TIGHTWAD TUESDAY: Clearance, Closeouts, Damaged and Seasonal

To be certain, I am always looking for a bargain, and sometimes they are right under my nose.  Working in a garden center has its perks and knowing when things go on sale is one of them.  Recently, my job has included the task of loading all the damaged bags of soil and mulch on pallets (originally stacked about knee high, but now it is about half that), writing down the UPC code and count, then wrapping the whole mess in shrink wrap and labeling it with a bulk price.  The main catch is that there is usually a mix of organic and chemical enhanced products on the same pallet.  Since Anna and I are both determined to keep our operation organic, this poses a problem.
 

Friday, we had a pallet of nothing but natural forest product mulch.  Needless to say, at the current price of $5 for the lot, I bought it.  As you can see from the picture, there weren't many bags (actually, there were four but one is hiding behind the others), though they were large bags.  Considering that the already discounted regular price averaged $3 each, it wasn't a bad deal, though not spectacular.  Sunday we had one of the taller pallets remaining, with only one bag of chemical laden garden soil among the large pile of organic stuff.  For $5 you can bet I bought it, and proceeded to stuff it in the back of my Jeep Cherokee Sport.  Quite a load for the little Jeep but I got here with the load and everything intact.

While I was loading my pile of bargains, I was also running the numbers in my head.  The lot turned out to be about a $50 value even based on the already marked down price.  These things make me smile, and also get me thinking of things that I normally do without thinking.  Things like watching for seasonal markdowns at a variety of business types (and it is the season for markdowns on garden center items). 

Seasonal markdowns are only the beginning, and pick a season, any season with its own corresponding items and you will find something being marked down.  Of course, as already mentioned, there are damage markdowns.  These are an unlimited source of tightwad resources.  Anything that can be damaged and remain potentially usable is fair game.  Building materials and tools are always fun ones for me.  While we are at it, lets not forget about clearance items that may be old but still good, or in many cases, just not selling as fast as anticipated.  And of course there are the closeouts, which are, more often than not, perfectly fine, their only flaw being that the new/updated model has just arrived and room has to be made.

To any tightwad, such bargains are a wonderful way to get what is needed and keep the money in the budget for------ well------ all the other things that are needed (or even an occasional "just because I want to moment").  However (and it is a big HOWEVER), there is a danger to this wondrous practice.  It can be just as addictive as dumpster diving and road scavenging (both topics for later posts).  The trick is to keep a focus on what IS needed and what is just cheap.  Example: a $100 pair of golf shoes for $2 would be cheap, and for some it would truly be a bargain, but for me, it would be $2 badly wasted on something that would lay around in the way until it turned to dust.  Point being, it is only a bargain if you need it or can make a profit on it, no matter how cheap it is.  Yes, I do mean even if it is free.  If they pay you to take it, on the other hand, it could still work out well.

So keep an eye out for those seasonal/clearance/closeout/damaged markdowns, enjoy the bargains and live well.

(DF) SATURDAY AUCTION.....a tightwad's tale of bargains, breaking even and lousey weather reports

With spring approaching and time moving on, as it does, the new goat pasture fence is long past due. Problem is that fencing material is rather pricey. Being a confirmed tightwad, I will only pay full price if I absolutely have to, so I am always looking for a bargain. Anna and I have also been thinking of rabbits and she needs a goose to go with her gander. Add to these considerations the trailer I've been trying to sell for some time now with no results and the auction seemed the most reasonable answer.

The auction in question is located about fifty miles from my place and is held every first Saturday. They take consignments of poultry and other small animals, equipment and vehicles, and miscellaneous. Miscellaneous in this case means just about anything that can be hauled in and placed in rows in a twenty acre field. Keep in mind that prices at auctions are not always cheap, so be careful.

With a good weather forecast for the weekend, I took the trailer on Thursday and signed it in for sale and made plans to return for the auction on Saturday. Though we had heavy rain Friday night, the forecast for Saturday was warm and sunny with a light breeze. So far so good, right?

Saturday morning was warm (about fifty degrees), though still overcast. Running a little late and in a hurry, I made the first mistake of the day........... I set out wearing a light jacket, forgetting my heavy coat entirely. While still on the road, it began to rain lightly, but there was still hope that the lingering clouds would clear out soon.

Arriving at the auction, I immediately found that there were no geese, no rabbits of the type we had hoped to acquire and very little else in the way of poultry and small animals. Yes, that was disappointing. The next disappointment came when I found that a large pile of fence posts had already sold.

By this time, the temperature was cooling down and a cold, damp north wind had begun to blow. So much for a warm, sunny Saturday, but I was determined to make the best of it. The rest of the day was spent running back and forth between four auctioneers on all sides of the auction yard, in an attempt to avoid missing any good deals. Of course I did miss some good deals, but not all of them.

At the end of the day, I left the auction with fence posts and wire, enough cash from sale of the trailer to break even (had really hoped to make a profit), and a chill that had me shivering for hours, from the damp, cold wind (the temperature had already dropped to about forty degrees).

As you can see from the picture, the pile of fence material is not big enough to be impressive. However, it does represent a savings of over $200 compared to new price. All in all, not a bad day for a tightwad.