As a single-income family, we do a number of things to stretch our dollar. While there are many money-savings tips to follow, one of my favourite ways to save money is second-hand shopping.
I love a great deal and I especially love sharing how others can find a great bargain!
Today I want to share the best second-hand shopping tips for your family.
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Where to shop
There are many places to thrift shop. Here are a few favourites:
* garage sales
* thrift stores
* flea markets
* community sales
* consignment shops
* Kijiji or Craigslist
* swaps
* Facebook shopping/swapping groups
What to look for
There are a number of things I look for when I’m thrift shopping:
* children’s clothing
* children’s shoes
* winter clothing
* sports equipment
* photo albums and picture frames
* art supplies
* games
* toys (look for toys that rarely go on sale such as Lego, Duplo, etc.)
* books
* DVDs and CDs
* items that can be re-purposed
* homeschool materials (textbooks, school supplies, math manipulatives, etc.)
* baskets and storage bins
* kitchen supplies (especially for my kids’ mud pie kitchen and toy kitchen play set).
* gifts (keep your eyes open for retro/nostalgic/collectible pieces for friends and family)
What to avoid
There are a number of items that you should avoid purchasing second-hand. These are a few that I would recommend staying away from.
* car seats
* baby furniture (high chairs, cribs, etc.)
* bedding
* pillows
* stuffed animals
Items that are too hard to clean, that could harbor pests such as bedbugs, or that have frequently changing safety standards (i.e. baby equipment) should be avoided.
Tips to make second-hand shopping a success
There are a number of things that you can do to make thrift shopping a positive and more successful experience. Here are a few suggestions.
1- Set aside cash for your thrift store purchases. Throughout the year my mother-in-law sets aside every $5 bill she encounters and saves them for garage sale season. Perhaps you could do something similar… every $1 you come across, every $2… collect a reserve so you have cash on hand to thrift shop.
2- Make a list of things you would like to purchase and always keep that list with you.
3- Be prepared to negotiate prices and walk away if you can’t get a deal.
4- Look through all the items thoroughly. I find this especially important when I’m at a garage sale. Sometimes people don’t know how to display their items for maximum exposure.
5- If you have particular items in mind, don’t be afraid to ask the seller if they have something of that nature in their sale.
6- If buying from an independent seller (i.e.through Kijiji or Craigslist) make safety a priority. Meet in a public place and have someone with you.
7- Bring your own bags. Sometimes when you’re shopping at garage or yard sales, the sellers don’t have bags available. Always make sure to bring some just in case.
Do you thrift shop? What are your suggestions to make second-hand shopping a successful endeavor?
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Great tips and have totally shopped thrift stores I the past myself and also just reminded me I need to still list my olderMacBook on Craiglist here as I have been meaning t do this for the past week ow and keep getting sidetracked. Thanks for sharing and Happy Monday to you ;) xoxo
I’m sure you’ll have no problems unloading your MacBook… those are hot items on places like Craigslist, that’s for sure!
All great tips here. I don’t thrift shop but with a new home on the horizon I’ve been thinking about it. I know I’m also going to have a lot to list myself so I might want to start thinking about putting together a garage sale to get rid of some of the things I have. I’ve done Craiglist once and it was to buy a car. :)
Oooh, with a new home on the horizon, it would definitely make sense to do some thrifty shopping!
These are great tips. I get a large portion of my kids’ clothes second hand because they grow like weeds and if I bought everything new, we’d be broke! Plus, kids clothes from a thrift store can, often times, be brand new, never worn and awesomely discounted!
Clothes is THE best thing to buy for kids because as you said… they grow like weeds!
What a great list!
When I was learning to sew, I purchased an otherwise very expensive flat sheet at the thrift store so I wouldn’t ‘waste’ nice fabric!
That was a brilliant idea Sarah. Fabric can be so expensive.
Glad you enjoyed this list!
I love buying things second-hand. You save so much money!
I know! I’ve saved so much by second-hand shopping. I just love the feeling when I’ve found something awesome too!
I used to love the kids consignment shops when my big kids were little and we were scraping by, paycheck to paycheck. Now, though, it’s just easier to order things online.
Consignment shops are great for buying… and selling! Such great stuff.
There are lots of online options now. Although I tend to stay away from online shopping because I quickly lose track of my budget.
Yes, these are great tips. The second hand shopping really helps to save. Thanks for sharing.
