Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with thrift

Sweet November Rain: Help with a Slash Costume

stratastar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:41:10 -0800

Sympathy for the Devil: Help me complete my Halloween costume - Slash from Guns & Roses! Local (DC) availability is key... So I have a wig, top hat, torn jeans and a few other elements I've added. I'm planning on stenciling a copy of his shoulder tatoo but I can handle that.

The only items that I'm in need of are:

-old grimey 80s style t-shirt. I was thinking a thrift store, but am not familiar with them in DC.
- reasonably priced ornaments, namely chains/necklaces/rings. I have asked around and was pointed to Hot Topic and stores like that...not sure I'd want to go that route unless absolutely necessary.
- place to pickup cool fake tattoos. Most of the halloween stores I have walked into have lame hentai or kiddie tats. I need something with some edge!

These items have to be available in dc. Bonus points for metro accessibility!

Thanks for helping Slash walk into the Paradise City!

Used clothes in Detroit

lolo341 — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:42:34 -0800

What are your favorite used clothing/thrift stores in the Detroit metro area and/or Ann Arbor?

Philly Thrift Stores

god particle — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:58:35 -0800

What are some good thrift stores in Philly that go beyond just clothing? What are some good thrift stores in Philly that carry more than just clothing? Things like old electronics would be cool, but specifically I'm looking for thrift stores that might potentially have musical instruments such as toy pianos or old keyboards or even oscillators. I'd prefer to stick to the city but I'm not opposed to going out to the Main Line, since I know there are some thrift stores there (but I haven't been).

Feel free to also list Philly thrift stores that only deal in clothing but are great, since I'd like to know about those also.

Froogal Livin'

ian1977 — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:32:16 -0800

What are your favorite links for frugal living/frugality websites? I really enjoy perusing frugal living websites. I've found a few great ones such as, Frugal Dad, zenhabits, Wise Bread...but I want more.

So, what are your favorite frugal living websites? They don't necessarily have to be a strictly frugal living website, it could also be a website that facilitates your own quest for frugality.

A thousand thank yous.

Ich möchte ein Fernsehen, bitte!

ElectricBlue — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:32:35 -0800

Where can I find a cheap, tiny TV in NRW, Germany? I'm in Germany (in NRW, about an hour or so from Düsseldorf), and I really want to watch German television. I think it would do wonders for my comprehension skills. Unfortunately, I have a bandwidth limit in my apartment--no streaming channels for me!

My apartment is several floors up and a decent hike away from the nearest bus stop. I am also a wimp. Therefore, I need the TV to be tiny. Since I am moving back to the US in several months, I don't want the TV to be really expensive. My goal is roughly 20-30 Euro.

What kinds of places should I look? Is there a Goodwill or Salvation Army-type store that I should check out? So far, I haven't had luck at my local flea market. Also, Saturn's TVs are ridiculously out of my range.

If anyone could supply and search terms or store chains, that would be wonderful!

Thanks in advance. :)

Kludges for the common man

collectallfour — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:03:00 -0800

What accommodations have you made for not-quite-fully-functional gadgetry? You know the kind of thing I’m talking about: that microwave door you open with a tuning fork, or the childhood TV you had to whack with a shoe every thirty seconds to keep the picture coming in clear. Or the cellphone that’s sort of cracked in half but works just fine as long as you remember to squeeze it together whenever you make a call. Something you own is broken, but not completely. Not if you’re willing to accommodate its idiosyncracies. And maybe, in the end, you spend far more time pandering to, say, your half-baked toaster oven than you would have spent replacing the damn thing. (But you just can’t bring yourself to go without.)

I’m writing an essay and I’m looking for stories about these kinds of accommodations. Are you codependent with your clothes dryer? Inappropriately invested in your coffeepot? Did you stay in a relationship with your GPS for far too long? What kept you from breaking up? Was it the cost? Sentimental value? Laziness? A sense of obstinate thrift, even if you could afford to replace it? Eco-considerations? A desire to thwart a manufacturer that won’t make repairs, because they want to force you to upgrade? Tell me!

The New York Times had a recent article about low-tech fixes for high-tech problems. These are great, but not quite what I’m looking for: I want stories about ongoing accommodations to the slightly-broken, rather than one-time DIY fixes.

Alternately, if you’ve got links to articles or studies about technological dependence or planned obsolescence (I’ve seen this post), hit me up—and thanks!

Looking for rural blogging

Sijeka — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:08:10 -0800

I'm looking for pretty/ interesting blogs about homesteading and living in rural areas I'd like to read personal blogs about life in rural parts of the world - think Prince Edward Island in Canada, or Alaska, or central Missouri... the location doesn't really matter. I like blogs combining personal stories, everyday photographs, recipes and specific knowledge (i.e how to make jam, or how to butcher your chickens, what have you).

