Another Great Tip From Our Reader, Nan H.

“We try to live as frugally as possible with an occasional splurge of eating out. The one thing that has really helped us financially is shopping at second hand shops. I even buy shoes–sometimes brand new–at second hand shops. For my birthday I found a pair of Calvin Klein jeans with their original price tags still on them. The price on the tags was $48.00, and I bought them on Monday which is half-price day at this particular second hand store. They were marked $8.00, and I was able to purchase them for $4.00! Now if that isn’t saving, then I don’t know what is. When it comes to about anything, I always check the second hand shops or garage sales (which are fantastic if you can find what you want) before I ever go to a “regular” store.

Speaking of garage sales, about three years ago I found a used Craftsman rototiller retailing around $450. I bought it for $85. Then about two years ago, I replaced our over-20-year-old electric stove with a two-year old stove from a garage sale. After buying it, I checked the pricing for the model I bought and found it ran around $650. I paid $150 for it at the garage sale, and the person selling it even had the owner’s manual. It was like brand new, and I have used it a lot. About two weeks after buying the stove, I also bought a brand-new range hood at a garage sale. They usually retail for over $100, and if memory serves me right, I paid about $20.00. My wonderful husband transported them in his truck and installed them in our house. We saved about $580, and we have almost a brand-new stove!

I could go on and on about all of my “finds” for bargain basement prices. Needless to say, I love saving money this way, and I BELIEVE in always looking at second-hand shops and garage sales first if possible.

Thanks again for your great ways to save money. ”
Thank you Nan for supplying another GREAT tip! Do you have a great tip for Beat The Recession? email us tips@beattherecession.com

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