One Reason To Visit Your Local Thrift Store…
Sent from reader, Robyn:
Hello! I’ve always been a bargain hunter but for some reason I haven’t thought to visit a thrift shop in a long time. I tagged along with a friend today to Goodwill and was pleasantly surprised at all the great things they had!
What I particularly loved was all the kids books they have, which I have easily paid $10 each for on Amazon. I picked up some books for my son – all of which looked like they had never been read! Brand new books for $1.29 each! Such a bargain!
Just thought I’d share in case anyone else “forgot” about thrift stores and the deals you can find there!!
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I also wanted to add that my local thrift store, Savers, gives a free book for children from age 1- 8 at every visit. (it might cutoff at age 5 I can’t remember). either way I always hit the book section first to be sure to grab my freebie! It’s not advertised but it is always honored and I just make sure to remind them at checkout.
I get books there all the time , the lowest I have paid for a book was $.10 cents and it was in great condition. The books are $3 and under which is great when you are on a budget.
My recycling station actually has bookshelves and I often get things new with tags nothing beats free
Check out your local library, they often have book sales and the books are MUCH cheaper than thrift stores and you’re benefitting your local library. My local library has a bag sale the last day of their book sale and as a teacher I get a paper grocery bag of books for $4. It’s a deal you can’t beat and it benefits a great cause!
Totally! My local library has a huge library sale every 3 months and I get tons of books for $0.25 each and all of the proceeds go to support the program they offer at the library like free family movie nights! The books I find at thrift stores are normally $2-$3 each. I find it rewarding to know that I’m getting a great bargain and all of the money that I spend on books is going back to my community 🙂
I LOVE thrift stores and a store we have here called Dirt Cheap. So much of what’s in our house comes from those 2 places!
My local thrift store sells a “bag of books” for $2 it’s usually 5 or 6 books, most are in great condition.
We went in the Goodwill store for the first time in about 8 years and my 4 year old was so excited to find a Transformers Rescue Bots toy for .99! He loved that he got to pick out a “new” toy and I was even more excited since brand new they are $15!
Toys are definitely something I will always buy at thrift stores. Last time I was at Goodwill I found a bag full of Shopkins and other mini figures that cost an arm and a leg for the tiniest toys for only $2 for the entire bag. It was probably $70 worth of little toys that I would never ever buy otherwise because they’re so expensive and get lost easily! Now I don’t have to fret about the toys disappearing because they were so cheap 🙂
Just went to Goodwill this morning! Picked up 4 shirts for my son, 4 shirts for me, a Winnie the Pooh book and a 4 pack of super glue for $20!
That makes me want to Goodwill! We don’t have a particularly good one near me so I’ll have to search. Mostly just wanted to comment because the randomness of a 4 pack of super glue at Goodwill made me smile!
Oh yes! Some locations are definitely better than others. I travel to a few different locations when I’m feeling especially thrifty. I’ve found brand new Yankee candles, new toddler clothes with tags attached, books that look new, and board games with ALL of the pieces inside. You can always return things with a receipt. I have family members who are addicted to Goodwill! ha
Our local thrift store has all kids books 10 cents each ! They realize how important literacy is 🙂 love it
The “Friends of the Library” have a small store that sells donated books. Children’s books are .50-$1. Even best sellers are no more than $5. There is also a giant booksale once a year in the next city over. On the last day they do a $10 fill your bag sale.
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library gives your child a free book every month from when they are born all the way up until they start kindergarten. Just sign up online and they mail your book to your address. Completely free!
This is not available everywhere in the US. I live in Indianapolis, IN and it wasn’t available for my child here.
We didn’t live in a place that had it previously, I checked, but now we do and my two littles get their books every month! It’s such a great program! Otherwise, I get books at the friend’s of the library sale when it’s $5 for a bag of books! Can’t beat that!
Mine wasn’t available at first. I waited 6 months and I tried again and was Able to sign up. They expand to different cities. The program is increasing! (:
I too recently found a used book store next to my city’s public library. Children’s books are 50 cents each, including Harry Potters! I left all my copies behind when I moved out of my parents’. Just imagine how thrilled I was when I found Brand New hard back Harry Potters for $0.5 a pop! Of course, my toddler also loves it! We spend hours in that store every week!
I absolutely LOVE thrift stores!
I (almost) always buy my kids’ books from either Once Upon A Child or Goodwill. I Amazon top selling books for no more than $2 each and they are often brand new or just lightly used. I swear ppl don’t read to their kids anymore because I find so many great finds.
Kids books at our Goodwill are 59 cents. That is much cheaper than the late library fine I always seem to get. I stocked my kids shelves with great books. I got almost the entire Magic Tree House series, a few at a time, for less than a dollar a piece.
My mom is a weekly goodwill shopper and it never ceases to amaze me what she finds new or used or in between. We recently visited the Goodwill Outlet in Indianapolis and it was an experience, however, the books were $.50, not the best deal but it’s going to a good cause for a yearly mission trip to Belize.
Check to see if there is a Little Free Library in your neighborhood.
https://littlefreelibrary.org/
You simply leave their used books there. You can pick up one for free or donate a book (or more!) It’s a great way to recycle your books and know they are going to like-minded (people who enjoy reading!) folks!
That’s interesting yours accepts returns. My Goodwill stopped accepting returns a couple years ago; now it’s exchanges only.
I love shopping at thrift stores – I often find brand name kids stuff and brand name stuff for myself – plus I prefer styles from a few years ago haha
I recently started volunteering at the thrift store in our little town and I love it! We rely totally on donations from the community and give back to the local school, community projects, after school programs, benefits for local residents with cancer, etc. We get a lot of great quality clothing which we sell for so little and the inventory changes daily! You’d be surprised what some people get rid of.
This is where I get all my classroom books. I love to get them on half off day especially.
At one thrift store, I once stuffed a paper bag with Dr Seuss hardbacks and Eric Carle books for less than $5. Library sales are my jam- found a whole manga set of Amazing Agent Luna, business books, cookbooks, bestsellers, etc. Then when I am done with them and don’t want to keep them, I just donate it back to the library.
Here is another tip for cheap books if available in your city: Homeschool conventions. Ours in Richmond VA has gleaning on the last day of convention and it is open to the public. Leftover books that didn’t sell and sellers don’t want to keep is FREE. I have found lots of math and science textbooks, fiction for kids and adults, a science encyclopedia set, and more for free.
Awesome tip, Anna Rose! Thanks for sharing!