14 Prepper Items to Find at the Goodwill Store

Goodwill

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Sewing Supplies – Needles, thread, and fabric will be very valuable when you can’t go clothes shopping. You will need to repair your own clothing or even make your own.

Buckets – These are often pushed to the back, but if you can find them, get them. Buckets can be used to carry water, store supplies, and of course, as a toilet. Buckets with lids are even better.

The key to building a survival cache that will meet most of your needs without breaking the bank is to use every resource available to you and always be ready to take advantage of a deal.

Goodwill stores are one source that if you regularly visit them, you can find many of the survival items on your list of “must haves” (they are also great places to get camping equipment too, FYI).

To learn more about using Goodwill as a survival supply resource, check out the Urban Survival Site.


36 Comments

  1. Richard Revis said:

    My wife works at a goodwill here in Texas. I have seen several of these items in her store. Just bought a 8 person tent for 5 bucks.

  2. Kerri Pill-Hag said:

    Im.good though in one area. ..we homeschool and I’m a hoarder of educational books

  3. Derek Wayne Weber said:

    Save yourself the click

    Wool blankets – Wool blankets are the best for cold or wet weather. They can be expensive, though. Fortunately, some people don’t really like the feel of wool blankets and will give them away. This is your chance to get a great deal on one.
    Tools – You will always find a variety of tools at thrift stores. Have backups for your backups. Things like hammers, wrenches, and screwdrivers are all worth adding to your stockpile.
    Kitchen Items – Things like can openers, meat grinders, and manual blenders should be added to your cart.
    Camping Equipment – This stuff is easy to find, and it’s great in survival situations. Everything from tents to campstoves can be picked up for a fraction of the cost.
    Cast Iron Pots and Pans – You know you need these to cook over an open fire, but they are ridiculously expensive brand new. Buy them used.
    Survival Gear – No joke. You can often find things like waterproof matches, Mylar blankets and multi-tools at thrift stores.
    Crayons – These are also a great find, even the broken ones. You can melt those down as well to make your own candles.
    Hunting Gear – Camouflage clothing, hunting boots, and a variety of other gear like game bags and whatnot can typically be found in thrift stores, especially after hunting season is over.
    Books and Games – Books and board games for less than a dollar are a real steal. They may not seem very valuable in today’s world with tablets and e-readers, but after a collapse they will be a very big deal.
    Rags – Bags of these are usually sold for only a couple dollars. These rags can be used for cleaning up or as family cloths.
    Fencing Items – Rolls of barbed wire, rolls of chicken wire, and even posts could also come in handy. Check the backrooms and outside of the store as well. Oftentimes these things are not put out on the floor.
    Homeschooling Supplies – Text books, workbooks, and other things you can use to homeschool the kids. You are going to be their teachers and having these things will make your life a little easier.
    Sewing Supplies – Needles, thread, and fabric will be very valuable when you can’t go clothes shopping. You will need to repair your own clothing or even make your own.
    Buckets – These are often pushed to the back, but if you can find them, get them. Buckets can be used to carry water, store supplies, and of course, as a toilet. Buckets with lids are even better

  4. RC Fernandez said:

    No thanks, even if a zombie apocalypse was to break out I would buy anything fro this place. Always smells of death in those stores.

  5. David Bader said:

    That just means it will help to mask your “hey I’m alive & have fresh brains” smell & confuse the zombies. With enough of it they may even accept you as one of their own.

  6. Steve Rogers said:

    Goodwill is NOT A CHARITY, ALL money goes to ONE mans bank account, go to the DAV or other stores where the money goes to a charity, if you don’t believe me google it!!!

  7. Steve Rogers said:

    Goodwill is NOT A CHARITY, ALL money goes to ONE mans bank account, go to the DAV stores or one of the others that go to a charity!! If you don’t believe me, google it!!!

  8. Scott Paddock said:

    You, sir, are a moron who can’t stop reading, and swallowing whole, a completely FALSE MEME that is almost ten years old.

    If you really Googled, instead of just constantly pointing to that idiotic MEME, you’d find the SNOPES article debunking it, along with several others. Even Goodwill has made a statement on their site.

  9. Scott Paddock said:

    Training people and helping them find and keep jobs isn’t a worthy enough cause for you?

  10. Steve Rogers said:

    $440,197- CEO of Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc.
    $316,685- CEO of Goodwill Industries of South Florida, Inc.
    $393,001- CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, Inc.

