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Yesterday, I bought 14 maple chairs. The fellow wanted $3 per chair. I got them for 75 cents a chair plus my gas cost. I will take these to the local tombstone-making store and have them sandblasted. Then I will stain and/or urethane them and they will have a new home in our camping cabins.
Here is a tip. When you see something you know is a deal on Craigslist or Kijiji and you really do have the money and can pick it up, email the person (or phone if they’ve left a number) and say, “I am interested in the (item). I live in ________ City and I can pick up tomorrow. My telephone number is 905-555-1212.” The phone number is crucial. The seller knows you are serious and they will choose you over 50 other emails because they can reach you.
By the way, I got all of the chairs for $10 because I bought every last one of them, even though a couple needed a nail or two. He was happy to have them all sold.
They just don’t make toasters like they used to. Even though I don’t make very much toast, I seem to go through a toaster every few years. Small appliances start to disintegrate the moment you buy them.
I still have the ladles and metal spatulas that my mother bought in 1952. These kitchen tools were made to last.
What will I spend more money on to get quality?
Furniture (often I find what I’m looking for on Craigslist so I can still pay the same amount)
Bread (organic whole grain - I freeze it and take out what I need)
Organic meat (I eat less)
Fabric for sewing
Paint (goes on better and end product looks better)
Vitamins (there can be a big difference)
Appliances (I still haggle)
Vacuum cleaners (I have a previously enjoyed Miele)
Sometimes it just doesn’t save to buy cheap.
As you get older, the need for prescription eyeglasses can be challenging. I had a friend who bought bifocals with non-glare glass and a few other bells and whistles and the price came in over $1000. She found that she couldn’t wear them because they bothered her.
I needed some glasses for reading. Even though I am nearsighted, I didn’t want to spring for bifocals because I figured I could just switch eyeglasses for reading which I prefer. I have a good pair for distances that I bought from the optometrist shop.
Enter in Zenni Optical. Eyeglasses start at $8.95 plus shipping. I ordered a pair at $12.95 and I’ll let you know how they work out. This way, I’ll have an extra pair of glasses for reading.
One item you shouldn’t be without is a thermos bottle. My mother had one of these when I was growing up. I remember her making coffee for long trips. No coffee shops for her. I was about five at the time when she put a cold drink in it one time. “How does it know whether to keep it cold or hot?” I asked in amazement.
If you buy a good-quality thermos, you should have it for years. Clean it out when you get home and let it dry overnight. I have had mine since the eighties and all of the seals are intact and it keeps my coffee piping hot. Hubby uses it to bring chilled reverse osmosis water with him when he’s out for the day. We have them in the Frugal Bugle store. Even if you buy a small one for your single cups of coffee, you save the cup cost if you buy at a coffee shop (and less waste for landfill).
Never assume that everything costs the same everywhere. Stores buy product and they can sell it at a 10% markup or a 3000% markup.
In the eighties, I worked for a jewelry wholesaler. As a loss leader, we sold earrings for $3 a dozen (= 25 cents a pair). Some retailers re-sold the earrings for 50 cents/pair and others sold them for $10/pair. The ones for $10 were on a rack with more expensive earrings and so the buyer would assume they were worth as much. It’s all about marketing.
My step-daughter-in-law just called me from Wegmans in Niagara Falls, New York. She had purchased vanilla at Williams Sonoma in Buffalo, NY and now she found it was half the price at Wegmans.
Recently I bought three yards of seam binding (a sewing staple) at a store near a friend’s house. It was a tenth of the price I’d pay at a regular sewing store.
Shop around.
Remember that anything you buy online may have a coupon available for a discount. You can save a lot of money, especially on high ticket items if you have a coupon. That 10 minutes of searching might save you $50 or more.
There are more than 50 coupon sites out there, as well as many product sites having their own coupons.
