I was working with a guy on a temp job, he was an upper management, so I was doing payroll and computers for the firm and working with him.
Anyway we’d go out for a break for coffee or lunch and I’ve never seen anyone so thrilled to get a bargain.
He normally is pretty even, not mean but not ever excited.
But the first time he and I were in Walgreens somehow he managed to get $2.00 off something, I swear his eyes lit up and I’ve never seen such joy. He comes running up to me “Look I got TWO dollars off.”
And since I was handling computers I agreed to help him buy a new one. We spent close to six hours, to save $25.00 by going to different places to get that money. And yes he took in account the gas money and time. (He says he salary so when he’s off his time is worthless.)
I just tell you I never seen anyone so EXCITED to save a few buck. Now I’m all for saving money, don’t get me wrong, I use the 25¢ off coupons, but this guy makes over SIX figures a year. It’s not like he’s poor. And his family grew up in Barrington Hills (a rich suburb of Chicago) so it’s not like he was raised in poverty.
(Well maybe he was who really knows but you get the idea)
So my question is do you know people who are ABSOLUTELY THRILLED to get bargains? Not people that just like it, but actually LIVE to shop so they get a few cents off.
I’m trilled when something I need and want but can’t afford is marked down to where I can buy it after two years of longing for it. I was thrilled when I found a MP3 player for $20 in a store last summer. I’ve wanted one for years and all my portable devices were dead from attrition.
Well, I don’t dance about, but I’m willing to spend time comparing prices, clipping coupons, filling out rebate forms, etc. I wouldn’t put in the work if I didn’t find it fulfilling.
I told a story in a different thread recently of how I got over a year’s worth of shampoo and paid only tax. I also once worked at a drug store that gave me an employee discount and gave out monthly free rebates, so I really paid attention, shopped the sales, and saved us a lot of money when we needed it bad. I was proud of that.
And you’d be surprised what you can find in a thrift store…
No, and Yes. No in the way described in the OP - I don’t canvas all the local stores to find the best price on strawberries or have a coupon-management system - both of which my mom did when I was growing up.
However, I am an inveterate haggler from my days helping my parents run their antique business (a side business they had fun with). Few things are as fun and exciting as pulling a deal together. For instance, when I was collecting first editions more actively, it was great to find a great deal on a book, whether I liked the book or not, buy it - and then flip it as part of a deal to get into a more expensive book that I really wanted. That’s how I got my first edition of To Kill A Mockingbird - now it is stupidly pricey, but it was still very expensive back when I got it - but I had found a copy of Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying for a couple of hundred bucks a few weeks before and while I like Faulkner, I love TKaM, and I was able to include that book into the deal and only pay a little bit more - so I got into TKaM for a complete steal. I love stuff like that…it’s a total “caveman back from the hunt, hauling back the evidence of his victory to be praised by the clan” type of feeling
I still remember the joy of finding a 250 dollar down comforter marked down to 20 bucks at Ikea, it’s on my bed even now!
And just two weeks ago I needed to buy a set of those drill bits that fit security screws. I walked into Ace prepared to fork over 15 bucks but found a nearly identical set in the closeout bin for 2.99
I’ve been looking for a few years for a 2 quart replacement blender jar marked way down. I bought a glass one with the whole blade assembly and cover for $2 last week.
Yes. I live for deep discounts. Even when I can afford a designer dress, getting it at full price is not an option. Getting it for $200 when it was originally $1000 gives me hot and bothered. Even more so than if I’d been given it as a gift.
You bet. I hit thrift stores a lot. I damn near passed out when I got a 6" silver starue of Sideside Bob that separated at the waist to reveal a 2" serrated blade attached to it for $2 at the Salvation Army.
I couldn’t contain my composure at the thrift store a few months ago. There was a nice, full set of golf clubs tucked away way in the back. I figured they were probably worth $200, but I’d be willing to pay $100 for them, I’d just have to go to the ATM if they were within that price range.
Me: Excuse me, ma’am, how much are you asking for that set of Master Grips back there?
Thrift Store Lady: Five dollars.
Me: Five dollars?! Are you sure you’re thinking of the same golf clubs I’m thinking of?
TSL: FIVE DOLLARS IS WHAT I SELL GOLF CLUBS FOR!
Me: turns to friend Hey, can I borrow $5.
Pretty sweet deal, I’d say! I was smiling and telling everybody I saw about it for a week; even called my mom to tell her. My buddy that loaned me the money said the lady probably thought I was trying to talk her down; I was aghast when she yelled at me! My adrenaline was pumping, and I couldn’t break my smile for the life of me.
I left out the “than” in your last sentence upon first reading… I was going to ask your dress size.
I’m afraid to add up all the money I’ve spent at Woot.com for things that I don’t use. “But Honey, they’re so cheap that if I buy three, I can sell two at work for enough money to pay for all three!” I’ve given Woot stuff away as gifts, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually sold any of it.
