I Love to Thrift

I love to shop at thrift stores. For the past 3 years I  have bought all the boys and mine clothes at the thrift stores. I have found almost all our furniture at garage sales or thrift stores. It is one of the ways I believe in helping the environment. Recycling trash is a good thing to do. But recycling clothes, household items, and furniture also have a huge impact on the environment. When I buy something second hand, I am not causing any more resources to be used to make it.

I also save so much money. Shirts at target at at least $10. For that same $10 I can get a couple of shirts at a thrift store. I also am a picky shopper. I am looking for something I like, but I am also looking at the brand name. If it is one I recognize as Target, Walmart, Old Navy or Forever 21 I usually pass. I know that it has probably been worn out, and will not last me long. They also tend to stretch out faster, because the quality is so low. I  look for Gap, Banana Republic, J. Crew, or American Eagle. These brands are usually still in good shape, and will last me a little while.

I also look for books, homeschool items, and any household items. I know that if I wait long enough I will find it. A couple years ago I needed new sheets for the boys bed. I spent a month, look for a good set every week. I finally found a set of Nautica Twin Sheets, (3 piece set), never used, for $4 (I saved at a minimum $20). I also find old books all the time. I have a wonderful collect of the classics going. Most are dating from the 1800 to early 1900. I have never paid more than $1 for a book.

Being here in Germany, I haven't found any of the local thrift stores. I do have access to the base stores, and have been able to find some great deals.

Here are a few of the things I found in August.

This is a really cute J. Crew sweater for me. 

We never have enough clip boards. These were brand new and I got them all for 1.00

This is a wonderful old reader from 1898. I has a great collection from the classics and some sweet illustrations.

We also found several books for the boys shelf, and some clothes for them. I keep a list of sizes of what i am looking for in my bullet journal (I will share that in a different post).  

I do love that I get to live here in Germany, but I do miss how easy it is to find a thrift store in the U.S.