Everything is expensive! This has always been true. There are ways to save a little money here and there, however.
You can buy things only if they are on sale. You can clip coupons or try and find certain items at different stores for less.
Another thing you can do to save money is to buy things second hand. Certain items, such as outerwear, home decor, exercise equipment, toys, books, and games among others can be purchased after being lightly used by others.
However, there are some items you should NEVER purchase secondhand, and Reddit is here to help us discover what those items are.
To get us started, Redditor ReverseFlash_94 asked:
"What should you never buy second hand?"
Ew.
"Anything that most likely to have human fluids on it. Such as sweat. 2nd headsets and earphones.. you might see earwax in them. It’s gross."
– Fiesteh
Not Very Protective
"Well, if you actually want a serious answer, I'd say protective equipment, such as motorcycle helmets. You never know what stress they've already been through and your safety is worth proper new equipment."
– anonymousmetoo
"This is a good answer. Most helmets are really only rated for one serious impact and then they're "dead" and won't properly protect from a second serious impact. Any kind of harness is also a gamble because nylon straps really only have a shelf life of 5 years before they start losing strength."
– Devinitelyy
What Ever Happened to Hygiene?
"I saw a used toothbrush at a garage sale once that looked like it had been used for a year at the very least. I still wonder to this day who would buy that."
– Transparent-Paint
"Underwear, I don’t care if the tag is on or not I cannot get underwear second hand it’s the same for lingerie. Bras are a hard pass too. They may be clean but just nope nope. If you want cheap undies go buy fruit of the loom at Walmart"
– AngelNHorns
"Definitely not mattress/box springs. Even if they look new. The chance there is a bedbug hibernating in there somewhere is NOT worth it."
– Head_Razzmatazz7174
Medical Equipment...Sort Of
"Colostomy bags"
– ButtholeQuiver
"That would be a sh*tty situation"
– PBandGym
"Catheters"
– SantaDog81
"I want to say no one has probably never done that but you know.. humans exist so."
– ReverseFlash_94
"CPAP machine"
"Retainer"
– Setthegodofchaos
Protect Your Kids
"Car seats"
– michjames1926
"Child shoes. Second hand shoes really can do serious harm to a child's feet."
– Business-Raise2683
"Anything Safety Related, Children come to mind."
– zombietampons
Typically Don't Think About This
"To go against the grain here; used electronics, especially televisions, desktop computers, and laptops. Want bed bugs? Buy used electronics."
– hockey_stick
Already Broken
"Any outdoor power equipment such as: weed eaters, chainsaws, leaf blowers, etc."
"They most likely already have an issue you don’t know about and pinpointing that exact issue is a pain in the rear. Plus you have to spend time fixing it."
– NewYearSameM3
"Power Equipment like Circular saws, jigsaws, drills, hammer-drills, sanders, grinders, routers etc.."
"Never buy any second hand power equipment because you will never know when they will break down any minute and you have to buy parts to replace the old parts which is waste of money."
– Goatmanthealien
Very, Very True
"Experience."
"That should always come first hand."
– Pistachiwoes
"But where can I buy experience in the first place?"
– unimaginablywise
Even As A Joke, This Is Gross
"Most original comment here: condoms"
– johnmojr2005
"Can’t have to many second hand condoms."
– ReverseFlash_94
How Do You Even GET These Second Hand?
"Coffins. You’ll get stiffed on the deal every time."
– lilsparky82
"A used coffin is the last thing I need."
– Azuras_Star8
"Well- how would you even find a used coffin would you like dig it up out of the graveyard. Or was somebody just sleeping in it no but they weren't dead they were just using it as a God damn bed."
– 1shines4u
Okay, so some of these are not serious considerations. However, there is some good advice here.
Saving money is important, but don't risk your health or safety just to get a good deal.
You're probably going to be beat over the head with this as you read this charming article but bedbugs are a nightmare and they are always lurking (in the back of my mind) when I think about purchasing some items secondhand.
Some years ago, a relative brought in a stuffed animal and some other items off the street. Within days we had a bedbug issue.
It was thankfully resolved very quickly–good thing it was caught so early–but let's just say I dealt with phantom itch for a while.
Nooo thank you.
People told us all about their own reservations after Redditor princesspeaches8 asked the online community:
"What's something you'd never buy secondhand?"
"Most people don't realize..."
"Motorcycle helmets. Most people don’t realize that helmets expire and lose effectiveness even after relatively small impacts."
SchnitzelGruben
Best not to tempt fate and get a new one for sure.
People cut corners and then pay the price with their life.
"...unless it was from someone I knew for certain..."
"Climbing gear, unless it was from someone I knew for certain is an experienced climber and cared for their gear per manufacturer recommendations. Even then, I'd prefer to buy new."
Scandinavian_Filk
The last thing I would want if I were a climber would be to realize that I am using faulty equipment!
