How to be a cheap bastard

January 11th, 2008

I hate paying premium on things that I know I can find at a lower cost. This runs through every product from bleach to Cd’s. After talking with Mocherz about it for a while, I realized that I have a whole process to assessing a products worth or where I can find it for less.

So, let’s jump right into the different places (digital or otherwise) to find discounted wares.

Thrift Stores - Although obviously not for underwear, if you get past the whole “eww it’s used” stigma, you can usually find a number of very usable household items or clothing at these stores. Best for clothing, and the random VCR.

Yard Sales/SwapMeet - Although not as consistent as Thrift Stores, they run in the same vein. Depending on where you go, you can often find completely new products that have been sold at a discount by stores due to package tampering or damage. Also good for finding those rare He-Man toys (hope no one’s secret was given away there).

Craigslist - It’s rare to find something that you need on Craigslist, but its a great place to find things that you never realized you want. A Giant birdcage for $15? Water Ski’s for a buck! Best for finding gently used furniture.

Froogle.com - This is Google’s product search service. This is the absolutely first place to look for buying something new. Google scours the internet and lists all the stores prices at no ‘google markup’. You can list by price to find the absolute cheapest price on Black Converse Hi-Top Allstars. Need a copy of “If he hollers let him go” and don’t want to pay more than $.25? Here you will find it. Keep in mind this should be used for bigger (<$20) purchases as shipping may void the money you save.

eBay/Half.com/Newegg- Coffee Presses, Reams of Paper, Cd Envelopes. When you don’t care the brand of the product, or feel that quality can’t vary too much, go eBay. You can usually find that product you wanted at Target or Bestbuy at a considerably cheaper off-brand price. Newegg is specifically for techy products. New computers, monitors, printers and things like that are usually amazingly priced when searching through newegg.

The 99 cent store - A must for household products. Anything that your home needs, from shower curtains to scrub pads, can be found at this store. Most of the packaging is hilariously cheap and was probably made by a dying orphan, but if you can get around this you’re in the clear.

Walmart - If you really don’t care who you hurt with your savings, go the Walmart way. There are very real discounts at Walmart, but keep in mind that it’s usually the endcaps that are discounted, while the middle of aisles are usually not considerably cheaper.

Downloading - The majority of book’s, Cd’s and Most movies can be found online. That is all that should be said about that.

Obviously, some care should be taken when making your purchases. The ‘you get what you pay for’ rule stands firmly here, especially when your Walmart sandals do this to your feet.

Feel free to add any places you find discounted. Unless, of course, you don’t want to ‘burn’ your spot.

Entry Filed under: Observing