Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bargains

Help Me Look Better in 2009

katyjack — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:18:16 -0800

There's a website I saw once that shows a celebrity's outfit and then lists places where you can bargain alternatives to every part of the outfit. I bookmark every website I find obsessively, but, of course, not this one and now I want to upgrade my wardrobe for 2009. Does anyone know the website I mean?

What are the best bargains at IKEA?

cucumberfresh — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:19:28 -0800

IKEA Filter: What are some cheap, yet surprisingly durable or high-quality items worth purchasing at IKEA? I'll be making my annual pilgrimage to IKEA soon and I would like some general tips on what to buy. Whether it's been a wobbly lamp or a chair that won't adjust, a lot of the cheap stuff I have gotten there in the past has been of really poor quality, so I am looking for things that are both inexpensive and durable. Of course, you get what you pay for, but what are the best bargains to be had at IKEA? What are some things to avoid? Thanks!

Looking for price drop alerts.

c:\awesome — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:07:45 -0800

Is there a website that will track a particular item and alert you when it's offered at discount? With all the Black Friday deals soon to come up, there's a particular item I want to purchase at a deep discount. I have no idea if this will be offered anywhere at a reduced rate, but what with the competition between stores and various online retailers offering sometimes rediculous rates for certain items, I'd like to be made aware of any drop in price across a wide spectrum of outlets.

Is there a particular website, or perhaps a group of websites, I can use to track the price of a particular item, and be notified when it drops?

Something along the lines of Kayak, but for products instead of airline tickets.

Make my office supplies last longer.

HotPatatta — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 08:04:00 -0800

How can I stretch office/classroom supplies? Where can I order cheap office supplies? Any hacks to avoid buying the real stuff (e.g., instead of buying glue, mix flour and water together)? My school gave me a classroom with no supplies. No paper, no pencils, no crayons, no books, no anything. Nada. My students come from impoverished homes and their parents can't afford school supplies, meaning I have to provide school supplies for 24 kids. Your suggestions, please.

Help me cut costs without feeling the pinch.

HotPatatta — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:38:28 -0800

Obvious or creative--shameless or shady, even!--ways to cut costs and live cheap? Be creative; I'll determine the ethicality on my own.

Cheap destinations with reliable internet?

travis08 — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:18:33 -0800

Where could I spend 3-6 months, that has a low cost of living and reliable internet? I am interested in taking a few months to half of a year and living/vacationing somewhere other than my current location(Ohio). Either within the US or another county is fine. I work via the internet so I would like any recommendations on a good place to go that would have reliable internet so that I could continue to work.

I guess close to Eastern Time Zone would be good, as I do have a general timeframe that I have to be working, but I am single so I could keep strange hours (relative to the local time) if needed.

I do require it to be a place that is still a good deal for those spending American Dollars. I was thinking 3 to 6 months as that would allow me to rent an apartment more in line with locals' rates rather than the tourist rates you see for a few week or monthly rental.

Help me pimp my new guest house!

miss lynnster — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:52:19 -0800

Inspire me! Where are your absolute favorite places to find incredible, unique interior and outdoor decorating treasures and bargains in Los Angeles (or online)? I'm looking for cool stuff to fill/cover walls, floors, windows, garden, patio, home office... you name it! I LOVE finding bargains so the Rose Bowl and PCC swap meets are already on the list, as are other places... but I'd like to hear where you find YOUR inspirations! I'm dumping most of my old furnishings and will be designing my new living space *almost* from scratch. I tend to be drawn to things that are cool vintage or have slightly ethnic (asian, european, middle eastern) influences. When I'm done, without going broke I want this new place to feel like a really comfortable sanctuary where people love hanging out. :)

Getting notified of airline specials?

rabbus — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:04:55 -0800

Is there a website where I can list the airlines serving my airport, and my airport itself, and then get an email whenever special fares are offered to anywhere, including last minute deals? I'd like to be tempted, and Travelocity doesn't seem to have this.

Bargain Shopping!

divabat — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:46:06 -0800

I love Velvet Garden and have been stalking LJ sales communities for bargains. Where else can I find cheap but good thrift/second hand shopping sites online? (Doesn't have to be clothes.) I've fallen into the thrift shopping trap and I'm not sure I want to get out of it just yet. It's quite fun to find things that suit me for far cheaper than I'll find elsewhere (particularly in my style and size). So far I've used Velvet Garden, GothAuctions, Etsy, eBay, and various Livejournal communities, but would like to know of more resources.

What other websites are great with thrift/second hand shopping? Some details of what I'm looking for:

* Accepts Paypal (eCheques mainly) or Australian bank transfer
* Inexpensive shipping to Australia (I don't mind if it's slow)
* Reliable, preferably with a way to check feedback

Types of shops:
* Clothes/makeup/accessories: I'm open to anything, but my tastes run on the mainstream end of gothic/geeky/businessy/saloon girl. Particularly looking for clothes for US12/UK14-16/L (too big for normal, too small for plus size). LOVE hair stuff and glitter.
* Books: Second hand's great; as long as it's readable it's fine. Prefer non-fiction.
* Also like crafts, creative stuff, anything that helps people
* Others: I don't tend to actively search for anything else unless it's a gift, but I'm open to suggestions.

Recommendations for specific sellers on eBay/Etsy/LJ/etc are welcome too.

thank you!

SD Cards by the pound?

Squid Voltaire — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:00:17 -0800

Surely I can buy 128 or 64mb SD cards for ridiculously low prices, now that they are so out of date. Right? I'm tired of sending around mix CDs--I'd much rather send out mix SD cards. And I could make a nice mix of 12 or 24 songs, with album art, &c., and put it on an old, old, out of date flash card. (Or, less optimally for me, an old 128mb USB drive, which I also have been unable to find for as low a price I want).

