I had first written this in response on another thread Link but decided that the subject deserved an entire article instead.

When Dave and I first got married, he was an Airman First Class - just two ranks above Airman Basic, the lowest enlisted rank of the Air Force.  I was pregnant with our second child, and we already had an almost-two year old.  I wasn't working, so we relied upon his income to feed, house and clothe all three of us. 

Needless to say, we couldn't afford to buy brand new things.  We could have had brand spankin' new stuff had we been irresponsible enough to apply for credit willy nilly (creditors LOVE to see 'military' on applications; they're almost guarranteed to get the money they're owed) and proceed to max out said credit by buying brand new clothes, furniture, appliances.

We didn't do that.  Didn't even THINK about doing that, to be honest.  We bought our first living room set second-hand.  It was the ugliest thing you ever saw, it had a light brown background with green and dark brown palm leaf pattern all over it...but it was comfortable and practical and, more importantly, it was OURS.  We didn't owe anyone any money for it and there were not monthly payments to make on it. It was the same with our bed - we paid ten pounds for it, and we're STILL sleeping on it.  It's an antique, actually.  Made in 1930-something - we've gone through two mattresses, but the frame's still going strong.  I've labored with two babies in that bed, and I'm not sure we'll ever get rid of it.  Anyway, I'm getting off track here.  My point was going to be that yeah, this stuff might have been considered ugly, but it was functional and we were HAPPY with it. 

In 1996 Jake came along, and we made the decision for me to stay home with the kids rather than get a job and hire someone else to raise them.  We knew it was going to be rough trying to feed and clothe five people on one paycheck, but we really didn't have any other option.  I wasn't about to go get a job and then spend half (or more) of my paycheck to daycare, and like I said before, I didn't have babies so that someone else could raise them.  So, we dealt with the situation.  There was an entire year where I didn't buy any new clothes - brand new, that is.  We relied on thrift stores, yard sales and charity shops, but everyone had decent clothing and nobody ever went without something that they needed.  I think that the reason I'm so pleased when I get a bargain these days is a direct result of the days when we couldn't afford to buy anything brand-new.  I remember being ecstatically happy when I went out yard sale-ing one Saturday morning and came across a family who had kids a year or two older than mine and who were selling a bunch of their clothes.  I came home with an entire season's wardrobe for each of my three kids, included gently used winter coats, for under $25.  I'm still proud of that

My point is that there's nothing wrong with second hand stuff (apart from underwear, perhaps.  And hats.  I've -nor have my children- never worn second hand knickers or hats) and that sometimes second hand can be as good as new.  I just can't understand how newlyweds who don't have children can say that they can't afford for one of them to not work.  What kind of financial monstrosity must they have created for themselves by insisting that they have new this and that and the other? 

There's nothing wrong with second hand, especially if you're up to your eyeballs in debt.