Tip 21: Buy used items and save

Some items are very cheap to buy used. You can get used exercise equipment, books, and CD's for only a few dollars. Why pay for new items when you can get high quality used items for a fraction of the price? Even though prices are low, make sure to buy only items that you will actually use.

Back in college, I found a nice trench coat at a thrift shop for only a few dollars that I wore for years. A new trench coat would have cost at least $100, this one was well under $20.

I picked up a nice Crossbow exercise machine for only a few dollars at a garage sale that I have used for years and just moved upstairs- this is the third house we have had the Crossbow in.

One of my favorite used items I bought was a 1983 Schwinn Caliente that I got for $28 that was for sale chained to someone's front porch. I rode this bike for about 5 years, keeping at work for several summers. I needed more room in the garage since we moved, so I sold it for $36 a few weeks ago. I bought an old Huffy Prairie mountain bike at an auction about 15 years ago for $7.50 that still rides great and has only needed an inner tube replacement.

I found a nice electric weed eater for $5 at a yard sale. It is an old Craftsman and still works fine. I have replaced the cable spool a few times, and it always works great. It is lightweight and has plenty of power.
Not every used item you find is a good deal- some used items don’t even work anymore. Look used items over carefully and try them out before buying if possible.

Even if the item is really cheap, if it isn’t something you will use, you are better off not buying it. You’ll go through the trouble of taking something home and having it take up for space for years, and then go through the trouble of selling it or throwing it away eventually.

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