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50 Times People Hit Jackpot While Thrifting And Just Had To Brag About It Online (New Pics)
It’s said that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And it only takes a visit to a secondhand store to see just how true this really is. I remember once going to a book tent at a carnival and picking up loads of great reads. It was only when I got home and started paging through them that I realized one of the books (a collection of Madiba quotes) had been autographed by none other than the man himself, South Africa's late president Nelson Mandela. It cost me the equivalent of 11 cents. Yes, Really.
Thrifting is literally a cheap thrill. It can even get a bit addictive rummaging through someone else’s “junk” to hit the jackpot. But it isn’t just good for your pocket, it helps save the planet, too, by reducing waste and cutting back on your carbon footprint.
There's a hugely popular online community called Thrift Store Hauls. It has an incredible 4 million members. They love garage sales, flea markets, pawn shops, thrift stores, and more. They've been sharing their best secondhand finds, and we must admit, we’re just a little jealous. Bored Panda has put together an inspiring list of the top times people won gold in the thrifting Olympics. From a $6 red velvet kitty couch to a $10 SMEG toaster, some of these treasures might make you want to drop what you're doing and run to the nearest secondhand store.
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#2
Story Time - Few Years I Lost My Grandma, I Couldn’t Take Her Furniture Because I Didn’t Have Room. I Now Have A House, And For The 1st Time Looked Up If This Table Would Be Listed Anywhere (Knowing It Wouldn’t Be). Marketplace For $20. I Got Her Table 3 Years Later 🥹
#3
Goodwill Strikes Again
Couldn’t believe my eyes! They’re in great condition, looks like never used. Thrilled every time we use them.
Thrifting has become wildly popular in recent years, especially among the younger generations. People are buying more consciously, and secondhand stores are the place to be when it comes to sustainable fashion.
There might have been a stigma attached to buying second-hand clothes a few decades ago. It was seen as "less-than." But nowadays, thrifters are considered cool, socially conscious, and fashion-forward. For some, it’s more than just shopping… It’s a lifestyle.
#4
My Turtle Lamp
#5
I Found The Striped One Three Years Ago. Today I Found Him A Friend :’)
Sarah McManus 9 months ago
I have a few of these, some duplicates. I collected most of them from holidays in Greece.
#6
Bought A Used Couch On Saturday. Just Found This Stashed Inside. I Think I'm In Shock Right Now
Earonn - 9 months ago
That's a bit too much money to just casually keep it. If the withdrawal slip was attached (as a reply said) one can find the true owner. All wannabe thieves can spare me their excuses. You can find the owner -> you return it to the owner.
dayngerkat 9 months ago
I've never seen a withdrawal slip with identifying information (US)
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Mrs.C 9 months ago
Bought our 13 year old daughter a purse for Christmas at a Big Box Store. She unwrapped it and later that day was filling it up when she said, "Mom, there's money in here." I heard change jingle and figured someone dumped some pocket change in. There was over $600 in that bag- and odd mix of bills and change. No explanation. It had tags on it and was still stuffed with the paper they put in them for shape.
BoredLittleLeafSheep 9 months ago
I was always told you were supposed to put some money in a purse before gifting it; maybe whoever made the purse was taught the same? 🤷♀️ Lucky girl though!
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Paintergurl 9 months ago
And I thought I was lucky when I found $40 in the pocket of a jean jacket that I bought at Value Village!
Paintergurl 9 months ago
It is hard to wrinkle or fold Canadian money - it is made of some type of plastic
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Kabuki Kitsune 9 months ago
This is actually quite sad. I know people are talking about keeping it, but typically when something like this happens, it's because an elderly person has been put in a nursing home, or passed away, and their family is selling their furniture. It's not uncommon for older people, especially those with dementia or alzheimers, to hide money away in furniture from a distrust of banks. If you EVER find something like this, try contacting the thrift store (or yard sale) and ask if they can put you in contact with whoever sold the furniture originally. It's the right thing to do to return it.
Hetal Vyas 9 months ago
I think you should contact the place you got it from and return the money to the original owner
Internet Stuff 8 months ago
I saw this one! It was KerrieTaldwell from Peterborough Ontario. After people kept telling her to try to find the owner, she deleted the post.
