Ask the hivemind

[serene]

Hello, my darlings.

So, things are going to change a little bit around here. Yes, that's an understatement. But anyway, one of the ways things are changing is that we're going to have a little bit more money than we had before: my raise went through, and financial aid is kicking in some living expenses.

Now, there are things we've done without, or used until they were tattered, or gotten dirt-cheap or free (thanks, loracs, firecat, mom, et al.!) for years. Now, I'm looking at actually buying a few new things, and I'm almost weepy with choice paralysis, so I thought I'd put this out to you all.

Where do you buy the following things? Online is fine; local to Oakland/Berkeley is also fine. Cheap is good, but reasonably priced and high quality is even better. The more you can say about your decisionmaking process on these recommendations, the better for me, but even having some links to start with will help ease some of this weird anxiety I'm having.

So.

Where do you buy any of these things?

Towels
Sheets
Cell phones (I need unlimited talk and lots of texts; web is optional)
Shower curtains (loracs, I really like your taste in shower curtains; where do you get them?)
Plus-size women's underwear
Men's underwear
Plus size bathrobes
Freezers (I'm thinking of going with Costco or Sears, because both deliver free and are reliable about warranty stuff. Thoughts?)
Mattresses
Paint
Paddles and/or accessories for KitchenAid mixer

Also, if you're local to me and know a place I can get my sewing machine serviced for not too much money, that would be lovely.

Comments

[eeyorerin]

I've found Lane Bryant/Cacique to have the best quality of underwear after having sampled quite a few (the elastic on Avenue panties just does not last, which has caused some...incidents in the past). It's not cheap unless you get it at one of their twice-a-year sales, in which case it's really cheap but sorta "take what you can get." Or sometimes they'll do "X pairs for $25/30" deals. I've still got some LB underwear that I bought at least ten years ago that's in great shape. Same for bathrobes and pajamas. (I love my fleecy penguin bathrobe from LB.)

My KA stuff was all gifts from my mom; I think she got them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, which often has coupons online. Amazon often has good deals on them as well. I would say that if you're going to buy one first, buy the grinder attachment -- a lot of the other accessories hook onto that, like the fruit and veggie strainer (makes applesauce crazy fast!)

My favorite site for looking for deals for online or store stuff from major retailers is Retailmenot.