8965 Research Blvd.
Austin, TX 78758
512-832-0004

Store Hours
Mon-Sat: 9:00am - 9:00pm
Sun: 11:00am - 7:00pm

One of the things I want to do with this new blog is re-instate my previous attempts at cataloging and reviewing Austin's thrift store offerings. I'm a thrift aficionado; I've thrifed in several cities, and Austin is by far the best I've seen. Still, some places are far better than others, so a series of Austin thrift store reviews may be helpful. If nothing else, it will help me keep track of where I've been and whether I liked it. And give me a chance to show off my thrift store scores.

The Goodwill on Research Blvd, called the MacFarlane Goodwill, is my go-to thrift store. It's huge, it's fairly well-organized, it's reasonably clean, and they have a big book section. All of these are important attributes in my book. The pricing is the general Goodwill item-type pricing they all seem to be doing now ($6.99 for pants, $5.99 for skirt, $1.99 for paperback book, etc.), which is fine--at least it makes things easy when you are shopping. Given this pricing scheme, though, I really really wish they'd stop putting price tags on the book covers. They are impossible to remove.

My latest trip to this thrift mecca was on Saturday. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, which is, in my opinion, the best way to thrift shop. I spent about an hour and a half in the store. One thing I noticed is that there are a good number of plus-sized clothes mixed in to the regular clothing sections, and the quality of these items seems to be higher than that of the plus-sized clothes in the plus-sized section. This is worth taking into account, I think, given the difficulty of finding quality plus-sized clothes second-hand. It seems that, in some stores at least, the best finds are not in the plus section at all. I'll definitely keep this in mind.

I came home with the following:
-a long khaki skirt, Old Navy, size 16, perfect condition
-a pair of sailor style wide-legged pants, Isaac Mizrahi (Target), size 18, new with tags
-a pair of khaki Banana Republic slacks, size 16 long, perfect condition (though weirdly over-starched)
-a set of four Pilsner glasses from Crate & Barrel
-three paperback books (Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake, a memoir about being part of the first generation of interracial adoptions, and the last edition of a woman's history essay compendium), all in very good condition
Total cost = approximately $32, including tax

Weak spots in noticed were in men's short sleeved shirts and shorts (which is probably seasonal) and house wares (lots of old Tupperware taking up shelf space). I used the dressing room, and it was reasonably clean. I got no impression of the employees of the store on this trip.

5555 North Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78751
512-451-2306

Store Hours
Mon-Sat: 9:00am - 9:00pm
Sun: 11:00am - 7:00pm

The Goodwill at North Lamar is the swanky new store that replaced the smaller store that used to be basically across the street. It's right next to Half Price Books now, too, which is certainly a boon.

Oddly, even though this store is bigger, newer, and cleaner than the old store, I have visited it several times and not had nearly as much good luck as I used to have at the old store. The women's clothing section is very large, but very skewed towards small sizes, and the plus-sized section, which is mixed up with the maternity section, is pretty much a joke. I haven't bought a single item of clothing for myself at this store.

House wares is similarly large but disappointing. There's lot of space, but many of the shelves are sparsely covered, and a lot of what they are covered with is no-two-ways-about-it crap. I'm not sure if this speaks to the stores donations not meeting its space requirements or what, but it's disappointing.

The book section is pretty good--better organized than is usually the case--but not as large or well-stocked as the MacFarlane store. Also, the pricing is higher here, with paperback books mostly marked at $2.39, rather than the $1.59 or $1.99 I've found at other local Goodwill stores.

The dressing rooms at this store are typically Goodwill (I think they might actually be the same modulars they used in the old store). I used the bathroom on this trip, and it was pretty bad, but not as nasty as the one in the old store was known to be.

Edited to add: I forgot to itemize my bounty! For around $12, I got a short sleeved, striped Dickies shirt and two paperback books (both about grizzly bears) for Mark.

5319 N I H 35
Austin, TX 78723
(512) 380-0025
9:00AM-8:00 PM, 7 days/week

This is an old-school thrift store, more like the ones of my youth and less like Austin's rather uppity Goodwill network. There is a lot of crap here. Clothes that are torn, stained, or just plain nasty. Things that smell like moth balls or need to be washed really badly. The whole place is fairly dirty and not very well organized, and the dressing rooms are tiny and atrocious. I wouldn't even attempt to use the bathroom here. The book and houseware sections are not worth your time. This is a store that requires patience.

However, if you are a patient type, it's worth a gander. Why? Because it's cheap. Shirts are generally $.99 to $2.49, pants and dresses under $5.00. Plus they do that thing were a certain color of tag is 50% each day, so you can definitely find some bargains, if you are willing to look. On my last trip, for example, I found a fantastic mod-style vintage dress for $4.49.

There is no seperate plus-sized section in this store and in general the larger sized offerings are minimal. Also, the store has a no returns policy--everything is sold as is--so be sure of your purchases.

5329 N I H 35
Austin, TX 78723
(512) 451-7156
Closed Sundays

I'll come right out and say that I don't like The Salvation Army. Their politics suck, and their stores generally do, too. Occaisonally they are good for furniture (there's another Austin location I'll review at a later date that has some good furniture options), but usually they aren't worth the time and self-loathing shopping there requires.

This particular Salvation Army, located right across the parking lot from the Texas Thrift Store, is worse than usual. The stock is sparse and the store smells really bad. The most recent clothing I saw was at least a few years old, the quality was bad, and the organization was, as far as I could tell, non-existant. Even the furniture stock was poor, nothing worth a second look.

I spent less than five minutes in this store, yet felt pretty confident I had seen everything they had to offer, and I left feeling vaguely unclean. This is one you may as well skip.

