Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Buying Things Used

I stumbled upon an article that validates some of the reasons I've been doing the "buy nothing new" challenge.  So many items that get tossed have a lot of life left in them.  These items often end up in landfills that create a number of problems.  And the things that are purchased to replace them unnecessarily tap into our planets finite resources.  

According to One Green Planet, you should buy these items used:

  • Cars
  • Books
  • Clothing
  • Houses
  • Bicycles
  • Sporting Goods
  • Computers
  • Appliances
  • Furniture
  • Musical Instruments
Over the years, I've bought cars, books, clothes, houses, sporting goods, small appliances, and furniture used.  In fact, I actively seek out used books, small appliances, and used furniture when I find myself in need of those items.  I've tried to get better about haunting thrift and consignment shops when I find that I need an article of clothing.  With this season's challenge, I have discovered that most of my sweaters are getting rather threadbare so will need to replace them before next winter.  My plan will be to scour the stores for high-quality used replacements at bargain prices.  I've discovered that thrift stores are always stocked with small appliances and have purchased like-new bread machines and juicers for very little cost.

The two items I would be hesitate to buy used are large appliances (because I've had bad experience with new large appliances failing before their time) and computers (because I don't know enough about them to make wise choices).  I confess:  My last few vehicles have been new, but I'm trying to make up for that by actually keeping my current vehicle until it can no longer run (it's 11 years old with over 200,000 miles).  And, I do try to make my large appliances last as long as possible, although planned obsolescence works against me.

When you find yourself in need of one of the items mentioned above, take your time browsing thrift and consignment stores.  Not only is it interesting, it's good for the planet and your pocketbook.

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