Shopping Bills Rises

The average cost of a weekly supermarket shop for a family of four has increased by 21% over the past year, according to latest figures. Official inflation figures this morning showed the cost of food and non-alcoholic drink prices were up 7.8% since last June - the biggest annual increase since 1997.But figures from price comparison website mySupermarket suggest some families have seen their shopping bills increase by much more.

Its latest analysis of 24 staple items sold in the UK's three biggest supermarkets shows a 21% increase in prices since this time last year. Based on this figure, a family of four spending £100 a week on groceries last year would this year be paying £121 - a total of £1,092 more over the course of 12 months. Rising grain prices have pushed up the price of wheat-based products, such as bread, and dairy products, as farmers have passed on the increase in animal food costs to consumers.

Among the 24 basics monitored by mySupermarket, rice showed the biggest price increase, with the cost of a 1kg bag of basmati rice shooting up by 93.3% in Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda to around 79p. Meanwhile, the cost of 12 medium free-range eggs is up 47.4% from last year, at £2.58, according to the figures, while a loaf of bread costs around 20% more than in June last year.

Worryingly for shoppers looking for healthy items for their trolley, the survey shows the price of fruit and vegetables has also increased, with Asda customers now paying 67% more for a bag of garden peas than they did last June.

You may think that buying used cars means buying someone else’s problems. Maybe, you think, used merchandise means tired looking items that no one really wants. If this is the case, read on and you’ll be surprised.

Here are some tips on buying used.

Used Cars

Books and articles abound on the value of new vs. used cars, how to buy a used car, etc. Experts say that you can save as much as 40% on lifetime car costs if you buy a two or three year old car and buy it until it is no longer efficient as opposed to buying a new car and keeping it a long time.Used cars especially make sense if you drive fewer than 12,000 miles a year.

You can buy good used cars at new car dealers. Often lease returns are available at a good price. Rental car agencies sell off their used cars on a regular basis and some people find these to be good sources of used cars. You get no warranty when you buy from private parties, but you do get to interview the person who actually owned and drove the car. It is also best to stick with highly rated models if you buy used, especially from private parties.

Used Furniture

A nationally known academic and his wife moved into a new home and decided that they wanted a new look for their living area. After experiencing sticker shock at the upscale furniture stores, they decided to educate themselves on buying quality furniture and decided to buy used.

They spent several months combing the classifieds and other media for good deals on exactly what they wanted. It took awhile, the results were astounding and they actually found the process to be a lot of fun.

Their home now is beautifully furnished with high quality furniture and accessorized with pictures, bric-a-brac, and other items from their international travel. The home has character and warmth. The only new furniture in their living room is a sofa set that was deeply discounted from a moderately upscale mall anchoring department store because it had a stain on it. A little cleaner and elbow grease eliminated that stain. Our highly mobile lifestyle has resulted in the availability of used furniture ranging from designer on down. Particularly if you are in a metropolitan area, you can furnish your house with high end furniture on a moderate budget. Even if your budget is limited, you can do surprisingly well if you shop around.

People are moving now more than ever and some don’t want to take their furniture across the country. Baby boomers are redecorating while empty nesters are downsizing. All these trends provide a large supply of attractive, quality furniture for the budget conscious buyer.

	Ø  Half-price! brand new leather sofa sleeper, beautiful cognac in color with nail head trim on hand rests. Pottery Barn style. $750
	Ø  Sleeper sofa. Plaid Burgundy/beige. The arm rests are worn, otherwise in fair condition. $75

Private party is usually the least expensive way to buy used furniture. Of course you probably will have to pay with cash or money order and will have to make your own arrangements to pick it up. You can also buy used furniture from consignment stores, thrift stores, used furniture dealers, and a host of other sources. Sometimes asking at model homes will yield a source for used furniture.

Appliances

For people in some stages of life, used appliances make sense. If you are just working your way out of debt and the washing machine blows, you don’t want to saddle yourself with yet more debt. Better to get a used machine to use for a stopgap and then eventually save for something better. If you are just setting up housekeeping and are on a budget, buying all of your appliances new can be prohibitively expensive. Better to buy used for cash and then save for new appliances as your older ones wear out.

You can get used appliances from the same sources as used furniture. Some thrift stores are even giving warranties on reconditioned appliances. Used appliances may not be the way to go for those of us who are in control of our finances and able to afford newer appliances. Prices have come down on many appliances and they have become more energy efficient as well. In the long run, it may make more sense to buy new in the long run. Still, it may make sense to buy used even if you can afford new if you can find a good enough deal on a near new item.

Miscellaneous tips

While cars, furniture, and appliances make up the largest purchases that most of us make, you can sometimes save on other items buying used. Here are a few tips:

	Used books, DVD’s, music CD’s, and other media are available used on e-bay, half.com, amazon.com, and other sources. Many brick and mortar vendors sell such media and inspect items to make sure they are not scratched. My experience has been very good in buying these items used.
	The online auction site ebay has a remarkable variety of goods that are hard to find elsewhere, often at bargain prices. Of course you need to be a smart shopper by checking the seller’s rating, asking questions, knowing your merchandise, etc.
	Children’s clothing, especially baby clothing can be found used at quite a number of sources. Yard sales abound in these items, though going from sale to sale might be labor intensive. Most communities have consignment stores, often called outgrown stores, that specialize in children’s clothes. Because children grow so rapidly, they often outgrow items before they put much wear on them.
	Ads for musical instruments abound also in the classifieds. People lose interest in their instruments just as easily as they do in working out. Perusing the ads may get a high quality instrument for the cost of a moderate piece or a moderate piece for a very small price.
	Local shopping experts (see my related article on this site) often can direct you to unusual sources of used items–some ordinary, some unique. Go to a search engine and type in "(Your city) bargains" and see what happens.
	Don’t get too carried away with used bargains, buying anything you see used just because it is a bargain. One question I always ask myself is before buying used (or even new and on sale) is this: "If money weren’t an issue and I could afford to buy this new at full price, would I still buy it?" If the answer is anything other than a resounding "yes", I give the matter a second thought.
	The classifieds have lots of bargains on sports and exercise equipment. People think they’re going to work out, but don’t.

Second Hand Rose had an attitude toward used merchandise molded by years of buying not only second hand, but second rate as well. Quality used, however, can be a lot more satisfying than low-end new.

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