I think for many people buying second hand is just a way of life and sometimes even a necessity. This has been the case for myself for quite a few years. I think particularly where children are involved it is important for a number of reasons to buy second hand:
- it instils early on the importance of reducing waste in children’s minds
- as children grow so quickly, things will usually last much longer than the lifespan they have with one child and it is important to not just throw things away when your child has used them
- it reduces the number of items going to landfill
- it can provide a way of earning money for people who sell second hand goods
- it encourages the reuse mentality and can teach people to have skills to repair items
There are quite a few items that I try to encourage people to reuse, in particular large items like pushchairs, prams, bikes etc. I know that when I had my child I did buy a whole new travel system when he was born (and of course we all want the best for our children) but in hindsight, after seeing the good quality systems that were for sale second hand, I would have chosen differently.
Just this last week I picked up a bike for my son for £20 on the local Facebook group and he is seriously chuffed with it. It’s not perfect but it will certainly do him for a year or 2 until he grows into the other bigger one I bought him (also second hand) that ended up being too big!
I have sold a lot of his toys second hand as well and have recouped some of the cost of buying them.
There are many places to buy second hand:
- second hand shops (we have one nearby where they also take your good quality old clothes and sell them for you)
- eBay – slightly more tricky if items are a distance away and you can’t check them out first but I generally buy my son’s shoes on eBay as they always have plenty of wear left when one child has grown out of them and I’ve got some real bargains.
- Facebook groups – lots of items nearby that you can go and check out first if needs be
- Freecycle – a good resource for free stuff
- Olio – an app that offers not only spare food but also non food items – again all free
- School – ask your school office if they are selling second hand uniform and you will likely find a lot of them do have that facility through the PTA
I think buying second hand for children is one great way to reduce waste and really gets the most out of things that don’t get there full wear and tear with one child.
