What to Buy (and Not Buy) at Thrift Stores
I love thrift stores. It’s such a fun treasure-hunt to find great deals! Also, donating to and buying from local thrift stores supports your local economy, and specifically benefits great causes such as your local hospice, humane society, and Habitat for Humanity.
1) Shirts -- check for defects, but often people give shirts to thrift stores that are in good condition but simply aren’t their style or fit.
3) Housewares like bowls, plates, utensils -- often in decent condition, you can get great deals on everyday household goods that people give away when they move.
4) Cast Iron Pots & Pants— my favorite thrift store find!! They get their own section because you can usually find seasoned cast irons for a great price at thrift stores.
5) Purses, backpacks, bags, wallets -- some people, like me, give perfectly good bags to thrift stores because they just have so darn many!
6 ) Vinyl records — a lot of times, they still work perfectly but have simply fallen out of disuse. If you listen to records, it’s worth the treasure-hunt to dig through thrift store stacks to find a sweet deal.
1. Sheets and blankets -- gross.
2. Shoes -- even if they’re new and cute, it’s very likely they were donated because they are too uncomfortable to wear.
3. Socks & underwear -- not even an option.
4. Jewelry — thrift stores typically aren’t a great place to find even semi-decent jewelry. Life’s too short for crappy jewelry.
Thrift Stores in Boulder, Colorado
1) Plato’s Closet -- Plato’s Closet is a small shop catering to younger people, especially girls. They don’t accept drop-offs, they will pay you (a little bit) for your gently used brand-name clothes, shoes, and bags. I find amazing deals here on names like Abercrombie, Gap, 7 for All Mankind, Articles of Society, Vera Bradley, etc. I get almost all my jeans, shirts and purses here.
2) Goodwill -- Goodwill is great for household items and vinyl records.
3) Hospice -- Hospice has the best selection of good-quality furniture as well as housewares
4) Habitat for Humanity -- Not a traditional thrift store, rather a resource for the DIY homeowner, with great deals on appliances like dishwashers, refrigerators, flooring, lighting, etc.
5) Humane Society Thrift & Gift -- great for furniture, clothes, housewares, and also has a great selection of quality books.
6) Ares -- good for miscellaneous housewares & clothes.