by Texas Homesteader ~
I’ve talked before about our love of our secondhand percolator coffeemaker. It’s perfect for a very low-waste cup of delicious coffee! But although we loved it, we were going through our morning coffee way too quickly. We really wanted a larger percolator.
When we make a purchase we first research it extensively. 1st consideration is given to customer satisfaction followed by features we desire and only lastly, cost. We’d researched & made our decision for the percolator we wanted and RancherMan was about to place the order. Then he decided to look for a used one instead.
Now this makes my heart happy. I always prefer pre-owned when making a purchase. It’s good for our budget and the environment. And isn’t she a beauty?
Purchase Considerations
You can still easily buy a *percolator online. And there are many models to choose from too. RancherMan researched all of them, looking first at customer satisfaction ratings. Then we pondered features. Do we want a 6 cup? An 8 cup? 12 cup? (oh yeah, 12 cup baby!)
When we’d decided which coffee pot we wanted, he then searched for the best retail establishments to actually buy. For instance, the coffee pot we want may be priced a little lower at one place than the others. Or it may be located at a shop where we currently hold a gift card, resulting in less coming from our budget.
Buying Used: SCORE!
When he was almost ready to buy he checked one more place. ebay.
A little more research paid off big time! He found a 12-cup Farberware percolator that was in pristine condition. And it was about 1/2 the price of buying a new one. SCORE!
So in the end, a little research before buying checked off all the important boxes for us. A large, stainless steel 12-cup percolator coffee pot in excellent condition for 1/2 price.
PLUS it was purchased used. This means in addition to all the criteria above, it’s not a new product being manufactured. It’s a used one (albeit in beautiful condition) so its useful life has now been extended because of our purchase. Oh be still my crunchy-green heart!
So before you make that purchase, consider buying used. Whether buying at a Thrift Store or online, buying used can be good for your wallet AND the environment!
~TxH~
Other Low-Waste Stories
- Buying Products Used: Good For Your Budget & The Environment
- Closing The Loop In Charitable Giving
- Our Low-Waste Coffee
- No-Waste Citrus Juice For Recipes
- Don’t Waste Those Onion Trimmings
- Ditch The Plastic – Using Glass In The Refrigerator
- 5 Zero-Waste Products We Love
- Food Waste in America: What Do Those Dates Mean?
- Zero-Waste Hygiene – Using A Safety Razor
- Eliminate Plastic Produce Bags
Heya Tammy,
I am frustrated. I always like to buy gently used items. Right now I am in need of a food processor. I will search for it for a long time and get impatient. How long do you wait before you just throw up your hands and buy it? I usually find a thing like a coffee pot or crock pot fairly quickly, but not having the food processor is causing me grief. lol.
Well Laurel, there are several avenues I use. First are thrift stores, but like you say – sometimes it’s hard to find what you want when you need it. Second option for us is typically ebay and it works well for us for buying used. But depending upon what you’re looking for, heavier things cost so much to ship that it’s not really feasible sometimes. Third is putting out word to your friends & family. Oftentimes they have that one thing you need just sitting in a cabinet – wanting to get rid of it. You’d be surprised at the success rate of this one, so give this option a try if the other options don’t work. Finally when all other avenues fail we’ll buy new after doing our research & finding the highest-quality product. Good luck! ~TxH~
I had bought a used percolator about 6-8 months ago. I works but it just doesn’t make Hot coffee. It’s more like luke warm. If I’m going to have coffee, I like mine Hot. As of right now mine is stored away cause just don’t have the heart to throw it away. I may use it as a plant container or make into a bird house or something.
It just won’t be found in the landfill.
We’ve had that problem in the past too Colleen. In our case it has typically been either the heating element or the thermostat. RancherMan looked up our Percolator’s make & model number & then looked for the part on ebay. It was very inexpensive and super easy to change out. He’s done minor repairs on various percolators many times over the years and always comments that it’s very quick & easy to do. So don’t give up on your percolator yet! ~TxH~