Charity Shops

Have you noticed how many Charity Shops have opened in the centre of towns lately--how many of our members use these shops,My wife takes clothes,books and anything that we dont use anymore..

We've only got one in the village James, RSPCA, but drive a few miles to a couple of the smaller towns round here and the high streest are packed with them.

I take a few odds and ends into the one in the village, I think I may have bought a couple of books in the past but that's about all. I have noticed that they are getting quite expensive to buy from, everything used to be dirt cheap - not anymore. 

I use them an lot...they are low cost when it comes to house decorating and with the kids there's a lot of breakage through the years. Plus I give some stuff away usually. It's also getting harder to find the nicer items that grandma use to have...they don' t make the quality these days without big price tags in the stores. Nor do they have the crafts of the era when everything was home made. Yes, some of the prices are getting higher these days then prior. You have to know your prices well, and decide if you want to go to the shops or concentrate on yard sales only.

We give to the charity shops, because I have an steady supply o fclothes the kids have outgrown...but I have also given to the local Reverand of near by church... that was my neighbor at one time, various of the daughter in-law's family...though they usually return it some way also down the line. Until she gets out of college and gets an job money is pretty low for them every month. things have changed though getting on retirement days though...don't shop in general as much. My retired neighbors across the street were telling me they eat nothing but salads these days. We got our new neighbors in over the weekend and I take it that its maybe two single parents are going to try to live together..not sure on that one...she just said something about having two different names in her household now....could bean re-marry also. Our Goodwill shop is as nice as any store in town, it is now getting all new cash registers and front entryway..it was an new building to begin with.I've met an lot of Cadillacs and Mercedes, and high priced cars coming out of the parking lot as I'm going in these days...everyone loves an bargain...and our store takes in an lot of new merchandise from others stores that are clearance items. Last timeI was there I bought an matching platter and bowl in terra cotta and  an green glaze inside...stamped on the Bottom was "Harry and Davids" which is an fruit company and gift shop and quite high priced at times. I got these items for probably 80 per cent less of the store pricing...they will probably be Christmas gifts later on. Though it might make an nice Holloween snack tray also with "Bat wings" in it...and some kind of center décor...like an lighted spooky tree.  Very well made dish...heavy enough the kids can't easily move It around much.I like bargains also. My books the other day included making crafts out of  (Salt) dough...do nicely for Christmas ornamants..cause you can paint them, or I see you can use cookie cutter cu touts and back them with tissue paper also for an stained glass look...that would be easy and low cost...plus four little books on making food in an large coffee cup..on "Sweet things"..like rice pudding.,,one is on "soups and breads"..one is on "meals and more" and one is on "holiday"...you add the basic mix in an jar...and the books have the gift tags with the rest of the receipe on it....to hang around the neck of the jar mix. Each book says it orginally sold for $8.95 cents...I bought them at $2.95 each.  So goes for my latest shopping spree.