Here’s a list of 52 coupon sites:
www.retailmenot.com
www.couponit.com
www.gogoshopper.com
www.stealdeals.net
www.dealigg.com
www.zalongo.com
www.deallocker.com
www.myretailcodes.com
www.couponchief.com
www.dealio.com
www.couponhut.com
www.icetab.com
www.dealspl.us
www.hotcouponworld.com
www.topbargains.com.au
www.directoryofcoupons.com
www.couponmeup.com
www.dealhunting.com
www.couponmountain.com
www.dailyedeals.com
www.couponheaven.com
www.ultimatecoupons.com
www.cheapstingybargains.com
www.anycoupons.com
www.dealsofamerica.com
www.gottadeal.com
www.slickdeals.net/coupons.php
www.a2zdeals.com
www.spoofee.com
www.jumpondeals.com
www.fullfreestuff.com
www.fatwallet.com
www.mycoupons.com
www.couponcraze.com
http://smartcanucks.ca
www.dealhunting.com
www.naughtycodes.com
www.jackscouponcodes.com
www.discountcampingnews.com
www.epicproductsinc.com
www.valufinder.com
www.plateaulife.com
www.wellnessexpoptbo.com
www.couponshare.com
www.gotodaily.com
couponsnapshot.com
www.promotionalcodes.com
www.buycomcoupons.com
www.visitportland.com
www.getmetomaui.com
www.clevermoms.com
www.couponalbum.com
www.cleverbabies.com
www.cleverdads.com
www.ediscountcodes.com
www.offerwatcher.com
Best of luck,
-Phil
I was in the vitamin store a few days ago. There are a few things I like to take regularly to stay on top of things health wise. It’s pretty well known that insurance in this country (USA) is a bit dicey so I like to stay as healthy as I can to avoid using the system for the most part (except for necessary checkups).
There was a very helpful clerk who I had asked about the quality of the various brands of the same type of product. He pointed out a few of the better ones and mentioned that one of them was on sale for half price. He also pointed out that what was on the shelf was all they had left at the sale price, and that they’d likely be sold out that day.
I grabbed a few bottles, double what I was going to get, and put them in the basket. Then, grabbed another, then another, until I had five of the six remaining bottles. (I felt a little guilty about depriving the next guy)
I basically spent more than twice the money I had planned on spending, but in the long run I knew I’d save big on something I used regularly.
I often talk to store clerks and just chat them up. Lots of times they’ve directed me to the best deals in the house.
-Phil
My brother wanted a nicer car. He’s partial to Cadillacs so he bought - for cash - one that he could afford. He saved what would have been the payment per month had he bought a nicer car. After about a year, he sold his car and bought a nicer Caddy. He still has that car after quite a few years.
It’s called trading up. If you can wait and do with a lesser model, save and trade up.
This applies to purchases like houses. You buy a starter home, live there for a while and pay down the mortgage. You paint and decorate, doll it up with some gardening efforts and then sell and move up.
I have traded up on sewing machines. That was done with a trade-in but I still got a better machine. I saved for a while and got a machine with more bells and whistles.
My husband has done this with tools and riding lawn mowers. I have seen people trade up for better bicycles.
When you sell the item, it’s a good idea to take really good photos and extol the virtues of what you are selling. Use your haggling skills to then buy your trade-up.
I was at the Liz Claiborne store with my birthday gift card last week. I was talking to the sales gals (I think they’re called customer service reps now). I had noticed that last year - sometime in September - all of the summer stock magically disappeared, presumably teleported somewhere. Then fall/winter stock reappeared. I asked where the summer stock goes. One of the gals told me that it went to a mall near Toronto and you could buy last year’s stock for peanuts.
Wow. I didn’t know this. When you’re at a clothing store, ask where the out-of-season clothing goes. If you don’t mind buying last year’s style, you can score some pretty good deals.
I have contacted manufacturers directly to buy larger quantities. This has worked for me for vitamins, gifts, paper goods, skin care products, food, office supplies and health items. I bought a 100-yard roll of cotton duck (a denim-like fabric) from a flag manufacturer for $100 ($1/yard). I sold 30 yards of it to a friend for $90 and made the rest of it into curtains, roman blinds and slipcovers. You can ask a company, “What quantity do I need to qualify for a bulk discount?” Some manufacturers have distributor agreements and will not sell directly. Keep in mind the shelf life of some products.
You can ask friends if they want to go in on an order. If the product will keep, I’ll just use it up myself and keep the savings. You have to have storage to do this. But even the space under a bed will do. Many manufacturers have samples that they have laying around. I have even driven through industrial areas and with an eye out for products that I might use. You can always ask.
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