http://www.bargainsla.com/blog Zannee's Blog en Suzanne O'Connor Copyright 2012 2012-05-14T23:04:16+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/huntington_library_and_gardens/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/huntington_library_and_gardens/#When:23:04:16Z This last weekend for Mothers Day we decided to rein in our expenses and not do the standard brunch out. We decided to do it all ourselves and use the resources we had to keep the budget in check! We invited over some Westside friends whose parents also live out of town. The hubbies teamed up in the kitchen and made us a killer breakfast of eggs, bacon, fried tomatoes and English muffins while the teenagers hung out and the moms chatted while enjoying Mimosas on our back patio. After stuffing ourselves we all headed over to the Huntington Library and Gardens. As members we had enough guest passes to cover our friends (who had never been) and spent the day walking through the extraordinary gardens, museums, art galleries and library all the while laughing and chatting up a storm. It was an exceptionally good time with friends. Though the Gardens, Library and Museums were very busy for Mothers Day with special events, this place is so big (120 acres) that you are not tripping over anyone or standing in line, except maybe to buy a drink. Our total expenses for the day…. $48. This includes groceries and drinks at the Huntington. The last time we went out to brunch with 6 people the bill came to well over $300 and entertainment wasn’t included. It’s nearly impossible to do the Huntington Library & Gardens completely in one day. You really need several days to do everything right. Plus they have different events all year, which makes it fun to go back to again and again. We initially got our membership through a Groupon special. But we have visited the Huntington so many times that when the renewal came up, we quickly renewed. It has been one of the best investments in culture, art and entertainment we have made. www.huntington.org Bargain Buys, Entertainment, Home & Garden, Do it Yourself 2012-05-14T23:04:16+00:00 Kevin O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/print_cartridge_refills_at_costco/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/print_cartridge_refills_at_costco/#When:01:43:04Z Print cartridges are notoriously overpriced. You get printers for under a hundred bucks because the manufacturers know that they will make their real money with the cartridge. How much ink is in a 40 dollar cartridge… a tablespoon?  Ink costs are crazy. 8000 bucks a gallon crazy.  Read here As computers are an integral of our lives and livelihood, we at BargainsLA had to accept that as the cost of doing business. We tried some third party cartridges and even tried refilling our own with a few kits (very messy and didn’t work). Once we accepted being forced to buy from HP, we tried to do the right thing and recycle our cartridges at the store. I have yet to see a dime from that, even though HP takes the cartridges and REFILLS them.  I love opening up a new printer and finding the prepaid envelope to recycle my old cartridges. REALLY? How bout you give me 5 bucks for that cartridge or at least a credit towards a new one instead of asking me to give you my cartridge so you can refill it and sell it. So when I discovered Costco was offering a cartridge refill service, I was intrigued. The offer is they will fill a cartridge for $7.99-$9.99 and they are tested to make sure they work. Wow. Costco has recently implemented a host of additional services at their photo counter (video to dvd transfer for example). The idea is simple. Drop off the stuff to have done, go spend gobs of money in the store and come back in an hour and pick it up. So here is my experience… Dropped off my cartridges at the photo counter and told that because a $4 off coupon was being run, they were backlogged and would have to pick up in 3 hours. I said that was OK as I would pick up tomorrow. Next step is you prepay. If they do the work and the cartridge fails, they will refund the money. They checked their list and charged me $7.99 per cartridge. I am not going to get into all the cartridges that we use, so let me use on as an example… an HP 564 Black XL (hi volume ink).  Cost is 30 bucks and paid $8 to refill it…and yes, it is working fine. Be warned, there are reasons a cartridge can’t be refilled, such as if it dries out. If you go to the Costco site about this, it is all laid out and if it can’t be refilled you get your money back…so you can’t lose. To date, we have had 8 cartridges refilled with no problems. As of now, not all stores offer this service, so once again check their site. Read here for all the info           Bargain Buys, Electronics/Tech, Inside Scoop, Do it Yourself 2012-05-08T01:43:04+00:00 Kevin O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/the_yard_saga/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/the_yard_saga/#When:16:47:12Z We are still working on our front and back yards… does one ever stop? We are converting our lawn to a dry garden. We figure the best way to save money is do as much of it as we can ourselves, take our time and propagate as many of our own plants that we can. Last Spring we ripped out the parkway lawn and planted cactus and succulents. Late February I picked up a 6 pack of California Poppies @ $1.99 (Armstrong sale) to fill out the empty spaces in our parkway dry garden. They