I know. Seems obvious right?
I have been coveting a KitchenAid mixer
Since I’ve been making bread at home, I’ve been really interested in buying one. But I don’t think I want to pay for one retail. They go for $300! No way. I know that a lot of people *think* they want a stand mixer as a wedding present, but then do not actually use them. So the stand mixer is one of the first things to get sold when a couple needs to make more cash.
I’ve been selling my extra hockey tickets on Stubhub, I planned out my sales based on the extra cash I would need to buy a mixer. During February, I sold two pairs of premium tickets. (Penguins fans are COMPLETE SUCKERS.) The money off the Penguins game alone was $146.20. I also sold a pair of Flyers tickets for about $70. Deducting the cost of my tickets, I made enough to buy a stand mixer if I negotiated the price right.
It took a month for Stubhub to deliver both checks properly. (One was misdelivered and the reissue took forever.) That gave me time to cruise the prices of mixers on Craigslist. I could find used mixers for $50-200. But I could also find unopened wedding presents for $150! I made a lowball offer for $120 last week and picked one up for $130 over the weekend.
The only caveat here is that I didn’t know there was a 4.5 qt Classic model. I was actually looking for a 5 qt Artisan (instead of the 6 qt Professional). I ended up with a white Classic model instead. But that’s ok. My boyfriend wanted a red one to match his kitchen, so we figure the white one can be our test run. If we like it and use it, we’ll sell it and upgrade to the 6 qt model in the future. And maybe get the meat grinder and pasta roller attachments. (Ain’t we got fun?) In the end, I saved about $70 because brand-new Classic models go on Amazon for about $190-$200.
I’ve been pretty good lately about not buying stuff when I don’t need it. The only splurges have been hockey tickets, but at least I can sell those at a premium if I must. (Round 1, Game 2 playoff tickets are going up on Stubhub soon.) Heck, if I have to, I can sell the mixer too.
Related posts:
- Capitals vs Springtime Now that the weather is finally warming up in DC,...
- You Don’t Have to Pay Extra Fees for Buying Tickets Cue to a conversation about an upcoming social event. (Heavily...
- No Spend Day Today will be a No Spend Day since I forgot...
- Hockey Playoff Ticket Proceeds I’m a greedy little bastard or ruthless capitalist, take your...
- My New Living Situation To clarify some questions from the curious: My boyfriend owns...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I got my sister a KitchenAid mixer for her new apartment last week. She’s a huge fan.
I never understood why everyone wants one of those
I hope you love it! My BFF was just coveting one recently, and I’m calculating the amt of baked goods I can get from her if I gift her one …
Just kidding. Sort of….
You got me thinking about buying season tickets and selling most of them individually for a profit on stubhub. I wonder if I can go to a few games (in my case, Mets) and still break even by selling the others at a profit.
@Aspiration’s Purse – I am baking lots of bread lately and I’d like to minimize my wrist problems by using the dough hook to knead vs my own hands.
If you start baking once every two weeks for two fresh loaves, you’ll find that kneading dough for 10 minutes stinks and mixing for 5 is better.
Then when you have hand-knead for pizza dough for 30 minutes, you will be REALLY grateful for a stand mixer. Trust me. Pizza dough by hand kneading is tedious. But you really need the kneading to develop good gluten.
Also, have you ever hand whipped meringue? It makes your whole arm from wrist to shoulder burn.
I have the same exact model in the same color that I also got off craigslist and I LOVE it! I have had it for about a year and half and during the holidays it is great. My favorite time and effort saver is making pie dough in it.
Wow, they are so cheap in the US. I’m not sure what the second-hand price is, but new they go for £340 over here which is about US$500. Looks like you got a bargain anyway.
I have the big one! I love it and it sits prominently on my counter, one of the few appliances I do not hide in a cabinet. Could have something to do with the weight.:-)
I use it to make bread and it is so easy, you will find yourself making a lot more. Baking in general is just easier. I would say one of the best investments I have made in the kitchen right after the coffee pot, which saves everyones life.
Did your bargain come with the instruction manual? Because the chocolate chip recipe in the KitchenAid book is the BEST in THE WORLD. Seriously, I’ve paid for my KitchenAid (a garage sale find – $90!!) 18 times over in reduced Famous Amos purchases over the past 2 years…I don’t make bread, but there really is no easier way to make batch cookies (especially at the holidays). Have fun with it!
Very creative. I do the same thing for concert tickets. I see what prices are on TicketStumbler/Stubhub then go to Ticketmaster to see if the face price is any cheaper. If it is I buy then sell.
@Flexo – I think it depends on ticket demand. The Capitals are not popular at the start of the season. Tickets were on Stubhub for $6 each and fees make it stupidly expensive so I sold many tickets at cost. However, at the end of the season and w/playoffs, people are willing to spend a lot. I will still end up at a ‘loss’ financially but a ‘profit’ in personal enjoyment.
@Michelle – It was the original unopened box, so I do have the recipe book. Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll have to try it out.