Craig’s List | The Bargain Junkie

I have been remiss about posting new entries, because I’ve been busy creating a new website. It’s called Annie Korzen.com and is a me me me site describing all the various things I do: write, act, lecture, and teach public speaking. Please check it out.

The average cost of creating a website is about $2,000. I, of course, did it for much less, with a little help from a friend who got low-cost guidance from a cousin who’s a pro. Then I wondered if one could get a site designed for free. I looked on Craigslist.com and sure enough, someone was offering that service. He was a graphics student, and wanted something for his portfolio.

I KIDNEY YOU NOT

Speaking of Craig’s List, last night I gave a Bargain Junkie presentation, and asked the audience if they had scored any fabulous freebies online. One woman told of a friend who had been waiting for a kidney transplant for 6 years, and finally found one FOR FREE ON CRAIG’S LIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some good Samaritan was making an offer she couldn’t refuse. She is now alive and well with a brand new kidney. The donor is now looking for someone who needs a partial liver transplant. It strikes me as a bizarre form of altruism, but why look a gift organ in the mouth?

I live in Los Angeles, where water is scarce and costly. My plants were looking thirsty, and I was advised to put down a three-inch layer of bark mulch to help retain moisture. I have a very large front yard and a smallish back yard, so we’re talking mucho mulch. One bag at the nursery is about six bucks and I needed about 30 bags.

I went on Craig’s List and looked for freebies. Several tree services would deliver, but you had to take an entire truckload. This seemed risky. I had a nightmarish vision of getting a huge mountain of pine chips dumped on my front yard which I would never be able to use. Then I noticed another ad from a private person which said “A tree service dumped a huge mountain of pine chips on my front yard. I will never be able to use it all. Come and take as much as you want.” Perfecto!

We filled our station wagon twice – which barely made a dent in the poor girl’s mountain – and our formerly parched garden is now thriving. What a deal!