Some Goodwill goodies (including a surprising pitcher)
I probably shop at Goodwill a little bit less than I used to, but I do still pop in and browse around when I have a little bit of extra time to spare.
A lot of times, I don't see anything awesome, but then again, there are fabulous things to be had sometimes. So, I thought it would be fun to share a few of the latter.
In the last few years, I've really become a huge fan of white serving dishes, both for actually serving for good and ALSO for photographic purposes.
(Ok, maybe the main reason is for photographic purposes. But white serving dishes DO make your table look instantly awesome.)
So when I found this three-piece set of Pier One dishes some months back, I snapped them up.
They make great serving dishes, and I love that they nest, because they take up less cabinet storage that way.
And of course, they are marvelous for food pictures. You saw one in the mustard vinaigrette photos, actually, and they've popped up on Instagram too.
I also found this lovely rectangular white serving dish. I lurve the simple lines of it and I use it allll the time, for bread, cheese, crackers, cold cuts, and more.
Another thing I'm a big fan of of: stainless steel.
It's not plastic, it's super durable, and it looks beautiful too.
So when I saw this pitcher for $6.99, I snapped it up.
When I was washing it, I noticed that it had a brand name (Walco) on the bottom, so I googled it and apparently this is a $100+ pitcher.
Who knew??
The fact that it's a $100 pitcher doesn't make any practical difference to me (it's not like I was going to sell it!), but it IS kind of satisfying to pay $6.99 for something that usually costs far more.
Next up: a Goodwill-procured stainless steel bento type lunch box, which is pretty cool.
It's not in perfect shape by any means, mostly because it's scratched. But the scratches don't affect the function at all, and besides, if I bought a new one, guess what?
It would look just like this in a short while. 😉
Sometimes it's nice to get pre-weathered items, because then you don't worry about it when you weather it further. 😉
(Or when your children, uhhh, weather things for you.)
This came in super handy for picnics this summer, especially because glass is a little heavy to lug along on a picnic.
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Have you found anything awesome at Goodwill of late? Do share!
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P.S. The Amani Ya Juu $50 giveaway will be open thru 11:59 PM EST tonight, so go throw your name in the hat over there if you haven't already.
Even before you said the pitcher cost $100 I wanted it. You just never know what you'll find at a thrift store. I don't go in, however, unless I'm looking for something specific. Too much temptation to get something I don't really need or have the space for.
I have a few things I'm always looking for (stainless steel items, white serving plates, skinny jeans for my girls) so I usually take a quick peek for those kinds of things and the leave if I see nothing that fills the bill. That works out pretty well for me, but then again, I'm not an impulsive person (so much so that it's a fault sometimes, in that I'm TERRIBLE at being spontaneous.)
I laughed when you said you googled the Walco pitcher, because I do that very thing when I buy toys second hand ( usually from Once Upon a Child) for my grandbabies to play with at my house. I just like to see if I really got a "deal". Hardcore thrift shoppers do this before they buy an item ( on their phones) especially if they are in resale, like my daughter is. She has a upscale women's resale clothing business on eBay.
Yeah, since I don't resell, for me it was just curiosity (like you!). The pitcher felt heavy and well-made, and I thought, hmm, I wonder if this is actually kind of an expensive pitcher.
I haven't been thrifting since my daughter was born (no time, really) but I think the biggest driving factor for not going is the fact that I don't particularly need anything. My daughter has more clothes than I know what to do with and I don't feel like digging through movie bins when I have a coffee table covered in DVDs and BDs (and you should see my Netflix and Hulu queues.)
I used to flip items from the thrifts but they've gotten wise around me and most anything that's worth anything goes on their own auction sites. Occasionally I still find some horror VHS tapes that people want but not often at all.