Second-hand shopping has been a huge budget-saver for us, that’s for sure!
We rarely have to buy clothes thanks to hand me downs and shopping yard sales. Both have been a huge blessing to our family!
Clothes can end up taking a huge bite out of ones’ budget – I love second-hand shopping for clothes. I’ve found some fabulous items from brand-name stores too!
What great ideas! I have never heard of Kijiji! Going to check it now!
Well now you’ve got me wondering… maybe Kijiji is just Canadian?! Hmmm, I wonder.
I love your lists. I love second hand shopping. I can’t remember the last time I paid full price for clothes or housewares. Saves a lot of money.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Lacey. Second-hand shopping is amazing… and I honestly get euphoric when I snag a fabulous deal.
I am kind of obsessed with thrifting for both economical and environmental reasons. Whenever we need an item, be it clothes, something for the kitchen, etc, I always check my local Value Village before considering going the “new” route. Good tip to inspect items thoroughly: generally you can’t return thrifted goods!
Value Village is amazing. We just purchased a Disney Princess gown for $4.99 from them – it’s in pristine condition too! Plus a 48 piece Mulan floor puzzle for $2.49?! I just love that place.
Great tips Jennifer! I love finding furniture at garage sales and thrift stores. You can always make it look new again with some elbow grease and paint. There are a lot of great consignment shops around here for kids clothes as well. Super fun to shop there, and sell too!
Oooh, I love furniture transformation projects. It’s amazing how you can take something from drab to fab simply by painting and/or adding new hardware.
Love these tips. Once, my mom bought me a car seat from a garage sale. So many people don’t know that that’s so unsafe because the seat could’ve been in an accident or have expired. Also the bed bug thing, so true!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed these tips Jessica.
A car seat?! Yikes… yes, so dangerous.
My husband is in pest control (I’m a freak when it comes to bed bugs because I know just how hard they are to kill/eliminate).
I don’t regularly but is something I wish I could get more into. I know when I do and I come across something awesome and I then say, “I should do this more often.” But, never do. Great tips to have, especially like #1, setting aside some cash.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post Michelle. I thrift shop regularly and I often tell myself I should do so more regularly. I doubt if that ever changes… LOL.
Thanks for sharing.
We ALWAYS thrift shop! We are always looking to pick up clothes and used furniture (tables, dressers, etc.) for up cycling projects. And funny thing, we use Craigslist to find free hardwood for our furnace. People will post a picture of a tree and say “free wood” HA. This summer we intend on traveling around with a chainsaw and truck to get unwanted trees. –FREE HEAT :)
Oh, and we just bought this super cute stuffed horse at a thrift shop. I am a little uneasy about buying used stuffed animals but this one looked super clean. A little baking soda set on it for 5 minutes or so and a quick vacuum will freshen it up. Also, I toss stuffed animals in the washer and dryer and I haven’t had a problem with one getting ruined.
Great post! Now I wanna go out thrift shopping. Can’t wait till garage sale “season”. ;)
I loooooove garage sale season!!
I’m obsessed with bedbugs (do you think it’s because my hubby is in pest control)? That’s why I avoid stuffies.
The firewood gig sounds pretty awesome.
Thanks for sharing Monica.
I find lots of great kids things second-hand! Growing up my family always relied on second-hand finds so it is second nature to me! For kids stuff, I mainly go to consignment shops and outgrown it sales. I have found great deals on clothes, coats, and toys, and my daughter’s Halloween costume was a great second-hand find! We do have some second hand dolls and stuffed animals, but they were from very clean places (a children’s consignment shop and a vintage doll sale) and I gave them a very thorough wash and dry. Growing up, a majority of my toys were second hand and we never had any issues.
This year we also went to a Sports Exchange to get skates for myself and my daughter. They were a great deal (practically new!) and we can trade up my daughter’s skates as she grows. :)
It sounds like you’ve had some awesome finds Shilo! I just love it when I find an incredible deal – I feel so proud of myself and wish I could tell everyone about it… LOL.
Thanks, as usual, for sharing such a thoughtful comment. I’m going to have to check out that Sports Exchange… sounds awesome.
The thrifty mom in me LOVES this! ;)
Glad you enjoyed these suggestions Tiffany!
I just started selling my son’s clothing to Once Upon a Child. It feels like free money, PLUS I get to see what new items were brought to the store for them to re-sell. I’ve found some great books and nice clothing.
