Finding a Steal

I absolutely LOVE hearing from my readers...you ladies are just wonderful! And sometimes you guys just crack me up with what you email me about...but most of the time, the emails deal with frugal finds and decorating. I hear a lot of you say, "I never get that lucky finding stuff at yard sales/junk store/etc..." Well, ladies, neither do I.

There's no luck here...it's pure strategy. Now, my strategy won't necessarily work for you, but it's what has helped me to find so many good deals. Since a lot of you have asked how I find my frugal finds, I thought I'd share some of my strategic tips.

1. Early Bird Gets The Worm

This goes for yard sales and thrift stores.

If you wait to hit a yard sale in the afternoon, chances are that all the "good" stuff is gone. So even if you have to roll out of bed and throw on a baseball cap and a wrinkled t-shirt (oh wait, I just described myself...) You've got to get to those sales early!

2. Know The Retail Price of an Item

I know, you're not shopping retail but knowing the retail price of something helps you to know if the asking price is too much or a steal...plus it can help with bargaining. Sometimes you can get lucky enough that the retail price is still attached to the item. Remember my flower cake stands?? Since I knew the retail price, I knew the $7 asking price was a steal! Of course, there are times that I'm at a yard sale and they're asking X amount for something and that's not much less than the retail...so I remind them of that and ask if they'll come down on their price. Sometimes they do- sometimes they don't.

3. Know What Is Valuable

Not everything I buy at a yard sale or junk store is for me to keep. I've mentioned before that I have a flea market booth with my mom. When we first started it, it was more of something to do on the side that was fun. But now that I've figured out what sells and what doesn't, it has become a good little side income. I know what is rare or at least sellable...so I focus on those things. The internet is the best way to know what something is worth...I always research everything I buy to see how much it's worth. I check several websites- including Ebay or Etsy.

4. Set The Mental Price In Your Mind

If I see something I want, before I even glance at the price I set a mental price. For example, I tell myself I won't pay over $10 for it. If it's under $10, I feel comfortable enough to buy it. If it's over $10, I either ask them to come down or I just walk away. This helps in resisting impulse buys...which I've been known to do and then quickly regret. Remember- there are no returns in the world of junk stores and yard sales!!

5. Look For Potential

Some of my favorite finds were initially hideous, dirty, and damaged. I just look for the item's second life...maybe with a little scrubbing, cleaning, spray paint, or whatever. But don't fall into the trap of "I'm going to fix that up one day" and then accumulate a garage full of junk! I only allow myself 3-4 projects to work on at once, that way I don't get overwhelmed. I get a lot of my second-life ideas from other bloggers, online, or even retail catalogs.

6. Close Replicas

I love retail catalogs like Pottery Barn, but if you know me- you know I'd NEVER pay the prices they ask for things. Remember my office chair? I saved HUNDREDS of dollars by creating a second-life for a chair and it became a very close replica of the PB original. This weekend as I was flipping through the most recent PB catalog, I noticed these beautiful lamps that looked very familiar...

that's because I owned them-- or at least a close replica.

Remember this frugal find from Craig's List??

I loved everything about this lamp- the iron base, scroll design, and double lamp.

So unique and so pretty!

And SO worth the $10 I paid!

Now look how close these PB lamps look to my CL lamp...





The lamp shades are available in the same color as my CL lamp.




Remember, I paid $10 for mine. PB is asking $110.









Folks, I saved $100!!














So those are just a few my strategic tips...




I have tons more but those are the ones that work for me the best.




What tips do you have??




Or better yet, what frugal find questions do you have?


I love hearing from you guys!