I am an unrepentant bargain hunter. Garage sales, estate sales, thrift shop and secondhand stores are my friends. I visit them for entertain-ment and for saving money.
I read about people who pay $5 for a picture they like and it turns out to be a Michelangelo sketch or something equally amazing. I would call that a notable exception. It never happens to most of us. So don’t expect that as you sashay forth into the world of the used.
No Michelangelo for me, but I once bought a five-piece, solid-wood bedroom set for $125. Not bad, eh? It simply fuels your juice for other finds.
Some people are not “secondhand” people like I am. The thought of sleeping on sheets ($3) which someone else has slept on grosses them out and they silently shout “Unclean.” The Lord gave me a perfectly good washing machine and hot water and soap to go with it and it renders them clean. Once in a while, they are still new and in their pristine package. I still wash them. Why pay $50 when you can get a set for $5 or less?
Children’s toys? The prices they charge for new? It’s crazy when you see what they sell for after our darlings decide they don’t want them anymore.
The nice thing about bargain prices is it gives you an added incentive to share. If you find a pair of pants with the price tags still on them and they are asking 25 cents, you buy them. It may not be your size, your style or your color, but someone can get 25 cents worth of use from them. You only have to find that “someone.”
If your family, friends or church can’t use them, the American Cancer Society thrift shop, the Salvation Army or a homeless shelter can. When it comes to bargain household items, organizations such as the Exchange Club’s Home Start program can use them. Northwest Furniture Bank is another place. It takes larger furniture items (as does Home Start) and both will pick them up at your home if you have no way of getting the items to them. What a deal!
Something I have learned: Not everything is a bargain. Some things are too soiled for easy cleaning. Some things have hidden rips and tears, and you need to check items carefully. Watch for sellers who try to make money from junk. The small plastic tub for soap and water one gets in the hospital, which cracks and stains easily, is not worth $2. Partially burned candles or used cosmetics probably are best left with the owner.
My firm belief is that everything shows up in a garage or estate sale sooner or later. If it is something you need now, buy retail. If it is something you “kinda sorta” want, don’t pay full price – ever. It will go on sale somewhere, sometime. Give what you save to a cause near to your heart: your church, your school, your local food bank. That way it’s a win-win for all.
My daughter gave me a gift several years ago. It is a sweatshirt with the following message: “Collector of useless, worthless, can’t find a place for, don’t need it bargain finds and proud of it.”
She knows me.
Carol Plaehn of Tacoma is a retired teacher and school librarian.
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