A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

What's your favorite thing that you bought secondhand?

Posted: May 18, 2011

Right now, mine would have to be my $1.50 "Snuggie." It's chilly in here, but not bad enough to need to turn up the heat.

Second, currently, would have to be my $3.50 Earth shoes.

;

second hand - eco gal

[ In Reply To ..]
I have been a long-time fan of the idea of second hand shopping. I think it is economic, fun, another way to "recycle" and find great bargains.

I frequent estate sales, garage sales, haunt craigslist and e-bay and thrift and antique stores. My most recent favorite buy is the entire set of Time-Life cookbooks "Foods of the World", all 28 hardback books and the spirals as well as all the supplements. The whole thing for $50!!!

My second most (so far) is an entire collection of Pyrex primary color mixing bowls, refrigerator boxes with lids and baking dishes (15 pieces) for $25 bucks.

I got an entire unopened cooking set from Emeril for $30 dollars. It had all the accessories too.

But my ultimate buy was a full length sheepskin coat (Sheepskin coat factory!) in pristine condition for $150 dollars!! I haven't had the chance to wear it. It is a beautiful off white coat with a chinchilla trim on the collar, lapel and sleeve openings.

I've bought tons of blankets, heritage quilts, new sets of towels, designer shoes and hats...

I even got a "snuggie" too, with the college logo that my daughter is attending.

Second hand shopping is pretty much how I go! I wish more people would realize how many things they can purchase second hand. We need to stop purchasing all our housewares from the big department stores that are taking over our "mom and pop" stores and stores that are not American.

PS. I went to an estate sale and they were charging sales tax! I argued that they can't tax second hand items that had already had tax paid on them. Since it was a sale set up by a service, they argued back that they could. I refused to make my purchase, but it was pretty big so they man said "this one time..." As I was loading up my goodies, I heard other people also arguing with him because they overheard me. they cannot charge a second tax by the way...

Response - Shirl

[ In Reply To ..]
Lately, I've had to stick to buys that are $25 or less. Just don't have the extra funds.

I'm getting married and doing the entire wedding (minus edibles) with secondhand or repurposed things. Except for tulle for my dress. That I had to buy new, but it was 50% off. :)

My soon-to-be-husband bought a deep fryer a couple of years ago, new, for almost $60. Ack! Those things are a dime a dozen secondhand. It's not even a fancy one.

Can't avoid the tax! - Old part-timer

[ In Reply To ..]
The state (at least here in PA) charges tax multiple times on the same item. Buy a new car, you pay sales tax. Sell it a few years later, the buyer pays sales tax again. The next guy who buys it, same thing. There is no limit to how many times they will charge sales tax on the same car. It never seemed fair to me, but that's the way it is.

Second hand - Jackie

[ In Reply To ..]
We just recently purchased both a livestock trailer and a manure spreader off of Craigslist for a fraction of what we would have paid retail. My kids do 4H animals and we really needed them. LOVE, LOVE Craigslist.

Most of my own clothes are secondhand too. I hate to pay retail.

my bargain - Stormy

[ In Reply To ..]
I bought a 1972 Opel GT (the car I wanted so badly in high school) for $1000!!! It was a single owner car even! very well taken care of and it brings me so much happiness. When I drive it it takes me waaaay back and makes me feel so good.

Second hand shopping... can't beat it!

I agree, it is another way to recycle. It just makes good sense too. There are thousands and thousands of brand new cars sitting in lots, millions and millons of bottles of perfumes on shelves in departments stores. I find them at garage sales and get them for pennies! No need to spend like a Hilton when you're barely making minimum wage! (cheap shot at MTSOs... â�º)

OMG! That is so cool about the car. - Shirl

[ In Reply To ..]
This isn't secondhand, really, but it was still a score. I was at Michael's Arts and Crafts a couple of weeks ago. They have a little dumpster on the side of the building. They're located across from a bank, which is closed on weekends. I saw that it wasn't a locked on, so I jumped out of the car to take a look.

There was a plastic bag full of fabric paints, craft foam, construction paper, googly eyes, and feathers. Oh, and plastic Easter eggs. It must have been leftover from one of their "kids can come on in and make something for free" promotions.

re: Shirl - Stormy

[ In Reply To ..]
My brother is a \"dumpster diver\"!! He calls himself a \"freegan\" lol! I have to admit, there have been times that I myself have checked out the \"trash\" behind the malls and stores and have happened upon many a treasure, even a perfect lamp with a lamp shade!

there's actually a website for freeganism. - Shirl

[ In Reply To ..]
I haven't gotten the nerve to go anywhere big, like a mall.

