7 Of My Favorite Things To Buy Used

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Although new is often nice, sometimes buying something used can be even better. By purchasing used, you can often get better than what you could afford new. I love how I can stretch our money by purchasing some things used. I don't buy everything used, but these are 7 of my favorite things to buy used.

Baby/Children's Clothes

Children's clothes are a fantastic thing to buy used. Kids and babies often have so much clothes and are in them for such a short amount of time. The clothes just don't have much wear to them. Often babies outfits are worn just once. It's easy to find kids and baby clothes super cheap at garage sales or consignment shops.  I can usually find name brand clothes in perfect shape for under $1 at yard sales. You can easily get a whole wardrobe for a child for what one nice outfit could cost.

Halloween Costumes

I am amazed sometimes at what a Halloween costume can cost. Even at Target they are often $20-$30. Let's face it, your child is probably going to wear this costume one time. Skip the stores and head to a used clothing store to get a deal on a costume. Most of the resale shops have costumes for around $5-$10. That's way better than paying full price. If you want to save even more money, see if you can organize a costume swap. My neighborhood has one every year. I can swap out last years costume for one my son would like better this year. It doesn't cost me anything and he gets a new costume. It's a win-win.

Cars

Cars lose a crazy amount of value the first year. Buying a car that is just a few years old will save you so much money. Even buying a car that is just one year old will save you 20% off the price of the car. A car doesn't need to be brand new to be reliable. You can easily find a car that works for you without buying brand new.

Books

Buying a hardback book brand new can set you back $20-$25. To save some money on books, check out a used bookstore or look online. I have found some fantastic deals at stores like half price books. Amazon also sells used books that you can purchase for about 50% off the cover price. If you need a book that isn't a new release check out paperback swap. I trade in my book club books on paperback swap to help save some cash.

Bicycles

Kids outgrow bicycles so quickly, sometimes it seems like my son just learns to ride a bike before it is too small for him. I love using craigslist to sell his old bikes and find a new one. Usually we can sell a bike and buy a new one for around the same price, making it free to upgrade to a larger bike. Even my husband found a fantastic deal on a used adult bike. Our local bike shops often sell the nicer bikes used at up to 50% off.

Exercise Equipment

If you want to score a great deal on exercise equipment, buying used is the way to go. You can find deals on used equipment at places like Play It Again Sports or check out places like craiglist. Also try to avoid times like right after the new year to save even more money.

Houses

I have read that houses can cost up to 25% more to build or buy new. You can buy used and save the extra money. We bought a bank owned house and was able to save a lot. Sure, we had to do some work to it. But, we were able to get a nicer house in a better neighborhood for less money.

By purchasing these things used I can stretch my budget and buy some nicer things. What things do you like to purchase used?