A couple of blogs I already enjoy are Meanwhile across town, Tiny farm blog, Throwback at trapper creek and Down to earth.

Bonus point for blogs also involving food politics, personal/feminist politics, and left politics as well, but I'm not picky.

Where can I sell used clothes in Chicago?

Elminster24 — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:38:55 -0800

Thrift Filter: Where can I sell old clothes (slightly worn) in Chicago (preferably in/near East Lakeview) and how much can I expect to get for them? I have a huge suitcase full of clothes (mostly tshirts and some pants) that no longer fit me. They've slightly used, and many are luxury designer brands. Rather than just donate them, I'd like to try to sell them to raise some money to put towards my fall wardrobe which is very sparse.

Please recommend some places in Chicago (preferably in/near East Lakeview since I live near the Belmont Redline stop) that I can go to sell these.

Also, as I've never done this before...what is the process like? Do I just show up with a suitcase full of clothing and ask them to appraise it? How much can I expect to get for things (I understand its a bit hard to know this over the net but any first hand experience would be appreciated)?

Buy. Sell. Trade.

sixcolors — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:31:58 -0800

Interested in buying and then selling stuff. I am running into two (and I assume, very common) problems. 1. The high quality stuff I find tends to be too expensive to buy. 2. The cheap stuff I find is really crappy. I know in order to make money, you need to buy low and sell high. But, this seems a LOT easier in theory than in practice! What am I doing wrong? I am interested in selling video games, dvds, CDs/tapes/records, magazines, and books. I am also interested in selling vintage collectibles and jewelry.

I search thrift stores and pawn shops, and have little luck in finding quality items. When I do, it is too expensive. I don't know much about garage sales, is there a way I can find out who's having one? Are there any other places that I should check? Any other methods I should use? Any other items I should try selling?

I'd prefer to sell things through ebay, but craigslist is an option also. I heard of people selling things through resale shops, but I heard that it is really hard to make money that way.

Help me cut costs without feeling the pinch.

HotPatatta — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:38:28 -0800

Obvious or creative--shameless or shady, even!--ways to cut costs and live cheap? Be creative; I'll determine the ethicality on my own.

get behind the thrift store

msconduct — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:51:07 -0800

i'm heading to birmingham, alabama from new orleans to see tom waits at the alabama theater next thursday (yea!). my compadre & i would like to hit some thrift stores along the way. anyone have any good recommendations for thrifty places along i-59 between these two cities? thanks. bonus for anyone who can recommend a good hotel/motel that doesn't cost an arm & a leg. and thanks to ScottUltra who posted this link to the thrift store directory in a previous question.

Bargain Shopping!

divabat — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:46:06 -0800

I love Velvet Garden and have been stalking LJ sales communities for bargains. Where else can I find cheap but good thrift/second hand shopping sites online? (Doesn't have to be clothes.) I've fallen into the thrift shopping trap and I'm not sure I want to get out of it just yet. It's quite fun to find things that suit me for far cheaper than I'll find elsewhere (particularly in my style and size). So far I've used Velvet Garden, GothAuctions, Etsy, eBay, and various Livejournal communities, but would like to know of more resources.

What other websites are great with thrift/second hand shopping? Some details of what I'm looking for:

* Accepts Paypal (eCheques mainly) or Australian bank transfer
* Inexpensive shipping to Australia (I don't mind if it's slow)
* Reliable, preferably with a way to check feedback

Types of shops:
* Clothes/makeup/accessories: I'm open to anything, but my tastes run on the mainstream end of gothic/geeky/businessy/saloon girl. Particularly looking for clothes for US12/UK14-16/L (too big for normal, too small for plus size). LOVE hair stuff and glitter.
* Books: Second hand's great; as long as it's readable it's fine. Prefer non-fiction.
* Also like crafts, creative stuff, anything that helps people
* Others: I don't tend to actively search for anything else unless it's a gift, but I'm open to suggestions.

Recommendations for specific sellers on eBay/Etsy/LJ/etc are welcome too.

thank you!

Real Genius 2.0?

hypersloth — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:20:57 -0800

Is there a online repository for ongoing consumer contests? As in "every purchase is a chance to win." Lately, instead of "one free soda" or "please try again" underneath the bottlecap, it's an alphanumeric string to enter at their site to see if it wins. I first noticed the online shift when McDonald's expanded their Monopoly game so that there were more chances to win. Now I see it all the time in junk mail.
It suddenly occurred to me that I've literally thrown away millions of chances to win whatever by not bothering with tons of whatever, because we all know the law requires:
"No Purchase Necessary"
So, I guess I'm thinking of the movie Real Genius here (except Laslo wasn't online!)
I know there are coupon-tracking sites; does anyone know of a no-purchase-necessary forum/wiki/something which saves consumers from actually having to consume first?

