All Hail Cheap Bastards!

[Rufusboi]

Our cheap Bastid story

Once a year we go to a booksale. It is a 4 day booksale. Each day the books get cheaper. On the 4th day you can buy a large paper bag for $15. We make sure we cram at least 30 books into this bag so our books are no more than 50 cents each. Yes, we count them and make sure we have a minimum of 30 before we leave.

Our cheapest by far haul of books though was a three day library sale. On day three you pay a $1 a bag. We can cram a lot of books in a cheap plastic grocery sack for a buck. Granted you have the leftovers but whose complaining. Not us. I was impressed by a woman at this sale last year. She had five little kids. She bought about 10 bags and crammed them full of children's books. She pretty much cleared the children's book table. I think she probably ended up with about $1000 of children's books for $10. I bet that woman has some great cheap bastid stories.


Rufus

[suebee]

Originally Posted by Rufusboi

Our cheap Bastid story

Once a year we go to a booksale. It is a 4 day booksale. Each day the books get cheaper. On the 4th day you can buy a large paper bag for $15. We make sure we cram at least 30 books into this bag so our books are no more than 50 cents each. Yes, we count them and make sure we have a minimum of 30 before we leave.

Our cheapest by far haul of books though was a three day library sale. On day three you pay a $1 a bag. We can cram a lot of books in a cheap plastic grocery sack for a buck. Granted you have the leftovers but whose complaining. Not us. I was impressed by a woman at this sale last year. She had five little kids. She bought about 10 bags and crammed them full of children's books. She pretty much cleared the children's book table. I think she probably ended up with about $1000 of children's books for $10. I bet that woman has some great cheap bastid stories.


Rufus

That would almost pay for the trip to Texas to to to the sale!

I've gone to book sales like that. Day three. As many bagfuls as I could manage. I STILL haven't read all the books from that first sale 10 years ago. I'm learning to be a little less "enthusiastic".

And guess what everyone got for Christmas that year!

[suebee]

So far Odarlin's tale of Cheap Bastidism wins. I'll be letting you know what the prize is the day after garbage pickup.

[Odarlin]

Originally Posted by cybersuebee

So far Odarlin's tale of Cheap Bastidism wins. I'll be letting you know what the prize is the day after garbage pickup.

Originally Posted by cybersuebee

Well I refuse to hire professionals to do anything around the house unless I absolutely can't do it. So I do most of my electrical work myself. Which isn't so much cheap-bastardy as thrifty IMO. The part that makes it worthwhile though is making it dangerous when it doesn't have to be. In MY family we prefer to do work with the breakers ON, 'cause where's the challenge otherwise? The question we ask each other is not IF you got shocked, but how many times. Hey! I don't drink, don't smoke......gotta get my thrills somewhere don't I?

So far, I think using electrical power for cheap thrills wins!
How hardcore is that?




Mine just outs the squeamish.

[suebee]

Originally Posted by Odarlin

So far, I think using electrical power for cheap thrills wins!
How hardcore is that?




Mine just outs the squeamish.

*In best Sally Fields acceptance speech voice* You like me! You really like me!


My girl's recent best bargain: an espresso machine at a thrift store. Total cost: under $1.......CANADIAN FUNDS!

[NJFemmie]

T-shirts for everyone!



Hmmm... maybe Mare and I are cheap bastids. I like to think frugal and thrifty though We do our own repairing around the house when possible, grow our own veggies, shop for sales, coupon clip, and I am not shy to say that we enjoy a good trip to the thrift store now and then. Mare has come home with some incredible thrift store deals.

I grew up not so much poor, but in a thrifty household. My dad was def a cheap bastid and my mother was thrifty and frugal. I grew up with that same mindset - and can't see spending more $$ than you have to and we try to save wherever we can so we can spend our money on something more enjoyable - like vacations and the like.

[suebee]

My father is a cheap bastid. He won't throw away his clothes until.....well, we're not quite sure. Anything old or ripped is good enough for "work clothes" - 'cause even though he's long-since retired, he loves to be busy. One time his cousin had had enough of one of his polo T's because it was ripped and worn, and stained.......she reached over and ripped it from one end to the other. Much to my surprise I found it in the garbage later that day. (and you can be sure, THAT'S never happened before!) So I took it out of the garbage, hung it's tattered threads on a wire hanger, put dry cleaner's plastic over it and left this note: "Dear Dad, You seem to have thrown out one of your good T-shirts by mistake. I took it out of the garbage but it was dirty, so I had it dry-cleaned." My mother nearly peed herself.

[Rufusboi]

Originally Posted by cybersuebee

That would almost pay for the trip to Texas to to to the sale!

I've gone to book sales like that. Day three. As many bagfuls as I could manage. I STILL haven't read all the books from that first sale 10 years ago. I'm learning to be a little less "enthusiastic".

And guess what everyone got for Christmas that year!

We just found a book sale in San Antonio in April. 70,000 books The prices are 50 cents for paperbacks and $1 for hardbacks every day of the sale. We are driving up on the first day. Just look for the weighted down car on I37 - that will be us all loaded down with books.

Rufus

[suebee]

Originally Posted by Rufusboi

We just found a book sale in San Antonio in April. 70,000 books The prices are 50 cents for paperbacks and $1 for hardbacks every day of the sale. We are driving up on the first day. Just look for the weighted down car on I37 - that will be us all loaded down with books.

Rufus

BE CAREFUL NOT TO GET ANY PAPER CUTS!

Only problem with secondhand book sales - or any secondhand store is that I'm allergic to mold. So my girl and I have a system: we go in together. If I smell mold or start to react I do a once-around and leave. She pretty-much knows what I like, so she stays and browses. She got me a lovely Victoria's Secret silk robe, a beautiful deep purple, for $3. It was not only a great gift and a fantastic bargain, but shopping for bargains is a lot of fun too. I've met some pretty interesting people that way.

[Rockinonahigh]

When I bought this place three years ago I promissednyself I would have some kind of libarry for me to just sit ,read and injoy.This was one of the first things I did and now have a fairly good bunch of books.In September every years one of the colleges hears has a book sale and everything is from
.10 to a 1.00.Over the years I have gotten some really great books from them and the good will store.The Arabian Knights is a set of books im looking for,I know I could prolly get them new but I like old used books best.

[wolfwalker]

I am a major cheap bastid

when i see something I want or need. getting bees? need a honey spinner to get it out. why am I going to pay someone 300.00 when i can make the same thing, probably better for way less. will it be all spiffy and shiney? nope, but it will work and be built of better materials. so the damn thing lasts for more then a season. I build things all the time just by looking at it and seeing how it works. the one timje i decided not to cheap out and let someone else build me something. well i am still waiting for it a year later.

[suebee]

I just put together my set of two bedside tables that I bought at our local surplus store. Retail price: $75 U.S. My price: $10 U.S. It took 5 mintues to put the two of them together, and they look sharp! (we won't mention the six months of haunting the store several times a week to find them, 'cause that's just part of the fun!)

I LOVES being a cheap bastid!

[Apocalipstic]

I am not a cheap or frugal, but need to learn to be, times being what they are.

I have gotten some great ideas from this thread! Yeayyy! Especially for even more books.. Grin.

Now, to find more book shelves. We have a book "problem" ha.

MsBee, do you have photos of your new bedside tables? I need some and am looking for cheap ideas.