8 Things You Should Never Buy New

I agree with many of these but would have some concerns over a few…1) Cars – the main downside here is the lack of warranty. We bought a 3 year-old Nissan (presumably a good make) years ago and ended up taking it to the repair shop several times per year for the next 12 years. Repairs were always small until it would have cost more than it was worth. Our next car was new. 2) Furniture – I love antiques but a piece has to be well-made, solid wood with good “bones” to enter my house. I daresay that most thrift store finds are cast-offs that might be paintable but are considered “junk” for a reason, at least in my part of the country. Fortunately my husband enjoys building furniture, and I’m venturing into doing my own upholstery. I would also echo others’ caveats about used sofas, loveseats, etc. 3) Clothes – This I find the least objectionable, but sorting through racks and racks of random clothes to find pieces that fit my body, are comfortable and of classic styling (i.e., not too trendy) has never seemed appealing. My version of “thrifting” is to know what styles look good on me and wait for online retailers to put pieces I like on sale or offer discount codes. No one piece will make or break my wardrobe, so if they sell out then…oh, well! My other means of thrifting is estate sales, where I’ve bought mainly furniture (including a cast iron clawfoot tub) but also like-new shirts for my husband, books, a partly-used bolt of fabric and a set of dishes.

Another resource some may not know about is Freecycle (www.freecycle.org), where people either post or request items to be given away – for free! Some of it is junk but some things can either be repaired or are in perfectly good condition and just aren’t wanted anymore. I’ve scored a cast-iron sink for our next house and a 250-gallon container to collect rainwater, as well as a houseful of single-pane widows to repurpose in numerous ways. In addition to thrifting it’s a great way to keep used items out of a landfill.

I haven’t paid for a book in years & I read all the time. If there are any big readers like me, I highly recommend just getting a library card & taking out ebooks. I read them right on my phone, so you don’t have to turn on/off a light when you read in bed. You can “take them out” for up to 21 days & they get returned automatically, so no late fees. And they have huge up-to-date selections. In fact, I actually even got a new James Patterson book that had just hit the shelves!

Estate sales are a great source of barely used furniture, especially beds and living room sets. Refrigerators seem to be the first things sold, so you have to be one of the first customers to take advantage of those. The last day or two of the sale, the sellers begin reducing everything by 25% and then 50%. Many of the estate sale organizers have email lists, at the sale, you can sign up for future sale notifications.

I agree with many of these but would have some concerns over a few…1) Cars – the main downside here is the lack of warranty. We bought a 3 year-old Nissan (presumably a good make) years ago and ended up taking it to the repair shop several times per year for the next 12 years. Repairs were always small until it would have cost more than it was worth. Our next car was new. 2) Furniture – I love antiques but a piece has to be well-made, solid wood with good “bones” to enter my house. I daresay that most thrift store finds are cast-offs that might be paintable but are considered “junk” for a reason, at least in my part of the country. Fortunately my husband enjoys building furniture, and I’m venturing into doing my own upholstery. I would also echo others’ caveats about used sofas, loveseats, etc. 3) Clothes – This I find the least objectionable, but sorting through racks and racks of random clothes to find pieces that fit my body, are comfortable and of classic styling (i.e., not too trendy) has never seemed appealing. My version of “thrifting” is to know what styles look good on me and wait for online retailers to put pieces I like on sale or offer discount codes. No one piece will make or break my wardrobe, so if they sell out then…oh, well! My other means of thrifting is estate sales, where I’ve bought mainly furniture (including a cast iron clawfoot tub) but also like-new shirts for my husband, books, a partly-used bolt of fabric and a set of dishes.

Another resource some may not know about is Freecycle (www.freecycle.org), where people either post or request items to be given away – for free! Some of it is junk but some things can either be repaired or are in perfectly good condition and just aren’t wanted anymore. I’ve scored a cast-iron sink for our next house and a 250-gallon container to collect rainwater, as well as a houseful of single-pane widows to repurpose in numerous ways. In addition to thrifting it’s a great way to keep used items out of a landfill.

I haven’t paid for a book in years & I read all the time. If there are any big readers like me, I highly recommend just getting a library card & taking out ebooks. I read them right on my phone, so you don’t have to turn on/off a light when you read in bed. You can “take them out” for up to 21 days & they get returned automatically, so no late fees. And they have huge up-to-date selections. In fact, I actually even got a new James Patterson book that had just hit the shelves!

Estate sales are a great source of barely used furniture, especially beds and living room sets. Refrigerators seem to be the first things sold, so you have to be one of the first customers to take advantage of those. The last day or two of the sale, the sellers begin reducing everything by 25% and then 50%. Many of the estate sale organizers have email lists, at the sale, you can sign up for future sale notifications.