Best Thrift Store Buys

Eva Lewandowski

If you’ve watched a local television station in the past week or so, you’ve probably seen the commercials for “Goodwill Halloween”, or more specifically for the costumes and decorations that you can find at your local Goodwill Industries retail thrift store. Reuse is a key component of a sustainable lifestyle, and thrift stores like the Goodwill, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, and many others are a great place to shop for secondhand items all year round, not just during Halloween.

You never know exactly what you’re going to find at a secondhand store, and some stores specialize in certain items more than others. But in my experience, stores likes the ones I mentioned above are a sure fire bet for certain secondhand items. Here are some of the things I recommend purchasing almost exclusively at thrift stores:

Jigsaw puzzles – These are the perfect example of a secondhand item. You can buy one used at a thrift store, put it together, and then donate it back to a thrift store so that another person can use it after you!

Clothes – There are always so many options to choose from, and you can’t beat the price. Just look at the clothes in the picture above; they cost me less than $5 total!

Dishes & cutlery – Whether you’re looking for a single gravy boat or a full set of matching plates and bowls, you’ll find everything you need.

Craft supplies- Most thrift stores have an eclectic collection of craft items, and if you don’t find what you’re looking for, you can always check out a specialty reuse store like ArtStart’s ArtScraps in Saint Paul.

Picture frames- I have always been able to find great, high quality picture frames in all sizes and styles at thrift stores.

Furniture- While large items like bed frames and bureaus might require some searching to find, most thrift stores have a wide array of bookshelves, end tables, and desks.

But don’t limit yourself to just these items. Check out your neighborhood thrift store and see what bargains you can find, and what wonderful secondhand items you can put to good use.

Green Tips

Host an Art Night

Looking for a new way to connect with your neighbors, get free life advice, and spark your creative juices? Consider hosting an art night at your house, complete with paints, modeling clay, colored pencils and art smocks. Get messy, be creative, and let the conversation flow. For inspiration and resources, check out this article.

Choose Safe Art Supplies

Arts and crafts materials can be hazardous to your health and the environment. Even though the Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act of 1988 requires stringent labeling of hazardous materials in art supplies, many materials are out of compliance. This article offers tips to help you choose safe art supplies, plus substitutes to harmful substances.

Support a Local Business

Did you know that roughly 73 cents of every dollar spent at a local business stays within the community, compared to 43 cents for non-local chain stores? When you buy from local businesses, you help that business employ community workers, support other local businesses, and contribute to the community’s overall health. Read more here about the benefits of buying locally.

Buy Green Office Supplies

“Green” doesn’t necessarily mean “good” when it comes to so-called green office supplies. To help your office green up, consider durability, natural resource and energy use, recycled content and recyclability, toxicity, biodegradability and packaging before you purchase supplies. You can also set up a reuse system for the supplies you already have. For more tips on green office products, check out this article.

Think Twice About Bottled Water

If you live in an area with clean drinking water, fill a reusable bottle with tap water and bring it with you wherever you go to avoid buying bottled water. The U.S. sends 2 million tons of plastic water bottles to landfills each year—and producing those bottles requires oil and emits carbon dioxide. Some restaurants in the Twin Cities feel so strongly against bottled water that they refuse to sell it. Learn more.

Contact Your State Legislator

As a constituent, you are your local legislators’ highest priority. Why not share your views with them and ask them to support your position? It may seem like your letters and emails will get lost in a deep, dark political hole, but don’t despair. Whether you call, fax, email or visit in person, this article offers tips on how to effectively communicate with your elected officials and get them to listen.

Get Engaged!

Individuals’ actions are important in setting sound policy, so become an engaged citizen. Whether you call your legislator’s office, testify in a legislative hearing or attend a rally, you can make your voice heard. Still doubt that you can make a difference? This article addresses couple common concerns about whether civic engagement is worth it.

Take the Energy Challenge

The fastest, cheapest, easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint is through energy efficiency and conservation. Plus, you’ll save yourself money in the process! Need a little boost to get started? Join the Minnesota Energy Challenge and learn from thousands of Minnesotans who have pledged to reduce their energy use—and are finding fun, creative ways to do it. Read more about the Challenge here.

Make an Action Plan

Wait. Scratch that. Don’t make your own list of simple things you can do today to make a positive difference for the climate—use ours! This list offers 20 easy things you can do that will help you and your family lighten your load on the environment, keep more money in your pocket, and inspire you to find even more ways to tread lightly on this earth.

Check Out This Template for Action

Scientists say a global warming “tipping point” in the Arctic seems to be happening before their eyes. Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is at its second lowest level in about 30 years. These news flashes are just some of our climate’s changes happening daily. You and your kids can help. Read more here, and then check out Climate Generations’s Take Action! Guide, which offers hands-on activities for grades 3-12.

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