Angelea What|Broke Fatshion: Thrifting Thursdays:3 things to never buy from the Thrift Store

Welcome to another Thursday Edition of my thrifting tips.... I love thrift shopping,used shopping,flea market crawling whatever you may call it. I have been doing this for some years now. I am no expert or guru,but I have been there done that on many used things and wasted money is wasted money no matter how much something cost. Here are a few things I chose to not purchase used for various reasons. Of course in the end it is your choice and based on your perception of the item, but use this as a helpful guide for thrift shopping. The second installment will be the 3 things I always buy from the thrift store, lookout for that next week.

#1: Cookware

I am going to be honest, I have bought used cookware and more than once. Each time I think I have made a good purchase, I later find out it was yet another mistake. Finally I decided enough was enough and now I purchase new cookware at discount stores with verifable use, lol. Some may disagree with this and there are some exceptions, but for the most part people give away old worn out cookware with very little life left in it.

I know its hard when you are starting out and have limited money, lets go to Goodwill and get a couple of pots and pans, utensils,and etc. There is nothing wrong with being thrifty but safety should always be first.

With non-stick pots, the coatings could be worn down,rusting inside the pot that you may not see, or anything else for that matter. You eat whatever you are cooking in that pot remember that. This alone is the reason I stopped buying pots used, plus....everything I bought did not last that much longer until I had to throw it out myself.

One of my big exceptions to this rule is ceramic,glass bake ware, and stainless steel pots. Of course thoroughly check for cracks ,but sometimes these can be ok to purchase.

My stainless steel non-stick pots I bought from Goodwill last year are still going strong, they were in great condition when I saw them and where a great used buy. Even the utensils I got their ended up having to be thrown away. Good Cookware is expensive, stick to discount stores that sale damaged boxe surplus and walk out with a deal on new cookware for a good price. I just stay away from this section while thrifting,but you be the judge.

#2: Appliances

Ok, so here I stand again as a repeat offender, of course I had to make the mistakes to be able to save someone else. Now the exception to this would be items in brand new condition,packing,or closed packaging. There are many times Goodwill in your area may partner with a store and gets closeout items so any appliance like that of course go ahead and get it if you need it, I wont judge, I got a CBTL single brew coffee maker for $19.99 just like that, brand new wine cooler,brand new donut maker.

For the most part again I stress safety over deal here. Most people are giving away appliances that are very worn out,old,nearing their lifespan. Many small cooking appliances have the non-stick coatings and if that is nearly ruined,than the appliance will not operate properly. Why purchase that waffle iron, when you may need a Knife to scrape the waffle out...um no deal.Sometimes it may be a good deal, a washer,stove, but the problem here is verifiable use...with most thrift stores, I will even go on a limb and say all purchases are as-is. Most you cannot get a refund. So buy at your own risk.

Things to look for are model numbers and year. Use your phone and Google it. I usually can find the year once I search the model. Buying an old appliance is usually not worth the deal, these items have a lifespan and if you see its that beige color or off white it maybe more headache than you will know and that will be more money poured into a dud. You maybe able to find a much better deal on craigslist. I steer clear of TVs,blenders,the mountain pile of breadmakers,and steer clear of this section all together. Unless you are lookign for an outdated,possible electrical hazard,and burnt food (kidding,but not really), look the other way.

#3: Swimware

Why specifically swimwear...wetsuit....I was going to title this Undergarments, but I just felt like that was obvious...but then again maybe not....lets just move on...so yes swimming attire. Its summer and this is very appropriate. I know what you are thinking swimsuits can be expensive and like...you are only going to wera them a few times or...you wear them so much you need lots and lots of alternates,either way it is easy to swing by the goodwill or a yard sale and pick up that cute bikini,trunks,or one piece, truth is everything is not what it seems.

This was actually the motivation to write this article believe it or not. I went to the swimming aisle and went through a lot of the swimsuits at my local Goodwill, and noticed something... i would examine a swimsuit and it looked great, but then I would do the stretch test. Yes the stretch test can detect so much...rot and flexibility.

Believe it or not I think the majority of people lay their swimsuits out to dry in the sun (I do...still do), so it can dry faster and such... well this is actually not a great idea and over time,rather quickly your swimsuit will lose its ability to be very flexible and can get hard from the UV rays from the sun.

Swimsuits can also start to rot if left wet in a bag to long and over time this weakens the elastic which keeps the wet suit snugly fitting. Who wants a diaper bootyt in their bathing suit (looks for hands), lol. These were the issues I noticed with a lot of the swimsuits there. I also have purchased a used swimsuit. I thought it was cute and all vintage and retro looking. That thang was loose in all the wrong places...lets just say it never saw the light of day.

So if I were you I woukd so pass on this section, if you need to save money head to target,Walmart, Forever21,or even only Swimsuitsforall,they always having a sale for no reason at all, I'm just saying.

I hope these tips have been helpful to you,let me know what you think,agree or disagree and whats your policy on buying used? I for one have learned my lesson,maybe not.