As I moved into my apartment three years ago, I had a folding cot and a quilt, but no pillow, sheets, or pillowcases.  Now some things I refuse to buy used, among them, pillows.  As soon as I could I went to the local dollar store and bought a pillow.  For sheets and pillowcases, I had to think out a solution.  That city nearby with the medical facilities also has a Goodwill store and two Salvation Army stores.

I first went to see what was in each store and the prices at each.  I discovered there is a difference in prices, but all are much less costly than buying new.  I came home with a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, and a pillowcase, all for less than $5.  They didn’t match, but I wasn’t having guests for a sleep-over, so I didn’t care.  I took them straight to the nearby laundromat and washed them in hot water, them dried them in a hot cycle. My thought was the hot water and air should kill anything that might be on the bedding.

My next purchase was a mission style couch and matching chair with an ottoman thrown in.  The couch was in very good shape.  The chair was serviceable, but the covering on the ottoman had been very pet chewed.  Since the ottoman was not being charged for, I didn’t care about its condition and covered it with a towel when I got home.  That couch became my bed until I could afford to buy a bed.  That meant I had to fold up the bedding each day, but it also meant I could close off the bedrooms and not heat that space through that first winter.

Probably the most important lesson I have learned throughout the experience of getting settled in my new life is that being minimal is being frugal and is much better environmentally for the earth.  Buying used is not only less expensive, but it keeps perfectly good items from being tossed in some landfill.