I was at the grocery store one day, and they'd thrown away two nearly perfectly good bouquets in the garbage can by the front door. I took them home and put them in a vase. They lasted a week

Ah, Opels. So reliable. I loved mine. - Backwards Typist

[ In Reply To ..]
Back in the early 1969-70, I bought a white coupe 4-speed for $1000. I loved that car. It was really peppy, comfortable seats, and took bumps very well. It needed a paint job, but didn't have the money (single mom), so I took a can of black spray paint (the only color I could beg off a friend) and painted the rust spots. Can you imagine a white car with black polka dots? At that time, CB's were big and I had one of those. The truckers would always call out to 'that blonde in the polka dot car'. LOL A lot of fun.

I traded it for a brand new '72 red AMC Javelin and got $900 trade-in. Boy, could I kick myself for doing that!

A big KitchenAid pro mixer still in the box - For $25

[ In Reply To ..]
I love to cook and bake and have wanted one of these for years. Brand new, I could spend more than $300 for one. Found this mixer at a yard sale. The woman selling it said she hates to cook and her mother-in-law gave it to her as an incentive for her to learn to cook. Then she said, "Oh! I mean my EX-mother-in-law! She's cooking for her son now."

That's fantastic! - Shirl

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm hoping the same will happen to me, but with a Vita Mix.

Boy, what luck! I've been wanting one for over a year - Backwards Typist

[ In Reply To ..]
but it's cost prohibitive even on eBay.... and even the used ones.

I bought one back in 1970 when I was doing a lot of gardening and canning. It came with a food processor and other accessories (which I can't remember but it was great. I paid $99 for it brand new with all the accessories, which was just a little under 1 weeks' pay, and that was very expensive back then.

When we moved from the old place to our new home on the property, DH's friend packed our things and put them in the shed since both of us were working long hours (from 5 rooms) never let us know where anything was. It's still there somewhere along with all my canning stuff....Somewhere....some day... That was 20 years ago. Still haven't found it.

His friend didn't like me that much because he couldn't bum money from DH anymore so I'm sure it, along with the canning stuff, went to the very back of the shed with DH's stuff in the very front.(sigh)

Use it well and enjoy. They're wonderful. If you find another one like it, yell. LOL

I have one and love it! - Kendra

[ In Reply To ..]
It is my favorite wedding gift. If I found another for $25, you can bet I'd have two!!!

A Living Room Set - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
When I got married 35 years ago, there was an old railroad salvage place in town. We purchased our entire living room set--couch, coffee table, end tables, lamps and wall unit for probably $50, a bargain even back then.

My sweet doggie, 10 years ago - $50 re-homing fee

[ In Reply To ..]
One man's trash is my furry treasure.

Ruffled denim miniskirt - $5. - Enjoyment factor? PRICELESS! -(MTWordz)

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Similar Messages:

Mar 22, 2013
xx ...

Jun 03, 2011
I just got back from a highly successful clothes-shopping spree at "Thrift Town", our fabulous local thrift store. After I got home, and was washing, drying, ironing and hanging up my newfound treasures, I got to thinking about shopping at secondhand stores, and why I don't feel so "poor" when I do: For one, there's no "new-clothes stigma". Now I know, new clothes ARE wonderful. But for a strapped-for-cash MT like me, on those rare occasions that I d ...

May 18, 2011
My grandma had a saying -- Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without. I picked up a book called Living More With Less. It's full of tips and stories from Mennonites. I've changed a few of my ways due to what I've read. I still have a loooooong way to go. Right now I'm working on paring down my wardrobe. If I got rid of the things I rarely wear, or never wear, or only wear because my favorite things are dirty, I'd have so much more room from n ...

Jan 03, 2011
x ...

May 04, 2015
any construction or upgrades of any kind? My child is in the process of buying a home. I have bought 2 in my lifetime. The first one was built in the 40s. It was a HUD, repossessed and nothing was needed to make it livable. The second was a fairly new home, 4 years old, and it also was move in ready. My daughter has had a terrible time trying to get the people selling to turn on utilities so it could be inspected. Yesterday told me inspection day. No water on, the inspector could not check the A ...

Feb 07, 2011
I finally realized I do not need to follow Martha Stewart or those other people around and need to have everything in the world to show how great my housekeeping and entertaining abilities are (and they are both still terrible anyway). I have 2 relatives who live a long way away, a brother and a niece and she has no children. I have no children. I have been a widow for 30 years. Now tell me why I need 3 full sets of dishes (nice china, etc.) with service for 12.&nb ...

Mar 22, 2010
Yet another whore politician selling his vote. What a surprise (not!). Obviously there is not a single principled person in Washington. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Pro-Life-group-withdraws-award-scheduled-for-Stupak-88785507.html ...

