Shopping secondhand is one of the best things we can do as individuals for the planet. It reduces the need to create new items (which is pollutive), it prevents items from going to the landfill (which is pollutive), it supports small businesses over large ones (which are pollutive), and on top of that all, it can save us money. If you don’t want to shop secondhand for the planet, fine, do it for your own benefit!

You can check out the full benefits of shopping secondhand here.

So, to celebrate the earth and show you how cool secondhand shopping is, here are some of my favorite secondhand items I have accumulated over the years. A lot of my favorites from the past I had to re-donate or sell when we moved into an RV. Check out my favorite thrifted items from the past here.

It’s been a fun adventure to furnish our new, solid home with secondhand treasures. I find it makes our home so much more unique and charming to get stuff secondhand. Here’s the full home tour from moving to NorCal!

Wedding Band

A secondhand item I’ve had the longest and has been on the planet the longest out of all of these items is my wedding band. Yup, it’s secondhand! This family heirloom has been passed down 4 other generations to get to me over 8 years ago. I love how simple she is. And, I love how she’s changed over the years. Originally gold, my mom got it dipped in silver to give it new life, probably close to 30 years ago. It could use some love, which I may do to celebrate our 10th anniversary that is slowly creeping up on us.

But, for now, I cherish the memories behind this ring and the connection to the women in my family tree. It’s possible to sport lovely diamonds in a more eco-friendly way!

Office furniture

I love the charm of our office! We have a bit of art from our homes in Japan and Las Vegas, but most of this stuff is new to us. We’ve been dreaming of having a bookshelf for YEARS, but never had the space in an RV besides one shelf.

Everything in here is secondhand! My desk from OfferUp, Dan’s desk and my chair from someone on Facebook Marketplace, Dan got his chair separately, our plant stands, the lovely bookshelf, of course, and even our shelf to organize our hobby closet.

While all of that was purchased through reselling sites, we also got this small side table on the curb. Someone left it out, destined for the landfill, and I thought it went perfectly with our warm vibe in here. Plus, I can always use more drawers to house my school supplies (which I also found secondhand) and items I am constantly reviewing for content.

Plants

And our office is even complete with secondhand plants! All of the large plants are secondhand that came with the plant stands and all of the smaller plants we have taken clippings of to propagate and Dan even tried regrowing an avocado seed which seems to be going well, so far.

Our plants downstairs are also secondhand: a pothos we got in Las Vegas that we kept in the RV and have traveled to over half of the US states, an oregano plant that a friend gifted me here, and a Ficus that loves a little corner of our living room.

This is not to say that buying plants is NOT eco, as a botany student, I think growing plants is a great way to connect with the earth and learn, but secondhand is always best, particularly plant pots and plant stands!

Cone shelf

Speaking of plants, this is where my love for them even started: cones! Yes, pinecones, but also spruce cones and hemlock cones and cypress cones, you get the idea. I listened to my first episode of the Completely Arbortrary Podcast in summer of 2022 and the rest is history. I’ve been collecting cones and labeling them to create my own little herbarium samples ever since. They’ve been in storage until this winter and I knew I wanted a lovely shelf to dedicate to them…though, this is only about 10% of them.

This open bookshelf became our naturalist corner. From feathers to cones to rocks to guide books and even Dan’s landscape photography, this is where we learn and celebrate nature in a secondhand way.

Beverage Bar

Another absolutely fav piece of furniture is our beverage bar. Another item we longed for while living in the RV was a place to make a cup of tea, coffee, or a homemade soda. So, here we go!

Not only is the bar itself secondhand, but so are our electric kettle and our espresso machine. It is adorned with drying herbs, local art, and foraged plant items. The soda maker is new, but made by a small European business out of wood pulp.

Our tea is supplied by local herb and bulk shops, and my favorite teapot I found secondhand in Las Vegas. While coffee is not the most sustainable food item, I do my best to shop organically, fairtrade, and from the refill store to reduce physical waste.

Truck

Yes, our beloved truck is secondhand. And, yes, I drive a truck as an environmentalist. Oops…does that make me a hypocrite? Some may say that. But we bought this truck used when we moved into the RV. We did need a means to move our trailer.

