I think I’ve finally figured out what went wrong with our trip to Ireland.
Someone (I won’t point a finger, but you can guess!) is just too CHEAP to enjoy a vacation!
Here’s what gave it away:
This weekend, My Favorite Domer and I went into a Kohl’s store. I wanted to return a pair of shoes I’d bought for Commencement but found too uncomfortable; he said he was just going to “poke around” while I was in the Customer Service line.
When I finished, I went to the ladies section, zeroed in on a couple of things to try on, and was in the dressing room when my cell phone rang.
It was Domer.
“Have you got a minute?” he wondered. “I found some things and want you to take a look at them.”
“Where are you?”
“Men’s section.”
“Be right there.”
I discovered Domer wandering aimlessly around the men’s section, a pile of clothes in his arms.
Turns out, he’d found three sweaters, one half-zip top, and a dress topcoat.
“They were on clearance,” he told me.
Now much of those racks look like a garage sale to me, so I was hesitant.
“Do they fit?” I asked. “What’s wrong with them?”
“Nothing. They’re fine. I can wear them this winter.”
I noticed all were quality brand-name items that would go with other things in his closet.
When he showed me the price tags, I gasped.
“Too much?”
“Uh, no, I think I’ve got a fifteen percent off coupon somewhere. Ready to check out?”
He nodded and carried his loot to a cashier.
After ringing in the total, she gave me a big grin and said, “You saved $500!”
The lady behind us almost fell over from the shock.
My savvy shopper had picked up merchandise that was 90 percent off! The topcoat alone carried an original price tag of $275, and he got it for $27.50. Those sweaters were between $6 and $9 each. Each!
Now, I’ve got friends who pride themselves on spotting bargains. They browse resale shops, buy only off-season items, trade with friends, etc.
But NEVER have I had the pleasure of saving $500 on one shopping trip!!
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 
“But NEVER have I had the pleasure of saving $500 on one shopping trip!!”
OMG!!!!!
*clapping*
I think Domer has a new career.
He could start a business as a Personal “Discount” Shopper!
HA!
Congrats on the savings, Debbie! That’s AWESOME!
X
Thanks, Ron. I guess his major (Finance) is already serving him well! I’m really proud of him for being so frugal, and it’s comforting to know that the money I leave him one day — small change though it might be! — will be squirreled away and spent wisely.
Oh, I LOVE finding a good bargain but I don’t think I’ve ever done as well as Domer did with his purchases! That’s pretty impressive!
Terri, it always seems like I find the best bargains when I enter a store NOT intending to buy anything! Wonder why that is?
How exciting, Debbie.
Domer obviously learned well from his MAMA!
I acually got excited about his deal. Xx
You’re right, Kim, we’re both pretty CHEAP, but he’s got me beat, hands-down! If he hadn’t shown me the price tags, I’d have no idea he’d saved so much. And he didn’t pick out store brands, either. They were name-brand pieces!
Debbie,
I always tell Mr. L–“it’s not what I spend, It’s what I save!” xx Happy Saturday.
Awesome Domer! Awesome You! Clever award to both of you. I can’t even navigate Kohl’s much less find deals. You even found the coupon. I can never find the coupon. Really, Domer has to come on board with your blog so we can see him in his new clothes…I know…well, my imagination is pretty good and I’m certain he will look dashing!
I have a special pocket in each of my purses where I keep the coupons, Kb. Works perfectly, if I remember which purse to carry, ha! He played “fashion show” before I washed everything, and the colors were good, as was the fit. He must’ve absorbed the frugal gene by osmosis b/c I can’t remember consciously teaching him to be cheap!
Very nice! You taught him how to shop well. I’m the exact same way. I’ll go so far as to order online if there is a free shipping code so I can use the 30% off 🙂 I love the clearance racks – they can be a bit daunting because there is a lot of garbage to sift through, but when you find that gem, it’s exhilarating!
We’re going on vacation soon and I stalked airfare for months until I found cheap tickets. I’ll have to get the kids up at 1:30 am so we can catch a 6 am flight, but it saved me several hundred dollars. I may be too cheap to enjoy a vacation, too: I’m even packing our own snacks to keep the kids happy so I don’t have to buy stuff at the airport.
I wish we’d packed snacks for our trip abroad, Janna. One just can’t think clearly when one is hungry!! We’re so spoiled that way. Good for you, saving several hundred dollars on airfare. No sense at all throwing away good money just to get from one place to another! Something tells me your boys won’t mind — they’ll probably sleep on the plane and arrive raring to go!!
This sounds like my son. I never buy clothes in Europe, I just stock up when I am in the States during Kohl’s great give-aways and coupon days. I am still shocked by the steep Swiss prices!
We didn’t do any shopping while we were in Ireland, but I’m betting prices there would have made us gasp! Here, we’re fortunate to have lots of variety in materials, colors, and prices. Sadly, we seem to take it all for granted until we’re forced to see how “the other half” lives.
AWESOME! I love Kohls. I always save more than I spend…that’s my kind of shopping!
Thanks, Suzi. Glad to meet another fan of Kohl’s! Rarely have I ever bought anything there that doesn’t measure up — and they’re more than glad to take it back for exchange.
Debbie, you’re probably right. Given that the euro is about 1 1/2 times more than the dollar, even if you went thrifty in Europe, you’d still be getting a lot less bang for your buck. Perhaps you should try going to a country where the dollar is worth a lot more than whatever is used there for money. India? Mexico?
Well, you’ve got a point, but I can’t see me traveling just for the sake of traveling. I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland, so this trip was simply me fulfilling a dream. Sadly, it didn’t turn out the way I’d envisioned. But I’m not daunted. I can easily see me going back — maybe by then the dollar will have recovered?!