have bloomed and are taking over. They’ll get trimmed, reseed and eventually be pulled out this Summer. Now we are starting to convert our front lawn. Our gardener will take out half the lawn @ $250. We’d do it ourselves, but last years efforts on the parkway took way too much time and physical labor. We’ve been propagating succulents from our back yard dry garden so we already have a bunch of plants ready, but will have to pick up some extra plants to fill in. We’d hoped to find more at the Huntington Plant sale. But it was no where near a deal. Looks like a sale to fund raise for the Museum and Gardens. We did pick up a couple of things. But when a 5-gallon barrel cactus is $20 at the Huntington and $10 at Home Depot, we had to pass. It was at least 20% more expensive than your average nursery. We also are doing the back patio area near my office. Passed by a garage sale and scored a vintage, wrought iron, chair for $15. We popped into World Market (we had 20% off coupon) to see what they had. Found some resin patio chairs at $63 instead of $80. So we got 2 of them… the color was perfect and matched our house trim. Also got a cushion for the wrought iron chair. This yard conversion saga will continue over the next couple of years. Guess my days of getting my nails done are over for awhile. Bargain Buys, Zannee's Tips, Shopping Adventures, Home & Garden, Do it Yourself 2012-04-30T16:47:12+00:00 Kevin O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/buying_green/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/buying_green/#When:20:01:14Z I’d like to put forth an idea….. . It’s actually “GREEN” to buy upscale furniture. Instead of buying cheap, disposable furniture, buy the best quality you can. Instead of throwing away cheap furniture every few years into land fills, buy fewer pieces of better quality that you can keep long term. Way back in the day, when you were starting out, you didn’t have to furnish a small apartment because so many of them came with basic furnishings.  You saved up for furniture because furniture cost a lot. These good pieces that you accumulated over the years then were handed down to family members later on in life when you were down sizing. They didn’t end up in land fills. Trees were spared and so was the environment because we didn’t dispose of stuff so quickly. Good furniture still costs, but you can get a deal on it at manufacturer warehouse and showroom sales. You just have to save ahead of time and be ready to pounce when they come along. And this is the season for them. If you still feel you can’t afford the “good” stuff. Try doing what I did….haunt flea markets, thrifts and antique malls for quality used pieces that work with your sense of design.  You can paint or refinish them to update the look.  Chances are, they will be a higher quality pieces than you could buy new for the same price. Zannee's Tips, Home & Garden, Consumer 2012-04-23T20:01:14+00:00 Kevin O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/estate_sale_finds/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/estate_sale_finds/#When:00:15:42Z I love good linens. I use them during the holidays for our family breakfast presentation as well as for a formal dinner. After the Holiday meal, I wash and press my linens. I have to admit, I actually like doing it….It has become a yearly ritual. Most of my linens were gifts or were inherited and tend to be older…. From the 1930’s-1960’s. After a request from a reader, it dawned on me that I don’t see fine table linens much anymore. On the rare occasion when I do see them at some upscale boutique, they are seriously expensive. We don’t live the lifestyle that requires fine table linens, so dropping thousands of dollars on fine linens wont ever happen. But that doesn’t stop me from keeping an eye out for them. As luck would have it, I have been seeing a lot of fine, antique linens at Estate Sales.  Being practical, I don’t always pick them up, but Estates Sales are where I do see them.  So I do check every Estates Sale for them whenever I go. This past weekend we stopped into an Estate Sale in Los Feliz. The woman who’s home this was had been, had a lot of fine table and bed linens….. and she had incredible and expensive taste! It was a home over flowing with beautiful things. The sale had been going on for 2 days and this was the last day, so everything was marked down 50%. I picked up 6 beautiful, used, but in mint condition monogrammed fine damask linen napkins at $8 and a very big (big enough for a table of 12) damask tablecloth for $20. I had to check each one unfolding them to inspect, including the big tablecloth. But it was worth the extra effort to make sure it was in mint condition. I was quickly joined by other sharp, savvy women, snapping up these gorgeous linens with audible oohhs and aahhs!  