Good deals you found

[NW-Bound]

This is about anything that you run across that's a good deal. It could be a clearance sales, a promotional sales, a bargain found at Goodwill or a garage sales, etc... The idea is to show that by keeping an eye out for bargains, you can reap some savings without reducing your standard of living any.

I will start first. This good deal is even free!

We were taking a walk around the neighborhood as we do everyday. Saw a wireless router that a neighbor put out in his front yard near the curb. It looked complete with 3 antennas and the AC power adapter.

I am working on an electronics home project that will eventually involve a homebrew wireless link, and I will need some antennas. These are cheap from China, but then I will have to wait 6 weeks for them. I can use the antennas, and the power adapter will be useful for some electronics projects later. Maybe I would open up the router to see how they build new electronics.

Told my wife that on the way back from the walk, if it's still there I would get it. And it was, so I took it home.

Upon close examination, it looked brand new. Maybe it still worked. So, I plugged it in and configured it using the downloaded manual from the manufacturer Web site. Son of a gun! The thing still worked.

This router is not the latest, and perhaps the neighbor upgraded and put it out as a freebie. It's only AC1300 with dual bands, but that's still better than my current router. Current price is $99 on the Web.

I should replace my current router with this. Will find time to do this today.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

That is a good find on the router. Some of my freebies and bargains for the past month or so:

Won 2 tickets to see Bright Star, the Steve Martin and Edie Brickell touring play
Used our $9.95 movie passes (a movie a day for $9.95 a month)
We went to an assortment of live events on seat filler tickets
We lost the charger for a gutter blower appliance. I was going to order a new blower but asked the company if I could just buy the charger and they are sending one for free.

 

[Scuba]

Neighborhood book swaps are great. Take a book, leave a book, or both. All free.

 

[Janet H]

90% off of Staub porcelain covered cast iron cookware. I've wandered into the local Tuesday Morning store every few months for several years and for all those years they've had the same 6 pieces of Staub on the shelf behind the register where you couldn't really see them. A few days ago I was back in the store and the pans were gone. I commented about this and the checker said "oh we had a few pieces left that didn't really sell and so we put them on the clearance isle" Ha! There were 3 pans sitting on the discount shelf. Awesome find and finished up my Christmas shopping. $37 for 3 Staub dutch ovens.

 

[sheldon cornped]

One morning some years ago when I was still w*rking and on the way to w*rk, I saw what looked like a perfectly good Weber grill that someone put out on the street for garbage pickup. It had a very tiny rust spot on the bottom next to the vent. I loaded up and took it back to the house. We used it for 12 years before it finally gave out.

 

[Bruceski44]

I just got a dollar-for-dollar match for my donation to the USO! But maybe that's not what you meant.

 

[CoolRich59]

This is about anything that you run across that's a good deal. It could be a clearance sales, a promotional sales, a bargain found at Goodwill or a garage sales, etc...

Goodwill is a gold mine for me.

I am a fan of Tommy Bahama shirts, but balk at spending $100+ for them.

I have gotten several very nice Tommy Bahama shirts at my local Goodwill for $6 or $7 each.

The last time I went in, I found a couple of Tommy Bahama shirts and a nice Greg Norman "golf" shirt. Total cost: $23. When I was checking out the clerk even commented that I had great taste.

 

[Dawg52]

I pay top dollar for everything. Even stocks.....buy high sell low. Born loser.

I did find a good deal on a wine bottle painting replica not long ago at Bed Bath. I've been looking for a nice painting for my den but haven't found what I'm looking for. Something golf related. Anyway, saw this picture some time ago for around $100 and happened to stumble onto it in a close out pile a couple of weeks ago. Got if for $27. Fits the space perfectly and looks nice. Probably thousands of this same picture out there, but it's works for now. Still looking for the perfect golf painting tho.

 

[folivier]

Out for our morning walk a while back saw an old pipe wrench with a wooden handle in a neighbors trash. Picked it up on the way back and made a great house warming gift for a friend who collects old tools.

 

[JPatrick]

Our GM card gave me $100 to spend at any GM dealer for service, parts and/or accessories. Gave the beast a real treat yesterday changing oil, 3 filters, new wiper blades and tire rotation. Nice.

 

[Sunset]

My Internet went from $35 to $55 per month.
So I looked around and found Xfinity for $20/mo for 12 months.

I sent email to my provider with a screenshot of the offer, but they wouldn't match it, so I switched.

