When we moved into our house we had spent every spare penny and had a lawn and garden that needed tending. Having come from an apartment, we didn’t have any of that gear. So, we decided to try to find everything we could second hand and it went really well. All our items were well below half the price they would have been new. It helps that my husband is much more patient with Craigslist and all the driving around that entails. We got some spades for free from someone I met through work who was downsizing. Our lawnmower came from an ad on Craigslist. I visited someone who was moving and he gave me his ladder for $20. My husband met someone who has a side business buying lawn and garden tools at garage sales and selling them online through Craigslist. His garage is just one big display of second hand tools and equipment. Even though he takes a cut, we still paid far, far less than we would have new. And honestly, how often do these tools get used? I think we’ve used our snow shovels about 5 times over 5 winters here, so it was very wise not to buy brand new ones. My husband found an electric hedge trimmer for about $20. This reinforced the lesson about how much better it is to look for tools second hand. My thinking was that at least if we try them used and they don’t work out then we could go and buy them new, but it turns out that we haven’t had to. I’m thinking maybe one day I should start looking online for the KitchenAid stand mixer I’ve been eyeing!