Teresa Spanics 9 months ago
WHOA! Unless there is a way to contact whoever lost this money, it is yours!
Thrifting goes hand-in-hand with sustainable living, say the environmentalists at the University of Colorado Boulder. And there are several reasons why buying secondhand goods is good for the planet.
“Most clothes are made from synthetic materials, which take hundreds of years to decompose in landfills,” reads the university’s site. “When you thrift, you help extend the life of clothes, which can reduce the volume of clothing sent to landfills each year.”
According to the activist group Greenpeace, 1.92 million tonnes of textile waste is produced every year. And a staggering 92 million tonnes of discarded garments find their way into dumps around the world—out of the 100 billion produced annually.
#7
Just Brought Home The Prettiest Lamp I’ve Ever Seen!
#8
I… I Think I Just Won
#9
Found This Adorable Lil Cow Ottoman For $12 At Goodwill Today. He'll Be In Good Company With The Other Cute/Weird Animal Things In My Living Room 🥰
JK 9 months ago
We have estate sales here and it is amazing what you can get from them. Found a chair with a cow hide seat and hand carved hooves. Nice chair, but uncomfortable. Still had its tag under the chair. Turns out it was made by a high end designer in Los Angeles in the 1960s. I'm using it as a tv stand. Also got some cute little rock sculptures made by kindergartners for $1.50. Figured they were made for grandpa and they should be carried on.
The clothing industry—especially fast fashion—and its consumers also contribute to wasted resources. Making clothes takes a whole lot of water. Like, a lot of water. According to the University of Colorado, one pair of jeans is estimated to consume about 1,800 gallons of water during the manufacturing process and the cotton growth stage. Greenpeace adds that 2 billion pairs of jeans are produced every year.
Meanwhile, that t-shirt you're wearing probably took around 700 gallons of water to produce. To put it into perspective, that's the amount of water an average person drinks over the course of 900 days.
#10
My Husband Brought Home A Bag Full Of Brass Animals From An Estate Sale
#11
My Daughter Paid $13 For This Sweatshirt Two Months Ago. Tonight My Wife Discovered It’s Worth Hundreds
#12
Thrifted This Less Than Three Hours Ago!
Studies have shown that many people don't keep the same clothes in the cupboard for more than a year. And one study found that a lot of garments are chucked out after no more than 10 wearings.
“Thrifting keeps clothing in use for longer, which can help limit wasted resources through decreased demand for new products,” say the university's experts. The Geneva Environment Network adds that the fashion industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and is responsible for 2-8% of global carbon emissions.
#13
Got This Sectional For $100 At The Thrift Store, Had It Professionally Steam Cleaned
#14
Found The Perfect Item To Complete My Gallery Wall
#15
70s Vintage Suede Coat Found At A Garage Sale
'Waste not, want not' is a good rule to live by. "In today’s society of consumerism, people often buy things without realizing they don’t really need them, and with items that are cheap and accessible people tend to throw them away," notes Goodwill International.
"To help lessen the impact that this has on the environment, you can choose to donate things instead of tossing them and consider looking for an item secondhand next time you need something."
#16
Found My Old Favorite Sweater In My Current Size!
#17
Two Hundred Bucks For A Toaster? Crazy But For 10 Bucks I'm In
#18
Thrifted My Best Friend’s White Whale
Huddo's sister 9 months ago (edited)
That's even cooler than my book shaped handbag I got at an op shop for $10 in brand new condition!
#21
This, My Friends, Is Why I Drive 45 Minutes To The Rich People Goodwill
The thrift gods smiled upon me. I found a Dyson V8 Animal stick vacuum in a bin waiting to be unloaded at Goodwill…for 20 bucks. I feel like I’ve gotten away with a crime!
Got home and tested it, and it works great. There was some debris stuck in the vacuum head, mainly pine needles, which makes me think someone vacuumed up their Christmas tree debris, clogged up the head, and then assumed the vacuum was no longer working, so they took it to Goodwill and got a new one. Welp, my cat and I are endlessly grateful!
