Shopping Thrift Shops

I have been a thrift shop shopper since being a child.  Shopping thrift shops is frugal, eco-friendly and socially responsible.  In many cases a portion of the proceeds either goes towards a worthy cause or local charity.   In some cases a thrift shop is the major source of income for the charitable group.  Supporting these shops in essence supports others in need in the community.

Most things sold in a thrift shop are used but there many be a few new items and hand crafted items others have donated.  When it comes to thrift shops, you really do need to know your prices.  If you are a collector, you need to know how to spot the authentic.  We stopped at a small, crowded thrift store yesterday.  I was quite surprised to see things like blenders, rice makers and baking dishes priced well above what the price in Wal-Mart new would be.  They did have a yogurt maker for $3 that I was tempted to pick up for the vacation home.  Canning jars are another item that always seem to be overpriced in thrift shops, going for as high as $1 per jar without lid or ring.  Consider that Canadian Tire has canning jars with lids and rings that work out to 58¢ each.  Clothing may or may not be reasonably priced especially now that the dollar stores are carrying socks and the larger department stores put various pieces of clothing on sale at very low prices.  In general though, clothing at thrift shops is less expensive than department stores but more expensive than yard sales. 

Thrift shops can be hidden treasure troves for finding various pieces for your collection.  I was specifically looking for the glass canning lid inserts yesterday.  While they did not have any of those I managed to find a few nice pieces to add to my collections.  I picked up a small milk glass Hazel Atlas chicken candy dish for $3.99.  I immediately recognized it for what it was.  The dish is valued at about $10 and will be a perfect addition to my Depression era glassware collection.  I also picked up an interesting Morton's Salt (girl with umbrella) and a Campbell's Soup mug for my foodie collection.

Thrift shops can also be useful for finding those tid bits like a replacement pot lid.  Somehow during our many moves I lost one of the plastic jars that fit on my Oster blender.  I use mason jars so didn't really miss the jar but there was one at the thrift shop for 99¢ so I bought it.  It was brand new, never used complete with the rubber gasket and storage lid! 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

A Few Dollar Store Finds

A Few Dollar Store Finds

May 8, 2010

Last month I posted how  dollar stores are the new five and dime.  Some are a bit snobbish in that they feel dollar stores on sell cheap products and in fairness some products from China have really gotten a bad rap in recent months.  Despite this problem as long as you are an informed consumer there are a lot of excellent deals at the dollar stores. While a lot of products are from China a surprising number are from other countries including Canada and the USA.  Dollar stores are now carrying a lot more in the lines of groceries so they are quite popular with families trying to save a few dollars on their grocery bill.

Two or three times a year I check out a dollar store usually spending about $50 each time.  The times tend to be rather specific to spring when I'm gearing up for gardening, mid-summer before the busiest of the canning season and during the holiday season.  Of course a few other items find their way into the cart.  My recent dollar store shopping trip was to pick up damp traps (next post) and canning jar lids (the following post) along with a few gardening supplies.  I ended up spending $61.17 ($2.63 GST, $4.04 PST) total.

Pictured are a few of the extras I bought.  We have been using reusable cloth shopping bags for quite some time and we did splurge on a large insulated shopping bag that likely holds about 3 times the amount of cold foods as a normal shopping bag.  I found an insulated cooler bag at the dollar store for $1.25 that is about the same size as a normal shopping bag just perfect for bringing cold foods home from the grocery store when we aren't buying a lot.  This will help keep the food in the food safe temperature zone.  My cutting boards are getting to the point of needing to be replaced so I bought 2, one bamboo and one polyethylene.  Bamboo has natural antibiotic properties which is quite appealing but I want to see how the bamboo cutting board works with my knives before changing out the cutting boards.  This is an inexpensive way to do a kitchen test for performance.  I really like acrylic serving bowls for entertaining!  They have a nice sparkle while being functional indoors and out.  Since some of my serving bowls tend to develop legs throughout the year it seems I'm always replacing a piece or two.  I really liked the sparkly blue of the acrylic serving bowl that will look gorgeous on our dock!  I also bought a popsicle mold for when the grandbabies visit.  I can fill these with healthy juices for a summer treat.  The cost of the items pictured was $7.75 but they are are functional items that will last quite some time and save money over their lifetime.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Dollar Stores are the New Five and Dime

