The queen of thrifty

Bargaining leads to steal of a deal

By KELLY PEARSON

I use the “B” word a lot, but I try not to do it around my husband. I think it embarrasses him when I do it in his presence.

Bargaining is a secret pleasure I share occasionally with friends and family, but little do they know how much I do it. The truth is everyone should try it, especially in this economy. We can’t afford not to.

Just a few weeks ago, I scored a buy that still has my heart pumping. I found the perfect black refrigerator for our home that matched our other appliances much better than the old off-white side-by-side we had.

I admit it was a tough find. I almost broke down and bought a new, shiny refrigerator from the local appliance store for a whopping $975. My husband liked the convenience of having it delivered and toting away our old one.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t part with our hard-earned money.
After months of checking Craigslist.org and searching the local stores for dented or scratched models, I almost gave in. That was when I found it.

While searching the Internet, I saw an ad on Craigslist for the perfect refrigerator. This large, 3-year-old Kenmore refrigerator was only $175 (If bought new, it was more than $1,000).

The problem was it had to be picked up that night. With no one to watch my son and no way to pick it up on my own, I hesitantly called the number on the ad.

After a little bargaining, I convinced the woman – who was moving the next morning – to hold the refrigerator overnight. I offered to come pay her half the price that night with the rest due when my husband picked it up the next day at 7 a.m.

To be honest, convincing her wasn’t hard! Just explaining how excited I was about the refrigerator and that my husband could be there first thing in the morning made her agree to the later pick-up.

The next morning I eagerly awaited the delivery of my new refrigerator by the hunky delivery man, my husband. Seeing it in my kitchen made the bargaining worth it. The best part? I sold our old fridge that day for $100.

Cost of the new refrigerator: $75. Cost of the happiness it brought me: Priceless.

Kelly Pearson is a freelance writer who lives in Pembroke.

Stay healthy this summer with these money-saving tips

• Buy used fitness equipment. Scout out Craigslist.org and local yard sales for the best deals on like-new items.

• Trade services. Ask to trade services with a personal trainer for doing housework and errands for them.

• Don’t pay for a gym membership. Ask if you can volunteer in their daycare in exchange for a monthly membership. YMCAs do this already.

• Check your local health food stores for the publication “Healthy Clippings.” These contain great coupons.

• Join a local food co-op. The group can bargain for great prices.