Acquiring Stuff | The Bargain Junkie

FASHIONISTA BARGAINISTA: PART FOUR

November 10, 2009

THRIFT SHOPS: USED IS THE NEW BLACK

I’ve seen TV actresses and models prowling the racks at Goodwill. Most thrift stores have regular sales, senior discounts and 2-for-1 days. My fave is a chain in California and Florida called Out Of The Closet. The proceeds go towards helping Aids patients. (By the way, the Alaska Out Of The Closet Sarah Palin favors is not a thrift shop: it is a for/profit consignment shop that was illegally infringing on my store’s registered trademark.)

Every Sunday at OOTC, many items are reduced to one dollar. Needless to say, I only shop there on Sundays. I get there when the doors open at 10, because the competition is fierce. Here are some of my one-buck treasures:

•   RALPH LAUREN black velvet evening trousers, which I paired with
•   A HARARI silk top when hosting my son’s engagement party.
•   A DIANE VON FURSTENBERG floral wrap dress, which I’ve used so many times that by now each wearing costs about a nickel.
•   Zillions of CP SHADES and CHICO’s separates for those comfy but still-a-little-pretty days.
•   A 1950s smoky mauve lace cocktail dress. I’m still waiting for the right occasion to wiggle into this hot little number. I may have to lose 20 pounds first – and pull in my tummy with the Spanx I bought on Ebay.
•   A WILSON’S tan suede blazer for my husband, Benni. First time out, he managed to dip his sleeve into a bowl of tomato soup, but at these prices, who cares? Dollar clothing gives new meaning to the phrase, “Easy come – easy go.”

And, depending on the salesperson, they sometimes add a 10% senior discount. I’m serious: ninety cents for a suede jacket. I am a frugalista GENIUS!

HOSPITAL AND CHURCH STORES ARE CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP

I was spending a few weeks in New York when the early spring weather suddenly turned unseasonably cold and I hadn’t packed any winter clothes. I wandered into a church thrift store that was having a half-price sale on all winter coats. I found a barely used fur-lined raincoat for ten bucks. That puppy kept me toasty warm while the March winds blew. Yes, I sometimes wear fur. There’s nothing warmer, and down coats makes you look like a king-size duvet on legs. Besides, I eat very little meat.

By Annie Korzen | Posted in Acquiring Stuff | Tagged consignment shops, Goodwill, Shopping, thrift shops | Comments (3)

FRUGAL MOTHER OF THE GROOM

November 3, 2009

When I learned that my son was planning a huge, fancy, formal, black-tie wedding, I started planning the most important feature of the event: my dress. I needed an expensive, designer gown, but wasn’t willing or able to write a fat check for something I would probably never wear again – unless they start giving Oscars to bit players. Then I saw in the L. A. Times Classifieds that the CBS wardrobe department was having a liquidation sale.

I ran over there, and spotted the gown of my dreams. It was turquoise silk, with a sparkling beaded bodice, by the prize-winning Carmen Marc Valvo. It fit like a glove – as long as I didn’t exhale – and the $1200 price tag was still dangling. I got it for twenty bucks. The wedding was fabulous, the gown was a big hit, and the price tag is still dangling inside – in case I ever want to re-sell it.

The only problem was that this was a hot, steamy July day in New York. Even though the venue was air-conditioned, all that weighty beading was a heavy load to carry around during the swing dancing, which is Benni’s favorite. I should have married a slow dance guy. Oh well, nothing’s perfect – and the price was right (of the dress, not Benni).

By Annie Korzen | Posted in Acquiring Stuff | Tagged liquidation sales, Shopping, Stuff, wedding gown | Comments (0)

FASHIONISTA BARGAINISTA: PART THREE

October 10, 2009

THE CHURCH, SCHOOL, OR CHARITY RUMMAGE SALE

It’s large, it’s varied, and prices are rock-bottom. Plus, the money will hopefully be used for a good cause. I say “hopefully” because not every cause is equally dear to my heart. When I questioned the high price of some beat-up Uggs, one lady said “But it’s for charity!” The charity in question was something like The Toy Poodle Society. Not at the top of my must-give-to list.

Like estate sales, rummage sales have special deals on the second day, when they just want to get rid of everything. I walked into a church event last week and they said “Fill a bag for a dollar.” I filled three bags with Bjørn clogs, red lizard Western boots, and the brand new top that I wear on my book cover. Just so you don’t think I’m too greedy, I give away much of this loot to friends and family. And when I realize that I still bought too much, I donate it to my thrift store, or just leave it atop public trash containers for the homeless. Greedy: yes. Wasteful: no.

By Annie Korzen | Posted in Acquiring Stuff | Tagged rummage sales | Comments (0)

BARGAINISTA FASHIONISTA: Part one

September 30, 2009

Have you ever noticed how frumpy some rich women are? I’m thinking Barbara Bush. I’m thinking Margaret Thatcher. I’m thinking Queen Elizabeth. Well, it’s no accident: it’s deliberate. Someone from a ritzy old-money family explained to me that, “Being fashionable shows lack of character.” So now, when I meet some Nouveau Beverly Hills type dressed head-to-toe in Prada-Yada-Yada, I think to myself, “Aha, she lacks character.” And the funny thing is, it usually turns out to be true.

Well, I think I have character but I’m not rich enough to aspire to frumpiness. Sure, I have my dowdy moments of elastic-waist pants and socks with sandals. But I also lust after pretty, stylish things. Lots of them. Here’s how I find them – for next-to-no-money:

YARD – TAG – GARAGE SALES
My addiction began when we moved from New York to Los Angeles. We were invited to our first big-time Hollywood party. There were going to be celebs at this event, and I needed something glitzy. On my way to Loehmann’s in Beverly Hills, I passed by a yard sale and found this fabulous Lillie Rubin jacket covered in sparkly red sequins and beads. The price was twenty bucks and that’s when I decided I would never buy retail again.

By Annie Korzen | Posted in Acquiring Stuff | Comment (1)

FREEBIES: Part Two

September 23, 2009

COUPONS AND SAMPLES
There are zillions of online sites where you can sign on for product coupons or free samples. I don’t do this, because I’m afraid of getting on some mailing list that will send me hundreds of daily messages from Procter and Gamble – which seems a high price to pay for a free packet of shampoo.

Here’s a mysterious fact: for some reason, there are always perfectly good paper clips lying on the sidewalk. Unless you’re germ-phobic – which is one of the few fears I do not have – you can pick up all manner of paper clips in varying sizes and colors any day of the week. And Mother Earth will smile upon you when those babies end up on your desk rather than in the ocean – which is where all street litter ends up.

VIVA LAS VEGAS
If you stay at a hotel in Sin City, chances are you’ll subsequently get some terrific offers. I’m not talking about those high-rollers who get everything comped. I’m just talking about your garden-variety buffet-eating craps-playing tourist. Last year, for our anniversary, our son invited us for a weekend at the Wynn. He joined us, and paid all expenses for two rooms. Six months later, the hotel offered him three free nights plus $150 in chips. He took the offer, and won $1200 in a poker tournament!

By Annie Korzen | Posted in Acquiring Stuff | Comments (0)

FREEBIES: Part One

September 15, 2009

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?

By Annie Korzen | Posted in Acquiring Stuff | Tagged Freebies | Comments (4)

Confessions of a Shopaholic

September 5, 2009

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.