“Buying used and saving the difference,” is a favorite saying of the Duggar family of reality television fame. But whether you love to watch them or not (I generally don’t), they have a good point. You can really save a lot of money when you aren’t focused on buying everything new.
That said, it is important to evaluate used items for quality and suitableness. Otherwise, you might wind up spending more money in the long run. Here are some tips to help you when you are out shopping for used items.
Keep It Simple
When it comes to buying things used, the more simple the better. Fewer parts usually means that there is less to break and that something is easier to fix (there are exceptions). Simple items tend to cost less, too. For example, a simple manual sewing machine will probably last longer than one that has a computer in it. You’ll have to balance the features that you want in a product with how complicated it is. A rake would cost you less in the long run than would a leaf blower.
Clothing
There are good things and bad things to look out for with used clothing. Clothing that isn’t new has already been washed and dried a few or more times, so you shouldn’t get any surprises when you take it home. If it has held up long enough to be passed on, then the quality is probably good. Still check for clothing that has stretched (if the arms are longer than the bottom of a shirt, for example), piled or has weak seams. Also keep in mind that some shrinkage may have occurred, so the sizing may be off. If the item is vintage, that may throw off sizing as well, since the measurements of a size 10, for example, has increased over the years.
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