Amy and Mary Go Thrifting

My friend Mary and I decided to join forces and hit the local thrift stores to find the best deals under $10. Mary and I are big-time thrifters not only because of the awesome and inexpensive things we can find, but we also both have a big heart for reducing waste.
Mary is the founder of the creative reuse organization Spare Parts, and the amazing friend who gave me these thrifty suitcases I shared with you last month. She’s doing some amazing work bringing art into the community and raising awareness about waste, so be sure to stop by and show her some love!

So, with $10 in hand, we set off to three of my favorite thrift stores to see what treasures we could find. Our stops included the Texas Thrift Store, Community Thrift Store, and the Salvation Army.

First up was the Texas Thrift Store, where I found my sunny yellow suitcase. Mary and I had fun perusing through the household goods and sharing tips and our favorite things to collect. I have a weakness for quirky baskets and Mary collects gold-trimmed drinking glasses. Pictured above are some of the things we found ourselves drooling over: A gold-trimmed Taurus glass, an enamelware teapot, and an impressive tennis racket wire art piece that’s been there for ages–I love it, but have no place to put it. One very important thing to keep in mind when thrifting–make sure it’s something you’ll use and have room for!

Some other fun items we spotted: Texas and heart-shaped baskets (cute, but I restrained myself), a very sweet plastic canvas purse with a raffia flower design, and a nice big beach tote (it was a little rich for my blood, though).

I did come away with this handmade children’s apron and vintage tin for a total of $2.10, including tax! I was excited to say the least.

Next up we stopped by the Community Thrift Store and Salvation Army. The Salvation Army didn’t prove to be as fruitful this trip (we were only looking through the household section which was a bit small), but I found another little haul at Community Thrift.

For $3.54 (with tax) I found some wool crewel embroidery thread, vintage embroidery transfers, and this sweet picture of a little girl. I’ve actually seen this picture at other thrift stores before, and there’s another one of a little boy to match. They had both at this store, but the little boy was a little mildewed. So I just bought this one in hope of finding the boy again on another trip.

So I spent a grand total of $5.64 on all the items I purchased! I’ll have to go back and see if they still have that enamel teapot!

Some lessons to remember? When you see something that tugs at your heart (like the pair of children’s pictures) buy it the first time you see it–it may not turn up again! And if something feels too pricey, it probably is. Go back on a sale day or keep an eye out for something similar on your next trip.

For more tips on thrifty shopping, check out my post on 4 Reasons to Choose Resale Over Retail.

Mary and I hope to make our thrifting excursions a regular thing, so stay tuned for more thrifty finds. Until next time!