Thrift Store Shopping Series Part 3: Deals you may not realize you can find

When thinking of what we usually buy at thrift stores, we all think about clothing, furniture and books. But what about other Thrift Store shopping deals?

Featuring my favorite thrift store, SAVERS, here are five things you can find there that you may not realize, or that are easy to forget:

1. Wallets, purses, belts & other accessories.

My wallet has been falling apart lately, and my first instinct was to get a new one at a place like Target or Kohl’s. But then I realized – Savers always has accessories galore, so I should check out their selection first.

I wanted a black leather wallet like my previous one, with plenty of room for all my cards. No, not credit cards…you know, all those cards you collect out of nowhere, like punch cards from coffee shops or fast food places, store membership cards (I have cards from Petco, CVS, Eddie Bauer, Super America, & of course, Savers, for example.). Though those cards do clutter up my wallet (& probably made it fall apart), they do pay off!

Well, it took me a few seconds to find the perfect wallet at Savers. Savers had numerous wallets and the one I bought was $4.99. And it was like new! Heidi, my 4-year-old, of course found a pink wallet that she had to have, so I bought that for her, for $2.99.

And you never know what you’re going to find. I always find name brand clothes and other items at Savers, such as this Nine West purse I spotted with the tag on it (though I didn’t buy it).

2. Lunch bags, backpacks & other accessories for kids.

I browsed the kids’ accessories section (in the kids’ clothing area) and was surprised to see so many lunch bags and backpacks that were like new. I had forgotten I needed a lunch bag for Thor, my 2-year-old, for daycare, and I immediately found a great Disney Cars lunch bag in great, clean condition for $3.99. I also found a nice Disney Tangled lunch bag that I would have gotten if Heidi, my 4-year-old, needed one (but she already had two). Talk about some great thrift store shopping deals!

3. Nursing, medical assistant & other medical scrubs and uniforms.

Savers has scrubs galore for anyone working in the medical field.

4. Maternity clothing.

When I was pregnant with my first and we were on a tight budget, I didn’t really know where to shop for maternity clothes for cheap (I AMAZINGLY hadn’t discovered thrift stores yet). I enjoyed shopping at the store “Motherhood Maternity,” and bought a few things that I loved there (they do have a great selection there). But I spent over $80 there and didn’t get a lot for it.

But before my 2nd pregnancy, I did discover Savers and their fabulous selection of maternity clothes, and boy did I stock up! I had gone up a size since my first pregnancy (whoop-dee-doo), so I had to get all new maternity clothing. I think I got about 5 times as many clothes as I did originally at Motherhood Maternity, for the same price. And guess what? Many of the clothing I bought at Savers was “Motherhood Maternity” brand clothing!

5. Games.

I’ve been wanting to buy some games and puzzles for the kids, but not wanting to buy any at full “brand new” prices. So I checked out Savers’ selection of games.

Well, they pretty much had it all! Games for all ages and interests. They had games for younger kids including Memory (several versions) and Hungry Hungry Hippos, and for adults including Yahtzee and Taboo (I love that game!). They also had MANY puzzles. Heidi found a Disney’s Little Mermaid puzzle for only $2.99. We’ve played with it several times and she LOVES it.

Of course, the selection is always changing, so you never know what you’re going to find!

This list could go on and on…in addition to clothing, furniture and books, there are SO many things you can get at Savers that are easy to forget. 

Here’s a quick list of easy Thrift Store shopping deals:

1. Prom and other formal wear dresses and suits
2. Gift bags, wrapping paper, invitations, baskets for gifts.
3. Kitchen cookware and cooking utensils, small appliances, dishes.
4. Jewelry.
5. Toys. (Well, my kids never forget the toys…)
6. Men’s outerwear (for hunting, fishing, etc.). My husband always finds military surplus clothing which he loves.

It’s so much fun discovering how much you can find for cheap! Please share anything you can think of to add to this list!

Savvy Thrift Store Shopping featuring SAVERS – Part 2: Halloween!
Savvy Thrift Store Shopping featuring SAVERS – Part 1: Kids Clothes for Less! 

Disclosure statement: I received gift certificates from SAVERS in exchange for writing this feature, which I used in part 1 and 2. The items I discussed here in part 3 I paid for myself. The opinions shared here are completely mine. Originally I planned to write just one feature but because there’s so much to share I decided to write 3!