Fun Things to Do at the Thrift Store Without Spending Money

Sometimes the thriftiest things to do at the thrift store don't cost any money. Sometimes when I'm at the thrift store, I'll finish shopping before my wife. It's a natural thing. In some thrift stores, there are simply a more interesting items for women. But, once you've done everything in the man's thrift store survival guide, there's no need for a guy to go to the car and sulk. Let the fun begin!

1. Go On A Safari. Every mantle figurine that your grandma ever had can be found in a thrift store today. If you want to see lions, tigers, and bears, they are in ample supply. You'll also find plenty of elephants. If you are enterprising on your safari and have a small camera, you can even have fun taking thrift store safari pictures.

2. Travel the World. Thrift store donors have travelled to the far-flung corners of the world and returned with souvenirs of their journeys. Many years later they realized that these treasures didn't match their new couch. Now, you can find everything from a miniature Eiffel Tower to Russian nesting dolls on your local thrift store's shelves. More great international bric-brac to photograph!

3. Read A Book. Once you've travelled the shelves in search of treasure, you can hunker down with a good book. Coffee-table photo books will let you see far off lands, travel guides will tell you what there was to see a decade ago, and language dictionaries will let you learn the lingo. If your wife has enough shoes to peruse, you might even work your way through Italian for Dummies.

4. Watch TV. Now that everyone except you has an HD flat screen conventional TVs are piling up at thrift stores. Since they don't receive HD broadcasts, the stores usually hook them up to cable, a converter box, or a VCR. You can always see what's playing. Of course there are 12 TV's on one channel and nothings on except golf. Back to the Italian course.

5. Lift Weights. Most thrift stores have dumb bells, curl bars, loose free weights, old exercise bikes, and strange infomercial contraptions. While you can't get a full work out, it's easy to grab a dumb bell and crank out ten or twenty reps on each arm.

6. Test Electronics. Hey! Does that boom box still work? Well, find a plug, march that boom box over, and crank it up! It's dance party 1987 everybody! Repeat with other electronic detritus that has washed up on your thrift store's shelves.

7. Assemble A Telescope. It's always fun to put together a thrift store telescope. The diagonal is the piece with a mirror in it. It goes on the little tube that goes in and out whe you turn the knobs. Then grab the 20 or 25 millimeter eyepiece. You can have fun checking out the far flung ceiling fixtures in the store.

8. See What's On the Computer. Some thrift stores have old computers hooked up and running. It's fun to use them to draw pictures in paint or pass the time playing games. If you've done everything else on this list, I'd suggest you play Solitaire.

Have fun! Even when you aren't buying, thrift stores are curious places to visit.