CAMOUFLAGE DIRTY LAUNDRY
One of the rules of bargain hunting: Never pass an Army-Navy store without stopping in.
Where else can you find dinged-up mess kits and canteens for the kids to use in back-yard play and a camouflage bikini for that special someone?
At the Chicago Army-Navy Surplus Co. in Downers Grove, just down the aisle from the footwear display featuring the 2 1/2-foot-long men’s dress shoe, we recently found a great deal: a laundry bag. But not just any laundry bag.
For starters, the Genuine Marine Pattern Camo Laundry Bag is huge, 37 by 29 inches, and it’s heavy. It could hold a week’s worth of laundry for the average college kid. Maybe even a semester’s worth if the kid is a slob and isn’t big on changing clothes.
The price was a modest $9. It comes in a variety of colors, as long as your definition of “variety” is two. And as long as you consider camouflage (green or brown) a color.
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The Chicago Army-Navy Surplus Co. is at 605 W. Ogden Ave. in Downers Grove; 630-969-1786.
— William Hageman
EASY TO SWALLOW
Tired of getting gouged on a $6.99 organic pineapple? Head over to Stanley’s Fruits and Vegetables (1515 N. Elston Ave., 773-276-8050), which recently expanded its organic section and decongested its narrow aisles. There, I found organic pineapple for $2.98.
Though Stanley’s produce is occasionally riper than I’d like, the price and selection make it worth the trip. I walked in one Saturday in late March and found organic strawberries for $1.49 a pint (vs. $5.99 a pint at Whole Foods), organic spinach for $1.29 a pound (vs. $1.99 a pound at Whole Foods) and organic Granny Smith apples for $1.79 per pound (vs. $2.49 at Whole Foods).
Located at the busy intersection of North and Elston Avenues–less than five minutes from Whole Foods in Lincoln Park–Stanley’s has another huge benefit: better access and parking.
My $10 at Stanley’s bought one organic pineapple, three pints of organic strawberries and one bunch of organic kale. I spent a total of $9.79. Cheap and non-toxic!
— Julie Deardorff
FOR THE PAR-TAY WOMAN
Whether we want to tap into our inner eccentric or show off our slutty side, we love hitting Ragstock.
We might feel dotty or trampy, but we’re always cheap.
Ragstock has a smattering of stores in the Midwest, including three in Chicago. The newest, where we shop, is near the Loyola University Lake Shore campus. And the store is a college student’s dream with its generous selection of new and vintage clothing, from caps and thermal shirts to tanks, dresses, blouses, bags and jackets, and its way-low prices.
We snagged this hot, faux-leather miniskirt for $6.99 and a funky vintage coat, with chunky buttons and a fur collar, for $5.
The store is a great place to pick up a cheap-but-cute skin-tight T–built not for endurance but speed–for a Friday night party or a flashy plastic choker when you need some color but are low on dough.
Ragstock, 6431 N. Sheridan Rd., 773-465-1539.
— Devin Rose
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MUSIC FOR A SONG
The city’s North Side and Evanston have some terrific used-record stores. The problem is, many people reading this don’t live anywhere near there. I’m sure the Oak Parkers and Napervillians could fill us in on the bargains to be had in their neck of the woods, but out in the northwest suburbs, Shooting Stars Records in Carpentersville (50 E. Main St.; 847-836-9007) offers its own enticements.
The shop is a low-key operation that my family recognizes by the large, hand-shaped chair in the window that has been a signature since Bob Sluyter’s shop was in Algonquin. What’s neat about Sluyter is how many albums (punk, ’60s and ’70s rock) he gets his hands on that are still factory sealed.
A true collector would leave them in that pristine state, but I buy music to listen to, not to look at. So I revved up the turntable after breaking the plastic on “Surf’s Up” by the Beach Boys ($6), a 1971 gem from back when the Boys were progressive, talking about social and environmental issues instead of trashing their legacy by devolving into a strictly surf-and-car nostalgia act. (The title cut, by the way, has nothing to do with surfing.)
