Buying Art

When I bought my first place, I had the good luck to meet a local artist who lived in my building. I met her on the bus stop on my way to the mall. I was going to look for home decor. I had refinished the floors and freshly painted my apartment, so it was time to find those finishing touches. I went the Mall that day and was appalled by my options. It was going to cost me a small fortune to decorate my walls with junk. I talked to my new friend the next day and and coincidentally she let me know that she was throwing out a painting. I rescued it from the garbage and lived with it for a couple of days. I loved the thing. I never got tired of it. I spoke to her later in the week and asked if she had more. I was in the market for florals for my bedroom. She had just taken down an entire exhibition of flower pieces that were beautifully framed. I quickly clicked through them and set aside four or five. I bought them on the spot. The artist was shocked and I was thrilled. I paid less than I would have paid for one framed print at the Mall.
I bought a lot of her work and was happy to have it. Then eBay and the internet came along and I started buying online. Buying art on eBay is admittedly a bit of a risk, but it can be done. I've bought junk too, but I have managed to re-sell most of it. Anyway, now I only buy listed artists. This works well for me. I have amassed a wonderful collection. I look forward to being on Antiques Roadshow one of these days with that wonderful and very valuable piece. I can dream, can't I? In the meantime, I have great stuff to look at everyday. I get up in the morning and step into the hallway going to the bathroom and it's happy time as I look at a whole wall covered in beautiful prints. The good stuff is definitely worth having in your home. Don't buy junk. Ugly stuff on the walls is very depressing. Buy good art. It will hold or increase in value.

Buying Real Estate

This is the best time in a long time to buy real estate. If you can afford it, the time may be now. If you can't afford it save up because it seems more deals are coming. As I've written here before, I'm looking for a retirement home in Florida. Right now I'm looking only on the internet. In a few months I will be flying down to look at actual properties. What I will be looking for is someplace clean and safe. I want an apartment. Low maintenanace is important. I will want to talk with the super and see what kind of person he is. I will also try to chat up the residents for their take. We will park outside the building and watch the traffic. What's it like on a Saturday night? That sort of thing. I will buy the best apartment in the most convenient location for the least amount of money. I will have a budget and I will stick to it. The realtor will not be very happy with me because I won't be spending big money. With any luck this will be a cash deal. I will ask the Board pointed questions about the roof and any upcoming assessments. I will look at the building to see if minor maintenence issues are being addressed. Little things can become big things if left unattended.
My husband prefers to buy a house. If we go that route, things will be more complex. We will need a home inspection, though that is not a guarantee that something isn't terribly wrong. But in my experience what gets missed is minor and remediable. Then we will check out the neighborhood. We will be looking for pride of ownership. Neat well kept yards with flowers, painted and well maintained houses are important. Though neighborhoods do turn around. A few years ago, we moved into a house and started fixing soon everyone down the block followed suit. But I would rather join a trend than start one. Although I could probably buy something pricier and pay it off before I need to move into it. I plan to avoid getting in too deep. If I can't afford what I want this year, I will wait.
Look for that diamond in the rough. I got a great deal on the last house I bought because it wasn't showing well. The house was cluttered and needed new flooring in the entrance. The sink in the bath was cracked. But we knew how little it would cost to replace thes things. Also the kitchen looked shabby. Sometimes you have to have a vivid imaginaton when buying real estate. But stick to the cosmetic fixes. New paint and new flooring. I stay away from structural changes. Even a kitchen can be redone on the cheap, if you know how. Buy property in a town that has some jobs or at least jobs nearby. The town I'm looking at in Florida is near a major city and has a couple of new museums so it will attract tourists. It's okay to be poor in a rich neighborhood. It's not okay to be poor in a poor neighborhood. So always buy the worst house on the best block.

Always ask for the discount

We had to buy a new television a few months ago and spent some time shopping around. We got the Best Deal at Sears, but only because we asked for it. Don't be afraid to ask for a markdown. My husband was looking at a $1000 clearance big screen and asked for a further markdown. They had to call a manager but the Sony Bravia 46" ended up costing only $800. That's a significant 20% savings. It costs nothing to ask. The Psychology of money works like this; At yard sales, thrift stores and even department stores, look for any slight damage. Point this out, give a reason why you do not have to have it, and then offer a fair discount price. I see people offer way too low and that insults the seller and they queer the deal. Also smile, joke and always ask please. My brown puppy dogs eyes never fail me. Also be clean and do not dress up, look as though you need the discount. Hope these time proven tips help in your bargain hunting. People look at me like I have two heads when I tell these stories, but it's all true. There is no shame in asking and it costs nothing. We also ask the workers when the next price reduction will be. This is important information. Have empathy and treat everyone with respect. Being appreciated is worth more than money. Read Dale Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence People" and watch  the deals flow. I hate paying full price and I love getting a good deal. We never get things the regular way, that is full price. I sometimes see people in stores looking at things that are full price and just too expensive. I want to tell them about getting discounts, but I usually mind my own business because I don't want to offend anyone. On rare occasions someone will ask me how I got such a bargain and I will tell all. That is what this blog is all about. I'm telling. The first thing I have to tell people is to leave false pride at the door of any store you walk into. Things are only worth what people are willing to pay. Cash is king. Better to get something on the cheap than to be saddled with enormous debt. There is no self esteem to be found in debt, only misery and shame. If you can not afford to pay cash or pay it off right away, you do not really need it.

