A Steal of a Deal

Friends, have you ever had that moment where you’re strolling through a store just minding your own business, then BAM!  Destiny smacks you in the face!!!  The exact thing you had been lusting over in the store catalog for years has finally made it’s way to the clearance section and, at a ridiculously low price, is begging for you to buy it.  This moment is highly prized and sought after by thrift and bargain shoppers alike, and is naught to be taken likely.

When a moment like that comes a long and hits you in the face, you gotta act!  And that is exactly what I did last Tuesday, when-out of the blue-my eyes spotted the double bowl Domsjo Ikea farmhouse sink sitting all by it’s lonesome in the As-Is section.

Let me back up a bit…

I always (*ALWAYS*) stop in the As-Is section on any Ikea trip.  Why?  I’m a sucker for good deals, even ones I have no intention of buying.  Do you ever get tingly just from knowing there are deals out there?  Like the satisfaction that comes from knowing that when you do have a little jangle in your pockets you should be able to make it go a looooong way because you just saw something that was like 99% off.

When I first entered the clearance section, I spotted this stainless steel fridge for half off.  I texted Jake a picture for fun, fully knowing that there is no way I was going to spend $700 that day for a new fridge.  Especially since we are many months away from any kind of kitchen reno…

After sending the text (and sharing the satisfaction of a bargain find, even if it’s not mine), I wandered deeper into the As-Is section of goodies.  And that’s when it happened. Minding my own business looking at the weird bathroom sink they had by the random cabinet doors and… WOAH!  Is that a DOMSJO sink??  Like the one I mentioned I WANTED in my Kitchen Dreams post???  That’s been on backorder for like the WHOLE YEAR????????  And it’s HALF OFF????????????????????   (I’m trying to convey my excitement with excessive use of punctuation, is it too much?? 😉 )

Instantly I whipped out my phone to tell Jake the great news.  Ok, so I’m at Ikea, this is a little crazy, but I found a GREAT deal.  The key to doing this is to remain calm as you relay the news, in my experience husbands don’t often respond well to shrieks of *Can I get it? Can I get it??*

He was skeptical at first, rightly so, because he thought I was asking to buy a fridge… which would have been actually crazy.  But I quickly explained how my most favoritest dream sink was on sale for half off and it was just missing a few plumbing parts which are available at our local Ace.  And, I had known forever that this was the exact sink I wanted someday and had done extensive research on it.  Then, he was on board 🙂

So, I asked for someone to help me lift it out of the rack (that thing is a beast!)… and horror of horrors… the corner was CRACKED.

I was so so bummed, and tried to come up with some way that it could be ok.  But, then I felt the responsibility of wife-hood kick in and I thought to myself, would Jake purchase this if a whole chunk of corner had been broken off and glued back on? I should be representing both of us in this decision.  So, I texted him the horrific news and said I put it back and am not getting it.

Then, my phone rings.  Jake for the win!  Apparently you can repair ceramic sinks 🙂  So, back I went to my beloved find to snap a pic for Jake’s review.  When the manager saw that I was once again considering buying the sink, she offered to lower the price from $150 to $100.  This sink is normally $300!!!

Once Jake re-approved the purchase and suggested we offer $90 for negotiation’s sake, we sealed the deal and wonder of wonders!  I am now the proud owner of an apron front farmhouse sink.  For only 30% of the retail price.

I know it will be a while before I can fully appreciate it as a functioning sink.  But, for now my head is still spinning from this amazing find.  I don’t even mind that it will sit in our basement indefinitely.  Also, it’s actually our first purchase for our new house (besides those two candles in the cart above)!  Really, we’ve bought nothing yet for it, can you believe that??   In an effort to reduce the amount of work flooring will be we had abstained from any fun purchases, knowing they would have to be moved into the basement.  But now this beautiful sink will pave the way for many more steals and deals that will grace the rooms of our home 🙂

Have you had any crazy thrifter moments lately??   I love to hear those stories! They always give me hope for deals of the future. 😉