By Jaiya Brown, Fox23 News
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — For some Oklahomans, making it to the next paycheck is coming down to a tough choice: selling personal belongings to cover everyday expenses.
At Nickles Used Books and More, customers have continued bringing in movies, video games, books and other collectibles. But owner Sara Nickles said she has noticed a shift in what people are asking for when they sell their items.
Nickles said more customers who once chose store credit are now requesting cash.
As the cost of groceries, gas and other everyday expenses continues to stretch household budgets, some families are looking around their homes for anything they can part with to help make ends meet.
“You sell a part of you, and just to get by, and when people say get by, you know that that doesn’t mean get by comfortably; that means oh, I get to have my electric on, or oh, I get to afford groceries; that’s great. Yippee, I get to trade something that brought me joy to live, and you’re in constant survival mode, and it’s just another reminder of that survival mode,” Hull said.
Customers Jim Shepard and Shannon Roach said they sometimes look at items on their shelves and see money they could use elsewhere.
“Then you’re looking at it on your shelf, and you’re like, that’s five, six bucks that I could use for something else. It’s hard, but it’s the decision that we make sometimes,” they said.
Nickles said she is hearing similar stories from more customers coming through the doors and does not expect the trend to slow down anytime soon as families continue looking for practical ways to stretch their budgets.
