eBay Saved Searches

For the past 5 years or so, my secret shopping weapon has been the eBay saved search.  The feature allows users to subscribes to highly customized searches that deliver daily emails with active listings that match the chosen criteria.  

My eBay shopping strategy goes a little something like this:

1. Identify a full-priced (or ridiculously expensive) item on a retailer's website. 

2. Start an eBay search featuring the item's name.  Start filtering by size, color, and price.  Typically, I set a price cap of $20 - $50. 

3. Wait and review email results.  Sometimes it's a matter of days.  Sometimes it's a full year.  Sometimes the item never becomes available.

4. Pounce.

It's a tedious but effective process that requires quite a bit of patience.  But given the fact that it's Frugal February, I figured that it's time to hit the reset button.  As of 7:30 am this morning, my saved search page is now a barren wasteland.  It's for the best, really.  Most of my searches were a bit outdated and were delivering daily digests of ruffled, unflattering items.

Thanks for the good times, saved searches.  Maybe someday we'll meet again.

Slow Taper

Yay!  Awkward and unnecessary brush effects!

So, when they prescribe me prednisone, they tell me two things: my already round face will start resemble a moon and I must taper off the steroids slowly and carefully.  

Online shopping and steroids are sort of the same, right?  Both involve euphoria, mania, and ill-fitting clothing.  Totally the same. 

I'm slowly weaning myself off my beloved eBay in preparation for Frugal Fabruary, and my tapering plan consists of a three-step plan.  First, I frantically bid on every J. Crew item I could find while screaming, "I'm just not ready!  I can't get through February without a chambray button-down!  And patterns!  I need more patterns!"

Then, on January 21st, I decided enough was enough.  No more bidding on clothing.  Only cheap scarves and necklaces from China.  A lady isn't presentable without a striped infinity scarf.

As of today, I'm not to bid on any more items.  I can ride out the wave of my remaining auctions, but that's it.  This is the end.  For real real, not for play play.

Was that actually three steps or was it just a hot mess of thoughts?