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!

Related posts:

1. Cheap Holiday Gifts that People Like! Some Years it is Tough to Be Santa! This will...
2. Gift Card Pitfalls for Frugal Pigs What is Wrong with Gift Cards? Gift cards seem great....

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.