Happy Friday: Awesome Buy at Goodwill
Sent from reader, Melissa:
Hi Collin! I’ve been reading your site pretty much since you were just a tiny blog. Over the years, you’ve taught me to always keep a watchful eye out for good deals on everything.
While at Goodwill, I found this Columbia kid’s jacket. I grabbed it thinking there must be something wrong (stains or broken zipper). To my surprise, it’s in perfect condition. It even smells clean like Tide. I checked the Columbia site and the cheapest kid’s jacket is $50. I paid a whopping $5!! That’s a steal of a deal!
Thank you for all your hard work and inspiration over the years. This just summarizes a year of us chasing the good deals you posted and stretching our dollars to be able to afford to buy lots of useful and cute stuff for our angels.
HAPPY FRIDAY!
Do you have a funny, “Hip”, or unique photo to share?! Email us at happyfriday@hip2save(dot)com. Every Friday, I will post one photo, submitted by you and/or another Hip2Save reader, that gives us a glimpse into your frugal lifestyle or simply makes us smile. If your photo is published on Hip2Save, we’ll email you a $10 Amazon e-card!
And speaking of Goodwill, did you ever get a chance to watch my video (filmed in May of 2012!) where I take you shopping with me at a local Goodwill Store here in Boise, Idaho?! If not, click the play button below or head over here to watch the video and find out what goodies I snag! 🙂
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXjRxjlc0vI]
I love shopping at our local Goodwill! I can always find great deals on kids clothes.
I love goodwill too for clothes! But my best find was a brand new 6pc Lazy Boy patio set, retail $2000 still in plastic, for $200!!!! You’ll never know what you’ll find!
Yes, Sacramento have one on Franklin n one up North. I love when they have 50% off holiday sales. I dont buy clothing but I buy lots of frames, bikes n stuff to decorate house. For clothing/blankets they weigh them so its really cheap. I bought 7 white blankets for about $7. They have another Goodwill there intersection of Franklin n Stockton Blvd lots of brand new stuff. I buy brand new tapes, mini dv for my camcorder like 75-90% off reg price
Great find with the coat!!! 🙂
Oh my word. I love Goodwill. Bought two boxes of Pampers from there last night for 9.99 each! Two brand new decorative pillows, googled the brand name…the pillows retail for $59.99, a little tikes basketball hoop $10, retails $49.99, and a brand new wallet $1 (I have been eyeing at Target on the clearance rack)! If you don’t shop Goodwill, you better start now!
Man the one here never has anything and it’s so over priced.
Same here they have old shirts priced at $5 and up when I can get a new one at Ross for the same price
Same with ours, way over priced and never find anything good. Sometimes I feel like I could buy the product brand new for the price they have marked on it.
Also, for anyone who might not know; anything ending in $0.99 at Goodwill is a brand new item from Target. Goodwill buys a certain amount from Target, and in return, Target donates an additional amount of stuff. Items that are on clearance and never sell, & slightly damaged items are items they sell at Goodwill.
I used to work at Target and box the stuff that went to the goodwill. Unless it has changed, we sold the items to goodwill by the pound. Yes, it was clearance items and damaged items. Not all items ending in .99 are Target items though, at least not at my goodwill.
The retailer I work for (not Target) had to quit donating/selling cheaply our clearance items to thrift stores. We had a problem with people buying stuff super cheap at the thrift store then returning it (w/o a receipt) to us for more than what they paid. Sad.
I also shop there or kids consignments like Kid 2 Kid
I love the goodwill!! The goodwill in Boca raton fl had amazing stuff. Kids clothes with tags still on it, furniture that looked new, and tons of very cheap kids toys
Hi Jennifer, thanks for mentioning that! I am in boynton beach and the goodwill here is horrible, everything is old and smelly. I will definitely check out the one in boca.
I’ve found awesome stuff at our goodwill, including miss me jeans for my daughter and a northface jacket for my hubby 🙂 both in excellent condition
I have not had much luck at ours. I have to say I am usually looking for kids clothes. I find better items for cheaper at a consignment store on sale. With 4 kids, I’m ALWAYS on the lookout for deals on clothes.
