Buy used, save the difference.

One of my favorite TV shows is the "19 Kids and Counting" series starring the Duggar family. While I don't necessarily agree with some of their views, I find them absolutely down-to-earth and extremely wise in the way of family management and frugal living. While catching up on some episodes, one was titled "Buy Used, Save The Difference". It went on to show how the family does not invest in anything new-be it clothing, cars, household goods, etc. They shop at thrift stores, garage sales, used car sales, and more.

I decided to give this a try, knowing that I was going to have to be making many purchases due to having two kids in school and a new baby on the way. With the baby, I was going to have to buy everything, because we had gotten rid of everything not anticipating having another child. Instead of going out to Target or Babies r us, I went straight to craigslist. I checked every day for a good deal on something in excellent shape, and managed to get a crib, car seat with base, swing, bouncy seat, bathtub, bassinet, stroller, high chair, and changing table for less than $100. And everything was in practically new shape, with no signs of wear and tear. I decided to go to the local Salvation Army and Goodwill to buy my kids some play clothes this summer, because they're growing so fast it just doesn't make sense to buy new when they'll outgrow it after a few times wearing it. While in there one day, I came across a bread maker (see post "breaking bread to break even") for $4.99; again, in great shape. This will now save me time on making batches of bread dough. As we were walking out, I noticed a crib mattress sitting in the front door area. This was one purchase I had yet to make, and was dreading because they are expensive. I went to take a look at it, and saw that not only was it in perfectly new condition with no stains, tears, or signs of bedbugs (it also had a vinyl shell), but it was a Sealy brand mattress and a higher end one to boot. A $150 mattress for $9.99. I immediately went in and bought it.

These are just a few of the savings I made this summer by buying used. I realize that there is still somewhat of a stigma attached to purchasing/owning second-hand items. I live in a town that seems to think that money grows on trees, and that people can go and spend frivolously. This just simply isn't my case. I can't afford name-brand clothes, extra pairs of shoes to keep at school, new furniture or to buy my groceries at whole foods. Nor would I want to pay all that extra money just to keep face. You can save a ton of money by buying used and saving the difference and putting that money towards something more important like an emergency fund, college accounts for the kids, retirement, etc. Do NOT feel bad about buying used, I sure don't. The nice thing is, that most people are so wasteful, they rid themselves of perfectly good clothing and items just to buy new stuff. This works out well for me, because I get the still-nice stuff at about 75% less than the previous owner paid!

Hint for the day: Check out your local thrift stores. More often than not nowadays, they aren't accepting junk and old stuff any more, but stuff that looks practically new. This stuff still gets sold at crazy-low pricing, and you score!

Check this out!: http://www.duggarfamily.com/ For some great tips on saving around the home, family management and more.

Bartering for goods and services and learning how to be self-sustaining

I've done it...I've gotten my hubby to jump on the money-saving train! And boy, let me tell you...he dove in head first and made a major savings trade right off the bat! More about that shortly...

If there is anyone reading this who hasn't been following the news as of late, you will soon start to hear that the economy has taken a turn for the worse. Saving money is more important than ever, as is learning how to be self-sustaining in the event of sudden panic. I used to laugh at my step-mom for wanting to set up food and supply stores in their home as well as coming up with an emergency plan in the event that "all hell breaks loose". With the market crashing all around us, I'm not laughing so hard any more.

Networking with other people with a variety of things or talents to barter with can get you so much amazing stuff for so little. Earlier, I talked about my husband diving in head first to the bartering. He has been wanting to take martial arts lessons for some time, but we couldn't afford the $150.00 per month. Because he works as a systems administrator, and has extensive knowledge of web developing, he came up with a plan to approach the martial arts studio to discuss his building them a tournament website in exchange for lessons. They were open to negotiate, so he went ahead and built an amazing website for them. They were very pleased with his work, and now for as long as he continues to maintain the website, he can take lessons for no charge in exchange. Right there is $150/month in savings.

I've been working hard this summer at making as much of our own food as possible (breads, preserves, freezing fruits and veggies, meals, etc). I've also been working on bartering with other folks in exchange for goods/services. I recently spoke with a woman who has extra produce from her garden that she is bartering up. I offered to make her some homemade tomato sauce in exchange for her produce. I'm waiting to hear back to see how much she has left. I also posted that I am a chef/baker by trade and willing to barter up some goods for the holidays in exchange for other goods/services.

Chances are, you can offer up some type of service be it sewing, cleaning, cooking, baking, baby-sitting, pet-sitting, or more that other people can use. In exchange, people would be willing to barter something they have, or just be willing to pay a small amount of cash in exchange. I've been complaining about wanting my house cleaned before the baby comes, and some friends of mine have offered to help in exchange for some goodies. If I didn't feel horrible about making my friends come scrub my floors, I'd totally take them up on it, but you get the idea.

Helpful hint for the day: As far as the economic crisis...start taking some time, if you haven't all ready, to start learning on how to depend on yourself in the event of an emergency. start by making some basic bread dough and throwing it in the freezer. When cooking, freeze your leftovers and mark them for use on a later date. Learn some different ways to preserve fresh produce. Come up with an "in case of emergency" plan in the event of a panic. It sounds completely ridiculous sometimes when I think about it, but it never hurts to have something in place.

Check this out!: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=local+bartering+sites Check this out to help you get started on looking for local bartering websites.