"They could be on a lease..."
"Any type of phone. They could be on a lease/installment with a company and you wouldn’t know about it until said company turns off the phone due to no payment. I’ve seen it a lot where I work and it’s very sad."
[deleted]
This sounds like yet another example of instances that predominantly hurt the working poor.
"You want bedbugs?"
"A mattress. You want bedbugs? That's how you get bedbugs."
janefromvegas
Bedbugs terrify me.
No thank you.
"Since nobody else has said it..."
"A car seat. Since nobody else has said it, I will. Secondhand car seats are so dangerous. You have no idea if they have been in an accident, after which they are supposed to be replaced no matter how minor."
Weller_BWitched
All it takes is one accident.
Don't risk it.
"I got into a whole argument..."
"Tires. I got into a whole argument about it with my automotive teacher in school, and everyone laughed at me and called me spoiled, but I just don’t feel that it’s worth taking a gamble on people's safety with used tires."
Imgumbygoddamnit
I believe this depends on the tread, though.
"I bought..."
"Jigsaw puzzles. Bought a 1,000 piece puzzle for £3, spent a few hours making it only to find 6 pieces were missing."
Smothier
How disappointing!
I'd be so upset after spending all that time!
"Three things I would never dream..."
"A toothbrush. Toilet paper. A condom. Three things I would never dream about buying second hand."
DaveDontRave
A condom?
People buy used condoms?
What is going on with the world?
"It happened when I was 10..."
"Shoes. It happened when I was 10. My mom bought me a pair of boots from The Salvation Army that I just had to have. Athlete’s foot. HORRIBLE. It took powder, not spray, to get rid of it."
Xirokami
I am also very hesitant to purchase used shoes (and won't) and I understand that this is a privileged opinion.
"There's no warranty..."
"Crucial car parts. Like used tires, brake pads, brake rotors, rack-and-pinions etc. There’s no warranty from the back-alley Craigslist dude and if those parts have defects you won’t be able to stop or steer. Which leads to you quickly performing the room-temperature challenge."
C4PTNK0R34
You see, I don't drive, but if I did, this would definitely be something I wouldn't do.
No way I'd purchase crucial car parts from some rando!
"I was very open to it before..."
"Most second hand things now. Especially furniture and clothing which can't be checked thoroughly. I was very open to it before. But bed bugs really terrify me now. All it takes is one to start an infestation, and they hide in things like the labels and behind boots and screws. The eggs are about the size of dandruff."
Quit_Social_Media
As mentioned before... bedbugs are terrifying.
I don't think I can stress that enough.
Sometimes saving a few dollars can cost you a lot.
Why risk it?
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People Confess Which Trends Were Ruined Because Too Many People Started Doing Them
It's always wonderful when the thing you like starts to get noticed by other people.
What's not so nice is when that thing gets ruined. Something becoming trendy will inevitably lead to non-desirables getting involved, and more often than not, make it unappealing to pursue. Video games? Fandoms? Shopping trends?
All up for being ruined.
Reddit user, TimeAd20, wanted to know what wasn't fetch anymore when they asked:
"What was ruined, because too many people started doing it?"
You know what's really popular? The internet.
You what's really popular on the internet? Trying to get popular on the internet.
Hey, What's Going On Guys? Welcome To...
"Too many people become YouTubers without having any quality content."
thelittlekitty0
"I'm gonna be sure to smash that like button and subscribe to this comment."
johnnydakota
*whispers noises*
"ASMR videos. Some people put a lot of thought into what they are doing. But then a lot of failed Instagram models figured out that they could just look hot and make sexual innuendos while whispering and get 500k views like it’s nothing"
"Same with podcasts. Seemed like around five years ago every single person and their mom came out with a podcast. There’s nothing I dislike more than watching a group of people talk over each other about nothing in particular for an hour"
shirtlessin1stclass
#Ad #Sponsored #LookAtMe
"influencers...... everyone is an influencer"
bretty666
"It's like MLM CEOs. Worst thing I read "As an influencer or CEO...". Christ dude/dudette, you barely have a thousand followers, or sell MLM junk. You are abusing that title."
Dudelison
"if everyone's an influencer then whos getting influenced"
varman13
Don't Ever Let Them Use YouTube Without Monitoring
"I know it may sound wierd but youtube kids. I let my son watch it all the time until i realized that it was actually worse than real youtube. I took his phone and allowed him ( btw i do not controll his phone but just deleted yt) to use youtube again. (And parents dont control your kids phones bc if they realize that your controlling them than it'll be worse for you and childs relationship)"
RickxShow1
It's not that the thing that becomes ruined was ruined from day one. No, it has more to do with the kind of people it attracts as soon as it grows in popularity. Not everyone is a good person, turns out.
Not From Here? Ugh.