Do you have any luck with end of the season clearance racks at your local dept stores? I can often get new, clearanced items for as low as $1.97 (or even .97). My kids are a bit bigger though, so they don’t grow as fast as smaller children and not as much danger of them outgrowing stuff before they can wear it.
I have never paid full price for anything for my daughter. It’s either super deals Collin posts or consignment/thrift shops. Now granted, she is only 2.5 so the clothes always look like new. This probably will change as they wear clothes longer. For now, I’m just thankful for all my savings.
I love Goodwill, the one in our town stinks, but when we go to my in law’s in TN I enjoy going in, plus they give a military discount. I also love yard sales, and kids consignment sales. I like to go on half price day, I’ve gotten my kids name brand outfits (including a Gymboree outfit with matching clips) for $1. I go a kids Columbia fleece for .75 at half price day once, there was nothing wrong with it.
Love, Love, Love Goodwill. We have an outlet store near us also. Those are amazing. I bought a barely used Lazyboy 3 seat, double recliner couch at our Goodwill for $100. I did a lot of Christmas/stocking stuffer shopping at Goodwill also.
We live right at the border of Indiana and Michigan. The goodwills in Michigan seem to be a lot more expensive than the indiana ones. I have found good deals on Nike sneakers for my daughter and Under Armour Shirt for under $2 each on the 50%off days. And my mother in law got a pair of Under Armour sneakers for $3.
Goodwill actually has a partnership with Target! If there’s a few things that have been returned or packaging broken, goodwill buys it from them to sell! That’s why you see a lot of target brand clothing! Watch our for their holiday specials too! A lot of the time they do all children’s clothing 50c or all COB ( which is mostly target stuff) half off alon with their weekly colors 🙂
Love our local goodwill! This past summer I found a Keurig for only $5.00! And it works great! Alway good for doll clothes and Halloween costumes.
I got one at a local Goodwill for $8.25. They were just bringing it out from the back in the roll cart. I locked my eyes on it and headed straight for it. Cleaned it up a bit and it works fine. Luv that I have a store within walking distance.
My local Goodwill stores sell new discontinued items from Walmart and Ikea. When I moved into my first apartment I purchased many of the discontinued items at bargain prices.
Try other thrift stores too. Our goodwill pricing is going higher n higher
I love my Goodwill! I have changed my whole wardrobe over for about $250! Shirts are $2.17 for t-shirts, $4.17 for blouses, $4.77 for pants, skirts, bottoms! I bought my husband two brand new under Armour shirts for $2.17! Kids clothes are also $2.17. I go bi-weekly. Dresses are $5.76. My scores include Ann Taylor clothes for those prices! I came home with a $65 bag and my husband could not believe how much I had gotten! I have a hard time spending money on clothes for myself, so Goodwill allows me to dress how I want!
I LOVE my Goodwill stores! I have furnished most of my house with deals I have scored there and refinished. My 4 year old has mostly Gap, Gymboree, Old Navy, or Laura Ashley clothes because I get them at Goodwill. I’m a plus size woman and my wardrobe is mostly Layne Bryant and Torrid. Top it all off, I’m a single mom so buying these clothes brand new wouldn’t be affordable. If you know what to look for and go regularly, you can find great deals.The other week I found a COMPLETE set of Nordic cookware! Also, my 4 year old is rough with her books but it gets expensive buying new books. She is able to buy a practically new book for $1.00-2.00! I get compliments all the time on my home and our clothes. I proudly say I got it at Goodwill!
My mom luvs hitting up the Goodwill Outlet by her in Appleton Wi, they sell clothes and household items by the pound instead of individual prices. I cant remember the exact amt but its like $1.50/lb of clothes and 75cents/lb of household. She makes out like a bandit, if you dont mind digging (things are just thrown in pils on tables) this is a great way to save even more! She brought home namebrand Jeans, and Abercrombie and Aeropostle shirts/sweaters for my sister last week for like 50cents each!
We have a goodwill outlet in st. Louis. I haven’t braved it, yet. My cousin told me to wear gloves when I do go because everything is just thrown in the bins.
