A few years ago you couldn’t tell me anything about buying something used or as we say second hand. Growing up it wasn’t a normal thing for us to shop at a garage sale or pick up stuff from the local goodwill. I’ll even admit that at some point I also felt I was too good to shop at some of these stores or even buy certain things used. Then all of a sudden I woke up one day and everything changed.
I learned the benefits of being frugal and found that if I were able to save money on the things I hated buying, then I would then be able to spend money on the things that mattered to me most. It wasn’t long before I began to purchase everything second hand except for my underpants lol I mean you name it I bought it. Even today one of my most proud purchases was the Keurig that I got from goodwill for $7.00. Whenever I have some downtime, I almost always stop by these following places.
Second Hand Stores With Good Deals
- Goodwill – Electronics, Nice Book Selection, Nice Dress Clothes, Household Items, Unique décor, Outdoor Grills, Patio Furniture
- Salvation Army – Nice home appliances (Sometimes stainless steel), Household items
- Facebook Marketplace/Offer up/Let Go– Electronics, I have bought my smart locks and cameras for my house at affordable prices. (Saved Hundreds)
- eBay – I buy and sell a lot of things on here. (Sell all your old stuff)
- Craigslist – (Anything you can think of lol) I have used craigslist primarily for furnishing my home. I have furnished my entire condo for $2200 bucks. This includes couches, TV’s, Washer/Dryer, bed sets, office furniture EVERYTHING.
- Garage sales –great items to resale, outdoor equipment, Art, furniture
- Used tire shops – I buy high quality used tires for my coupe. My peers and I dispute about this all the time. I can’t justify paying $250 per tire anymore when I can get them for about $60 per tire.
There are many benefits to purchasing something second hand versus buying it brand new. A lot of well off people in neighborhoods like mine donate some nice lightly used items. My living room set in the furniture store was about $3200, and I was able to purchase it second hand for around $700. That’s a whopping $2500 in savings. Imagine what you could so with an extra $2500 in your pocket, Now can you see my point? I used to buy all of my books from Barnes and Noble for $25 to $35 apiece until I started shopping at Goodwill. Now I can get a lot of those same books for around $2-$5 dollars. The books at goodwill are so cheap some people make a living just by reselling them!
It’s absolutely no reason to go in debt over furniture, household appliances, and other daily items when you can get them used. Keep in mind, used items sometimes come with wear and tear, so it’s always a good idea to inspect and test things before you buy them to make sure they work. When dealing with people, I like to read reviews if there are any, check the product and look up potential issues that could not see at the time of purchase. Although some consider it risky, I found it smart because I don’t have any monthly payments on anything in my house. This alone puts me at an advantage because now I can save thousands of dollars a month and invest my extra money.
Bringing It All Together
Purchasing items second hand can be a great way to save money on the things you want or need. It’s a great way to avoid getting caught in the trap of making monthly payments. Being frugal will allow you to spend your money on the things you love such as investing, vacations or starting a business. We all have wants and needs, but there’s a way to go about it. So after reading this blog post, I challenge you to try and buy something second hand instead of purchasing it brand new.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback! Now let’s save some money $$$$ – JC.
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