Goodwill and Salvation Army.

Overstock.com is also a great, affordable resource, and I've had nothing but fantastic experiences with their customer service.

I'm not sure how you consider CB2, Garnet Hill and especially West Elm to be "bargain.". I have bought most of my area rugs from Overstock.com. I got a wool 10x12 rug for $300 - something you will never see at the stores you listed. The disadvantage, obviously, is that you can't see it in person. However, the rugs Overstock carries are common brands, and sometimes you can find them in specialty rug stores and compare. I have found the same exact rug for 3 times as much in rug stores as I saw on Overstock. Another good place - that will return for free if you have it shipped to their store - is Home Decorators, which are in some Home Depot stores. Sorry, Apartment Therapy, I like you, but think you missed the boat on this one. Talk to people who buy a lot off of Craig's List, estate sales and auctions (my friend does this a lot) if you want to find the true bargain-hunters.

Unrelated to bargains, but that's a very sweet photo.

I used to find an occasional treasure at estate sales (memorably, a handmade rug for $5 that I still own), but they made me so sad I stopped doing that. I don't want to profit from grief.

Suggestions in other categories: Mostly all online -
Bedding: Linen Source - The quality is superior or equal to what's at a Bed Bath and Beyond, and the prices can be half less, esp. if you shop the sales and outlet. They have interesting designs and materials you won't find at retail outlets either & excellent customer service.
Household goods: Tuesday Morning stores (if in your town/city), Online: Improvements, Solutions, Organize, Stacks and Stacks
Furniture: Nadeau - in 12 states - Real, 100% wood furniture & interesting, global designs at Ikea prices. At the store near me, furniture is from India, Indonesia and China. I got beautiful, solid Mahogany bookshelves at a fraction of the cost at regular furniture stores. Also, don't overlook Costco - they carry large indoor and outdoor furniture at great prices too.

Careful shopping of eBay, craigslist, local yard and estate sales, and thrift stores. With patience, I've found what I want and finally learned to leave what I wouldn't buy at full price. I've gotten terrific buys on furniture, hand-knotted rugs, gardening supplies, high-quality clothes and accessories. I buy little new or full price or even "sale" price anywhere now. It's hard to step back from the consumer mindset--and in some ways, I've simply substituted thrift stores for discount stores and major sales and still buy what I don't need--but I am trying to be more conscious of every purchase. I'd be unlikely to buy from any of this feature's "bargain" sources except through eBay, where national-brand items often are discounted far more steeply than they are from the online or in-store source. For me, it's become a matter of principle at least as much as of budget.

I would add Home Goods to that list for every category! It's a store that is owned by TJ Maxx/Marshall's - all discount home items at fantastic prices. I've bought lamps, rugs, furniture, mirrors, artwork, bedding, cookware, plates and glasses there over the years. It's an awesome resource and the stock is constantly changing. It's also amazing for holiday decorations if you are into that kind of thing.

To add my voice to Marbelous's, I wouldn't consider most of the "bedding under $150" category a bargain, but it may be for organic. What do I know, I'm not in a financial position to even consider buying organic bedding unless it's under $50. *Then* I would consider it "a bargain".

I second Home Goods. As a interior design student it's a resource the instructors recommend for their selection and prices.

Rugs USA. They always have a sale going on and sometimes at 75% off. I just bought a beautiful 100% wool 8x10 rug for less than $200. And free shipping!

I did a post on this very topic, with many of the suggestions listed above and many more you might have not thought of... http://www.square1studios.com/?p=1653

X3 for Overstock.com. If you register for their daily E-mail ad, you will often get a code for free shipping, as well as regular coupons for an additional 10% off. Also, they sometimes have coupons in shelter magazines. I got a coupon code for $20 off a $100 purchase from Small Room Decorating.

My best scores from Overstock: a gorgeous dining room chandelier for $35, a modern leather office chair for $80, and penny tile for a kitchen backsplash at half what my local discounter wanted, with the incredibly heavy cartons delivered for the promised $2.95.