  11. Steve Rogers said:

    $282,295- CEO of Goodwill Industries of San Diego County
    $265,388- CEO of Goodwill Industries of Orange County
    $376,317- CEO of Goodwill Industries of Sacramento Valley & Northern Nevada
    $507,898- CEO of Goodwill of Southern California
    $344,754- CEO of Goodwill Industries of Santa Clara County/ Silicon Valley

  12. Scott Paddock said:

    Then you’re not looking hard enough, or often enough. With the exception of buckets and rags, which I’d rather buy new and make my own from old Tshirts and towels, I’ve bought the other 12 items listed at Goodwill stores.

    I have 6 wool blankets($5 each), dozens of pairs of 5.11 tactical pants($5 each), figuratively a half a ton of cast iron(the most expensive one $12, and I’m not talking modern, foreign made garbage. I’m talking Lodge, Wagnerware, and Griswold), and, no$#%&!@* a MSR Whisperlite stove(four bucks). Columbia and North Face winter coats, tents, sleeping bags of every style(three Military, two Intermediate cold and one M1949 Mountain), a Northface -20 mummy, and several Coleman warm weathers(all $5 each), canteens(a couple with pouch, cup, and stove included), Nalgene bottles(I use them for Meals in a Jar), Camelbak bags, books by the box(including several survival books by the likes of Les Stroud, Bear Grylls, and Cody Lundin), axes, pie irons, hot dog forks, Coleman dual fuel stoves and lanterns, and high priced mountain bikes(Trek). And, though not at Goodwill, but a local thrift store, I’ve even bought guns(Remington 22 pump and a 16 gauge breach single shot).

    Browse often, browse frequently. Best times to shop are a couple hours after they open(the new wares start coming out of the pricing room), and on your way home from first shift(again, one of the prime times new wares come out). Make two passes around the store: one, looking for specific items, and the second to see the times you missed because your mind was stuck on something specific.

    Don’t be afraid to go in more than once a day. I have literally stopped on my way to a job, and bought a pair of pants and a couple books, and stopped again on my way back home a couple hours later, and found more books and some cast iron.

    But the most important thing: Know what it is, and what it’s worth. I’ve found, several times, that Goodwill doesn’t always research items before they price them, and found them selling things for more than what they sell for new(such as a $5 Harbor Freight machete that Goodwill thought was worth $15).

  13. Charles Bryan Morath said:

    Not when evey penny is advertised wrongly , and well let’s take a look at all it is ,is a retail store . Evey business hires people that called business unlike salvation army they are a REAL BUSINESS that is a place for people to go they help out homeless people who are in trouble,show me ANYWHERE were goodwill does that and also when they hire people with disabilities or physical problems there wages are payed by the government and guess who keeps the extra motorcycle money , don’t believe me go investigate like I did

  14. Josh Yopchick said:

    I would go to the Salvation Army and st Vincent DePaul first. The money they get actually goes to programs for the community. My EX worked in Goodwills corp office. They are non profit, but the majority goes to bonuses in the office before it goes to actually help any one.

  15. Ronald E. Duke said:

    This is stupid!!!! Used to be this would be right, but now they are over priced …. garage sales are better, with millennials who don’t have a clue what their parents have!!!!! Buy old “cast iron” for $2., Cuisinart twelve piece for $100. And more tools and bedding that you can carry! And shot gun shells and other ammo for $1. a box!!!!! Any long rifle $100. Oh …. and here is a tip ….. buy veggie “Seed Packets” for 49 cents at Aldi’s, instead of a $1.69 at stupid Wal-mart!!!!!

  16. Jane Woulfe said:

    I will be never donate or shop at Goodwill again, haven’t for years. Goodwill is owned by one man, for his profit only !!! Pays poor women minimum wage! He makes MILLIONS. !! I will donate to Salvation Army & some community places… check them out before donating or shopping….

  17. Rog Xavier said:

    CLICKBAIT !!!
    when it leads you away from the initial bait page, into a spammed$#%&!@*page you know it’s time to unfollow them on FB …

  18. Duane Sweaney said:

    Goodwill pays employees minimum wage while the CEO makes way over $300,000/yr!

  19. Bill Tranker said:

    I do NOT donate to Good will …or buy their stuff.
    0% goes to charities…. while the ceo continues to laugh all the way to the bank.

  20. Bud Green said:

    Best place is the Salvation Army. They help people 24/7.

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