Fall Savings at the Thrift Store

Fall can be an expensive time of year if you have children. This, of course, sends me flying to the thrift stores.  Clothes for a new season, back to school supplies, and holiday decorations are all wonderful items to be searching for as you visit your thrift store this fall, especially early in the season while the selection is at its best.  

Back to School Supplies...We use lots of three ring binders in our homeschooling and in the older children's classes outside of the home.  Each of my four school age children require 6 binders each, plus a huge binder ( read pricey) for their own yearly portfolio. If purchased new, we are talking about spending around a hundred dollars in binders alone. EEK.  Thankfully, businesses often will donate their unwanted binders to charity thrift stores. I can almost always find them for a dollar or two, in good working order, and in nearly-new condition.  I try to find the binders that have a clear pocket front so the girls an decorate them to their liking....just slide in some cute scrapbook paper and a label, and a plain-Jane folder is suddenly cute as a button. And all this personalized cuteness for less than half the price of the new "generic" binders. Thrift stores are also a great place to find general office supplies like staplers, desk sets, and filing supplies. If I need something for school or home office I always check the thrift store first. 

Holiday Decorations...I am not all that into decorating for holidays and seasons.  I like to keep things simple, simple, simple.  However, I do have a fireplace mantle that begs for adornment. Every year when I take the Christmas decorations down from the mantle the whole living room looks bare. Anyway, this is the season when thrift stores are putting out all those fall and Christmas decorations that have been collecting in their back room for the past year. This weekend  I  found a lovely round felt table cloth for three dollars.  It features the 12 days of Christmas in beautiful hand-sewn bead work.  I don't need a round table cloth, but do you know that in my 18 years of marriage we have never had a tree skirt for our Christmas tree?  With a few cuts and a few stitches I can easily re-purpose this table cloth into a most beautiful tree skirt.  I also found a fall leaf garland for two dollars. I was quite thrilled since this type of item is not something I could justify purchasing new. It is already on my mantle and it adds a lovely fall glow to the whole living room! I am pretty sure that both of these items would have been gone by the end of the day if I hadn't purchased them.  If you need holiday decorations, shop your thrift stores now for the best selection. 

Clothes for a new season... Well, I am sure you already know all about this :).  Shop early for best selections, check carefully for stains and tears, get what you need, but don't go overboard just because there are good deals out there. Enjoy the bargains that the Lord leads you to with a thankful heart. He provides for our needs, and sometimes ...in His own good time... even for some of our "wants".  Happy Fall :)

This post is also linked to Growing Home!