Talk of the Town: Shop till you drop, but be wise when you do

Hey, all you garage sale and thrift store shoppers. Each year, Americans spend millions of dollars at thrift stores such as Goodwill, the Salvation Army and Green Valley’s own beloved Country Fair White Elephant.

While we thrift store enthusiasts pride ourselves at saving a buck or two, here are some “dos” and “don’ts” to think about the next time you go bargain hunting at a thrift store, thanks to those happy folks at AOL.com.

When thrift shopping for clothes: Do go ahead and pick up cheap sweaters. Consider this: a brand new one at a department store just may set you back $50 or more, but for something you’ll only wear a few months each year (maybe a few weeks in Arizona), you might as well get a used sweater for as little as a few dollars at the White Elephant.

On the other hand, don’t shop for shoes at thrift stores, especially if they are really worn and broken in and you plan to walk in comfort. First of all, the shoe has already conformed to the foot of the former owner so it won’t fit properly, causing everything from bunions to back problems. Plus, if the rubber supports have worn down, or if the waterproofing on a boot has washed away, they’ll be ineffective.

Next, if you’re shopping for the kitchen: Do buy used cookbooks. Since the well-worn ones have been splattered with cooking oil and other ingredients, they are tried and true. That’s a pretty good indication that the recipes inside were used over and over again. You may also find helpful cooking tips scribbled in the margins by the previous owner.

Don’t ever buy used baking pans unless you want to use them for something other than baking. The experts agree that used pans are likely to have a layer of rust or burnt food on them. No matter how much rubbing and scrubbing you put into cleaning them, that rust will eventually wind up baked into your next casserole or chocolate cake.