Moving Sales and Bargains!

I now know how the kid in "A Christmas Story" felt!

May is the season for moving in Fairbanks. People are either moving in or moving out. Of course, this may be the case in most places. However, because the cost to ship things is so pricey, most people sell off their household goods and fly themselves to their new location. Trying to take advantage of these people, Mike and I have been busy hitting moving sales in the area.

Yesterday, we went to a moving sale. They were selling anything that was not bolted down. The man of the house greeted us at the door and took us on a tour showing us all of his treasured possessions. Since his wife was not home, anything was fair game. I grabbed five lamps and Mike went to see the lawn equipment. Mike bought a leaf blower and the man threw in the lawn mower for free. Considering it doesn’t run most of the time, Mr. Seller felt that asking for money would be too much. Hearing that we had just moved to Fairbanks and feeling sorry for us, he gave us another freebie. He handed Mike a super-duper ice scraper and snow brush combo thingie. This will come in handy next winter!

Today, we went to another sale. These people had even more stuff! Mike bought a thermos and a propane tank. However, I walked away with the real bargains! As I was rummaging through a closet, I found two winter coats that still had the tags on them and had never been worn. I asked if they were for sale. Looking a little uncertain, the homeowner’s son said, “Sure. Why not!” The first one was a Coldwater Creek, fur-lined suede coat. The tag said the original price was $150. I tried it on and it fit perfectly. I offered him $30 and he took it. I should have offered him less!

The second one was a feather/down coat. It hangs down about mid-calf and is good in temperatures to about 50 below zero. As I tried it on, I felt like a water buffalo. This coat made me look fat and it was Periwinkle Blue (not my favorite color)! I struggled with the fact that I looked like a pastel water buffalo. Then, Mike reminded me that when it is 50 below zero people don’t care what the heck they’re wearing. As I have been researching heavy winter coats, I have found that most coats can cost $200 to $500 (depending on where you get it). I decided that I would offer the guy $20 and see what happened. He took it! So, for $50, I walked off with two really warm winter coats.

As I walked to the car with my treasures, I began to realize just what we’ve gotten ourselves into. Reality was setting in. The light bulb went off. Mike and I live in Alaska. In fact, we live in Fairbanks which is located 160 miles south of the Arctic Circle. By September, it is going to be getting cold. By December, it is going to be even colder and very dark. By January, people are either booking trips to Hawaii or finding a psychiatrist to visit. By February, people are visiting psychiatrists in Hawaii. By March, people who have not visited their tropical therapist resort to one of two things. Number one, they put their house up for sale and buy a house in Arizona. Or, number two, they check themselves into a mental institution. Recently, I have learned that Alaska has the most mental hospitals of any state in the U.S. Alaska also has one of the lowest populations of any state. Does this throw up a red flag to you? Next Spring, check back and you will see in which category Mike and I fall.

It will be a cold day in Alaska before I walk out in public wearing this thing!

This Coldwater Creek coat is a great buy.