re·use: To use again, especially after salvaging.

The Johnson household, while not a household of ecological saints, is a household trying to reduce their carbon footprint. I’m fairly new to this bandwagon, and was thrilled to come to the realization that my dislike of paying retail actually helps the environment!

For quite some time now I’ve been a huge proponent of buying used. Since I was a little girl and my mom would shop at The Goodwill and drag me to garage sales, I’ve realized the value of other people’s stuff. This (and inflated pricing) has led me to the wonderful world of eBay, Craig’s List, and various pawn shops. I simply refuse to pay full price for electronics anymore. This decision has saved me thousands, I repeat, thousands of dollars over the past few years—this Christmas included. Here’s a short list of used electronics I’ve purchased over the years:

• MacBook Pro: Craig’s List. Approx. $1900 new, paid $900 (including s & h). Savings: $1000
• Panasonic camcorder: eBay. Approx $550 new, paid $275 (including s & h). Savings: $275
• Nintendo DS Lite w/10 games, charger, and case: eBay. Approx $350 new, paid $190. Savings: $160
• Zune 30G MP3 player: pawn shop. Approx $175 new, paid $70. Savings: $105

And that’s a short list. I have purchased everything from clothes for the boys, car parts, electronics, jewelry, and much, much more from resellers of all kinds.

Oh, I’ve also been a reseller myself, selling everything from purses to electronics I was replacing, to vacuum cleaners (I’m still selling my Dyson—anyone interested? )

This is one way that I can not only help reduce my family’s carbon footprint, but save tons of money in the process. So the next time you’re in the market for a big purchase, or even a little one, think about buying used. Have questions? Have your own ‘reuse’ story to share? Comment away!