as soon as you get home before wearing any of the items. (I recommend this for any new clothing as well due to chemicals used during manufacturing.)

One of the best things about buying clothes at a thrift store is that you can see exactly how it looks once it is washed. Most clothing has been worn and laundered, so if it was going to stretch out, fade, or shrink you can already see that. Nothing is worse than spending a ton of money on clothing and finding out it doesn’t fit the same once it is washed.

I may be weird on this next tip, but I give all the clothing I am considering to buy the “sniff test.” Basically I am looking out for strong perfume smells, musty or mildew smells, and cigarette smoke. None of these smells are easy to remove from clothing, so I will just skip these items.

If you have children, especially young children, you will save so much money by buying clothing at thrift stores! I love to stock up on t-shirts, jeans, shorts, pants, pajamas, and jackets at second hand stores. These items can really cost a fortune and young kids grow so fast that it seems a waste of money to spend $50 on a jacket that they may get to wear one season. I would much rather buy 2 coats that I can swap out and spend maybe $10-15 total.

If you read the article, “Thrifty Easter Basket Ideas” you already know that I am a huge fan of buying Holiday specific outfits at the thrift store. This includes the fluffy Easter and Christmas dresses.

My kids will never wear these items for longer than an hour and usually I just want the cute picture. So instead of spending a ton of money on the super cute and frilly dresses brand new, I buy them for a few dollars at the thrift store.

This brings up the best part of buying clothing at thrift stores, if my kids spill something on it or go jump on a mud puddle and ruin the outfit, I am out a few bucks. I would probably have a panic attack if my kids ruined an outfit that I paid $50 or more on. At most I am probably out $5, and I may not be super happy about it, but I will get over it pretty quickly.

As a mom with young toddlers, I personally buy all my t-shirts at thrift stores. For some reason kids LOVE to wipe noses and messes on their mother’s shirts, and these stains are like impossible to get out. If my $1 shirt gets ruined, I will be totally fine. If I paid $20 or more for that shirt, I would have to go sit in my closet and cry.

Best things to buy at thrift stores

Every time I go to the thrift store, I am trying to think about what is not in season. So right now, it is the middle of Spring, and it will be hot and humid before you know it. This means I am going straight to the coats, sweaters, and winter wear. These items are more likely to be discounted even further because they are not in demand right now. When shopping for my kids, I will buy 1-2 sizes up fromm what they are currently wearing so that it fits when winter comes back around.

Now other non clothing items that I love to buy at thrift stores are:

1. Books – my kids absolutely love books, but they can also be very rough with books. It is not unheard of for them to confuse a regular book with a coloring book. I love to buy books on discount days or bag sales for more savings.
2. Office Supplies – As a small business owner, I know how expensive some office supplies can be, so when I see much needed items like a heavy duty 3 hole punch or stapler, I have to try to contain the urge to cry out in joy. I have also bought huge stacks of mailing supplies like poly mailers and bubble wrap for super cheap too!
3. Craft Supplies – I love to dig around in bins of sewing patterns, sewing notions, and really all things craft related. You can find some hot deals because so many people start a hobby and then give up on it.
4. Purses – As a toddler mom, I carry around some of the weirdest stuff in my purse. I usually have half eaten lollipops, crayons, partially opened bottles of hand santizer, etc in my purse at any given time so it’s easy to say I am very tough on purses. Instead of spending a ton of money on a purse that is literally just going to get beat up, I buy purses and name brand ones too at thrift stores!
5. Frames & Knick Knacks – Home decor and pictures frames are so expensive lately, and most thrift store have tons of it just sitting there. I will typically bring a tiny tape measure with me to make sure the frames are pretty standard sizes or I will have a wish list of sizes that I am looking for. We are going through a decluttering stage, so I try not to buy any home decor that doesn’t have a function, but you can find tons of options from vintage to trendy.
6. Curtains & Valances – When we first moved into our house, we had no window treatments and no idea how we wanted to decorate. So I browsed thrift stores for low cost window treatments to hold me over until I knew exactly what I wanted. I try to stay with neutral or solid colors, and some of the window curtains I bought ended up sticking around for a few years!
7. Small Appliances – Ever wanted to try the little machine that makes donut holes, make your own funnel cakes, or weird shaped waffles? You can find these things for super cheap at thrift stores. I do recommend that you plug them in to make sure they work and check out the return policy on anything electrical.
8. Sewing Machines & Specialty Machinery – You may think this is crazy, but I am always on the look out for sewing machines. I have run across a few where people must have gotten them for gifts but didn’t know how to use them properly, so I ended up with really expensive machines for dirt cheap. I’ve had to replace small parts or just correct the way they were put together, but overall very little work needed to make them functioning. If your not good at troubleshooting, you may want to skip this one.
9. Lamps – For some reason, the only place near me to buy a lamp is Walmart, and they don’t have the best selection. I am not a fan of buying lamps online because I can’t really get a good feel on how they will look and function, so I love to buy lamps at thrift stores. Definitely check to see if they work first and have wiring that is not damaged or frayed.
10. Toys, Bikes, and Outdoor Play Stuff – Have you ever priced out a Cozy Coop Toy Car or a plastic playhouse? I thought I would have a heart attack when I saw the price tags of some of these larger non-electronic toys! So now I always keep an eye on any play stuff for outside at thrift stores. Toys like wooden blacks, plastic balls, and anything easy to clean are good options as well. (pro tip: keep a few AA or AAA batteries in your purse when thrift shopping to check if toys actually work, we have bought a few duds so now I check them in store)
11. Seasonal Decor – I mentioned this tip before in the “Weekly Christmas Savings Challenge” but you can get some amazing deals on Christmas decorations at thrift stores if you shop during the off season. Not many people are buying a Christmas tree or large inflatable Santas during the summer so you can get massive discounts on gently used items. This is true for other holidays too like Easter, Halloween, and Graduation. Check out their party supplies too because I have found great deals on banners and party decor for really cheap.

Thrift Stores are so worth it!

Just by buying slightly used or secondhand items, I have literally saved thousands of dollars. When my son magically grew 2 inches overnight and none of his pants fit, I headed straight to the thrift store to find new pants that wouldn’t break my budget.

I do find that just browsing at thrift stores without a plan can lead to overspending, so I always make a wish list before I go shopping. This could be a list of items we need in the near future like girl’s shirts in size 4T to small, boy’s pants size 6-8, men’s long sleeve shirts in size XL, and a new purse for me. By knowing what sizes I need before I go to the store, I have less of a chance of buying the wrong sizes.

I don’t always get everything on my list, but it helps me to focus just on the areas I need to look in and may not spend so much time in the areas I don’t really need. I used to keep a paper list in my purse but I kept losing it, so now I use the notes app in my phone and just have a running list all the time.

Keep your eyes out, your mind open, and remember shopping at thrift stores can be a huge way to save money every month! If you want more information on thrift stores, check out “What is the difference between thrift and consignment stores?“.