Getting Back Into the Black

I hate buying brand new things.   Obviously there are a few caveats to this: I do not buy used food, used batteries, or used diapers…ewww.  However, I love shopping around on ebay, craigslist, or freecyclelooking for stuff that my family needs that I can get usually for pennies on the dollar compared to the regular price.  My most recent purchase was 2 Blu-Ray movies, both in excellent condition for less than $15 each, over 50% savings off the retail price.

While these types of sites are great for saving money, you can also use some of them to make money as well.  Everyone knows that you have stuff in your home that you no longer use or will never use again.  A perfect example of this is baby items.  Until my wife found out recently that she was pregnant, we were vigorously trying to go through all of our baby items to find out what still retained some value and what we could donate to Goodwill or The Salvation Army. 

We ended up selling our old baby swing ($10) a stroller/carrier combo ($30) and a few sets of infant clothes ($20 total, $5 each).  That took a grand total of 30 minutes out of our life to make a quick $60.  I would suggest everyone go through their closets and storage boxes and determine what you do and do not need.  You’d be amazed at how much of your trash is truly someone else’s treasure.