My year of buying only pre-loved goods had been going well until it came to the first scorching hot week of May and I really NEEDED a recliner for the garden. I quickly set up an alert – my favourite way to score great deals on Used.ca and was sure something would come up. I waited several days and there was nothing in my price range. Sometimes people ask far too much money for their secondhand wares. Our general rule is, if you can purchase the same item new for less than 25%, the item is priced too high. Bear this in mind when selling your used goods.

“Too early in the season,” my colleagues explained, which did not placate me. This was an extremely urgent matter, how else would I recline in my garden?! Usually, I’d be much more patient, but when lying down is all you want to do (remember my ruptured achilles), my patience was wearing thin. Then on a whim, I drove to Walmart.

Hats off to those people who can avoid Walmart, you are smarter than me (and maybe richer?). I picked up two chairs, two recliners, a paddling pool, epsom salts, a novel and my memory. Yes, I remembered how shopping in box stores can quickly spiral, but I did have a buzz. Retail therapy is definitely a “thing.” That said, the buzz was not as great as finding coveted items for a bargain price on Used.ca or in a thrift store. Absolutely not. So back to pre-loved only I go!

Despite my slight indiscretion, the secondhand karma has not deserted me and the weekend following “Walmart-gate” I snagged a patio table, umbrella and six chairs in the free category  and soon after, a 12 foot trampoline with a net for $75, which my hubbie quickly spray painted with the Batman logo – very cool! I had been waiting months for a trampoline and had an alert set up, only to be trumped every time. Alerts are great, but sometimes, items are so coveted you have to also check the site constantly and work out what days are the most popular for posting. For trampolines, I guarantee it’s Sundays or Monday mornings that the most ads go on our sites. I also guarantee that other avid searchers know this too.

Going forward into the next half of 2015, I am pretty excited to now be looking for baby items (our little is due early December) and know I won’t be doing ANY firsthand shopping. Buying and selling for kids is so easy as items are outgrown very quickly. I have a list of what I need and I am pretty sure at my next quarterly update, I will have ticked most items off and made massive savings. Stay tuned, and in the meantime, I hope you are all having a great summer and saving money where you can!