Suzanne O’Connor’s Bargains LA

Inside Scoop on Fragrance

Knowledge is power and a time saver. Understanding the basics of fragrance lingo will help you make the best value choice. Since some of us may be buying fragrance or perfume for Valentines Day, here’s a breakdown of some of the terminology you’ll run in to and some information to help you make the best choice.

Getting the Best Deal

After the plentiful Warehouse /Sample Sale season we just went through many of us are spoiled by the super steep discounts we found. Many stores took some losses but many also made a profit…by marketing and using MSRP as the price point discount comparison price.

Savings and discounts are relative to the markup, cost and quality of the product. Not all merchandise is marked up the same.

Barcode Scanner Apps for Your Cell

Barcode scanner apps are cell phone applications that will scan a barcode from your cell and then pull up relevant info such as pricing and store location.

You can see pricing variations and use that knowledge to determine if you are getting a “bargain”.

Incredible Deals on Adobe Software

OK… we’ve been here for awhile and have used Adobe products since our inception. Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Flash, to name a few. But as of last week we were still on Photoshop 7 and Dreamweaver MX. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it…unless of course you get a killer deal on an upgrade.

Enter necessity. Our daughter has shown some computer chops and we decided if she was going to learn Photoshop, it had to be the latest version, CS5.

A Cheap Sofa

As I read the piece in this weeks Sunday Los Angeles Times on Sofas under $600 I had to give pause to how we, as consumers, are really hung up on price points and not content or quality.

The Changing Face of Bargain Shopping

The face of bargain shopping has changed a lot over the past 2 years. There have been soo many goods available at lower pricing that many of us are forgetting what quality goods really cost. The large volume of goods at bargain basement has made some of us giddy with our stellar prizes. We are now used to lower prices. But the volume of stellar deals is drying up some and costs are going up as well.

Adopt a Pet

Thinking of adopting a kitten? Now is the time. There are kittens everywhere.

Our new kitten, Oliver has added a lot of fun in our household and been an exceptional addition to our family, giving us lots of entertainment fun, cuddles and laughs.

4 Things You Shouldn’t Buy Used

A recent article in US News and World Report listed 20 things you should never buy used.

Many of the things listed I own and have been bought used. I thought the author was so off base, without any consideration of price vs. length of use or quality in construction. So I thought I’d write my own version.

Upholstery Savings

Since our current sofa and chairs really didn’t work in our new living room, I pulled out these saved pieces and took them in to Valley Upholstering.

I wouldn’t trust these much beloved pieces of furniture to just anyone. Around for decades, Valley Upholstering is where the top interior designer take their clients pieces and where upscale department stores subcontract their upholstery work.

A Great Gift for Guys

Giving a guy a great birthday gift is an art form.  Over the years I have given hubby a few flops and some real hits. The best, according to him was a surprise Birthday party and the worst was a gift card … boring!

So when his birthday was coming around again, getting him something was causing me stress. That is until I met my friend Lizzie for lunch.  She suggested ...