5222 Burnet Road
Austin, TX 78756
(512) 323-0707
Store Hours
Mon - Sat: 9 - 9
Sun: 10 - 6

I drove past Savers on Burnet probably 200 times before it occurred to me to wonder what it was. When I looked it up and found out it was the same thing as what we from the Pacific Northwest call Value Village, I was stoked, as VV was one of my favorite thrift spots in Portland.

Trips to the store have dampened this excitement. Either I've changed, or Savers is no Value Village.

Savers is a good thrift store for people who don't actually like thrift stores. It's clean and ostensibly very organized (although the last time I was in, it wasn't actually very organized at all). They try, to the extent possible, to seem like a department store. Things are organized by size, then by color. They tend towards newer clothes when possible. You aren't going to find much vintage or funky here--mostly just whatever you could have gotten last year at Old Navy, worn by someone else a few times, and quite a lot cheaper.

And if that's what you are going for, this store is probably fine. It's a little more spendy than less "department store" thrift stores, but not that much. Items are priced individually, so there are no hard and fast rules, but generally shirts run in the $2-$5 range, pants and skirts in the $5-$7 range, and dresses in the $7-$9 range.

Plus-sized offerings are separated out here, as everything is by size, and there seem to be more of them than there are at many other local stores. As Savers buys their stock from other thrift stores, this is probably intentional. Still, I didn't find anything must-have in my size on a recent trip.

It should be noted that this is primarily a clothing store. There is a furniture section, a house wares section, and a book section, but all of them are pretty piddly and I wasn't at all impressed with any of their contents.

This isn't a store I visit often, but it might be somewhere I would add to the list were I to introduce someone new to thrifting. The search is easier, due to the organization, and most of what is on the racks is recognizable in terms of brands and styles, which is probably comforting to a new thrift shopper.

One final note--the dressing rooms are TINY closets, and they have a ridiculous three-item limit in them. Disregarding this limit will earn you the venom of a not particularly pleasant staff. So be forewarned.

1015 Norwood Park Blvd.
Austin, TX 78753
512-637-7502

Store Hours:
Mon-Sat: 9:00am - 9:00pm
Sun: 11:00am - 7:00pm

I haven't forgotten about my intention to review thrift stores--just been on hiatus from it for a bit, as I've only been visiting stores (OK, really just the store on Research) I've already reviewed. However, I took a turn by the Norwood Park Goodwill yesterday, so I do have something a bit new to report.

This is a farily new addition to Austin's Goodwill scene. Norwood Park is the location of Goodwill's computer works store, as well as a community center of some sort. And I'm sure those elements of this location are absolutely lovely.

The retail store itself, however, sucks.

It's far, far smaller than the Goodwill locations I frequent (North Lamar and especially Research). About...1/4 the size, maybe? And it's almost all women's clothes--a few men's and children's clothes, but almost no housewares or books. I spent less than ten minutes in the store and felt that I'd seen all I needed to see--and I can easily spend hours in a good thrift store. I left empty-handed.

On the plus side, this store is new and very clean. But that doesn't do much good if there's nothing there.

Someone asked me a bit ago whether I feel guilty for shopping at thrift stores, since I could feasibly afford to buy things new and many thrift shoppers could not. I've gotten this question a few times, and I figured I might as well give a go at answering it.

To be totally honest, it did not even occur to me until someone asked that I would have anything to feel guilty about with thrift shopping. It just never entered my mind. What kind of person that makes me is questionable, I guess, but there it is.

After giving it some thought, though, I still don't feel guilty about my thrift shopping. While I can see an argument against people who can afford to do otherwise taking advantage of low-cost resources meant for the poor (for example, I wouldn't take my pet to the low-cost spay and neuter clinic for this reason), I think that, on balance, thrift shopping is still a good thing.

There are a few reasons for this. The biggest one is environmental sustainability. Put simply, every time you buy something used rather than new, you do aren't increasing demand for the manufacture of that product, and you are also increasing its life span and often keeping it out of a landfill. A connected second reason thrift shopping is good is that buying an item in a thrift store does not add to the demand of that product, which I generally consider good, given that so much of what we buy is made by unorganized and exploited labor and under questionable environmental regulations.

Another reason I think thrift shopping is more good than bad is that many thrift stores (and nearly all of the ones I personally frequent) are non-profit enterprises that support jobs programs, homeless shelters, etc., so by shopping at a thrift store, you are contributing to these programs. Clearly this is not true of for-profit thrift stores, but it is true of your local Goodwill.

Another reason I personally feel fine about thrifting is that I give more to thrift stores than I take away from them. On balance, my presence increases, rather than reduces, their stock. Again, that maybe says something about me and my consumerism and collection of stuff that I wouldn't be proud of, but it does alleviate any guilt I may have felt about snatching up all the good thrift finds.

I could just be rationalizing, because I love love love to thrift shop (I found two Alice Waters cookbooks for Mark this weekend for $2 each), but that's my rationale. In case you were wondering.

Since my previous post, regarding the social ethics of thrifting, seems to be garnering me a bit of attention from other thrift-store loving Bloggers, I have a question: Is there an online forum anywhere where people trade their thrift finds? I know some boards have their own forums for that (such as Mothering Dot Com), but I was thinking of something more general, or a forum attached to a DIY/Craft/Thrift board. Anybody know of such a thing? I'm always finding stuff that is great, but just not something I need. I'd love to have a reason to buy it.

I have been reading a lot of thrifting blogs today, and am inspired by the stuff people have found and the pictures they've posted on their blogs. So I thought I'd post a few of my favorite thrift finds.

