Instead of showcasing my deals this week, I thought I let you guys know how I save money. 2 weeks ago, a friend and I went out for coffee. I told her I needed to pick up Samar’s nebulizer medication from the pharmacy first.
We get there and the cashier says its $80 for the months supply. I am like what> Its normally $20. He said my insurance rejected it and I have to pay the full price. I then whipped out some cards and told XYZ info has changed and that can he please call my insurance company to verify XYZ. He did call and after 20 mins, he said they gave him another code to use and its now back to $20. I look at my friend and said, If I had sent NK here to pick the medication up, he would paid that amount and then come home to bitch about what expensive medication it is and blah blah. And that friend agreed that her spouse would have done the same thing.
Then we headed next door to the Indian store. This friend bought 2 mangoes, some cilantro and something else which I cannot remember. She was charged $18. She looked at her receipt and realizedthat instead of charging her for TWO mangoes, the guy charged her for 2 BOXES of mangoes. And she saved $13. How many times, do we just stuff our receipt in the bag and walk away without verifying what we have been charged? I know, I do it many many,times.
Finally, I made some $$ this weekend. Selling my craptreasures on my local MOMs club site. I sold our sandbox($40 and she hauled the sand away as well), a leanmeangrilling machine which I had picked up for $2 at a church rummage sale for $15, box of yarn for $40,the train table which I had bought in CO with all the bins and train and tracks for $100, I sold just the table for $40, I kept the bins and train and tracks. I sold 2 folding tables which I used for craft shows for $40. I sold 2 boxes of Lincoln Logs which the boys stopped playing with and I had bought cheap as well from garage sales for $25.
And later this afternoon, I have people coming to view a gazebo($40) I used for craft shows and another sofa table($10) which I am getting rid of. How much was the total? Sure, it takes time to take pictures and list the ad, and then to send emails back and forth waiting for people to show up. Is it worth it? hell yeah. And the best thing, it isnt going to a landfill somewhere. This is why thrifting and using 2nd hand is so important. Its the green(cheap) way to do things
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I put my old bed on sale at Craigslist and I had 7 offers in 2 hrs. Which only made me think if I priced it too low.
Then I found out, it was the timing. I put the ad in Aug and everyone was shopping for their kids’ dorms
Me: Yup timing is very important. Just before Christmas frenzy.I priced stuff very low as well. I want it to go and not really make a huge profit. Like my folding tables which I bought brand new less than 2 years ago for $59.99 each, I sold for $20 but then I used them for 2 years so I guess its okay..right?
oh!i am perplexed by numbers,i know it just takes 2 mins to check the items in the bill ..but i never do that ..just yesterday after our routine weekend shopping at target..found that one item was charged extra than the marked price at the aisle and the woman at the customer service argued that her system shows the right price,then i had to take her to the aisle to show the mismatch..sometimes it really takes an extra skill and effort to be frugal and prudent…
Me: Oh NK hates it when that happens. He says I that purposefully find items which have questionable pricing.
Nice !!! One of my friends(the one who gives me her tops) is downsizing and wants to give away all her furniture!! They have almost new , bought new wooden furniture and leather sofas. I have been trying to convince her that we should sell them on craigslist and make some money
I think I will email her this post 
Me: Convince her to sell it. Price it low so that it will be gone fast. Take some pictures and wait for emails to come in. Do it!
ooh ooh I forgot to say, I bought my SUV in FL for 1700, drove it for an year and recently sold it in Mississippi for 2300 off craigslist
Me: High five! Did you convince her?
Bingo on the spouse attitude … just yesterday we went to the Christmas in the park and the parking guy said we had to pay $9. That would have been fine if we had been away for more than 2 hours … but we were gone for 1 hr 55 mins and I rechecked with him if we should really pay $9 … he apologised and asked us to pay for 2 hour parking. The spouse had almost handed over $9.
Me: I can hear my spouse, Tum paach minute ke liye kyu roo rahi ho.. so clearly.