I just got the one tablecloth and matching napkins. But most of the women made huge hauls with armloads of fine linens. I’m pretty sure that what I found there at $28 would have been well over $1000 brand new and at least $150 or more at an antique store. Waiting sure paid off. The new tablecloth is way too big for me to clean and iron myself. It will have to be sent out. Until then it’s nicely folded away in my buffet, waiting for an excuse to bring it out…. along with our rarely used fine china. Bargain Buys, Shopping Adventures, Home & Garden 2012-04-17T00:15:42+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/seek_and_ye_will_find/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/seek_and_ye_will_find/#When:00:16:54Z I do a lot of online research and read a lot of newspaper and magazine articles. I am always perplexed by national articles on bargain shopping. They seem so limited in scope. I find a lot of blogs and print coverage tend to think “bargains” are only found in thrift stores, garage and yard sales. Yes, I am a big fan of those and you can find hubby and I canvassing our area for garage and yard sales almost every weekend. We do it for the sport ….and the surprise deal. These articles also talk about the many outlet malls nationwide. Okay, that’s a no brainer.  Rarely do they talk about the local “indie” manufacturer, the local designer, the local factory or craftsman who sells directly to the public. The internet has made it possible for mom and pop manufacturers, craftsman and upstart designers to get a world wide presence with out locating to major import/ export city. But beyond that, big manufacturers do not have to be located in or even that near to a major hub …and so some are not. Now, almost every city or town has some company that makes or designs some type of product located there. They may or may not have a public outlet or sale. But all anyone has to do is a web search to see what’s local to your area and then contact them to see if they do have an outlet or sell to the public. You’d be surprised how many do. Zannee's Tips, Do it Yourself, Travel 2012-04-11T00:16:54+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/yosemite/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/yosemite/#When:21:18:04Z We all know Yosemite is awesome. If you’ve never been… go! You wont see anything like it anywhere else in the world. This trip we used a Groupon special ($99 a night) at The Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal on Hwy 140. It’s located literally 200 feet from the park border and 15 minutes to the Valley floor. This slightly better than average hotel has room amenities like a fireplace, balcony overlooking the Merced river, kitchenettes w/ cooking supplies, refrigerator and a spa tub. The bed and bath linens were not so good. But the restaurant was pretty good and we got 2 free appetizers with our booking. I would stay there again at the bargain price of $99 a night, but I would bring an extra towel and pillows for my own comfort. As it was our Anniversary, we stopped by the Yosemite Chapel where we were married and then went on our favorite waterfall hike… the mist trail. This strenuous hike goes up to Vernal Falls and then up to Nevada Falls. It’s a 2000 ft elevation climb and round trip from Curry Village is about 10.5 miles. It took about 6 hours. The beauty and vistas are so spectacular it’s worth every step. Afterward we changed clothes in our car and went to the Ahwhanee for a good (though pricey) meal in the dinning room. Having experienced Yosemite quite a few times before and stayed in both the upscale Ahwahnee and the Lodge as well as camped and hiked through the back country, I can say I have seen some pretty stupid behavior by visitors. This visit was no exception. So here are some guidelines of things you should not do while you’re there: 1. Do not feed any wildlife. Including bears (duh), squirrels, raccoons, deer, birds, etc. - If they aren’t afraid of you, you’re going to experience trouble. 2. Do not hold your infant baby up closely into the face of a male deer. - They have antlers and sharp hooves for a reason. 3. Do not leave any food, toothpaste, breath mints, drinks, candy etc in your car. - The Bears can and will rip your car apart… REALLY! 4. Do not go hiking in brand new shoes, flip flops, heels, sandals or barefoot. - Invest in a pair of well-made, expertly fitted hiking shoes. You’ll need the grip and toughness of a good hiking shoe to see the best parts of the park. 5. Do not do back flips off bridges into the river.  Really? 6. Do not take a baby and a baby stroller with you to the top of Vernal Falls. - Known as the mist trail, only part of it is paved. It’s a very strenuous, steep, wet trail. 7. Do not stand in the middle of the road taking pictures. - You’ll get hit by a car driven by someone also looking at the same sight. 8. Do not start a long or difficult hike after 5pm without a serious flash light. -There are no street lights in nature and you could easily get lost. 9. Do not go outside of the rail boundaries at waterfalls or rivers. - Many people have been swept away and died. The rails are there for a reason. 10. Do not leave any food, toiletry or scented items by your campsite, in your tent or in your backpack. Store them in a bear proof locker or a hang bear line. -Bears will come ....and they have strength and very long nails If you want to see most of the incredible sights, vistas and scenery at Yosemite, you’ll have to hike to them. Make sure you’re in reasonably good shape before you go. We hiked our local mountains 2-3 times a week for 3 months to make sure we could make it to the top of Nevada Falls and back safely in one day. The natural attractions at Yosemite are not man made and getting up close and personal can be risky. So plan ahead. It’s $20 (a bargain!) to enter the park and that pass lasts for a week. But, during National Park Week, April 21-29, ALL national parks have free admission, all week long, including Yosemite. There is a lot of things to see and do for every age group. You can start planning your visit here Now, Go take a hike!     