When you are shopping for something new, consider buying it used instead. Many items can be purchased “like new” for a fraction of the cost. These are things that are readily available used, are often in excellent condition and purchasing them second hand is very cost effective. Most of the time, you won’t even be able to tell the difference between a used or new item, with the exception of the cost.
Not everyone likes to buy anything used. And actually, that is a big benefit for frugal people like us. It means that we can take advantage of this fact and live better on less. So many people buy things and then wish they hadn’t wasted the money. Don’t you be one of them.
You can save hundreds of dollars a year when you buy certain items used. And, even better, you can often sell the items for the same price you paid or even make a profit, when you are done with them. While most of the time we prefer to give away or donate items when we are done with them, we have sold things in the past when money was particularly tight. One example was a stroller that I purchased at a yard sale, used it for two years and then sold for three times the amount. I’ve also purchased children’s clothing that we used and resold for about one-and-a-half times what we paid. A friend of mine regularly buys lots of books, reads the ones she loves and then resells everything for a tidy profit. Isn’t that better than buying something brand new and then selling it at a loss or throwing it away?
I’m starting a series of articles that explores the different areas of best used buys. Not only will I share specific categories for used items, but I will also give you specific products that always seems to be a good deal used. When it applies, I’ll share tips on cleaning or revamped used items to make them look new.
I hope you’ll come along with me during this series and learn something new!
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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