Thrift Store Finds

The Yamaha keyboard plus the stand that I recently purchased from a consignment store.

When I arrived early for a lunch date with a friend the other day, I popped into a consignment store to kill a few minutes before going into the restaurant next door. I didn’t expect to find or purchase anything – I just wanted to have something to do until my friend arrived.

The thrift store was filled with children’s clothes and toys, so I was excited when I spotted an old Yamaha PSR-150 electronic keyboard. Both of my children read and play music (one plays the piano and the recorder, the other plays the recorder), and I’ve been looking for an electronic keyboard for them. I’ve been shopping around for a new Yamaha keyboard, and just the keyboard alone would cost over $100. I recently took a quick look at new keyboard stands on Amazon.com, and they are priced at $20 and above. So I asked the salesperson to hold the item for me, and bought the keyboard and stand right after my lunch date.

When I got home, I set up the keyboard and stand in our living room, next to our piano. When the kids got home that day and spotted the keyboard, they were so happy. My daughters have played the keyboard for hours already, making up their own songs and playing concerts for their stuffed animal friends. It is wonderful to see how much fun my relatively inexpensive purchase has been for them. With summer vacation coming up in just a few short days, the keyboard is an awesome find!

How to Shop Consignment Stores

Since my Yamaha keyboard experience, I am thinking of hitting the consignment store I found the instrument in again. Since I am new to thrift store shopping, I decided to look online for tips. Simple Mom has some great ones. She suggests knowing your particular consignment store’s sale day, since stores tend to mark down their items on a schedule. She also suggests going without the kids (since the stores are often crammed with lots of stuff and can be hard to navigate), shopping the store regularly (since thrift stores get new items regularly) and going with cash (instead of credit cards) so you won’t be tempted to overspend.

Earn Some Extra Spending Money

I’m also thinking about putting some of my family’s used items on consignment at the store. I usually give our used clothing, furniture, etc., to charities, but it would be nice to get some extra cash for our stuff  — maybe we could even earn some extra cash for some summer fun. We have plenty of clothing that my children only got to wear a few times before growing out of them, and we have tons of toddler toys in our basement that should find a better home. Wish me luck!

Have any tips for selling or buying consignment? I’d love to hear from you!