And as long as you’re in the area, check out Full Cyrkle Records and Compact Discs, 5610 S. Illinois Highway 31, Crystal Lake (815-459-9550), for the helpfulness of manager Sean Becker as well as the shop’s super selection of retro CDs and 45s (I grabbed one-hit wonders of “Montego Bay” by Bobby Bloom and the Stampeders’ “Sweet City Woman” for $3.59 each).
–Patrick Kampert
THE GUILT-FREE GOOD DEAL
Like the suitcase of a seasoned traveler, Jalan Jalan packs an amazing amount of stuff–much of it from Asia–into its tiny corner in an Andersonville cafe: jewelry, clothing, travel accessories, scarves, boxes, purses, frames, candles, Buddha figurines and just-for-fun gifts.
It’s easy to find something under $10, and really, really easy to stay under $20.
And if you want assurance that your purchase wasn’t assembled by a 6-year-old in a sweatshop, many items, such as this handmade passport bag from Nepal ($10), bear tags identifying them as fair-trade products.
Admire your bargain over a cappuccino at adjoining Kopi: A Traveler’s Cafe, which also serves light, mostly vegetarian fare and not-so-light desserts in a worldly atmosphere.
Kopi: A Traveler’s Cafe/Jalan Jalan, 5317 N. Clark St., 773-989-5674.
–Nancy Watkins
AMONG CHEESEHEADS, A BIT OF MEXICO
Chicago and environs are nirvana for those who find adventure in mining other cultures. Thus, entering pretty much any ethnic grocery turns into a mini-vacation. There a person can find a bushel of enticing cultural spices, with music among them, all for under our spending limit.
Though traditional Mexican music is not everyone’s cup of tequila, it’s audio joy to those who are at all inclined–mood music with incredible lift.
At Los Otates, a tiny Mexican grocery at 627 Williams St. in Lake Geneva, Wis., a spanking new cassette tape of the band El Recodo goes for $7.99 (CDs were just over our spending limit), leaving enough cash for one of the many saint candles, a whopping $1.39 each for countless hours of guiding light. A personal favorite is the San Simon candle, which includes a prayer containing this passage: “I offer you your cigar, your tortilla, your drink and your candles.”
Let the party begin.
–Ross Werland
HOME-REPAIR HEAVEN AND HAVEN
Push open the paned, double door with the little bell that jingles at Linden True Value Hardware. There, stationed at one of the two registers, or roaming the oh-so-crowded aisles, packed nearly to the ceiling with stuff you never knew you needed but don’t want to walk out without, is the kindest friendliest crew of third-generation hardware folks. These people will (a) remind you why you can’t beat Midwestern hospitality, and (b) talk you through any home repair or improvement project you swore you could never in a million years pull off.
Heck, they’ll even hold on the other end of the line while you take a stab at whatever it is they suggested.
With more than 50,000 different kinds of doodads in the store, which has been around since 1928, you’re sure to walk out with armloads of stuff for your $10.
From that Pyrex loaf pan ($4.49) you need to make tonight’s meatloaf, to the toe warmers ($1.69) to slide into your slush-splattered boots, you’re sure to walk out of Linden Hardware pleased as punch to call the Midwest your home sweet unleaky, uncreaky home.
Linden True Value Hardware, 411 Linden Ave., Wilmette; 847-251-2841.
–Barbara Mahany
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THIS BUD (VASE) IS FOR YOU
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who walk into antique stores and those who walk past them. Either way, these retail attics are the mother lode for buying gifts that connote meaning and thoughtfulness–even for the gift buyer who is faking it.
One spin through the Lake Geneva Antique Mall, 829 Williams St., Lake Geneva, Wis., turned up an interesting green Westmoreland bud vase for $6.33. A couple minutes on the Internet confirmed that we had something of greater value–$14 to $15, plus shipping–than was paid.
With a little printout of company history and a $1 rose to present along with the vase, that’s a hug-worthy gift with enough money left over for a venti at Starbucks.
–Ross Werland
CALLING ALL ANGLOPHILES
No one would ever mistake my kitchen counter for the Palm Court of The Drake Hotel during afternoon tea.
