McKays Used Books

McKays Used Book stores are located in three cities in Tennessee, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville.  They are fantastic for finding used books, selling yours and the same with DVDs and CDs.

Their prices are fantastic and they buy yours for a good price as well.  They've branched out into magazines as well.  It is NOT Half Price Books of the South as they do it much, much better.

Russian Lasers

Have you ever been in a thrift shop, in the book section and seen someone with a smart-phone device?  We call them Russians as it seems the vast majority are from the old Soviet Union bloc.  They use a device like an ipaq or palm or whatever with a laser attachment.  They download sales figures from Amazon, I think, and the laser devices read the UPC codes on books and they are "pinged" if the Amazon sales figures are above a certain level.  I don't have a problem with that, of course, but it is annoying when they arrive at a store grand opening.  They'll grab the books off the shelves by the shopping cart load, pull them to the side and sort through them.

Google Docs, Picasa, Movie Maker - FREE

As a thrift store shopper I'm always looking for ways to save a buck.  Google provides a couple of tools for free that you should consider before buying Microsoft Office products.  If you want basic Office apps like Excel or Word you should consider using Google Docs.

Whenever you post something like this you always risk getting flamed because people will say "I already knew that, way to be obtuse".  However, there are plenty of people who don't know about Google Docs and are ready to drop $150 on Microsoft products.

A few great things about Google Docs.  First, you can save documents with .doc or .xls (haven't tried their version of PowerPoint yet) file extensions.  Which means you or other people can open them with Word.  GD doesn't have every bell and whistle but if you simply want to write a term paper or something simple, there's no better way.

You can store documents on Google servers (as well as other files from other apps as well, long story).  This means if you are working on the great American novel but don't have access to you laptop you can sign on to Google and work on your document.

Documents can be shared and updated globally.  You can collaborate with other people because they can access the document and work on it at the same time.  Great for projects.

There is one caveat.  Though you can store the documents on your machine, if you store them on Google servers then conceviably they could be accessed without your knowledge.  The odds are slim that you'd be hacked but truth be told, you shouldn't have ANY private data stored on your laptop or PC much less on Google's server (yeah, I know, cloud, nevermind).  You should be cautious with any private data.

Picasa is another great tool.  It isn't Photoshop but it does allow you to enhance pictures, re-size them, upload them to photo sites, etc.  Lets face it, people with Photoshop don't use all the fantastic tools available.

The last great tool that isn't a Google product is Windows Movie Maker.  It allows you to perform simple movie editing.  If your camera can take movies with still pics it is a great tool for beginners.

CDs and DVDs are cheap!

People often overlook thrift shops as a resource for CDs and DVDs.  I've seen them priced for anywhere from 50 cents to $3.  Though they aren't exactly my favorites, I've seen recent releases from Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.  My tastes run more to the 80s and 90s alternative and I find plenty of those.

Lots of people will tell you it is easier to get mp3s from iTunes.  However, I like to think of it this way.  If I like enough songs on a CD to pay for itself, I buy it.  And then I turn it into a used CD shop and ultimately pay far less for the song(s) than from iTunes.

There are few current movies I enjoy but DVDs usually run from 2 to 5.

You have to watch for severely scratched discs but with a little caution, I've never had a problem.

Another great resource are pawn shops.  Unfortunately, many in society have such an aversion to thrift shops and pawn shops that people are reluctant to be seen in them.  Maybe the show Pawn Stars will make a difference.

Get over it!

Ralph Lauren Purple Label

One item I look for in thrift stores that are very difficult to find are Ralph Lauren Purple Label items.  The high end Ralph Lauren stuff that some people aren't even aware of its existence.  I love their polos but will not pay what they retail for in stores, upwards of $300.  And that's some of the cheap stuff of the purple label!  I have found precisely two in my thrift store time.  In Florida, if I remember accurately.

Here's a pic:

The polo label can look the same as the bottom one in the picture without the made in Italy tag.

A Different Way of Looking at Things

Something we try to teach to our kids is to consciously view everything you do of consequence as having a cost.  Some might call this a cynical look at life but that's not true.  We often make this cost analysis subconsciously.  For example, when you get married, an immediate cost that everyone makes is that you forsake all others.  Just because something has a cost does not mean you don't gladly pay it.  Not saying it aloud or happily paying it doesn't make it any less of a cost.

