15 Surprising Things You Can Rent Instead of Buying

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Renting things instead of buying them outright can be a great way to save money on products you generally don’t use too often.

In fact, you’ve likely rented things in the past to save a little money. That being said, what exactly are you able to rent, and what things might be out of the scope of various rental markets? 

As it turns out, you can rent almost anything if you’re able to find someone willing to loan said thing to you for a price.

There are actually a number of surprising things that you can rent if you ever find the need for them. 

For this list, we’ve compiled 15 surprising things you can rent instead of buying, making sure to opt for a wide range of things most people have probably never rented themselves. Let’s dive in!

1. Plants

Live plants can be expensive to purchase and difficult to care for. Meanwhile, fake plants can look tacky and not necessarily be welcome in any home. Enter plant rentals.

Plant rentals allow you to rent plants for your home, which is often used to make a space look better for special events.

If you didn’t know you could rent plants, you do now!

2. Caskets

Definitely leaning toward the side of strange, casket rentals are very much a thing. Funeral expenses can be tough for grieving families with little money to manage, so they could rent a casket if they want to have a more traditional funeral service.

After the funeral is held, the funeral home then will bury a loved one in a plain wooden box or cremate them.

If cost is holding you back, you could consider a casket rental instead. 

3. Tires

Let us preface this by saying that buying new tires is always the best route to go.

That being said, there may be a situation where you don’t have enough to buy tires outright and have to rent them.

Tire rental services exist, and they can make it so that you can get to where you need to go for the time being.

It’s not as desirable as being able to buy tires, but it’s better than being without a car. 

4. Friends

It might sound sad, but you can always rent a friend if you need someone to hang out with.

While it’s important to be careful with the various services out there (especially if you’re looking for specific services like a cuddle buddy), there are people out there willing to go to a concert with you, attend a party, or even just spend the day with you.

Their rates will differ, so make sure to shop around. 

5. Chickens

Have you ever thought about raising chickens as a way to save on eggs or become more self-sufficient? What many don’t consider is the amount of care that chickens require or the cost of keeping them alive and well.

Fortunately, there are rental services out there that will actually rent you the birds and all of the equipment while giving you the ability to buy it all later if you want to keep your new feathered friends.

Rent-to-own services are quite popular, especially in situations like these!

6. Christmas Trees

As with plants, live Christmas trees are an absolute pain to deal with and dispose of, dropping needles all over the place and making your space messy.

However, fake Christmas trees can look bad, and there’s always the issue of various parts failing while they’re in storage.

Christmas tree rental services solve all these issues by giving you a Christmas tree you can use during the holiday season and then hauling it off once it ends.

Many are even more sustainable, replanting them once they make their way home (although you always have a choice of what kind of tree you rent to meet your unique needs). 

7. Goats

Tired of mowing your lawn? It’s not an activity that every homeowner loves to engage in, especially if they have acres to care for that would require a larger lawnmower that would be able to tackle more square footage with ease.

In this scenario, you can always rent goats. It might sound strange, but goats are great at grazing and mowing down the grass, which is why some will rent them for the sole purpose of lawn care.

See if there are any goat rentals in your area that you can take advantage of so you can make your lawn look great again. 

8. Baby Toys

If you have a child, you know how quickly they grow out of things, whether it’s physically or interest-wise. As such, parents feel like they waste so much money on baby clothes and other items like toys that go used for only a few months and then immediately become obsolete.

This is why baby toy rentals are starting to pick up. Parents are able to access the various toys they want for their children and then return them once their babies become bored or grow too old for them.

If you know your child is going through a phase and you don’t want to spend too much money, rent their toys instead!

9. Breathalyzers

Arguably one of the weirder items that you can rent out there is breathalyzers. Breathalyzers are apparently quite the smash-hit at parties, regardless of whether guests are trying to make sure that they haven’t had too much to drink (or can catch a cab if they have) or want to see how smashed they can get.

If you’re interested, you’re sure to find a company out there that will rent a few to you at your next party. 

10. Wedding Cakes

Wedding cakes tend to trend towards the extravagant, featuring multiple tiers of beautifully decorated fondant. However, all of this comes at a price. For many, this means spending thousands of dollars on a cake that you’re going to get to enjoy for only a few minutes or later when you look back at photos.

This is why people will rent cakes instead. Rental cakes are decorated styrofoam cakes with a slit in them for the real cake that’s used for photos. This allows couples to save money by buying a fake cake and then serving a cheaper cake to guests. 

11. Wheelbarrows

It’s no surprise that you can rent a number of items you might need to have around the home for various DIY projects and renovations. That being said, there are still some items that you might be surprised you could rent. One excellent example is wheelbarrows.

You might think it would be easy to just purchase a wheelbarrow, but if you don’t want to buy one outright for whatever reason, you can always rent one instead. 

12. Islands

Home rentals are commonplace, with platforms like Airbnb and VRBO helping people find alternative rental spaces that aren’t hotels and motels. But have you ever heard of renting an island? While it might seem out of the question for most given the probable costs, you could always rent an island if you ever feel inclined to do so.

You may even be able to find more budget-friendly options, although you should still expect to pay a couple of thousand dollars to rent one. It’s still cheaper than buying one!

13. Fire Pits

Fire pits are a staple for any backyard where one wants to entertain, but they’re not always within everyone’s budget. This is especially true for the new homeowner who may be feeling a little bit strapped for cash at the moment.

Fortunately, if you want to make your outdoor space feel a little bit warmer and brighter, you can rent a fire pit instead.

There are plenty of options out there, so take your time to research various options to make sure you’re getting one you’ll enjoy at a good price point. 

14. Bridesmaids or Groomsmen

Weddings can be stressful. If you don’t have any friends who could be bridesmaids or groomsmen, you might be stressing out about how you’re going to make sure the area next to you isn’t vacant while your significant other walks up the aisle (or vice versa).

The good news? You could always rent bridesmaids or groomsmen.

While not ideal, renting individuals to stand in can make sure you feel less stressed about this aspect of the wedding and may even help you find some new friends along the way. 

15. Cookware

Committing to good cookware is a daunting task. If you buy the wrong cookware, you’re looking at pieces that will only last so long before you have to replace your whole kitchen.

You may not even want to purchase certain cookware because you never use it on your own.

Whether you’re interested in trying out cookware before you buy or you just need certain types of cookware for a special occasion, this is another surprising thing you can rent. Need a kitchen? You might be able to rent that alongside your cookware too!

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