Tuesday, April 22, 2008

WHERE DO YOU FIND BARGAINS?

Tonight I went to a gardening and canning class. The woman who presented the canning lecture says she finds all her canning jars at garage sales. She said her husband "garage sales" with her.


Lucky woman. Phil won't even slow down when we pass one and actually calls attention to mythical creatures on the other side of the road so I won't notice. "Look'it, Lynne! A wombasit-rambler, right over there, see it?" He points, aggressively and speeds up until the garage sale is a faint blur in the back window.

Earlier this week I talked to a friend who says her daughter-in-law is the queen of bargains. She once paid 49 cents, at Kid-to-Kid, for a brand new pair of shoes. The shoes didn't fit her daughter . She put the shoes on the shelf and waited for her daughter to catch up to them. She also found brand new boys socks for 17 cents and bought every single pair the store had.

This same friend once bought a gallon of soy sauce and a gallon of Worcestershire sauce for $1.99 each.

She says she thinks they will last her the rest of her life and is tickled pink to have found that great bargain.


My mom was another queen of the bargain. She used to say things like, "Look what I bought for two bucks, these cute pants!" Note: Not picture of actual pants. I know it's hard to believe but it is, once again, an example of my excellent art work.

I would roll my eyes. Who would want fuchsia pants at any price?


But she did find lots of great deals that didn't involve the color fuchsia. She used to burst into the house after a shopping spree and say, "Reed, you won't believe how much money I saved you today!"


What a charmer my bargain shopping mother was. Dad was always glad to have been of help, providing all the lovely money for her bargains so she could save him all that money, practically on a daily basis.


Another friend of mine says she loves two kinds of tags in stores. "Sale" and "Compare to..." She had a darling new purse the other day and I told her so.

"Oh," she said. "I got it at TJ Maxx. The tag said, 'compare to $799.00.' Okay, so I paid $125.00 but compared to $799.00? What a deal!" Her eyes lit up like sparkly things at Christmas. I hate to tell her this but this purse looks somewhat similar and it's only $489.00

So, there's deals and then there are deals. Maybe I'd pay two dollars for fuchsia pants quicker than $125.00 for a $799.00 purse--or a $489.00 one.


Phil would probably be as happy as Dad was about Mom's purchases, as long as as it was only two dollars and as long as I didn't buy them at a garage sale .

8 comments:

abb said...

My husband accuses me of spending more money on my "bargains" than he does on just one non-bargain item. Men! They just don't get it!
Well, at least your dad was understanding!

Anonymous said...

I'm chuckling here. My mom has closets and closets full of stuff that still has the tags that were "bargains."

I hate shopping. I usually only go when I have to for something specific. When I do happen upon good deals I always ask myself if I would have wanted it when it was full price. Often times the answer is no and I keep on walking.

Lisbeth said...

My aunt once bought my cousin a pair of pajamas that were a "FANTASTIC DEAL"... until she came home and opened the package. The pants had one long leg and one short one. He still wore 'em, 'cause she couldn't take them back, and "they're pajamas, and who's gonna know."

whirligigdaisy said...

Lynne, maybe this blog is your calling in life. It is so hilarious. I sure enjoy it and see that other do too. So even if it's not your calling: keep 'em coming.

Karen Deborah said...

Hey who is the smart lady who said ,"would I want it full price?"
ummm you sure are smart Lynne. I'm finding out that the best way to save money is NOT TO SPEND IT! Whooohooo my husband just did 6 cartwheels. BUT that is a BIG butt I love a bar,gain like my little bitty espresso maker from Italy for $5, and the chocolate fondue set for $3. I need to stay away from Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Hudsons, and any other discount house, for the rest of my life. How does Sams/Costco always know what you want? Why didn't I take marketing in college?
Umm I think that purse looks like the inside of a casket. Caskets cost a lot too. I suggested to my carpenter husband that he build some and put them in the attic. Now that is burial insurance.

Laura ~Peach~ said...

when ever i talk abotu a bargan or sale my dh says ... only way to save it or have a bargan is to not spend it then he smiles :-) cause he knows I will get things on sale :)

Unknown said...

I used to hit garage sales just to look for old cameras.
Colette Amelia is having a garage sale next the weekend after next. Plenty of time for you to drive up.

Colette Amelia said...

Lynne I have found that sometimes buying things on sale is more beneficial than working...just think when I bought my big comfy chair I saved $400 now I would have to have a job at %50 per hour to have made that much money in one day...so my theory is the more stuff you buy on sale the better off you are.