I found a $158 pair of Joe's jeans, brand new, in my size AND long enough (I'm 5'8) for $8.99. That's my best find so far. 🙂
Ooh what a FIND! I'd be stoked if I found Miss Me's for anything under $10, too 😉
Love the white dishes and pitcher -- beautiful, simple lines and so useful! I, too, can not be trusted at garage sales or thrift store (although kicking self for not stopping to grab a giant, nicely framed mirror at a yard sale last summer. Or at least enquire as to price. Grrr). But until I unload the stuff that's here I. Can. Not. Shop. I mean it, seriously, Acquisitive Hoarder! (shaking fist at self) I very much envy your organizational and non-hoarding skills 😉
Have found lots of things in past years that I love but nothing so spectacular as your goodies or Michelle's jeans (Bravo!) Have a painting of the ocean that I bought for $8.99 and looked up the artist -- some kind of art teacher? -- but no value except that it makes me happy to look at the sea.
Oh, our "coffee table" was $8.75 on a discount day at GW and is a scratched and gouged hot mess, so we never feel too bad about abusing it. Looking for a simple glass topped (unscratchable) unit . . . Nice finds!
It's weathered, that's what your coffee table is! 😉
Recently, I found a pocketbook-type wallet for $1 (the card pockets in my old wallet were too loose and my library/debit/gift cards kept falling out) and a maternity sweater for $5 (brand new). Also, I found a box grater one time and brought it home-we use it almost every night. I love it when I find cheap things at thrift stores and actually use them 🙂 I try to remind myself in the store that even if it's a good deal, it's actually a waste of my money if I'm not going to use it.
I once found a purse at Goodwill, that seemed not to be a fake, which was $100 retail. And just before Thanksgiving I went in to Goodwill to look for a pie plate (which I found) but also found four shallow, round ramekins that I'll use for creme brulee, each only $.99! I was so excited to have found those.
It seems like I'm always getting glasses at the Goodwill! We only break one at a time, and at the local department store I have to buy them in a set, which won't fit in my cupboard. So whenever I go into the Goodwill, I check out the glasses. When they are half price I get them for 50 cents a piece. My best score ever was an LL Bean barn coat in my size, and it was in perfect condition. You know--the khaki kind with the corduroy cuffs and collar. It was $15.99, but it had the right color tag so I got it for half of that. (And when I got home I looked up how much it would have cost new! Couldn't help myself...)
I'm curious - have you found that there are good kids' ages for doing shopping like this with your kids, or have you always done it regardless of kids' ages? A few years ago - when I just had one child! - I got a great deal on a coffee table & end table set at a thrift store, and I was thrilled about that. Honestly, though, these days the thought of going to Goodwill or any other thrift store to look around is not appealing to me at all. I have 3 kids right now (ages 5.5, 5, and 1), and while I think it's good to take them out to run errands or go shopping occasionally, so they learn a bit about shopping and money, it's exhausting! The thought of loading everyone into the car and dragging them through Goodwill and potentially not even finding what I want keeps me from doing it.
I didn't do any extra shopping when I had babies/toddlers. I only got into thrift store shopping once Zoe was 2-3, and was old enough to enjoy looking around Goodwill with me, and of course, by then my other kids were a bit older.
I say limit your shopping to what keeps you sane right now...there will be plenty of time later on to shop more easily!
I found a double edged sword! Summer before last I was looking for a cheap watch, as I am pretty hard on them. I usually spend $5 every two or three years. The lady at the thrift shop showed me one she had for $10. It was a gold coloured ladies watch maybe from the 1950's - not a style I would wear in the garden. I bought it anyway, then took it to a jeweller for an estimate for cleaning and repair. The estimate was $458! After I picked myself up off the floor, and explained that my wallet was not up to that challenge at the moment, they said it was worth repairing since the watch was worth "a few thousand". When I went to pick it up, they showed me that it was a genuine Swiss watch with jewelled movements and that it was not dipped in molten gold, but plated with sheet gold. I don't really understand the process, except that it results in a much heavier gold coating. It still isn't repaired. I think my next step may be to have it appraised and re-evaluate the situation. I still haven't looked for a functioning cheap watch either - kind nervous about it now.
I really like your pitcher! Bonus - no repair charges!
Oh my! I'd definitely look into selling it, and someone else can pay to have it repaired. You'd probably turn a good profit regardless.
So glad I mentioned this to "the voice of reason" - I hadn't thought of trying to sell it "as is". I guess that's how easy it is to get sucked into spending more than is required. Thanks!
Let us know if you manage to sell it!
