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Wow, I hadn't ever thought about how much stuff we get used, I just kinda figured we got "a lot" of it at yard sales. Just scanning across the living room here, about the only things which were bought new are two sets of the vertical blinds (we got the big one at a garage sale and then had to buy two small ones to match),and one small table and one bookcase were bought new. However, we bought them on sale and as part of a package deal with even more discount added on. If you buy things from the owner of the store, they can adjust prices almost like folks at a yard sale can. Does the solid koa stool count as "new" if we bought it from the person who made it and paid them a decent price?
It's not a bad living room, there's a Lane "waterfall" cedar storage chest in front of the window which doubles as a window seat. It was $5 at a yard sale since it was in need of refinishing, but we make shellac from flakes so it's pretty inexpensive to refinish furniture. It's all refinished and lovely now. There is a sculpted floral rug from a yard sale, $10. One grandfather clock is a moving moon dial with Westminster chimes, that was $15. I bought it as a parts clock since I fix clocks, but it was in perfect condition, they'd just never taken it out of the box their uncle had sent it to them in and they didn't know if it worked when I bought it. It "didn't match their decor" but I'm not gonna argue with them. There is another grandfather clock in the living room which was $100 at a yard sale. It's a moving moon dial triple chime in a solid teak case but it was broken when we got it. Needed about $6 in parts to get it running again but they were parts which needed the proper tools to install.
There is a $5 vintage Danish Modern chair (yard sale), goes well with the free small brown couch and free wood framed vintage Hawaii style chair (picked up from the transfer station). The coffee table was expensive, at $30 (rummage sale)- but it has an oval stained glass top signed by an artist although we haven't heard of his name, heavy carved oak feet and is a lovely thing. Picked up a pair of teak end tables last week for $30 for the pair from a yard sale. The comfy recliner was $15 from a yard sale. Then the $150 bookcase and $60 table that we bought new.
The rest of the house follows this pattern, too. I'd guess we buy less than 5% of stuff new. I'm not sure if this sort of thing would work everywhere, though. We have yard sales here year round and we have a huge amount of folks who can't afford to ship their stuff back to the mainland when they can't make a go of it here and have to go back.
What's even better is now we have a space in a local "vintage & collectibles" shop. Now we can buy all this used stuff at yard and garage sales and use it to stock our display case at the shop. Whoohoo! Now we can yard sale with abandon since we will have something to do with all the treasures we find.
I came late to frugal living. I grew up in a household where you NEVER threw anything away no matter how badly maintained or ill fitting: Cue wearing a baggy prarie-like dress to high school / sleeping on a 30 year old mattress, wearing your mom's old undearwear with a "safety pin" to make it smaller, uggggg.
So when I started making money I bought a ton of stuff new without understanding the second hand market at all. I'm a complete convert, especially now having a baby. The most recent "new" things I've purchased was a crib and stroller, and I'm still kicking myself over the new stroller.
I at least take a look at second hand channels before buying new now-a-days.
However - for some reason I can't buy used bedding or shoes, it freaks me out!
Same here....the majority of household items I own were bought used. Probably about half of my clothing, too. Last brand new vehicle I bought was in 1995 and I still have it and it still runs.
It's always made more sense to me because I like nice, high-quality things but don't like paying retail.
My computer desk is a fantastic old late 19th-century table from a bar that closed (although I did buy the computer and monitor new.) Bed is a lovely Amish-style wooden four-poster (bought the mattress new though; the thought of a used mattress squicks me out.) Most of my dinnerware is a great Williams Sonoma find at a garage sale years ago. Fridge cost me $125 seven years ago, stove was $100 and not even a year old when I bought it, bedroom dresser is a nice antique that belonged to a friend's grandmother, big corner oak armoire was free because I found it in a Dumpster.... Couch and loveseat cost me $200 and is Ethan Allen.
Things I won't buy used...mattresses, underwear and socks and shoes, most electronics.
I can tell ya my DH has been going to thrift stores to find cd's and some clothes but mostly cd's. Not too many retail places where you can find top names for under a couple dollars. He's also found more sweaters and shirts with the "Made in USA" tag than any other store, like Penney's , Sears, Macy's, etc. He's quite proud of the one sweater he found with the US flag emblem on front coupled with the tag in the back bearing the same. You can't go into some of these retail stores now and find a shirt or sweater like that, as they may have something American related splashed on the front of the shirt, but the tag in the back says, that it was made in places like Pakistan, China, Vietnam or Honduras, or,..... [any other country but the US ]. I can accept any other shirt or sweater but one that has the US flag on the front or says something American related, can't they at least be made in the US?
Doubt that any of the US flags are even still made in the US.
Happy searching through the racks and bins at the thrift stores. You just might uncover some gems out there. I know the saying, "what's one person's junk, is another person's treasure"
Not nearly enough in the past, but definitely do so nowadays and will keep doing so in the future. At least when it comes to furniture and other fixtures, especially if they still work.
One thing I'm reluctant to buy secondhand is clothes - although I do the majority of shopping at outlet malls, I can't bring myself to wear secondhand clothes (I'm picky, and refuse to look like a fuddyduddy.)
I'm looking forward to yard sale season this year. I find some great stuff for a dollar or so at yard sales. (I ride my bike to yard sales to save gas money)
Not always as good a deal as all the dumpster finds in my neighborhood....but hey.
Doubt that any of the US flags are even still made in the US.
I used to work for a big retailer, all of the American flags we sold were made in the US. Believe me, I checked every time they came in!
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Couch and loveseat cost me $200 and is Ethan Allen. 
]. I can accept any other shirt or sweater but one that has the US flag on the front or says something American related, can't they at least be made in the US? 
