I am a bargain shopper. I don't clip coupons (I used to clip them and then forget about them until they expired and then throw them away, so I just skip the step of clipping them and just throw them away), but I definitely know how to find a bargain. When I need to buy something, and I mean anything from a new book for the girls to a new car, I will research. And research. And then do it again. And I do it quickly - my time is usually the hour or two that I have while the girls are napping so I have learned to move fast and make quick decisions. I will google the brands, I will read the reviews, I will even read other reviews of the people who gave something a negative review to see if they are chronic negative reviewers. I will then get as many prices from different stores as I can and go to the online coupon code sites to get a discount code if there is one (instant, no clipping necessary and it doesn't clutter my purse - exactly my type of discount). And I usually end up paying less and getting exactly what I am looking for. My friends know this about me. They know that I usually know the best place to get something, the price you should pay and if it is worth paying extra for the name brand or if you can get by with the generic. But that all ends now and it is the one thing I am having a hard time adjusting to here in Chile.
There are a couple of things going against me in the shopping department to begin with. I don't have a Target, a Toy's R Us, a Costco, a JoAnns, or a Home Depot. In fact about the only stores we have here in Chile that are imported from the U.S. are bad chain restaurants (I can find a Dominos, McD's or Applebees on almost every major street). This means I don't even know where to start shopping. And the internet is not a lot of help since I don't read Spanish (though I read it better than I speak it). Before you think to yourself - then just have the page translated, it's that little button in the upper right hand corner, very simple - try it yourself sometime. Their translations are awful. I have an easier time trying to read it in spanish than trying to understand what they mean once they have it in English. It really is that bad. Then, if by some miracle I can find the same product in two different stores, I have to figure out where the stores are located. Are they even in the vicinity of Santiago, or are they going to send me to Punta Arenas to save $3000 pesos (about a four hour flight and $6 respectively)? And let's not talk about conversions of pesos to dollars...I may tackle that some other day but for now let's just say that I live in Chile so I deal in pesos. No sense making yourself crazy with how much it costs in dollars, since for the next couple of years that is a moot point. Let's just say it will be expensive.
Where is this all going you ask? I had to find a high chair and I needed it quick. We donated Stinkerbell's high chair to a friend before we left the states. Our thinking was that since she is nearing her 2nd birthday, we wouldn't need a high chair and she could use the booster chair MadHatter no longer needs. Little did we know that the built in table in our kitchen has banquette seats that are too far from the table and the table top too high for Stinkerbell to even attempt to sit, kneel, or even kneel in her booster. Hence, she was standing and walking around in the seat for all of her meals. NEED a high chair. I found one at the mall - they had a baby store and it had all of 4 models to choose from. In my broken Spanglish I had a conversation that entailed a lot of hand gestures, some misunderstandings, and a few laughs. The sales lady was terrific and in the end I got what I needed. But I know I paid more than I should have since I could not figure out another place to even look at another high chair. In the end, I got what I needed and that is what counts. We are all much happier now that Stinkerbell can sit down and eat with us.
If this is the worst thing I deal with in Chile, then I have it pretty good. It is a bit of an inconvenience, but I will get better at knowing where things are and where to shop and perhaps I will also get better at asking others for their advice, instead of always being the one that is asked. Probably not, but anything is possible.
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