Change Your Mind About Thrifting

This is my second ever blog post and it’s on a topic I am SO passionate about, low budget decorating! Today I am hoping I can change your mind about thrifting!

Hey sweet friends, I am SO excited to share these 9 thrifted items we have in our home and I hope that it will change your mind about thrifting! Welcome once again to my second blog post for Pine and Prospect Home and I hope you are encouraged!

When I first got married, we didn’t have a lot of money to spend on home decor. I was very blessed to have relatives that gave us a lot of furniture, but of course I wanted to decorate and make our little rental my own.

Since the decorating budget was limited, I quickly fell in love with second-hand stores. Now let me just say that my husband was so against shopping at thrift stores in the early years of our marriage. He thought they were smelly and gross and he definitely didn’t like the idea of bringing anything in a thrift store home with us.

Today, he still dislikes thrift stores. Not because he thinks they are gross, but because he knows I will probably find some amazing low budget decor treasures every single time I enter one!

Today I thought I’d share with you a few of my favorite thrifted low budget decor items. Now if you already shop at thrift stores, wonderful! But for those of you who perhaps dislike thrift stores or have never actually entered a thrift store (for shopping purposes), read on!

Maybe this post will change your mind about them. 🙂 Second-hand stores, in my mind, are filled with treasures waiting to be discovered. Especially if you are someone that wants to achieve that farmhouse/cottage look! You would be surprised at what some people donate! So enough with the writing. Time to share some photos!

Change Your Mind About Thrifting

Thrift Store Finds in Our Home – 3 Tiered Basket

Whenever I share photos of our entryway on Instagram, I always have so many comments with questions about this beautiful, 3 tiered basket. Guys…my Mom found this at a thrift store for fifteen bucks. FIFTEEN dollars! She sent me a text with a photo and said “like?” Isn’t my Mom great?! Haha. When she dropped it off, I couldn’t believe how tall and sturdy it was. I love the texture it adds to our entry and how perfect it is for mail, keys and scarves.

Thrift Store Finds in Our Home – Farmhouse Style Side Table

So this is a fun one, because actually there are several items in this little corner all purchased at various thrift shops. The side table was $2…I simply painted the top of it gray and distressed it.

The ottoman was $7, I just sewed a drop cloth slip cover for it. And finally, the floor lamp was $2. It was brass when I purchased it, but I knew it could be so pretty painted. Thanks to some oil-rubbed bronze spray paint and a $1 thrifted lamp shade, it’s good as new!

Thrift Store Finds in Our Home – Picture Frames

I don’t know if you’ve been shopping for picture frames lately, but man. They are expensive brand new! Especially if you’re wanting to put together a collage or gallery wall. Thrift stores are usually filled with hundreds of different picture frames.

I’m not going to lie, you usually have to take a minute just to sort through them. But it’s always worth it when you find that gem at the back of the pile! 🙂 Both frames in the photo above were purchased for just a few dollars.

Thrift Store Finds in Our Home – Dishes and Glassware

I love to decorate my kitchen and dining room shelves with beautiful dishes and glassware, but they can be expensive brand new. There is NO BETTER PLACE than thrift stores to shop for these things.

In the photo above, everything besides the plant was purchased at a thrift store! Glassware is usually 25 cents and plates, serving platters or bowls can range from 25 cents to a dollar. Many times thrift stores have so many of these items that they run half off specials often to clear shelf space! Even better! 🙂

Thrift Store Finds in Our Home – Dining Room Chandelier

The chandelier in our dining space might be one of my all time favorite thrift store finds. On the day that I entered this particular second hand store, lighting happened to be half off. I scored this beautiful fixture for twenty bucks. Can you believe that? Here’s another view…

Thrift Store Finds in Our Home – Pillow Inserts

Now at this point you might be thinking, “I could take home some thrift store dishes or a chandelier…but pillows?? Ewwwww!” Let me explain.

Personally, I love the look of down or feather-filled inserts for my throw pillows. With a simple fluff and karate chop to the top of them, down pillows just look fuller and they never lose their shape or get lumpy like cotton filled pillows sometimes do.

Unfortunately, down inserts aren’t cheap. Unless, of course, you find them at thrift stores. I usually find down inserts for a dollar, and I just can’t get enough of them! I love switching out pillow covers when the season changes or I’m ready for something new. Plus, there are hundreds of tutorials on Pinterest for properly cleaning feather-filled inserts! 🙂

Thrift Store Finds in Our Home – Grey Dresser

This little dresser right off of our kitchen is just one of many thrifted furniture pieces in our home. This particular piece was just ten bucks! It’s the perfect place to store napkins, place mats and extra towels. I simply painted the dresser gray and added new hardware.

Thrift Store Finds in Our Home – Wall Baskets

Baskets are wonderful for so many reasons. Not only are they perfect for storage, but they also add texture, color, and warmth to any space. Technically, the bottom basket in the photo above was a garage sale find. The top basket was purchased at a thrift store.

When I dig through the basket section at a thrift store, I look for three things: color, shape, and quality. I avoid anything that looks too orange and I tend to purchase baskets with more natural tones. I also check for interesting shapes and I often picture what I could use the basket for. Lastly I check the quality. I won’t usually buy a basket that is broken or falling apart.

Thrift Store Finds in Our Home – Bathroom Mirror

This mirror in our downstairs bathroom was five dollars at a thrift store. It was a dark stained wood when I purchased it, so I dry brushed it with some black paint to give it a new look.

This mirror is one of three thrifted mirrors in our home, so be sure to check your local thrift store next time you need a new one! I love the character that this mirror adds to our bathroom space!

Items That Can Change Your Mind About Thrifting:

• Baskets
• Picture Frames
• Side Tables
• Dishes and Glassware
• Lighting
• Pillow Inserts
• Furniture
• Wall Baskets
• Mirrors

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post. I hope it has encouraged those who feel like they can’t afford a pretty space. Obviously I don’t find something every time I visit a thrift store.

There are many times I leave empty-handed. It does take patience and definitely some creativity. Don’t just focus on what you see in front of you, think about an item’s potential and what you could do to make it work in your home. 🙂

I hope these 9 items I shared in our home will change your minds about thrifting and encourage you to go visit a thrift store soon. Do you decorate with thrifted items? I would love to know in the comments!

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