Setting Up Shop on a Budget: Recommended Thrift Store Finds

 

I am all about being thrifty here when it comes to setting up my playroom and I felt similarly when I had a formal classroom to set up as well. I shared my list of recommended dollar store finds yesterday and there are still some things that I suck it up and pay full price for when I can (or stick on a wish list for special occasions). That being said, many things can be purchased secondhand at a thrift store, garage or estate sale and now on websites like Facebook Marketplace or community groups like Curbside Pickup. 

I especially like shopping secondhand shops. It's a sense of adventure walking into a place where you have no idea what you'll find on any given day! It's also a great way to keep useful things from ending up in our landfills while saving money at the same time. I also think it teaches children a great lesson in reducing, reusing, recycling and re-purposing when they join in on the adventure. It is also helpful when they can come at it from the other end and donate clothing and toys that they are no longer using. Many thrift stores support agencies, families and people with a variety of needs and this can be something to look into when you are choosing where to shop.

So here is my list of recommended thrift store finds to keep your eyes peeled for. It is by no means a complete list and I am always randomly thinking of and discovering new ideas when it comes to using secondhand items in a playroom or classroom...

Whereas I do not recommend skimping on toys for the most part at a dollar store or otherwise due to poor quality and short shelf life, I do recommend making use of secondhand shops for gently used toys, especially vintage ones! I have found very valuable cabbage patch dolls for a few bucks at a thrift store just around the corner from my home, and while I'm in it for the nostalgia more than the monetary value, scouting out thrift stores for toys from when I was growing up is a fun activity for my kids as well. They love seeing and playing with the toys their mommy and tatty played with as little kids!

I've also found more recently manufactured toys like Legos, magnetiles/magniformers, Melissa & Doug sets, various manipulatives and building toys, blocks, toy food and dishes, barbie dolls, baby dolls, new/like new puppets and stuffed animals, character toys/figurines, Playmobile sets, and many other popular toys for kids of all ages and stages sitting in like new or even brand new condition on thrift store shelves. Active play equipment like tunnels, parachutes, tents and sporting equipment can also be purchased secondhand.

I have found that the quality of Legos new and used is no different, especially when it comes to supporting a huge imagination with an equally huge stash of blocks to build with. Lego, Duplo, Mega Blocks and similar items can definitely be purchased secondhand. And when it comes to things like Barbie or the up-charge in a big box store for a Disney character my kid may or may not like in a few years (or months), I'd rather go secondhand here, too. When it comes to plastic toys, even larger ones like kitchen sets, shopping carts, riding toys with a short shelf life before they are outgrown, etc, thrift stores are great! It keeps that plastic from the landfill for at least a little longer. Our old kitchen set just moved on to its third (at least) home. 

I like to bring my kids along with me once in a while (though admittedly not every time I go). I let them each pick out one thing (and set a budget). You must be fully prepared to "steer" them in the "right" direction and also for the aftermath of when they choose something you don't prefer (like a noisy toy and lights up and still has batteries!). But sometimes, they will find a total treasure (like when I thought S found a piece of junk that was really an expensive programmable robot building set). I do make sure that my kids are gentle and careful in the store and look with their eyes before asking to use their hands. If a thrift store is particularly crowded and stocked to the brim with breakable antiques, this may not be the one to bring your kids to. The one I usually take my kids to has a separate space with toys and very friendly staff.

S has been enamored with maps since learning about
and coloring in the map of the United States. He was
thrilled with this world atlas and especially when
we discovered a huge poster inside with a map of the
United States, which now hangs proudly in the kids' room!

Books are a great thing to purchase secondhand. If you can find them online that way, great! The thrift store is another great way to go. I have collected some great children's books, gardening books, cook books, coffee table books, art books and more for very cheap.
Also be on the lookout for children's books that may be out of print or vintage children's books with particularly lovely illustrations. Even books that have damage to them or less preferable story lines but beautiful pictures can be used to create paper dolls and story telling props by cutting out and laminating pictures. I would have a very hard time cutting up a book that is in good condition, but ones that are in poor condition and old magazines are sold very cheaply or even given away at secondhand shops and libraries and these can be great for collage. We have found amazing atlases, books about science and nature, animals, travel and places around the world--these are all great finds for curious minds. I especially treasure ones with photographs. Non-fiction books like this can also be used in dramatic play settings to encourage a print rich environment. Art books and books about artists can accompany an atelier or art shelf. Cookbooks can be a great addition to a kitchen set. Classics are classics are classics. Thrift stores are a fabulous place to round out your Beatrix Potter collection, your Little House series and any of your other favorite novels.