These are my two Godinger silver jewelry boxes. The larger one is something I found at the Goodwill for $2 or $3 a couple of years ago. I was jazzed about it then and have remained jazzed since then. I am generally not a fan of the options of storing jewelry, and I have and wear a lot of it, so it fit a need in my life, besides being very cool. The small one, which is the same company but a different pattern, appeared to me at the Goodwill yesterday, for $4. Well worth it, as I had outgrown the first one.

I looked them up on Ebay and they don't have any real value, but I don't care, because they are perfect for me and I wouldn't sell them anyway.

4901 Burnet Road
(512) 458-2633
Wednesday-Saturday
10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Assistance League Thrift House is one of those thrift stores I have been meaning to stop into forever, and it is write on my path between home and work, but the hours aren't the most convenient, so it took me a long time to actually get there.

It's a nice little store, clean and well-organized. The prices seemed a bit high for what they were selling, but were also variable. While it definitely seemed like a place you could stumble upon a great find (especially in terms of housewares), I didn't actually stumble upon much myself. I left with two Moosewood cookbooks, both in very good shape, for $4 each. That seems high for thrift store books, but it still beats the hell out of new pricing, so I think they were worth it.

The strong points of the store seemed to be housewares and children's books and toys. Clothes and adult books were weaker points. They also had a variety of more-expensive vintage and collectible pieces behind the counter, for those interested in that stuff.

Assistance League of Austin is a philanthropical organization with multiple aims, some of which you can read about here. They seem to be doing good work and I would have no qualms about supporting their store.

4902 Burnet Road
(512) 454-5161
Monday- Saturday 10-7

Top Drawer Thrift is consistently considered, by those who know these things, to be Austin's coolest thrift store. Which may be the reason I don't like it. Every time someone tells me how very hip it is, I try to give it another chance, and every time I am disappointed.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't like my thrift stores to be hip. I don't want a thrift store to be somewhere I am uncomfortable, where I don't feel like I'm dressed correctly to shop. I like the worn out comfort of thrift stores. I like the mixed clientele. I like shopping next to elderly women and mothers with three kids in tow. And that's not at all the scene at Top Drawer.

Also, I've never actually found anything there that I wanted to buy! Their selection is small and often seems quite run down. Prices are OK, but that doesn't do any good if there is nothing worth picking up.

The high point of Top Drawer, of course, is that the proceeds support Project Transitions, which provides hospice, support, and housing to people living with HIV/AIDS. I am completely supportive of that cause and politically I'd love to shop there. But realistically, I won't, both because it's not fun (and what good is thrifting if it's not fun?) and because there isn't anything to buy.

6555 Burnet Road
(512) 459-4592
Mon-Sat 9:30AM-5:00PM
Thurs evenings until 8:00PM

Having nothing of particular importance to do on Saturday, I decided to check out some of the small thrift stores that dot Burnet Rd. I started with the store closest to my house, the Austin Junior League Resale Shop.

I've been to this shop before, and never been very impressed. Their stock is limited and their prices are quite high for thrift. This visit was only different because they were having a sale--75% off all of their clothing. I found two Banana Republic shirts for Mark for $2-$3 each after this discount, which was great. However, that still makes their prices $8-$10 without this sale, and that's just too high for a thrift store, in my opinion.

Clothes are this shop's strong point--most of what they have is fairly nice, newer styles and brand names. They have a fairly strong maternity section, which I know can be the hallmark of a great thrift store if you're expecting. The book section is small and of no particular use. The house wares are mixed--I could see the potential to find a treasure, but the only thing I found on this trip that was worth a second look was a set of embroidered napkins, and I wasn't going to pay the $15 they were asking for them.

The store is very clean and organized, and always seems over-staffed. Customer service is a strong point, as the clerks there are very friendly and anxious to be of help.

The Junior League is a woman's volunteer organization. As far as I know, they do no evil, but rather are dedicated to a variety of causes, mainly having to do with kids (see their list of charitable affiliations here). They also give significant time and money to Animal Trustees of Austin, which is, in and of itself, a good enough reason to support them in my book.

I'll continue going to this store in search of the perfect item that is worth their high prices, but if you are looking for true thrift bargains, this store should not be your first stop.

5907 Burnet Road
(512) 323-2001

(Note: I didn't write down the hours when I was there, and can't find them online anywhere, so I'd suggest calling for hours before you go. I know they are closed on Sundays.)

The next store on my way down Burnet was St. Michael's Academy Thrift Store. This was one I hadn't been in before. I haven't really been missing much. Once again, prices are higher than I think they should be for thrift, and the store is small with limited selection. I did run into a great colorful cotton sweater, which I bought for $7.95, even though I thought that was too much, but that was it. The clothes were mostly older and smaller sized, the books were nearly non-existent, and the house wares, as is generally the case in this kind of store, were mixed. Once again, it is certainly possible to find a treasure here, but you're probably going to have to visit often for that to happen. And you're going to pay a premium for whatever you do find.

This thrift shop is set up to benefit St. Michael's Catholic Academy, a private Catholic high school. Do with that what you will.

Bethesda Resale Shop
5353 Burnet Rd.
(512)451-2652
Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
1st & 2ndThu. of each month 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

My next stop was the Bethesda Resale Shop. This is an old-style thrift store. It's tiny, crowded, and smells kind of odd. The prices are lower than those at the previous stores, but still higher than the Salvation Army or Goodwill. Selection is limited, though they have a pretty strong plus-sized clothing selection for such a small store. They also run tag sales, where certain items are 50% off. The day I was there, it was women's pants and blouses that were on sale.

It took me less than 10 minutes to inspect everything in the store, and there wasn't anything there I wanted. Once again, though, it's probably a place worth another stop into some other time, as the potential for great stuff is always there, plus it's just kind of a fun place to go into.

