Shoestring Cottage

Money Environment Home & Health

  • Home
  • New to Shoestring Cottage? Start here
  • About Me: My best life on a shoestring
  • Fifty Ways to Save Money Now
  • Favourite Frugal & Healthy Recipes
  • My Frugal Bookshelf
  • Work with Me: Shoestring Cottage Media Pack
  • PRIVACY POLICY

My second hand life

26th July 2020 by shoestringjane@outlook.com 17 Comments

Share on Facebook Share
0
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Pinterest Share
0

second hand life

As I sit here on my second hand sofa bed (free, from Mr S’s brother), I can see more items of furniture that were pre-loved than purchased new. The same goes for much of my clothing, ornaments and kitchen bits. So, I thought I would give you a little view on my second hand life!

As I said in this post, there are many reasons I like buying second hand. Firstly, second hand items are cheaper. Sometimes they are even free! When you are on a tight budget, it makes sense to pay less for things when you can.

But second hand doesn’t mean buying poorer quality. In fact, for me it usually means that I can afford better quality. Cheap new items are often shoddy and not made to last.

Living a second hand life means that you can help develop a circular economy, where items are produced and used until the end of their lives, maybe repaired and upcycled along the way, rather than discarded when the owner is bored with them and fancies a change. You get the maximum value from each items and then recycle or reuse as much as possible of what remains.

Here are some examples of my second hand life and some of my favourite items.

Windsor armchair

second hand life

This Windsor armchair is more than just second hand; it is an antique, given to me by a family member more than 20 years ago. It has been in several houses since I got it, and I love it! I purchased the cushion on eBay recently to tart it up.

Welsh dresser

second hand life

This is another piece that has been passed through the family. My parents had it made in a honey coloured pine in the late seventies, to go with the honey coloured pine kitchen that my dad made from scratch.

I had it in my first house in Norwich, as they no longer needed it and it was small enough to fit into a snug two bed terrace. It has come with me ever since, was at one point a Brittany blue, but is now a sage green and lives in the kitchen. 

All of the china is from junk shops too. There is nothing of any great value, just going for a shabby chic vibe!

Wicker vase 

second hand life

This fabulous vase featured in my Instagram feed recently. I found it at a boot sale for £2, and I love it! The plan is to get some kind of artificial foliage to go in it, if I can find some at a reasonable price. This has to stay in the sitting room where the cats rarely venture, or they will use it as a scratching post!

Sofa bed

second hand life

As I said, this second hand sofa came from Mr S’s brother, who was also given it for free but didn’t use it. The bonus is that it is also a very comfortable pull out bed, which is great when we have visitors.

Bench

second hand life

Some years ago we found this bench in pieces outside a neighbour’s house, with a free sign on it. Mr S repaired it and I painted it, and it has been a really useful piece of garden furniture ever since.

It actually needs repainting now, which is on our list of things to get done when the dog’s not looking.

Lamp

second hand life

I absolutely love this retro looking reading lamp, which was in a pile of things a friend was giving away after a house move. At the moment it hasn’t found its permanent home, but I know it will prove useful somewhere and couldn’t pass it by.

Car

second hand life

I have never bought a new car in my life, and I am pretty sure I never will.  They lose so much value as soon as they are driven off the forecourt. I suppose someone has to buy them new, but I will leave that for others with deeper pockets.

My current model is a 2009 Nissan Note, which is perfect for me. Roomy enough for the dog and all my boot sale finds, but small enough to make it easy to drive and park and economical to run.

Storage unit

second hand life

This is a cheat, as the unit itself was a rare purchase from new (from Ikea). However, the rose covered boxes were second hand from eBay. Ikea don’t sell them any more so I was pleased to track them down.

I mentioned in last week’s Five Frugal Things post that I have a second hand but very lightly used bed and mattress coming from the same friend that gave me the reading lamp.  This has saved a few hundred pounds that I thought I would have to spend, so is a good result.

As the boot sales are back on and the charity shops have reopened, no doubt I will be finding some more bargains to furnish my second hand life with.

What about you? Do you buy second hand and what has been your best used purchase to date?

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: ECO FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE, FRUGAL LIFESTYLE Tagged With: Money saving, Secondhand

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
« A bit of budget DIY #5frugalthings
Start prepping a budget Christmas now »

Comments

  1. Eira says

    26th July 2020 at 08:11

    ALL the time! I am very lucky that my dear Husband is a keen crafter/woodworker and can fix things and make them glorious. Our favourite place to find things is the tip shop! He brought home a dining table in poor condition, and after taking it apart and fixing and polishing, it is now a glorious coffee table -in a local wood which is highly sought after and valued and lovely. We also have a bed frame he fixed and stained, now a big feature of our bedroom: wrought iron and wood -my ‘princess bed”.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      26th July 2020 at 09:10

      Wish we had a tip
      Shop

      Reply
  2. Stephanie says

    26th July 2020 at 08:55

    Great post, as always!

