What to Buy Used + the Exceptions

An enormous amount of our belongings are used.

For a lot of things, we try to purchase used before we buy new. It saves lots of money and helps avoid waste.

We buy used at thrift stores, consignment stores, and auctions. We’ve gotten tons of hand-me-downs from relatives too, which is awesome.

If you’re not sure what to buy used, check out this list of what to try to buy used and what to maybe avoid.

Also, when you’re trying to buy used, it can be hard to find specific items right when you need them. It can be helpful to keep a list of things to be on the look out for so that you have a chance to find them used before you have to have them and end up paying more for new.

What to Buy Used + the Exceptions

Clothes

Thrift store and consignment stores are excellent for finding used clothing.

I prefer consignment stores because they tend to be pickier in what they put out, so you don’t have to dig through as much junk to find the good stuff. They can be a bit pricier, though.

We’ve had great luck finding men’s dress shirts and pants. Men’s jeans are a lot harder since most men tend to wear them until they’re dead.

I look for women’s dress pants, skirts, dresses, and cute blouses. I’ve found great jeans for myself at consignment stores that look almost new. Don’t forget about jewelry and accessories. You can find some awesome stuff!

You can find practically new kids clothing, too since kids sometimes grow out of clothes before they can wear them.

Exceptions: Undergarments, Workout Clothes, Yoga Pants, and Swimwear. Used underwear and swimwear just kind of grosses me out. Workout clothes and yoga pants can get stretched out, or they shrink funny in the wash, so I like to buy them new.

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Furniture

Most of our furniture is hand-me-downs or from a thrift store.

I stick with furniture that I can sanitize, like tables and dressers.

We have some upholstered hand-me-downs, but they’re from my parents, so I feel comfortable knowing that they are clean. I get the heebeegeebees about that stuff!

Exceptions: Upholstered stuff & mattresses, unless they’re hand-me-downs from someone you know and trust for cleanliness.

Books

We never pay for new books.

We buy used books on Amazon and Half.com all the time. Most of the time they come to us hardly looking used at all. We also have an amazing used bookstore one town over that has a great selection.

All of my fella’s textbooks have come from Amazon.

We’ve even given used books as gifts. Last Christmas, my brother-in-law wanted a whole bunch of books. He was surprised and excited because we got him almost every book on his list! If we had gotten the books new, we could have only afforded a couple. Since we bought used, we were able to buy almost the whole list.

Used books cost so much less and look almost the same. You just have be careful about the smell. If someone was a smoker and had the book, it might still smell like smoke when you open it up (so if you buy books at the thrift store, open it up and give it a good sniffing first 🙂 ).

Tools + Lawn Equipment

Rakes, shovels, lawn mower, hammer, screwdrivers… It’s all hand-me-downs at our house!

Sometimes you can find antique tools that are practically invincible. I have some super old pruning shears that work better than any new ones.

Exceptions: Some tools with a cord or a battery pack might not last as long when you buy used.

Toys

The people on the Facebook resale sites around here are constantly selling toys. You can find some great deals!

Plastic toys can be cleaned up and sanitized easily. Bikes are a great item to buy used as well.

Exceptions: Something that would cause a safety concern or plush things that can’t easily be cleaned.

Decor

Picture frames, holiday decor, artwork, candle holders…

There is always tons of this stuff at the thrift stores, and some of it is quite nice.

Dishes

Dishes and serving ware are so easy to clean!

Serving dishes can be so expensive and thrift stores are usually bursting with them.

Related Posts:

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13 Secrets to Saving Money on Food (while still eating healthy)

Cars

A brand new car loses thousands of dollars of value the second you drive it off the lot.

Within a year it’s only worth 81% of what you paid for it (and if you financed, you probably still owe more than that).

New cars a not a good deal at all.

We have always had cars around ten years old with fairly low miles. They have been affordable and completely reliable.

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⇒ What do you buy used? And what do you never buy used? Underwear, right?