Instead of buying new, consider swaping for items you need.  One of my favorite swapping sites is swaptree.com, where you can trade books, CDs, DVDs, and video games.  You pay a small shipping charge to send your item to another person and you get an item back free.  There are also sites like www.u-exchange.com where you can swap all kinds of things.  Also be sure to check out the bartering section of craigslist.org.