Because I've had so much luck finding used furniture at antique stores and have written about how great it is both economically and ecologically, I thought I would share some tips I've acquired in my shopping.

1. The first and most important tip when used-furniture shopping is to search for high-quality furnishings. Look for items made with real wood, not particleboard, and examine joints to see what you can discover about the quality of workmanship that went into the piece. Another tip that may seem obvious is to examine the object for obvious clues as to an item's authenticity: We've seen "antique Indian" artwork and home trinkets that have a "made in China" sticker on them! Remember: It is always better to buy a high-quality item that needs some minor refinishing than to buy a cheap and low-end piece that is in perfect condition.

2. This leads us to tip No. 2: Keep in mind that simple refinishing and cosmetic work can be fun and easy. Plus, it personalizes your items and lets you save on items that would otherwise be very expensive. For example, my boyfriend and I bought an antique table and chair set at an auction. The table had some minor imperfections—bumps and scratches, etc.—and the fabric on the chairs was stained and outdated. However, with a light sanding, we were able to buff out most of the scratches (make sure to wear a face mask when sanding antiques as you have virtually no way of knowing if any chemicals were used in the wood). Then we simply refinished it with a light coat of low-VOC stain. For the chairs, we refinished the wood the same way, easily removed all the fabric, and reupholstered them with a nice, natural burlap affixed with a staple gun. People think this table and chair set cost us thousands of dollars when, in reality, it cost about $50 altogether.

3. Ask your local antique and used-furniture stores how and when they receive their items. Some stores may simply get items piecemeal as they come in, but others get in large, weekly shipments of items. Some stores also have one set day a week for putting new items out on the floor. Finding out when this is lets you be there to get first dibs on quality pieces.

4. Ask the store if they accept trade. This isn't the most common practice, but depending on the type of store, some may offer you a discount if you bring in a quality piece you don't need anymore.

5. Ask the store if they will notify customers if and when specific items come in. For example, if you are looking for an old wood bench for your dining room, you may be able to tell the owner and leave your name and number so they can give you a call if a piece matching your desires shows up.

6. Finally, don't be intimidated by auctions. Inexperienced antique shoppers may feel an auction is out of their league. I will admit to feeling a little unsure about how the whole process would go at the first auction I attended. However, everyone was very nice and helpful, it was quite simple and we got some amazing pieces at prices way lower than we would have found at an antique store. This is a fantastic way to get great stuff at an extremely affordable price.

For more information about refinishing used furnishings, check out this piece we featured in Natural Home last year about reusing and recycling old furnishings.

We purchased this antique buffet at an auction and refinished it with a light sanding and a coat of antique finish.

Happy Black Friday! 

To make your Black Friday a little greener, here are a few tips to kick off the holiday shopping season. 

1. Look for American-made products. This ensures that your purchase didn’t travel too far to get to your shopping cart. 

2. Shop vintage and antiques for that hard-to-buy-for relative. You can find loads of unique, inexpensive items at your local flea market and antique store. 

3. Draw names from a hat. My brothers and I started this tradition a couple years ago to cut down on expenses and holiday stress. If you have a big family, see if you can play Secret Santa or draw names to reduce spending (and packaging) during the holidays. 

4. Remember your reusable bags! Surely you’ve collected many over the past several months (I own at least 10!). Put them to good use when you’re out shopping, and who knows: If you only have a few bags, maybe that will deter you from overspending (or at least encourage you to take a break!). 

5. Hit up Cyber Monday sales and just avoid the craziness of Black Friday. Remember to be aware of shipping costs and carbon emissions when doing an online haul. Online shopping’s eco-friendliness may cancel out if you shop several online sites and rush ship everything you purchase. Make a list of gifts to purchase and figure out what hot spot you could hit up to minimize carbon emissions from shipping. 

6. Check out Craigslist or Freecycle for fresh finds from your local neighbors. You never know what you might find! 

7. If you’re buying for a child this year, consider contributing to his college fund instead of buying more plastic presents. Make cookies or other treats for the child if you’re worried about not having something for him to open. 

8. Make your purchase stretch the extra mile by shopping through sites that contribute to eco-friendly causes. Check out Earth Moment for carbon-neutral shopping.