Bethesda Resale is a fund raiser for Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services, an organization that provides support services to people with disabilities and their families. The shops are volunteer-staffed and 100% of proceeds support the organization.

5335 Burnet Road
(512)459-1288
Monday through Friday 10:00AM-4:00PM
Saturday 10:00AM-5:00PM
(but give them a call first, as I believe they are moving stores soon)

The last stop on my route was worth the wait. Next-To-New is a fantastic store. It is large and full of furniture and house wares, including the best selection of glassware and dishes I've seen in forever. Full sets, mismatched pieces, you name it, they have it. And tons of furniture, most of it in good shape and quite a number of things I'd actually like to have in my house.

Their pricing structure is also fantastic. They start items out with pretty average private thrift-store prices, but the prices are reduced based on how long items sit on the shelves. For example, I bought a gorgeous set of margarita glasses. They were originally priced at $10.00, but had been in the store for more than a month, so they were $5.00. If they had been there into the next month, they would have been $2.50. This I can get behind.

The clothing and books sections of the store are not particularly strong--stuff for your house is really where Next-to-New shines. It's going to become a regular stop on my thrifting list.

The store benefits St. David's Episcopal Church in downtown Austin. I believe it is run by their "ladies' committee" or something like that. As churches go, St. David's has pretty good politics--they stress diversity, and being welcoming of all people. They have a great program that provides box lunch-type things to homeless people in Austin, as well as some other admirable charitable works. I'm OK with supporting them.

I am not going to bore you with the various and sundry ways in which I sucked this weekend, nor with beating myself up about it. I shopped, I didn't go to church, Mark and I fought, it was bad. However, it is back to being not bad now, and so forward we will go.

On a happy note, both Oliver and Edie are now on trial adoptions with their new families, who seem in both cases to be well-suited for them and happy to have them. This is great for them, and good for us, as well, as we need a little bit of less stressful non-fostering down time to get our collective shit together.

Before anybody says anything, yes, I know I'm not supposed to be shopping. I don't want to discuss it.

5700 Manchaca Rd. #240
512-442-7200

Store Hours
Mon-Fri: 9:00am-8:00pm
Sat: 1000:am-7:00pm
Sun: 11:00am-6:00pm

Thrift Town is one of those for-profit corporate thrift stores, of which I disapprove. However, it's kind of a fun store. It's well-organized and very clean, and they have daily colored tag sales (where one specific tag color of items are 50% off). They have a good-sized selection, particularly of clothing. However, they do that thing where they mark some of their clothes (mainly the ones with recognizable brand names) as "better" and then charge more for them, which irritates me to no end. Also, they have no return policy. You buy it, its yours.

All that being said, I had a good trip there recently. Because everything is so well-organized, you get through the largish store very fast, which is nice when one is lunch-time thrifting. Also, the stuff that isn't marked "better" is fairly cheap. My haul included:
-a sleeveless scoop necked black velvet top, in perfect condition, no recognizable brand, $1.99
-a cute 1/2 sleeved black cardigan with embroidery, good condition, no recognizable brand, $2.99
-two of the smallish glass jars with hinged lids I am always collecting to store homemade bath products in, $.99 each
-four vintage calico napkins, $.29 each
-set of six brand new blue and white cotton napkins, $1.29

All in all, I'd say it's a store worth stopping by if you are in the neighborhood, but it isn't worth driving out of your way for.

5734 Manchaca
Austin, TX 78745
512-448-4849

Store Hours
Mon-Sat: 9:00am - 9:00pm
Sun: 11:00am - 7:00pm

I know it is the in thing for true thrifters to hate on the Goodwill, but I just can't. It's my Gold Standard thrift store. And I like across the board pricing (which you can see here, FYI). As Austin Goodwills go, I'd say the one on Manchaca and Stassney (same parking lot as Thrift Town) is fair to middling.

This store is far smaller than my favorite Goodwill (the one on Research), and was a lot more crowded and disorganized on the day I visited, but it's still a pretty OK store. This was just a quick trip, and I didn't browse the books, but the housewares selection was good, including a very nice new basket for dog toys I picked up for $2.99 (the puppy chewed up the last one).

The clothes, in typical Goodwill style, are organized by color rather than size in most cases, which makes me insane, so I didn't look at them for long, but there did seem to be some good stuff there. I also found a stuffed snake for my dogs (pretty much their favorite thing ever) for $1.99 and a new metal lunch box for my collection for $.99.

916 Springdale Road
Austin, TX 78702
512-928-8832

Store Hours
Mon-Sun: 8:00am - 8:00pm

I have not always been a great thrift shopper. I started thrifting in high school, but I had a much different attitude about it then than I do now. Then, it was about getting more clothes for cheaper, and about finding the kind of clothes I couldn't find in "regular" stores (sadly, I was a more creative dresser in high school and early in college than I am now). At a size 10 or 12, thrifting was easy, and I never had to get particularly good at it.

As I got a little bit older and a lot fatter, thrifting for clothes for myself became more difficult, but I never stopped liking to thrift, and in fact got more into it in college and after. This was for two reasons. The first is that, being on my own, I started seeing the value in thrifting for non clothes--for a long time, when I was most frustrated with my body, I thrifted only for books and housewares, and a large percentage of what is in my house is thrifted. The second thing, though, was that I started to really like to thrift for thrift's sake--going through other people's old stuff was just fun, regardless of whether I find something that works for me or not. And that, I think, is what makes me a good thrifter.

And my mind, the way you know a good thrifter is by what she can do at the bins.

