Bargain hunting is an art with a bit of luck thrown in (so ok, a lot of luck helps!). I shop at garage sales, church and school rummage sales, and resale/thrift shops. I look for retail store sales and never pass up a freebie.
Garage sales rock! I guess we are lucky to live in an area where sales are plentiful during the warmer months. Finding new things in original packaging is rare but not impossible. I also snatch up anything in like new condition.
I got Beth this Little Mermaid tote for only $1. It's in like new condition without the tags. I figured it would be the perfect beach bag for swim wear and towel. Ariel happens to be her favorite Disney Princess so this was a great find.
We have two thrift shops within 10 miles from our home. I occasionally am able to find some clothes for the grandkids but nothing in the line of toys. In fact one shop completely quit selling toys because customers were using the store as a play area and it was chaos. Can't blame the store for this decision but it's a bummer for me.
I love church and school rummage sales. Although I found very little in the line of gifts last year I did get some nice items to list on Ebay and Etsy.
Retail store sales are great if you happen to be in the right place at the right time. I was lucky enough to hit the 80% off rack at Target a month ago - Wullie will be getting pajamas and a couple zipped sweatshirts with hoods for his birthday.
FREE is the magic word. We never pass up a freebie (with the exception of pets). I posted about the wonderful books we got off Freecycle.org recently. Another website I have been using these past few months is totallyfreecrap.com. There is no guarantee you will receive the item you sign up for but I feel it's worth taking a chance. So far I have gotten three items - a baby bowl from Beechnut with cereal coupon, a baseball cap from Ridgid and a knit winter hat from Mikita - very nice items.
The other day Grandpa came home from work with this candy dispenser full of chocolate covered peanuts. It was from a temp agency. I was really amazed - it's the nicest freebie he has ever received. Usually sales reps will give a small bag of candy or popcorn - never anything that nice. Maybe, it is a sign of the times - as the economy worsens salesmen are working harder to attract business. We decided it would make a great birthday gift for Wullie - he can't read yet so who cares about the advertisement on the top. And every little three year old needs to be hyped up on sugar on his birthday - right? The little football was also an advertising freebie from a shipping company - we are saving it for Wullie's Easter basket.
As long as our grandchildren are young our frugal shopping strategy has worked wonderfully. The kids don't want anything in particular - they are just very happy with what they receive. And with two sets of Grandparents and many aunts and uncles they get plenty. They have no clue what lucky children they are. As Grandparents we must teach them to appreciate their many blessings.
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