Students Must Practice to Buy Used Items | 10 Used Stuff
Since the world is becoming vocal about recycling products, students can give an impetus to the movement. By practicing to reuse products, they can not only support the environment but also benefit themselves. Students need to learn to buy used items. There is no shame in wearing a used watch since quality, brand new wristwatches are sooo expensive. Where there is a will, there is a way, for a smart mind like yours.
What’s the point of spending 3 to 4 times more than you have to, when you get almost all fresh stuff from secondhand online shops (Heard of Amazon returns)? Designer clothing is pretty expensive, even for mid-range salaried executives.That doesn’t mean you deprive yourself of your needs and 'wants'. There is always a way to satisfy your yearnings. Buying repossessed items can fulfill your desires. Don’t get discouraged; rather, buy used items to fill your needs.
Convinced Enough to Buy Used Stuff? List of Items
If you’re from a small town and start visiting thrift shops frequently, you will see that your neighbors are also regular visitors. Before becoming a regular thrift shop customer, I used to think that my neighbours bought only new products. My whole perception changed after visiting thrift shops.
Below's a list of the used items you should consider buying used.
1. Dress Clothes
Typically, dress clothes are a bit expensive. Also, executives often switch their dress clothes frequently. Where do all these clothes go? People like you and I buy them from a secondhand marketplace. As a student, you rarely have to wear dress clothes. Your body shape will change year to year. So, buying new every year is just a waste of your hard-earned money.
The best solution, especially for students, is to visit secondhand stores or marketplaces that carry dress clothes.
2. Designer Clothing
It’s wintertime and, for some, it's customary to attend special events, like the theatre, the opera, a ball or a fashion show. Often you wear your regular dresses/dress pants and shirt to a semi-formal/upscale party. There is no shame in wearing what you have. But, then you see all the people around you are wearing designer stuff and talking about them (no snobbery there!) Boy! Do you feel out of place!
Designer clothing is the most extravagant of clothing lines. But, as an ingenious person, you have figured out a way to look just as glam. You opt for a thrift store buy, which will be a substantial cut in your costs.
3. Watches
Watches are very expensive. A standard, good-looking watch will hit you up for around 700 dollars. What on earth is a student doing, buying a $1,000 wristwatch? You'll have to forgo many necessities to buy such a new wristwatch.
I bought a second-hand Seiko wristwatch for 200 dollars, which is still running well after three years time. It would have cost me nearly $1000 ,if I had bought a brand new one.
Expensive watches rarely go out of fashion and they have genuine longevity built in. If anything goes wrong with it, you can go to the nearest watch-maker and easily get it fixed. But, that won't be cheap either.
4. Smartphones
First of all, never get taken in by fancy advertising. Stores often have a new flagship smartphone every month. It’s not possible to use them at the same time, so why buy them? In addition, there is usually only a little value added with each newer version. So, rushing for the newest smartphone is a total waste of money. The best practice is to stick to your existing one, as long as possible.
If you want to upgrade your smartphone, then go for a refurbished one. You can get a top-notch secondhand smartphone at one-third the price of a new one. I can't comprehend why some people have an issue using a 6- to 12-month-old phone!
5. Pre-Owned Gift Cards
We are thrilled to get gifts for our near and dear ones. Whether it’s their birthday, anniversary, or any other special day, we often present gift cards that may only have validity from 90 days to 180 days (In Canada there are no expiry dates, in the US it's 5 years, with a caveat.). Airbnb, Hilton and Southwest Airlines' don't expire, so check for an expiry date before buying. Similarly, we also receive gift cards from our friends and family. What’s the point of hanging on to all of those gift cards since we have our daily essentials already? What to do? Sell them. It's 'cash in the bank' for students.
6. Cars
Have you ever read Mr. Money Mustache? Or other financial gurus? Most of them recommend buying used cars or not to drool over the latest model. In one of the well-known blogs, I read that a 5-10 year-old car will give you the best value, if you think from a value perspective. If you wisely purchase used cars, they will save you a lot in terms of fuel, repairs and insurance.