#22
Found This Unmarked 18k Gold Ruby Sapphire Pearl Pin For $6
#23
2 Years Ago I Posted Here About Finding My Holy Grail Lotus Floor Lamp For $100 Among The Craze…today I Present To You Her Younger (Shorter) Twin Sisters, For $100 Total
Nice Beast Ludo 9 months ago
I love the room style ("aesthetic" is the more proper word i suppose)
#24
The Thrift Gods Smiled Down At Me Today! A Dyson Blow Dryer For $7.99
#25
Facebook Marketplace Find- Stained Glass Cottage Lamp
#26
Can’t Believe I Almost Passed On This. 😳
#27
My Wife And I Just Bought This Broyhill Dining Set For $35 At Our Local Goodwill. We Looked It Up And It Retails For $4k 😭
Beth Wheeler 9 months ago
Broyhill is a very good brand. I can't believe you got it for $35, the people in that store had no idea of what they had.
#28
Thrifted Ornaments For My Sister And She Made This…
#29
Go Married Yesterday And Found This Le Cruset Dish Today At Savers For $20
#30
Scored This Awesome Mushroom Cardigan For $6.97!!! 🍄
#31
Opalin Glass Egg For 1$. Weird And At The Same Time So Pretty
#32
Anyone Who Said Money Can't Buy Happiness Has Never Found A Lifesized Danny Devito Cutout At Their Local Charity Shop
#33
I Couldn’t Leave The Thrift Without This Alabaster Phone That I Will Never Use, It’s Simply For The Vibes
kitten levels tokyo 9 months ago
Judging by the shape, it looks like one of Apple's earliest phones.
#34
Someone Donated A Gorgeous Collection Of Dog Paintings To My Local Humane Society Thrift Store
#35
Found A Piece Of My Childhood At The Goodwill Bins!
Nice Beast Ludo 9 months ago
Damn you are talented. I remember those things always seemed super cool but my designs never came out looking remotely like a person or clothes
#36
Baby, You Like This Nintendo Stuff Right? - My Wife (Thriftstore Haul!)
#37
Got This 70s Marmet Stroller In Perfect Condition For Free Today!
I’m so excited! These are hard to come by in my area, and I think it looks absolutely lovely. It was free off Facebook marketplace! My sister said they sell for quite a bit online, but I’m planning on keeping this bad boy in the family.
#38
Found This Unhinged Sweatshirt At Goodwill Today
#39
Told My Coworker Who Thrifts To Keep An Eye Out For Taylor Swifts 1st Album For My Fiancé. Dude Comes In With This Today: $1.99 Price Tag
Once I told him that was an $800 plus CD he kept it of course lol. Incredible luck on his end.
#40
White Whale Level Unlocked! Marimekko X Uniqlo Down Coat That I Longed For But Could Not Afford A Few Years Ago! $20 And I Needed A New Coat Too! 😍
#41
Had To Have This Chips And Dip Bowl For $3
#42
Always Check The Pockets Of Expensive Coats At The Thrift Store :)
Auntriarch 9 months ago
Our charity shop started checking pockets and handbag pockets, after finding out that people would come in and go through pockets and leave with the money and not buy anything
#43
Yeah I Bought It, Be Jealous. Look At That Cats Face!
LakotaWolf (she/her) 9 months ago
It looks like the painting is titled "Kitty Darling". XD The kitten does not agree with this sentiment.
#44
My Best Find Yet! Frog Fone 🐸
#45
Found This Fish Bag Today While Wearing A Fish Fleece I Thrifted A Few Years Ago
#46
Best Thrifting Catch Of My Life! 😍
I may or may not have cried actual tears upon purchasing. Paid $115 out the door while it’s commonly selling for almost $1k online right now, I cannot believe my luck. This piece will be treasured forever!!
#47
Picked Up This Mint Condition Beauty For $231
#48
Got Dis Rug At The Local Recycle Center For Fiiiive Whole Doll Hairs
Auntriarch 9 months ago
Took me far too long to translate doll hairs. Haven't had my second coffee yet though
#49
After Several Hours At The Goodwill Outlet Bins, Picked Up Only One Thing, But It Made The Time Spent Worth It!
#50
Found At A Thrift Store For 50 Dollars, Typically It’s 1200!!
Been one of only 3 white whales I have left, Our USA: A Gay Geography is a book that’s practically extinct and has the beautiful pictures of each US state and territory.
