Top 10 Things to Buy Used - Harmony Living

1. Vehicles

A brand new vehicle immediately loses value as soon as you drive it off the lot, and continues to depreciate as time goes on.

The average price of a brand new vehicle is $50,000! You used to be able to buy a house for that much.

If you buy a brand new vehicle for $50,000, then drive down the street and get in an accident that totals your vehicle, your insurance company is not going to give you $50,000 to replace your vehicle. If you got a loan for that vehicle, you still owe $50,000 on that loan.

Even if this happens with a used vehicle, the insurance company will still not pay you what you paid for your vehicle, but you are better off, because it will be less than a brand new vehicle.

The lesson here is save up and pay cash for used vehicles!

2. Textbooks

Textbooks are outrageously expensive!

A great way to save money for college students is to buy used textbooks or rent them (even the digital/ebook version). Most of the time, you don’t keep it anyways!

If you buy a new textbook, use it for one class, then sell it, you lose money. But, if you buy a used textbook, use it for one class, then sell it, you can often break even.

I know buying used or renting is not always possible, but when it is, it can save you a lot of money. I’m talking hundreds of dollars every year (depending on your major and textbook requirements).

3. Baby/Kids Clothing and Shoes

Kids grow so fast!

When I was a baby, my mom bought me a pair of cute Sunday shoes. She put them on me the following Sunday and I wore them to church. The next week, she went to put them on me, and they didn’t fit! She did this three or four times, then learned to buy used shoes for babies and children.

This happens with clothing too, which is why thrift stores and discount stores can be a young mom’s go-to stores for kids.

4. Clothing

Clothing can be expensive. A quick Google search shows that jeans range from $20-$200+.

A few years ago, I bought jeans at Walmart on sale for $6 each! Now, it hurts a little to buy them for $20 a pair when they are not on sale.

No, I don’t buy everything used. Personally, it is difficult for me to find jeans I like that fit me well at thrift stores. Plus, I can’t buy multiple pairs. But, that’s why I buy them at Walmart for as cheap as I can. I definitely don’t buy the most expensive pair I can find.

Several of my cousins find great deals on clothing at thrift stores all the time. You can find high quality clothing for low prices at a thrift store. If you have the time and dedication, shop at thrift stores for your clothing.

If you don’t have the time or dedication to sift through all the options at thrift stores for all your clothing items, try to find deals and discounts at other stores. Also, taking good care of your clothing to help each item last as long as possible can help save you money in the clothing department.

5. Exercise equipment

We all know what stereotypically happens with New Year’s resolutions. We set a goal in December to start exercising in January, we exercise for a few weeks, then don’t get back to it until months later, or next January.

With this in mind, it seems like spring and summer would be a good time to buy used exercise equipment from those who bought it for Christmas.

Facebook Marketplace, KSL, and garage sales are good places to look for used exercise equipment (or to sell it if your on that end).

6. Wooden furniture

From tables and chairs to side tables to bookshelves, my family has bought most of our wooden furniture used over the years.

Wooden furniture is often bulky, so when people move houses, they don’t want to move it. Or, it doesn’t fit in their new house. Wooden furniture is easier to clean than upholstered furniture and is sometimes more solidly built.

If you don’t like the color of the wood or it is chipped, you could sand it down and re-stain it or just paint it.

Look for a bargain at second hand stores, online, or at yard sales.

7. Books

I love buying used books! When I decide there’s a book I want to buy, I check two places (mainly). First, I check thriftbooks.com. Second, I check Amazon.com. On Amazon, I check both new and used prices (and make sure to look at condition and shipping rates on used books).

Buying used books can save you up to 80% of the original price of a new book. The majority of the time, I save between 20-50% of the original cost.

Depending on how many books you buy in a year, this can add up to be a lot of money saved!

8. Holiday decorations

As long as they are in good condition, buying holiday decorations used is a great way to save money.

When you buy used holiday decorations, you could repurpose them. For example, buy a used wreath and update the ribbon or other items on the wreath. You could even spray paint the wreath black to make a Halloween decoration.

Re-painting used decorations is another great option for repurposing them. Check out Pinterest and YouTube to find ideas and instructions on how to repurpose used decorations (and furniture too)!

9. Glassware

Buying used baking dishes are another great way to save money on glassware. A new baking dish at Walmart is about $20. At Deseret Industries, it would be $3-5.

Thrift stores, Deseret Industries, and yard sales are great places to look for used glassware.

A word of caution. My mom once bought some used dishes off Facebook Marketplace. They were boxed up when she got to the seller’s house and nobody opened the box and looked at the dished. When we got home and looked at them, about half of the dishes were chipped. Learn from her mistake and make sure to look over the items you buy used.

Another thing to look for is whether or not the items are dishwasher and microwave safe, if that is important to you.

10. Tools

Not all tools are created equal … unless it’s a hammer. A hammer is a hammer is a hammer.

Unless you need a specialty hammer (I didn’t know those were a thing until today).

For common house tools, shovels, rakes, lawn mowers, etc. yard sales and second hand stores are great places to buy to save money.

For quality tools, estate sales and moving sales are good places to buy used.

Conclusion

It is great to find bargains and save money by spending less on the things you buy. Above are some practical ways to do just that.

Another great way to save money is by having your teenagers earn money and pay for some of their own things. For example, clothing. Sign up for “20 Best Jobs for Latter-day Saint Teens” to help them start earning money this week! It’s FREE!