    I love your second hand treasures – I think they make a home so much more interesting. In my home, I have a mixture of things I have purchased new and some preloved. The things I love the most are the second hand things. One of my best ever finds is a set of four Ercol ‘cowhorn’ dining chairs. About 20 years ago, I persuaded the owner of a second hand shop (sadly no longer open) to swap a dining table and chairs for them. I didn’t know anything about Ercol at the time, but just absolutely loved them. Later, I noticed the blue stickers on them and have since found out that they are worth a fortune! I also bought a lovely old tallboy from the same shop which I still have. More recently, I bought a fabulous pair of linen curtains, £20 from a charity shop, and a huge cupboard for £50 from Ebay. It needs a fresh coat of paint and new handles but it is solid and good quality and would cost about £500 new.

    I made a huge error recently though, and got rid of two 20 year old sofas and bought a new corner sofa from John Lewis for an eye watering amount… it’s a little over a year old and has worn terribly with bobbled fabric, out of shape cushions and generally looks awful! My old sofas, also from John Lewis, just needed reupholstering and I wish I had done that as they were beautiful, heavy and well made. As they had lasted so well, I thought purchasing from John Lewis was a good idea. Not so! I contacted customer service about 3 months after purchase and they offered me a free de-bobbling device! No wonder their profits are down!

    I am so pleased that you have continued to blog, and always look forward to your posts!

    S
    x

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      26th July 2020 at 09:10

      Thanks. Annoying about the new sofas though!

      Reply
  3. Julia says

    26th July 2020 at 12:05

    We were really lucky when we moved back to the UK 8 years ago with virtually nothing that the previous owner of the house we bought left us almost all her furniture as she was downsizing – 4 fully furnished bedrooms (even down to the laundry baskets & bedding!) 2 sofas, coffee tables, sideboards & bookcases – even a couple of dried flower arrangements in vases and some cutlery in the kitchen!
    Still using everything she left (no longer have the sofas as they got too tatty) – even the hand towels and tea towels, 8 years on!!

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      26th July 2020 at 13:03

      Wow, that’s amazing! So convenient too

      Reply
  4. Tania says

    26th July 2020 at 13:32

    I’m currently hooked on Frenchic paint forum on FB. The upcycling that goes on there is absolutely amazing. I will definitely consider this in future. I may have bought new but I make things last. My last 3 piece suite was 20 years old.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      26th July 2020 at 13:43

      I will take a look! People are so clever

      Reply
  5. Sam says

    26th July 2020 at 15:48

    I have a ladder back chair I bought for $15 26 years ago with a rag rug upcycled chair. My husband never like dit, but I am going to try and get it dug out of the garage as I think my daughter would appreciate it. I don’t have much second hand stuff as so much in the US for decades has not stood up to the test of time. My stuff will, so I am hoping when we downsize, someone will be ale to use for generations.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      27th July 2020 at 07:56

      If she likes shabby chic your daughter will love it!

      Reply
  6. Lee says

    26th July 2020 at 22:46

    Love me a second hand home treasure, and I love to be inspired by others’ stories too. I often look round and see that everything I own is a bargain with nothing new.
    My lovely antiquey pine chairs were found at an auction, by the roadside, and in a skip respectively. My 1930s club chair was from a lovely couple on gumtree (it had belonged to one of their dads), my Lloyd Loom chair was inherited, my sewing cupboard with the little Bakelite handles cost a song on eBay, my bed came from a friend who was having a sort out, the pine doors are from Freecycle, and on it goes. It’s amazing what’s out there, it truly is.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      27th July 2020 at 07:55

      Great finds from the skip and by the road!

      Reply
  7. Lindsay says

    27th July 2020 at 09:45

    Love this post. I have to confess I was a buy new type of person but now I’m all about reusing and recycling. I do sell vintage china etc online, buying mainly from auctions, but I have to say not all the stock reaches the store!
    My next project is to find a small table or set of tables and upcycle them.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      27th July 2020 at 09:58

      Keeping lovely things you buy to sell can be a big problem!

      Reply
  8. Eloise says

    28th July 2020 at 19:14

    My daughter moved to a village earlier this year. There is a local scheme to advertise freebies and they’ve got some amazing things ….a pedal car, a child’s wheelbarrow and garden implements, children’s roller boots not worn, a cake pop maker, and one of those outdoor play houses in really good condition.
    I’ve told her I’m on the look out for a coffee machine!
    They also got a child’s patio table and bench set with umbrella for just a few pounds.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      29th July 2020 at 11:11

      Fantastic. It’s also a good way of passing on your own unwanted items

      Reply
      • Eloise says

        29th July 2020 at 20:50

        Haha, when I told her last night that I’d mentioned her freebies on your blog, she very indignantly reminded me that they have also offered several items free to collectors!

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

  • ECO FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE
  • FRUGAL CHRISTMAS
  • FRUGAL FOOD
  • FRUGAL GARDEN
  • FRUGAL HOME
  • FRUGAL LIFESTYLE
  • FUN AND TRAVEL
  • General
  • GENERAL POSTS
  • HEALTH AND WELL BEING
  • MAKING MONEY FROM HOME
  • MONEY
  • SLIMMING WORLD

About Me

Would you like to take control of your finances, pay off your debts and save for the future? At Shoestring Cottage we aim to show you that you can live a good and happy life on less than you think, you can get off the consumer treadmill and you can live more simply and healthily and not feel deprived.
We are also moving toward a less wasteful, more sustainable lifestyle and believe frugality and sustainability go hand in hand. Read More…

Copyright © 2021 · Delightful theme by Restored 316

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.