Bargain Hunting

I have recently been spurred to attempt more bargain hunting. I am glad I was raised on it! My parents, my mother in particular, are very good about not paying retail if it's not necessary. Growing up, we foraged through thrift stores, regifted, and our favorite stores were Ross and Marshall's- type discount houses. My sister and I developed expert eyes at spotting the Express shirts on clearance for $6, down from the original retail price of $85.

This is not to say my parents are cheap: we will go out to a nice restaurant for dinner at the drop of a hat, for example.

I don't know when I dwindled in my thrifty habits, I think I just got lazy and it was easier to go shopping in downtown Seattle and hit up NY&Co. instead of waiting to drive out to Ross or the Mercer Island Thrift Store, where the wealthy donate their designer goods. :)

Last Friday, I was waiting for my friend Kris in the Lush bath store in downtown Seattle, and I ended up wandering into the Fossil store in the same mall. I had lost my titanium-framed sunglasses in San Diego (big disappointment; I loved those things and I had held on to them for over 5 years), and I wanted new ones. I found a super cute pair for $45, and I bought them.

Later on Friday, I was thinking about it, and realized I probably could have gotten them at Ross for much less. I mulled it over while going snowshoeing on Saturday.

Today, I stopped by a Ross on my way home from Home Depot, and I found a similar pair for$9.

Can you tell which is which?



Okay, so barring the fact that one might assume I took the sunglasses snowshoeing, you might correctly say that I bought the pair on the bottom today for $9, and you would be right. They retailed for $38, according to the tag, and are also Fossil brand.

The lenses are a little bigger than the glasses on top, and I prefer the way the ones on top look on me, but for $36 less I will live with the pair on the bottom!!!

[I also picked up a carry-on size suitcase for $35, marked down from a retail price of $75, at Ross. I had been looking at thrift stores for a while, but this one actually had working hardware and didn't smell weird; a big justification for buying something new, in my book!]