True story. Last weekend I went shopping with my daughters on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday, I was dragged by my eight-year-old into a local Gap where she convinced me to buy her and her sister the cutest little spaghetti-strapped tank tops on sale for just $3.99 each.

The next day, after dropping some junk off at a Goodwill Superstore, I let them run wild through the aisles and pick out a few items (it's for a good cause, right?). This time my daughter picked out a used Gap tank top and the tag proclaimed a whopping $5.99 price.

The takeaway from this? It's not that you can't get a good deal at a thrift shop. We actually bought many more items that day. I purchased myself t-shirts with labels from J.Jill, DKNY and (yes) Gap. My younger daughter picked out an adorable pink dress. The find of the day was a Ralph Lauren buttoned-down shirt for my husband. Our whole bill came to $35. I'm not sure how it happened, but I think there is a color-coded system I didn't pay much attention to where you actually pay a lot less for items than they are marked.

No, the real lesson from this post is that we are only about halfway through peak summer heat and there are incredible bargains to be had on summer clothes on the racks at major chain stores.

So get out there and buy yourself a nice new t-shirt. It will set you back about the price of an ice cream cone and last a lot longer.

Around the holidays when I have the luxury of sitting back and thinking about the gifts I want my loved ones to buy for me, I usually start lusting after kitchen appliances. This year it was an ice cream maker I wanted (but I didn't ask for -- more on that later). Last year I was so enamored of a yogurt maker that I gave it to my father, who promptly gave it right back to me. Thanks Dad! (It really is a great gadget for anyone who appreciates the power of active cultures -- and it turns out gallons of plain yogurt for pennies.)

So why didn't I ask for the ice cream maker? Because I know that if I wait a bit, I'll find one on my thrift store shop shelves at one-tenth the price. Since I know I will only use it two or three times before the novelty wares off, I'd rather not get a new one. When I'm tired of it and it starts taking up too much space in my minuscule Manhattan kitchen, I'll just return it to the 'store' -- my thrift store that is -- for someone else to use for a while. My local Salvation Army is like a lending library of kitchen gadgets.

Of course, you run the risk that you'll get the thing home and it won't work (that's actually never happened to me with kitchen appliances, since these things seem extra hardy). You also will no doubt be absent the instruction booklet or any recipe sheets. No worries, most manufacturers publish them online now. Pasta makers, popcorn poppers, espresso machines, I've seen them all for sale for $10 or less.

It's not just appliances that are fun to buy. My favorite wooden kitchen spoon came from the same thrift shop. It is so worn and smooth and ancient that I feel like a real chef just holding it in my hand. I've picked up some really nice and interesting serving spoons, bowls and other utensils. Many of my favorite juice and wine glasses come from the same source. I share Sarah Gilbert's sentiments about the beauty of the lone shapely mug that stands out on the shelves of the thrift store.

Fact is, quality kitchenware lasts and can be bought for cents on the dollar at a thrift store. What's the fun of
matching glassware anyway?

This post was written as part of a series on how to thrift shop smarter. Read more on what to buy, and not to buy, at thrift stores.

Back in college when I was a knitting demon and had no cash to spend on high quality wool -- I came up with a solution that worked like a charm: I would go to thrift stores and buy handmade sweaters that some ingrate had cast off.

I'd unwind all that hard work that some grandma put into a ridiculously styled poncho and end up with a trove of gorgeous wool to make something that suited my tastes. Just this morning my husband went off wearing mittens that I made from one such misshapen thrift shop sweater.

But, and I'm showing my age here, that technique hasn't worked lately. It worked best 20 years ago when it seemed that me and my college roommate were the only geeks under 70 sporting knitting needles.

Since then knitting has gotten very trendy. That's caused a multitude of problems for my yarn recycling scheme. First of all, it seems, any sweaters made of high quality yarn that end up in thrift shops are snatched up before I can find them. I also surmise that people are holding onto their hand-knitted gifts more often now since bulky sweaters with too-long sleeves and fabulous yarn are all too in fashion.

Finally, craft stores like Michael's now stock all sorts of cheap yarn. If I want cheap yarn I can go there. And if I try the unwind-a-thrift-sweater technique, I risk ending up with wool that is not special enough to warrant the effort.