When I was growing up we had Ross's Five & Dime that outlasted the old Metropolitan Store (aka The Met) which was also a five and dime store.  Ross's had squeaky wood floors all on one level with just about everything laid on sided tables, no racks or hangers.  The Met was absolutely fascinating to a me as a child.  It had squeaky wood floors that had a wonderful woodsy smell when it rained.  The main floor had a host of all kinds of things a kid could buy for their cherished 25¢.  Then there was the bargain basement.  The stairs creaked and groaned as I wandered down to see how what goodies my frugal little hands could find.  Even back then I was a very frugal shopper.  I would look through all the bargains finally settling on something like hair ties but quite often I would walk out without spending a penny.

Ross's and The Met are long gone, residing only in the recesses of my childhood memories.  Several years ago I discovered dollar stores.  While these stores don't have all the character of the old five & dimes they really are the modern day equivalent.  I love dollar stores!  There are a lot of good deals to be had at the dollar stores for in most cases $1 per item.  Like all shopping you really do need to know not only regular but sale prices because surprisingly dollar store items are not always cheaper.  Fast forward to 2010 and the 25¢ has been replaced with a $20 bill but I am just as frugal when I'm shopping, dollar store or otherwise.

In general the craft section is always a bargain in dollar stores.  Other bargains I've found are: canning jar lids, dishwasher rinse agent, colouring books, small gardening items, gift bags, party supplies, glassware, hair clips, specialty cookware like mise en place bowls, silicone pinch bowls/scoopulas and decorative garden items.  When it comes to those little extras like fancy glass serving One of the complaints I've heard is a lot of the dollar store items are from China but for the things I'm buying the countries of origin are Canada, USA, Brazil, and other countries including China.  I like that I can buy Canadian made products in Canadian dollar stores and I like I can still get a bargain for those little things I want or need.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Warehouse Stores

Years ago when the kids where quite young we discovered shopping at a warehouse store called PACE Wholesale Club. At that time you needed a membership to shop there. The only way to get a membership was to be a member of a union or be a business owner. The store was located in the United States so a shopping trip turned to an all day event. We would return home with institutional size packaged foods to stock the pantry. Buying certain foods this way made sense economically and environmentally.

In 1993 PACE then owned by K-Mart was bought out by Wal-mart who converted most of the wholesale clubs to Sam's Club. Without hesitating, we signed up for the new Sam's Club membership and continue to maintain our membership at Sam's Club. We also shop at Costco Wholesale, another warehouse club store that requires a membership. One of our kids has a Costco's membership so we shop with them instead of buying our own membership.

Sam's Club

Questions: So why shop at a warehouse club store? Why should I pay for a membership to shop in any store? What should I know before shopping at a warehouse club store? What kind of a shopping experience can I expect at a warehouse club store? Can I really save money if there are only two of us living at home on a regular basis? Do you have any tips for saving even more by shopping at a warehouse club store?

Answers:
The primary reason for shopping at a warehouse club store is saving money. The second reason is being able to buy foods in institutional sized packaging. They carry restaurant supplies at low prices making warehouse club stores ideal places to shop for basic entertaining supplies. The fresh produce, meat and bakery offerings are excellent and the prices are lower than in regular supermarkets. Finally, these stores are easy in, easy out with ample parking.

An annual membership fee is required to shop at either Sam's Club or Costco. Initially the membership was only offered to those meeting certain criteria such as being a business owner but now anyone can join. Membership is the underlying principle behind the co-operative buying power to keep product prices down without ownership in the club. Sam's Club offers five types of memberships each with differing benefits. Costco offers three types of memberships with differing benefits. So your membership fee keeps prices down enabling you to get products cheaper at a warehouse store than elsewhere.

