Ways to save money in Chicago (for sale, coupons, buy)

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by 666northstate

If you smoke cigarettes, it is a no-brainer to buy them outside of the city and Cook County.

The cheapest option is to find someone selling tax free cigarettes. I used to know a Russian bartender who would sell cartons for $15-20 (when they were about $50 including tax). There's a guy on my block who says he gets them for $25/carton. They have no tax stamps at all. There's a pretty big black market for cigarettes nowadays.

[Jandur]

Originally Posted by Drover

Just how much are skinny jeans at Ragstock these days anyway?

Haha. Diesels. And skinny jeans are for hipsters

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Jandur

I can relate to this. I'm super cheap when it comes down to consumables. I hate spending $15 on gillette fusion razor blades but I'll spend way more money on jeans than most other people would.

For razor blades, that makes no sense.

Razors, mattresses and shoes offer the best bang for the buck quality-of-life-wise out there!

[emathias]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

Emathias is just pointing out that it's cheaper to quit completely than to regularly drive outside of Cook county to save a buck or two per pack.

Yep. I was pointing out that if saving money is really that important to a smoker, they'd just quit since the overall savings would be far, far more than simply saving on taxes by driving (and spending on gas) out of the area. Quitting saves taxes, plus the actually cost of the cigarettes, all without having to spend even more money on gas. Not to mention that most smokers would save money in health costs over the long run, too. Smoking, like gambling, is really a tax on the uneducated these days. Sure, some educated people enjoy those things, but by and large they're far more commonly practiced by the uneducated.

Despite the fact cigarette smoke is really hard on my lungs, can trigger my asthma, and I have noticeably fewer respiratory infections (from 3-4 per year, to 1 every 2 years) ever since it was banned in bars, I never actually supported the ban on principle.

[emathias]

Saving money, or getting the best value anyway, is more than just buying the item with the lowest price.

For example, when I buy toilet paper, I know that certain brands last longer because each sheet is thicker, so I use fewer sheets. I know that the "cheaper" version sometimes actually costs more on a per-use basis. With paper towels, I buy the kind perforated into 1/2 sheets because usually that's all I need, so those roles tend to last me nearly twice as long compared to "cheaper" ones that are only perforated in whole sheet sizes (I have noticed a few of the cheaper brands have caught on to that finally, so on my next run it may be a more complicated calculus). Then, of course, for many things simple using a cloth instead of a paper towel is the cheapest option. Or taking (and saving) a few extra napkins whenever you get take-out helps limit the number of paper towels you need to buy, too.

I do a lot of grocery shopping in the ethnic neighborhoods (esp. Chinatown). Usually (not always, but usually) their products are less expensive, although the selection may be different.

For clothes, there are kinda three possible strategies depending on your own needs and wants.

For just the raw cheapest new clothes, those "Mega Mall" type places usually have the least expensive stuff. It may be cut a little funny, and may not last super-long, but the prices are usually even lower than, say, Old Navy. Vintage or resale shops are another solid strategy, especially if you're good at piecing together a nice look from an eclectic range of clothes. Finally, the strategy I use most often, is simply to wait for the major clearance sales at the high-end places. This isn't the cheapest strategy, but I think it offers the best value. You get clothes from nice designers at huge discounts. It just takes the discipline of only shopping during clearance sales, and the willingness to wear styles that are up to a year old (which probably isn't much of a problem for all but the most fashion-conscious). This can be especially effective if you're very small or very big, and more of a challenge if you're average, since the average sizes sell out the quickest. In my experience this is best done buying from the source store's own clearance, but using Filene's Basement or Nordstrom Rack can be pretty good, too, just not quite as good.

If you travel to New York regularly, you can also try to line up your trips with the major fashion house sales. A friend of mine bought a Hugo Boss tuxedo that fits him perfectly for 80% off the retail price at the Boss clearance a couple years ago. Way better than a rental, and at a price that was only about the same as 4-5 rentals (and he wears a tux that many times in a year, so it worked out well for him).

For dining out, you can also save a ton with Groupon and Restaurant.com.

[EastBoundandDownChick]

Originally Posted by Jandur

I can relate to this. I'm super cheap when it comes down to consumables. I hate spending $15 on gillette fusion razor blades but I'll spend way more money on jeans than most other people would.

Thanks for coming to my rescue Jandur! Lol- I spent $85 on my last pair of J Brand jeans (originally $150) at Nordstrom Rack. It came to $97 once I had them professionally tailored. Some people may think that's a lot but I also know of people who think nothing of spending $300+ on a single pair. Just depends on the person I suppose. The Chanel bag I can justify because I'll have it forever... to me denim is more difficult to rationalize past a certain price point.

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by EastBoundandDownChick

Thanks for coming to my rescue Jandur! Lol- I spent $85 on my last pair of J Brand jeans (originally $150) at Nordstrom Rack. It came to $97 once I had them professionally tailored. Some people may think that's a lot but I also know of people who think nothing of spending $300+ on a single pair. Just depends on the person I suppose. The Chanel bag I can justify because I'll have it forever... to me denim is more difficult to rationalize past a certain price point.

Okay I dont get it your looking to save money but then spend 150 bucks on a pair of freaking jeans!

Here I thought you were living on raman noodles and mac and cheese


Guess I am just showing my age -

[EastBoundandDownChick]

Originally Posted by sunnyandcloudydays

Okay I dont get it your looking to save money but then spend 150 bucks on a pair of freaking jeans!

Here I thought you were living on raman noodles and mac and cheese


Guess I am just showing my age -

They were $150... I got them for $85 Seriously, do I want to look like this? http://www.hulu.com/watch/10333/satu...live-mom-jeans
Thinking of what the 'bargain brand' denim would look like on me is enough to make me skip ramen entirely and just live on water alone.

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by EastBoundandDownChick

They were $150... I got them for $85 Seriously, do I want to look like this? Hulu - Saturday Night Live: Mom Jeans
Thinking of what the 'bargain brand' denim would look like on me is enough to make me skip ramen entirely and just live on water alone.

Too funny
Cant say that I would blame you!

[Woof]

There can actually be a big economic bonus in being more attractive through clothing, especially for women. Better jobs, more promotions, more guys willing to treat her.

It might well be more pound wise than living on Ramen or using thriftier paper towels.

However, there are Chanel purse or dress knock-offs that cost less than $20, even if they have the same or a similar name - buy 'em from the back of a truck in a sleazy part of town. You can even get very acceptable perfume knock-offs at Dollar stores. But y'all know that.