I found black leather/lined boot cut jeans 1/2 off for $8.00!
I go thrifting a few times a week, mostly for kid's clothes. Our local thrift store is super duper inexpensive (very few things are over $1, and kid's clothes are 10-25 cents), so I get almost all of our clothes there.
My favorite recent find was a new with tags Columbia polo shirt for my husband. It's a great color for him, and it's incredibly flattering on him! The best part is that it's a $45 shirt that I got for a measley 25 cents!
Whoa, those are amazing prices! I've never had the pleasure of shopping at a thrift store that inexpensive. Lucky you!
Those are some fabulous finds! I love white dishes and that metal pitcher is adorable.
Great finds 🙂
Off topic, but oh well... Sitting here waiting to be called back for my appt and noticed ATK on the television. My first thought? "The Frugal Girl loves her some ATK"!
I do!
I dragged my hubby to Goodwill last night and we found new digital picture frames for $1.99 and 3.99 missing the 9 volt charger. Just happens that my daughter-in-law was looking for one to get for her mom for Christmas. We have spare chargers at home that worked so..yay score!
They had a lot of new Hello Kitty Target note pads, pens, little coloring books for .29 -great stocking stuffers.
This is one I had not seen before a 9 x 13 metal pan with a sliding metal lid on it. They wanted 6.99 for it, too much for me but I had to Google it to see if it was worth something. There are some listed on Etsy for wayyyy to much money.
Growing up, I remember my grandmother having a pan like that with the sliding lid. I haven't seen one in ages!
I often get thrifted stuff, but I don't think I ever made a killer bargain. Then again, some stuff maybe worth 80$ more than price paid. (Like a Barbie laptop, and quality shoes). I have this fantasy of buying something cheap and realizing it's worth thousands!
The metal lunch container looks like the top half of a tiffin--a traditional East Indian container for taking lunch to the office (or having it delivered). I often use just the top section of mine if it's a convenient size for what I'm taking for lunch. I now have a collection of bento-style metal lunch containers and I try to buy them frugally although I have shelled out for brand new Lunch Bots containers (mostly with gift cards I earn on Amazon for being a member of a survey panel for my health care provider) since I never can find them used--they wear like IRON. They are great for work lunches and for picnics. Recently I got my daughter one for school now that she is more careful with her stuff (too expensive to lose!).
My favorite thing at thrift stores is for small appliances you may want to try without spending a lot--e.g. rice cookers, yogurt makers, ice cream makers, bread makers, etc. Often they are $10 or less and barely or never used--expensive gifts the recipient didn't really want.
Oh, maybe that's the name for it, rather than a bento box!
My favorite thrift finds:
New 8 x 10 beige rug from Target - $30
Hudson Bay wool blanket - $9
Set of 8 new white Fiestaware mugs - $8/set
Black Coach purse - $7
New large zippered tote bag from LLBean - $2.50
6-cup Brown Betty teapot made in England - $2
Merrell hiking boots - $11
I go almost once a week and look at everything!
Lots of nice clothes!
We just got an *almost* new leather couch (Lane brand) at the Salvation Army for $295!! It looks awesome in our living room!
My best (recent) thrift store find was a brand new pair of tennis shoes in my husband's size for $7. I had never heard of the brand, and when I looked it up a few weeks later found out they are a mountain trail running shoe that retails for over $100. Not that he runs any trails in them! 🙂
We have a good thrift store here and 2 Goodwills nearby, but very recently our Goodwill has changed their prices. The prices for household (used) items is now more than I could buy an item for new. Fortunately, our thrift store is still good on price and Goodwill is still great for clothing the household items have just been ridiculous.
Our Goodwill changed the way they price with the colored tags, some items no longer have a colored tag so it will never be discounted. Some of those items are priced higher than what you would pay at a regular store. I will keep going as long as they continue to do the discounted colored tags.
I found the dumbest thing at Goodwill that makes me so happy. It's a cup (ceramic) that looks like the "We Are Happy To Serve You" paper coffee cups they have in NYC that have Greco-Roman figures on them. I got it for the figures on it but I loved it so much that I googled it and it turns out you can buy them for $10 online.