Jul 13, 2014
I also joined Etsy, using my domain name. May I say...I wasn't terrifically impressed with quality of items for sale on Etsy. There were some phenomenal things....and then not so phenomenal...and the not-so-phenomenal stuff was selling too (maybe they just sold to their friends. I don't know. It didn't seem like it). So I guess that's a hopeful sign... ...I also have a *fun* job now, part-time, it is great to punch in, work, and voila! you get p ...

Nov 03, 2014
how do you like it? I have never had food from one before and really can hardly wait to see what we can make. ...

Nov 10, 2009
a few years ago and it is really heavy and alas, our weather here is usually too warm to even put it on. I have had it about 2 years now and have worn it about as many times. I am wishing for cold and snow this year, fingers crossed here. ...

Jul 30, 2011
The man who confessed to killing 68 people in Norway last week says he bought the ammunition clips used in his shooting spree from the U.S by mail order. Anders Behring Breivik wrote in his 1,500-page manifesto that he spent $500 for 10 30-round clips. Clips with more than three rounds are banned from sale in Norway. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), who introduced legislation to limit high-capacity ammunition clips following the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), told Politico ...

Sep 07, 2010
and cannot wait to use it. Anyone else have one? Have any favorites that you grill on it? ...

May 02, 2016
seems nobody has much good to say about sofas unless you spend thousands of dollars which I am not going to do. This one will be slept on all the time so it has to be made decently but am aware how everything is made anymore no matter what you spend. ...

May 27, 2015
Nearly two years after Veo Vessels died, her daughter, 70-year-old Mary Frances Hickman, decided to sell the home her mother had left to her. A sprawling brick house in Oklahoma City’s historic Highland Park neighborhood, it was built in 1924, just a year after Mary’s birth. Decades later, one of Vessels’ great-grandchildren fondly recalls the wood and tile floors, the fish pond, the butler’s quarters, and the multi-car garage where children played house. “It was really, really n ...

Oct 10, 2014
I guess they needed the money. The money from heroin production apparently wasn't enough. Link: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/10/10/500m-worth-us-bought-planes-destroyed-by-afghans-sold-as-scrap-for-6-cents/ ...

Feb 28, 2012
This week I made a few new discoveries, and I'm so excited about them I just have to share with you! * Ciao Bella Raspberry Sorbet, $3+ at Wal-Mart. This is a sinfully delicious palate cleanser. Bursting with raspberry flavor, it's not too syrupy or sweet. It's even better paired with... * European Cookies, Lemon-Flavored Shortbread. $1 at Dollar Tree. These are buttery little bites infused with lemon flavor... Yumm! Finally, what's had ...

Jan 06, 2012
I am an avid reader and especially love mysteries and thrillers but love to also try new genres. Please list some of your favorite authors so that I can look for them to download on my new Nook. ...

Apr 01, 2012
...

Mar 30, 2012
who makes you laugh? ...

Mar 24, 2012
. ...

May 27, 2010
In a sleep study report: "The patient reports that she occasionally wakes up in bed with a jerk." ...

Jan 06, 2013
I've discovered the very best coffeemaker I've ever had - and I have a few. It's dirt cheap (around $20), and has fantastic reviews all over the internet. It's plastic and similar to a French press, but the coffee's better - very smooth, not at all bitter. It's the Aeropress! ...

Feb 27, 2013
...

Jun 20, 2013
xxxxx ...

Jul 23, 2013
I'm getting tired of my usual movies. Dont have cable, and I've probably watched all of mine a hundred or more times, so going to get some new ones but am drawing a blank on what to get. What are some of your favorite movies. ...

Jan 05, 2014
. ...

Jan 21, 2017
LOL ...

Jan 01, 2012
I saw a poll somewhere and it had the 7 best theme songs. Most of them I wondered how they decided on it. I'm glad my favorite was on the list. Sometimes there is a TV show that just has a catchy theme song to it. Mine has to be "Bad Things" - The song for True Blood. Catchy tune I could listen to over and over. What is your favorite? ...

Nov 07, 2009
This clip always makes me laugh, no matter how bad my day was. It is one of my all time favorites. It is in German but it won't matter. Funny is funny in all languages. I hope all of you enjoy it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtugz_LfqeU ...

Dec 02, 2011
I have to admit I can't stand the "Christmas Shoes" song. I have a high tolerance for schmalz, but that's over the top for me. I change the radio station when that comes on. I'm sorta on the fence about "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". It's kind of cute, but it has the disadvantage of sticking in my head and I end up singing it the rest of the day! Anyone else? ...