Yes it’s all bins, a lot is dirty, but at $1.39/lb (Austin, texas) it’s totally worth it! I’ve gotten carts full of baby clothes for $25. I find a lot for myself, like target, gap, old navy all in good condition. My best find has been two pairs of shorts from free people (owned by urban outfitters and anthropologie) that would have been $50 each and I paid less than $1 for the pair and they looked like they had barely been worn. It’s time consuming but usually I dig through and grab anything I might want for me and the kids, then I go back through and sort and toss anything with stains and holes or I just don’t want. It’s amazing how much clothes you can get for such a small amount.
I look at it as the Black Friday “every day” shopping trip. Good buys on the pound pricing. Had one in Va Beach..but they recently moved to Hampton, Va. Haven’t been to that one. It’s a bit of a drive from Va Beach. Not to mention having to take one of the two bridge tunnels or the James River bridge. I miss going.
Oh yes, I love the outlets. We have one about 45 min from me and I love to stop in. Best find: a navy dress trenchcoat in great condition that fit my husband – since it was so heavy, it was $5, but what a bargain. Our clothes go for .99 a pound.
Off topic—Collin, your hair looks so cute in the video:)
i am not sure if goodwill is the same as salvation army? but i was just there. i always get the dogs stuffed animals there. i got 30 small ones for $3. when you get toys for dogs make sure you feel for beads and not to get ones with hard eyes. i dont feel bad when my dogs rip up a 10 cent stuff toy than a 10 to $15 from the store or petstore,those are never worth it!
I just bought a bunch of dog toys for $.30 each at Target. The black triangles are 70% off at the dollar spot.
Our Salvation Army prices more reasonably than Goodwill. Also love yard sales. Great buy on the coat. Before buying coats. . . check the zippers. Some lines of Columbia coats are notorious for bad zippers.
I found a pink north face jacket for my daughter for $10 at goodwill once! I love finding hidden treasures there..
Goodwill is terrible here…
Yard sales rock though!
I just picked up a Step 2 toy box for $8!
When I was younger I was embarrassed that my mom shopped at Goodwill, we weren’t doing well financially so she would buy from there. We made fun of her for buying second hand stuff Now I’m a Goodwill shopper!!! I scored a pair for ‘7 for All Mankind’ jeans with the TAG for about $6!!!! I love love love thrift shopping
Love your video, looks like you all had a blast!! 🙂
I really miss Goodwill in TN. The one near us now in Northern WI is shockingly over priced. I’ve bought things and then seen them for less at the Walmart in the same shopping center. I’m so glad she found a good deal!
I don’t shop at Goodwill because they keep most profits for themselves & their CEO makes one of the highest incomes of CEO’s (2.3 million a year just in salary, not including bonuses)… they should change their name from Goodwill to something else…I prefer the Salvation Army, who really gives it’s profits to helping people (rehab programs, shelters, etc). What you spend at Goodwill goes into the CEO’s pocket, and their employees make min wage. I don’t see Goodwill helping for example when there’s a natural disaster somewhere. I DO see the Salvation Army there though, and the Red Cross. We should all be smarter shoppers. Just a thought.
And the mentally disabled people they employ sometimes are paid as little as 8 cents per hour. Literally.
My mistake — 22 cents an hour. Wow.
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3478013/
As someone who has worked with the mentally disabled, this is such a misleading and upsetting article! There are many who are challenged to find a job that allows them to have dignity and respect from not only the employer but also fellow employees. If someone who comes to work spends their whole day sorting one box, even if it is their whole shift, but they feel that sense of accomplishment and uplifting respect for a job well done, it does not have to be a minimum wage job. Goodwill does not do this to take advantage but to lift up and enable others to rise above. Yes, they will not be making any kind of money to sustain a normal lifestyle but that is not the point for them. Goodwill pays them according to their capability but does not deny anyone the ability to be hired. If you were in charge, how would you handle it?
My mistake – 22 cents an hour. Wow.
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3478013/
The Salvation Army may help, but it discriminates against the LGBT community from what I’ve read. Both have their pros and cons.
My cousin is mentally disabled and makes less than min. wage for Kohls sorting hangers at a distribution facility. She is paid by the bundle – if she works slower, she gets less, if she works faster, she gets more. My family is very thankful for this program, because she makes enough to pay for a group home and support herself. She likes working there and would not be able to have a “regular” job. I cannot speak about the goodwill directly, but these less-than-min-wage programs are very important for the people they help, It makes it so they are not a burden on society when their parents pass away or cannot afford to take care of them.
