Around here folks my age are moving to Florida and literally giving away their stuff. I'm offered a lawn mower, ladder, propane tanks, etc. pretty frequently. Keep you eyes and ears open. Even Craigslist or Facebook might save you a bunch.
My current snowblower was bought at a neighbor's moving sale. It was less than a year old, I paid his asking price which was less than half of retail. It is a Sears Craftsman and does just fine. Before that I had an Ariens that had to be 40 years old when I gave it to my niece and her husband. My great aunt inherited it when she was 90! Still running last I heard, got to love those all metal machines.
No way I could ever go back to shoveling. Bad back and who knows what evil lurks in my arteries