Vintage Stamps for Face Value

bonheur — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 09:57:28 -0800

Where can I buy vintage, valid US postage stamps for face value or near face value? I like crafting my own greeting cards and mailing them to family and friends. I've pretty much exhausted the postage options currently available at the post office. I'd like to find vintage stamps (like, say, from the '60s and '70s) that are still valid postage, and use several at a time on the letters I send out (to, of course, total up to the current postage rate or a few cents over).
I've looked on eBay and elsewhere online, but it's hard to find usable vintage stamps for face value mixed in with "Stamp Collecting" stuff where a 1 cent stamp might cost $10 or much more.
I'm even willing to buy a "mixed bag" of older but still valid stamps from a stamp dealer-- but how? Who? Where? Please help!

Antiques/thrifts off I-95 near Philly?

citron — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 07:11:45 -0800

DC to Philly road trip - Any recommendations for neat antique or thrift stores along the way (ie, not far off I-95)? I am planning to drive basically a straight shot up there on 95, and have to pick up an item at 2, so I prefer not to veer too far off an exit.

I'm looking for unique furniture, vintage clothes, maybe a cool lamp.. Just basically any place you might find something neat at a cheap price.

Undiscovered thrift stores near DC?

mistsandrain — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 07:44:27 -0800

DC and surrounding area thrift store filter: I am willing to drive into rural MD or VA to find second hand/ thrift/ junk stores that have not been picked over- I am looking to buy mismatched dinnerware pieces and silver. Any recommendations? Hidden treasure troves? I am looking to rebuild my bohemian-ish stoneware kitchen set lost to divorce....

Selling my clothes in Portland, Oregon

yodelingisfun — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 23:30:42 -0800

Any good places to sell used clothing/shoes in Portland, Oregon besides the Buffalo Exchange? I have a TON of shoes and lots and lots of clothes. Since I am moving to Denver so very soon, I'm trying to unload some stuff and get some extra money. I went to Buffalo Exchange already today and they took all the vinyl stuff, go figure but now I have lots of more regular stuff I'd like to try and sell. Everything is in great shape I just have no idea where to take it all. I do know that I am pretty much not hipster enough to go to Redlight which is the only other place I know. Any suggestions from Portland people?

Op-shops in Brisbane/Gold Coast?

teststrip — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 18:10:30 -0800

Does anyone know where the good op shops/thrift/vintage stores are in Brisbane or the Gold Coast, Australia? Long shot, but I'd love to go have a rummage! I'm staying at Broadbeach if that helps, but I'm willing to travel. Does Byron Bay have many of these stores?

Looking for some thrifty threads

charlesroper — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 18:56:01 -0800

Know of any good thrift stores in/around Portland, OR? I know there are plenty of Salvation Army and Goodwill stores, but I'm looking for something that's unique to the area. Think "Powell's" . . . but for clothes, furniture, and other random items of interest!

Best places to find hoodies in NYC?

Mikey-San — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:59:14 -0800

Where can I find the awesomest hoodies in NYC? I like hoodies, and it's starting to become long-sleeve weather. Where can I find the neatest designs and/or cheapest threads without venturing to the Internet? Got any favourite thrift shops?

Think Ink

jtron — Tue, 16 May 2006 09:41:43 -0800

I need a reliable, cheap online source for printer ink. Where should I go? I was buying from InkDaddy these last couple years but their site's been down for a few days, and I'm out of Magenta. I have a Canon Pixma iP4200; where's the cheap ink at? No links to sketchy greymarket Brooklyn camera shops, please. Low price, reliability, and fast shipping are all pluses.

What's the best thrift store in New York?

sirion — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 12:37:46 -0800

What's the best thrift store (for men) in New York?

Moving a music studio.

The White Hat — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 11:41:09 -0800

Cheaply moving instruments, a PA, and an Amplifier from DC to PA. So I've got two guitars, a mandolin, an accordion, a PA system, a largeish guitar amp, a good amount of recording equipment, and a suitcase of personal effects that need to travel with me to Philly from DC on December 19th or thereabouts. It's too much stuff for greyhound, flight, or amtrak, and my craigslist rideshare post is turning up nothing. I'm trying to minimize cost, and the cheapest thing I've found so far is a $164 U-haul. Any suggestions for a cheaper move?

Note: Can't mail the stuff either, not enough time.

Things to do in Chatanooga

Penguin — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 06:48:28 -0800

Will be spending three weeks in Chattanooga. Whats good? Whats interesting? Whats to see? Where to shop? Enjoy thrift shops. Where are the good ones?