Working Poor

is one of my favorites. Not free, but decent prices on stuff. And when I moved to a smaller place I donated a bunch of stuff and got 25%-off coupons in exchange. On one occasion I jokingly asked if they'd consider a trade, and they did! And they delivered the day bed and picked up my donation, so I didn't even have to work at it. I'll be heading there in the next few days, looking for a recliner; I'll be donating my perfectly good but rarely used sleeper-sofa. Good deal all around.

My favorite thrift shop supports a local organization dedicated to helping single moms and their kids in our area. It's all volunteer, and they launder all clothing before putting it on the racks. It's usually the place where I do all my Christmas shopping (even though I do that all year, stowing my finds in a special box and marking names off the list as the box fills; we have a $5 limit on gifts, the only "rule" being that the gift makes the recipient smile); I've managed to find some great things there, one time a brand new-still-had-tags Bob Mackie blouse for my sister. Also snagged myself a complete set of corelle dishes to replace the very heavy stoneware I'd been using for years.

I'd still like to find a "shop" that helps us non-spring chickens with tech stuff. Computers are a constant bewilderment, I have a DVD player still in the box awaiting a pre-teen to roll his eyes at me as he hooks it up, and I just had to get a replacement cell phone that has spent two days resisting activation.

Other than that . . .