Thrift shopping - Witchy things to look for
It can definitely be tough when you're first gathering items for your craft, especially if you're working on a limited budget but here's some ideas of things you can look out for in thrift stores and what they might be used for. I always recommend cleansing anything you get second hand, as well as washing it for hygiene reasons where possible.
Directly themed items for your altar. Occasionally you might be lucky enough to find something directly related to your deities/craft, I've found that especially true when it comes to Greek deities. The dishes can be used for trinkets or as places to put offerings, I use the napkin holder to hold open books while I'm taking notes and the little pot is used to hold my tools for my Greek Alphabet Oracle.
Jars. Often you can find sets of them for cheap in the cookware section, they can be useful for both storing spell ingredients and for jar spells.
Bells. Often in the trinkets section you can find various bells that can be used for sound cleansing, ranging from glass to metal for whatever preference you might have.
Figurines. Animal figurines can make great altar pieces, I personally really enjoy getting little ceramic ones in the associated animals for my gods - an owl for Athena, lion for Dionysus, etc but you could also get non-animal ones, such as a heart for Aphrodite or a skull for Thanatos, etc.
Candle/incense holders. Often you can find these in many sizes and shapes for fairly cheap, though smaller ones for tiny spell candles are definitely a rarity, I've yet to find one of those in a thrift store.
Mirrors. You might be able to find yourself some beautiful vintage mirrors useful for scrying, glamour magic, spirit work, etc. I recommend being extra sure of your cleansing when buying them however, as I find myself extra wary around mirrors in spell work.
Books. You'd be surprised at the variety of books you might find in thrift shops and while it's uncommon to find witch books outright, you might be able to find some various books on crystals, herbs, astrology, etc. that could be useful.
Fabrics. I always look at the bedding area for any interesting fabric that might be used as an altar cloth with minimal alteration, as well as the scarf section to look for silken scarves for veiling while doing spell work - if that's your thing. You can also use interesting fabric to make pocket altars if you have a little skill with sewing!
Pestle and mortar. While there are many sorts out there, I will say the metal kinds are far worse in functionality for grinding herbs despite being very pretty, so if you're looking to own one for more than just a decoration then try to get a wooden one. Unfortunately I've not used stone, so I can't speak for how functional those may be.
Ashtrays. While not traditionally a witchcraft tool, a good ashtray can be great for burning small items such as herbs or paper sigils during a spell and you can often find them in many styles!
That's all just from the top of my head, I'm sure there are countless useful items you can find in thrift shops and I always recommend witches try exploring them when possible to give new life to objects that might otherwise end up trashed. To any other thrifty witches out there, please feel free to add your own suggestions in the tags or on the post directly!
- Magpie
