Familiarize.....

What kind of businesses are selling products in your area? This is a key question to think about when you are trying to decide what type of products your local thrift stores might carry. Here's an example of one of the industries near my area. It is Coldwater Creek. You may be familiar with it. This company is an awesome local business that sells clothing, bedding, jewelry and other unique items, mainly by their mail order catalog or online stores. Their products have been a really big hit all over the world, and they are pretty sought after even on online auction sites. And I have had alot of luck selling Coldwater Creek items on EBay!!

So, what I am getting at is this.......Since the main office and supplier of Coldwater Creek products is a local business, I can actually find alot of their products in the local thrift stores. I can shop around and usually find at least 3 different items with Coldwater Creek tags on them in each thrift store....per day. And the closer you get to the business' location, the more product you will find.
So, get to know what hot local companies are in your area, and odds are you can find their products in YOUR local thrift stores. And the best part is, especially around here, they're pretty plentiful. Happy shopping!!!

Exercise equipment, anyone?

If you are in the market for some exercise equipment for your Home Gym, look no further than.....your local thrift store, of course!!!
I actually know that one of our local thrift stores has exercise equipment for free. Yes, ladies...I said FREE. So, stop worrying about working out, and how expensive it is, because that problem has just been solved. Seriously.
I find tons of these items every time I shop. You could get a Bun and Thigh Buster, an Ab Lounge, a Stair Stepper, another Stair Stepper, a Tread-mill, an AB Buster, you name it, you can find it. And mostly, these items are like brand new!!! Who would donate like-brand new exercise equipment to a thrift store?? Me!!! I literally have a Home Gym in my basement, and I haven't spent hundreds to thousands of dollars on ANY of this equipment. But when I buy an exercise machine at a thrift store, I bring it home and use it for awhile, and if I don't like it.....big deal. I just go trade it for a different one. Most of the time it's free, so why wouldn't you?? Anyway, keep this little tidbit in mind if you are in the market for anything fitness oriented. And remember if it's not free, you just have to pay a FRACTION of the cost of buying it from TV or your local Sports Store. Trust me, you will be glad you did. Happy Shopping!!!

Who likes magazines???

Me!!! I LOVE my magazines. I like to read People, "O", Better Homes and Gardens.....I could go on and on. BUT, as you all know, buying magazines at the store is like....well......not cheap. Especially if you like to read more than one a month. Like me!! So, I don't currently have any subscriptions to magazines, and about a year ago I realized that many thrift stores have used magazines. OK, I know many of you are thinking....."Well, I really don't want to read the March 1979 issue of Ladies Home Journal in July 2008!!!". Well you don't have to!!! I know which thrift stores in my area carry the best magazines, and I also know that a little old lady in town must have a subscription of "O" magazine, and every single month she gets it in the mail, quickly reads it and then donates it to the thrift store. So, if I go in there I can actually get the July issue of "O" magazine for .25cents. In July. (because the July issues come out in June..) I do take advantage of this ladies, especially if I am going to be flying out of town or going camping. Happy Shopping!!!

Let's get shopping....

Alright Ladies. I have finally decided to go "global" with my secret money saving tips. My friends and family know all about my shopping skills, and now I want to share them with you all. Lord knows that as gas prices and other expenses skyrocket.....our money disappears faster and faster. And since I am in the same boat as alot of you are, a stay at home mom just trying to save some money here and there to keep my family healthy and happy, I thought I could share some of my "thrifty" ideas with you all.

First of all.....I know that some of you may think that thrift store shopping is just not for you. And I really understand where you are coming from, because I used to think that too. It really took some time for me to realize that it really isn't all that bad. And now I actually think it is GREAT. And I will tell you why.

Every single day people are donating their unwanted items to thrift stores. These "unwanted" items may actually be something you WANT. Now don't get me wrong.....I know that for the most part, about 90 to 99% of the items I look at every day in these thrift stores are things that I could NEVER use. And so I won't buy those. But you have to look PAST these un-usable (many times junky) items, and THAT is when you can actually find a treasure or two. Believe me, you will. And I am dedicating this website to help you find the treasures for yourself.

So, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy my site.

Thrift Store find of the week

Every week I will do another one of these posts, showing you a different item I have found at a thrift store that week.

This week I found something I LOVE to see in a thrift store. Collectible plates. I am a collector of these plates, so when I run across them I am always thrilled. This particular one is by Terry Redlin, a well known popular artist, and it is called "August Summertime". You could go to Cabelas or the Bradford exchange right now and pay up to $40.00 for this plate. I also make a habit of checking eBay for the items I have found (if you want to sell them...I will post my help with that at a later date..) to see how much they are going for. So, when I checked, one of these plates had a bid on it for $19.95, and another was on the auction for $40.00 with no bid. So, either way, if you want to keep this item for yourself or sell it, it is a great find. I paid $3.00 for it.

Finding this plate was a bit tricky, as it was underneath alot of dishes that weren't worth much at all. So ladies, start being a detective at these stores. Don't just look around at what you can SEE on the shelves, move stuff around, and you may hit the jackpot. Oh, and I found 2 of these plates at once. I just like the August one the best. And keep in mind that I DID NOT find the box and certification paper with these plates. If you choose to sell these plates, sometimes it is helpful to have both of these things. But I am going to keep mine, and it works out just fine for me at that price!!! Happy Shopping.