A birthday gift from Goodwill

A certain little boy has been begging for a bike for awhile…

And he’s finally got one!  We’re thanking the Lord for the provision of a second-hand bike, found at a Goodwill for less than a fraction of what one would have cost new. It was price at $9.99, and thankfully I realized before I checked out that I had a 20% off coupon, too!  Can’t beat $7.99 for a bicycle, and it was perfect timing in that he’s about to turn five, so he’s already been told this is his birthday gift!

Of course, it didn’t come with training wheels, and he begged and begged me to go to Walmart to buy some.  We will soon, I told him.  But, in the three days he’s had it, he’s managed to learn how to ride without training wheels.  Bingo – now we don’t have to buy training wheels, which probably would have cost as much as the bike! ;)

It’s taken some patience,  but we finally now have bikes for all the kids, all purchased second-hand at Goodwill.  A trike for $7, a ride-in car for $10, and now a boy’s bike for $8.

Anyone else scored anything good at Goodwill lately?

PS – A few months ago I was priveleged to be able to tour many of Goodwill’s facilities and learn more about what they do.  They “provide jobs”, right?  Which I always thought was limited to their thrift stores, and I always kind of thought “how many people can a thrift store employ?”  It was super exciting to see what else Goodwill does, from providing simple, paying jobs for the disabled to assisting in job-finding services and employing those who might not be able to get a job elsewhere at their laundry facility.

It genuinely got me excited about what they’re putting my money to when I shop at their thrift stores!  If you ever have the chance to learn more about what they do, do it – it’s exciting to see people who are excited about helping other people!