Chic on a Shoestring Decorating: 31 Day Series of Decorating on a Shoestring Budget Day 18, Clearance!


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31 Day Series of Decorating on a Shoestring Budget Day 18, Clearance!

Hey there!  Thanks for stopping by my 31 day series.  Let's get right down to it...

Day 18:  Clearance


If you've ever read my informative and lovely (wink, wink ;) blog you'll probably recall that I love a sweet deal.  They make my heart go pitter-patter.

One of my favorite sports (yes, I consider shopping a competitive sport) is waiting out a sale.  You know, finding something on the clearance rack and then waiting until it is marked down a little more, then a little more, until it hits that magic price you want to pay.

Maybe it's 20 bucks, maybe it's 75% off, whatever the magic number that is in your head... and if you score it for that magic number price... you, my friend- are a winner.

If you are decorating your house on a shoestring budget it will help you tremendously to get good at "the game".  I love to play "the game" at Hobby Lobby.  Every 2 months or so they mark a huge group of accessories down to 66% off.  This is the time to get the item that you do not want to miss and are willing to pay a little more for, because it will sell if you don't.   A few weeks later they mark down again to 80% off, this is when I do most of my shopping.

Finally, they end up marking down to 90% off.  I have never hit this sale at the right time, whenever I come across it the 90% off area is a small rack of cowboy boot shaped book-ends (most of them chipped or broken) or something equally hideous. (no offense to cowboy boots)

This time I happened across Hobby Lobby the day they started the 90% off sale... SUHWEET!!  They had a huge selection of non-cowboy-boot-shaped good stuff!

But I had my eye on something already... my game piece was a picture frame.  Umm... yes, a picture frame.

I know what you're thinking... a picture frame?  You can get a pretty decent picture frame at the dollar store.

But trust me, it's a really awesome custom picture frame.  It is a large (16 x 20), beautiful, thick, expensive looking wood frame that came from their framing department, a cancelled order most likely.  And I already have the perfect picture for it...

Anywho, the original price was $225!  (For an empty frame?!)  Don't get me wrong, it's a really nice frame but not worth $225 in my chic on a shoestring opinion.

It was marked  80% off, down to $45 when I found it.  I'm too cheap frugal for that much...  so the game begins.

I waited and waited and waited.  The stuff is 80% off for several weeks, each time I went back it was still there but still hadn't hit my "magic number" price of 90% off.

Finally, I walked in to the 90% off sale and literally squeeled with joy.  I headed to the frames to score my deal and it was gone! GONE!

Oh man... I let the game get me this time.  Game 1, Kate 0

Dang it!

I'm a sore loser... I started questioning my game strategy, maybe I should have bought it at 80% off, I really wanted it more than I thought I did!

Nah.  $45 was too much for an empty frame.

I put my game face back on and happily went through and picked up a few things 90% off.

In the check out lane I was lamenting to the cashier that I didn't get my frame... woe is me.  She was wrapping all my breakables so as I was waiting I started checking out the furniture shelves around me.

Suddenly the clouds parted and a ray of sun from the heavens shined down directly on my frame!! There it was across the room... it was leaning on a piece of furniture on a shelf near the door.  The cashier said that is where they stick stuff that people bring to the register but end up not buying it.  Whew... that was close!

I got my frame and won the game!!  And to make me the super grand champion...the frame rang up for even cheaper than I expected... $13.00!  95% off!!!  Woot  Woot!!!!

Here it is...

                          The photo doesn't really do it justice of how really nice it is...

It's about 4.5 inches thick!

I stuck an unstretched canvas family picture in it...


Here it is in our foyer.
 I just love it!

Learning your favorite decor store's clearance schedule can save you lots of money.  Sometimes you can ask a clerk, sometimes they don't know, if that's the case shop often and eventually the mark downs will hit.  If you shop someplace often enough you'll start to see a pattern.

Do any of you bloggy friends ever play "the game"? 

Sometimes you lose when your item sells before it hits your magic price...  but isn't it wonderful when you win?! 

Especially 95% off! 


Catch up on my series:

6 comments :

  1. Woohoo to clearance finds! I frequent a so called discount store and while it does sell most stuff considerably cheap, they regularly mark stuff down 50% and place at the back of the store. If I see something at full price I like, I wait and the back of store is my first point of call whenever visiting that store, they rarely markdown more than the 50% so once I see it there, I grab it! It also gives me plenty of time to think over my purchase and work out if I really want or need it - love playing the game!!

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  2. Oh my gosh, Kate. I give you 'mad props' for waiting it out and playing the game. I'm too anxious for that and know that I must buy the first time or at the latest the 2nd time around. The frame is so beautiful and masculine. And I love your apothecary jar setup. Neat!

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  3. I love this post - Shopping is a sport, I consider my intimidating height an advantage. I can reach high and my long arms travel deep into the clearance bins. Awesome deal on the frame, I would not have spent $225 on it either.

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  4. Ah yes, the thrill of the hunt. Ain't it grand! And you hit the jackpot this time - way to go!
    Kate
    mkc1970@aol.com

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  5. lol yay you totally won great score

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