To walk down memory lane again, I grew up with good thrift mentors. My mom isn't much of a secondhand shopper, just because she isn't much of a shopper of any kind and she lacks patience and willingness to spend hours going through stuff. My mom's next eldest sister, however, is a master. She calls it junking, rather than thrifting, and no store is too nasty, too crowded, or too full of crap for her. So, of course, it was with her that I went to Portland's bins.

The bins, for those who aren't familiar with the terms, are the place where the stuff that doesn't sell or isn't deemed salable from a chain of thrift stores (Goodwill or Salvation Army, in my experience) goes to die. The term "bins" comes from the fact that the stuff isn't sorted or on shelves or racks, but rather just dumped on large tables or in "bins" for patrons to sort through. In the case of the one I went to with my aunt in Portland, said stuff is then sold by the pound.

And y'all, I couldn't handle it. It was early in college when I went, and I was overwhelmed, grossed out, and scared that I'd reach into a bin and pull out a hypodermic needle or something. I just couldn't do it. And I haven't been to a bins store since then.

Until today...

In Austin, the Goodwill bins is called the Blue Hanger Discount Store. Stuff there isn't sold by the pound, but it's significantly cheaper than regular Goodwill prices (for example, clothes are $1.25 per item, books are $.50, etc.). The layout is just like I remember the store in Portland being--a big warehouse room of tables piled high with stuff. Not really sorted, other than clothes in one area, books in a second, and everything else in a third, and not very clean. Sorta smelly and questionable.

In all that silt, though, there is gold.

At left, you will see my haul. Total spent? A bit less than $20 (cat not included). For real.

This is what you're seeing in the picture:
A brand new cat scratching post, $3
A beautiful wicker sewing basket, $2
A stuffed snake (my dogs LOVE them), $1
Two wide mouth mason jars (I use them to hold bath salts, scrub, etc.), $.25 each
A burlap, plastic-lined reusable grocery bag with an organic coffee logo, $2
2 pairs of Banana Republic slacks for Mark, both in good shape, $1.25 each
A cool old-fashioned style bandana, $.25
A velvet bolero jacket/shrug/fancy cover up thing from Lane Bryant, $1.25
A red flowered Gap cami with built in bra, $1.25
A gorgeous black embroidered blouse from Lane Bryant, $1.25
Two pairs of capris for me, one Tommy Hilfiger, one Gap, $1.25 each
A fully lined black Le Suit suit skirt for me, $1.25 (which doesn't fit, unfortunately)
TOTAL: $18.75 plus tax

So, needless to say, I am LOVING the Blue Hanger Discount Store.

However, there is a caveat: if you don't actually like to thrift, don't bother with the bins. Seriously, it's not worth it. The prices are great, but this is a thrifting marathon. You have to dig through A LOT of shit to get to the good stuff. And some of it is nasty. I'm not just talking about seeing other people's old underwear, here, either--I'm talking about seeing other people's old potty chairs, vibrators, dentures, and syringes, and none of it being clean. And having to dig through it with your own two hands. It ain't pretty. I saw one woman there with gloves on, and she clearly had the right idea. There are no dressing rooms, but I wouldn't try this stuff on without washing it even if there were. There are no returns or exchanges, either--you buy it, it's yours.

Also, if you have a lack of patience, don't bother with the bins. This trip took me about two and a half hours. The stuff there is 90% crap, at least, and you have to get through it all to find the good stuff. It takes time.

If you are a small size, though (anything below a 12 I'd say) and have a good bit of patience and a strong stomach, you could practically re-outfit yourself here for not much money at all. And don't skip the non-clothes, either--I found some wonderful stuff in the junk bins, and if I had kids to buy for, I'd have really been in heaven. The only real loser section is the books, and I might just be thinking that because I had to see books thrown around in bins like that.

All in all, the Blue Hanger has to be the most rewarding thrift experience I've had in Austin. It's going to be my new go-to store.

Several times, I have been advised that the way one is happiest in one's job is to try to make money doing something you love to do anyway. I've steadily ignored this advice, since the one time I tried to make money doing what I loved (writing for a newspaper, in this case), it was disastrous. I ended up not loving it anymore, and it hasn't been worth it to me to try again, since I'm not willing to lose anymore passions.

Until now.

Another piece of advice I've gotten more than once is that I should become a personal shopper, since I love to shop, especially for other people, and can often find good deals on things and spot cool things other people miss. This advice has also been met with resistance, as I've said that anyone who can afford to employ a personal shopper is going to want to shop for things that are beyond my interest and shop at stores I'm not comfortable setting foot in. Nobody, I've said numerous times, wants a personal thrift shopper.

Except maybe they do, because that is what a lot of Ebay is--personal thrift shoppers. People who buy things at thrift stores and garage sales and resell them for a profit on Ebay. I knew this before, of course, but never did it myself, because I could never figure out how buying something for $5 at the Goodwill and selling it for $7 on Ebay would be worth the time.

And then last week I discovered the Goodwill bins, where all items of clothing are $1.25. Buy something for $1.25 and sell it for $7 and there might just be enough profit in it to make it worthwhile. And so I set out, for only the second time, trying to make a profit doing something I love...

I've opened an Ebay store, Your Personal Thrift Shopper. Right now, it's very heavy on clothes for babies and toddlers, because that's what I've had the best luck with finding at the bins, and because I've gotten a lot of wonderful advice on what brands, etc. are good for resale in that department. However, I'm keeping statistics of how much I put into things and what they sell for, and I'll be trying to tailor my thrifting (and therefore inventory) to meet whatever is in demand. That being said, if you have a size or item you'd like me to keep my eye out for, just drop me an email.