 

[travelover]

I like to poke around at garage sales. Depending on who is doing the pricing there can be some real bargains. I bought a trailer hitch ball mount and ball, like new for $1. Also bought a new model boat motor for 50 cents in the original box. I put it on eBay and sold it for about $60. At Habitat ReStore, I bought a 6 circuit transfer switch (to power the house from a generator) for $30. These sell for about $250.

The thrill is in the hunt.

 

[Scuba]

I like to poke around at garage sales. Depending on who is doing the pricing there can be some real bargains. I bought a trailer hitch ball mount and ball, like new for $1. Also bought a new model boat motor for 50 cents in the original box. I put it on eBay and sold it for about $60. At Habitat ReStore, I bought a 6 circuit transfer switch (to power the house from a generator) for $30. These sell for about $250.

The thrill is in the hunt.

Impressive!

 

[brucethebroker]

Found a beat up sterling silver creamer/sugar combo at Goodwill for $1.38. Worth about $90 as scrap silver.
Found a mid-70's era pair of Levis mens bell bottom jeans, new with tags. $5 at Salvation Army. Sold them to a collector for $75.
Found a "cruiser" bicycle, like new, but had two flat tires and a "dog chewed" pedal. $1 at a yard sale. Pumped up the tires and gave it to DGD.
Found a set of 1988 Corvette official GM shop manuals for $2, also at a yard sale. Resold on ebay, $100.

 

[Cayman]

90% off of Staub porcelain covered cast iron cookware. I've wandered into the local Tuesday Morning store every few months for several years and for all those years they've had the same 6 pieces of Staub on the shelf behind the register where you couldn't really see them. A few days ago I was back in the store and the pans were gone. I commented about this and the checker said "oh we had a few pieces left that didn't really sell and so we put them on the clearance isle" Ha! There were 3 pans sitting on the discount shelf. Awesome find and finished up my Christmas shopping. $37 for 3 Staub dutch ovens.

What? $37? Amazing

 

[Cayman]

Fun thread.

An Electra Townie bike w/internal hub, basically new for $270 ($700+ model). Craigslist deal, and it was legit (not stolen, I checked w/ local sherif's office). A Great ride

 

[skipro33]

I was garage sale hunting one day and came across an old woman who was selling off some of her first husband's stuff that her second husband was wanting her to get rid of. I recognized a holster for a pistol as being a German Nazi holster in near perfect condition. I asked her what she wanted for it and she said $25. I gave her $50. She looked at me and asked me to follow her inside. She took me to the attic and said I could have all the rest of it for another $50. I ended up with a Colt 45 Model 1911 government issue, a German lugar, a German officer side arm of some sort and a Mauser broom handle. The 45 came with 7 clips that were half blue and with lanyard rings. I even got over 500 rounds of original ammo for the 45 as well. None of this may mean much to folks who don't know firearms, but the original holster alone I was offered $500 from my local gun store. The lady was happy her husband's stuff was going to someone who knew the history behind the pieces. Every one of the guns had matching serial #'s as well. I never sold any of these guns, but I did mount the 45 and the luger in a nice shadow box that hung on my wall.

 

[FrankiesGirl]

I'm a goodwill fiend now.

Pair of high dollar womens jeans that apparently retail for like $80: paid $1.50 and they were new with tags.

Professionally framed (with hand cut wooden frame triple custom cut mats and anti glare glass) art print signed in pencil by the artist and numbered. Looked it up online and it's worth over $150 for the print alone (beautiful winter scene that is out of print and was done in low numbers). Paid $6.

Numerous vintage or vintage looking teeshirts with various cool comic characters of graphics or actual concert tees for bands we've seen and in most cases attended that tour. Pay $1-$2. I've been stopped on the street by people wanting to know where I got a shirt I'm wearing, and husband has had a waiter offer to buy a shirt he was wearing it was so nifty (apparently it was rare?)

Husband has picked up so many CDs and movies that are either in perfect condition or brand new for under $4 (most CDs end up being $1). His biggest score was the metal tin boxed set for Band of Brothers (it looked new) for $4, and Criterion editions (new, still shrink-wrapped) for Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) both $1 each.

I do a big Halloween display and try to source building materials or decor from yard sales and curb findings and one craigslist posting I scored really big. Free on the curb, vintage blow molds! I literally stopped in the middle of dinner and told the husband to watch the oven and raced over there. I got three beautiful and rare to me Halloween themed blow molds - purple witch, large ghost holding a pumpkin and a caped vampire for FREEEEE! I could resell any one of those for like $30 easy on my Halloween exchange... not that I'm going to.

