That's... a bargain? -or- That IS a bargain!!!

[Gomendosi]

I was thinking about the popularity of shows where people turn a profit or obtain an item they will cherish, and they do this by fair means or foul.
Shows where they buy up containers, storage units, lockers or they swap, barter, restore, haggle or just about rob from a "rube".

So tell us about your best bargain as I imagine the spectrum would present challenges to doing anything other than paying full retail all the time



Here's my best bargain:
I went to the local tip/ dump/ waste ground once and bought a practically brand new vacuum cleaner, the bloke said it works but it has very little suction, hence why it was thrown out.
I took my bargain (AU$2 dollars) home thinking I could "fiddle" with it and maybe get it going a little better!
First thing [ALL] I did was clean the abso-bloody-lutely putrid filter, it was well clogged.
I fired it up after I cleaned the filter and it worked to 100% capacity, to this day, some five years later I can still suck the dots off a Dalmatian with it (not that I would).

It never ceases to amaze me how a little effort and common sense can stop you buying a new one of the same thing every year!

 

[Cerulean]

One of my favorite items is a bright orange hard shell suitcase that I got for 50 cents at a garage sale. They were tossing it out because the liner had come apart from the outside a little, but 5 minutes with some fabric glue and that sucker looks brand new.

My family (OK my dad) is really into stuff like what you did Gomendosi- just because something looks a little rough doesn't mean with a little love it won't be perfectly useful.

 

[Loomis]

For twenty dollars, I bought a solid oak table from the 1920's that was painted a hideous yellow. Stripped and refinished it now sits proudly in my dining room.