Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Okay, I have a "rule" on buying clothing, it must be marked down 75% or more. Today was a major score. I rarely, if ever go shopping, because I live in a small town with no mall. No Wal Mart. So, I went on a trip and having nothing to do, went to the mall...
A huge markdown sale. 75% off, plus an additional 25% off the 75% price!!! Nice! I bought five new blouses, a purse, some jewelry, $75. Which was the "original" cost of one blouse! Do people actually pay full price for things?
Thrilled with my new clothes. I really can't remember the last time I bought new clothes. I don't need them for work, but it is nice to have some new things.
Went by my favorite nearly new shop this afternoon and everything in the store was half off and there were 7 items on the dollar rack that would be good for my daughter or possibly me. Then on the regular rack of tops I found 4 that I really like. $17.46.
Paying full price is beyond the pale, but, I would gladly enjoy a sale such as the op came across.
Occassionally I need multiple small but nice gifts to give as exchange presents. I just purchased some brand name, nice quality earrings each in their own silver gift box sold in sets of three. Originally these sets sold for $30 each and they were now on sale for $6. I had a coupon for an additional 30% off so they cost me $4.20 for each set of three pair of earrings. I purchased several sets so I will be prepared for future gift exchanges.
I have also purchased numerous new Halloween costumes at 90% off and sell them for full price or 25% off in my eBay store. The big problem is it is hard to find the time to list all of them.
I also rarely buy any clothes unless they are 75% or more off.
My gf will buy "new" clothes. She wants to go to Old Navy today. It is always on sale though, she never buys new stuff. It is her personal money though....so what do I care. She looks good in them so I'm all for it considering it isn't our money she is spending.
I usually buy sale or clearanced items. Or pants from meijers or such other cheap places. Marshalls is good too. I'm a guy though, I could care less about clothes. As long as my gf thinks I'm looking good...screw the rest.
When I worked retail, I learned that often a sale -- isn't. The number of things we brought in at "full price" only to mark them down and THEN put them out and make full retail mark up on them at "sale price" was ASTOUNDING.
So to me I don't count "sales".... but I've shopped off season racks and scored some deals. I bought a $200 Ralph Lauren jacket that was marked down at 1/2 off. It had been moved to an off season rack that was marked down an additional 75%, and then I had a welcome back coupon that gave me some more percentage off, and then I got an additional 15% off for opening a credit card from them.
I ended up paying 5 bucks for a $200 jacket. THAT was a deal.
And a friend was looking for some storage for her sewing and design supplies that could be carted around. We went to Jo Ann fabrics, and she found in the sale aisle a rolling cart with a handle -- sort of suitcase-y -- originally 135.00. It was marked down 40%, and the aisle topper said an additional 60% off last marked price. and she had a 50% off coupon (back when you could use the coupons for sale merch. -- you can't anymore). She was expecting this to be about 20 bucks. Imagine her surprise when she found out there was an interim markdown on the case of 60%.... which made this 135.00 case to be 7 bucks out the door.
I have been going more and more to consignment and thrift shops over retail stores, and have gotten some really great deals. Some of my favorites are a BCBG black cocktail halter dress I found at a consignment store for $18, and a beautiful iridescent Jones New York raincoat with the $165 price tags still attached, for $9.99 at Goodwill.
I got a beautiful Jones New York "little black dress" at Goodwill a couple of weeks ago. Not my size, so I'm sending it to my sister. In the same trip, got a cashmere Ralph Lauren camisole that's earmarked for my mom. Got a couple other things in that trip, too, and the total was about $3.00.
Back in Tucson, I got a pair of wool carders for $5 at Value Village thrift. When I checked pricing online, they were priced at $75.
I do most of my shopping at thrifts these days, but still use coupons and sales in tandem for new items whenever possible.
This might not be considered true "frugal", but I have to tell it anyway just because I thought it was sort of funny. Years ago, KMart had a sale on some Martha Stewart comforter sets. The ad stated that they were the more expensive ones, and although I don't remember the price, it was really good. So off I went to our local small town Kmart and picked up four of them. I got to the checkout, and the checker told me that those weren't the ones on sale, it was the cheaper ones. I showed her the ad, and she said, "no, it's a misprint...it's the other ones on sale". So I had her get her manager. I showed him the ad, and finally he told the checker to give them to me at that price. Well, the checker proceeded to have a hissy fit about it, and I couldn't believe it- you would have thought the money was, literally, coming out of her own pocket or something. So she waits until the manager walked away, and starts tossing the sets around, and just basically acting ridiculous, complaining about how that wasn't the right price, I shouldn't get them, etcetera. In essence, completely unprofessional. At this point, I was pretty stuck on the principal of the thing, and at the very end I noticed a little sign that said if KMart scanned an incorrect price, they would give you back an extra five dollars. I pointed it out to her, and told her I wanted my extra five dollars since the price scanned wrong. Omg....she practically turned purple, lol- I told her, "Well, you know, I wouldn't have pushed this except for the fact that you've been so completely nasty about all of this, and you shouldn't be working up front with the public", lol. I know, kinda rotten to say that, but it was true, lol.
Bought a beautiful, like new 100% wool suit for my son at a thrift shop, marked $15.00. Got to the register and found out it was 1/2 price day!!!!!!! $7.50-----he wore that suit all through high school.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
