Today I'm finishing the shopping secrets I have discovered as a result of being a "starving student" for all of 7 years.
First off: a word on yard sales. I used to be so against them, thinking that all you could buy was junk. I have since learned some tricks of the trade.
1. Even in Utah you can find some great deals--like authentic Dooney and Bourke purses (I bought a funky red one that looked brand new that I love for $30--new they're $250-$300). You can also find great handbags (including Dooney and Bourke) at T.J. Maxx, but stick to the clearance section for the best deals.
2. Find descriptions of yard sales at craigslist or a local newspaper (ksl for Utah is great)--these are also great when you're looking for a particular item to purchase (boats, pianos, and everything else--just be sure to barter with the seller by cutting the price so low it's almost insulting)!
3. There are some great tools out there to find the optimal yard sale neighborhoods without driving all around (rich ones of course). Check out zillow (also a great tool when you're buying a house to scope out neighborhoods).
Some other great stores in Utah are NPS (a very hit-and-miss store, but usually hit). This is the place they send things when they fall off of UPS and FedEx trucks (or get lost en route). You can buy groceries (nearly expired), shoes, wedding dresses, Ann Taylor clothes, and most recently I bought a $3000 treadmill for $300 (it has a small crack in the front end but it works great!) NPS has two buildings, an everything building and an industrial building (that's where the best deals are). When you go here, take a cell phone with Internet capabilities to make sure you're getting good deals, sometimes their prices are way over what they should be, but on the other hand, some times they're way under.
3 comments:
We did some super shopping in Baja California--including buying two hammocks for at total of $25.00 . Meanwhile, I've been reading _Kite Runner_ and am nearly finished. I love it! So are we going to talk about it?
Ah yes, the Kite runner--yeah, lets talk about it!
Way to go on the hammocks by the way!
Now that I'm on my own, Kaila, I must tell you-- you have taught me a ton about finances! You're the one I think of with pretty much every purchase, and I think you'd be impressed with my budgeting. So keep coming up with budgeting ideas, because they will be super handy to your sista :)
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