Prairie Eco-Thrifter

DECEMBER 16, 2013

Use paper drop cloth to wrap. If you are like me, you have old material or clothing that is no longer loved or needed. Shop garage sales and thrift stores and estate sales. Three years ago, I bought a bag of new holiday ribbons that would have cost me upwards of $50 if I had purchased them from a retail store.

Thrifty 174

Thrifty Christmas Gifts Thrift Stores 174

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JULY 23, 2014

riding lawn mowers, garage door openers and many, many more things we take for granted today. Ours was smaller (about 700 square feet) – 2 bedrooms (my brother and I shared one and my parents the other), a kitchen and a living room, No basement or garage. There were no garage door openers. There was no polyester clothing.

Growing 180

Growing Home and Garden Radios Kids and Family 180

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

APRIL 3, 2013

Clothing is cheap, sewing is not. We tend to throw away clothing instead of mending it and we count on cheap overseas labor to keep manufactured clothing easily affordable. There are many crafters, clothing designers and beginning savers who sew. and she makes all her own clothes”. To custom design and hand tailor.

Sewing 201

Sewing Sewing Machines Machines Saving Money 201

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MAY 23, 2017

But, in college, I spent my summer earnings – on clothes, on a used car and on school activities. As a young mom, I saved like mad – going to garage sales, thrift stores and accepting hand me downs on toys and clothing. Over my life, I have been primarily a saver.

Making 124

Making Recession College 401K 124

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

We have accumulated a lot of stuff – lose screws, highly prized collectibles, everyday essentials, clothes that ‘might fit again someday’, tools, children’s artwork, food stuffs and more. Store food in the kitchen or as close to it as possible. I carried this idea to our garage. Label where things go.

Organic 177

Organic Organization Home Painting 177

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MARCH 17, 2013

He built his own garage. At garage sales, are you attracted to those still usable but slightly defective items that no one else wants? He made his own electric lawnmower. He fixed his own car. He was a trained radio and TV repairman, when those had tubes. I wish he was still around. I’ve got a lot of things that need fixing!

Repairs 214

Repairs San Francisco Radios Garage 214

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JUNE 1, 2015

I use old casual office clothes to work around the house. I have a closet full of work clothes I wore to the office for 20 years, mostly casual slacks and blouses. Now I need gardening, housework and other casual type clothing. I hate buying clothes new. I wash my dry cleanable clothing by hand and line dry it.

Frugal 100

Frugal Cheap Clothes Clothing 100

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

APRIL 11, 2016

Garage sale and thrift store furniture bargains abound. Often older cloth furniture retains the smells from its prior life. Furniture with cloth components can also harbor things you don’t want to even think about. Dealing with smaller cloth items. Ways to save on furniture. No one wants smelly goods!

Re-use 100

Re-use Used Furniture Furniture Recycle 100

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

OCTOBER 30, 2015

My favorite thrift store has a section dedicated to seasonal items. A couple of days ago on one of my visits, I noticed 2 entire clothing racks filled with Halloween costumes and/or clothing items. The number and variety of Halloween items in this thrift store surprised me.

Halloween 100

Halloween Thrift Stores St. Louis Thrifting 100

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

DECEMBER 22, 2013

However, I wait until spring and summer to buy decorations – and get them at garage sales. Winter clothes. Stores also stock up on gift sets with cosmetics for the holidays and may need to move it fast in January. I always shop for Christmas wrapping paper, gift tags, boxes and really nice ornaments the week after Christmas.

Buy 223

Buy Buying Consignment Shops TVs 223

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

FEBRUARY 13, 2017

We especially need essential stuff, like food, water, shelter, heat, clothing, defensive and offensive protection. Cradles, cribs, play pens, changing tables, strollers, high chairs, diapers, diaper bags, car seats, baby clothes and TOYS TOYS TOYS and more TOYS. Humans need stuff. We need stuff to survive.

Cycle 113

Cycle Kids and Family Friends And Family Sale Garage Sale 113

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MARCH 3, 2014

Fashion changes and new or nearly new clothing gets sold at sales or donated to charity. Here is a short list of some of my favorite finds at garage, estate and thrift store sales. I used it for years and sold it – for $25 – last summer in my own garage sale. My ribbon however came from a garage sale.

Buy 178

Buy Buying Garage Sale Garage 178

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MAY 12, 2013

This is what I did and the job was much bigger than I thought so, come bed time, the bed was still under a pile of clothing! Have a big box ready to take the throw-away items and another for anything that is good enough to go to the local thrift store. So, start small; pull out one drawer and empty the contents. Do I need it?

Making 238

Making Work Occasions Pace 238

Saving Cents With Sense

MARCH 8, 2013

If you have kids, purchasing used or discounted clothing and toys is a great way to save money. You can find lightly used clothes and toys at garage sales or thrift stores to save as much as 90 percent off retail, according to LivingOnADime.com, a site dedicated to frugal living.

Frugal 75

Frugal Family Student Thrift Stores 75