[ptangptang]

Yesterday the strap on my much used rucksack broke but , by coincidence, one of the charity shops I visit on the way home had a selection of rucksacks in that day which were quite a cheap price. so I bought 2. Timely and a great buy.
Other good buys:
my crosstrainer, not spectacularly cheap but a good one and I've used it quite a bit
classical guitar £4, broken strings but with new £3 strings it sounds great.
touch sensitive electric piano £25
upmarket digital radio, cd player, alarm etc. £3 still currently on amazon at well over £100
as new king size bed free apart from £20 delivery
my fav coat free
vinyl lp prob 50p book says is worth £80

Just a few that I can think of. What are yours?

[*Laurie*]

A few years ago I visited Ireland (and loved it!). I found clothing, good clothing priced very low, at a couple of charity shops. Here in the U.S. I once found a really nice pair of boots at a thrift store - it was my birthday that day, too. Over the years I've found some good, inexpensive items at thrift stores.

[ptangptang]

Originally Posted by *Laurie*

A few years ago I visited Ireland (and loved it!). I found clothing, good clothing priced very low, at a couple of charity shops. Here in the U.S. I once found a really nice pair of boots at a thrift store - it was my birthday that day, too. Over the years I've found some good, inexpensive items at thrift stores.

One of my local charity shops has a £1 rail and I've got some great bargains there. Jackets. shirts, trousers all sorts. . In fact I could prob open a clothes shop, I've stopped buying clothes now though.... I can't resist a bargain.
The trick is to go in as often as you can.
If you know your labels charity shops in upmarket parts of London are good hunting grounds.

My neighbours son lives in the US , his wife is American and my neighbour said that when she came over to the Uk she couldn't believe how cheap clothing was here. I guess some of that has to do with the pound/dollar rate but I thought that when I went to florida at the end of the 80's clothes seemed quite cheap. I think the rate then was $1.5 to £1.

[*Laurie*]

I was amazed at how cheap the charity shops are! And for good items. Our thrifts here in California are oftentimes quite overpriced.

Just a suggestion, you may want to research your goodwill shops before giving them your business. Not all are not-for-profit charities in the name of good will (this may be important to you).A big example is "Value Village" which is a multi-million dollar company with a pittance of what they make going to charity.

In Canada good places to go (that I trust anyway) are:

Salvation Army
Community Living
Mennonite Clothes Closet

And in the same vein these are who I donate to. I used to have the Diabetes Foundation pick up my donations from my door. I discovered they make very little off selling it to - you guessed it - Value Village who in turn make a tidy profit.

Some larger centres have consignment and vintage clothing ships, but again they are entirely for-profit.

[shezbut]

Salvation Army is the best here.

[Onward2wards]

$6 medium sized pan with copper bottom and a lid, from Salvation Army. Best piece of cookware I've ever had.

[Unrigged64072835]

An old Nordic Trac cross-country skier. Best exercise I had off that thing. Better than the elliptical that is gathering dust in the basement.

[Nammu]

When my daughter was young I used to get great toys and games for a pittance. I wouldn't get stuffed animals but anything that could be washed was a great bargain. But yeah a lot of shops are for profit. I find better clothes bargains at Target than Goodwill which is pretty much a rip off.

[VerMOZZica]

A stack of vinyl records at the Salvation Army for about 3 bucks.

[MuseumGhost]

Ahhhh, here you touch on one of my favourite topics! Junking!!

So far, the winner overall is a wonderful, smallish oil painting by a fairly well-known Victorian artist.

The next in line is actually a group of things: undervalued/ unrecognized depression glass pieces that I've scooped over the years from garage sales and flea markets. I've amassed quite a sizeable collection of brightly coloured and pretty glass, and also valuable crystal.

My antique linens are next in line, but hardly the least favourite. I have wondrous pieces dating back about 100-150 years old that are in magnificent shape. I treasure them.

It takes more work these days to find things, with the increase in interest in all of this stuff---but the thrill of the hunt keeps me heading out there.

I find an awful lot of nearly-new or even brand-new clothes in my local shops. So, for certain things, I have no problem buying second-hand...especially accessories and tops. I too, cannot resist a bargain.

Congrats on everyone's excellent finds!!!

a large Le Crueset baking dish - for $5 at the Sally Anne. I love this roaster but I admit I feel guilty every time I use it. Someone at the Salvation Army obviously hadn't a clue what this dish - still in the box - actually was.

[Baker#88]

The only thing I can really think of, is a Winnie the Pooh alarm clock for $3.00. We have found brand new shirts for a $1.00 and such but it has been quite a few years since I have been in one of those stores now.

[fishin fool]

Probably a pretty, antique vanity I picked up for my daughter.
The lady having the garage sale just gave it to me because the sale was
ending and no one bought it. She didn't want to bring it back in.
I still need to refinish it but now that I don't own a house anymore
I really have no place to do it. I'll get to it one of these days soon.
I also have picked up some antique toys for very cheap and some antique
fishing rods and reels that I love. I am always looking for fishing stuff and
nautical things.

Originally Posted by justafriend306

a large Le Crueset baking dish - for $5 at the Sally Anne. I love this roaster but I admit I feel guilty every time I use it. Someone at the Salvation Army obviously hadn't a clue what this dish - still in the box - actually was.

That's a fantastic find. I think the Sally Anne volunteers knew what they had, I've just never seen them be greedy when it comes to pricing. Enjoy your baking dish without guilt

A smashing new in the box fondue set.

I decide to start a fondue trend....join me in this totally unhealthy artery-clogging adventure. Consider it comfort food, therefore good for the soul....

Also a very good brand new espresso machine. Gets tons of use.

A cast iron skillet that I stripped and re-conditioned...the value of these is far greater than the cost.

Clearly....I'm on a journey of health this year :-/

[ptangptang]

Originally Posted by sophiesmom

A smashing new in the box fondue set.

I decide to start a fondue trend....join me in this totally unhealthy artery-clogging adventure. Consider it comfort food, therefore good for the soul....

Also a very good brand new espresso machine. Gets tons of use.

A cast iron skillet that I stripped and re-conditioned...the value of these is far greater than the cost.

Clearly....I'm on a journey of health this year :-/

Anything involving cheese, I'm in. Now if they were to bring out chocolate covered cheese bars.....
No trendy 70's dinner party was complete without the fondue centrepiece....
YEAH BABY!!!!

I picked up a very good kayak and equipment from a garage sale. Always nice to have another for guests. Bargain at the price too.

[Artchic528]

I don't often get to thrift stores, but I've seen folks thrift on YouTube. One of the downright funniest (and possibly most "what were they thinking?") items I've seen found at a thrift store was a bag of rusty nails, complete with a hearty amount of rusty dust included in the bag.

Nothing like going out and brining home a DIY Tetanus Kit. Too bad the tetanus shots are not included.

[tryingtobeconstruct]

I can't stand keyboards as they're made today. I spend a lot of time programming, so I really need a keyboard that feels just right.

A keyboard should have a nice clicky feel when a button is pressed. Modern keyboards are mushy. Keyboards older than about five years are just right, especially Dell. I buy those at yard sales and thrift stores. I'm typing this reply on one right now.

mine is probably a classical cd.

a box set of 4 cds, each of them focussing on a diffrent composer.

came from cancer research

also, from a charity shop, I was able to get the dvd of the titanic (in england, it's very hard to get hold of for some reason!)

[Travelinglady]

Oh, my, I've purchased so many great items from thrift stores. A picture of a lighthouse that perfectly matches my bathroom decor is one thing that comes to mind, plus a world globe that sits on the floor, and many, many nice clothes.