Today’s green tip: the next time you need to replace something in your home think neused.

My husband is both male and from the Detroit area (Ann Arbor). Consequently, he is very cognizant of every car on the road. Make, model, you name it and he knows it from a half mile away. Given the fact that I had never even owned a car when I met Iggi, I’ve had a steep learning curve to keep up with him. Along the way I had to start describing used cars as “neused,” because I would point out a new car and he would counter that it was in fact several model years behind.

Neused: new, but gently used, similar to a “certified pre-owned vehicle.” I like this term because many folks have a negative association with second hand items. They are afraid that some sort of wily second hand beast is going to jump out of used things and eat them. Or at the least curse their house with an unknown terrible illness. In actuality, most neused items aren’t like that at all. Many neused items are basically new, but have simply had a former life, kind of like your spouse. They are new to their current owner, but gently used. They are one less item relegated to eternal storage or to the landfill. They are one less item imported for cheap from China. And, as a bonus neused items are often kinder to your wallet than a brand new item. Or in the case of furniture, neused items are often much more solid and well built than comparably priced new items.