Man, I love it when I find a
great bargain! It can pretty much make my whole day, maybe even my week. Now,
I’m not talking just a sale where you can save 10, 15 or 20% off. Don’t get me
wrong those are wonderful but I’m talking the REALLY good deals when you find
something on the clearance rack that is 80% off AND you have a coupon for
another discount.
A couple of days ago, I found one of
the best bargains ever, but I’ll get to the details of that in a few minutes.
I am the discount queen when
it comes to saving money & finding bargains. I guess that’s what happens
when you’ve been living on a fairly tight budget for most of your life. Over
the years as I was able to spend a few more dollars, I realized that I relished
the thrill of finding the bargain much more than I enjoyed spending more money.
Years ago, I came across a great pair of boots at Ross (one of my favorite
places, BTW) for $12. I loved them & literally wore the soles out from wearing
them so much.
Lou & I thoroughly enjoy
dressing up on the formal nights when we take cruises. He splurged on a tuxedo about
6 or 7 cruises ago which has turned out to be a real bargain, too. When we have
a cruise booked, I start checking out Ross on Tuesdays several months before we
sail. If you aren’t familiar with Ross, Tuesday is senior day when people 55 &
over get an extra 10% off of already low prices. At last count I have
about ten cocktail or formal dresses in my closet. Not one cost more than $30
& my last one was $12.99. Then I hit the clearance area of DSW (Designer
Show Warehouse) for shoes & purses. Voila, I’m ready for formal night!
Unfortunately, I either need
a bigger closet or I need to stop finding bargains. Hmmm, I think I’ll go with
the bigger closet. J
My latest discovery is shopping at Kohl’s, but don’t ever pay full price. They
have made the rules & I simply play by them. I applied for their credit
card & joined their Rewards program. That often gives me discounts up to
30% when I use my card. Plus I get coupons for $5 off on a $5 purchase & occasionally
even $10 off on $10. Of course, I usually spend a few dollars more but I would
estimate that I have at least 10 – 15 tops that cost me under $5.
But this past Friday was my best ever
success at working the system. This month is my birthday so I received an email
coupon for $10 off to use once during March. A few days later I received a $5
reward from previous purchases. That was followed in another couple of days by
a mailer with another $5 off coupon if I used my Kohl’s charge. There was a one
week period when all three of these discounts were valid. And Kohl’s allows you
to use all of your discounts on top of each other!
I found two long sleeve
Croft & Barrow tops that were on sale for $9.99 each. I pulled out all my
discounts & ended up walking out of the store with both tops for FREE!!! I
didn’t have to spend another penny. Woo Hoo! The guy who rang up the sale said,
“Wow! Great job! You have two cents left.” I told him he could keep that. That
was the first time I came away with two items that were totally free. I decided
that was my birthday gift from Kohl’s. Thank you, Kohl’s!
I just hope they don’t
change their policies anytime soon. My guess is that most people spend much
more when they head to the store with their coupons. But I am damn good at
working the system & playing by the rules that the store sets up. Pardon me
while I give myself a quick pat on the back. J I love the tops but I think I love the fact that
they were the ultimate bargain even more.
My sister-in-law still talks
about several home decorating items she stumbled onto in Montana
Now, please, share a few of
your bargain hunting stories with me. Thanks!