I worry about Nadeau, when I asked the manager if it was "fair trade", he said "have you looked at the prices?", which I took to be a "no"

When I think "Bargain" the image of CB2 or West Elm do not come to mind. More like TJ Maxx/Homegoods/Marshalls, Target or BB&B. Though actually, Even Macy's has better deals than most places listed in the article.

Goodwill and Salvation Army.
posted by Rita @thissortaoldlife.com on 08.18.12 at 10:47AM
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AMEN

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"Careful shopping of eBay, craigslist, local yard and estate sales, and thrift stores."

DOUBLE AMEN. We've got too much ... stuff ... in the world. We owe it to each other and the environment to buy used. God bless the owners of thrift stores who take the time to buy wisely, tastefully, and to present it to us in a nice way. WE LOVE YOU.

I guess regarding the promo of West Elm and CB2, AT is just trying to pay the piper. Article and comments - great combo.

Only thing I would say about AT is that the classifieds section has gone down down down. I look under Washington, DC and see all sorts of ads for Baltimore goods. As all of us in Charm City and DC know - the two are NOT the same! I wish that could be brought back up, that section. 's all.

don't get me wrong. i love flor to death, but their prices have gone up a good 30% over the past few years. they are as expensive as getting any other kind of carpeting. i just can't consider them to be a bargain any more. Their outlet has better prices, but limited selection.

Any UK recommendations?

"I used to find an occasional treasure at estate sales (memorably, a handmade rug for $5 that I still own), but they made me so sad I stopped doing that. I don't want to profit from grief."

Interesting.

We just had an estate sale after my mother died. Tons of friends came to the pre-sale and bought a ton of stuff. My relatives even bought stuff. It never would have occurred to me that they were profiting from my grief. I was GLAD people showed up! I'm HAPPY that people have found what they want and that our old objects will have renewed life. It does not even bother me that the dealers who came by will make a profit from some of the objects they picked out. I do not consider it profiting from my grief at all. It's a time-honored tradition!

When I saw the list of "bargain" sources, I was a little dismayed. I wouldn't shop at some of those places if I were on a really tight budget, as many of us are in these tough economic times. I vote for Overstock for rugs and bedding. Can't beat the $2.95 shipping. And if you read the customer reviews, you are more apt to make a good choice. I pay attention to what the customers have to say. I also buy from Sierra Trading Post. I signed up for their Deal Flyer, and I've gotten some really good buys on linens, quilts, towels, etc. I watch for the best sales with coupons 40 to 45% off. I also shop thrift stores and Goodwill.

Borage I love your reply. i was just thinking most of what you said before i even saw your comment. Its wonderful that when someone passes on those items aren't languishing in a landfill or tossed into a dumpster after you donate it to Goodwill. yes, it can be a little weepy so say goodbye to grandmom's dishes, but now someone else will use them and something new doesn't need to be created and sold for $99.95 (plus tax). sometimes it gets me at flea mkt's when i see photos (and once a grave deed!) but if someone can use it, it's not a profit from someone's grief, it's a new chance for the item to be repurposed and the bargain buyer isn't shelling out a huge amount.

I agree to lot of the comments this is a good list, but not a bargain list. Bargain list will include Home Goods, Target, Flea markets, Overstock and many more online stores. OR if you find the outlet stores for the stores in this list and find stuff on sale/clearance. I have have gotten stuff from online and with free shipping you can't beat the prices, you just have to read the reviews and see what people have to say before you buy it.

Sorry people TINI is not cheap.....they are way over priced on even the saddest piece in their store.

GOSH....I MUST BE A REALLY GREAT SHOPPER! I know all these resources plus many more. This posting was pointless filler......

@Borage and @Engchik -- Yes, yes, yes. In my family, everyone's gone over everything with a fine-tooth comb (and usually, a U-Haul truck!!) long before the estate sale is scheduled ... so we're happy to let what's left find a new home and a new purpose.

If estate sales make you sad, I get that, and I can see why that would make you stop going. (I find the photo albums in thrift stores sad, sad that no one remains who wants them, but that's part of life, we won't all have a slew of close descendants who will want our old photos (I know I won't).

