Hello and welcome! My hope with FYL is that you pick up some small frugalizer tidbits to stretch your dollars and cents, so that you can spend more on what matters (whatever that means for you).

My general frugalizer philosophy: Patience pays. Because “new to me”, instead of new, saves you quite a bit of money.

If you need something (an item for your house, for example), don’t just automatically jump on Amazon or head to the store. Last-minute purchase? Sure, go for it… But if you can wait, research the used market, or find promo codes if buying new, you will save money. This allows you to stretch your dollars and cents.

House item, furniture, computer monitor, bike, whatever it is (with a few exceptions like mattresses and things that are hard to clean), someone out there in your community (or on eBay or another online resale site) has exactly what you want and wants to get rid of it, usually for much cheaper than you can buy it new.

Patience simply gets you a better price 10 times out of 10 in the used market. I also do not jeopardize quality by buying a janky item. If the seller is asking too much or their item is flawed in some way, wait it out, then message: “Hey, I noticed this is still listed. Would you take $x? I can pick up today.” The worst they can say is “No” or “Would you meet me in the middle?” I get this all the time.

Some recent frugal finds I simply refused to buy new:

1. REI Co-op electric bike (retail price tag $1,600). Owned and maintained by a bike mechanic, with new pedals, a new chain, and a toddler seat already on the back for my daughter and me to zip around the neighborhood trails and bike lanes.
   Out of pocket: $700. Basically new, and the toddler seat with pegs alone was worth about $100, so the bike itself was closer to $600. When my daughter outgrows the seat, I’ll likely sell it for close to what I paid and recoup most or all of my money.
   Frugalizer takeaway: a like-new, well-maintained e-bike for $700 instead of the $1,800 it would have cost new with tax. ~$1100 saved. Huge frugal win.
   
2. Two Samsung 27″ monitors for my wife’s new job. At least $150 each new.
   Out of pocket: $80 for both.
   Frugalizer takeaway: like new, no flaws, and ~$220 saved. Huge frugal win.
   
3. Remarkable 2 e-notebook. I wanted to stop juggling stacks of legal pads and losing track of which project was on which notepad. This puts everything in one device, and it is amazing.
   If you’ve priced these, they are crazy expensive: $449 new on Amazon with a pen and no case. This one came from a student who didn’t use it for class as much as he expected and already had an iPad. He listed it at $200; I asked if he’d take $175 and met him the same day.
   Out of pocket: $175.
   FYL pro tip: offering a quick pickup on Facebook Marketplace usually makes it easy to ask for a lower price. Don’t insult people. Something like: “Hey! I can pick up now. Are you firm on the price? Will you take $175?”
   Frugalizer takeaway: I use this e-notebook daily, and it has been worth every penny. If I ever stop using it, I could relist it for close to what I paid because it is still in fantastic shape.

Frugalizer mindset: We live in a buy, buy, buy society, so why buy new when you can buy lightly used for a fraction of the cost? People declutter constantly and sell things to recoup what they spent. That is your advantage: to find deals on lightly used or like-new items, in lieu of buying them at face value.

Frugalizer pro tip: If you can wait, save a search on Facebook Marketplace for the item you want. Needing something now is what makes it expensive. Save “Peloton,” for example, and one will show up for a fraction of retail; my local marketplace always has at least a half dozen Peloton bikes listed. Sellers who are moving give the best prices and the most room to negotiate. I’ve bought and sold two this way over the last four years.

What frugal wins have you had lately? Drop a message and share them!

I’ll keep posting Frugal Finds and Frugal Wins as I stretch my own dollars.

More to follow!