HAUL: IKEA “As Is” Department

Today I made what was supposed to be a quick IKEA run to pick up 3 lamps, 3 wall shelves, a planter, and a set of curtains... and I walked away with way more than just that.

As I usually try to do, I stopped by the "As Is" section before checking out. I was disappointed to realize that the lamps I had wanted were actually candle holders, but my disappointment quickly dissipated when I noticed some of the other deals. (Don't worry, I still got lamps -- and for cheaper than the candle holders anyway!)

The Goods

2 cloth napkins & 1 dish towel

1 apron & 4 dish towels

2 washcloths

8 plastic containers, 1 whisk, & a cork trivet

1 body pillow case, 1 twin size fitted sheet, & 1 pillow case

My excursion in the "As Is" section came to a total of 23 items for $17.87 before taxes.

Read through for the nitty gritty details, including the break-down of prices.

The Details

Those 23 items include:

• 2 cloth napkins: one white with embroidered blue flowers and one solid blue, for $0.49/ea.
• 5 dish towels: one white with blue flowers and 4 white/navy blue striped, for $0.49/ea.
• 1 apron: one navy blue waist to mid-calf apron with striped waist ties for $1.99
• 2 washcloths: 2 teal washcloths for $0.29/ea.
• 8 plastic containers: 2 small square containers for $0.19/ea., 2 small rectangular containers for $0.19/ea., 2 medium square containers for $0.29/ea., and 2 large square containers for $0.29/ea., all clear with green lids
• 1 whisk: one wood-handled whisk for $0.99
• 1 trivet: one cork trivet (to match 3 we already own) for $0.99
• 1 fitted sheet: one baby blue twin size fitted sheet for $3.99
• 2 pillow cases: one lime green body pillow case for $1.99 and one sage green standard pillow case for $1.99

Now, some of these items weren't much cheaper than their regular prices — the trivet (aka HEAT in IKEA-speak), for example, is usually sold in packs of 3 for $2.99, and the plastic containers (PRUTA food savers) are usually sold in variety packs of 17 for $3.99, an average of $0.23/container. However, other items were significantly cheaper than usual — the whisk (SENIOR) usually retails for $6.99 and dish towels range from $0.88/ea. to $3.00/ea., sold in packs of 2 or 4.

Overall, I consider all the items to have been good deals. My grand total was significantly cheaper than it would have been if I had bought all the items at full-price, especially since I would have had to buy complete sets (the matching flat sheet and pillow case for the fitted sheet, 26 other PRUTA pieces for 2 complete sets, the other 2 trivets, and at least one other dish towel with the flower one), plus I was able to get several items that are no longer available.