Surviving Holiday Gift Giving Without Going Broke

It Isn’t Your Father’s Thrift Store Anymore!

I have to admit that I had a pretty negative view of second hand stores, of the sort run by various charities. I probably got the idea from a childhood memory of riding with my parents to dump off a lot of my old clothes and toys at the back door of a dusty old building. However, I got dragged into my local Salvation Army thrift shop recently, and let me tell you what I found!

Tons Of Cheap Gifts at The Thrift Store!

Bingo! I found a pair of silver (yes, silver) candlesticks for $3! Now, I’m a bit of a silverbug, and I know the shiny stuff is only about $10 an ounce now. Still, these tarnished darlings were marked, heavy, and the pair is worth at least $100. Once I took them home and polished them up they were beautiful, and made a very appropriate present for the biggest snob on my holiday list. Now that was a really lucky find, and I actually told the clerk about the silver content imprint, but she shrugged. I did stick a $5 in the donation jar, and bought a lot more stuff.

I was pleased and surprised to find some really nice clothes for all ages. Now clothes don’t usually make a great present, but wool scarves and mittens do! I was packing those babies away for $3 to $5! And I also found wool blankets for $15 – $20. I did decide that I deserved a present, and found a like-new leather jacket for $25 which I purchased without feeling a bit of guilt.

My son had been asking for a larger chest of drawers, and instead of buying him a crummy pressed wood piece of furniture at a discount store for $100, I paid half that for real wood. That did mean I’d have to arrange to pick it up later, so it was a bit of trouble, but in my mind, it was worth it. This wasn’t really a holiday gift, but something our family needed, and I just decided to take advantage of the opportunity.

I didn’t complete my holiday shopping, and did intend to get the kids a few new things like a video game to share. If my kids were younger they probably wouldn’t have noticed that the box a toy came in was a bit worn and dented, but they are a bit beyond that, while not old enough to appreciate getting something to wear for a present. But I covered the adults, and even endulged myself in the leather jacket, plus I bought a nice piece of actual furniture.

My bill was just a bit over $100! I felt good about buying practical gifts for the adults in my family, staying under budget, and also contributing to charity through the organization that runs the thrift store!

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