So often I've found as-good-as-new (or even really new) items hidden amongst the other now-so-new stuff on the rack.
It's a matter of knowing what to look for and picking out the little gems when you find them.
Let's face it, no-one needs to know where it came from.
Most people
clear out their closets at least twice per year.
All of the clothing
they no longer wear it taken to charity locations and thrift stores.
Many well off people donate quite expansive clothing items that they only wore a couple of
times or that still have the tags on them.
The most common thrift
stores to find such clothing are the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paui and the Goodwill.
And many local churches run small but very respectable thrift shops and often price otherwise expensive labels at rock bottom prices.
Most of them inspect clothing for stains and tears so you can be sure
you will find good quality clothing for men, women, and children at
very low prices.
Many people think these
thrift stores only carry outdated clothing but that is simply not the
case.
Children often outgrow clothing before it has been worn out or
the style has faded.
There are also plenty of clothing articles that
never go out of style including t-shirts and denim jeans.
While you
may not find the same styles offered at the trendy retailers in the
area you will find plenty of quality clothing for less than you will
pay for it anywhere else.
I have often walked out of such thrift stores
with bags of clothes that cost me less than purchasing one outfit at
a retail store.
Jackets are very
expensive but not if you purchase them from a thrift store.
There are
plenty of winter jackets, pullovers, and windbreakers to choose from.
To make finding things in the right size easier most thrift stores
separate clothing by the type that it is and by sizes.
However, you
will need to spend your time looking through what is available.
The
downside is that if you do find something you really like and it
doesn’t fit you won’t have very good luck finding it in another
size as you do in a department store.
But then, you have paid so little that you can return the item so someone else can wear it - and you've donated one item to the cause (why not send other unwanted or outgrown items at the same time).
Depending on the location
of the thrift store, they may carry various household items as well.
Some of the larger facilities offer used furniture, appliances, and
books.
I found a couple of nice wood end tables at a thrift store
once that I like so much I have never replaced them with anything
else even though I can now afford to do so.
I'm still wearing clothing 5 or 10 years later after finding them on the $1 rack out the front of a thrift shop in town.
Too many thrift stores
have gotten a bad reputation for being viewed as a place to shop for
individuals who don’t have very much money.
If your pride keeps you
from visiting thrift shops then you will be throwing your money away.
If you have never been into a thrift store you really should take the
time to do so. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you find
there.
Another good alternative
is shopping at consignment stores.
These are places where individuals
take their unwanted clothing and furniture to be sold.
The store
splits the profits made from anything that sells with the person who
brought it in.
Most consignment items can only be on display for a
limited amount of time.
Towards the end of that time frame the items
are generally sold at a discounted price before they are taken off
the list of items to be sold.
You will pay more for
items at a consignment store than you will at a thrift store but you
will also be able to find some wonderful bargains that still save you
money over buying them retail.
The reason you will pay more is
because the person selling the items and the store want to make as
much profit as possible.
You generally won’t be able to negotiate
the prices though.
One good example of
saving money at either thrift stores or consignment stores is for
party dresses, wedding dresses, and prom dresses.
And, of course, there's dress-up clothes for the kids for a few pennies if you're prepared to buy the really cheap items no matter what they look like.
It is likely that
they will only be worn once so it is silly to spend hundreds of
dollars on such a gown.
You will likely be able to find a good
selection of such dresses that are still in style.
Even if you have
to pay to have the dress altered a bit you can still have the
beautiful dress you want without the expense.
Neil
PS. If you're looking for more inspiring ideas visit my websites at you-actually.com and isthisyourlife.com - or read about my excellent ghost mystery book at trueghostmystery.com