Tuesday, July 13, 2010

A Goodwill Wardrobe

I am not ashamed one bit to admit that we buy a majority of our clothing at garage sales and Goodwill. It is one reason we can afford to homeschool.

Today was quarter day at Goodwill. And it was a pretty good day. Take a ponder. Photobucket
All together I bought 7 sweatshirts, 13 t-shirts, 4 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of shorts, 2 dresses, 2 jackets, 2 pairs of shoes, 1 book and an earring hanger. The grand total...$12.40.

T-shirts are a staple at Goodwill.

Two of my favorite t-shirts this trip are The Pledge of Allegiance which is perfect for Chip who loves all things America.
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And the yellow pancake shirt.
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It is so neat. It looks like pancakes with syrup but upon closer look it is a hill and the syrup is water falls. Perfect for my pancake loving Sweet, who fell in love with it immediately.

One of the keys to purchasing good quality, decent clothing at Goodwill is to buy off season. Sweatshirts go un-noticed during the summer months. That is why 5 of the 7 hoodies were only a quarter. No one looks at them cause why would you need a sweatshirt when it is 97 in the shade? Because winter is coming, that's why.

This Uof I sweatshirt is new, never been washed. I love the Hawkeyes inside the hood.
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I bought it to give to Sweet for her birthday...in November. I also bought another U of I hoodie to give to Chip for Christmas. It had only been washed once or twice and is still soft.

This God Bless the USA sweatshirt is also new and not been washed.Photobucket
It is a gift for Gaga's 90th birthday. It is coming up next month. I love buying gifts for people at garage sales and Goodwill. It is great recycling and much of the time no one can tell where the gift came from.

Another must do is to move each hanger to look at each piece of clothing and each tag. If we hadn't done that we wouldn't have found these two dresses for Sweet.Photobucket
They fit perfectly and look wonderful on her.
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They were lost in between women's dresses.

Look for new items. They are out there. These Dockers are brand-spankin' new.
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They fit Chip perfectly and will be great for when he needs to be a bit dressy without needing a suit. The price tag is still on them.
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I paid a quarter. But even if I had to pay the full price of $3.38 it still would have been a great deal.

Being in the right place at the right time also helps. These Dr. Martens are brand new. Never been worn.
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The bottoms are pure black. I paid $2.38. I looked them up on the internet. The lowest price I could find was $79.00. Sweet loved them.

Of course sometimes I just buy things because they call my name. This "Tao of Pooh" book called my name today.
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I will be curled up in bed reading it before long.

I don't get deals like this all the time but I scored big this week. New items to give as gifts and name-brand items I would NEVER be able to buy brand new.

The real key to dressing a family the Goodwill way is to get the whole family involved. Let them loose to find what they like. We normally visit only on quarter days and I let the picklets pretty much get what they want for that price. Of course you have to look carefully for stains and tears, be patient as Goodwill shopping has become very popular lately and visit the thrift stores on a regular basis because one day you will score big and the next you won't find anything. But it is part of the game and the thrill of the hunt. :-)

(c) 2008-2010 Wicked Pickles-Homefront Lines

4 comments:

Lisa said...

I loved reading your post about Goodwill, or "GW" as my friend calls it, and all your great finds. Most of my family's wardrobe is from Goodwill too. We find the best looking clothes there, some barely worn. It's so funny, we have 5 boys & 1 girl and my husband has come home several times with clothes that I had recently donated.

Mrs. Mandy said...

Ok, I have been trying to go Goodwill more lately and today got some great stuff BUT how do you know when quarter days happen or other sales? I asked my Goodwill and they acted like I was insane (even though there WAS a 50% off books sign out front).

Gerky said...

I am not sure all Goodwills have quarter day. The Goodwill I frequent has quarter day on Tuesday and the other Goodwill in town has quarter day on Monday. As for what is on special, our Goodwill has a chalkboard as we walk in the door. It tells what is half off, what is quarter, what is 88 cents.

The Goodwill here has 4 colors. Only one color is used per week. The oldest color (the one that is a month old) is alf price at the beginning of the week. On the weekend it is 88 cents and then on Tuesday it is a quarter. The leftover clothes are then shipped to underprivedged countries.

I would ask your Goodwill how their specials work. It is possible they don't have quarter day but even half off is great!

Magic and Mayhem said...

What a haul! Everything looks fabulous. We love thrift shops here too but our Goodwill is not the place for bargains. The nearest one is an hour away and I have never seen any sort of sale. Shirts (even T-shirts or grungy shirts) are $3. It sounds like you have a great one in your city. :)