More Or Less

I've been buying clothes for my granddaughters since they've been born- I probably send a box every 6 weeks or so. Shoes, pants, socks - you name it. One of the reasons I do it is clothing here is weirdly inexpensive so the $20 dollar Carters pjs are only $5 - or less - here. I like to feel like I'm helping since I can't be there physically, I feel a little bit more involved. But the other part of it - is the thrill of the chase. I LOVE a good bargain and will brag on it endlessly. I bought two pairs of toddler boots originally priced at $28 a pair - I got both for $13. Pants? Three bucks a piece, 7 onsies for 6 dollars....winter coats, 6.99 apiece.

Part of this is just me, I've always shopped the outlets and sales, I know where all the bargin bins are. When I first started with Bayada as a clincial manager back in the Poconos I didn't have any office wear - not a  problem. My friend Liz came up and we hit the Cold Water Creek outlet's clearance rack - I got my first wardrobe for under $30. I tried on everything that even looked remotedly ok, Liz turned it all inside out to make sure the irregulars were fixable.  And most things ARE fixable or actually not a problem. Our current dining room set was originally $700, we got it for $75 because of a "missing part". We discovered the missing part was a seat from one of the 8 chairs, whatever! We have happily lived without the 8th chair for a few years now.

I'm constantly sifting through the clearance racks, whether it's in Home Depot or Old Navy - why pay $1300 for a perfect vanity when you can pay $300 for one with a little ding in the corner? I guess part of what makes me sucessful is I'm willing to put up with a little imperfection - I don't have  to have the perfect stove  - a little ding in the back isn't going to hurt anyone. We stock pile too - I've been buying winter  and fall clothes for the girls, it will fit them in the fall. We just bought a sink and vanity from Lowes this morning, originally $200, we paid $25. Granted, the top may not be fixable, but the rest of it is fine -we can get a sink that fits for about $35 which pushes us up to what, $60? Still $140 less than we would have paid for a perfect one. So, I guess my advice to those who want to save money - you need to look, you can buy ahead and stop being so picky! Perfect only lasts about a week if you think about it, the day you wear, plug in, use, etc... you make it imperfect. But if you got at 80% off, you'll feel like it's not such a big deal, after all you didn't pay that much for it, did you?