Replace Items For Less With These 5 Tips

Buying something new is often fun and exciting, but buying a replacement for an item that you have already purchased once before can feel a bit like a kick in the teeth and at times it seems as though these expenses come at the worst possible time. Thankfully if you shop smart, there are ways to make savings when replacing items which could help to lessen the blow and stop their cost eating into your spending budget.

Take a look in charity shops

Charity shops used to have a certain association with old people’s clothing and poor quality items, but in recent years they’ve come into their own and many are now run as successful businesses with separate technology, furniture and clothing departments. Before you buy new, always check out your local charity shops first, you may be surprised at what you find and you’ll be donating to charity in the process.

Look at lesser-known brands

Buying a product from a leading brand can often mean paying a premium for the privilege. For example - need a new phone? Dare to be different and take a look at some companies outside of your usual Apple and Samsung, you may be surprised at what you find with many competitors offering very similar quality products at a fraction of the price simply because they don’t come with the big brand status. This same principle applies for many items so do some research to see what else is out there.

Repair them instead

We live in a throwaway society and far too few people try to repair items before casting them into the bin. Shoes that may seem worn out can be rejuvenated by re-soling them, broken zips can be replaced on jackets and buttons sewn back onto jeans, even electrical items which seem to have given up the ghost may only need a new fuse or a little TLC. So before you decide that an item is only fit for the bin, try and fix it yourself or take it to a professional for their opinion first.

Check for items being given away for free

Some people aren’t interested in earning money from their second-hand belongings and instead choose to give them away for free in a process known as freecycling. Search for freecycling groups on social media sites such as Facebook to see what people are giving away in your area and also take a look at dedicated websites such as Trash Nothing.

Wait for sale season

If you can don’t go out and buy a replacement straight away, but monitor the market to ensure you get it at a good price. Try and wait for common sale seasons before buying your replacements such as Black Friday or the famous Boxing Day Sales which always see products marked down with huge discounts. Although these are two of the most popular sale seasons shops now tend to have sales fairly regularly, especially around other public holidays such as Bank Holiday Monday and Easter, so sit back and pounce when the time is right.