Getting Used and thrift items are often seen in a bad light. Realistically, when used correctly, they can accelerate your path to financial freedom. In this short article, we’ll dive into where you can find used and thrift items and why those are helpful.
Used and Thrift item examples
Every person has their own idea of what would make their life better or easier. By buying used and thrift items, you’re savings tons of money for items that are almost no different than off the shelf. Items to consider are:
- Cooking appliances
- Clothing and shoes
- Books
- Items you use often
- Splurges like chest freezers
All of these items are great in their own way and we personally never pass up a chance to go garage saling, get a good deal at a thrift store, or just find a heavily discounted item online.
For us, we often buy used and thrift items when it’s a frequent purchase, something we know we need to save money on, or something that will make us more money in the future.
For us, books and chest freezers fall into the make more money in the future. One is on a compounding interest scale, the other is more for the amount saved buying a discounted item. Other items like clothing, appliances, furniture, etc are all great ideas. Instead of buying a new couch for $3,000, why not buy a used one for $500? The deals are out there you just need to know where to look.
Where to find used and thrift items
There are quite a few places to find used and thrift items. A few of our favorites are:
- Garage sales
- Craigslist
- Thrift stores
- Facebook marketplace
- Mercari
- OfferUp
- Letgo
- Ebay
- And other online apps dedicated to buying/selling online
While there are so many ways to find good deals, you just have to keep your eyes open. Thrift store books are typically $.75-$3 and if it’s something that can make you a tremendous amount of money down the road, why not get it? Thrift stores are also great because they often do some vetting on the quality of items so it’s not all just random junk. Garage sales are where you’re going to find your best deals. Every now and then we’ll snag a great bulk buy. One time we bought an electric piano for $20 and sold it for $75. While flipping isn’t something we do much anymore, there are plenty of deals to be had if you keep your eyes peeled.
Explore on your own!
With all that in mind, go out! Explore! Check out garage sales on Google, Facebook, and everywhere else. As long as you keep looking, you’ll keep finding good deals.