Also, the Goodwill CEO makes way less than you just quoted – more like 725,000 a year. That seems fair for running such a huge corporation. The reason they are not at natural disasters is the same reason the American Cancer Society is not there – it is not their mission. They have employment centers that help people with resumes, job skills, etc. These are funded by the thrift stores. https://www.snopes.com/politics/business/charities.asp
I agree IF it’s enough to actually help them provide for themselves. Twenty-two cents an hour clearly is not.
If you would have read my post closely, you would have seen that she gets paid based on how much she works. If she goofs off for an hour and doesn’t finish a single bundle (that happens and my aunt gets on to her) her hourly wage was nothing. It could be similar for the goodwill.
The article says as little as .22, so that means some people would make more, potentially more then minimum wage. These are people who are not capable of independent living, who would not be able to work at a level to support themselves and would be completely unemployable without programs like these.
I believe they get social security benefits, as well.
I work in goodwill in the accounting department and I can tell you that here in Texas we help sooo many people in need and the people that work for us that are disable earn same salary, I love goodwill we are a community 🙂
50% off day is tomorrow here in Michigan 🙂 nice find, hope I can score tomorrow 🙂 our favorites are books (29c for paperback on 1/2 off day) and vhs (25-50c)!! I always look for plus size clothes!! So much cheaper than specialty stores!!
What location do you shop at Michelle? I am in Metro Detroit and I’m not sure of one around the area.
Goodwill became an addiction for me this year. I’m actually going to give it up in 2014 only because I ended up buying things I really didn’t need. My saying about Goodwill is, it’s the place to buy all the great things you never know you needed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely the best place for finding deals but that’s what my problem was, lol. I mean, how can you pass up something like an ice-cream maker with all the little cups for $8 right?!??! Well, I should have passed it up because I still haven’t used it, ughhh! I also loved buying clothes for my young daughter but that too becomes addictive because it’s so fun to make her happy with “new” clothes from name brand stores.
LOL. I bought a new, unused Cuisinart ice cream maker at Goodwill for $8 this summer. It got great reviews, but I actually left the store without it because the raw ingredients cost significantly more than what I pay for premium ice cream. My husband convinced me to go back and get it. I always thought ice cream makers were a bit silly–gimmicky wedding gifts–but we used it quite a bit.
My best find at Goodwill was my Keurig! I paid $10 for it, and I’ve had it for almost three years now! It still works great! I also buy some of my kids clothing there, great place to find name brands on the cheap!
My best find at Goodwill was a Hello Kitty Janome Sewing Machine brand new in box for $30 (it retails for $119.99 on Target.com). Other great deals I have scored at our local Salvation Army and Rescue Mission thrift store were 3 American Girl dolls for $3.00 a piece:)
I haven’t tried the goodwill thing yet bc I am actually a little scared too… I am an extreme clearance shopper and usually pay less than 3.00 per brand name shirts/pants/dresses for my kids (new of course). What makes me so nervous about places like goodwill or consignments is the possibility of parasites like bed bugs (which is a growing problem in the US bc we don’t use deet in pesticides anymore).. They can live up to a year without a food source.
We wash almost everything. If it survives the washer and dryer its a keeper.
I immediately bag my items up in a sealed bag. Throw in freezer for a week, then wash in hottest setting possible for fabric (hand washables I take a risk and wash in cold or have dry cleaned). That said, I would never buy upholstery furniture or bedding from thrift store. Too hard to fumigate and clean.
My family actually had bed bugs and got rid of them a few years back. It is my understanding that if you wash the clothes in hot water, it kills the bugs. However, I prefer clearance for most of my kids, too. That and swapping clothes with friends. 😉 Our Goodwill can be expensive comparatively.
Lice are hard to get rid of too. One of my kids brought them home from school a few years back and they passed to all the kids. The only way we finally got rid of them was the old fashioned way—comb, comb, comb every day for two weeks straight.
Does anybody know if there is any awesome Goodwill Thrift Stores up in Northern California?
