Goodwill of North Florida – Summer for Less
It’s hard to believe it but Memorial Day weekend has come and gone –and the unofficial start of summer is here. Those looking to maximize summer fun on a minimal budget should add secondhand or thrifting to their seasonal shopping game. You can save up to 80% off prices from big box retailers, and with every purchase from a gift store like Goodwill, you are keeping items from landfills so it’s sustainable, too. Goodwill of North Florida has some Summer for Less shopping tips:
Shop the Top of the Racks. Don’t sleep on the items that are displayed on top of the clothing racks – many home goods are merchandised there that kind of overflow the shelves. And they are usually sorted by color, so you never know what you’ll find.
Shop by Color and Theme. For summer entertaining like platters, glasses, plates and more for summer bbqs, picnics, parties, try shopping by color and theme to find pieces that will work together all season long. For example, on a recent shop we found an 8-piece set of melamine, watermelon-patterned plates and salad plates for just $5.99, which is less than you’d pay for disposable. We paired it with this big, green palm print serving tray that isn’t matchy matchy but it works together.
Shop for Vacation Staples. Secondhand and thrift stores are also a great resource for travel essentials like suitcases, make up bags, beach bags, books for summer reading, cover ups for pool/beach, hats and more.
Shop for Beach Days. For days at the beach or pool, check out thrift stores for cover ups and hats and all the things. Here’s a tip – for women’s cover ups, look really well in the dress and blouse sections. Oversized blouses and some dress styles look really chic as a cover up. You can always find a great beach bag or tote to fill with great beach reads, too. Sift through the shelves and you’ll find newly released books and paperbacks for a fraction of the retail price.
Shop For A Rainy Day. Goodwill is a perfect spot to shop for a summer “Rainy Day Emergency Box” with items like puzzles, games, DVDs, costumes to play dress up for kids and more. We found brand new, never opened puzzles, games, arts and crafts and more. All for about $20.
Shop Weekly Tag Sales. Finally, don’t overlook the sale tags. Save even more when you shop the week’s colored tag sale and save an additional 40%.
On top of the savings you’ll discover when you shop thrift, take a minute and appreciate not only the fact that you’ve just saved a bunch of money, you’re repurposing items and keeping them out of landfills. For more information, please visit www.goodwilljax.org.