Welcome Back...And Welcome Home

The Diva is back. And certainly still living on a dime.

While I haven't been as active in my Diva-endeavors these past few months, the deals have never stopped finding me. I like to think of it as karma, a reciprocation of The Golden Rule--and probably a little (or lot of) effort on my part mixed in. That Diva-on-a-Dime-mentality--originally taught to me by my savvy-but-certainly-never-cheap mother--doesn't simply disappear. It's not a yo-yo diet or fad. It's a way of life, a mentality. And for me, it started with learning the art of The Price Adjustment at The Gap, and that markdowns always happened on Wednesdays.

Three Diva Deals for the price of one
My favorite deal these days--and one I will certainly rank among my Diva All-Time Top Ten--is the price I negotiated on my new digs (I'm nearly settled...Must do a bit more organizing, then comes the decorating and couch-hunting).

And when I reeled-and-dealed my way to a rent price that's only $25/month more than what I used to pay (and that was with a roommate, in a 4-floor walk-up, in a not-as-great-as-where-I-live-now area of town), more deals discovered me.

1. A sophisticated Back Back studio (Did I mention outdoor living space and steps from the Charles River?) at over $250/mo. less than the original asking price. Yep, it's called putting in an offer lower than the asking price... If it's not September (when 1/3 of Boston--the students--move in), there's a good chance a landlord will be willing to bargain with you. Don't try bargaining with a management company, however. I tried. Hard. With my old building. They wouldn't budge in the slightest.

2. A dozen wine glasses. For free. And sparkling clean. One investment (or Christmas gift I was going to request) was a set of nice wine glasses-- some for red, some for white, and perhaps some champagne flutes. But, last week, while my friend Phil and I popped open a bottle of bubbly, preparing to toast to my new place, I asked him to grab 2 glasses from my crate of bubble-wrapped dishes (note, bubble wrap was free too--I reused wrapping that was used in a shipment at the boutique I've recently picked up some hours at), he answered, "Why?" "Well, so, um, we can drink this," I said. He stared at me, saying, "You have wine glasses right here." I jumped for joy--they had been left by the previous tenant (I am guessing...) and the cleaner who was at my apartment earlier had washed them.

3. A $50 clock radio/ipod player for $30. CVS had marked the price under the display wrong. When it rang up at $50, I inquired, then spoke with the manager, who effortlessly offered to give me the price I thought it was. An unexpected--and stellar--purchase and deal.

There are many more stories and deals to come, but for tonight the Diva must get her beauty sleep.