More to the point.  Think about it another, less momentous, way.  If you're living close to the bone and decide not to get a daily paper you're saving yourself  5 to 8 dollars a week, depending what your subscription.  However, there is a cost as well.  You might lose out on opportunities you find in the classifieds or business section.  To a lot of people, though, they lose out on the coupons in the Sunday paper.

A Sunday paper usually costs a couple of bucks but if you use a lot of the coupons inside you are not saving.

You already knew that, I know.  But you need to start thinking of other things in your life that way.  Wired magazine recently published an article on how you can receive virtually everything you get on cable through the internet and, sometimes, desktop devices like Google TV,

For example, if you have a good internet connection, you can use subscription services like Netflix or Hulu to stream shows.  If you're a technophile you knew that already.  However, if you are spending tons of money for premium channels but watch just a few selected shows like Dexter or Boardwalk Empire you might be better served by ditching cable

Lets say you watch baseball, major networks and a few other select shows.  You can get an HD antenna for about $30 to watch local and network shows, a cable A/B switch for $17, a Netflix subscription for $10 and an MLB subscription for $120.  That's $300 a year.  If you buy a box for $150, that's $450.

How much is cable costing you a month?  How much of it do you really watch for, say, $100 a month?

Here's a good link.

http://www.labnol.org/internet/watch-internet-videos-on-tv/12177/

Walker, Not the Texas Ranger

I was in Greenville SC today, helping my son recover from getting his knee 'scoped.  I thought about getting him a walker but he doesn't need it.  What struck me, however, was how cheap they are in thrift stores.  While I understand they should be in reasonable shape, 99 cents is pretty cheap.

They had great ones at Goodwill for $15 and at another store for $5.  I know you're all happy for me.

But I'm actually making a bigger point.  The cheapest one I've found online, just for research purposes, was about 55 bucks.  That one you could get reimbursed for by the government or an insurance company.  Try submitting a Goodwill bill for 15.  It won't happen.  Again, I realize you have to be sure the darn thing won't collapse on Grandma but if you look you'll find quality on the cheap.  You can do the same with crutches and wheelchairs (manual, of course).

We won't solve the healthcare problems in our country by going to a thrift store, I know.  However, there is something wrong there with a 99 cent walker that can't be reimbursed but a 55 dollar claim can be paid.

If I ever find something like a hair plug deal for 99cents I'll let you know.

I Am My Wife's Hamster

There are times when I really enjoy cuddling with my wife.  Not all men do as I do but it is kinda nice from time to time.  My wife loves the dog a little too much and the mutt gets the majority of cuddle time in bed.  Don't go there, don't go there.

I realized recently that I am my wife's hamster.  If you have a pet like a dog or a cat, that's your primary pet.  If you have another pet that is a turtle or fish or hamster, that's your secondary pet.  As the dog is the go-to cuddle, I am the secondary pet.  Paul may have been the walrus.  I, however, am the hamster.

My competition:

Getting Your Spouse To Use Coupons

A friend of my, who shall remain nameless, lamented that his wife (who does the grocery shopping) refuses to use coupons.  The family always lives paycheck to paycheck and has 4+ kids.  They are against her religion or something...

Another friend sent me this recommendation.  Have your kid(s) clip the coupons and give them half the savings.  If the spouse who does the shopping can't be bothered have the kids cut them and go along shopping.  If the coupons save ten bucks, you give them five.

We don't have an aversion to saving.  But if you're in my friend's situation, try it.

Seven 7 For Mankind Jeans

Apparently, Seven 7? for Mankind Jeans are hot, or at least were.  In my travels I found a couple at a Goodwill in Atlanta.

I saw them on 10/20/10.  I don't know the sizes.  They were priced around $20 each and seemed to be in good shape.

And somebody enlighten me please (Nick speaking).  Why do people pay $300 for a pair of jeans, new off the shelf?  There are some things that look like they should be priced higher.  For example, a very good suit, expensive polos, etc.  But jeans?  I can't figure it out. 

However, there they are for the taking!

Why We Are Here

My wife and I often travel as a part of our jobs.  After almost dying of a heart attack over a year ago and all the expenses ineherent with that incident, we have turned to thrift stores to deal with our shopping jones.  It turns out we have found a lot of fantastic stuff.

We're not going to be using this to proudly display our stuff.  We've learned a lot, want to share our knowledge of how to find things, identify fakes and share other thrift information.