"Shopping Alternatives:
Saving Money While Saving The Environment—Buying Used"

by Beth Regula-Thompson

Are you tired of paying high retail prices? How about not being able to afford new or replacement items for your household, wardrobe, and cupboard? Then try reading Rummaging Through Northern California (RTNC), a free bimonthly newspaper distributed at 500 locations around the Bay Area. RTNC is about great places to shop for secondhand goods, including surplus and salvage items in the Bay Area and beyond, with everything from "clothing to computers" and "furniture to food." Also, as a way to get the word out for start-up businesses, it lists all the new places that offer secondhand items.

RTNC started when Holly Harris and her husband settled in Sonoma County and were in need of furnishings for their new apartment. Being on a slim budget, Holly did all of the shopping for her family's personal needs at various resale stores, thrift stores, flea markets, etc. She was impressed with what she had discovered. From her experience in seeking out these great places to shop, Holly decided to compile a list of these businesses and where they were located. What started as a good cause for her pocketbook later turned into a great basis for her business, with the creation and publishing of the first Rummaging Through Northern California. To supplement the bimonthly tabloid, Holly annually complies a free directory of more than 1,000 places to resale shop, along with a listing of related annual events.

The CalMAX Web site has a link to Rummaging Through Northern California, and vice-versa. On both of these Web sites you can find links to other material exchange and reuse programs. The Web site address for CalMAX is http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/calmax and the address for RTNC is http://www.secondhand.com.

Using Rummaging Through Northern California is a great way to shop, whether you live with a tight budget or are simply looking for a good deal on "previously owned" products. To contact Holly Harris or get a subscription (includes a bimonthly newspaper and annual resale directory for $5.95 per year), you may write, e-mail, or call:

Holly Harris
Harris Publications
PO Box 297
Sonoma, CA 95476
rtnc@sonic.net
(707) 939-9124 FAX: (707) 939-9579

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Last updated: August 01, 2008