Zannee's Tips, Travel 2012-04-02T21:18:04+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/spring_is_here/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/spring_is_here/#When:16:34:34Z Spring is here and it’s a busy time of year. Time to clean out closets, pay off debt, and shop for some great deals at the seasonal Sample and Warehouse Sales. First,  it’s the beginning of the Spring Sample and Warehouse Sale season. Not as big as the Fall/ Winter Season, but just as much fun. It’s a great time to load up on high quality, winter staples that you can wear again and again for many years….As well as bag some cool deals on new Spring fashion. Second, it’s tax season! If you’re lucky enough to be getting some money back it’s a good time to pay off or lessen any debt you may owe. It’s also a good time to get your financial priorities in order.  See where you’ve over spent or where you could save even more. If we owed, we would set up a payment plan with the IRS, cause they charge a lot less interest than Credit Card companies. Third, Spring is a good time to get organized. Clean out closets, cupboards and your   garage and get rid of un-used clothing and household items. I usually take a load to the Salvation Army and a load to a resale boutique. This year we are also having a yard sale to unload some furniture pieces we haven’t been using. The proceeds of which, we will also use to pay off some remaining debt from out home renovation 2 years ago. Lastly, Spring is the best time to exercise outdoors and get back in shape. The flowers are starting to bloom … so take a hike, jog at the park, play on the beach…. The weather is good enough to be outdoors and cool enough to still wear sweats to cover those Winter white legs. Zannee's Tips, Fashion, Consumer 2012-03-27T16:34:34+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/the_problem_with_thrift_and_vintage_store_shopping/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/the_problem_with_thrift_and_vintage_store_shopping/#When:16:35:44Z First, I have to say I love shopping Thrift and Vintage stores. I’ve been shopping them for decades. That said, I’ve noticed that it takes much more time to shop a Thrift store than a regular discount store. Good bargain hunters and savvy fashionistas can score quality vintage and designer items at Thrift and Vintage stores if you’re willing to take the time to hunt. There are many a great find and great bargain to be found at Vintage and Thrift stores. I recently scored a cashmere, argyle sweater for $6. My girl friend found a mint leather, real Marc Jacobs handbag for $14. Really! But time is the issue. It is the real cost of shopping Vintage and Thrift stores. When you’re a busy adult with a family and a business to run, time is a very valuable commodity. Unfortunately, most Thrifts and Vintage stores are not all that well organized. Outside of tops with tops, dresses with dresses, etc., you’re on your own looking for sizing, brands and color. Compound that issue with the “Used” issue. You’ve got to take even more time to scrutinize each piece for wear, discoloration and damage. So I have a different attitude when I shop a thrift. I think of it as entertainment or R & R, shopping just for the experience and the fun challenge of finding a fabulous piece for a pittance. But, you won’t always score. I have walked out of many a vintage store without anything in hand having spent more than a couple hours shopping. If like me, you love Vintage and Thrift store shopping, make it a fun excursion when you have some free time. Cause the cost is your time. But the payoff is the promise of a sweet deal. Bargain Buys, Zannee's Tips, Shopping Adventures, Fashion 2012-03-20T16:35:44+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/consider_volunteering_at_your_local_school/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/consider_volunteering_at_your_local_school/#When:17:24:20Z This past weekend, we spent a lot of time volunteering at our daughter’s school. We have come to the conclusion that the only thing that makes a good school, a great school is simply parent and community involvement. It’s not just money, ethnic makeup, teacher credentials or districts (though, those things do contribute)…. It’s parents and people. Without parent and community involvement, schools slowly become weaker and the kids grades slide. As homeowners we are recognizing the importance of good schools to our homes value as well as our daughters education. Our home value has remained relatively the same for the past 2 years while those in neighboring cities have continued to go down. Our schools are rated very well and part of that is because of all the parent and community involvement. Getting involved in your kid’s school may seem like a giant hassle, especially if you work full time. But the value it adds to their education, moral ethics as well as the betterment of your community is immeasurable.  