But that didn’t keep me from pulling out my English china, tuning in some classical music and ladling Smuckers strawberry jam into a Chuck and Di royal wedding commemorative crystal dish.
Then I made scones and, of course, brewed tea (from Harrod’s, stored in a royal wedding tin).
In addition to the difference in atmospheres, there also was this difference: Tea at The Drake runs $21.50 per person. My afternoon tea was less than $10, excluding the cost of tea and the jam, which I simply raided from the pantry and the fridge.
The only out-of-pocket expense was for the scones, made from a mix (about $4 to $5 per package, depending on the flavor) by Sticky Fingers Bakeries and purchased at Kramer Foods in Hinsdale.
These scones are delicious and easy to make (just add water and bake).
The best endorsement? They get a thumbs-up from my London-born mother, who has been having afternoon (and morning and evening) tea for more years than it’s proper for a daughter to say in print.
Sticky Fingers Bakeries scone mixes are available at specialty stores throughout the Chicago area. Check out www.stickyfingers bakeries.com/.
–Denise Joyce
EXTENDING YOUR REACH
I am a sucker for cookware stores. But my wallet can’t handle a steady diet of shopping at the upscale spots, nor do I have patience for some of the lousy quality one finds when buying cooking utensils at more mainstream stores. (You know, handles that loosen on month-old skillets.)
That’s when I find myself poking around restaurant supply stores, such as the Edward Don & Co. Outlet Store (2525 N. Elston Ave.) and the few shops remaining on a stretch of West Madison Avenue.
Inside Gold Bros. Restaurant & Bar Equipment (1132-1150 W. Madison St.; 312-666-1520), the huge pots and skillets, plus potato mashers as tall as a 4-year-old, amuse me. So do the creaky wood floors. There are great coffee mugs, pizza slicers, baking pans and an instant-read thermometer ($8.95). It’s a pair of tongs ($6.95) that gets my $10.
Sure, I already have metal tongs at home: a flimsy metal pair for the kitchen, a wood-handled number for the grill. Both pale next to the sturdy version from Gold Bros. They are longer (easier to deal with pasta, barbecue grill items, blanched vegetables) and the rubber-covered handles mean less slipping when steam or grease come into play.
–Judy Hevrdejs
AMORTIZE THIS!
It’s rare that $8.15 at 8:15 a.m. has the power to change your life 40 hours a week. But if you have a “Sex and the City” penchant for savage beasts disguised by such aliases as “kitten heels” for work wear, run, don’t walk, to Walgreens tomorrow morning.
Pick up a pair of Dr. Scholl’s Massaging Gel Heel Cushions to insert in even the most medieval of torture on heels. The gel acts as a shock absorber for those spectator pumps you’ve trotted out.
The cushions can migrate from pair to pair, staying secure in most. (Full disclosures: They shimmy down throughout the day in one pair of boots of mine. And you’ll have to find another remedy for open-heel sandals. But I even wear them in loafers and skimmers for pillowy pleasure.)
Savage beast, soothed. Your feet will purr like a Persian.
–Wendy Navratil
. . . AND THAT!
If ever there were truth in advertising, Discovery Clothing Co. is it. This chain of 16 Chicago-area stores might be–to borrow another company’s slogan–“locationally challenged.” But recent discoveries at the store on Belmont and Kimball (check www.discoveryclothing for others), make it worth the trip:
Racer-back tank tops in a rainbow of colors for habitual summer wear are $5.99.
Tagless fitted stretch T-shirts–fit for the office–are $5.
Double-V top in sweetheart pink is $9.99.
Paper-thin layered Ts in white and baby pink or cornflower blue, $9.99.
And, the ultimate in bikini equity: as little as $10 for both top and bottom.
Like a walking endorsement, Discovery’s public relations representative could have given us the shirt off her back for our photo shoot with no advance notice. She’s a big fan.
So, other frugal fashionistas, start your shopping! (Don’t forget the heel cushions. You’ll need them.)
–Wendy Navratil