Yesterday, The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird and I stopped by our local thrift store to look around when we noticed a bunch of play kitchens and tool benches for kids for sale.
The price tags on the toys were a fraction of what they would cost brand new {with a box} from Amazon or any other retailer. Now I haven’t bought these types of toys in a long time, but when I did, I always picked up these sorts of things during garage sale season and stashed them away for Christmas for my kids.
My husband would tell me I was being cheap, and that I should just buy our kids their toys at the Toy Store like everyone else, but I never listened.
Afterall, if I was going to give my child a play kitchen, tool bench or even a dollhouse for Christmas, I sure wouldn’t leave it in a the box under the tree. So what would be the point of spending 10x as much on a toy, just so I could have the box? It’s a toy after all, and after one use, umm it’s used. Right?
The way I see it, if a toy is in excellent condition, and it’s something you were thinking about purchasing for your child anyway, why on earth would you pay more?
There are these cool things called soap and water. And they work really well.
So do your pocketbook a favor, check your local thrift store before you invest in a big hunk of plastic this winter, who knows, you may end up saving yourself a ton of dough.
~Mavis
P.S. Am I off my rocker here? Have you ever bought your child a used toy before, or am I just a tad bit too thrifty?
Amy says
I think it makes perfect sense to buy things used for children. They get bored and grow out of things so quickly, what’s the point of buying new? For the past two years, my sons Halloween costumes have been from the local thrift store. It’s awesome! He sure doesn’t mind either.
Amy says
Oh, we also go weekly to get new books. There are tons of brand new children’s books for under a dollar. If the child is bookworm like mine is, it’s a great way to saves money.
Becca says
I don’t celebrate holidays, but I don’t mind getting toys second hand. My mom found a toy kitchen with some dishes for cheap on craigslist for my daughters 2nd birthday & dd has had a ton of fun with it. My sisters & I do toy swaps so at least to the younger kids it feels like they get “new” toys.
Veronica says
I also shop for christmas at the dollar store. I have since my dad had a really crappy job one year and we were broke. that was one crappy year, 4/$1 mac and cheese 3 times a week-bad. still I got some pretty good gifts there, including a drywall saw!
Bobbi B says
Did I buy my kids used toys? I think the question is why would you possibly buy new toys for kids? My kids didn’t have a clue that toys came in packaging until they were pretty old. Especially when you are talking about toys that have had to pass some pretty stringent safety requirements like a big plastic toy house or car. Of course, you have to really LOOK at the used product and make sure that it is in good condition. Then when I got it home I would really clean it off and sanitize it. Truly, I was able to be a stay at home mom because I bought used. Would I have traded my time with my kids for packaging and never-before-worn clothes? NEVER! I started my blog many years ago because my friends would tell me how “lucky” I was to be able to stay home. I told them that luck didn’t have a thing to do with it. I made many financial and life decisions that made it possible for me to stay home. It would only take me about 30 minutes to get so deeply in debt that I couldn’t stay home. My blog was to educate my friends on how to live frugally. My motto: “Friends don’t let friends pay retail.”
Kayley says
One Christmas when I was 6 or 7 years old, I received a used play kitchen much like the one in your photo. My parents made no secret of the fact that it was used, and I couldn’t have cared less. I loved that kitchen so much, and I even liked the idea that another little girl had played with the same kitchen. I used to wonder what she “cooked.” 🙂
Laura says
My two youngest were born only a bit more than 2 years apart, and they had so many toys. Way too many toys! Because I bought them used. They had those big kitchens and work benches. They had huge cardboard boxes of dress up, and puppets. Once we all sat on the floor in a Goodwill rummaging through a box to find all the cards to an electronic toy.
For big toys, you’re right, they are taken out of the boxes, and assembled, so why buy new?
You look like you have a really nice Goodwill, the toys are so clean.
Cecily says
I buy some used toys at the thrift store, but I am pretty picky about what. Some of them have been recalled and it can be hard to find out information on them. I buy stuffed animals for my rat terrier since there is no way I am going to pay 12 bucks for a stuffed toy at the pet store that she is just going to destroy in 2 days.
Sheila M. says
I will admit to buying toys at the thrift store and giving them to my kids for Christmas when they were little. At the time (not sure if it is still possible) Little Tikes offered replacement stickers for sale. I ordered new stickers for the knobs, stove burners, etc. and the toy looked new. Now that the kids are teen age and older, we still buy an occasional board game, books, and clothing. I had to resist buying a bag full of Legos not too long ago…..no more young kids in my house, but it became a habit to look for certain toys.
