Lightly Used Merchandise: Save a Fortune, Make the Most of Your Money

If you're one of the many people who is scraping by this holiday season, you may be thinking it won't be a very happy one for you. However, don't despair! You're not the only one struggling, and there's plenty ways for you to stretch your dollars.

The internet is an amazing tool that few people really learn to utilize. Over the years it has become my speciality, and it has proven a wise investment. I recently moved into a new place with absolutely nothing, but thanks to almost effortless hunting my house is fully furnished! You know what the best part is? I got almost everything in my place for either totally free or dirt cheap, and no, I don't have a cardboard box coffee table.

If you're in need of furniture (and not too proud) start by asking around! My friends and family were more than happy to off load perfectly good furniture, dishes, small appliances, silverware, and countless other things. Especially to somebody they know that may need it. Their mothers taught them long ago to never throw something useful away, and they will be glad to help you out. (With the added benefit of getting rid of their clutter! )

Still need some things? Give some online classifieds a try! There's plenty places with people needing to get rid of lightly used, quality items. Lots of them are moving out of state or to smaller places, and can't take it with them. My favorite place for bargain hunting is the ever popular craigslist! Craigslist is a massive, user moderated website where people can post pretty much anything for sale or that is wanted. Without much watching you can find entire leather living room sets for $500 on the sale boards. The only problem is that eventually you run out of room for all this great stuff.

The best part is I don't even visit the website everyday. If you'll look down toward the bottom of the search page you'll notice a little icon that says 'RSS' - Which stands for Really Simple Syndication if you're not aware! (Associated Content has their own RSS feeds too!) If you have a reader account, (try Google Reader) and you click on that button you'll be subscribed to the feed for that search term. So, for example I subscribed to the keyword 'leather couch' so any listing that is posted in that section that contains the words 'leather' or 'couch' will be sent to my reader. This way I only have to browse the listings that interest me!

For those that really are at the bottom of the barrel there are plenty of free things to be had on Craigslist as well. People will either list them directly in the free section or post something up called a 'curb alert'. This is where people have lots of things that are usually leftover from yard sales, spring cleaning, ect. and are out for the trash. They post up a bulletin letting people know what's there so they can claim it if they want it. If you need rid of something in your own house it's a good way to do so - I got rid of a desk I had no room for in a couple of hours that way!

If you'd rather go local there are plenty of thrift stores around like Goodwill or The Salvation Army that have lots of used merchandise. They won't be nearly as cheap as buying from individuals though. Make sure you aren't paying close to retail for used stuff! I was going to purchase some dishes from there until I realized I could buy brand new ones from Wal-Mart for how much they wanted.

Yard sales are another great place to pick up cheap furnishings. Most people will be selling things for fractions of what they are worth just to get it out of the house. You'll have to get up bright, and early if you want anything good though. The 'professional yardsalers' will pick off all of the good items before you have a chance; if you don't be the early bird. These people visit them just to resell the merchandise for a profit - Which can be a lucrative business, but only if you've got a good eye. It takes a seasoned buyer to recognize quality resale items, and jump on them.

Another very popular source is of course eBay. The internet's biggest garage sale - Where everyone is looking to buy or sell something. There's plenty great stuff to be had here if you know how to find it. You do have to be careful in your search to make sure you are only bidding on totally working items; unless you have the know how to fix them of course. Read the complete auction description, and don't be afraid to ask the seller specific questions. They would much rather you were totally sure about the item you're bidding on then having a dispute about it after you get it. Some ideas for things you can get good deals on?

Video Games: Most for half to a third of their retail prices!

iPods: People looking to upgrade will sell you their old iPods for cheap!

Cell phones: You can buy good phones for cheap and reactivate them on your service plan!

Computers: Buy post upgrade laptops or desktops for low prices!

Clothes: All brands, for cheap. Some stuff even brand new with tags.

I've nowhere near covered all the places you can find new treasures, but hopefully this will help you stretch your dollars a little bit further.