That's not to say that you can't make fabulous "handmade" items from used sweaters found at a thrift shop. Sarah Gilbert introduced me to a technique I've also seen emulated by artisans in the East Village -- slicing up used sweaters and turning them into something new and chic -- like these amazing hats (see photo). Now that's real talent.

Thrift shops also have, of course, a wealth of fabulous sweaters to buy, as Barry Summerlin learned. As for me and my needles, these days I'm avoiding the thrift shop and splurging on yarn at my high end, oh so trendy New York yarn store.

This post was written as part of a series on how to thrift shop smarter. Read more on what to buy, and not to buy, at thrift stores.

Don't get me wrong, a thrift shop is an excellent place to buy shoes. I wear a size 6 1/2 and find a bonanza of high quality footwear at my local thrift shop whenever I go there. Nine West and Bass are two of the brands I picked up recently -- current styles even! Just shine 'em up and they are ready to go, helpfully broken in by someone who updates their shoe fashions once a year.

But there, right next to these gems are the knock-offs. These shoes may look good -- in fact they probably haven't been worn much. But they come from cheap mall stores (Payless is one example) and probably cost around less than $20 new. My guess is that most of them proved so uncomfortable that the hapless buyer quickly shunted them off to the thrift shop. That's where most of the cheap mall shoes that I made the mistake of buying ended up.

I don't want to disparage Payless too much. It is a great place to buy children's shoes. My kids find their shoes comfortable and fun (there are lights and sparkles aplenty) and when they wear out I can toss them and let them buy another pair.

But shoes such as these are so cheap to buy new that there is no reason to pick them up at a thrift shop. They may be priced at $5. But look a little harder and I bet you'll find a much nicer pair that originally cost $75 or more selling for $8. Now that's a deal.

This post was written as part of a series on how to thrift shop smarter. Read more on what to buy, and not to buy, at thrift stores.

One of the thrills of pregnancy is experiencing your body change week to week as it miraculously creates a new human being. One of the many challenges of pregnancy is trying to keep yourself clothed and looking neat while you morph into a whole new shape.

It's tempting to wear nothing but sweats and oversized t-shirts. But feeling good about how you look can make pregnancy more fun -- all that friendly chit chat doesn't seem quite so intrusive, for example, if you feel confident about your appearance, I'd argue. And it most likely takes high-quality maternity clothes to do the trick.

That's where your local thrift shop can come in handy. Fact is, maternity clothes are expensive. And you'll need a lot of them to make it through a pregnancy. Most pants or shirts only fit for a month before you're onto the next size. You can fill up your closet at your local thrift shop without spending a fortune. Then, when they don't fit anymore or you have your baby and can't stand the sight of the maternity clothes anymore, you can get rid of them without buyer's remorse.

One caveat: You may have to hunt around or get your veteran thrifter friends to be on the lookout for you. It seems the best maternity wear is picked up right quick in thrift shops these days. And its often only the best run shops that take the time to separate it out from the rest of the duds. Shopping for maternity wear can be hard work at thrift stores, but it will likely be well worth the effort.

This post was written as part of a series on how to thrift shop smarter. Read more on what to buy, and not to buy, at thrift stores.

While you're thrift-shopping about town, you may want to keep an eye out for resale items. If you're planning a spring yard sale, participating in a fundraiser flea market (where you rent space for a day or a weekend) or have a digital camera and might want to sell on eBay, you may be able to make money while saving money. You can also buy for consignment but "buyer beware," - be sure you have a well-located consignment store in mind and that you know the prices. It gets even more interesting once winter ends and the yard sales, usually the best venue for this kind of buying, begin again.

If you shop yard sales, thrift stores, church sales or auctions, inevitably you've noticed the dealers. Watch them. Awhile back, at a sale, as I assembled an LL Bean backpack, an army blanket and a flashlight (right, we were going camping). Meanwhile, a man in his sixties arrived. He selected an a 1930's planter and from the same box, an old framed mirror and a numbered print of a fisherman in a yellow slicker. He'd snagged the prime resale items and left before I was halfway through shopping with wife/mother eyes.