Sheila M. says
….one more thing. My daughter found an older model graphing calculator (TI-83) for $3.99 a month ago. Totally worth it.
Cathy says
We buy tons of used toys and clothes for the grandchildren at goodwill, yard sales and get things via freecycle.
They know we get them stuff that way and are always excited when we get home from a yard sale run.
Birthday and Christmas gifts are the ‘cream of the crop’ of what we find – sometime still in boxes.
Jennifer says
Heck no! I do this all the time for my kids (1 & almost 3). Maybe they’re just too young to care but a toy is a toy, right? I feel the same about baby/kids clothes. New baby clothes are just frivolous to me but I sure appreciate the people who buy them new so I can buy used 🙂
Rachael says
If you’re willing to try it, Amazing things can be found at the Goodwill outlets. It’s crazy, like the most aggressive yard sale you’ve ever been to, but I’ve found $30 toys there, designer clothes, and it sells for $1.50/lb – less if you but 50 lbs or more. I found a crayola crayon maker at our regular goodwill with all the pieces in it for $5 this last week. It’s getting cleaned up and give to my oldest this year.
Ginger says
I didn’t know Goodwill had Outlets!!!! I have to look them up!
Jeananne Lybbert says
As soon as they play with the toy it’s technically “used” anyway. I wish I would have been smart enough to do this with my kids when they were little. I WILL do it for my grandkids some day though. What a fabulous way to get great toys and books and save enough money to give them experiences of travel, etc.
Jenn says
So I don’t have any children yet, but I have many, many nieces and nephews who are always at my house. So through the years if I have run across a good deal on a toy, I’ll buy it. However, there are also sometimes good toys that people are throwing out with the trash. I have found two Fisher Price tool benches that people are throwing away. A little scrubbing and they think they have something brand new. Would I do this for my own kids? Heck yeah. I’m all about saving a little dough when I can.
Ashley says
I’m a little weird on this one. I’m ridiculously cheap, but my kids’ Christmas and birthday gifts are brand new. I obviously shop around and usually pay less than half price for them all, but they’re new. The rest of the year, all their clothes come from thrift sales, they rarely get toys (if they do, they’re from thrift sales), the occasion Dollar Tree purchase is about the extent of us spending money on them. So for birthdays and Christmas we spoil them a little. They are getting tons of stuff this year and we’ve only spent $100 on each of them, so I definitely don’t feel like we’ve wasted money on new stuff.
Gotta say though, our thrift stores never have toys in nice shape like the ones in your pictures. And the prices at garage sales are crazy for big toys. Stuff that is not in good shape will be tagged for almost as much as a new one would be!
Jenni says
I’m with you sister! I too, purchased used toys, books and even clothes at the goodwill and consignment shops for my kiddos when they were little. Clean them up and they are just like new. I also used to sell clothing at consignment shops, a great way to recycle!
jody graves says
What a wonderful reminder! It also works really well for “Santa” gifts – Santa’s elves often clean up used toys at their workshop that other children aren’t using any more in addition to hand making toys (which is another way to save money …be an Elf)
Sarah says
I might be the odd one out here… but while I do shop at the Goodwill for things I can’t find anymore or a vase I’m only going to use one time. But I don’t buy toys or clothes there or anything there, in general, in November/December.
Why? Well. I can afford not to.
Here me out. I can afford not to shop there. Not everyone can afford not to. For me it feels like I’m taking that fabulous toy out of the hands of a little kid whose parents have to save up to shop at the Goodwill. Me wanting to save a few bucks, might take away from that child getting a toy from Santa that he wants. And that eats away at me. Anywho- that’s just what I do.
Elizabeth says
I just want to say thanks for sharing. I know I appreciate is and many others do as well. My family goes through periods where we have money to spare and times we don’t. We also don’t buy a lot for Christmas as it doesn’t mesh with our beliefs so I don’t shop thrift stores for that purpose. We donate heavily to our local Salvation Army because we know someone can use what we’re not because often we find things we need that we could not afford otherwise.