Clothing is often something most people think of when they go thrift store shopping and we have found some good things that way, too, for actual use or dress up--but here are some of the less obvious finds I keep my eyes peeled for:

Art supplies like embroidery hoops, sewing notions, yarn, oil or chalk pastels and other artist quality materials, knitting needles, crochet hooks, rubber stamps and even easels can be found at thrift stores. I don't use a sewing machine and cannot vouch for it, but I know others have found them secondhand. Fabric remnants and even clothing/linens to use for the purpose of re-purposing are great when purchased secondhand.

Speaking of linens-- I do not generally go for sheets, blankets or towels secondhand but I do go for cloth napkins secondhand. We have pretty much gone paperless when it comes to napkins here (aside from the occasional party or celebration). I keep a basket of mismatched cloth napkins and about once a year, I toss any that are badly stained or falling apart and replace with some "new" secondhand napkins. I also keep my eyes open for lovely vintage linens, doilies, aprons, tablecloths, etc. They don't make 'em like they used to--especially handmade items. 

 When it comes to setting up my outdoor spaces, I like secondhand finds like this toy grill for a mud kitchen and a variety of metal and tin cooking accessories to go with it. Dramatic play about cooking--whether it is indoors or outside, is so much more fun with "real" objects. I have stocked my kids' kitchen set here with "real" tea sets, dishes, bowls, pots and pans, candle sticks, cloth napkins and tablecloths, silverware, utensils, and even some "toy" dishes and accessories purchased secondhand. When introducing fragile items to children for play (like porcelain tea sets and dishes), I love the thrift store as a go-to option. If an item is broken, as will inevitably happen at one time or another, you have not lost a family heirloom and you can also find some good "transitional" objects like silver/metal tea sets and such.

 Items found in kitchen wares and home goods at the thrift store can be used inside, outside, for storage, for display, for set up and for dramatic play and even sensory play. I am ever on the lookout for

• wooden salad bowl sets
• unique tin, metal, copper and silver dishes, pots, pans and utensils
• beautiful tea sets and accessories
• pretty silverware in small sizes
• mortars and pestles 
• trays
• tin boxes
• costume jewelry
• old/vintage suitcases for dramatic play and dress up storage
• scarves for dressing up dolls and people
• other clothes for unique dress up items--I am cautious with hats/head-wear and I like to launder and/or ziplock bag or dryer treat anything made from cloth (including stuffed animals/puppets) before use
• real instruments from around the world
• interesting art and artifacts from other countries and cultures
• old phones, computer keyboards, typewriters, and similar electronics, etc. for dramatic play and even for tinkering/taking apart
• small bowls, tiny baskets, interesting jars and containers for art, sensory play, etc.
• wooden utensils in a variety of sizes for sensory play
• cookie cutters for playdough, clay and paint printing

 And when it comes to storing and setting this stuff up...

THRIFT STORE BASKETS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND! Baskets can be expensive and I love their look and versatility. Indoors they last for quite a while. Outdoors, they last for a few years before returning to the earth. I love finding baskets secondhand. You can usually tell by the feel of it how well a basket is made. They are also great for transporting materials and giving gifts.


I also like purchasing interesting tote bags and large purses or duffel bags secondhand. They are so useful for shopping, storing, transporting things and even using as gift wrap (even better if the gift is also secondhand or made by hand)! Now with so many grocery chains and cities doing away with single use plastics, reusable bags are a must for every shopper and what's a more economical and environmentally friendly way to acquire those than secondhand?

Furniture for storage and play is another great thing to purchase secondhand. I created our current kitchen play set from a $10 piece of re-furbished furniture, and aside from the hassle of getting it into and out of my van, it has been beyond worth every penny. You can find secondhand classroom furniture at thrift stores every so often as well--think book shelves, high quality wooden kitchen sets, doll furniture, desks/small tables and chairs, child sized rocking chairs, easels, train tables, etc. You might also think a bit outside the box and look in the "grown up" furniture section for items that can be used in a different setting or re-furbished for use in a playroom or classroom.

Be on the lookout for quality tools, gardening supplies, unique artwork/decor, vases and the like. Sometimes you might even fall in love with a beautiful frame even if you aren't in love with the current artwork inside. You can use it to frame your own art or to hang/display children's art. We keep a strictly kosher home, so buying dishes and cookware secondhand is not something we'd do for our kitchen. For play, it is a great option and for those who can use it in their actual kitchens, thrift stores are a great place to shop for high quality items like cast iron and the like.

Many thrift stores are connected to places of worship or agencies affiliated with schools and childcare. I have found amazing teaching resources secondhand and classroom items ranging from furniture (as mentioned earlier) to math manipulatives, resource books, games, globes, maps and more. 

It is ever so tempting these days to shop with one click of the finger and have your purchase show up two days later. It is also expensive and it is also not always the ideal way to care for our environment and resources. When I can, I love to make use of secondhand options and thrift store shopping is a great way to do this right in your own community. Now if only I were that good at actually getting my own donations from the trunk of the car to the thrift shop...

Happy, Thrifty Playing!