The Penny Exploit: April 2011

SummaryBlock

What exactly can a penny buy these days? This is a question often asked. Google the question and you will find a few answers. Not much, apparently, according to most. Well, I was pleasantly surprised when I actually set out to make purchases for one cent. This blog documents the various items I scored for a penny or less.

What qualifies a purchase as a penny loot? The cost of anything mentioned in this blog includes the purchase price, tax, shipping and handling fee, if any. If a rebate is involved, the postage to mail it is part of the cost. If a coupon is bought and used in the deal, that figures into the total as well. And the total cost must be equal to or less than US$0.01. The item must also be procured from a source available to the public - "My aunt gave me a sweater" doesn't count.

Some costs are not included in the one cent total. Chief among them is the time and effort to hunt for and complete the deals. Gas and mileage is not counted if a trip to the store is required. Computer and office equipment amortization, paper and ink expenditures are all excluded.

As expected, quite a few of the items I bought came from China. Depending on your tastes and needs, some of the stuff may be considered totally worthless. But that is not the point of this exercise.

This blog also does not dwell on where and how the items were bought. I frequent a few deal sites for information that lead to some of the purchases. The various auction sites are also a treasure trove to explore. But I would rather devote the blog to present the results - the items I obtained for a penny or less, in no particular order.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Necklace - "Jade" Pendant

Pendant, chain, box, and bag. All together for a penny.

Cell Phone Pendant

It is pretty. The seller does not describe the material but it feels like glass.

Shell Beads - Mother of Pearl

One cent per strand. Each strand is about 15" long and comes with a gold tone gift bag.

Bracelet - Magnetic Hematite

I got another one like it earlier. But this time it came with a nice bag.

Beads - Bicone, "Swarovski Crystal"

One cent for a bag of 50 beads. Size is 4mm.

Tongue Rings - Purple Barbell with UV Glitter Ball

Descriptions by the seller:
Material: 316L Surgical Steel
Gauge: 14G

Silly Bandz - Sports

One cent for the pack of 12 bands. 6 different designs/colors. 2 rubber bands for each design/color.

Bracelet - 3 More

One cent each. Some of these styles had been gotten before. Again, the earrings on the right are free gifts.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Chinese Coin - One Jiao

One cent each for these circulated coins. The face value, one jiao, is 1 tenth of a yuan. The exchange rate on Friday, April 29, 2011 is 1 Chinese Yuan (CNY) = 0.15406 US Dollar (USD.)

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Powder Puff

I got a different one before.

Hair Pin

One cent per pair. Looks like they are trying to depict Hello Kitty.

Plastic Bookmark/Ruler - Animals

One cent each. They are very thin plastic rulers doubling as bookmarks.

Plastic Case for SD or MicroSD Card

One cent each. These are easy to get. I bought them because I actually have a need for them.

Loose Beads - 8X6MM "Crystal"

One cent for a strand of 35 beads.

Cartoon Bookmark

Paper book marks for one cent each. They are pretty cute but not a spectacular deal.

Children's Hairband and Hair Clip

One cent for the clip and one cent for the pair of hairbands.

Hairband - Plushie Figure

I am not sure if it is actually related to the Hello Kitty stuff.

Sea Shell Beads - White, Mother of Pearl

One cent for the 15" strand. They came with a gold color gift bag. They may not be from the sea but they are shells all right.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Leather Pendant and Bobbin

Picture frame pendant and cable bobbin winder. One cent each. The descriptions for material are not consistent. They are alternatively referred to as faux leather and real leather.

Bookmark Stickers

One cent for a pack. 4 by 20 = 80 sheets in each pack. Not as cute but more bangs for the penny than those.

Bracelet - "Tibet Style", "Silver"

Another cheap bracelet.

Brush for Cleaning Tattoo Equipment

One cent for the set. I am not sure how they are used in tattoo business. Hopefully they can help clean my small bottles.

Cross Stitch Kit - Traditional Chinese Wedding

One cent for the set. The kit includes chart, instructions, 2 needles, flax linen, and colored cotton fabric. Everything I need to stitch away should I ever have the time.

Retractable Stylus Set for Nintendo 3DS

One cent for the set. I haven't bought a 3DS yet. But at least I have stylus now.

Nintendo DS Lite Skin Sticker - Transformers Theme

One cent each. This is used to decorate the hand held gaming device.

Cell Phone Pendant - UV Beads

One cent per each pendant. These beads change color when they are exposed to sunlight, as they have done so slightly in the picture. The top beads will have the deepest purple/blue color.