Saving Money is Easy
Sunday, July 11, 2010 at 4:22PM Saving money is something I think I can excel at, it's a great skill to have when you love to shop, like I do. Recently my best friend Dani and I have been out and about quite a lot, thrifting and shopping the clearance section at Ikea for great deals. I'm so excited about some of the great deals I have gotten lately, I wanted to share my finds and hopefully give some great tips so you can all save money also!
The clearance section at Ikea is one of the hidden gems of the Swedish box store. Ikea is fairly cheap anyway, especially during one of their special sales. I love Ikea, I admit it, even if it is a design no no.
"And I wasn't the only slave to my nesting instinct. The people I know who used to sit in the bathroom with pornography, now they sit in the bathroom with their IKEA furniture catalogue. ~Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club, Chapter 5"
I never want my house to look like the catalog of any store, so I pick up bits and pieces everywhere. As you all know, I've recently gotten more fired up about getting my house properly decorated. Now that Coraline is older, I have the little bit of extra time to take on some projects. So, Ikea is an obvious choice for a family on a budget.
Every Ikea has an "As Is" section, I have shopped at Ikea in Burbank, Ca, Pittsburgh, Pa, Long Island, NY, South Philadelphia, PA and here in Stoughton, MA. The "As Is" section is always located somewhere near the checkout, after the aisle upon aisles of boxed goods. It's out of the way, you wouldn't go unless you knew it was there, I suggest stopping there every time you go. In the past I have walked through Ikea and found the furniture I wanted, dressers, night tables, kitchen tables, and then found them in the As Is section, usually for more then 50% off the retail price. Mostly the stuff is either a return or something from the showroom. Sometimes there will be a scratch or a weird sticker but nothing that isn't easily fixed.
Here are the things I have gotten in the past week…..
This table mirror is pretty awesome, it has a little dish at the bottom for my hair ties and one side of the mirror is magnified. Every girl should have a magnified mirror for plucking eyebrows!
It retails for $14.99
I got it for $3
Savings of $12
These two wooden magazine files had little sticker tags where Ikea attaches their info in the showroom.
Retails $9.99
I got it for $2
Savings $8
This frame had nothing wrong with it, it's one of the higher end Ikea frames. It has real glass and nicer wood. We got two, 19 x 27 and 11x 15, both with mats!
11x 15 Retails $14.99
19x 27 Retails $29.99
I got them for $5 and $10.
Savings of $29.98
Again, these curtains are a higher end of Ikea item, they are made of heavy cotton and lined with a thinner cotton. They are fabulous, they block out the sun in our living room so we don't have to squint to see the television in the middle of the day.
Retails $59.99 a set
I got them for $6 a set
Savings of $53.99
Pretty awesome right? I am fairly pleased with my savings of $103.97.
Also this week I was thrift store shopping a ton. We happened to find an awesome thrift store near Ikea, which is about 45 min from our house. So, it's not easy to get to, but the fact that we have been back 3 times in a week says a lot.
I think the key to finding a great thrift store is finding something that is not over picked, someplace that gets a quick turn around and new stuff daily and a great staff. This thrift store has all of those things. We originally went in because I was looking for a thirsted dresser, since my old Ikea dresser has started really falling apart. I wanted quality. They had tons of furniture but nothing that really caught my eye that day. The girl working assured me they got stuff in all the time so we put it on our calendar to go back.
A few days ago we made it back to the thrift store, I knew they would have something for me. I was totally right in so many ways. Our plan was to shop and then head to the beach, although which beach we didn't plan out. Dani bought an amazing Haywood Wakefield desk for $175 and a 1960's Lane cedar chest for $25. I picked out a really charming armoire in place of said Ikea dresser, for $50 with a pair of vintage octagon sunglasses thrown in to seal the deal. While shopping and talking to the owner he realized we were going to the beach. When I asked him for a recommendation he told me that he lived on the beach and we should head over that way. I thanked him for the tip. While we were checking out he wrote down his address and told us we could park at his house. He said he would call his wife and let her know. We thought it was super nice but didn't realize just how nice until we arrived to see that he literally lived at the beach. Not only did it give us a sweet spot, steps away from the beach but we didn't have to park in a public lot or deal with the public area of the beach. See, finding a good thrift store can pay off in more ways then one!
Reader Comments (2)
Such good deals! I'll be sure to check it out next time i can make it to Ikea!
sooo wish there was an Ikea near us! Love those curtains... yes, thrift store shopping is awesome! you can save a ton if you take the time to look around.