Have you visited your local Goodwill Store lately? If you haven’t, you’re in for a surprise! 
Most Goodwill Store sell tons and tons of dishes for practically nothing! A few months ago, I spent $2.50 on three different dishes, which was a total steal. Plus, there’s usually an interesting mix of styles and colors, so you can always find something unique and different to add to your dish collection.
Here are a few things that I keep in mind when shopping for dishes and other home goods:
- Have a plan: Before I even set foot into The Goodwill Store today, I had an idea of what I wanted to buy. Walking into a huge store with tons of stuff can be totally overwhelming, especially if you don’t know what you are looking for. I narrowed-down the “playing field” by looking for dishes and other housewares.
- Be open-minded: Even though I had a game plan, I kept my eyes open for unique finds, unexpected gifts, and really good deals while shopping at The Goodwill. You never know what you might find!
- Take your time: The Goodwill Store had so much stuff to sort through, but I took my time to take a good look at everything. Don’t be afraid to move things around– you might uncover some real treasures!
- Carry cash: Not all thrift stores accept credit cards, so I made sure that I had cash on me. When I’m armed with cash, I’m much more selective about my purchases. Plus, the whole point of shopping at a thrift store is to save money, so I didn’t want to spend too much!
- Second-guess yourself: Before I purchased my items, I took a minute to consider each one. I questioned each item’s purpose, how much I would use it, and whether it’s a good deal or not. I ended up putting back a small teal bowl because there really wasn’t anything “special” about it. Plus, I have a zillion bowls for oatmeal.
- Wash before use: Especially with dishes, I make sure to run them through the dishwasher before I use them for the first time. I have no idea where they came from and how many different hands touched them!
What are your shopping strategies for thrift stores?
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I think it’s awesome to buy secondhand stuff. There is also a huge flower market near where I live and they not only sell flowers, plants, and gardening supplies, they also sell fish, pets, kitchenware, dishes, and so much more! I got three ramekins for RMB5 each – that’s almost a dollar! I love shopping there
Wei-Wei
Totally agree – I love thrifting! The dishware section usually has great deals. You do have to watch out for items that were clearly priced by an employee who has no idea what they’re doing. e.g. an ancient vcr for $20, I mean really?
I just go in and see what I can find that’s cute! Second hand shopping is so fun because nothing usually costs too much money and you don’t really have to worry about prices.
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