But I agree that estate sales are about reusing (and loving) nice stuff rather than sending it to landfills. I'd rather see my stuff reused this way when I go, if friends and family can't take it, don't have room for it, or don't want it. I accept that this will likely happen, especially if I live to be old - most people's homes are stuffed, and don't have room for furniture they may inherit, especially if it has to be shipped miles away - that's expensive - it is often cheaper to buy similar antique furniture closer to home, especially when the decendants never lived with it and have no sentimental attachment to the furniture.

And, the people who profit are those who inherit - who are holding the estate sale to make some money from the stuff - they profit, more than the buyer does. When holding house sales before I move, I figure it is much easier to get people to pay me for my unwanted stuff and haul it away, than it is for me to have to deliver it to Goodwill. So it can help the descendants, who have this home to clear out, often while dealing with grief. And, if there's no one to inherit, perhaps the proceeds will go to the charities the deceased person specified in their will.

I agree with the comments on Home Goods. Another good source, if it is in your area, is Garden Ridge. Its a great source for vases, glassware, decorative items and many other things. This year we bought new cushions for out outdoor wicker furniture. After way too much time searching (and pricing) we ended up at Garden Ridge. They had the most extensive selection of anywhere we went and the prices were great. I too love the thrift stores, particularly for furniture pieces I want to redo or for items I want to experiment on with a new technique so I need it at a cheap price.

Christmas Tree Shops for the northern east coast, found an adorable lamp for our daughters room (purple zebra stripes shade w/wire dress form base) for only $3!!! They also have great curtains, furniture and all sorts of neat stuff for cheap! Love it!

I find great deals at Macy's on their clearance tables. I have to shop often (which I don't mind) and be patient about markdowns. Their merchandise is often of better quality than at some of the stores mentioned in the article and if I wait until they put up the "additional 20% off"discount signs and then use my Macy's credit card or coupons for extra x-percent-off, I can get items for up to 90% off. You won't typically find complete sets or matching items but that's ok with me; I call that "eclectic"!

To "Textiles" - this is way off topic, but five years ago I was walking in the West Village with a client and passed a tattered leather-bound photo album sitting on top of a trash can. About 20 paces on I told my client I had to go back and get it. I wasn't eager to look like a trashmonger - but I was too curious. It turned out to be photos - and like you I was extremely saddened that someone had died and left these photos behind with no one to claim them - or care. I removed the photos from the album- which I tossed- and waited until I knew what to do with them. Now, they're displayed in a couch-length collage in my living room. I identified the one woman that all photos seemed to have in common and worked to group families, track children's growth, document vacations - it's amazing and friends end up staring at it forever.
*Back on topic - thanks for the Overstock.com recommendation, everyone. I just got screwed by nuLOOM and am in the market for a dining room rug. Wish me luck!

I second rug usa and overstock for rugs. Just got a rug from overstock that is $788 everywhere else for $330. Also the company store has some beautiful rugs, wait for their sales and combine with a 20% off coupon.

The first comment *Goodwill & Salvation Army* pretty much sums it up. Perhaps an occasional forage on Overstocks. And while I love BB&B, I wouldn't add it to this list (unless of course you have a 20% off coupon for that sale price).

@ Rural and rueful: Consider that you're actually helping someone when shopping an estate sale. At that point, family members have already claimed their personal treasures and are just happy to see things go to a good home where they will be enjoyed. It's a win-win. I, too, steered clear of estates sales until I was forced to organize one. Oddly enough, it brought comfort, not sadness. Just a view from the other side of the coin..

adding here: I agree...boat was definitely missed here..

Sometimes cheap = low quality. We recently bought the West Elm mini pebble wool and jute rug (http://www.westelm.com/products/mini-pebble-wool-jute-rug-b859/) brand-new, but second-hand from someone on Craigslist. She had changed her mind and it was still wrapped in the factory plastic. We were so excited! But after a month on our floor and three vaccums, it is literally unraveling. It has loose untied ends that come out of the warp. Everytime I snip an end, a new one unravels. Soon there will be nothing left of this terrible rug. So very, very disappointed!