Save Big: Dollar Days at Goodwill and Value Village

Have you ever gone to either Goodwill or Value Village on Mondays? If not it's well worth the trip.

Monday is the Dollar Day at these stores, and a lot of items go for 99 cents at Value Village and 1.29 at Goodwill. The deals you can make are unbelievable and sometimes I've walked home with shopping bags full for very few dollars.

So how does this work? Well, both stores divide their inventory into specific color groups. The color is indicated on the price tag, and it's when they receive the product that decides the color. So in order for them to make sure no product stays in the store too long, they created this system to get rid of hard to sell stuff and at the same time to give the shoppers opportunities of making great deals.

Every Monday it's a different color that goes for around a dollar. It doesn't matter if it's a leather couch or a rusty sauce pan, if it's the right color you get it for a dollar. The days leading up to Monday they will usually have the item at 50% off, but there is always plenty to choose from if your there early enough.

To make sure you get good stuff you should be there when the store opens. Most likely there's a long line, so get there 15 minutes early for a head start. Then go directly to the department what you are interested in is located, and browse through for the right color. It's also a good idea to look around in the furniture department as very often they have both dressers and couches for a dollar, especially if they initially were marked with a high price.

There are a few dirty tricks you can pull if there's something you really want, but is afraid someone else might get to before you. Go there on Sunday, and "hide" the item somehow. It can be in between some really old sheets or even hang it on the same hanger as something you doubt will sell. This way if you rush there early Monday morning, chances are you'll get what you want. It might be a dirty trick, but it's not against any rules in the store.