One Man’s Junk –

Is another man’s treasure.

This year we decided to try a Goodwill Christmas.

Well, that’s not entirely accurate. Any thrift store gift would do. The point of it was to try to reduce our expenses while reusing already made products. Recycling products already used can reduce waste to the landfills. It also reduces our impact on consumerism, decreasing the demand for more new items which decreases pollution.

And besides, you can actually find some quality items at thrift stores. We found cute garden ornaments, new books, movies, decorative home accents, clothes, and tons of crafting supplies. Lee got me picture frames (like 30) for all my photography. And these items are in great condition, otherwise we never would have gotten them for gifts. Throw in all of the things we got as gifts from other people participating in our Goodwill Christmas, and we were really surprised by the quality of things we got. There’s not a single thing I would throw out because it was damaged or nicked or faded or anything. There was only one item that I would return if I could because it’s just not my style. But hey, I don’t have to worry about returns or exchanges. We all agreed that because the items were so cheap anyway, we could just redonate the item or see if someone else wanted it. What could be simpler?

One of the drawbacks of a Goodwill Christmas though is that it certainly takes more time to Christmas shop. We’ve been actively looking all year because you just never know what the thrift store will have at a given time. For one month they might carry only pet supplies. For another month it might be just jewelry. Or, they may get in a whole bunch of quality furniture that they easily sell in a day. You just really have to be on your toes for thrift shopping.

To counter that drawback though, I was spending my shopping time also looking for myself. I can’t tell you how many art supplies I found for different crafting projects I want to try. For example, I want to make some garden art by using bowling balls. Lee found me two so far for roughly 5 bucks. There are just so many odds and ends that could be used for anything your imagination can come up with, I love it. I can definitely say I’ve changed my tune about thrift stores now.

Want to see some present highlights (not all of these are Goodwill Christmas participants)?

For Abby, a drum set!


A butterfly in a jar. It's totally fake but it looks amazingly lifelike (way better than a doll any day).



A wire art dinosaur made by Abby's cousin. Talk about awesome!! Abby loves it!



We had a wonderful Christmas. How was yours?