NLJ says
This was the rationale that kept me out of thrift stores when I had the earning power to do so (and wrongly imagined that I always would). I still believe it was the ethical choice during that time. Now bus fare to get to Goodwill seems like a frivolous expenditure, so it hardly matters. Such is life.
Karen says
I agree with this way of thinking. My 8 year old daughter is fortunate to have family that give her every thing she could ever want, so we just went thru her room a donated a whole trunk full to Savers. Feels good to de-clutter and donate!
Mavis says
Love that she donated!
Elizabeth says
Our entire little tykes outdoor collection came free (from in front of someone’s house), from friends or really cheap. We’ve gotten 2 play houses that people were just throwing out near my mother’s house 3 hrs away from me and transported them home.
My theory about second hand is as follows-if we don’t buy it, it’ll end up in a landfill (as much of it isn’t yet recyclable), I only buy things in great condition, clean it when you get it home, I don’t usually give them as gifts to others without the disclaimer of ‘second hand’ so they understand I didn’t spend a ton. We’ve added to our Lego, block, doll, etc collections this way.
I have to add that that’s the most amazing collection of toys at a thrift store (other than the Mommy n Me consignment shop in my town that specializes in kid stuff) that I’ve ever seen.
Krista says
The other huge advantage of buying those big toys used is that you don’t have to assemble them. Some of those toys take forever to put together. Buy them used and spend Christmas Eve relaxing, instead of putting toys together.
Peggy Ann says
Flying from Connecticut to that thrift store would probably be cheaper than buying that Barbie Dream House new and in a box.
Your thrift store is really beautiful. Most of the stores here carry a lot of junk that even cool things like soap and water could not spruce up. Maybe I need to start thirft shopping in better neighborhoods. I have been blessed to have a friend that often passes down clothing and toys from her girls to mine. Everything is in really great condition. I have saved many a item to give as birthday and Christmas presents. Things are kind of beyond tight this year. I don’t think my girls would mind if they were to get something that was nicely displayed under the tree that did not include a box.
Thanksgiving blessings to all.
Happy bargain hunting for the perfect gift for your loved ones.
And thank you Mavis for continuing to inspire us all.
Mavis Butterfield says
Happy Thanksgiving Peggy Ann. 🙂
Sophie says
My son is getting a bike for Christmas and you better believe we started looking for a used one first. We have searched for weeks and have not been able to get a good quality one for much less than retail, so we ended up buying the one we wanted on Amazon for about 30% less than the store and we will sell it when we are done with it to make some money back for his next bike. If I can buy used I will. I probably wouldn’t give something used as a gift outside of my immediate family, just because you never know how other people feel, but I definitely will for my kids. Half of the toys my 8 month old girls have are from shopping kids consignment/resale sales, garage sales, or craigslist. And they were all at least 75% off retail and like new after we cleaned them up. The other came from smokin hot coupon deals or amazon/kohl prices that were hard to beat. I have a co-worker who finds the most amazing clothes (like brand new) at some local Goodwill shops. This is a great reminder to check it out again.
Leanna says
Best free toy I ever got for my kids was a sit n spin. Cost me a dollar at a yard sale and six years later I sold it for a dollar at my yard sale. It was purple and I have boys they LOVED that toy.
Becka says
I have found many wonderful toys and gifts at thrift stores and yard sales. Just this week I found a brand new item that a little boy of my list will love with the original label for a fraction of the original price. I agree with the previous commenter who wrote that thrifting helps me afford to be able to stay home.
deb says
I am commenting on food waste in America. in our area (in NJ), the stores are not allowed to give away outdated/overripe food. They throw tons of perfectly usable food away everyday. My hubby used to work for a local supermarket and was shocked at how much food they waste. When throwing away the food they do not simply throw it out in the container. They actually empty out the contents, scan the empty container or pkg, then everything gets thrown in the dumpster. I guess they empty containers/plgs so ppl do not dumpster dive and try to use the food. Such a shame. I would love to be able to get some of that free food for ourselves and our animals.
deb
Tracie H says
Absolutely! I have already started stocking up for this year!!
Jess says
My mother used to buy my sister and I toys from the thrift store when we were young and we certainly didn’t care that it came from one.
Lisa says
Absolutely shop at thrift stores/garage sales, and the like. I raised my son by myself and I always bought used in good condition. I was able to provide a good home, clothes and food because I shopped thrift!
Thank you for this wonderful website – I love it!
Think you are awesome Mavis!