"ironically tourism, no one hates tourists more than other tourists"
Clerisvaldox
"As someone who lives in a tourist area, I disagree. Locals definitely hate tourists the most. Tourists are the worst."
KevinReynolds
Just Let Us Gather Bells In Peace
"The massive influx of people playing Animal Crossing. It completely reshaped my perception on how to play AC in both good and bad. Good because I found that social media resulted in me becoming a trader and I can pretty much get anything I want or need in game. Bad because people create hacked islands where you can get pretty much anything and I feel that cheapens the AC experience."
Skipatronic
Type "F" In The Comments For The Game
"Almost any multiplayer game that gets the full blast of the popularity spotlight becomes a toxic, steaming, bubling and disgusting mess of a community."
gooniuswonfongo
"Call of Duty, Overwatch, Genshin Impact, League of Legends, Fortnite"
UnderleveledJenna
Getting Out And Ruining The Wilderness
"Increasingly car camping. I used to like the convenience of pulling my car into a campsite, setting up a base camp and day hiking all over an area. Since the pandemic, everyone has found this one neat trick, but they don't respect the natural environment. They bring in generators and high powered lights and big RVS and they try and turn the woods into someone's backyard, or into a glamping experience."
"Then they leave trash and literal sh-t in the campground when they leave, because they can't be bothered to respect their fellow campers or mother nature, or learn what a f-cking dump station is for their black water tank."
"I'm starting to invest in backpacking gear, because if this trend continues... car camping is ruined for good."
fargmania
Get Out And Enjoy Nature. No, Not You. Not You, Either.
"There was this amazing waterfall hike we used to go to. No signs. No bathrooms. 4 waterfalls. Cross a river on a tree. You would maybe see 4 people."
"Now signs, guard rails, bathrooms, stairs,bridges and about one gillion people."
petitelapinyyc
"This state park 45 minutes from me. It was on a lake and had a clean pristine beach and a comfortable amount of foot traffic. It got featured in a Top 10 places to visit in my state and now everyday the parking lot is chock full of cars, people playing loud music on speakers, litter and random leftover grilling things left behind. 4 years ago it was my favorite spot to go for a swim, relax and make a little campfire in my grill. Now I only go there for the hiking."
Sealbeater
It's The Shopping Cart Rule, All Over Again
"Going to National parks."
boringandpuzzling
"National parks (and state parks, and local parks) could handle it if everyone made an effort to follow the few really easy and simple rules but I think we've pretty much demonstrated that's an unreasonable expectation for society at this point."
ThadisJones
From Humble Beginnings To School Work...
"Geocaching. About 14 years ago it used to be a perfect tourist guide on interesting places, good to get know your or any city, and the nature around. Then all the interesting places got taken, and more and more insignificant caches appeared. (like someone's primary school, someone's wedding cache, what were we doing in today's IT lecture, or powertrails....) So the map got cluttered with trash quality caches, and it got hard to use gc as a guide after that."
Ziriath
It's not that it became trendy then immediately becomes worse. These shifts happened over time, years and years later, with hundreds of thousands of millions of new users making it a worse environment to be in.
Too Much To Keep Up With
"Streaming services. Remember when Netflix had literally everything? It was so cheap too. Note they've effectively just turned streaming back into cable. Everyone has like 30 streaming services adding up to like $100 a month. It's still better than cable, but not by much. I also hate how I keep having to see ads for (insert streaming service) originals that are the dumbest low effort shows literally nobody will ever watch."
"Have you seen that show about the colony?"
"Apples, HBO, or Amazons?"
"It's just exhausting."
__________lIllIl
Making It So No One Can Live Here
"Owning second homes in rural beauty spots and raising the prices so locals can't afford to live where they were born."
CliffordThRed
Most Popular Shoes For A Reason
"Wearing AF1’s and Jordan 1’s. Now everytime someone wears them they are a “conformist”. Like no Becky I just like the look of the shoe."
Yes_Imthatb-tch973
Not As Cheap Since It Became Trendy
"Thrifting. Many thrift stores have increased their prices a lot since it became popular."
bjmoss03
"I am actually happy that it became trendy to use secondhand things. A lot of that stuff ends up in landfills if enough people aren't interested in buying it"
Suchafullsea
Like what you like. This isn't meant to try and discourage you from doing something that makes you and your loved ones happy.
Just, maybe be extra sure you've picked up all your trash?
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People find all sorts of treasures at thrift stores, including some of their own stuff from times passed. Some even find money hidden in clothes. Wouldn't that be a treat?
mycatbaby asked: What's the coolest thing you've found in an antique/thrift/secondhand store?
Submissions have been edited for clarity, context, and profanity.
Thrift stores are kind of a catch-all for all the unwanted stuff that people don't know what to do with.
This can lead to some very interesting finds for the person processing those donations.
Reddit user u/throwaway_ghast asked:
"Goodwill/thrift shop workers, what are some of the strangest things you've found in the donations?"