I have never purchased anything from a thrift store. There; I said it. I haven’t, and I likely will not ever at this point in time. You might laugh, but I have this running (inappropriate) thought that things in thrift stores are for those who really cannot afford to shop anywhere else. I’d feel guilty picking up something that’s insanely cheap just so I can save a few dollars when there are so many people in the world who might only have a few dollars to spend. It doesn’t sit right with me. However, I do know that other people feel differently and I’m all right with that. Thrift stores are for those who want to save money, find amazing items and really do well in the ‘finding amazingness’ department.
I love an antique store. I love TJ Maxx and Marshalls and Home Goods. I love finding little businesses owned by locals who have the most amazing things inside their stores, and I love finding that there are always things I can save money on. What’s funny is that there are things I will pay full price for no matter what the cost, and things that I will never pay full price for no matter what the cost. One of those things is dishes. I love pretty dishes, but I really hate that they are so expensive. My kitchen is filled with Kate Spade dinnerware that I spent years acquiring every time things went on sale. It took a while to create a 12-place setting of white dishes without overpaying for what I wanted. Since I finished that, I’ve been collecting colorful serving dishes and small dinnerware and drinkware items from Kate Spade that really make the different seasons so much fun.
It’s a thing. I still, however, will not pay a lot of money for dishes because I think that it’s just silly. They’re so easily broken and so easily destroyed that it doesn’t make any sense to me. So, I won’t pay full price for dishes, and I won’t shop at thrift stores. Now you know two things about me and you are still wondering what I’m rambling on about. I promise I’m getting to it.
I recently spoke with my grandmother. She’s almost 100. She’s amazing. She’s so elegant, classy and beautiful, and she has superb taste. She told me that every single piece of her cookware and her dishes came from thrift stores; every single piece. She said that it’s the best thing to buy there, and that you should never buy these things anywhere else when you can pick up the most famous, most well-known, most amazing brands in thrift stores. She told me that the kitchen items we have in our homes are always good buys, and she explained to me why.
Copper Kitchen Items
Or jadeite or any of the other really nice materials that you might purchase in a department store for so much money; buy them at thrift stores. It’s near impossible to destroy these items and many people will get rid of them just for the sake of getting rid of them when it comes to downsizing, packing to move or merely changing their tastes. She says there is no real reason to pay full price for these gorgeous items that are never out of fashion when you can pick up classic pieces in thrift stores. She’s always right.
Vintage Dinnerware and Serveware
Did you know that Corningware, which is one of the most famous brands, is not stovetop safe? Of course, you did, because you own it and you know. However, did you know that the vintage pieces that your grandparents actually own really are stovetop safe, which means fewer dishes and twice the style? My grandmother owns full sets of Corningware she picked up at thrift stores over the years. It’s her personal belief that she’s not spending that kind of money on something that doesn’t even work as well as it did in the past, and she has a valid point.
High-end Cookware
You know how you can walk into Williams Sonoma or Saks or any other department store and find home goods that are so expensive you cannot even justify spending the money? Well, high-end cookware is very popular because it’s something that lasts forever and is next to impossible to destroy. Honestly, I would not steer you wrong here. Now, you probably forgo these things for the cheaper and more affordable items in the store, and that’s your business. However, what about the fact that you have to replace them every year or two since they are easily destroyed? Walk into any thrift store and you’ll find these high-end brands for next to nothing, and I promise you that they will make your day.
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