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Published on October 1, 2007 By dharmagrl In Misc

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.


Comments (Page 1)
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on Oct 01, 2007
There's nothing wrong with second hand,


I lived with second hand almost all my life. We did not get our new Living room furniture until I had been married 6 years. The old stuff was from friends and relatives - hand me downs.

You are totally right with this one. People make a decision to over extend. Most people do not, but then those are the ones you never hear about (unless they blog like you did). But we are constantly told about the ones that "through misfortune.....yada yada yada".

No, not through misfortune. Through lack of maturity "I want my wants when I want them".
on Oct 01, 2007
Great article, dharma! We also do not buy second hand undies. Of course, we add socks to that list, and usually shoes (on the rare occasion we get secondhand shoes, they get the thorough Lysol treatment first!)

You'd love one of my latest finds. We bought a pair of ammo boxes at a great price. We're going to use them to stow away our camping gear so we can load up on a moment's notice!
on Oct 01, 2007
To finish the quote, "And I want them now."

Second hand is the best way to get stuff. People you know will GIVE you stuff for free, because they have all this junk in their houses they're trying to get rid of. But it's not junk, it's just junk to them - we got an exersaucer for BOTH the babies free, we got a toddler bed free, we got a ton of clothes, anything you could possibly want for a baby/little kid. Now, as for the adults in the house, we could certainly do better with thrift shopping when we NEED stuff.

I need to get better with saving food my oldest doesn't finish, too. We recently got a book out from the library, i'm not sure on the title, but it's like the Penny Pincher's Gazette or something. I'm sure about the Gazette part, not about the rest. I'll get back to you. But it's got a ton of money-saving tips in it.
on Oct 01, 2007
Jythier,

One word of caution about "penny pincher" guides.

While I personally find them useful, I NEVER take their advice if it means sacrificing the nutrition for my family.

Examples: We use whole grain bread. If I have to get white bread or "cheap" wheat bread, I don't do it. My family's worth more than that.
on Oct 01, 2007
People you know will GIVE you stuff for free, because they have all this junk in their houses they're trying to get rid of. But it's not junk, it's just junk to them


Exactly! One man's junk is another man's treasure.
on Oct 01, 2007
I'm pretty sure it advocated making your own bread to save money. As far as I can tell, this one doesn't sacrifice nutrition, but helps you get more with what little you have. After all, I could buy $100 of junk or $100 of nutritious food for the same $100. After eating the junk, one still requires nutritous food. So now one spends $200 anyway...

Sacrificing nutrition is not going to save you money anyway.
on Oct 01, 2007
I'm pretty sure it advocated making your own bread to save money.


making your own bread is good, but sometimes you can actually find it cheaper at thrift stores than you can make it. I buy whole grain bread at 83 cents a loaf (3/$2.50) and pop that stuff into the freezer as soon as it gets home.
on Oct 01, 2007
I wonder if the local place would have bread that cheap. I'll tell my wife, or, heaven forbid, go myself.

The first batch of bread did not go well.   
on Oct 01, 2007
We lived in England on sabbatical for a year and my wife was drawn to the treasures of Charity shops. She found some great stuff and still wears it. I found a pure Scottish Harris Tweed jacket for twenty pounds (I think they cost about 300 sterling new), and was extremely proud of it until I outgrew It (middle-age spread is not even best near an excuse!). Buying second-hand, whether we have to ,or want to, can be fun and saving hundreds on things that still work or fit, is to me a triumph. As young newly-weds we bought everything second hand and some of that stuff is still hanging around thirty five years later.

Our first fridge was a Frigidaire dated 1953. It kept the beer cold and I was very sad to see it go!
on Oct 01, 2007
Advice for newlyweds: It took mom and dad 30 years to get a house full of stuff....what makes you think you need or deserve to have it all right away?

We took our time getting nice things...one at a time (and by nice, I mean affordable but not bank breaking) and now we have a home full of nice extras, most of which were bought secondhand or "gently used". I love the discount section at IKEA. Too many people think that they need it all perfect, right now. And unfortuantely, that is a good way to get all the trouble...

Great Article Dharma!
on Oct 01, 2007

I love the discount section at IKEA. Too many people think that they need it all perfect, right now.

YES!  If you cant see the dent, dont worry about it!  Take the discount!

on Oct 02, 2007

I lived with second hand almost all my life. We did not get our new Living room furniture until I had been married 6 years. The old stuff was from friends and relatives - hand me downs

I'm more proud of something that I got for nothing - or next-to-nothing - than I am of anything that I paid full price for.  Our bed is still my best purchase, and we've had it 15 years now. 

Of course, we add socks to that list, and usually shoes (on the rare occasion we get secondhand shoes, they get the thorough Lysol treatment first!)

Oh yeah, anything that I buy second hand from thrift stores or yard sales (or even from friends and family) gets a thorough wash/clean before I let it get worn.  I'm not about to risk catching someone else's funk.

 

Second hand is the best way to get stuff. People you know will GIVE you stuff for free, because they have all this junk in their houses they're trying to get rid of. But it's not junk, it's just junk to them

That's a great way to acquire stuff!

 

One man's junk is another man's treasure.

Bingo.

We lived in England on sabbatical for a year and my wife was drawn to the treasures of Charity shops. She found some great stuff and still wears it. I found a pure Scottish Harris Tweed jacket for twenty pounds

Wow - that's quite a bargain!

Some people seem to feel they deserve it all, Karen. All, and NOW. They lament about being 'mediocre' or 'not very good at' the jobs they went to college to do, but fail to take into account that no education can prepare you for the real world, and you only get GOOD at something by doing it. Over and over. For years and years.

So not only do they think they deserve to live an affluent, middle-class lifestlye only a few years after leaving mommy and daddy's house, they feel they should be excelling in their fields without ever having to put in the decades of effort that may take. So they say..."I'm not very good at this, I guess I'll try something else."

I know, I know....I see it every day.  I don't quite know where that attitude came from, either.  I know I don't have it, and my kids don't have it.

 

Advice for newlyweds: It took mom and dad 30 years to get a house full of stuff....what makes you think you need or deserve to have it all right away?

I see Airmen and their families look at what Dave and I have managed to get over the 14 year course of our marriage and then go out and get themselves into all kinds of trouble trying to get the same thing.  What they don't understand is that a lot of our things we used when we bought them and that if we did buy them new we didn't get them all at once.

If you cant see the dent, dont worry about it!

That's my kind of attitude!

on Oct 02, 2007
When I landed a job teaching high school I didn't own a single suit. I bought a few second hand suits at a Goodwill store, along with a few ties. They looked just as good as new and cost me very, very little, and were expensive brands. Nobody knew the difference.

Most of the razors I own were bought in antique shops and second hand places since Gillette hasn't made a double edge razor in decades. They work just fine.

All of my girlfriends have been second hand. Some of them were fine, some I think were broken.
on Oct 02, 2007
I love children's second hand stores. I just found a really great one here in Hawaii.

It does take time to accumulate the "things" that make life more comfortable. I don't think that realization is there for many of us Americans, though.
on Oct 11, 2007
never worn second hand knickers or hats


Hats I don't have a problem with but I wouldn't wear second-hand socks. It makes me feel... icky (fuck, I pride myself on my vocabulary and the best I can do is icky. Geez, I must be tired).
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