I'm sure, given discussions I've had here and elsewhere before, that there is going to be some flak headed my way for trying to profit off thrift shopping. It has been suggested to me that someone in my income bracket is somehow "cheating" by even shopping at thrift stores, much less buying low there with the intention of selling high(er). I've got to tell you, though, I've given it a lot of thought, and I see nothing to feel bad about. The stores in my area are stocked to the gills--there is no shortage of stuff to thrift. And the bins is the last stop pre-dumpster for most of this stuff, so buying it, even to resell, is keeping it out of a landfill, which I'm all for. Also, if it doesn't sell, and some of it surely won't, I'll either give it away or give it back to the Goodwill, so it's not like now that I'm selling things I'm going to stop giving. When someone buys something off Ebay that they could have thrifted themselves, what they are paying for is the time and effort it took the person who found, listed, and sold that item to do so. And I think that's a skill worth paying for. My time has value, and if this can draw that value out of the time I spend thrifting, then I don't think that hurts anybody. Much--even most--of what we pay others to do is stuff we could do ourselves, or could learn to do ourselves, and I don't see how this is any different. Just like anything else, thrifting can be a service.

So, if you are in the market for thrifted stuff, without having to dig through the piles yourself, keep an eye on my store. The stock should change often, as I thrift often, and as I said before, I'm happy to do what I can to fill special requests, just let me know.

Well, I'm a week in, and my first bunch of auctions have ended. Results thus far have been semi-disappointing. It's doable, I can make money at it, but it's a lot of effort for a little bit of cash so far. However, I know at least ten times as much about what will sell and how to sell it than I did at this time last week, so I'm guessing my next bunch of auctions will do better. And even if the profit margin is smaller than I'd like, it seems pretty clear that I can consistently make SOME money at it. And in the credit card pay off race, every little bit helps.

Which brings me to my other update.

On February 22, I posted the following:

Total credit card debt: $8,093.16
Total student loan debt: $33,674.75
Total savings: $163.77
Checking account balance: $11.69

Right now, I'm here:

Total credit card debt: $6,130.13 (though $600 is Mark's and will be paid from him ASAP)
Total student loan debt: $33,517.92
Total savings: $100.00
Checking account balance: $200.24

The other change is that my raise went through, so my monthly take home has moved from about $2,868.97 to $2,969.04. So...progress, albeit not quite as much as I'd hoped.

I've never been a very good environmentalist. It's not that I don't care about the environment, or that I don't think there's real danger, but I grew up in a culture in which environmental protection was, or at least seemed to be, at odds with my family's livelihood, and there really wasn't room to be wishy washy on the subject, as we were just getting by as it was. As I got older, environmental concerns just seemed really far away. I can understand, intellectually, that we are running out of clean air and clean water and natural resources, but I can't see it in my day to day life. Which makes it hard to justify making sacrifices. Sure, I recycle and try to curb my use of nasty chemicals, but I still waste and waste like a typical American.

Well, it's come home lately.

Since I've started frequenting the bins, I've been told that the stock at the stores turns over at least once a day, and that what doesn't sell gets thrown away. I didn't really believe that, though--I mean, how can it really be true that hundreds (thousands?) of pounds of stuff are being thrown out every day, much of it in good condition and almost all of it in usable condition? So I decided to try to find out for myself, and proceeded to visit one of the bins stores four days in a row.

They're weren't lying. The stock has completely turned over every day.

And I get it now.

We're killing ourselves with our own consumption. Creating these mountains and mountains of trash that isn't trash at all, until we're all buried under it, and all the time buying more and more new stuff. I'm as guilty of this as anyone, and guiltier than many. And, in part, I've justified my consumption by donating my old stuff to the Goodwill, with the idea that someone else will use it, and it supports a good cause, so it's OK. But it's become clear now that someone else doesn't always use it, and when I buy something to "replace" something that doesn't need replacing, I'm not really helping anybody.

So reduce, that's step one. Just buy. less. shit. It seems so simple, and yet it is the single most difficult thing I've ever attempted. Why is that? I can't see this resolving itself, but I'm hoping that the picture I now have burned into my brain of forklifts loading trucks to take usable stuff to the dump will help. I can literally imagine being buried under it all. It's a chilling image.

And secondly, reuse. And what that means to me, in part, is that thrifting has moved from a hobby to a business to a responsibility. I simply cannot, in good conscience, buy stuff new that I know I can get used. Now that I know, and have seen with my own eyes, just how much stuff is getting thrown away just in my little corner of the world, how can I rationalize adding to it? Sure, there are certain things I "need" to buy new (shoes are a good example, due to my size issues) or just can't quite stomach not buying new (underclothing, etc.), but for 95% of what I wear and use most days, there is no good reason to buy new. Yes, buying new is easier, but so is not recycling, so is driving instead of walking, so are a million and one other things that I and people like me all over the world are doing that corrode the planet. Easier just isn't a good enough reason anymore.

I've long admired people who have contests on their blogs, but never put one together myself. However, an idea came to me last night while (what else?) thrifting, so I present to you my first ever blog contest!

First, some background: one of the reasons I like thrifting (and this may be true of all thrifters or may just be me, I'm not sure) is that I am sentimental about other people' stuff. I like to look at all the items for sale in thrift shops and think about where they came from and what they were used for and stuff like that. This is a messy business, however, when it comes to trying to make a profit thrifting, as it is difficult for me to force myself to buy only stuff I think I can resell and not stuff I think deserves another chance.

And there are always certain items that I just plain feel sorry for. Not the stuff that has clearly been used and loved and has come to thrift store to die--I'm fine with that stuff. Rather, I feel sorry for stuff that has clearly not been used. And more than anything, these days, I feel sorry for Beanie Babies.

