by SARAH WOLF

Daily Currents Editor

Ahhh, summer. A season of faded t-shirts, cut-off shorts and de-stressing after spring semester. But anyone who’s paged through a catalog or taken a stroll through the mall knows that simple duds don’t carry tiny price tags. And when that single sundress or pair of Birkenstocks take up an entire paycheck, it’s definitely time to pay a visit to a thrift shop or garage sale.

It turns out that the searing heat and lazy days of the season provide the perfect atmosphere for major cheap stuff at all local bargain basements. Summer means lots of selection, less shopping competition and fabulous browsing weather.

“Summer is really a mixed bag for us,” Rodney Tomlinson, manager of Goodwill at 3718 Lincoln Way, explained. “We’re really busy as far as donations go, but sales go down since most of the students are gone.”

The situation is quite similar for the Salvation Army Thrift Store, located at 411 Kellogg Ave. “[Business] changes quite a bit [in the summer],” Jan Calkins, who works in the shop, explained. “There are not as many sales, but donations from rummage sales go up.”

But lest you think that new merchandise consists only of castoffs from the cold winter months, guess again! A lot of donations come from spring cleaning as well.

“We get in both summer and winter clothes and a lot of household items,” Calkins said. “No one particular thing.”

“It’s amazing how many shorts we get in,” Tomlinson added. “People go out and buy new shorts and give their old ones away.”

In addition to scads of used clothes, thrift stores offer lots of other stuff at prices even college students can afford. A single visit can score books, jewelry or even a new (to you) couch.

“Clothes are our mainstay, our backbone, which we supplement with housewares, furniture and electronics,” Tomlinson said. “The clothes have a much quicker turnover.”

Donations are always welcome (isn’t it about time you cleaned out your closet anyway?). As an extra added bonus treat, all profits from both Goodwill and the Salvation Army stores go toward various rehabilitation and job training programs to help the less fortunate in Iowa. So in addition to snagging fabulous bargains, you’re also supporting those who need it most.

And for those who don’t mind devoting an entire afternoon to toolin’ around Ames in a car, with a city map and classified ads in hand, garage sale-hopping is just the ticket. They pop up about the same time everyone’s catching spring fever.

“Things pick up as soon as the weather turns nice,” K’Lynn Lynn, manager of The Advertiser, said. “That’s usually in mid-April, but it can be as early as March. Garage sales are very weather-related.”

Like thrift stores, yard sales are saviors for those who don’t have infinite amounts of fundage to furnish their apartments or put clothes on their backs.

“Garage sales are good for people on a limited budget,” Lynn said. “If you’re a smart shopper, you can get some really good bargains.”

The Advertiser, for instance, runs classified ads that tell the entire community when and where a major sale is going to happen. Lynn encourages people who wish to place ads to specifically mention cool stuff in the advertisement. That way, customers can narrow their searches, and vendors can count on people who are really interested in certain merchandise, instead of those who are “just browsing.”

“Variety is good,” she said. “It’s smart to list any children’s items, a certain size of clothing, any major appliances, brand names, antiques and collectibles. People come for specific items.