Random Tips | The Bargain Junkie

Sep152009

FREEBIES: Part One

I do love a low price, and you can’t get lower than Zero. The good news is that there are a gazillion cool items out there that are just yours for the taking: everything from moving boxes to mature trees. And we all know how irritating immature trees can be.

The enlightened folks who donate these freebies realize that it makes more sense to give something away rather than dump it in the landfill. So when you take someone’s electric juicer, you are not just being thrifty: you are protecting the environment. Frugaholics tend to think green.

CRAIG’S LIST

This is a great source of free stuff of all kinds.

“Barbie doll house, made of wood, hundreds of small toys inside, with Barbies. Adding a little bike also.”
“‘60’S VINTAGE BRIDAL GOWN”
“One green round plastic patio table w/4 chairs”
“Free Paint Cans: Black, Light yellow, Aztek orange, Light green, Deep maroon/red”

Occasionally, the offerings get a little bizarre.

“I have the following items in size medium”
5 thongs (white, red, black, pink, purple)
10 half slip s(2 white, beige, pink, purple, baby blue, 2 black, red, dark blue)
8 bras (same color as slips)
3 garter belts (black, white, red)
1 corset in white.”

Or, on a different note:

“HORSE MANURE YOU HAUL ANY AMOUNT”

I check these listings regularly, because you never know when I might need some horse manure – or a white corset.

In Los Angeles, people often leave unwanted goods at the side of the road. I am still enjoying two patio lounge chairs that I found that way. Over the years, we have picked up all kinds of useful items – including a box of picture frames, and a dozen bamboo plants. But I kept on driving past an overstuffed sofa, because bedbugs are one of my many phobias – along with crowded elevators and foggy plane landings.

LOCAL PUBLICATIONS

Most cities have periodicals that take free ads for goods being sold or given away. In Los Angeles, we have The Pennysaver and The Recycler. I use them all the time: both for selling and buying.

GIGOIT

This is a terrific website with a difficult name where individuals list things they want to get rid of. You just enter your Zip code, see what’s being giving away in your area, and start hauling.

“Ex Wife’s Mikasa dishes: White with a grey and black edge pattern – service for 8 the whole set is yours for the asking”
“Litter Box Trained Bunny: it runs around the house like (with) your cat and uses a litter box. Comes with hay, feed and cord protectors to a loving home. She is friendly, fixed and healthy.”
“39 unused Australia/New Zealand postcards: Unused postcards, good for an art project or to send notes.”

I find the first two items very tempting. I don’t need dishes or a house-trained bunny, but what great deals! Not sure about the last one. Do I really want to drive five miles for 39 Australia/New Zealand postcards?

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Sep072009

RESTAURANTS: Part One

By Annie Korzen | September 7, 2009 | Posted in Life-Style | Tagged cheap eats, food, restaurants | Comments (0)

I often picture myself as a guest on “Inside the Actor’s Studio,” and when James Lipton asks, “What is your favorite word?” my answer is “Restaurant!” I would pay extra for a house without a kitchen. I love eating out. I love the whole ritual of studying the menu, hearing the specials, and sampling tastes of other people’s dishes. I particularly love the fact that I can enjoy all this deliciousness without having done any of the work.

CHEAP EATS: GO ETHNIC

Eating out doesn’t have to break the bank or expand your waistline. My dream restaurant is a small family-run ethnic place where the chef is the owner’s grandmother. The food is tasty, exotic, and cheap. Every city has these treasures. (If you live in an area where there is no immigrant population, I suggest you move.)

In Los Angeles alone, I’ve enjoyed fabulous Persian, Armenian, Polish, Greek, Cuban, and Thai feasts for under twenty-five bucks – with enough leftovers for dinner the next two nights. That’s actually cheaper than cooking at home. Many of these places don’t have liquor licenses and allow you to bring your own wine or beer – which is another saving.

When our son got married in New York, we had to host a dinner for a gaggle of visiting Danes. We took seventeen people to a Vietnamese place in Chinatown and had a large variety of soups, spring rolls, seafood, chicken and noodle dishes for a total cost of two hundred and fifty dollars.

I’ve celebrated my birthday for the last few years by getting a private room in a Los Angeles Chinese restaurant. We invite a bunch of friends, plan the menu beforehand, and supply our own candles, flowers, and wine. We also bring in a portable CD player to create a mellow, jazzy ambience. It’s a yummy spread for a dozen people that costs a few hundred bucks. And I don’t have to do the dishes afterwards.

By Annie Korzen | Posted in Life-Style | Tagged cheap eats, food, restaurants | Comments (0)

Sep052009

Things You’ll Never Hear Me Say

By Annie Korzen | September 5, 2009 | Posted in This ‘N That | Tagged Humor | Comments (0)

• “I have to have it – no matter what it costs.”

• “I couldn’t possibly wear that. It’s last year’s style!”

• “You get what you pay for.”

• ”He who dies with the most toys wins.”

• “I can’t wait for the big game. What time is it on?

(This last one has nothing to do with thrifty living. It’s just something you’ll never hear me say.)

By Annie Korzen | Posted in This ‘N That | Tagged Humor | Comments (0)

Sep052009

Confessions of a Shopaholic

By Annie Korzen | September 5, 2009 | Posted in Acquiring Stuff | Tagged Shopping, Stuff | Comments (7)

They’ve done some scientific studies recently on the causes of happiness. (I guess they’re looking for a cure.) It seems that it’s not wealth, or celebrity. Happiness comes from spending time with friends and family; people that you care about, and who care about you. Personally, I’d rather be rich and famous – but while I’m waiting for that to happen I’m lucky enough to have a lot of love in my life. But luv, shmuv: my name is Annie and I’m a shopaholic.

Years ago, I was at a dinner party in New York and I was talking to Garrison Keillor’s then-wife, who was Danish. She told me how insulted she was that her new American friends invited her to go shopping. “Shopping? Why? Is there something wrong with the way I dress?” Poor dear. This no-nonsense, sensible Scandinavian didn’t understand that, for some of us, shopping is a form of recreation – even of meditation. I wander through the racks, I feel the fabrics, I study the price tags, I reach Nirvana.

I guess shopping fills some emptiness in me that I’m not even aware of. I’m happiest when I come home with bags full of cashmere sweaters, vintage jewelry, antique linens – whatever. My dresser is crammed, my closets are stuffed, and my rooms are filled to the brim with artsy collectibles and rare first editions. Being surrounded by Stuff gives me a feeling of security. I could never be comfortable in a bare, spare, stark environment. Empty spaces give me the creeps, and so do the people who live in them. Minimalists tend not to have warm and huggy personalities.

There’s just one little problem: I have no money. Somehow I managed to get through the booming ‘80’s and the rockin’ 90’s without stocks, bonds, real estate, or a 401K. Maybe that’s because I’ve never had a real job. I’ve only worked at fun things like acting, writing, performing solo shows, mothering and nap-taking: not a good way to build an investment portfolio. But I discovered that you don’t have to break the bank to live a good life.