One moment you’re flipping through racks of old jeans, the next you’re holding something so good you have to double-check the price tag. That thrill? These 27 lucky thrifters know it all too well.
1. “Screaming, crying, barfing.”
2. “Somehow, on a busy Saturday, a boxed 1962 Barbie was just sitting on a shelf for $11. Still has original $2 tag.”
3. “Yeah, I bought it, be jealous. Look at that cat’s face!”
4. “This, my friends, is why I drive 45 minutes to the rich people’s Goodwill.”
- My wife picked one up for cheap at our local thrift store years ago. It was the best stick vacuum we ever had, just don’t leave it on the charger all the time because it kills the battery. © misleading_rhetoric / Reddit
5. “2 people tried to take it from my cart.”
- This is the type of item I go straight to the register for and try and act natural. LOL. © p—py / Reddit
6. “Found the perfect kitten throne at a thrift shop.”
“Best part was when I brought the babies down to take pictures, all 3 kittens loved the throne and required zero wrangling to take pictures.” © *****shibby / Reddit
7. “Had to have this chips and dip bowl for $3”
9. “Cruised through my local Talize and found these vintage Levi’s with the tags still on.”
10. “Got for $4, vintage Moschino”
11. “I’ve been trolling the marketplace for a classic turtle sandbox. I didn’t know what I really wanted until I found it.”
- Ok, but I just assumed you wanted it for yourself and was so excited for you. Now I’m adding a sand pit to things I want in my yard. No, I don’t plan on having kids. © *******lovingduck / Reddit
12. “I found a wavy mirror.”
13. “Told my coworker who thrifts to keep an eye out for Taylor Swift’s 1st album for my fiancé. Dude comes in with this today: $1.99 price tag.”
“Once I told him that it was an $800 plus CD, he kept it, of course, lol. Incredible luck on his end.” © Thissnot**** / Reddit
14. “I found the striped one three years ago. Today I found him a friend :’)”
15. “8 years ago, I posted these 1930s Salvatore Ferragamo shoes (on my old account) that I found for $8 at Savers. Today, they are being shipped to the museum in Italy!”
16. “’I’ll just try them on for fun,’ I told my husband; that was a lie.”
17. “My husband hates it, ha.”
18. “Before I dropped my kindergartener off at school, I asked if she wanted me to look for anything for her while I thrifted. She said, ‘sparkly unicorn purse’. The thrift gods had my back.”
19. “I thrifted a racecar bed for my dogs.”
20. “Repurposed this $2 vintage cookie jar that was missing its lid 🍓”
21. “Suddenly, all my problems have gone away; Got my white whale for free today.”
22. “Found my old favorite sweater in my current size!”
“Got the (top) sweater years ago from my partner, but it shrank in the wash (we were foolish to throw wool in a machine!)
Cut to the other day at the thrift store, I find a replica in my size that’s not gonna shrink! What luck!” © AndieHuman / Reddit
23. “Brand new for $21. Even had the wedding card inside.”
24. “Thrifted my first authentic Louis Vuitton for $5! Gifting to my beautiful wife.”
25. “Anyone who said money can’t buy happiness has never found a lifesized Danny Devito cutout at their local charity shop.”
26. “Can you believe I passed this up? It’s haunted me ever since.”
27. “Best $6 I ever spent.”
So that’s the magic of thrifting: not just shopping, but an adrenaline rush every time you spot your very own “white whale.”