The economy is shaky and inflation is making the task of buying basics -- like groceries and gasoline -- untenable for many families. There's unfortunately very little that the average person can do to tackle these formidable challenges in full, but there are ways to lessen costs. This is true not only when it comes to the essentials in life, but also for trendy decor, designer clothing and even used cars.

Explore: Your Biggest Money Etiquette Questions Answered
Dollar Tree: 5 High-Quality Items To Buy Now

Before you head over to the Salvation Army or another traditional thrift store to search for thrifted goods, consider all the other places where you can score good deals on preowned items. In some cases, you could find a better deal than you would in a thrift store, and you might find it easier to get exactly what you're looking for, thus preventing impulse buys and wastes of time.

Here are 10 unlikely places to score thrift shop deals.

Consignment Shops

"These may also be referred to as secondhand shops, but either way they're excellent places to look for gently used clothing, shoes and even furniture," said Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews.com. "These shops may be better than thrift stores because there's often a team of people deciding what to take in based on its condition and ability to be sold, so you won't necessarily find a lot of junk to sift through."

Estate Sales

"These can be gold mines for finding treasures, depending on the area you're shopping in," Ramhold said. "For instance, you may want to look at estate sales that are in the wealthier parts of town as they're more likely to have quality items or rare finds at a fraction of the cost of shopping for new items or from antique shops. Estate sales may have solid furniture, rare books, one-of-a-kind trinkets, heirloom jewelry and more, all for relatively reasonable costs."

eBay

"If you want to do all your shopping from home, you can certainly find deals online at sites like eBay," Ramhold said. "In this case, though, you're best served by looking for items like designer clothing, shoes and accessories, as shipping on those items will be much lower than larger or heavier items like furniture."

Etsy

"You might think Etsy is just for indie creators who are making and selling items, but plenty of people use it as a platform for reselling secondhand goods as well," Ramhold said. "(Some Etsy shop owners) hunt down treasures from different areas and then resell them for reasonable prices through their Etsy storefront. This is a good way to find vintage decor as well as rare books and even one-of-a-kind jewelry for prices that won't break the bank."