9. For those of you who will be wrapping presents and stashing them away tonight, remember to choose recycled wrapping paper or, even better, use the paper you already have: magazine pages (I did this last year), comics section of the newspaper and any other scrap paper. Colorful collages look beautiful under the tree. 

10. Of course, I can’t write a greening your Black Friday post without mentioning that participating in “Buy Nothing Day” is the easiest way to be green and keep your cool on the busiest shopping day of the year. Avoid the craze and chill out at home with leftovers, family and a good movie while 128 million high-stress shoppers hit up the stores. 

Photo By ianqui/Courtesy flickr

In a recent office conversation, an interesting subject popped up. Is going green just about feeling good about the stuff we buy? To be sure, making informed product decisions is at the core of what we at Natural Home would call "green." And it's at the heart of our editorial mission: to give our readers the information they need to be wise, earth- and health-conscious homeowners, citizens and consumers.

But is buying the right stuff really what the green movement is all about? My honest answer: Kind of...if you extend buying the right stuff to include why we're buying the right stuff...and not buying stuff at all. The fact is, everyone on this planet is a consumer and is going to stay a consumer...of food, goods, homes, clothing and a myriad of other items we need or desire. Being "green" is really about understanding how our own consumerism fits in with the global economy and ecology. It's about taking a moment to think about our purchases: How was this item made? How were others affected by its manufacture? Do I really need this item? What will I do with it when I'm done with it?

Yes, sometimes that means feeling good about the purchases we've made: If I buy a tomato from a local, organic farmer, I feel good about the fact that I'm supporting my local economy and that it wasn't grown by people exposed to unhealthy pesticides then shipped unnecessarily long distances to my grocery store. I also feel good about the fact that I'm not going to be eating those unhealthy pesticides. But it would be even better if I grew my own tomatoes. More than buying the right stuff, I would be supporting self-sustainability, not using up any transport fuel and know exactly what went into the crop.

As a general rule, the greenest thing to do is not to buy anything at all. But we're not all going to stop buying things...so that's when we should think about an item's manufacturing process, the materials and people who went into making it, its longevity, its durability, its reusability...it sounds complicated, but once you get into the green state of mind, it's easy to alter your choices. Our publisher Bryan Welch, in his frequent excellent presentations and speeches, sometimes discusses the idea of a global marketplace. He talks about how, in the past, if you lived in a village environment and there were two blacksmiths in town, you would choose the blacksmith who you liked more, the one who was more honest, kinder to others, a friendlier type of guy.

In the "global village," Bryan proposes that this type of mentality will take over again: With literally countless options and easier-than-ever ways to access information about a company's work, manufacturing and environmental practices, why wouldn't we start choosing based on the quality of the company again? Rather than in the past when a company's product was its only representative to the consumer—if the product performed well, that's all you were likely to know about it— we can now discover so much more information about companies we buy from and the products they make. If I can find "product A" from 50 manufacturers, all within a similar price and quality range, why wouldn't I make my product decision with the village perspective? Does this company support principles I find important? Do their manufacturing practices honor human rights?

Here's another way I like to think about this when I'm shopping at the store: I imagine I'm actually IN a marketplace (in my mind, it's like a traditional Indian market) instead of at Target, for example. I'm walking up and down the aisles of this imagined marketplace, and I see one booth with happy, well rested employees chatting as they go about their work. I see another booth with obviously overworked, undernourished and underaged children toiling under an unforgiving supervisor...which one would I buy? Clearly, if I were seeing this in person, even if the happily produced item were more expensive, I would opt for that one.

Same thing with food: If I were walking by farmers' stands just outside their fields, and one was standing there wearing a gas mask and spraying chemicals all over his crops and another was growing with organic compost and natural methods, which one would I purchase? How much of a price difference would I be willing to pay if I could actually see these practices at the time of purchase? My answer would be quite a bit. Now, I am not saying I always make perfect choices...few people do. A lot of going green is about compromising and prioritizing which issues are most important to you and work with your life. But imagining this "virtual global marketplace" sometimes helps me pony up the extra $3 for the better product, even when I'm watching my budget. So...is going green about feeling good about the stuff we buy? Yes, but it's also about choosing more carefully when to buy and why.