Consignment stores are so awesome, aren’t they?! Constantly buying clothes for children is a huge burden on the budget… second-hand is my favourite way to go because children are constantly growing!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on second-hand shopping Caryn.
I need to be better about this. It’s so hard to budget and stay thrifty when we are working and on the go but something to be intentional about for sure! Great tips…pinning to refer to later.
I’m glad you found this helpful Kristen. I’m looking forward to the summer – a.k.a. garage sale season!
So timely because this was just a hot topic on the school playground today! I’ve never really bought Des clothes – he’s been in hand-me-downs from the start. Now that he’s going to be three this summer (can’t believe it) I have to buy him some clothes but we’re pretty much a one income family too.
I will definitely pin these tips!
We’ve done lots of hand-me-downs with our youngest but we still do thrift shopping for clothes. Like at Christmas I wanted fancy black shoes for my youngest… I found them at Value Village for $1.99. She’s already almost outgrown them too (which makes me thankful that we do purchase second-hand clothing).
Thanks for sharing such a reflective comment Tamara.
Awesome post Jennifer! I get so overwhelmed at thrift stores, garage sales and such, just having a list of what I need would make it so much easier!
Yes a list makes so much of a difference Sarah! Whenever I realize we “need” something, I just add it to the list and pop it back into my purse.
Great post, Jennifer! We buy nearly everything second hand. As I just wrote a blog on 12 Ways a Family of 12 Lives on 1 Income, I\’m going to add a link back to this post in one of the points.
I’m glad you enjoyed this Cheryl! I would be honored if you linked back to this post (and I would love it if you forwarded the post to me too). Sounds like a great read!
I love a good bargain :). The internet has made it so easy for us to find great deals. I’m excited that garage sale season is almost here. We have so many in our neighborhood alone. Great tips! I always forget to bring my own bags.
I love garage sale season!
Every year our family does a big family garage sale too… it’s a great tradition.
Thanks for this post. I like the idea of a list. The only way I can enjoy thrift store shopping is to leave the children at home, or if I need them with me to size clothes bring another adult along to help herd them.
Yes, I always need a list.
I agree that thrift store shopping can be tough with little ones underfoot!
I love when I come across a good find at a yard sale. Its hard to do sometimes in the area we live in. But when I do… it’s fun!
I love a good deal too. I feel like sing… “victory!!!!” LOL
Lovely article thanks! Can’t wait to get thriftin’ for sping and summer toddler clothes! #shinebloghop
Glad you enjoyed this. Second-hand is the BEST for seasonal clothing.
Some very good friends of mine hold a community wide yard sale in their neighborhood yearly. We always have such a great time, but I always find it hard to buy things because it’s so overwhelming! I’ll have to use your tips for this year’s event, and hopefully I’ll purchase some really great things! Thank you for sharing :)
I’m glad you enjoyed these tips! Start a list of wants/needs now… you just might find what you need!
Love this post!
I find the BEST stuff thrifting! I buy most of my kids clothes that way and we can get so much more bang for our buck by not buying at retail stores. Now sure, some things just shouldn’t be bought 2nd hand, but last week I picked up the cutest pair of Guess jeans for my teen for 4.99 at Savers. Can’t beat that price!
Thrift shopping is the BEST for kids clothing… they just grow so quickly (it doesn’t make sense to buy new)!
Your Canadian money is so cool! Great tips, Jennifer! I never thought to bring my own bags.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these tips my friend!
Yes, I like our Canadian money… it’s colourful!
I love the idea to set cash aside for garage sale season. We normally don’t carry cash, which is probably one reason why I don’t like to go to garage sales. But I bet this method would work. Plus, I want to start saving the maximum amount of money that I can. Thank you so much for listing what to avoid!
My mother-in-law is genius with the whole “setting aside money for sales” trick. It makes buying second-hand a lot easier!
So glad you enjoyed this.
I don’t get to go thrift shopping very often but when I do I love it. I went last week and found dress pants for my husband as well as a dress, a skirt, and a pair of boots for myself. I hit a few places that were 50 and 60% off so I only spent $9 for all of those clothes.
I budget as well as keep a running list of the things we need. I don’t have any tips to add because you got them all, Jennifer.
Thanks! Blessings to you and yours.
Great article, many thanks! Finding excellent deals has never been simpler thanks to the internet. The approaching yard sale season makes me happy. Only in our neighborhood do we have so many. Great advice! thanks for sharing.