Yard sales and flea markets are no longer restricted to summer weekends. Social media has helped us reach and communicate with more people than ever before. Social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest help us connect to more people, more products and more ideas. (Craigslist has done a lot too, but that’s a different subject.)
Take advantage of these free resources to pursue your homesteading and prepping lifestyle without emptying your wallet! It’s easy to find homesteading bargains on social media.
Facebook
People everywhere connect on Facebook and create ‘groups’ for communicating common interests such as couponing, youth groups, sports teams, community events, etc. One type of Facebook group you are sure to find for your geographic region is the ever-popular yard sale group. Other names for yard sale type groups may include Buy & Sell, Bulletin Board and Trade. Search for these types of groups in your area to get connected.
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
Many folks just want to get rid of items around their home. Instead of holding a labor intensive, time-consuming, traditional yard sale, they simply post the item on a Facebook yard sale group and list the condition, price and meeting location where the transaction can take place.
Of course items available are completely happenstance. Products will vary as will the quality, the opportunity to land the sale and the level of the deal. However, following social media yard sale sites is a great way to find cheap items for your homesteading and prepping needs. Be sure to following the rules and guidelines set by the group administrator and follow through with your buying/selling commitments. I recommend always meeting during the day and in public places and, if possible, never go alone for safety precautions.
Some items I have found/seen over the past year that are a homesteading steal include:
Jars – An older lady was cleaning out her basement and listed 10 dozen mason jars of various sizes for sale for only $1.00/dozen. Average retail price on one dozen mason jars brand new is $10-$15.00.
Tires – I often see used tires listed on the six yard sale sites that I follow in my area. Used tires are great for container gardening in smaller areas and are generally cheaper than building a container box and easier to move around than heavy wooden structures.
Landscaping Remnants – Items such as bricks and various types of edging are often listed when the seller’s project is complete but pieces are left over. They are looking to rid their surplus without much financial loss and homesteaders are looking for cheap materials for their gardens. It’s a win-win!
Canvas Totes/Bags – I see endless amounts of canvas totes and hand bags listed on yard sale sites weekly. Many are listed at reasonable prices and these make a great item for creating ‘emergency’ kits/bags.
Grills – For those who don’t have one, a cheap used grill is great to have on hand for power outages and when cooking indoors is not an option. Summer is a great time to find a bargain grill on yard sale sites because many people upgrade and replace their grill during this time.
Outdoor/Camping gear – Used fishing poles, unneeded tackle, used tents, and other camping materials usually are listed cheap in the summer as others upgrade and replace.
Examples of other Miscellaneous Homesteading/Prepping Finds (Uncommon but found)
Pressure Cooker/Canner (Storing your own food)
Metal gate and extra fencing (small animal pens)
New Portable Garage (temporary shelter.)
Ammunition
Animal cages (Rabbit pens, small chicken coops)
Plants. I have seen perennial plants such as irises and strawberries listed as sellers thin out their own gardens.
Twitter
Twitter is an interesting social media site where many companies will have bloggers and known experts host Twitter parties to discuss a brand or product. During the product discussion (Twitter party), many prizes of the actual product or gift cards are drawn as an appreciation for participating gift. Use Twitter to follow your favorite homesteading/prepping companies for chances to win free products and learn more about what the company has to offer.
Twitter parties always use hashmarks to identify their Tweets. A hashmark (#) helps you find the discussion and you must always include the correct hashmark to participate.
Pinterest
Pinterest is a semi-addictive social network where you ‘pin’ pages in cyberspace on different ‘boards’ you create for later use. You can follow friends and browse their pins for possible repining, use the Pinterest search feature to find pages that interest you or you can create a pin by pasting the URL of a found gem you came across while surfin’ the net. Either way, this is homesteader’s dream. The gamut of applicable pins that can be found by simply typing ‘homesteading’ in the Pinterest search bar can be overwhelming.
Using Pinterest, you can find information on butchering your own meat, properly freezing foods, canning tips and advice, how to properly store produce, make your own salves and other home medical remedies, build a greenhouse, raise livestock, and build just about anything out of an old wooden pallet. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Search for different homesteading areas or prepping concerns and find information on how to do things at home in a more cost effective way than buying the latest and greatest gadgets on the market.
Of course, not every pin is the golden ticket. Some ideas do fail so be careful what you invest and with all social media, don’t forget to share what works and what doesn’t!
Your next treasure could be just a click away.
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The post Using Social Media for Homesteading Bargains by Brandy Schau Dibert appeared first on The Survival Mom. Be sure to check it out!