Kids learn by example. If they see you putting extra effort into their education, their schools, and your community, they will put the effort in too. You can volunteer in spurts or steadily as your schedule allows. You can help build sets for the Spring play, help with fund raising efforts, donate supplies or needed items, volunteer your knowledge in your area of expertise, be a teachers helper, hall monitor, tutor etc. Go to the PTA meetings, talk to the principal, get involved. Every little bit helps your school and your community. So Kevin and I volunteer when we can and help support our daughter’s school. So much so, that many of the kids who have never been to our home know us on a first name basis. We will probably continued to do so long after she graduates. It’s not only good for our community and our daughter’s education, it’s good for our bottom line. Zannee's Tips, Home & Garden, Consumer, Do it Yourself 2012-03-13T17:24:20+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/the_good_cable_guys/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/the_good_cable_guys/#When:05:15:37Z I met some really great cable guys today. For several weeks there has been some kind of cable/ internet problem in our neighborhood. It didn’t seem to affect us. But because we are home working a lot, these cable guys would come by and test the lines on the power pole at our place… once at 4am in the morning. Today however when they were working down the block our cable and internet went out. Bad news for us when we work on the web. Thinking they had solved the problem these guys were packing up and heading to the next gig when I flagged them down. After explaining exactly when it went out, they realized it was somehow connected to the work they had been doing. Instead of passing it off to headquarters, these guys skipped lunch and went to work trying to figure out what happened without complaint. At one point we had 3 trucks and 6 guys working in our neighborhood trying to fix what ever it was that had broken. Finally, by 5:30 Monday afternoon they had it fixed and we finally could get back to work… the explanation of what happened was complicated.  Over the last few weeks they nearly replaced all the old lines, switches, fuses and boxes for the entire block. For our problem, they had to track down one broken pin in the line. Thank you Charter for hiring some qualified guys who didn’t give up or pass the buck. It’s been a long time since I was this pleased with cable service guys. Electronics/Tech, Home & Garden, Consumer 2012-02-28T05:15:37+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/the_art_of_understanding_retail_mark_up/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/the_art_of_understanding_retail_mark_up/#When:21:08:45Z Retail markup covers the costs of doing business. But to understand what the savings are when an item is discounted, you have to understand markup and how it effects in store sales. Retailer are allowed and need to make a profit to stay in business. They are offering a valuable service bringing goods to market. So don’t get angry at them, but knowing how it works will help you know when there are real savings. So lets say a retailer has a 100% markup… they are doubling the price. If the per unit wholesale price is $50, 100% mark up is $100. A 300% markup is wholesale price of $50 x 3 or $150. . But its’ not always that simple. Retail mark up changes from industry to industry and product to product. Smaller retailers and boutiques that do not buy in the same volume and generally have smaller mark up margins of 100%-150%. Grocery, appliance and electronic retailers can have a markup margins as low as 15%-50% or as high as 200% depending upon product and what they think the market will bear. Even Walmart, Big Lots all have good sized mark up margins of around 300% but can be as high as 600%. 50% off MSRP can be a wholesale price or up to a markup of 300%, depending on the per unit wholesale price. Big Department stores are in business to make money. They use their substantial markups to use assales ploys and mark up tactics to get you to buy an item at the price they want to sell it for where their profit margins are still intact. For example, they purchase 1000’s of items at a wholesale unit price of $27 and mark the item at $100… over a 300% markup. But they actually plan on selling it for a lower price that still meets their profit margins. So they first offer it at 20% off… maybe a few people buy it at that price. But then they start the variety of different offers to get the real price they want for it…. say $50 or so. Here are some of the fake sales tactics you may have seen before. - B1G1 Free (pay $100 for 2, each $50 
- 50% off (pay $50 for one)
 - 30% off, plus take an extra 30% off (pay $49)
 - 40% off, plus take an extra 15% off (pay $51) 
- $40 off, plus take an extra 15% off (pay $51) 
- $25 off, plus take an extra 33% off (pay $50.25) 
- 25% off, plus take an extra 20% off, plus get $10 for every $50 (pay $60, get $10, net ~$50) 
- B2G1 Free, plus get $10 for every $40 (pay $200 for 3, get $50, net ~$50 for one) I’m sure you’ve seen many variations of the above. I like the buy one, get the second at 50% off. You see the 50% off, but it’s really only a 25% savings. Personally, I don’t want to work that hard at math when I shop. As a savvy shopper, you make the decision of what you’re willing pay for an item. Knowledge is key to understanding the actual value. One of the best ways to get the best value is to buy direct from the manufacturer when it is possible to do so,,, and by pass retail markup. Zannee's Tips, Inside Scoop, Consumer 2012-02-23T21:08:45+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/our_new_obsession/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/our_new_obsession/#When:17:08:20Z I’m not the type to obsess over much. But lately I’ve had an obsession to create a more sustainable lifestyle. The