I went on line to look for outlet goodwill stores in my area (san diego county), and saw there was one in Sacramento, and some other northern locations. Check it out. I also learned that they don’t have “% discount days” in my county:(
Two years ago I bought a like new Columbia jacket for one of my boys at our thrift store (Rescue Mission) for about the same price. I also found a like new Under Armour hoodie that was barely worn a few months ago. My greatest finds though at thrift stores though were a brand new with tags North Face denali fleece for me two years ago for $9.99 and a hardly used black leather hobo Coach purse for $5.99 last year. I don’t even think they knew what they had with the Coach purse. Apparently that was the week the warehouse was making a lot of pricing mistakes. So whoever did the pricing that day had no idea it was an authentic Coach because the leather hangtag was missing. On a whim I bought it thinking that it was probably a good fake, but I later confirmed it was real with a Coach expert plus I compared markings with a friend with the same bag. So total score for me. I <3 thrift stores!
I know there is good stuff because my family donates a ton. We have garage sales and whatever doesn’t sell, we donate which is a lot of brand name clothing. I bet that is what a lot of people do with garage sales as well.
At Goodwill, I look for good picture frames, especially ones that are standard large sizes. Toss the existing art/photo, maybe spray paint the frame or buy fresh glass, and put in your own art/photo. Way cheaper than new frames or custom framing.
Collin I love you even more knowing you love to thrift shop too! Great video, you are my hero. Thanks for showing how cool it can be.
Wow!!! I wish our goodwill had awesome buys. Too expensive for me. Ours marks a lot of stuff up, so we donate our clothing to the homeless shelter.
My best find at our goodwill was a Kate Spade purse in perfect condition for only $25!! I was freaking out when I saw it. The goodwill is in a fancy part of houston so they have a “designer” section that I check out every once in a while. I love that purse. I love going to the goodwill but ours are pretty small and the great findings are a bit rare.
I’ve never been to a Goodwill Outlet before. Can someone please explain how they would have Name Brands at a Goodwill Outlet, when the outlet is simply selling all the rejects that didn’t sell in the actual store?
Honestly, I have no idea. Often, I buy nice sweaters in the summer, shorts in the winter, that kind of thing. But it does happen.
Yes! I don’t often make it to goodwill, but I do garage sale frequently! Thank you Collin for posting the deals! Between shopping second hand and great deals, our family of four thrives on a tiny income. By our own choice I stay home with the kids, despite having an advanced degree and a lot of school debt. We have been able to pay down debt and live the “good life” on much less than most can imagine! Hip2Save has saved us a bundle! Thank you! (I have also snatched up a Columbia coat for my son for $5! It looked brand NEW! Yay!)
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I love good will in our area in Minnesota lots of great buys north face underarmour buckle clumbia all great finds i have bought love tgis place
Got myself a like new pair of new balance running shoes for $4.99. , 4.50? With discount. Also a NWT pair of slacks $3.99
We stopped shopping at Goodwill due to the bed bug issue at stores like that. Scares the crap out of me. But too each their own!
I have had great luck at my Goodwill. I buy items there and sell them on Ebay. I leave the money in my Paypal and cash out when money is tight. I found a Seraphim Angel still in the box for $6.38 and resold it on Ebay for $22. Same with Christmas and Easter dresses. Best deal I think was an Osh Kosh Bgosh coat for $2.38 (all our prices end in .38 or .88) and after my daughter wore it for a winter I sold it on Ebay for $20. Our store does 1/2 price on Sunday and Monday for certain colors, then on Tuesday it goes to 88 cents for that color and on Wednesday it is .25 for that color. LOVE “Quarter Day”!!!! I have bought A LOT of clothes for my kids there (and some for me too!)!!! 🙂
I could never find good things at goodwill. I live in California and ive gone to a couple. But I love shopping at swampmeets!
I love goodwill! Gotten like new coach, dooney Bourke, michael kors $19.99) Kipling ($4.99) purses from our goodwill!!
Shhhh! Don’t tell my rich friends who pay $$$ for theirs!
I highly suggest learning how to authenticate. I have seen to date one real Coach wristlet and loads of fakes at my Goodwill
My kids call those fake Coach bags “Foach” -too funny.
It depend. In Sacramento they have a goodwill outlet, I love shopping when they have 50% off. In San Diego, Goodwill & Salvation Army is so overly priced that I no longer donate to them. Id rather give to friends/familys or they pass it along