8 Things To Buy At The Thrift Store (to repurpose or makeover!)

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These are some of the best things to buy at the thrift store (and usually pretty abundant at most thrift shops, too). Perfect for a budget friendly home, decor, gifts and more.

Hey friends!

Today I’m sharing 8 of my favorite and best thrift store finds and ideas. It’s no secret that I love thrift shopping.
And it’s no secret that I’ve created a lot of my home decor around thrift shopping over the years.
Why not? I absolutely love finding all the treasures just sitting there waiting for me to discover them. ;)

It’s actually quite a lot of fun.

So since we are wrapped up head to toe on this home makeover/remodel and I’m already thinking of new decor ideas, I thought I’d share these 8 best things to buy at the thrift store. Because, you know, I’m already looking for more stuff after purging some of the old stuff! lol

But first, in case you don’t follow me over on Instagram, I thought I’d share a little update with you today too. I shared some of these over in my stories on Instagram over the weekend. :)

We are moving right along and hope to be finished soon! Yippee! (with the kitchen and flooring anyway, we still need to replace windows and our front and back doors…among other things on the list ;) ) Cabinets are here and in the garage just patiently waiting. (they are being much more patient than I!! haha)
Appliances will be here this Friday so we have our work cut out for us this week. Then the icing on the cake….the gorgeous counter top that I am SO very much anxiously anticipating.
And the flooring, oh my, did we choose right! It is looking amazing and I could not be happier with our choice for many reasons. I can’t wait for the big reveal with you guys! Stay tuned!

Okay, so the progress, I did manage to get most of our kitchen cabinets out this weekend while my husband continued work on the flooring.
Demolition is not at all like on TV, y’all. ;) There were no sledge hammers or any of that nonsense. Just me with my screwdriver carefully removing doors and then the cabinet boxes from the walls. It would have been fun to use a big, ole sledge hammer but oh well!! lol

And we “ripped” off the bead board from the kitchen island because we will be installing shiplap in it’s place. I’m ready for a little different look there and think the shiplap will be the ticket. I’m excited to get it done so I can repaint it a brand new color. :)

You may or may not remember, we built this island using ready made cabinets from one of the big box stores (Lowe’s or The Home Depot, don’t remember which now) That’s why the backside is unfinished (and why we had beadboard up to begin with)
My husband customized the middle cabinet to hold our microwave so we took the door off, moved the drawer that was up top, to the bottom and he actually made the second drawer you see there  from scratch.

It’s worked out so very nicely all these years! :)

You can read all about this island paint makeover, here.

I so wish I had taken more photos of this process (I have a few) but we did this several years before I started blogging.

I’ve also repainted every single piece of trim, including the doors and our DIY board & batten in the family room (and ceilings too!).
I used Sherwin Williams Extra White and I LOVE it! What I had previously was not as clean or bright and it really brightens up the spaces.
It all looked white until I started repainting with this Extra White, that is, and then I saw how dingy it really looked.
It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do anyway.

And here’s a bit of “real life” around here these days. (the bookcase became the “catch all” and so did this room as we finished it)

Redoing an entire first floor of flooring…while you live there….while at the same time doing a complete kitchen makeover, appliances and all?
Well, let’s just say, it was like we moved…but we didn’t! ;)  If we weren’t doing them both at the same time, it would have gone so much smoother but that’s not how we roll apparently!! haha ;)
But that floor, y’all. Isn’t it going to look amazing in here and with all my coastal stuff??
I sure do think so!
I can’t wait to share with you all what we’ve decided to turn these two rooms into. They are not going to be used like they were before.
Can you guess? ;)

Okay, so let’s get to the 8 best things to buy at the thrift store!

Number 1 – Furniture

Right?

The number one best thing to buy at the thrift store is….. furniture.

Like this recent gem.
I have found most of the furniture I’ve used in my home over the years, at the thrift store.
Yes, some has come from estate sales or garage sales but I have to say, thrift stores win out here!
You can read more about this project, here.

Here’s a few more furniture projects:

This one turned out to be an unlikely “furniture” piece.
I repurposed this old trunk, here.