Yes! I’m a fool for big bargains. I love to rummage at Salvation Army and come away with virtually new clothing for a pittance. And I’m choosy, too - I like designer labels. If I dig long enough, I find Ralph Lauren and Jones New York at my local thrift stores.
I like Marshalls, too, which is one of those deep-discount clothing and department stores. I can occasionally find Italian leather shoes for $19 or so, not to mention any amount of good label clothing for under $20 a garment.
I had been looking in fancy Italian pottery stores for something showy to hang in my kitchen, but platters from Tuscany cost a buttload, and I was discouraged. Then, at Marshalls, I came across some overstock stuff from France which was painted in vivid yellow, orange and red and had a Provencal rooster on it. Price: $3.99 per plate. They’re going up on the wall tonight.
I love it. I get a huge thrill out of playing their little games and feeling like I’m legally ripping stores off.
I spent a lot of time laid off last summer and clipping coupons and watching the drugstore circulars. I ended up with hundreds of dollars worth of health and beauty stuff for pennies on the dollar, often free. Each of my adult nieces and nephews got gift bags for Christmas full of razors, soap, shampoos, etc. Better brands than college kids on strict budgets can usually afford, and way more useful than an ugly sweater.
I can still remember good deals years later, the full-length wool trench coat that was five hundred originally but that I got after-season with coupon for only thirty bucks, the KitchenAid mixer we snagged for nearly half-price. It’s like listening to my older male relatives talk about the fish that was THAT big or the incredible rack on the buck Uncle Bill brought down, they hunt for meat and I hunt for bargains.
This is me too. Generally, in my mindset if it’s retail price, it doesn’t exist. I only buy if it’s discounted in some manner. I’ve gotten giddy over re-reading cash register receipts and I’m a regular Freecycler. Want to give away your old socks, picture frames, assorted glassware? I have no shame, I’ll drive to your house and pick it up.
There’s obviously the potential for this going too far. My husband’s good for keeping me in check/making fun of me. And I don’t try and control how he spends money. I think the underlying reason behind it for me was the sudden death of my father as a teenager and the ensuing ‘OMG how are we going to make it financially and mentally’. Today, I’m very financially stable, but I know things can change in a heartbeat. Therefore, I do my best to not eventually become a blue haired lady in a country which no longer has social security benefits, eating 3 day old dog food meatloaf.
Sorry to say I don’t have a story better than the $5 bag of golf clubs. Thrift shops are the way to go, though nowadays more difficult to get an exceptional find around here. I do enjoy being a product tester and getting the free goods sent to my home. Except for the time when my free hair-dye turned my hair pinkish-orange. Spent $75 in the salon to fix that (though also had a $20 coupon for that spa).
Found some Pendleton clothes last weekend that had been half priced and then put on the 60% off rack. I’m more than a little pleased about that.
That much joy for $2 off? Not happening. I know people who would enjoy that, but don’t know anyone who would get truly joyful. Although being able to get that happy for $2 might not be a bad thing. Cheap euphoria!
And then there was the time that my home town has their city-wide yard sale. One is able to drive around and hit a mess of yard sales quickly in one morning. I found one woman selling a closetful of Ann Taylor careerwear for $1 per garment. That’s $1 per garment for virtually new clothing. I think she was losing weight and wanted to rid her closet of that gigantic size 8 clothing!
I got a suit jacket, a matching pair of pants, a black skirt, two tailored cotton blouses, and a sweater for $6 total. I don’t think I’ll beat that one in my lifetime.
I wouldn’t get that excited about $2 off, but I love a good deal. Just this afternoon I scored a pair of pants, a sweater, long-sleeved tee and a button-down shirt for a grand total of $26.46 (including shipping) from Old Navy. 50% off items already on clearance is definitely something to get excited about. I also love Goodwill and am perfectly willing to spend a couple of hours there just to find one pair of $60 jeans for $4.
I saw a store I’ve bought clothes at before was having a sale, and it’s not far from my office. So I stopped in after work a bit ago, letting the evening rush hour start without me.
Every single thing I bought was 50% off the last marked price. SCORE! Three-piece work outfits $129.99, marked down to $79.99 then 50% off, for example.
SCORE. I spent $197 and got a boatload of new clothes for work. (Plus separates all can be worn with different things in different ways.)
But I wouldn’t drive around looking to save $2.00. My time’s more valuable.
I’m not as extreme as the guy in the OP, either (I don’t waste my time and gas driving everywhere to save a buck or two), but I too enjoy the thrill of the bargain-hunt. Part of it is the knowledge that stores are seriously ripping us of for full price merchandise (especially women’s clothes); I don’t really enjoy paying full price for anything. We used to have a Sears discount centre at our local mall, and I shopped there every week or so to see what was dead cheap this week - when the discount stuff went on even more sale, I was in heaven. One of my best buys was a nice dress for a Christmas party that was $20, I think it was (regular $75 or so). I would every so often go in and get a bag of nice, brand new clothes for $50. We’re not hurting for money right now, but I was raised fairly poor, and we earn every dollar we have - I don’t part with it easily.
