Tag: bargain

On the tenth of December, 2007, I bought a book from Angus & Robertson for $7. It was an author unknown to me, Jane Yolen, but the cover illustration and blurb on the back caught my attention. Further inspection told me it was the third of a trilogy. “That’s okay,” though I. “I’ll just grab the other two when I see them.”

Fast forward nine years. I have never found copies of either, anywhere. I have seen copies of her solo fairy tale book Briar Rose (indeed, I got one eventually through Bookmooch), but nary a sighting of either of the Great Alta books I was missing. Had The One Armed Queen been the first of the lot, I would have read it and read the others when I found them. Alas, it is the third, and sits unread, waiting.

In November 2016, when BetterWorld has a sale on, I put in an order for a bunch of books, mostly to complete series I already own part of. To my chagrin, at the time of the order, only White Jenna is in stock. I buy it. I can’t read it yet either, since it’s book two, but I am one book closer to my goal.

In early January this year, my partner’s mother visits. She gives me $10 to cover something I bought, ostensibly to be my Christmas money. I talk to my partner when she leaves. “It’s back in stock at Betterworld. I want that for my gift.” With currency conversion, it’s just enough. Today, it arrived.

And that is my story of how I had to wait nine years to be able to read a bargain bin find. Now, I’m going to wait at least a little longer, since I’m in the middle of rereading a fifteen book series by Katharine Kerr, and I don’t want to shift gears. BUT I COULD, NOW. I COULD.

Since the Manhattan puzzle was so awesome, I hit up the bigger Target today and bought the eight puzzles they had that I hadn’t already bought. Highlights include a Bourbon Street and a San Fransico puzzle by the same artist that did the Manhattan one! So I now have ten puzzles, all 500 pieces, all small enough to do on the piano stool while sitting on my sofa, all $1 each.

Also, I’d liked a Beanie Boos plushie at the other Target, but thought it was too large to be practical to carry around with me. It was a rainbow cat. This Target had a whole shelf full of this brand of plush, some larger, like the cat, some smaller. They didn’t have the cat in the smaller size, but they did have this owl which I immediately fell in love with and didn’t want to put down. He’s so soft, even the glittery bits, and I couldn’t stop rubbing him against my face the whole way to the checkouts. Oh, and according to his tag, his name is Oscar. He was $7.

How To Get Yourself Through Autistic Burnout Whilst Poor

I went to the dollar store and Target today, and for SEVEN DOLLARS I kitted myself out with a stim kit.

From Target, I got two puzzles ($1 each), a squishy rubbery ball in a cloth cover to squeeze ($1), and scored a freebie – a rattle/chew that had been dropped by a customer that suited me. (Disclaimer – I looked for a customer with a baby, didn’t find them, the store DID NOT STOCK the item in question, and, having worked for Target, I knew handing it in would land it straight in the bin.)

From the dollar store, I got a pumpkin/witch thing that was leftover from Halloween and the closest I could find to a Koosh in texture ($2), and six tiny eggs of synthetic stone (3 for $1).

The bag at the back was a gift from my mother that she bought in the Pacific Islands whilst on a cruise, so it cost me nothing, PLUS it is a stim toy in itself – the entire thing unzips to a long strand of zip and rezips up to bag shape.

A stim kit that’s gonna save my life, and it cost me $7.