You may love your local thrift store for furniture pieces, secondhand clothes, and of course knick knacks, but did you ever think it could also be an excellent place to look for holiday gifts? It’s true! You would be surprised to see how many people use their local thrift shop as a holiday shopping spot. To find out more, take a look below at 7 thrift store items perfect for holiday gift giving. It turns out you really can use your local thrift shop to find gifts for less.
1. Baskets.
Thrift stores typically have an entire aisle of just baskets. These are perfect for filling up with themed gifts. Get nice baskets for as little as a quarter, then add some ribbon and filling before adding assorted gifts inside. With so many to choose from, you will have a fun time creating the perfect gift basket for friends and family.
2. Mugs.
Thrift stores are often overrun with mugs. Find some mugs in good condition and fill them with coffee or tea packets, candy, or even office supplies. They can make a nice gift, and chances are your local thrift spot will have a nice variety to choose from starting at just a quarter each. Look for holiday mugs to go with the season!
3. Items with tags.
Think this idea is too good to be true? It happens all the time! People donate items with tags to their local thrift stores regularly. Look for home goods, accessories, and other items like clothing that still have the tags attached. If you think someone on your gift list will enjoy one of these items, perfect!
4. Picture frames.
Thrift stores often have picture frames for as low as a quarter, and they are perfect for cleaning up, decorating, and adding a favorite picture. This is a sentimental gift perfect for someone on your list, and your options for decorating your frame are endless. Spray paint it, decoupage it, or leave as is and just add your favorite photo of you and your recipient.
5. Fabric.
While you may not give your gift recipient a cut of crafting fabric, you can get fabric from your local thrift store to use for homemade gifts. Turn fabric scraps into blankets, heat packs, napkins, placemats and more. If you are crafty, a thrift store is the perfect place to find crafts for less.
6. Plates.
Find solid plates in good shape and use a Sharpie marker to decorate them with a favorite verse, poem, or quote. This is a fun handmade gift to give to friends and family, and since most thrift stores sell plates for less than a buck each, it is a frugal idea.
7. Tins.
Like baskets, most thrift stores have tons of holiday tins for less than a buck. Use these to hold homemade cookies and candy, or spray paint them and fill for a festive look. These tins are perfect for filling and giving, and for such a low price you can afford to grab several.
If you are ready to give gifts for less this year, head to your local thrift store. It is the perfect place to stock up on inexpensive gift items perfect for everyone on your list.
Let’s Discuss: What are some of the ways that you save money on holiday shopping?
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Ahh all of these are great ideas. I was actually thinking of getting mugs from the thrift store and eating sharpies to decorate the mugs for people in my office!
We don’t do Christmas gifts It is something that was never part of either of our families’ cultures. I can see how visiting a thrift store could help us with inexpensive gifts though. I’ll experiment with the kids this year.
Those all sound like good suggestions. I don’t shop specifically by price for Christmas, I focus more on finding just the right gift and try to work within a set budget.
I definitely need to look for some frames! All of our family wants updated photos for Christmas.
Yes, picture frames and mugs! I know these are gifts I would love to receive! xx
Oh, these are great ideas. I want to visit our local thrift store now. I could really spruce up some mugs with candy and coffee for a few family members!
Oh gosh I get everything I need to ship all my packages at thirty stores and dollar stores! Definitely saves me a ton!
This is such a great idea! I have never thought about going to the thrift store to find neat items for gifts even though I love going there for myself!!
I usually use dollar finds to spur my imagination. Mugs would be filled with homemade marshmallows, or sweaters turned into mittens.
The tins is a great idea for gifts and for putting homemade gifts inside! Cookies or candies or anything like that can be a big hit inside! Great tip!
I think these are some really great ideas that are cost effective too. Baskets and tins are both my personal favorite because gifts look really attractive in them.
I love being able to save money when it comes to gift giving around the holidays! Thanks for the tips!
What a great list of thrift store items for the perfect holiday gift guide! Thanks for sharing.
Baskets are one of the best gift items to grab at thrift stores! Such a smart way to save and help the environment avoiding paper bags or more gift wrap!
I’m always looking for AFFORDABLE gift ideas, and this does the trick. I’m excited to go and explore my local thrift stores.
I love this! We just went a bought a bunch of mugs from the dollar store and we’re going to design them as gifts for family. So simple and cheap but personal and beautiful.
I love our Dollar Tree in Atlanta! I shop there all the time but I never thought of it for Christmas ideas. I bet I can stock some great stockings!
I would love it if someone shopped for me at a thrift store! I love going to our local thrift stores! My sister and I went not too long ago and bought a bunch of records!
Oh, picture frames! Thats a great idea! These are all great items to find at a thrift store. I have a few in my town and I will have to check them out!
This is great reminder amiga thanks for sharing, I buy my tins at the dollar store when I bake cookies for gifting I might do the same this year =) as well as buy tissue paper and frames.
I love the idea of buying baskets at a thrift store. They are so expensive at other stores that it totally makes sense to use them as a gift basket.
I wish I had a thrift store near me. I want to go to find photo props!
This is a great list of items! I don’t think I have ever shopped at the thrift store for Christmas presents and to be honest I don’t know why I haven’t. It does seem like the perfect place to find the perfect present at a reasonable price.
I love buying picture frames from the thrift store! You can always spruse them up a bit too and make great project pieces too!!
Baskets! I never think to get baskets at the dollar store, but I use them for everything. I love to get tins though.
You can definitely get a bunch of items here that you can also put together for a cheap DIY gift! This is a pretty cool list as it is!
I love shopping at thrift stores. They do have a HUGE selection of holiday tins. What’s fun is that you can use these tins for so many things.
I love getting stuff from the dollar store! My favorite is stuff for my kids homeschool curriculum!
I love the plate idea! Might just go for this and then shellack the plates after writing on them.
Mugs are always an easy gift that you can never have enough of. I like to stuff them full of candy and give them out at work!
Thrifting can be so much fun when you find hidden gems that are perfect for gift giving. I can’t wait to hit up my local stores.
I have never been thrifting. I am always intimidating because I don’t feel like digging through a bunch of stuff I definitely don’t want to find the one gem, but some people are so good at it!
These are some really great ideas. I’m planning to head to the dollar tree this week to stock up on some Christmas supplies!
I love getting unique mugs. We use them a lot in our house! Great and creative list!
My mom is a serial thrifter. I like the items with tags on it because I think people would be more receptive with a gift that still had the tag on it!
I definitely need to do some thrift store shopping of my own this holiday season. I need to be creative with a limited budget! This year, two sets of families to buy gifts for!
The dollar store is a great place to start for making crafts and home-made gifts. I love dollar store finds!
Love this collection of ideas! So many great ideas at a true bargain! I like finding great deals.
I never thought of hitting thrift stores for Christmas gifts!!! I bet I could find some really cute frames at the thrift store near me!
We used to have quite a few thrifty shops in my area but as rents soared, many moved. I miss them because thy were always a great resource for special items like you listed.
I love picking up unique mugs! I never thought of looking at the dollar store or thrift stores though – will have to make a trip!