big obsession both hubby and I are focusing on together are lowering all our bills. We went through this same focus about 3 years ago with some success and are now addressing it again. With new technology and heavy competition, market pricing has changed on may items and services. Hubby is actively working on lowering our phone, health insurance and electric bills. The first thing we did was dump of our full sized freezer in our garage. Though it allowed us to buy frozen goods in quantity at substantial savings, at $50 a month in electricity, the benefits evaporated. We are now looking around for a smaller, newer unit, but are in no rush. Our experience with health insurance is worth a full article in itself. But if you haven’t shopped around in the last year, we strongly suggest you do. Our new health insurance agent is worth her weight in gold and we will be savings $500 a month with better coverage when our new medical insurance plan kicks in at the end of the month Traci Beith at Aloha West Insurance, (760) 547-2626. Since I don’t talk or text while driving and neither does hubby, our cell phone use has dropped dramatically this past year. Plus I hate my phone that came with our current plan. It’s the dumbest, hardest to use “Smart” phone on the planet. We have changed plans to a lower usage and I am now researching what phone I want to buy separately. Outside of the iPhone… any suggestions? We are also going back to living more on an as needed, cash only basis. We did this for 5 years and it was an eye opener how well we could actually live without “want” items. We stopped for a couple of years to reward ourselves for our frugality and have slowly accumulated items that we didn’t need or add to our quality of life. Done with that. We’re not going into a time of self denial…. it actually should be a time of abundance. Just in a more reasonable, frugal, sustainable way.  Can you say Amen?  Zannee's Tips, Health & Beauty, Consumer 2012-02-15T17:08:20+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/nbc_4_today_in_l.a._sunday_2_12/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/nbc_4_today_in_l.a._sunday_2_12/#When:01:35:27Z Yippee!  Great Valentine’s Day gift ideas at bargain prices! Save 25%-50% on men and women’s watches, sleepwear and lingerie, as well as diamonds and engagement rings! Here’s where I found my bargain gifts: Watches: The Outlet by ELS 1532 S. California Ave. Monrovia, CA 91016 (626) 357.8449 ext.4 -Read More- Women’s Clothing and Lingerie: R. Chameleon 353 Main St. El Segundo, CA 90245 (310) 322-2940 -Read More- Diamonds and engagement rings: Shanes Jewelry 1008 Broxton Ave. Westwood Village, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (310) 208-8404 -Read More- and of course… Trader Joes! Bargain Buys, Fashion, TV Appearances 2012-02-12T01:35:27+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/the_thoughtful_valentine/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/the_thoughtful_valentine/#When:18:57:14Z Just as you’ve recovered from the holiday shopping marathon, it’s time for another swing at shopping with Valentines Day looming ahead. Thankfully, you don’t have to squeeze your budget again to give a thoughtful Valentine present. Being a creative bunch, bargain shoppers think and shop outside of the norm. You’ll find us stalking swap meets, flea markets, warehouse sales, resale and discount stores. Our creative, value oriented minds won’t allow us to overspend or give “cheap” gift. We like inventive, out of the ordinary, value packed gifts. But how do you come up new creative ideas when you’re still suffering from a Christmas hangover? Think outside the box. Go for something a bit different. Use your creativity.  Let these low cost ideas get your creative juices flowing. 1. If you must give flowers, they should compliment a thoughtful gift. How about hand-painting your love message on an inexpensive glass vase filled with flowers? 2. Deliver one long stemmed, red rose everyday to their office for a week. Labor intensive… but whoa, what a way to get your point across! 3. Hide Valentines Day cards in places “he” or “she” will find them. Inside his favorite suit pocket, his briefcase, the top drawer of his desk or hidden in his lap top. 4. Have your kids draw a picture of a heart, a bouquet or even a “best mom” ”best dad” and frame it. 5. Memorize a Shakespeare sonnet (118 is a good standard) and deliver it at an appropriate moment. 6. If mom or dad is a chocoholic, a large hand-painted mug with sumptuous chocolate mix is a good bet. 7. Create a romantic dinner at home. Cook up a special menu, set an appropriate dining table complete with candles, a tablecloth, and play soft music. Dress for the occasion. 8. Learn “I love you” in as many languages as you can. Write them down in personal notes and deliver them with gifts of scented soap, lotions and bath oils. 9. Give yourself the night off. Have the kids head to a friend’s or relative’s house for the night. Then order dinner out, rent a favorite movie and snuggle up. This combined with #7 is sure to be memorable! 