Now, these days twenty bucks gets you two gigs of storage, so I just can't believe that anyone really uses 128meg cards anymore. I would have thought that I could buy them by the pound! But the best I've seen is on eBay, where they seem to be about $5 or $6, after shipping charges if you buy in bulk.

Any suggestions?

Cheap airfare from Boston or Montreal to London?

turtlegirl — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 11:34:25 -0800

Please help me find super-cheap round trip airfare from Boston, US (or Montreal, Canada) to London, UK for a 2-week trip during the winter holiday season (Dec 15 - Jan 15, dates flexible). I have tried "discount" fare aggregators like Travelocity and Expedia; I've searched American Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Air France, and Air Canada directly; based on a previous AskMe thread I've tried discount air carrier Zoom. The lowest fare I've been able to find is on Air Canada: Boston -> Heathrow, $517.54 USD -- ALL taxes, fees, etc included, with one stopover in Canada. (Virgin was next best with a direct flight for $570.25 USD, all taxes/fees included.) Is this the best I can expect, or is there some super-awesome, uber-cheap ticket service/airline that I have not found yet? I am willing to use a travel agent if that is a cheaper way to go. I live equidistant from Boston and Montreal, so either airport is fine. All suggestions appreciated, no frills expected. (I would book myself cargo-class to save money if I could.) Thanks!

Cheap Vegas, again?

lizjohn — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 16:46:44 -0800

Cheap Vegas Filter: John and I plus a couple of random friends are heading to Vegas this month. We've been many times and we always have a lot of fun doing it on the cheap. However, we'd like to find new and exciting and/or hidden bargains. There's a bit I've read the previous askMefi thread on the topic, and I've also been to the websites such as Cheapovegas and the 10 ten list at The Las Vegas Advisor. We know about free slot play, gambling on the cheap, coupon books, $5 dollar steak at Ellis Island and most of the well known "secrets". I would love to hear any personal stories (good or bad) about experiences with other bargains in Vegas, including but not limited to: cheap food, cheap drinks and cheap/free entertainment. We're lucky to already have our room, but I still get a thrill reading about other people's success stories in finding great deals. (I'm kind of a thrify geek)

Along the same lines, I'd love to hear personal experiences with buffets. I don't mind spending money on buffets that have a good selection of interesting/high quality food (I mean, as far as Vegas buffets go). So far we've been to the Spice Market at the Old Aladdin, Carnival World Buffet at the Rio, Le Village Buffet at Paris and the Sunday Brunch at the Mirage. Any other suggestions?

Thank you in advance for your stories!

Where can I get cheap contact lenses in New York City?

jason's_planet — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:13:28 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good place to get a deal on contact lenses in New York City? Vanity is getting the better of me. After nearly a decade of going four-eyed, I want to wear contacts again. I'm particularly interested in those new-fangled silicone hydrogel doodads that are supposedly easier for people with drier eyes to wear.

Can anyone recommend a good place to get a deal on contact lenses? Money's a little tight. By the same token, are there any places I should avoid?

bargain basement ipods.

craniac — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 13:52:58 -0800

I'm ready to be assimilated, and am considering purchasing an Ipod. I read in a Cringely column, recently, that b/w ipods are being offered "everywhere" at $150 discounts to make room for the new models. Where might I find these magical discounts? And, is there a better mp3 player to be had for $200 other than the discounted mini?

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to San Francisco?

rorycberger — Mon, 31 Jan 2005 11:45:34 -0800

What's the best way to find cheap flights (Harrisburg, PA to San Jose or San Francisco, CA) for this weekend? I know about Priceline, but would prefer to at least have some say in what times my flights are. Orbitz, Expedia, etc. are all showing really expensive fares.

Help me find some cheap eyeglasses

nakedcodemonkey — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 23:57:02 -0800

What is a good source of inexpensive eyeglasses? [more inside] Not having replaced a pair of eyeglasses in many a year, I'm surprised to discover how much the optical shops want these days for a standard pair of glasses with lenses. Wow. There's gotta be a better way. Right? Right...?

Where have you found reasonably priced, good quality furniture in NYC?

hsoltz — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 13:00:41 -0800

Pursuant to Lumpenprole's Rule of NYC #4, where have you found reasonably priced, good quality furniture in NYC? [mi]
I am specifically in search of a well-made solid wood dining table.

I'm a resourceful person. I check craigslist. I have a gorgeous corner bookshelf I found on the street. I know all about all the chains: IKEA, Door Store, Ethan Allen, Pottery Barn/West Elm, Crate & Barrel, ABC Carpet & Home, and all their corporate brethren. I also know about Basics and Straight from the Crate and the various knockoff/futon places on lower Broadway. And of course there are department stores like Macy's and Bloomingdales. These are not what I seek.

Point is: every so often I come across an independent shop that has really lovely, well-made furniture that is reasonably priced. Here's one, for example, in Tribeca. There must be others, but I don't know where to find them and Google only taunts me.

You know where they are. Please prove Lumpenprole's Thesis #4 (ask, ask, ask) right and share your secrets.

Do you have favorite affordable wines?

insomnia_lj — Mon, 15 Mar 2004 14:07:25 -0800

I want to increase my wine-fu, but I don't drink much anymore. My main concern is finding affordable wines to serve at gatherings which other wine lovers will appreciate. Anyone want to share any favorites?

Bargain Shopping

mecran01 — Tue, 27 Jan 2004 12:05:25 -0800

What's your favorite place to look for bargains on the web, and/or free stuff?