Every time I go to the bins, I see no fewer than 20 Beanie Babies, 90% of which still have their tags on them. These have never been played with or used in any way. They were purchased to "make someone a fortune," and when they didn't, they were ditched at the thrift store. This is unbearably sad to me. And yet, I can't let myself buy the Beanie Babies and give them a better life, another shot, because I know I can't resell them and I have no use for them myself. I mean, what am I gonna do with an Army of tags-still-on Beanie Babies?

That's where the contest comes in. I want to hear all of your ideas for uses for these poor neglected and abandoned Beanie Babies. Come up with some reason for me to free them from their thrift store confines. If it figures into your equation at all, know that they can be had for between ten cents and a quarter each.

The best idea will get a prize. The prize is a secret. Go forth and participate!

Having been to both Goodwill Blue Hanger locations in Austin several times now, I think I am qualified to tell you this:

The North store is far, far superior than the East store. It has AC, indoor bathrooms (that are not bad at all), it's not as crowded, the staff is nicer, and the selection and prices are just about the same. Also, they don't run out of carts and there are always parking spaces. Can't recommend it highly enough.

But don't go there and get all the good shit before me!

Someone asked me recently how my thrift-for-profit venture was going, and I realized I hadn't posted a full autopsy report of that now-dead enterprise. I meant to, I apparently just flaked on it.

Anyway, thrifting for profit. First, I absolutely believe it is doable and that some people are very successful at it. I also absolutely believe that I will never be one of those people. It's just not in me.

See, the part of thrifting for profit that is time-and-effort consuming isn't the thrifting part. It's the researching what will make money, writing listings, answering questions, and spending endless hours at the post office. And I want to do none of those things. So, what I end up with is piles of stuff that either isn't worth enough to bother trying to sell or I am too lazy to try to sell, making the entire enterprise revenue-reducing, rather than revenue-generating.

Which isn't to say that there aren't still things I would buy and slap up on Ebay if I saw them--Ergos, new Dankso clogs, things I know will sell. But thrifting for profit in bulk, as a side business, just isn't going to work.

I've learned a couple of valuable lessons, I think. The biggest one is that just because something has "intrinsic" value (is well made, has lots of wear left in it, etc.) doesn't mean it has market value. I should have already known that, of course, but this experiment certainly served as a reminder. The second one is that my labor has worth, and even though the thrifting part is something I'd be happy to do for free, the rest of it isn't, so the whole thing would have to pay enough for that part to be worth my while. Which it doesn't.

However, having seen what I've seen by visiting the bins weekly or more for months, I don't think my personal consumption habits will ever be the same. The sheer volume of stuff that is thrown away is truly nightmarish, and it has definitely upped the ante for me in terms of how I shop. I'm not committed enough to go 100% used--at my size, I just can't put in the effort and time and heartache all used clothes would mean--but there are things I would have bought at a conventional store before that I won't now. For example, I spent a couple of month’s worth of thrift store trips looking for pint glasses recently. We wanted some, and they wouldn't have been much more expensive (and would have been immediate) if we'd just bought them new, but I know how much glassware gets thrown away, so I just kept an eye out for them until I found them used. Whether or not that kind of a gesture ultimately makes any difference I can't say, but it does make me feel marginally better about being a part of this over-consuming society.

My attention is currently on thrifting Christmas gifts. I don't think I'll be able to manage 100% thrifted presents, but I'm going to do the best I can, and I have a few things left over from my attempts at thrifting to sell that will work well as gifts. I'm working on feeling OK about giving the people on my list who are not thrifters themselves non-new presents...without getting up on a high horse about it. We'll see how that all goes.

All in all, I'm glad I conducted the thrift-for-profit experiment, as I think it has really opened my eyes and helped me to be that much more honest with myself about my consumption. I admire people who do it seriously--it's a butt load of work, and mostly not the fun kind. And I'm glad to be back to just being a recreational thrifter.

Can I just say how wonderful it is that it's only Saturday morning and I feel like I've already had a full weekend? Extended weekends are possibly my favorite thing ever.

I do have a good bit of work to do this weekend--revisions on my PR--but I can't even get worked up about that, since I feel like I have plenty of time and I'm still faintly interested in the project and I know it will be completely done forever in just a few days.

My blogging guru The Princess upgraded us to Movable Type 4 last night, so as I'm posting this, everything looks totally different. It's kind of disorienting, actually, and I think it's causing me to write in a semi-disoriented way, so I apologize. I have already noticed a couple of excellent-seeming new features, including post auto-saving. So I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Today we're making turkey pot pie. Doesn't that sound good? It's all rainy and nasty outside--what could be better than a pastry crust to deal with that?

I had fantastic luck thrifting yesterday. Not much for myself, but several cool swappable things. I also shopped some excellent online Black Friday sales at small shops yesterday, which I shouldn't have done, but couldn't resist. I should be set for bath products for some time. And a few gifts as well. I love Etsy. Speaking of, have you heard of the Buy Handmade Pledge?

I suppose if I am going to be typing, it ought to be on the PR. Or I could nap...it will be very convenient, as I've not changed out of my pajamas yet.

One of my favorite holiday gifts this year has just been given, so I can share it with you all now.

About a month ago, I purchased a Ryan's Room A-frame doll house at the Goodwill. It came with several roomfuls of furniture for a total of $9.99. Retail for the lot would have been $150 or more, but it was in less than savory shape. The house's previous owner had covered much of it with marker scribblings, a house number, stickers, etc.

(The photo is of a colorful wooden doll house covered in scribbling, stickers, etc.)

Knowing my small friend Y. was wanting a doll house for Christmas, I thought maybe I could do some touch-ups on this and make it good-as-new for her. Today, she and her Pepe came to visit us, and she left with this:

(The picture shows the same doll house, newly painted in bright colors.)

