Suzanne O’Connor’s Bargains LA

A Frugal Mind Set

The kid is back at school so days of sleeping in to 8am are over. Our 20 year old alarm clock is going off now at 6:45.

The good news is our daughter didn’t need much in terms of back to school supplies and is content to wait till the LF Warehouse Sale to get clothes.

We approached this whole back to school thing this year with frugality. I honestly was fed up with re-buying school supplies, shoes and clothes every year

Estate Sale Shenanigans

This last weekend, hubby & I went to this professionally organized estate sale by TLC Estate Sales. This was our first time going to one of their sales. Last year, after we bought our house, we needed some items and went to estate sales to find them. But now we don’t need hardly anything, so we mostly go for fun. Unless we know there is something there we know we want, we don’t get there right as the sale opens, but a few hours later.

Oliver’s Blunder

Funny how one little event can spin your world out of control for a couple of days.

Our 1-year old cat, Oliver is now let outside for a couple of hours a day. At first he was supervised while he was learning the layout of the yard between the house and the office. Now we check on him ever half hour or he checks in with us in the office (we leave the door open for him). The transition seemed to be going smoothly and Oliver seemed to be careful… that is until he started chasing squirrels and birds.

Time to Throw Stuff Out!

Over the years, to be frugal, I have saved décor and stuff I regularly use during the holidays again and again. Paper and ribbon are saved and re-used. Décor is packed away and brought out again and again. Gift bags are saved and used throughout the year for gift giving as well as lunches and other things that have to be toted around.
This year, I realized I may have saved some stuff too long!

Cleaning Tips on the Go

With the recession lingering on many of us are cleaning our own homes to keep expenses down.

I don’t have a housekeeper or maid. Never have. I have often thought of getting one cause I hate cleaning. The work, physical effort and time it takes to keep a home clean can be excessive, especially if you’re busy

Spring Closet Organizing

Springtime is often a time when people organize and clean out clothing closets. Count me as one of those and then some. Living in a big, cluttered, confusingly spread out city like Los Angeles, I get a better sense of calm when things are organized at home.

But let’s be more practical than that, shall we?

Re-Purpose, Re-Claim and Recycle the Old

I hate to throw things away …. But I also hate to keep things I don’t need and have too much stuff.
Re-using and re-purposing the old is one of the best bargains around. Not only do you usually get higher quality goods but you’ll save money and keep stuff out of the landfill
Here are some ways we re-claimed and re-purposed stuff to save money.

Black Friday Shopping Tips

Julia Scott over at Bargain Babe recently asked shopping tips for Black Friday….
I don’t shop on Black Friday.

I hate Black Friday and avoid the insanity at all costs. The Black Friday shopping scene is unnecessary if you’ve been following my leads for deals. No need to participate in all the hysterics and chaos.

However….

Our Contest

In case you haven’t already heard, we are having a contest. We’ve been doing this BargainsLA thing for 10 years now and think it’s time to celebrate… and give back some of the fun… cause we’re giving away some killer prizes.

So we’re having the “I Love BargainsLA.com” Contest

Halloween Savings

I don’t really do Halloween. Never have. But as a parent I would have buy the necessary yearly costume.

However, Halloween is fun to do, and there are lots of ways to save on Halloween expenses.