I've never been to NYC but for some reason this .49 find makes me happy any time I watch a movie and see someone drinking from one of those disposable cups. (Simple things give me most bizarre joy!)
Sadly our charity shops are expensive. I think the bento box is actually an Indian lunch box. We call them Tiffin boxes but I do not think that is accurate. In India there is a very well organised system that workers use. Their lunches are cooked at home, or mostly at home, and are then picked up and delivered to the work places. It is amazing as most of the delivery men are not able to read, yet the system is remarkably efficeint.
I loathe spending money on formal wear. Earlier this year we had a very formal event to attend, and I went to the Junior League thrift shop. There was a beautiful black velvet sheath gown for $17. YES! Then when the cashier rang it up I found out it was 50% off!
Like you with your pitcher, I'm not going to sell the awesome oil painting I found. It matches my kitchen decor beautifully, it makes me happy to look at it, and it was $10. When I Googled the artist I found her smaller paintings generally sell for $2,000 - $3,500.
FYI, a two-level tiffin (the metal lunch tin) usually sells for about $10.
Ooh, I MIGHT be sorely tempted to sell that painting! That's a lot of value.
Your post inspired me to stop by my local Goodwill when I had some downtime today and I came across 3 pairs of brand new women's Levi's jeans, still with the tags! Unfortunately they were not my size, but I bought a few pairs for $5 each to try and resell them on eBay. Listed them last night and two pairs are already up to $15 🙂 A few dollars goes a long way in our house!
Yay for you!
I love Goodwill! I bought a wonderful 6pc set of plain white china plates there for only 75 cents a piece. I use them everyday and if one ever breaks....guess what, I can just go find another white plate there.
We don't have a Goodwill here, but the St Vincent de Paul Society runs a thrift store called Vinnie's. I've gotten some sweet deals there: cashmere or merino wool sweaters for $5 each, a pair of Merril clogs for $6. My latest find was a matching set of 8 Corelle mugs at 50 cents each. I have a friend who needs to replace a lot of cracked or chipped mugs, so filled with various organically grown and put together tea mixes, this is making an excellent Christmas gift. Shopping there is sweetened by their 10% discount for seniors (anyone over 55) and no sales tax (runs 13% here) -- and all of the monies go to their work in the community!
We have a Value Village (owned by same company as Savers) here as well -- but no Seniors discount, you always pay sales tax, and most of the money goes to the company (though they do give a local charity funds for donations brought in). Yesterday they had a 50% off sale (the most frequent time I shop there) and I got a fancy fisherman's vest for my husband for $3 + tax -- he's lusted after one for years because of all the storage (lots of variously sized pockets, some with zippers) in it. It didn't seem to have any wear on it at all.
I once found a fabulous coat at a Valley Village in London, ON(Canada). I think it was 9.00 or something ridiculous like that.
I bought a pair of brand new UGG slippers for $20 that are $120 new, and a pair of LuluLemon yoga pants for $6 that are $120 new, and a Cloudveil ski jacket like new for $15 that's worth over $250 new. Just last week I got a box of Playmobil toys (several sets shoved into one box) for $6. Retail would be over $100.
I often have the problem of buying something because I like it, then finding out its worth a lot of money, and then don't know if I should keep it or sell it.
And like a previous poster, I do have the problem of not getting around to selling things, and then feeling like a hoarder...
Wow, you found some great stuff!
Hey, Kristen, first, let me say how super jealous of you I am over that $7 pitcher. That's a great find! I work for Goodwill in Memphis, TN, but, I'm also a thrifty shopper/fan. The last cool thing I found was a TV for our spare bedroom. It was a nice 32" for only $25 and works perfectly. I've got some DIY projects sitting on the shelf so I enjoy reading your blog. I'll have to go back to my store to see if I can find any white serving dishes because yours are awesome!
Goodwill is always hit-or-miss, but I have made some great hits. My favorite are two tall dressers, both solid as a rock: one by Ethan Allen and one by Dixon Powdermaker (they made fine furniture in the sixties), for $25 (because the backer board had fallen off, but it was easy to screw it back on) and $70 respectively. I am always grateful that after years of sharing one compact car with my husband, I now own a larger vehicle and can take advantage of deals on large items.