Just think about it, if you’re a trend follower and decide to buy the latest, Tesla model, it will cost you a whopping 53k+ US dollars. The cheapest Tesla will cost you 31k+, new. Being a student, you can’t afford even 20k for a car. Instead, you can buy a good used car for between 5 and 10k US. Such a car will surely meet all your needs.
7. Furniture
You just moved out of your family home to start college and are beginning a new life. Furniture is one of the essentials for your new place. Often, it speaks much of your personality. The problem is, it is quite expensive considering you're living on a student's budget. Don’t worry! thrift shops and secondhand online marketplaces are there to help you out.
If you find solid wood furniture, you can sand it down and refinish it. A colourful sheet or tablecloth over a used couch or chair, with a new throw pillow will dress up your place nicely. That's an easy way to display your tastes.
Perhaps you can find multi-purpose furniture? An ottoman/storage cube/coffee table/footstool? A table that serves also as a desk? And since student rooms are often fairly small, why not consider 'hideaway' furniture, like a Murphy bed? I do admire the Europeans for their furniture designed to serve multi-purposes, are practical and are still compact.
There is one thing I would suggest never buying used: a mattress. That doesn't mean you have to spend $1,000 on a new one. You can often find mismatched sets pretty cheap, or perhaps you don't need a box-spring? There are places that sell just the top mattress for under $200. Maybe you prefer a futton?
There's much to think of, considering your life constraints.
8. Books
Books cost a sweet penny. When purchasing your school books, it won't be any chump change you'll spend. That's why I’m a frequent borrower of books. Whenever I go to my friend’s places, I look at their bookshelves and pick out whichever books seem interesting to me. I suggest you practice this habit. Unfortunately, you will not always find books at your friends' and family's places.
If you read one book a month, just calculate how much money it will add up to at year-end. After borrowing, the best practice is to buy second-hand books. Many shops and online marketplaces sell second-hand books; including textbooks. Some universities do too, or they rent them. In some places, you can borrow books for a nominal charge, if not for free.
A used book will do exactly the same for you/teach you the same as the newly printed version.
9. Electronics
Have you ever browsed through the used electronic items in any marketplace? Everything from a sound system to a laser level, to a toaster or whatnot are found there. Just visit a thrift shop or second-hand marketplace and your list of needed electronics will shrink dramatically. If you’re lucky enough, you might find antiques at a reasonable price. Factory direct stores are the next best thing.
Forget about the small electronic items, what about buying large machines, like washing machines or televisions? There are countless refurbished ones on the market. Certainly, you can buy many of your essential items this way.
10. Exercise Equipment
The gymnasium may be a great place for exercise. After paying a gym membership fee, some become irregular a few weeks later. But, with COVID-19, home exercise got popular. There was an unprecedented demand for home exercise equipment. With it, people can exercise whenever they want. Now, getting to the point: exercise equipment is very costly. Since people often don't stay motivated for a long time, most of the gym equipment they bought remains idle. As a result, people often sell it after a few months.
The good news is, you can purchase that same exercise equipment, at a very low price, from secondhand shops. Maintaining sound health doesn’t require a whopping amount of money.
After all that, I remembered, this is supposed to be about saving students money, so rewind. The gymnasium may be a great place for exercise, but there's no reason to spend the money. You can get your aerobic exercise in a number of ways: Do you have a free place to swim? Do you have a bicycle? There's always walking and running, including up and down stairs.
Do you need weights? No. Weights can easily be replaced by cans of food (sometimes in a bad) or water jugs. Want a stronger upper body? When doing pushups, put your feet on something, which transfers more weight to your arms and shoulders. Arm and leg curls? Put a large can of food in a bag and grab the handles or put your foot through them (When sitting on a counter, perhaps). Fill a knapsack with a lot of cans and start doing stairs, for stronger legs. An exercise ball is great for core strength. For wrists, tie a weight on a string, and the other end to a broomstick. Roll up the string by turning the broomstick with your wrists.
More ideas can be found by searching the internet. Time to get buff?
Conclusion:
People may judge you for buying secondhand stuff (If they actually know). So what?! The people that matter don't care. They know, first of all, that as a student, you have budget constraints, secondly, you’re conscious about the environment and lastly, you’re satisfying your needs and wants by figuring out a smart, and noble, solution. Besides, you're the one who will be laughing all the way to the bank.
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