once again realized what a bargain Goodwill / Red, White and Blue stores are.
my Dad fell and is in an arm sling for a coupla weeks.
so his size 3X shirts are tight.
I stopped at the Red, White and Blue … got him 3 bags or 4X and 5X shirts …
for $30. Should be eough stuff till he heals.
Last time in there … had a coupla weeks of siding to do when the temp forcast was in the teens … that trip … got 3 hooded sweatshirts, 4 regular sweat shirts … and a coupla long sleeve Tshirts.
and picked up a brand new embroidered Red Wings sweatshirt for the wife!
most of that stuff looked to be brand new. Actually too nice to wear to work if I didn’t pay $2 /each.
all for $19.00
thinking I’ll stop back in as they had racks of jean shorts out.
more work clothes for spring / summer.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Replies
Jeff,
I totally agree. Nothing wrong with second hand workclothes that I am going to trash before they are worn out. My wife sometimes finds shirts that still have the tags on them.
I get a kick out of seeing workers in Cartharts working in trenches.
Chuck S
took me till I got older,
a little smarter ...
and had kids.
started the second hand shopping at a kids resale shop when the boy was born.
live in the city ... work mostly in the rich suburbs.
and I tell U ... their resale shops have way nicer kids stuff!
all expensive name brand ... most with tags still on.
$50 kids jean jackets for $5 is what sold me.
still make a trip up there at the start of each season.
get a bag of $500 clothes for $50.
at the moment I tell the wife she's hooked on EBay.
she has found dresses for the baby ... stuff that goes for $40 and $50 a piece ...
she's been getting them for $5 each.
she's now an expert at all the fancy baby girl clothes names ...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
I discovered thrift srores years ago during a period of homelessness.
One of the better lessons learned from that chapter of my life.
The best reward for a job well done is the opportunity to do another.
JeffBuck,
SHHHHHH!
don't let people know!
clothes are really cheap and furniture.. You can pick up some wonderful pieces of really fine crafted furniture for prices that are silly.
I have a Mahogany Bow front chest of drawers.. beautiful workmanship lovely handcut dovetails solid wood no plywood or anything cheap..
It cost me $15.00 and an afternoon to strip off the white latex someone had painted it with..
The fine brass drawer pulls hardware is english and sell for $85 dolllars each. the white paint came off those very easy as well.
Anything of this quality would be selling for $2000+ in an antique store..
I also picked up some fine brass lamps which needed one switch assembly and one new cord. $5.00 each. I could sell them now on E bay for $250 each.. A Stiffel clock lamp that needed a shade was less than $7.00 nice brass piece
My house has silverware.. and dishes.. from goodwill.. Too cheap as well. Some are basic durable stuff we use for everyday rather than bring out the fine china during construction..
Oh and radios.. Gotta love the selection of stereo stuff you can buy for next to nothing!.
I mean some of the stuff was real state of the art not too long ago and still plays well.great for shops and workspaces..
I've been making a good bit of pocket money and subsidizing a hobby by buying vintage stereo gear from the thrifts, reconditioning it and reselling. Mid-fi and hi-fi equipment from the late sixties and early seventies is in high demand, particularly receivers and turntables. Bonus is the best pieces stay with me.
I have a Marantz 2385 B, is it worth getting repaired? One channel cuts in and out, it probably needs cleaned also. I think its from the late 70's, I bought it new for around $650.
Thanks for any info.
Yes! Nice unit with a big following, commands a very good price now. Problem these days is finding a good tech. Most are lost when it comes to anything beyond replacing whole circuit boards to correct a problem.Often a problem like that originates from oxidization of the switch contacts. If you're feeling adventurous, get a can of Caig De-Oxit or other contact cleaner, pull the cover on the unit and spray the cleaner into the openings on the housings of the pots and switches. After spraying, work the controls through 50 or 60 cycles to break up the oxidation. Let it sit until the excess cleaner evaporates and test. Sometimes, sitting overnight and a second application is necessary.
I used to have that receiver! Very nice, bought it in '78 I think. Is yours black or silver? Wish I still had it and my Nakamichi 680 tape deck... but I digress.
I second the comments on contact cleaner. Do a search on the Marantz 2385 and you will find lots of info from the classic audio folks.
Also give a call to your nearest hi end audio boutique and they will likely know of a good tech in the area who could help if your DIY efforts fail.
Silver, Thanks for the info.
It's where i get my bibs for $2.50 instead of $30, already softened up.
I'm totally in line with ya. It's where I get my grey sweatshirts that I regularly wear to work. A brand new $25 Nike cost me $5 the other week.
I went in there one day to look around and found a 3 piece Pierre Cardin formal suit, dark blue pin stripe, in brand new shape, fit me like it just came from the tailor shop, up to date styling. Had a red tag sale that day and it was marked half off, got it for $12.50.
Another time I got this beautiful genuine Harris Tweed jacket for $7.50. They last forever.
I give all my extra unused stuff to the Salvation Army, and that's where I buy as well.
I forgot about the suits they have.
my nephew worked his way thru college wearing goodwill suits.
always big money top brand name stuff.
he used my kids clothes trick for the suits ...
went to the goodwills closer to the rich neighborhoods.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
In the no money '80s I was attending a dress code school and discovered the local army where nice sport coats could be had for cheap.
Bunch of us had a code word for the place. We named it 'Sal's Menswear', a national chain, to everyone that commented on the nice coats and asked where we got them.
Peach full,easy feelin'.
In the early to mid 70's when it was fashionable to be a slob, I was in school and also didn't have two nickels to rub together, there was this great army surplus store in town that sold real Army/Navy issue surplus for pennies, and that's all they sold. No brand names.
I live for 4 years in denim and those green army pants. Also had a real Pea coat and those wool Navy bell bottoms that had a million buttons around the front. They were very comfortable and looked great and kept you nice & warm in the upstate winters. I think they must have been from WW2I haven't seen those type pants in years.I haven't seen a real Army/Navy issue store in years.
Those bellbottoms would prob be $100 on ebay right about now.
snorK*
Peach full,easy feelin'.
I think they were about $10 back then. They were my dress pants for some years.
Often the clothes are new or nearly new. My elderly mom is developing dementia and in a facility. Often she will ask for me to buy some article of clothing. When I bring it she doesn't feel like trying it on, so it sits for weeks. Then she says she doesn't need it. Then I loose the receipt so I can't return it. Or it is not worth putting up with the poor service at Wal-Mart to return it. So it goes to a charity outlet store. I've seen lots of clothing there that looks hardly worn.
I get all my work clothes(and more)at a local thrift store.
Definitely thanks to my moms influence. And this way when the knees rip
it don't matter half as much as since you got em for maybe $3.
Collectibles are also something I look for.A friend of mine got two
Sgt. Pepper vinyls still in the plastic for a buck.
Gotta love the second hand!