Yay! You sold your stuff and made some money. Well done. I know how tough it is getting through doing all of that, I did some online selling myself, before leaving the UAE and it is quite a task. Well done S!!
Me: I know you did sell stuff as well.
‘Husbands’ all of them are from the same mould
Me: Hai na. It doesnt matter what nationality, they are all the same.
I rarely take my husband shopping with me and never let him go shopping alone for obvious reason.
I can easily relate to the husband attitude…
Ummm! Forget money savers, I’m waiting for steamy tidbits about the mushy reunion with NK!!!
Me: Hmm.. steamy tidbits… hmmmm
The weekend before the last one, when I went for my grocery shopping and was buying Pistachios. The two bins of pistas with the shells and unshelled pistas were next to each other and as I was picking my shell wala salted pista which was $22.50 a kg, I glanced at the other bin and saw that it was $42.00. After coming home, I checked the list and saw that I was charged at rate of $42.00 ! yesterday when I went to the shop, I told the guy about the mistake and he asked if I had the reciept, which I didn’t. So he just gave me a $2.00 discount on the total. Whereas I had bought around half kg of pista that day. I was charged about $10.00 incorrectly
Me: Thats too bad.
I now check the list before I walk out of the shops.
BTW, we bought a new Hometheatr system recently, so, I have put my old Sony Hometheatre system that’s around 6years old on trade-me which is the online auction website here. At that time we bought it for $1800, but we have used it and kept it well. I put it on auction on trademe with a start price of $100 last night and today there’s already a $100 bid on it. There’s still 7 more days to go. I am hoping to get enough money to paint our two living rooms these holidays ! Its better than storing it away and waiting for the inorganic collection day to put it out. Lets see how much it sells for
Me: good luck with that. I hope it goes to at least $600 for you.
You are so right. Checking receits is very important. I’ve even caught mistakes on bank statements where they charged incorrect fees.
I wish I could learn your secret for selling things. I start off selling and then get tired of it and end up giving things away
.
Me: Maybe this time, I am not moving out of state so dont have the urgency to sell thus its Murphy’s law and stuff is flying. Who knows.
You are so damn efficient I say!
Uber cool ..those sellings on the moms club! Totally with you on going green + make some bucks out of it too
The tablet and mango incidents left me thinking hard..I realize that I am not even 1/10 street smart ( ?) as you are. Would have bought and later grumbled my way back i guess
Me: The mango incident was my friend. I was just standing there. Street smarts… I guess I am…:)mujhse paanga mat lena..
Loved reading this! I’m lazy abt checking receipts
I’m full-time into re-use and recycling too. Accept my friends’ kids’ clothes/toys/books very gratefully, and passing on so much baby gear, managed to also sell our car seat (just wanted to cover the cost of the booster that replaced it), hubby is flabbergasted at all the saving. Why do people want everything new all the time? Now I’m eying my grandma’s furniture…for next year when we should hopefully move. Senti value and it comes with a ‘personality’, instead of getting too much new stuff made.
Me: I am repeating myself but I dont think I can ever shop in a normal retail shop ever. EVER. Ohh grandma’s furniture. Nice.
Btw, tags should be done in the SAME YEAR THEY WERE PASSED ON, comprendo amigo?
Me: I have 2 things on my list. Its going to be done by the end of this week. and if not then by Christmas promise!
You know craigslist is my secret love right?? I bought my entire bedroom furniture off craigslist for about $300. I sold my older sofa set and loads of stuff on it too….
Me: Did you find out about the GW outlet thing? I recently read a blog about this stylist/designer who works on Martha’s show who shops at goodwill..I need to find his blog again.
Here is another tip to save money…all those internet, cable and phone companies you pay to…call up customer service and renegotiate your bill. Usually a threat to move to the competitor’s service has gotten me about $10-$15 off my monthly bill for a year. And when my year is up….I call again!
Me: I do that once in a while
I googled a lot…did not come up with GW outlet anywhere
Maybe it is a secret designers only hangout!! Please send me the blog if you find it…