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I was thinking about how my buying habits have changed over the decades as I've gone through periods of tighter financial times and better financial times. I am rather a cheapskate (I believe "frugal" is the more PC term for that) but gf spends more on her items, although she isn't a spendthrift either. I've never been rich, but always like to save money on things when possible, thus, I like buying some items used rather than new. Gf and I have converted each other to developing a taste for buying more new or used items, and I am curious to know what other CDers buy like buying used and what they buy new.
I prefer buying used books. It's always a cost savings, and the book is the same either way. I also like buying used furniture. Craigslist is a favorite venue for furniture because the scam factor is way down than with furniture than cars/houses. I've gotten some beautiful furniture super cheap on Craigslist, and great appliances as well. I used to buy most all my furniture used, buy gf won't let me buy used sofas of beds anymore because of the possibility of bedbugs, which is OK with me. I have never had that problem in the past however, because I always bought new matresses on sale. (I never understood why the big mattress sales are on Memorial Day).
I also buy used appliances like stoves and refrigerators, and she is trying to get me to change my mind about that, because we need a new refrigerator soon. However, we are also on a budget and new refrigerators aren't cheap, so she is having second thoughts and we will probably buy our next refrigerator used at an appliance store with one of those short term warranties. That saves about half, I believe. What do you guys like to buy used? What do you insist on buying new? (I'm purposely leaving out cars, because that belongs in the Auto section).
I’ve never purchased anything on CL (furniture etc) because some of these people overprice the cheap items theyre selling. I used to like to buy older DVDs at pawn shops but now I can find the same DVD at Wal-Mart for 5.00 instead of the 10.00 price at a pawnshop!
Used furniture for sure. It depreciates so much, and I would rather have high quality furniture, which is very affordable when you buy it used. I used to buy used books, but now I use Kindle. Knowing where I take books, I wouldn't want to read someone else's used book that was subjected to the same environments let's say. I also like to buy used clothing at an upscale consignment store so I can wear luxury goods at a fraction of the price. And cookwear/kitchen appiances, if they are in impeccable condition.
I buy casegoods (solid wood furniture) used because it can be easily cleaned, and refinished if needed. I do not like to buy anything upholstered. I buy used clothes as long as they can be washed and dried in the machine. You can get all kinds of dishes, pots, home decor, etc. at Goodwill, usually for a lot better prices than Craigslist, but you can also find some really great deals on that kind of stuff at Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Ross, etc.
My other big thing is that when I buy something from Amazon, I *always* check the Amazon Warehouse to see if they have it. Sometimes it's a return, a lot of the time, it's just dents in the outside box and you get it at a substantial discount. For books, I used to always buy used, but these days, I try to stick with Kindle books to save on clutter and having to buy new bookcases! lol! There are a lot of great deals on Kindle books, btw, with several websites out there with daily listings of free and very inexpensive ebooks.
I'm not a fan of used appliances - usually, the newer models are more energy efficient which offsets any savings, plus these days, you can almost always get free delivery and installation. With used, I'd have to hire someone to help move and install it, so it's not a whole lot of savings by the time you get finished. What I do look for is an appliance store with a scratch and dent section, where there are still some good deals to be had.
We have a store here that sells used hotel furniture and appliances (like microwaves/mini fridge). I bought a nice coffee table for 10.00 and my microwave for 20.00. These items were used but they looked new!
They also have a few pictures (the artwork you see in hotel hallways or in your room), desks, chairs, lamps etc..
When I needed a dresser and highboy a couple of months ago, gf suggested we hits some furniture stores. Since I thought we'd probably spend $1K or more on these items brand new, I suggested we try Craigslist first. We hit paydirt, though not immediately. But, good things come to those who wait, as they say. After just a week, I found a great used set that fit my specifications. Although it's rather plain for my taste, at $250, it was an excellent price, and it complements our oak bedroom set. It is also solid oak, exceedingly heavy, and in impeccable condition, with no scratches, dings, or any other damage. But the icing on the cake is the built-in jewelry armoire. Those things by themselves can run over $400, and since I'm a jewelry hound, I also needed that. Craigslist rocks!
Unless you will only need the refrigerator for a year or two I think the energy savings will justify buying new. First you can find out your current refrigerator is using with a Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor (available at Amazon for about $20). Then multiply your estimated annual kilowatt hour usage by your current cost of electricity ($.15 or whatever)--and then compare this to newer refrigerators. When I did the math I found out I could save about $100/year. I got a $400 refrigerator so paid for it with 4 years electricity savings. The obvious list starts with used houses and used cars. Otherwise pretty much what I buy used is what I can get in Goodwill/Salvation Army etc type thrift shops--mostly clothes and shoes, kitchen stuff, used books. I have found the going to auctions or garage sales is a major mistake for me as I end buying a lot of junk which ends up as clutter.
LOL...me too! I will, hopefully, be buying a home real soon and when I do I'm not taking a lot of the 'stuff' I have now. I've had my furniture 10-15 years and want new(er) 'stuff'. I don't want furniture that's hard to clean under anymore. Or is too heavy to move easily. I will be changing out coffee table, end tables, the whole magilla. Lamps just need new shades...easy fix. Just tired of it all, I guess. I have checked out Craig's List for our area and there are some good deals out there. Unfortunately most of it is 20-50 miles away and not much in my immediate area. I don't mind driving though so it's not that big a deal.
Lawnmowers. Riding lawnmowers start at $1,000 new and go up. Used can be had for $400 or less.
If I were in the north, I would never buy a new snowblower. The old ones use a thicker metal.
Vehicles. That drop in value off the new car lot would make me toss my cookies.
RVs and trailers. Not only cheaper, but the plastics have had time to outgas, making them healthier.
Computers. I prefer used overall. I used to be an early adopter of technologies, but now prefer to let others work out the kinks.
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