 

[SheitlQueen]

I was garage sale hunting one day and came across an old woman who was selling off some of her first husband's stuff that her second husband was wanting her to get rid of. I recognized a holster for a pistol as being a German Nazi holster in near perfect condition. I asked her what she wanted for it and she said $25. I gave her $50. She looked at me and asked me to follow her inside. She took me to the attic and said I could have all the rest of it for another $50. I ended up with a Colt 45 Model 1911 government issue, a German lugar, a German officer side arm of some sort and a Mauser broom handle. The 45 came with 7 clips that were half blue and with lanyard rings. I even got over 500 rounds of original ammo for the 45 as well. None of this may mean much to folks who don't know firearms, but the original holster alone I was offered $500 from my local gun store. The lady was happy her husband's stuff was going to someone who knew the history behind the pieces. Every one of the guns had matching serial #'s as well. I never sold any of these guns, but I did mount the 45 and the luger in a nice shadow box that hung on my wall.

Major score!

 

[daylatedollarshort]

My best find at a thrift shop was a glass top office desk for $30 that sold for around $250 online. Second best was probably a wrought iron patio table and chairs for around $35. Once I went to a garage sale where a very nice woman with good taste in accessories but clearly some shopping issues was selling all sorts of purses and backpacks, most barely used and many new with the tags still on, so I bought around 10 for $1 each. I only use one or two purses at at time and backpacks only occasionally so I remember thinking I won't have to buy another purse or backpack for a decade or more.

 

[txtig]

Eggs $0.49/dozen at Buc-ee’s. Who doesn’t love Buc-ee’s?

 

[REWahoo]

Eggs $0.49/dozen at Buc-ee’s. Who doesn’t love Buc-ee’s?

Eggs $0.49/doz, gasoline $1.95/gal and everything else priced twice the going rate!

 

[CaptTom]

You guys are leading me astray! I weaned myself off garage sales and thrift shops, and have started down the other side of the slope with de-cluttering.

But I do have a good story from my days of poverty. I was re-finishing my kitchen, which was probably very nice when it was built 50+ years before, but was really bad by then.

I looked out the window and saw a truck going by with a kitchen counter in the back. The dump was in that direction, and it was Saturday morning. I followed the truck, and sure enough, they were getting rid of it

It fit my kitchen almost perfectly, I just had to straighten out one wall a little. The only blemish was right underneath the dish drainer next to the sink, so it never saw the light of day anyway.

That was probably over 25 years ago. Last year I totally rebuilt the kitchen from the floor joists (which I also replaced) up.

Of course, while I was doing that I needed a place to cook, so I set up a temporary kitchen in a back room. Using - you guessed it - the same counter. This time I had to cut it down some.

Now, that back kitchen is slowly being turned into a nice bar. Basically a 4th life for that countertop.

 

[Sunset]

I was garage sale hunting one day and came across an old woman who was selling off some of her first husband's stuff that her second husband was wanting her to get rid of. I recognized a holster for a pistol as being a German Nazi holster in near perfect condition. I asked her what she wanted for it and she said $25. I gave her $50. She looked at me and asked me to follow her inside. She took me to the attic and said I could have all the rest of it for another $50. I ended up with a Colt 45 Model 1911 government issue, a German lugar, a German officer side arm of some sort and a Mauser broom handle. The 45 came with 7 clips that were half blue and with lanyard rings. I even got over 500 rounds of original ammo for the 45 as well. None of this may mean much to folks who don't know firearms, but the original holster alone I was offered $500 from my local gun store. The lady was happy her husband's stuff was going to someone who knew the history behind the pieces. Every one of the guns had matching serial #'s as well. I never sold any of these guns, but I did mount the 45 and the luger in a nice shadow box that hung on my wall.

What an amazing deal.

 

[CoolRich59]

Depending on who is doing the pricing there can be some real bargains.

Early in our marriage, my DW had a garage sale. At one point during the day, she needed to run an errand and put me in charge.

When she got back I proudly told her I had sold the wooden lawn chairs.

"They weren't for sale", she said.

"How much did sell them for?"

"A dollar each", I replied.

"We paid $75 each for them".

She made sure one of her sisters helped at the next garage sale.