It's no secret consumers have less cash to burn these days than ever before, but there are plenty of ways to save that don't require diving headfirst into a sales bin.
For some products, there's just no point paying full-price when you can find the same quality in a second-hand or used product.
Textbooks
Textbooks can cost upwards of $200 for some science courses and for a pre-medical student with a full class schedule that could mean dropping up to a grand on reading material — per semester.
For that, we compiled the ultimate guide to scoring deals on textbooks.
Not only can you snap up used books at a fraction of the retail value but you can rent them as well.
Children's clothing
We wouldn't recommend going the used route on important items like car seats or strollers, but when it comes to clothing likely to get wrecked with smashed carrots anyway, there's no shame in browsing thrift shops or asking friends and family for hand-me-downs.
Check out Swapbabygoods.com if you don't have a lot of friends with kids the same age as yours and you're likely to save big.
Cars
Everyone loves that "new car" smell, but hear us out on this one.
The minute you drive a fresh car off the lot, its value drops by about 20 percent anyway. And after just five years, fuggedaboutit.
"A used car that's five years old can typically be about a third of the price of a new car, and the insurance is a lot less than it would be for a new car," according to Investing Answers.
Buying used cars is an economical choice, but you'll want to be weary of hitting the used car lot before doing your research. Sites like Kelley Blue Book are great places to get an idea of how much a used car should be worth.
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