I've seen jeans at goodwill that had blood and poopy stains in them. That was enough for me.

Just take care.. NOT to bring home bedbugs. The minute they showed up in SA.. I quit going to thrift stores.

Good one Esther. Never thought to get sheets at a thrift store to cover furniture. I love thrift stores.

I agree. You can find some great things at a thrift stores sometimes. We painted our house, both inside and out, a few years ago and instead of buying smocks or even used our old clothes and sheets, we bought jeans, tshirts, sneakers to wear, and sheets to drape over furniture. We didn't get a drop of paint anywhere important and paid less the $15 for all the thrift store items.

All these tips are good ones! Especially the one about not underestimating a damaged item. I bought dorky-looking damaged pictures for their wood frames (scratched even!). I painted them and put new pictures inside. I've also bought used canvasses and painted over them. You can also buy cheap used jewelry for the beads! And sometimes, if you look hard enough, you can find used magazines and books in good shape for very cheap and either buy them to read or for their pictures inside! (put them in frames to decorate a room).