Whether you are just starting out and need to save money due to a low budget, want to re-decorate because you are tired of the same old décor, or you just have some plain walls that need some love – you can do it all on a thrift store budget!

Thrift shopping is not only a great way to save money – but it can also be a lot of fun. The thrill of finding that perfect thing for your home, for pennies on the dollar. Who wouldn’t love doing this? The thing about thrift store shopping – you must have patience and a willingness to hunt for that perfect thing.

I have found that one of the BEST places to find those perfect unique treasures is my local Goodwill store! They not only have some great unique items, but their prices are always reasonable. We also find that they frequently have sales that slash their prices even more. It is a total win!

When you’re at the big box retailers – you know you are grabbing up something other people have too. And even at the for-profit thrift stores, while you might see some nice unique items, their price tag tends to be a bit steeper than what you find at Goodwill – so you aren’t really going to save money.

And as a bonus, over 313,000 people in the United States and Canada connected with jobs or earned employment using Goodwill organizations’ career services programs this past year. And more than that – tens of millions access the Goodwill education, training, and online learning services that Goodwill offers to strengthen their job training skills. As a non-profit, they are dedicated to helping create jobs and providing on-the-job training for many who would find employment opportunities scarce without Goodwill’s help.

So – have an open mind and get yourself ready to shop! Remember, if you’re crafty, there are tons of ways to spruce up and refurbish pieces to make them new again. If you’re one of the lucky people who has more than one Goodwill store near you – be sure to hit them all up!

Here are some great Goodwill finds from just the last couple of weeks.

Outdoor and Patio items – this was a really fun find! Unfortunately, by the time we got there, it was already sold.

Lamps and Lampshades can be so much fun to DIY!

Photo frames, photos, and canvas paintings can be used as is or restored in so many ways.

We found a TON of different kinds of decorative vases – some in wood, some in glass.

Unique pieces of furniture can really be fun to restore – if it is your first time doing a DIY restoration, you can bet you can find something awesome at a bargain to get you started.

All kinds of baskets – I can think of so many things that I could do with these.

Google DIY canning jars – there are about a million things, right? Look at these jewels!

Do you have some amazing finds and restoration products you’ve found by shopping at Goodwill? I would love to see them! Share them with me on social media using the #ShopGoodwill hashtag!