Save Money at Pinchtown.com: Second-hand Thrift Shops

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Second-hand Thrift Shops

Second-hand stores and thrift shops offer wonderful alternatives to buying eveything brand new and paying full retail price to do so. For those not concerned about whatever stigma some people may place on such stores, there are easy bargains to be found. If you need a little persuasion in that regard, consider this. How would someone else describe an item you bought new after you've used it once or twice? (Hint: it starts with a "u" and rhymes with "mused."). So regardless of where you bought it, what may matter most after a couple uses is how much you originally spent to obtain it.

Clothes, books, household furnishings, music, movies and children's toys are all good examples of items that make it worthwhile to visit your local thrift shop. Most items in those categories still have plenty of good use in them after the original owners decided to part ways with them. In some cases, you'll find the items still have price tags attached to them because for whatever reason, they never really got used to begin with and you end up with a brand new item at just a fraction of its retail price.

We've heard some people complain about how long it can take to shop such stores, and there is some truth to that. You probably should not make the trip if you can't spend a good half-hour or more casually browsing around to find what you may be looking for. On the other hand, the hunt adds an element of fun and accomplishment when you find just what you wanted, or perhaps found something else entirely that you hadn't dreamed of getting at such a low price.

Not sure where to start? Local internet or yellow page listings should help. Some common names to look for:

The Salvation Army Thrift Store
Goodwill Industries
PTO Thrift Shop
Value World

eBay.com is also a good option for some things, but the whole bidding perspective puts it into a slightly different category.

Bottom Line:

Save $116 or more per year.*
(*Individual results will vary. Calculation based on buying 4 nice adult shirt and pant combinations used ($28) rather than new ($144) over the course of 12 months.)

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