Essential websites for the bargain hunter - Craigslist

If you are looking to sell/buy something, you should check out http://www.craigslist.org/ . You select the area you live in (in my case, the state) It is a great website where you can browse items you are looking for. Items are broken down into categories which makes for quicker searching. You can also list items to sell. The beauty of it is, it is free to use. To list an item, you post it (you can include pictures), then you confirm an email that is sent to you, that the ad is the way you want and it is posted.

I have made two purchases off of Craigslist. The first was a worm factory. My children were interested in buying a worm factory which you use to recycle your food scraps (not meat). I posted a wanted ad on http://montana.craigslist.org/ and a gentleman in Missoula contacted me and we were able to buy it for half the price of new. They lived in Huson, but his wife met me in Missoula and we were able to complete the deal. The other thing I bought off of http://montana.craigslist.org/ was a package of carpet pad. When we were having new carpet put in upstairs, I saw that a man in Florence had posted a package of new carpet pad. He had purchased carpet pad for his whole house and had an extra package that hadn't even been opened. I was able to purchase it from him for and save a couple of dollars per yard off the new price.

Of course, it is always good to check if you are getting a good deal. When I bought the carpet pad I had to research how much carpet pad there is in a new package (the seller did not know) and what it goes for other places to determine if I was getting a good deal. Right now I am watching for deer fencing to go around a garden I would like to put in next summer. Someone had listed some deer fencing. The price that they were asking was more than I could purchase it new at Ace...so be savvy!