Years ago flippers realized people would pay 20-50 dollars for a page and the complete books were annihilated.
Exploring innovative and clever products can truly enhance your daily life, much like the unexpected treasures found while thrifting.
If you enjoy discovering unique and practical finds, you might appreciate this collection of ingenious items that add a little extra convenience and joy to everyday routines, which you can check out here.
#51
Thrifted My First Authentic Louis Vuitton For $5! Gifting To My Beautiful Wife
I thrifted this Louis Vuitton Speedy 35 (June, 2005) at my local thrift store for $5. It only took me 3 years of constant thrifting to finally find one 😭
I normally assume all LV products are fake but inspect them anyway in order to learn what fakes look like but this bag felt and looked entirely different from bags I have handled before. I have never purchased a fake Louis bag before but decided to take a chance on this.
I am super glad I took the chance because I had it authenticated and it passed 😍
#52
Found This Original Painting For $30
#53
Found At Goodwill, The Perfect Blend Of Goofy And Macabre
#54
Of Course It Came Home With Me
#55
I Didn’t Know Love Until I Saw This…
#56
The $14.99 Mouse Suit
#57
The Thrifting Gods Blessed Me Today
I found this foot stool for $45 which I later researched and discovered it’s a vintage Mackenzie-Childs piece worth ~$1,500!
Also on the same day, I came across this egg plate, which turned out to be a porcelain piece made for Tiffany & Co! I bought it for $150, but it’s worth ~$800-1,200.
This may be my luckiest thrifting day.
#58
Yeah, So, I Just Pulled A North Face Himalayan Suit
#59
$1200 Popcorn Machine For $15 At The Bins. Yep, That’s Coming Home With Me
#60
Lucked Out Finding This Peloton For $300 At Goodwill, It Still Has The Plastic On The Screen
#61
We Lost A Baddie Today… Brand New Demonias At Goodwill
luci (he/fae) 9 months ago
for those who don't know, demonia is a clothing brand known for their rather expensive alternative/goth footwear (specifically, giant stompy spiky platforms!). these shoes specifically are camel-305s, which run for about 140 USD :)
#62
Unforgettable Catch And Release Today
LakotaWolf (she/her) 9 months ago
That's one of my cat Preacher's nicknames XD I'd wear this shirt.
#63
Why Yes, I Bought This To Save It. Because For The Love Of God, Why Would Anyone Take A Permanent Marker To Such A Gorgeous, Hand-Painted Vintage Bread Box?
#64
Walked Around The Thrift For 15 Minutes Before Realizing This On A Mannequin. The Price Just Sealed The Deal
#65
Catch And Release…. Chicken Bag. I Kinda Regret Leaving It???
#66
Explosive Thrift Store Find
LuisSD stuff 9 months ago
Had to do a double take and think where I recognize the name. It was a tragedy that was so preventable. But the folly of one man led to the deaths of all those people especially the University student who didn't want to go but went to please his father.
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Mari 9 months ago
Last week I wanted to take a few items to the charity shop. My son said he could still wear that jeans. He found in the pocket almost 400euros!!! I didn't tell my husband, he would have killed me for taking his jeans to the charity shop without checking the pockets. I was lucky and i will always check the pockets!
EDM 9 months ago
Bored Panada: you legit can't read your site anymore with the top and bottom ads. So, as fun as it's been...I'm out.
XenoMurph 9 months ago
Edge with ublock origin. haven't seen an ad for years
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Gingersnap In Iowa 9 months ago
I got an Oliveve purse for $5.99 yesterday. I looked it up when I got home, sells for $437!
Mari 9 months ago
Last week I wanted to take a few items to the charity shop. My son said he could still wear that jeans. He found in the pocket almost 400euros!!! I didn't tell my husband, he would have killed me for taking his jeans to the charity shop without checking the pockets. I was lucky and i will always check the pockets!
EDM 9 months ago
Bored Panada: you legit can't read your site anymore with the top and bottom ads. So, as fun as it's been...I'm out.
XenoMurph 9 months ago
Edge with ublock origin. haven't seen an ad for years
Load More Replies... Gingersnap In Iowa 9 months ago
I got an Oliveve purse for $5.99 yesterday. I looked it up when I got home, sells for $437!
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