Okay, so it’s not a huge secret. Everyone who knows me, knows that I like a good deal. My mama taught me how to shop! I simply cannot buy anything at full price; it goes against every fiber of my being. It needs to be on sale. And 10% off is *not* a sale! I like a good 40-60% off, thank you very much.
Better yet, how about 80% off? Yes, it’s possible. If you’re willing to hunt. And everyone knows the hunt is the fun part!
Where to Find the Deals
When Hubby and I bought our first home back in 1998, we had so little money and so many needs. First off, we had a massive lawn and no lawn mower. That’s when we discovered classifieds sites like UsedOttawa.com. Not only did we find a lawn mower, but we met a very interesting person – the elderly gentleman who no longer needed his and was happy to see it go to a new home. Ten years later, when we needed to replace this same lawn mower, we were so happy with our first online classifieds experience that we again turned online and found another secondhand one.
Since then, we’ve bought too many items to count…appliances, an amazing play structure forthe backyard, gorgeous solid wood furniture for the kids’ rooms, a top-of-the-line bike trailer when the kids were too young to ride on their own….oh, and we can’t forget the pop-up camper trailer!
Purchased online in 2010 and now part of countless family memories
Avoiding the Landfill
And while we first started using online classifieds to save money as a young couple starting out, we now use them for another reason: the environment. It just feels wrong to send something out to the curb when you know it’s going to end up in a landfill. So we never just throw things out. I will clean it up for the next owners, list it on UsedOttawa.com and if it doesn’t sell, I will deliver it to Value Village or the Salvation Army.
Got Questions? Want Tips?
I’m a bit of an old hat now with the online classifieds. I’ve learned what will sell, and what won’t. What key information to include in a listing, and what to avoid. So tell me what your questions are…I’ll answer them all in a follow-up post!
P.S. I took the UsedEverywhere.com “What’s your BIG deal personality” quiz and discovered that I was a “The Savvy Spender.” That sounds about right to me, although I was a bit surprised that I didn’t get “The Hunter.” But what about you? Are you a Flipper or maybe a DIY Diva? Take the quiz and tell me what you get! (Plus, a chance to win $500 cash or a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3!)
Click on the image for a chance to win!
Thanks go to UsedEverywhere.com for sponsoring this blog post! #UsedHelps
I loved this article and I think we must be kindred spirits! I have shopped (very successfully) many many times on second hand websites and stores. It is truly amazing the deals that can be found, especially if you are handy at minor repairs. Used Ottawa is the best!
It’s so fun to hunt around, isn’t it? Especially for big ticket items … you can save soooo much! One of my favourite finds was the outdoor playground. Normally, they sell for a crazy amount of money and we picked ours up for $150 simply because the previous owner was looking for someone to dismantle it and take it away
Oops. I am a Savvy Spender, too!
aha, another Savvy Spender!
I am a Savvy Spender! Love used Ottawa! That is how we purchased our tent trailer and our puppy!
We LOVE hearing that people love our site! If you have an ad on our site right now, send it my way and I’ll boost it to the top of the listings for you. amber@usedeverywhere.com.
Don’t tell Hubby that I look at the puppy and dog section all the time too! I miss having a dog in our house (but he doesn’t)
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, although I wouldn’t call a lot of these items “trash”. I just sold a dishwasher (it worked great, just upgraded to a stainless steel one), it’s a great way to help out others and keep items out of the dump!
Exactly! I sold a freezer before we left and I can’t imagine that big thing sitting in a land fill – ugh. It worked perfectly fine and someone grabbed it for their cottage.
That camper is quite the find! I love the thrill of the hunt. I’m going to guess hunter as my quiz answer. Off to see what I get…
savvy spender!
more savvy spenders! I love it!
Wow, you are a savvy spender, LOL, but I love to see things re-purposed like this. We started to do a similar thing last year and it is amazing just how much money you can save. We got our “new” kitchen table, with six chairs and two leaves, solid oak, for $150.00!! It was originally closer to $2000.00
It truly is amazing what you can save — and earn! Before our big trip to Australia, I challenged myself to sell off things that the kids weren’t using or had grown out of and to use that money and avoid touching our bank account. It worked remarkably well!
Great idea! I love shopping the classifieds! You can find EVERYTHING on there! It looks like you found some great finds!
One great thing is to set up alerts for things you’re looking for … that way, when they happen to come up, you’ll get first dibs at taking a look! (You sign-up for an account and then choose “email alerts” – here’s the link: http://www.usedottawa.com/login )
I am loving hearing about all these people who love to buy used!!! We started UsedOttawa.com and all the other UsedEverywhere.com sites specifically to keep items out of the landfill. Conscious consumerism is where it is at!!
I couldn’t agree more … re-cycling and up-cycling is where it’s at!
Thanks for stopping in Amber!
I’m also a Savvy Spender- seems like we all are! I’ve used used sites before but didn’t know about the UsedEverywhere ones, thanks for introducing me to it!
Yes, Used is a goodie. Give it a go next time you want to find or sell!
Since we have streamlined our life in order to be mobile, I find I have become a more Savvy Spender. I can tell you with certainty though, all those people who get the stuff that I have been unloading over the last two years on sites like UsedOttawa.com are certainly getting amazing deals and are 100% Savvy Spenders!
Hi Liisa! So great to see you on here again … been missing your voice. I couldn’t agree with you more! The seller and the buyer are both savvy! Buy only what you need and be selective about it.
Don’t know how or why I stopped reading, but thankfully I was on Twitter at just the right moment to get me back here.
Twitter can be really good that way! And now I’ve learned that you’re publishing a book on your family’s adventures … awesome!! Can’t wait to take a read.