Buying items used on community classifieds can save thousands of dollars.
A good tip for saving a lot of cash, is buying used. The items I might think about buying used are furniture and children’s clothing. Older furniture I often find is made sturdier and lasts longer than the newer pieces you buy in store and can save you hundreds of dollars when you buy local from a private seller. Clothing in general is cheaper to buy used. I will often buy my own clothes second hand. I find however there is less wear and tear on children's clothing. Kids often will wear their clothing for a year before they grow out of it and post it for sale, donate it, or put it in a garage sale. Us adults will wear our clothes for longer periods before parting ways. Also, when kids grow out of their clothes, their parents usually want to get rid of them to make room for a new wardrobe in a larger size. This makes for the opportunity to buy the whole lot for one set price.
One could of course rummage through items at the thrift store, or wait for a garage sale that may have what you’re looking for. For more immediate satisfaction I like to look through the local classifieds posted online. My favorite place to shop is probably Craigslist. Once I discovered Craigslist, I could pretty much count the times I purchased a new piece of furniture on one hand. I have purchased many used items I would not have been able to afford to purchase new, all in great condition. Additionally raising two kids and not paying retail on each article of clothing they used and grew out of, I can easily say I have saved thousands of dollars.
