Reuse

I've always been a big fan of buying used items. My mother used to shop for my clothes at a secondhand clothing store, which still exists 30 years later. It was, therefore, natural for me to buy my own child's clothing secondhand, especially when he was a toddler, and we were on WIC (read: government cheese). Throughout the years I've prided myself on how little I've had to spend on our clothing, getting most of it secondhand.

When I woke up this morning it occurred to me that I've never bought undergarments, which definitely run high on the plastic content, secondhand. Not sure how that's going to be managed.

I stopped buying new books a few years ago, based on owning too many already and having run out of bookshelf space, and take most of what I want to read out of the library. What I can't find locally, I request through interlibrary loan (ILL), which can search for and get books anywhere in the country. 

Recently I purchased a bicycle for my son on Craigslist. I admit that's taking a chance and required some research on different types of bicycles. Then I took the bike, which I had to drive an hour and a half to pick up and cost $70 (not including gas), to a bike repair shop. I spent another $208 at the repair shop to get the bike into peak riding condition. The guy who owned the shop assured me I still got a deal. On eBay similar bikes were selling for $300, so 7% savings. Not a huge deal, but no new energy consumed to make a new bike.