When I was little, I thought thrift stores were dusty. They were just full of vases and waffle makers collecting dirt in the corners. The only positive thing that came from these store visits was the fact that I could look at the fancy big girl shoes that were always in an array of styles and colors. But my attitude about thrift stores has changed. As an adult, I see thrift stores for what they really are. They are each a wonderland of treasures and discounts just waiting to be discovered.

I had the pleasure of traveling to one of these wonderlands this weekend with my grandmother-in-law who, in my opinion, is the queen of consignment shopping. Every time the grandparents come for a visit, we make it a priority to take a little trip to the Idaho Youth Ranch and look around for hidden jewels that we obviously cannot live without. After we looked through the store and collected our treasures I asked the queen of consignment why she prefers shopping at thrift stores instead of the regular chain stores.

Her response was, "If buying something recycles, helps people, and is cheaper, then those are the main reasons I go to thrift stores."

By "recycle," she meant how people graciously think to donate their clothes before just throwing them away. So this way, someone else can make good use of a certain piece of clothing that you thought looked better in the store and left in the back of the closet till it no longer fit. For the giver, you can have this feeling of community service and for the shopper, you can find some cute clothes that are mixed in with the dad sweaters and possible homemade Halloween costume ideas. It also might give you a warm, fuzzy feeling when you're told that that cute picture you bought for a dollar goes to an organization that is trying to make the world a better place. Nonprofit organizations, like the Idaho Youth Ranch and Seattle Children's Hospital Bargain Boutiques, do great things for their charities and that makes it easy to shop there over other chains.

Except, I'll be honest. I might have talked about the moral benefit of shopping at thrift stores but the real reason they are so appealing is that you can get so many cool things for practically nothing. My husband and I were talking about getting an office chair then BAM! I found one at the thrift store that same day for $15. Then I also found a painting that went together perfectly with the living room and it was also $15. I also saved money on many a craft project by stopping by the handy-dandy consignment store before going to Hobby Lobby or Michaels.

But are stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels still amazing? Of course, they are. I wouldn't be a somewhat above mediocre home decorator without those trusted stores. But I do think that thrift stores are diamonds that everyone keeps overlooking. While some stores might have the rows of dusty vases, they also have buried gems just waiting to be discovered.