Lowe's and Home Depot (as well as other stores such as McCoy's and Tractor Supply) are great places for that quick DIY shopping trip. They have everything you need and oh so much more. But everything they have is new (and priced to match). New items mean that somewhere energy, water, and materials (and pollution) went in to making that product just for you. Think of your carbon footprint just for a hammer. There are millions of perfectly good used hammers in the world, and many of them don't have a happy home. If you buy something that has already been used or purchased by someone else, you are mitigating that resource cost. Not only do they not have to fabricate new things, but you are putting to use good things that may otherwise go to a landfill or waste useful space.
Here's what I'm talking about. Thrift stores, pawn shops, and re-sell shops. E-Bay,Amazon, and Craigslist. Garage/Yard sales. The Habitat for Humanity has really cool places that sell used and overstocked home and construction equipment. Everything from tools, to appliances, to furniture, to paint/nails/wood, to plumbing & electrical. Heck, they even have the kitchen sink! We got a 3 piece indoor lighting set for less than the price that only one of the pieces would be worth at Lowe's! We even found the PERFECT motion sensing porch light. It was getting really annoying trying to find our keys in the perfect dark.
After that we went to several yard sales and got some really awesome deals! There were a few things we picked up for free (people just give stuff away at the end of the day) and we got 3 nice ceiling fans for $5. Don't underestimate the value of other people's stuff. You'll not only save money, but you'll be saving the environment, too!
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