Cheap Movie Tickets

We hate to pay full price for anything. Since we own a car and sometimes take it on trips, we have a AAA membership. One of the perks is discounted tickets at Regal Cinema. For $6.75 we get tickets to the movies. That price is lower than the Matinee price in our area. On a new release there is a two weekend waiting period or a $1.50 surcharge, which is fine for us. We don't like crowds and don't mind waiting. One good thing about my hubby is that he is not ashamed of getting a bargain. I had one person tell me that she would never use such a ticket. The Regal club card also gets us the occasional free movie ticket. We've used coupons at restaurants. My husband loves getting a deal and has no problem asking about the specials or sharing the plate with me at restaurants that pile the food too high. Sometimes we get an appetizer to fill the gap. We don't worry what other people think. I'm just happy to have a night out and not have to work as hard as my waitress. Though we may be cheap with menu, we are extra generous with the tip. I have done that work and so has my husband. We believe in giving good tips because wait staff seldom gets paid decently.

Garbage Picking

It's amazing what people throw out. I loved living in a big apartment building. The garbage room was always magical to me. I would go down on Sunday night and always found the paper. I stopped my subscriptions and saved myself $20 a month. Then there was the stuff. I found two ottomans which I had recovered. I found a beautiful painting by a local artist. We became friends and I bought more of her work. When I first started dating my husband one of our first experiences together was stopping by the side of the road to go through someone's garbage pile. It was a Sunday and we were still dressed for church. People drove by and yelled "garbage pickers" at us. But I didn't care because these folks had actually thrown away money. I found a coffee can full of pennies which I kept and finally cashed in when I got sick. It came to more than $20. I was never so happy for the little extra money. I couldn't go back to work and I was waiting for my social security to kick in. My husband found some old toys which he sold at a flea market the next week for over $100. It helped pay his support. I didn't care what people yelled. Later my husband got a job as a building superintendant. That's where we found really amazing stuff. People threw out jewelry. I've been selling it on eBay lately. I just sold a 14K gold bracelet for $150 and other random pieces that I found in the garbage. Our success has emboldened us and we have graduated to dumpster diving. We scored a cache of Boy Scout memorabilia once for which we netted about $450. All I can say is that garbage has been good to me. One person's trash really can be another's treasure. So if you see something good by the side of the road, don't be ashamed to grab. No one will ever know or care. Like today I went to a curb alert and pulled a row boat electric motor out of the pail. It has battery clips, varible speed, forward reverse and a light. Just hook to a battery and works like a charm. 8/7/11.

USE THE LIBRARY

For many years I lived in New York City which has one of the greatest library systems in the world. I liked using the library. I probably got my first library card when I was eight years old. I always had a library card. I always had a library within walking distance of either my home or job. It was a necessity for me. It helped me save money. I cut corners on book purchases for college with the library. When books, which used to be cheap started getting more and more expensive, I started using the library. Later when I met my husband and we needed entertainment, the public library was the way to go. I would pick up a stack of movies on Friday and we would have entertainment for the entire weekend. And it was free. What a deal! I never rented from Blockbuster because it just didn't make sense. Many times we had seen everything that was new on video. The library, however, always had the movies with more limited releases like foreign and independent films or documentairies. Now that I have moved out of the city, I live three blocks away from a library. I occasionally rent movies and now I have discovered instructional videos. I can learn anything. They also have exercise videos. I don't have to pay for a Pilates class. Also if I find a really good video, I can buy a copy and not get burned. There's nothing worse than buying a video and finding out it stinks. This way if I buy something, I know that it's good.

BUY A USED CAR

Never ever buy a new car. Even with 0% financing it's a very bad deal. Because the minute you drive the thing off the lot, it loses 60% of its value. Inflation would have to rocket up to 12% over five years for you to just break even. If you want that new car smell spend a couple of hundred to have it detailed and buy a can of new car spray for the interior. Also pay cash for the thing. You'll get a better deal and you won't be saddled with financing. Lately, I'm so down on the banks that I want to pay cash for everything, including houses. With all the tricks the banks played on home buyers, I just don't trust them. I have boycotted the major players and shut down a slew of credit cards. The crooks should go out of business. That's why I want to buy my condo with cash. Buy with cash and you'll sleep better. I'm so glad we don't have a mortgage or a car payment. In this economy it would be too stressful. Buy a good reliable, fuel efficent car that gets you from point A to point B safely. Buy the smallest car you can. We have a fuel efficent car now, but I want our next car to be a hybrid. You can't trust the banks and you can't trust the oil industry. Why is the price of gas so high? Industry is at a standstill and nobody has money anyway. I see a lot of staycations in my future. Who is using all the gas? Who is eating up the supply and raising prices?