December 29, 2011

New Dishes from Goodwill

I had never shopped at a Goodwill store until this fall.  I went in to Goodwill looking for a jean jacket and found one for a couple of dollars.  I was sold on Goodwill.  Two weeks ago I shopped at Goodwill and found the perfect winter jacket for $5.00.  It was exactly what I was looking for and again, I was happy with the price I paid and the quality of the jacket. 

Goodwill had become the place I shopped first when a clothing need came up.  Two weeks ago I wandered into Goodwill to see what kitchen items they had for sale. 

I have always wanted some Fiesta Ware dishes, but never wanted to pay the price for a set of these dishes.  I had priced them and they were just out of my price range.  When I was at Goodwill looking for some kitchen stuff, I spied a Fiesta Ware knock off.  I really wanted them and the price was only $9.99 for the 8 place settings. 

Guess what I did?  I walked out of the store and decided to think about it.  I broke a cardinal rule as a shopper of Goodwill. If you see something you like, you stick it in the cart right away.  If you don't, there is a good chance it will be gone when you go back to buy it.

Well, I wanted to think about it for a couple of days and I was prepared for it being sold to someone else before I could buy it.  Yes, it was hard, but I really wanted to think about. 

When I returned a couple of days later, they were still there.  Why did I want to take some time to think about it?  Because I really wanted to think over if I could use these dishes to compliment what I already had.  Yes, for some people $10 is a drop in the hat, but I have learned that I could go hog wild at Goodwill and spend a lot of money on a bunch of stuff just because everything is priced at a low bargain price.

Here are the dishes: 



 
They coordinate with my corelle dishes:



And they work well with my grandmother's Franciscan Ware that we use only at Christmas and Easter: 






While I was at Goodwill I found two plates that I really liked for $1.00 each.  I liked the colors on the plate and find that these two plates work well with the dishes too.



And I also found some mugs that I could mix and match for only 50 cents:




And last, I found these old kitchen pans that I will use in my kitchen to hold things and perhaps a few to use as planters.





Buddy likes to get in the pictures I take. 

So for around $17.00 I was able to get all of the above at Goodwill and I am absolutely thrilled to have dishes to mix and match and play around with. 

I had so much fun doing this.  What made it fun?  Finding the mix and match items, being patient and putting off any purchases for a few days while I thought about it, the price and the satisfaction of finding a cheaper version of something that I have always wanted.

I'm tickled pink (or should I say gold).  AND I used my Christmas money to pay for it. 

You know what else?  I could have boxed these dishes up and given them as a gift which means Goodwill will be one of my first stops for gift giving from now on.



7 comments:

Unknown said...

Is a good will shop like a UK charity shop?

You did brilliantly!

Well done for using your will power!

Sft x

Martha said...

@saving for travel:

Goodwill stores sell clothing and other items that have been donated by individuals. The money is used to support their programs, one of which is to give jobs to those who might otherwise not be able to find a job.

I learned from a friend that the store receives their weekly delivery of new goods on Tuesday afternoons, so if I am looking for a specific large item such as a piece of furniture, that is the day to check.

Debs said...

@ saving for travel, yes goodwill is similar to a charity shop in the UK, only the ones i went in when i was in texas were on a lot bigger scale than a charity shop would be. Charity shops here tend to sell what's donated to that individual shop, but goodwill is a bit more organised on a larger scale than that.

I love charity shop shopping. There's one near my mum's house and the ladies who volunteer in there recognise us and often end up giving us extra discounts! (in return they know that they're our first port of call when we have things to donate)

Juhli said...

What a great purchase! The new dishes look lovely with your existing ones and with your 2 students moving in I'm sure more dishes will really help.

Lynda said...

I love thrift stores for their flower pots, halloween outfits, and random treasures like bowling balls! And books. I love finding well written books to own.

I would say it's good that you thought about your purchase though. Stores that give feel good purchases (feel good as in item, price, where the money will go) can trick you into spending more money than you actually need to. lol!

Kathy said...

I love thrift shop shopping! Most people think of Goodwill as the go-to thrift shop, but I discovered that retirement village thrift shops can have great deals - like barely used appliances for under $100. I wrote a post about it on my blog if you'd like to take a look.

Love your blog, by the way! I think I'll be spending some time here. :)

Barb said...

I just found your blog through Juhli's and love it. And this is one of the best times of year in general to shop thrift stores because everyone has done their donations pre tax time and now that stuff will appear for thenext month! My goal is to buy more and more used.