I love to shop at thrift stores. One of my favorite date days that Steve and I do often is to head to the thrift shops, pawn stores and yard sales. We take the entire day and spend it looking for deals on things we need. It’s great quality time together and we get what our family needs taken care of. Thrift stores in general are my thing though for one reason; there are so many things you should never buy new. It just doesn’t make much sense to me to waste money buying those things new when I can find a deal on used.
I’ve mentioned it before, but there is a common misconception about buying used that causes a lot of people to spend more money than they need to. They will believe these myths and rumors about saving money and buy new without thinking of the consequence.
Things Thrifty People Never Buy New
If you have been avoiding buying used, keep this in mind; there is nothing wrong, shameful or “poor” about buying something new.
In fact, buying used is just plain smart. You will spend less money, produce less waste and give life to a new item when you purchase new.
While there are things you should never buy used, that does not mean you should not always be on the lookout for a good deal.
As always, before you buy, you will want to make certain you ask yourself a couple of questions.
First, ask yourself if you really and truly need the item in question.
If yes, ask yourself if buying it new will actually serve a purpose or if you can save by buying used.
Chances are, if it’s a larger purchase, you’ll find that buying used is the better way to go.
Things You Should Never Buy New
Cars
Ask just about any money smart millionaire and you’ll find that a lot of them drive used cars. The math behind it is simple.
New cars are really, really overpriced plus the value of your car drops significantly as soon as you drive it off of the lot. Both of those equal up pretty clearly to the fact that buying a good running used car is by far the better buy financially.
We drive a used car and our next one will be as well. I drive a 2013 Subaru Outback. I bought it used in 2019 and have only had to put a set of tires on it.
That $497.00 expense still doesn’t equal the amount of money we saved by purchasing used.
Kids clothes
Most thrifty people do not buy new kids clothes very often. I know that I personally only buy my own daughters one or two new outfits each year.
For me, it doesn’t make sense to buy a whole new wardrobe for them.
Kids grow so fast that if you bought all new clothing for your kids you would go bankrupt very quickly.
Instead, buy used and/or shop ONLY clearance sales and save yourself big.
I’m able to get them very nice and very name brand clothing – sometimes designer brand names – for cheap at thrift stores and online consignment stores
The money I save means that I’m able to afford to take them out in their snazzy “new” outfits to do the fun activities they love to do.
Furniture
Have you priced new furniture lately?
Seriously. The markup is almost as bad as with a new car.
Instead of buying new, find a good, quality used piece and save yourself quite a bit!
Usually you can find a really good deal on used furniture on Craigslist, but another place to check is your local Facebook groups.
Just a quick warning though: Stay away from used mattresses though unless you personally know that the person you’re getting it from is bug free. Bedbugs and other creepy crawlies are too hard to get rid of to risk it for a few dollars of savings.
Jewelry
Why would someone pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for jewelry when you can buy a quality used piece for a lot less?
Case in point? My wedding set? We picked it up at a pawn shop for more than 80% off what the exact same set cost new and it is every bit as nice and sparkly as a new one.
Even better though is that the meaning and emotion behind it is the same as it would be if it had been bought new.
Actually?
It likely means just a tiny bit more to us since we didn’t have to go into debt to buy it.
Books
I don’t buy new books very often and with a couple of exceptions, I have not haven’t for at least six years. There’s really no need to with used book stores, libraries and other ways to buy used books so easily accessible.
We don’t restrict ourselves to not buying new books and in fact, we buy them new at Christmas and for homeschooling a lot of the time, but instead, we look for a used option first.
Home decor
Yard sales, thrift shops, and the many, many DIY home decor projects and crafts you can find online mean that there is very little reason for anyone to ever buy home decor new.
Instead, take the money that you would have spent on new, hit the used sales and buy some craft supplies.
In the end, you’ll still have awesome home decor and money left in your pocket!
Video Games and Consoles
Hit up your local Gamestop and grab the games that you want for a lot less than you’ll pay retail.
Even newer systems can usually be found for a lot less than what they would run you if you paid retail.
If you don’t have a gaming store nearby, check Craigslist, your local Facebook groups and even Ebay for what you need.
Just be sure that if you’re buying person to person that you check the system before you buy it to be sure everything works correctly.
Things You Should Always Buy at Thrift Stores
Homeschool supplies
This one comes with a little bit of leeway, but for the most part, homeschool supplies can and should be bought used.
Things like videos for homeschool, books for reading assignments, art supplies, visual aids and in some cases even curriculum can all be bought used to save you big money.
If you aren’t sure where to start, check your local homeschool co-op or search Facebook for homeschool supplies buy sell and trade groups.
If you do have to buy new, be sure to check out places like yard sales or yard sales. They both offer significant discounts on the items sold so it can help you save big.
There are also plenty of places for find homeschool curriculum on a budget to buy new from too.
Canning supplies
Have a bit of home canning to do this summer or fall?
Let me ask you this: have you priced canning supplies lately? Holy smokes they can be expensive!
You should always buy your lids new, but other must have canning supplies can all be bought used to save some cash.
Before you buy them, just be sure to check for any cracks in the glass, rust on the rings or any other defects that would make them unsafe to use.
Also be sure you look for things like the both pressure and water bath canners and even dehydrators. I picked up my dehydrator for $5.00 at a yard sale and it works perfectly.
Dinnerware
I have never seen the point of paying retail prices for new dishes.
Maybe that’s because in my house they get broken easily, but even if they don’t get broken at your house;I’d be willing to bet you can buy the same exact set of dishes for a lot cheaper used than you would pay new.
Don’t believe me? Not too long ago, I sold a brand new, never opened set of Better Homes & Gardens dishes for $15.00 at a yard sale that we held at our home.
The person that gave it to me spent well over $50.00 for it when she bought it new.
If you can’t find an entire set for a good price, consider going eclectic in your designs and doing a vintage mix or match. You’ll have awesome dishes and a beautiful decor theme for pennies on the dollar compared to what you’d pay new.
Looking for more thrift store shopping tips and ways to save moeny? Try these:
I love to go second hand shopping as much as the next shopper, but there are some things that you should never buy second hand at thrift stores! Before you head out to go thrift store shopping next, be sure you check this list of 25 things you should never buy used!
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