10. Romantic coupon books filled with massages, star gazing, wine tasting and other romantic IOU’s. 11. Frame the lyrics to your wedding or special love song. 12. Surprise your loved one when they come home from work. Load up on dozens of candles from tapers to votives. Then light and set them around the house. When they arrive home from work, greet them with a glass of wine with the warm romantic glow from the candles. Special, skimpy attire required. Romance will blossom! The true art of romance is making your special someone, feel special. It has nothing to do cost and has everything to do with effortt. The little details, effort and thoughtfulness that go into your Valentine gift matter the most. Happy Valentines Day! Zannee's Tips, Do it Yourself 2012-02-06T18:57:14+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/the_new_jc_penny/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/the_new_jc_penny/#When:18:33:44Z A breath of fresh air was pumped into the retail markets this last week with JC Penny’s launch of their new logo and marketing. The new branding of JC Penny is good news for savvy bargain shoppers.  Gone are the fake sales, over inflated retail pricing and other manipulative B**ll Sh*t. As a consumer, you have to ask yourself how they can afford to lower their prices across the board by 40% ? Have their costs gone down? Did their overhead expenses suddenly drop… .Nope. They’ve just decided to end the “ sale” farce. Their minimal profit margin is intact. On average, department stores mark up 150%-300%.  The mark up range depends upon actual unit cost of the product and the price point they think they can offer it for. In the middle of this equation is the reality of what the product will actually sell for … that’s usually between 20% off and 50% off MSRP. Remember MSRP is just an offering price point. It doesn’t mean anybody bought it at that price or it’s worth that price. MSRP is really just a marketing tool. Keep in mind that JC Penny and others large chain department stores are large volume buyers. Their per unit purchase price on the thousands of pieces they buy is far less than a independent boutique that can only buy a few dozen pieces. JC Penny, now JCP is finally being straight with customers. I’m eager to stop in to see the new marketing and strategy works, feels and looks. I’m hoping to see new, better quality brands along with the lower pricing. We’ll see how this plays out. But as of right now, I’m impressed by their bold move. Zannee's Tips, Inside Scoop, Consumer 2012-02-02T18:33:44+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/a_visit_to_lacma/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/a_visit_to_lacma/#When:22:33:33Z After steam cleaning my hardwood floors and writing an article on Sunday morning, Webdude suggested we get out of the house for some R & R. We headed out to LACMA, dragging our teenager kid with us for 3 hours of art immersion. We’re not members, but the deal here is kids under 18 get in Free. Adults are $15. They’ve added a lot of interactive exhibits, which may not be fine art … but are fun, tangible art you get to experience. Honestly we hadn’t been in years and were pleased to see some terrific additions to the museum. Perfect for families to take their kids to engage in artistic conversation. We went to see Metropolis II which was incredible! Fine art… maybe not so much…. but fun, thought provoking, dimensional art…. absolutely yes!  You must view it from all sides to get a real perspective of the kinetic work.  This structure has 100,000 cars circulating through a dense network of buildings… all in miniature of course. If you love trains or Hot Wheels as a kid, this exhibit is a real kick. The sound created is part of the experience. Then we went into the California Design 1930-1965.  Full of innovative, mid century designs from an original Mattel Barbie doll and Barbie cardboard Dream House to a Studebaker Avanti designed by Raymond Loewy. The kid went nuts for some of the vintage clothing designs, reciting repeatedly to herself that she was born in the wrong era. She stopped her mantra when I told her she could find some great similar pieces at local vintage stores…. And yes, I’d take her. If you’re over 45 and grew up this stuff, this will be a real treat for you. Popped into the Ellsworth Kelly exhibit…. Simple, abstract prints are not for me.I did however immerse myself into the works of Picasso and the dozens of other modern impressionistic art works.  Some of the works were enlightening, others shocking, some were irritatingly self serving, but your not supposed to love everything you see. The rewards of our day of art immersion was intellectual debate, jokes, conversation along with historical and emotional insights lasting well into the evening…. all because we took the time to see some art. Nice. Entertainment, Local fun 2012-01-23T22:33:33+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/cruising_commerce/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/cruising_commerce/#When:00:43:42Z Web Dude and I were cruising around Commerce Thursday, checking in on some outlets we love and visiting new ones. Saw a couple of places I wanted to research in depth and another couple of places that were just so so. We did however pop into long time BargainsLA fave California Closeouts. California Closeouts has expanded since I was last in, though it’s just as chaotic. Expect to have someone tell you where stuff is or be prepared to dig a bit.  