Back-To-School with Goodwill

For back-to-school shopping (like at any time of the year), I am constantly on the lookout for deals. Whether it’s a great coupon, free shipping offer, online community purchasing deal, or some other way to keep more of our hard-earned money, I’m IN. That mindset also steers me to garage sales and thrift stores where kids’ clothes, especially, are a great find!

Goodwill of Central Florida invited me to do some shopping for my 2nd grader with $25 in gift cards (find out how you can win yours below). As a third-generation recycler and “upcycler” (new term for old habit of re-purposing something others have lost use for), I was only happy to stop by to hunt for clothes for my fast-growing boy.

First up: Gather items WE no longer need. On the way in, my granny (90-years-old!) pushed the cart that carried our 3 bags full of stuff that no longer fit, or were not what we wanted anymore (including a wok she bought and used one time…. It just wasn’t “right” for her, so she donated it.) There are lots of new items at thrift stores!

Next, go in with a mission: For us, we needed to find clothes for field trips, soccer class, everyday, and “formal.” (My son likes to “dress” for dinner sometimes, and can often be seen in a suit and tie “just because.”) As homeschoolers, our back-to-school list is decidedly less extensive than traditional needs, but we do have to get all the usual items, as he’s growing out of his clothes quicker than I can buy them. That is, coincidentally, one of the reasons I buy second-hand—kids grow out of clothes so fast that oftentimes you can get something practically brand new for cents on the dollar.

So what did we find? For $25 we bought:

• 2 long-sleeve dress shirts
• 2 tee shirts
• 2 collared everyday shirts
• 3 pairs of shorts
• 3 books
• art supplies

Prices ranged from 74 cents for a collared shirt (it was the “color of the week” so it was half-off the original $1.49!) to $3.49 for shorts. The dress shirts (worn once if they were worn at all) were 2.99 apiece.

Insider tip: Look for the color of the week tags first. Then, if you don’t find what
you’re after, go back and look through the other items.

Are you a budget-conscious parent looking for a great way to buy back-to-school clothes? Enter this giveaway by clicking on the Rafflecopter photo at left. Maybe you’ll win $25 in gift cards to shop for your kiddos! Good luck!

Leave a comment below for one entry, or add more by Tweeting and if YOU have a cool find, post it on Instagram (details at the Rafflecopter link). Goodwill and other thrift stores have amazing deals on furniture, housewares and adult clothing too. And YES, they even have wedding gowns. I bought my vintage 1940s gown online and consider it my very best second-hand deal! can’t wait to see what cool stuff you find or have found in the past.