It's amazing what a little cleaning, sanding, and painting will do.

Now, if I get the furniture done before her birthday...

Anybody who has been reading this blog for any time at all knows that I am a voracious thrift shopper (in fact, I have a whole blog archive of thrift-related posts). However, something I may have been less-than-forthcoming with here recently is that I haven't, for the last few years, thrifted much in the way of clothing for myself.

Why? Well, there is a simple reason and it's one I'm not proud of: It just got too hard. Not only did finding clothes in my size in thrift stores take forever once I passed size 14, but sifting through rack after rack of clothes too small for me made me feel bad about myself. And though there was no moment at which I decided to stop trying to find clothes for myself at thrift stores, I slowly did stop trying. I still thrift shopped as much as ever, I just bought other things.

All of this would have been fine, of course, except that it didn't translate into me not buying clothes. It translated, instead, into me buying new clothes. For the last couple of years, most of my clothes (and they are significant) have come from Ross, Target, and New York & Company. I've even ventured to Old Navy and the Gap more often than I'd like to admit.

I have kind of a moral problem with that. I've been buying clothes that were made under bad labor conditions of chemically treated fabrics, then sold for less than they would be worth under a real wage system. And I've been doing it, basically, out of laziness and inability to deal with my own body.

It needs to stop.

Yesterday afternoon, Mark and I finally got around to pulling some stuff out of our garage and loading into the Element to take to the Goodwill. I drove it over to my favorite store, which also happens to be the one closest to our house. When I pulled up and popped the back open, the man on duty wrinkled his nose and told me, in nearly these exact words, that he couldn't take my cat-hair covered crap, and that I should throw it away myself and not expect them to do it for me. I was stunned into silence. The things in my truck were not exactly prized possessions, but they were not crap. They were what I would consider about median items for that particular store. And, as someone who visits that store about once a week, I think I'd know. I wasn't really angry that the dude didn't want my stuff--that's fine, that's his perogative--but I honestly couldn't believe he was so rude about it. And I checked afterwards--nothing in my car was on the posted list of stuff the Goodwill won't take.

So I drove the stuff home, and proceeded to forget to take it out of the truck. Then, today, I visited another Goodwill, this one closer to work (and one for which I desperately need to write a review, as it is fast becoming my second favorite). On a whim, before I left, I whipped over to their donation area and asked the two men there if they would accept the stuff in my car. They said of course, were very polite and kind, and even thanked me for helping them get it out of my car (there was a heavy piece of furniture involved). Then they offered me a receipt, thanked me for my donation, and sent me on my way.

I am thinking this shouldn't piss me off. I should be charitable and assume that the guy at the first GW was just having a bad day, or was allergic to cats (because I am not about to pretend my stuff was hair free). There was nothing insulting in my load of donations. Nothing that should be repellent to touch. There were no uncleaned Diaper Genies or half-used bottles of KY jelly, which are both things I have seen for sale in that store. I didn't do anything wrong. So it had to be something having to do with that particular dude. Still, a very strange experience, and one that left a bad taste in my mouth.

A long time ago, Bomboniera posted about a French press travel mug. Then, after she actually acquired said mug, she posted again about its awesomeness. Since reading these posts, I have been lusting after said mug. But I have refrained from buying it, thinking it unnecessary, as I have a French press at home and a French press at work.

Well, yesterday at the Goodwill, I spotted the mug show at left, this Bodum model. New with a Target sticker stuck on it (probably the reason Target sent it to the GW). For $1.

How could I say no?

I'm drinking out of it today, and it is indeed everything I'd hoped. It doesn't keep the coffee hot for as long as my regular travel mug, but it also lets me make the perfect amount of coffee, not wasting any. Plus it has a great lid that actually closes so I don't slosh coffee all over.

Score!

Some time ago, I started what I intended to be a series of posts highlighting some of my coolest thrift finds. Given my propensity to start and not finish things, it is unremarkable that my series ended up one post long. However, I'm picking it back up, so hopefully I'll remember to actually do it regularly now.

What you see here is part of a set of cool looking pie plates I've thrifted. I paid between $2 and $3 each for them. I actually also have a few more similar plates that don't belong in this set, and there was one more, a strawberry pie one, which I had to throw out because it broke. I'm still on the lookout for another one of those, plus the pecan pie, cheesecake, and quiche Lorraine plates that go with the set.

Internet research tells me that these aren't actually as old as they appear. In fact, I think they are part of the Royal China Country Harvest series, which means they're from the late-70s/early-80s. They don't have any branding on them, just a "USA" stamp on the back. So, they aren't worth much, or even enough to be worth my time Ebaying them, but that's just as well, because I love them and want to keep them.

Now that I am not going to bore you with my daily clothing choices, what shall we talk about?

How about my other favorite subject: thrifting!

I have to start bringing my camera when I go to the Goodwill. You would not believe the crap I see. I am a committed re-user. There are very few things I won't buy used. That being said, it is simply inappropriate to see half-used bottles of Astroglide for sale. For real. Ew.

That being said, I did really well thrifting today. I bought an extra large collapsible dog crate, worth about $160 new, in excellent condition, for $15.99. We don't need it--we have one just like it--but the rescue can definitely use it. I also bought some Robeez in excellent condition (a gift for the small friend whom I hope to visit this weekend), and a few items for my crafting pleasure.

And these.

These are a set of three super heavy-weight glass jars, from Italy, with cool slanted tops. We use these types of jars for all of our legumes and grains, and these are the by far coolest ones I have ever thrifted. I paid $5.99 for the set, which is probably too much, but I just couldn't resist.