on the cheap
 

So, we have this situation where school closings impact us in a buncha ways, I should make a table but I won't. Lets just say we're effected by four school systems in two states. No single radio station carries all the info in a timely manner so this morning was a cluster foxtrot. lss I needed to purchase a mini tv for the kitchen counter. I'm figuring 90 to 100 bucks will get it done. The small ones were sold out at wally world so I hit the Big K. $19.99........... for a television? Once again capitalism has failed.

So what kinda bargains have youse folks gotten lately?

I bought a wool coat once for a quarter...of course that was a garage sale so it probably doesn't count. And it wasn't a pimpin coat, either :(

They have those little TVs at Safeway (grocery store) here, and I've seen them on sale for as little as $15. I'm always pleased to find that Target has brand-spanking new release movies on sale the day they're released, generally for about 5 bucks less than anywhere else.

I once bought 2 brand new pairs of Gap jeans for $3.99 each - then sold one pair on eBay for $66.

I am not too proud to dumpster dive if it looks promising. Scored most of my garden tools that way. Found an old rotary push mower, free, just needed a sharpening. My entire yard is scaped with scavenged and reused stone, brick and concrete- free! Of course the interior of the old Nissan is torn to shit. One of my best buys must be my badass bike for $1 at goodwill.

As for entertainment: I love free stuff- concerts- city planned stuff, or they have free student recitals here at the U, parks, museums, libraries. And I enjoy the best cheapest NHL tickets they've got. $12.

Hmm....recently I guess my best was my Nikon Coolpix 995. I paid $320 for a Nikon refurbed one. In one sense it wasn't a fabulous bargain because it was a) used and b) obsolete according to the bleeding edge scale. But it had better features than anything else I could get for that price at that time.

(In the non-bargain category, I'd like to add an external flash, but I'm stuck because I'm trying to avoid paying $42 for the proprietary Nikon cable.)

My all-time biggest score was the following DVDs:

Star Trek: First Contact
Mary Poppins
Contact
Boogie Nights
LA Confidential
2001: A Space Odyssey

For $2.00 including shipping.


Edit: And warch reminded me.... cheap tickets... $9 for the Philadelphia Orchestra. It's on the third level and you're behind the orchestra, but the sound is still great.

Sure! You may call it the nosebleed section...I like to think of it as the gods' overview.

And to see the Philly Orchestra...behind the players would be cool.

You just had to pop my bubble, didn't yah? :)

Well, the most meaningful bargain that I ever scored was my zoom lens for my pro camera. A 75-200mm for $80 bucks! Used once! At the time, that lens would have easily cost me anywhere from $200-$300 dollars! May not sound much, but for a 21 year old who was just started her photography career, that was like a million dollars to spend on camera gear (and luckily I got the camera w/a 35-80mm lens as a birthday present).

My car: $600, and paid for on the Sycamore payment plan (I just paid my mom whenever I had the $$$)

My computer: $350, plus a free monitor from Sheppsie. Had I bought it in a store, I probably would have dropped $700, and it still wouldn't have been as good as what I have.

The squeaking dolphin: $1, entertainment for hours.

MiniMoog SN2001, $500.00 in 1999, or about 1/3 of what they go for.

You might scoff at me having bought a 25 year old synth in the first place, but check out Ebay sometime and see how much they go for.

I got hard up last year and sold it for $1,000.00. The jerk that bought it turned around and tried to Ebay it since he'd gotten it so much cheaper than they usually go for on Ebay (mine was a beater, but worked perfectly), thinking he'd make a quick buck. It ended up selling for slightly less than what he'd paid me for it, plus he'd paid for the shipping to California from Missouri, including professional packing, so he actually lost about $200 on the deal.

My 2600, on the other hand, could have been gotten cheaper, so it all balances out.

The seats at Verizon Hall are interesting. First, it's "box" seating in that cheap area on top--freestanding chairs. Compared to the top reaches of most theaters where you have to practically put your knees behind your head due to the limited legroom, it's quite comfy. Second, you're actually looking DOWN on the orchestra. From our seats if you stick your head out you're looking down at the cellos. I've wondered if they've had any trouble with people dropping things?? (the wall has a rail along it, and below the rail the top of the wall is sloped out and down at a fairly steep angle.)