What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever found (and kept)?
When I think about that question, I feel as though it’s asking for something you’ve discovered for free. Cool as that may sound, that’s quite unlikely to happen. In past posts, I’ve detailed some of my finest bargains. I’ve utilised my gift cards to grab a branded cargo shorts on the house. Ditto with another cargo pair for a dollar. Black G-Star Raw sneakers for two bucks. Calvin Klein Eternity eau de parfum (EDP) for free (after gift cards). Through years of shopping both in store and online, I was able to obtain berserk bargains. Allow me to indulge in my other Great Finds.
DFO Hunting
During a big brand weekend sale at DFO, I made two stellar finds. The first was a pair of Merrell’s at their outlet. They had a further twenty percent off storewide. The shoes I was interested in was a mesh/textile kick in olive green. I tried some sizes and decided that 10 was my size. The boxes were supposed to be $100, so the final price should’ve been 80. However, there was one pair that had a $60 tag. Curiously, it was my size. I immediately picked it up and paid for it. $48? Yes, please. It wasn’t really a winter pair but it fit the bill. These days, Merrell has focused exclusively on running and performance shoes. Along with my other brown pair, nowadays, you wouldn’t be able to find these types. As an afterthought, I purchased this cotton cashmere jumper from Superdry for $29. I recall that they had a further 20 percent off if you buy two items, which equates to ten percent off. Meh.
My Store
Meanwhile, back at Myer, I once found this green striped Reserve henley tee, which was on sale for twenty bucks. I believe that it was half price. I had a $20 Myer gift card, which meant that I paid zero dollars for the tee. The saleslady beamed at me. The same thing happened with an Apple adapter, which I got for nil.
Online Bargains
Once eBay had this insane deal where you got a ten dollar promo code to spend on almost everything. I was glad that I found it in time. A few hours later, the voucher’s terms were amended. Another time, it was free Ugg boots for eBay Plus members. This lasted for half an hour I think, due to a pricing error. Sadly, I wasn’t that quick on the draw, neither were we eBay Plus members.
Last year, eBay had another splendid offer. A year’s worth of eBay Plus for free. I wasn’t able to avail of the deal as I had stopped using the platform. Our account was inactive. We’ve been paying the monthly fee for eBay Plus. Yesterday, there was another targeted offer: five bucks for a year of eBay Plus. Apparently, this was aimed at certain monthly subscribers to entice them to sign up for the annual plan. A variation of the deal was $9.99 for the year. Going back, eBay used to be on FlyBuys rewards. However, they departed. As a consolation, we were given a year’s free trial of eBay Plus.
More finds
My Mum’s greatest find was this wooden studying table/bookshelf at the op shop. This was way back, before I started at uni. Upon entering, she saw this gorgeous studying table. It had four side drawers, a two tier bookshelf, and was varnished. She got it for a basement price as it was in excellent condition. The store was about to close for the day. Had she gone five minutes later, the desk would be gone. The next day, they delivered it to our place. I’ve been using it for a long time.
While out with my sister, they chanced upon this large green Oroton umbrella. They were walking at night when they unearthed this fine find. My sister noted that the umbrella was rather new. Given that there was no giant personalised print, she decided to take it home.
Birthday Boy
I had a birthday in high school. That evening, Dad bought a whole roasted chicken, ice cream, and a round black forest cake. It was a typical low key celebration. Upon eating, Mum asked Dad to tell us the story behind the merriment. Dad then admitted that he found five hundred pesos while walking downtown. My sister asked why he did not hand it back. Dad reasoned that if he tried to return it, everyone will claim that the money was theirs. Furthermore, as noted, the discovery didn’t happen in a store or eatery. Returning the funds would’ve been the proverbial needle in a haystack. So he kept it instead to give us a little birthday cheer.
Great finds are neither black nor white but rather are grey and subjective. For some, the decision of keeping would come easy, while the same would be a moral quandary for others. When faced with this dilemma, making the best possible decision at the time is a must. After all, only ‘cats have nine lives’.
