You paid how much for that?

Over the years, I've learned to be frugal. Mostly because I'd rather save my money than spend it. It started  when I was a single mom and needed to make my money spread as far as possible. When times got better I kept those cost cutting ways. I love to get a good deal! I'm almost frugal to a fault. Sometimes, especially when planning on spending money on myself, I feel immense guilt, because I know that money could be used elsewhere. I'm not cheap when it comes to gifting others, but I can do without. I have the same tennis shoes I bought when Cain was under a year old. He's now 9, and I only recently got a new pair because my husbands sister left her addais here (on purpose) when she visited. But over the years the best tools I've learned for cost cutting are buying used.

The following is a list of things that you can save big bucks on by buying used:

Furniture: Craigslist has been a lifesaver for me on more than a few occasions. Not only selling my stuff, but buying it. You can easily buy furniture in like new condition for 10 - 20% of the original cost. And if you're willing to put in some elbow grease you can save even more. Just as an example I bought the following bedroom suit for $100

Not much to look at, right? But $30 bucks at Home Depot and an afternoon of hard work, I turned it into this:

If you're willing to put in some time looking, you can save a bundle of cash by buying furniture, appliances, exercise equipment, and home accessories online, used, and for basically nothing.

Toys: Anything that's bleachable/washable will be purchased used! I've bought tons of toys...ride on toys, learning toys, leap pads, video games, dvds, balls, etc. I've purchased toys that at walmart are $45, for $2. I know kids well enough to know they'll play with a toy for 2 days and then they move on to the next one.

Jewelery: A few months ago my husband wanted to get me a new ring. I'm firmly against this idea, because my ring was what he chose, and it means more to me than what it looks like, but after months of suggesting it, I finally went into a jewelery store and looked. Yeah, I knew myself too well. I walked out shaking my head at the prices of a stupid ring. I then ran over to the pawn shop and found a huge selection of gorgeous rings for really cheap! And they'll prove to you its real. And they'll negotiate with you. Why would anyone go to Kay and pay $3000 for a ring you can get for $400 at a pawn shop? And just as a side note, I didn't get a new ring, and I doubt I ever will.

Cars: Brand new cars are awesome. They really are. They're perfectly clean, they smell amazing, and basically you KNOW nothing is wrong with it. But they're expensive, and the second you drive off the lot, they've lost 10,000 in value! I could never bring myself to purchase a new car. Never. (well unless I win the lotto, in which case I wouldn't mind). Buying used is the way to go. I bought my car from a bank like 8 years ago. It was repossessed, and worth $15000. I bought it for $5000 cash and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. That's why I still drive it. Then I think about the guy it go repoed from, he owed $17000 on it, and didn't have anything to show for it. I've had like 7 cars. None have been new, and no future cars will be either.

Vacations: If I can't get a coupon code to book a hotel room or for tickets to places, I usually won't bother. Many times in my past I've agreed to go to a timeshare sales pitch to get a nice hotel for next to nothing. Yeah it was totally annoying, but it was like an hour of my time and saying no, no, no. I don't have a problems saying no, so for me it was worth it!

Sometimes a simple google search can help you save money on things you wouldn't necessarily think about. I can't even begin to tally up how much I've saved over the years by buying used, so consider that before you go out and buy a $4000 bedroom suit (but still buy your mattresses new!).