What, Great Gift Finds at the Local Thrift Store?

Being a college student, my budget is limited, but I can find some great gifts at my local thrift shops. Thrift shop, shopping, is not only for the holiday season but any time a gift is warranted. You can find some great deals and sometimes new things are donated from stores such as Target, Eddie Bauer and LL Bean and many other well known stores.

You can get some amazing gift that are still tagged or boxed for a fraction of the cost. For example, I bought my husband a Carharts jacket for $8.00 and the insulated coveralls were $6.00. I scored big!

If you do plan on going thrift store shopping, schedule or plan on spending an hour or two. Sometimes the best deals are at the bottom shelf or still in the thrift store bins. Some fantastic well known thrift shops are the Humane Society Thrift Store, Goodwill, Salvation Army and St. Vincent DePaul, just to name a few.

My favorite here in Oregon, is the Humane Society Thrift Store, because I know that my money spent here goes to a great cause. The Humane Society protects abused and abandoned animals. They also offer spay and neuter clinics and for low income families or individuals. The Humane Society helps get their pets the care they need with vouchers. They additional offer education to raise healthy, happy pets. So not only, am I buying a gift here, I am helping to support animal welfare in our community.

If you're not lucky enough to find tagged or boxed gifts then switch to plan B. Look through the books section. There are many great books that still look new. Maybe it is a book your aunt or cousin would love and the best part, the book cost you .50 cents.

Another great place to look if you're buying for little kids is the toy section! Random toys are donated all the time because children out grow them and they are still in like new condition. Maybe you will find the Barbie jeep your niece has been asking for all year or your new three month old nephew, needs some entertaining rattles or musical toys. I bought a gift for my nephew for $4.00 and then I found the same gift at Wal-mart for $39.99. Wow, I saved $36.00 and he loved it! The children's book section is another place to find like new books for kids.