Shopping at a warehouse club store is a different experience than shopping at other department or grocery stores. You do need to know your prices before shopping because not everything is cheaper in warehouse club stores. The carts a quite large and can get quite heavy when filled. Most food and non-food items are on serve-yourself industrial shelving. There are no fancy displays although sometimes a large ticket item is set-up. Even though items geared for the major holidays are available the store itself isn't really decorated. The warehouse club stores now sell a lot of other non-food items including electronics, books, computers, small appliances, tires, cleaning supplies and much more. Clothes are on racks or large tables. A good selection of books, videos and DVDs are available. The office supply section is quite good. Services include a pharmacy, eye care and photo finishing. The most publicized feature of warehouse club stores is their food samples. These small carts appear throughout the food section of the store and are most prevalent on the weekends. When you check-out, the cashier takes your card number then rings up your total while re-loading your purchases into another cart. There are no bags so bring your own or use the usually available boxes for your purchases. Before leaving the store your cart and receipt will be checked by a purchase checker. They say it is to make sure you have everything you paid for but in reality it is a security measure to prevent items not paid for leaving the store.

Most people assume that you have to have a large family to take advantage of warehouse club prices but that simply is not the case. We raised a larger but not huge family and am now empty nesters. If you've read my cooking and gardening blogs you know I grow a lot of food, can/preserve just about everything, buy meats directly from the farmer, shop locally for produce, cook mainly from scratch and don't use a lot of pre-made convenience foods. I should also note that there are restrictions as to what we can bring back into Canada especially produce but this is not a problem for those living in the country where the store is located. In short, on the surface it would appear we would not be able to save by shopping at a warehouse club store. Wrong! We do a lot of entertaining and with a business need a lot of office supplies. We shop at Sam's Club an average of six to eight times per year. Generally we save enough the first trip to more than pay for the membership.

My Recent Good Buys:

The following are just a few good buys we made on our last trip to Sam's Club. In general, we don't use a lot of commercially canned foods because I can my own but even then the savings may not be a large as canned food bought on sale for normal sized cans. Institutional sized cans are in most cases a good deal. For me cheeses tend to be good deals as are large container sizes of seasonings.

food:
1. Butter is usually $3.49/lb here, I bought a four pound package for $6.48 or $1.62/lb.
2. Philidelphia cream cheese is $2.29 per 8 oz package. A six pack of 8 oz cream cheese was $8.12 or $1.35 each.
3. Vlasic Dill pickles, 1 gal - $3.58
4. Tortilla chips, 2/3 lb bags - $5.28
5. Rotel tomatoes, 8/10 oz - $4.81 (can't buy them here)
6. organic mesclun mix (fresh), 16 oz - $2
7. French loaves, 2/18" - $2.17

non-food:
1. 20 lb paper, 5,000 sheets - $27.88
2. 92/93 HP tri-pack cartridges - $43.86
3. Simple Green concentrated cleaner, 1 gal - $8.88
4. Olay Complete Body Wash, 54 oz pack - $9.84
5. GE CFL. 8/13 watt - $10.86

Tips:

Warehouse club stores buy what is available in huge lots at the best price. That means the products tend to be brand name. One week the store may be stocked with Brand A but when that is gone if Brand B was the better price, that will be the brand on the shelves. If a product is not moving well, it will be removed for a product that will sell well. If you see something you use at a good price it makes good sense to stock up on it when you see it because it might not be available again. It also is a good idea to keep an eye on the price coding of products. A "c" at the end of the number means the item has been cancelled at Sam's Club so stock up because it more than likely will not be available after the stock is sold out. At Costco's the magic endings to look for at the end of the codes are "97" for discontinued or "p" for slow moving.

Avoid splurging that can drive up your food costs. Make a list! Current prices for Sam's Club and Costco's are online so you can compare prices before going shopping. Always compare unit prices (price/ounce etc) at the warehouse club stores to unit prices of the same product available elsewhere. Remember the largest size is not always the most economical in price per unit. It is best not to shop when you are hungry a the warehouse club stores. It is also best not to shop the warehouse club stores when you are tired especially during peak shopping hours.

Garden Gnome
© 2007