Not for the faint of heart or spoiled shopper. But for intrepid, hardy, bargain hunters like me, who don’t sneer at somewhat chaotic, warehouse type outlets. Here a bit o digging has to be done….. but oooohhh the deals! Their parking lot held some new bathtubs, desks, planters, air conditioning systems…. Some were mint, a few had cosmetic flaws all a 40%-70% below retail (These were being snapped up by contractors who stop in daily). There were also great buys on sundries… shampoo, lotion, bathroom staples in antiseptics, razor blades, soaps and the like… I also spotted bags of spices, toys, clothing, perfume, house wares, food staples like boxed rice and potatoes. It was suppose to be just a pop in to say hi to the owner, Mitch and see what was up. But I just happened to spot a 8’ metal garden windmill. We’ve always wanted one and have been pricing these for well over a decade at $100-$280 depending upon quality. I’ve seen them on sale at Lowes for $99. But I’d never seen them at $19…. That’s right $19! This came from a shipment that was a ‘Truck accident spill”, so California Closeouts bought them at rock bottom “liquidation” pricing. We knew it was a “one time” deal, so we bought it… along with some rice and red vines. A day of research turned into a fun day with a cool bargain buy…. How fun! 10 years of patience paid off! Read more on California Closeouts Bargain Buys, Shopping Adventures, Home & Garden 2012-01-20T00:43:42+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/if_at_first_you_dont_succeed/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/if_at_first_you_dont_succeed/#When:01:39:41Z Did ya see me this weekend? I was everywhere. This weekend was spent trying to track down some new bargain sources. Friday I drove around Santa Monica and into West LA only to find the Bridal place I wanted to research, was closed. I had checked the hours before I went. So frustrating! Then I went into East Hollywood to check out a lead. There was no parking. You needed a permit to park on the side streets and the public spaces were full. I drove around and around several blocks for a good half hour…. And still couldn’t find a spot. I drove around so many times, they had to have thought I was casing the area! I finally left with an even deeper sense of frustration. Never one to quit, Saturday I drove out to check out a furniture source in Walnut. They were shorthanded and after an hour and half waiting to ask a couple of questions, they met my questions with disdain and rudeness. So I left…. rather ticked off. Thinking I’d find a possible source I’d read about in Glendora, I drove north only to find the building was now vacant. Drat! Back home again, with nothing to show for my efforts.  I had a couple glasses of wine and we all watched Money Ball and then Saturday Night Live (great show with Daniel Radcliff). Here’s my favorite clip http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/You-Can-Do-Anything/1379100 Saturday, though frustrating, thankfully ended on a good note. Sunday is usually a day of rest. I don’t, as a rule work on Sunday. But I was determined to get something done. I had gone to 4 places and had achieved nothing!!!! I hit the road again. So I headed into West Hollywood where I discovered the Christian Andrew Outlet and then into the Los Feliz area where I spotted the Steven Allen Outpost aka Outlet store. Both were great outlets with happy, sharp personnel and terrific savings! I felt like I was finally on a streak.  Nice people great stores, solid savings! The weekend ended on a high note… so much better than it started. Now off to watch the Golden Globes. Shopping Adventures, Local fun 2012-01-16T01:39:41+00:00 Suzanne O'Connor http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/better_than_expected/ http://www.bargainsla.com/blog/entry/better_than_expected/#When:19:26:16Z Last Thursday I got ready to do battle….. I heard a funny clicking sound coming from the front end of my car. My independent Honda mechanic told me that my 2008 Honda Civic needed a new left axle. We just bought the car from Miller Honda dealership in Fall 2010. I hadn’t hit anything. I hadn’t been over obnoxious in my driving except for making too many U turns. I’ve owned Honda’s since 1986 and NEVER needed a new axle. I usually drive Honda’s up to 250,000 miles. I’ve had to repair or replace many things. This was a first.   My mechanic also told me, after looking at the computer database that there was a history of replacing axles on my car. Both had been replaced at 20,000 miles, before I owned it. That fact didn’t show up in the Carfax report I got on the car before I purchased it. That made me angry and suspicious. Friday morning, I took the car back to Miller Honda in Van Nuys and explained to them with receipts and print outs what my mechanic had found. I expected an argument, but didn’t get one. They said they’d check the car at no charge and they’d get back to me if it needed a replacement axle. I made them put everything down in writing. They were very efficient and friendly. But, I didn’t buy it for a fast second. In my head, I was already composing a letter to the CEO of Honda.  I expected a bait and switch, or some other devious explanation. I didn’t get one.  I expected to be taken to the bank. But none of that happened. Yes, the car needed a new axle… and no, there wouldn’t be any charge to replace it since the first axle was under warranty. No jumping through hoops, no argument, just a company backing up what they sell. The mechanics there all agreed with me that a Honda should not have to get a new axle every 20,000 miles. Because it was fixed under warranty at a dealership, Honda now has a record of it. I got the car back at 3pm, didn’t pay a dime. Zannee's Tips, Consumer 2012-01-09T19:26:16+00:00