This little “beauty” got passed over by everyone who saw it, I am sure.
But I saw the real beauty and brought it home.
See it, here.

Like, I said, furniture is the number 1 thing you can find at the thrift store.
Or maybe it’s just the one that will have the most impact. Either way, you can not beat it!
See what I did to this one, here.

Number 2 – Frames

Frames are super abundant at most every thrift store you will go to.
I can always find frames of some sort, big and small, on every single trip.

One of the most fun (and probably most creative) thrift store frame makeover (well, really repurpose) is this one.
My husband and I made 2 end tables using the frames as a table top filled with tiles.
You can read all about this project, here.

Here’s a few more frame projects:

This old frame (and mat!) from the thrift store sure came in handy when I shared some pretty spring botanical printables recently.
You can see (and download) them, here.

How about repurposing this old bear print into a holiday ornament wreath?
I did. :) See it, here.

This old frame got repurposed into a handy, coastal tiled tray.

Number 3 – Old Signs

This one might only apply to you if you like signs. ;)

Finding and buying old signs at the thrift store is a great idea.
They are typically a great size and most even have the hanging hooks on the backside.
So I always say they are ready to go! All you need is paint.
I can usually find these a lot. You know, all those dated 70s and 80s styled signs, etc.
This sign was exactly that, an old, dated 80’s sign.
Read all about it, here.

Here’s a few more old sign projects:

This old sign got 2 makeovers in this house! ;)
See the latest one, here.

I made a “Pantry” sign out of this old sign, here.

This old sign was one I found when I went thrift shopping with my buddy, Christy.

Number 4 – Trays

Trays…what can I say, they are almost always easy to find at the thrift store and are another of my favorite things to buy at the thrift store.

This thrift store tray got a total makeover and repurpose too.
Read more about it, here.

Here’s a few more tray projects:

This one got a bright and colorful makeover.
See it, here.

These old letter trays are great for so many things.
See how I made this one over, here.

And another one in a completely different style!
Love vintage French?
Check this one out, here.

Number 5 – Bread Boxes

Bread boxes, always! They are great for so many things. (and hiding so many things ;) )
See what the inside looks like on this one and what I decided to repurpose it into, here.

Here’s more bread box projects:

This one got a full makeover, inside and out, and wow does it look different!
See it, here.

My very first bread box makeover…out of this lil 80’s cutie. ;)
Can you believe I used to paint little country appliques just like that? (and would have probably loved this little box when I first got married in 91, haha!)
Anyway, see what I did with it, here.

Number 6 – Glassware

Another one of the best things to buy at the thrift store!

And yes, usually in varying sizes like this too.
I turned these into “gold dipped” jars and use them on my built in bookcase and for flowers whenever my sweet hubby brings me some. ;)
Read all about how I painted these AND got that straight line (super simple tip!), here.

Here’s a couple more glassware projects:

I love the shape of old liquor bottles. All you need is a little paint!
See how I transformed this into a little beauty, here.

You can even find all shapes and sizes like these.
See what I did with them, here.

Number 7 – Lamps

Lamps, there are usually a long row or two of them. Yes, many times they need a slight makeover.

My most recent lamp makeover was this sparkly, gold one. It surely didn’t start out like this but it was SO easy to get it looking like this! :)
Lamps can be really pricey so when you can find a decent one at the thrift store, I call that a win.
See all the details on this makeover, here.

Here’s another lamp project:

Another favorite lamp makeover, here.

Number 8 – Flatware Boxes

I LOVE flatware boxes. And yep, you guessed it, I can usually find them all day long at the thrift store.
Flatware boxes are great for so many other uses and really even just a simple decor piece.
See what I did to the inside of this one, here.

Here’s another flatware project:

One of my favorites. I love the simple white and black French lettering.
See all the details on this makeover, here.

So next time you are out thrift shopping, take a look and see if you can find one of these 8 best things to buy at the thrift store, at your own thrift store. Bet you can!
If you see something, bring it home and give it a makeover too! (or repurpose it for your home)

Have a great week! :)

xoxo