Moving out of the RV, it just didn’t make sense to buy another car. This one is paid off, works beautifully, and our dog is comfortable in it when we take long road trips.

Plus, now that we finally live in a walkable community, we rarely even drive. The most we drive per week is once to the neighboring town for groceries and maybe a couple of out-of-town hikes per month. Otherwise, you can catch us walking and biking to work, to school, to swing dancing, to dinner, to run errands, and things of that nature.

It doesn’t make sense to buy a new car (especially with this market) when we barely even use this one. Why not sell it? We live extremely rurally, and we need the vehicle to run larger grocery trips and to take care of medical appointments.

Hunger Games books and movies

A prized possession: my Hunger Games paraphernalia. I was obsessed with these books in middle school and high school. I re-read them for the first time as an adult via my library in 2023…woah, they hit different when you’re now older than the main characters. It was at this library trip that I learned about The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which was released in 2020. It was perfect timing since tBoSaS movie came out in Fall 2023! An added love of these movies, in particular, is that they always release on my birthday weekend!

So, the love was renewed, especially when in 2024, Suzanne Collins announced the release of a fifth book, later revealed as Sunrise on the Reaping. In anticipation, I kept my eyes peeled for my own copies so that I could read them again to catch up for the release. And, I found each of the original trilogy for just $7 at my local secondhand book store! I had to hunt on Thriftbooks for tBoSaS, though, but I got it, too!

I have never been so excited for a book release, and it sparked a special interest takeover for me. I did buy SotR new, but I’ve already read it twice, and now Dan is reading it. I think it’s getting its money’s worth. I immediately dropped everything to re-read the trilogy and tBoSaS, too.

Then, I thought it would be fun to watch the movies since I hadn’t seen them since high school and dissect them compared to the book to get my mind thinking. It was fun while Dan was out of town for a few weeks and reintroduced me to this favorite series of mine. I borrowed them from the library, but I want to collect my own physical media, so I found them all secondhand on Thriftbooks for just $3-4 each!

Film camera

I’ve always loved the look of film and thought a film camera would be fun. So, Dan got one secondhand for me a few Christmases ago, and it’s been so fun, and expensive, to learn! Yes, film is not necessarily a sustainable practice since there is some waste involved, but I reduce waste by being mindful about how much film I use and also getting my photos digitally.

The point is not to be perfect, but better. Secondhand equipment and getting digital downloads help this otherwise even more wasteful hobby be a little bit more sustainable. Check out more zero waste hobby tips here!

Misc Art

A lot of our art is secondhand. It’s so fun to find unique pieces at the thrift store or on Facebook Marketplace. From our National Parks scratch-off poster to our secondhand frames that hold our own photography to paintings and prints, all of our current art is secondhand or purchased directly from small artists.

Reworked by Sav

Some of my favorite clothing, in general, is secondhand, like my Christmas Sweater and my Patagonia pullover, but I love what Sav is doing with her brand with secondhand clothing and textiles. She takes items with holes, stains, and awful political messaging and repurposes them into wearable art with eco messaging and themes. She does bleach tie-dye to offset any staining and cuts up torn clothing to rework as patchwork designs or ransom-note text.

Obsessed with her 100% secondhand brand that gives new life to things deemed trash!

My collection of trash items

Yes, these are items I have found that were discarded. They may not be the best quality items, but they were free and on death’s door. Some of these include:

Books I found just a few weeks ago in the mist on the sidewalk that I took 6 days to dry and press to recover them as much as possible
Wooden cutting boards I painted to display at art in my home
A little teacup I found on the shores of Okinawa, Japan, so it has some sentimental meaning to me
The side table in my office, as mentioned above

I’m sure there is more where this came from, but these are some faves that liven up my home, my wardrobe, and my hobbies. What are your favorite secondhand items?

Once again, be sure to understand why shopping secondhand is so important. It’s easier than ever to avoid shopping new due to so many means of acquiring secondhand items and also the abundance of stuff we have on this planet. So, shop secondhand!

Thanks for reading, as always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)

Emma

My Favorite Secondhand Finds