Sister Cheapist taking the ocean breezes of Venice Beach, CAMiss Cheapist received the news in May that her sister, A., planned to move to Lost Angeles after the summer to pursue a degree in architecture, abandoning her lucrative job as a software consultant for something more artistic. A.’s pending departure marked the year anniversary of the blog (which was inspired by the Virginia suburb that she called home, as well as her frugal spending habits), and also reflected the general themes of East Coast abandonment that served as the subtext for Miss Cheapist’s regular musings. Given that everyone else found a better life in California, why wouldn’t A.? Who could resist its still developing cultural landscape, coastal modernism, and the chance to sight celebrities? When the feeling of being the remaining survivor after a nuclear holocaust gave way to quiet acceptance, Miss Cheapist went south to help her sister pack and move. In that experience, she learned quickly that her interpretation of cheapism was generational, as her sister lived in a realm simply known as “cheap.” Anxious that becoming a full-time graduate student would leave her a pauper, A. practiced a risky approach to cheapness, gambling in the world of Craigslist commerce.
Sister, cousin and Miss Cheapist (left to right) in the early 90s . All following pictures are of items sold online and photographed by A.
Miss Cheapist always thought of Craigslist as a place inhabited by amateur and seasoned child prostitutes, wanna-bes and their greatest fans. As many of her teenage students marketed themselves and found inappropriate friends through this medium, her assessment of the site fell just right of Nancy Reagan. For the less deviant, Craigslist is better known as a clearing-house for “stuff,” obviously a front for its greater purpose of bartering and subjugating bodies (to crudely borrow from postmodernism). What a great way for axe murderers to seduce twenty-somethings with limited budgets and expensive tastes: advertise a stylish piece of furniture and invite Net-faithful young’ uns to ones lair under a “cash and carry" policy. Or better yet, troll the site for college co-eds looking to sell their belongings online…and then access to their homes with little suspicion. But don't worry. Miss Cheapist is malleable. Those who see Craigslist as a rebellion against the retail industrial complex and a means of Paglia-esque female empowerment will be glad to know that through a few experiences with A., her opinion of the site did change. She came to learn:
Kind, hard-working people really need cheap stuff. The first couple to call was very persistent about a specific meeting time to view A.’s couch. Miss Cheapist saw their rigidity as an indicator that they were controlling freaks and warned her sister of confrontation if the meeting in person went sour. Please cancel, she said, and A. did not listen. When the couch coveters finally arrived, they appeared to be perfectly normal: a sweet, newly engaged South Asian couple (both architects by training) who had just moved from Texas and wanted to furnish their new life, cheaply. A., in an effort to make the situation legitimate, often asked buyers about their professions, reasons for purchasing the item and even their educational backgrounds. Perhaps it made for comforting small talk as strangers entered her home. Or maybe it was important that these beloved possessions go to people who met her approval. It turned out the couch was too expensive for the couple; they asked A. for a lower price, but she refused. Even when it seemed the couch was out of reach, they still sat and chatted for twenty minutes, the man leaving with her undergraduate duplicate packet of HBS case studies (estimated value of $100) for ten dollars. Miss Cheapist was so touched by their congeniality and humility that she almost convinced her sister to give the couch away to them. After all, they clearly deserved a prize for not being axe murderers; just average Americans pursuing a dream of cheap domesticity.
Some people take the time to give things away for free, and others are willing to go the distance to help them. One critical piece of advice Miss Cheapist gave A. was to purchase quality moving boxes. A. instead collected several odd-sized and partially deconstructed boxes from random hallways, with the intention of finding ways to “make it work.” After much insistence from Miss Cheapist, she finally sought out better boxes…by looking on Craigslist. Within minutes she found a woman who had 10-15 boxes to give away (side-note: 20-somethings really know how to use search engines). The woman just moved and was looking for someone to take away her boxes. Again, Miss Cheapist was very suspicious, and warned her sister not to allow herself to risk her life and precious packing time just to save a few dollars. A. ignored her, and Miss Cheapist reluctantly followed her sister on the fifteen minute drive to the woman’s apartment. Again, the visit was surprisingly fruitful: the woman was not an impersonator, and she had genuine intentions. She even helped to bring down some of the boxes from her fourth floor walk-up and offered a few words of advice on moving.
Some people find it difficult to buy new items at retail prices, and at the same time, they have the resources to move a three piece sectional within a moment's notice. The second couple that came to see the couch at 9:30 PM had visited other sellers that day and seemed ready to seal the deal. The woman unfolded herself into the couch and put her feet up, marking her territory. Within five minutes of saying she would take it, her brother-in-law arrived in the parking lot, ready to help carry and transport it home in a large van. A few minutes later, Miss Cheapist found herself watching “Girlfriends” reruns from the floor, while her sister fingered the $800 cash in hand. The transaction ran so smoothly that Miss Cheapist even considered selling something on-line. Unfortunately nothing of value, short of herself, came to mind.
The outcome: Based upon the spreadsheet A. created, (20-somethings are very comfortable with Excel), she was able to earn back at least 50% of what she spent on all belongings purchased in Virginia over her years of residence there. Because she kept her prices high, she was even able to make a profit on some items bought previously at a lower price on Craigslist. Winning this strange gamble between frugality and personal safety, she emerged victorious. Still in one piece, she was able to use the extra cash for the move and shed herself the burden of shipping all her possessions across the country. She did good business and learned to live more simply. Freed from attachment to her former life as a corporate stiff, she gained a chance to acquire more, in a new city. It would be only a matter of time that something caught her eye online, and she would have to get it. And the cycle of risk and reward would continue…
