I <3 eBay

Recently it came to my attention that not everybody uses eBay. I used to be one of you. I didn't understand how to place bids or use PayPal to pay for my purchases. The thrill of winning an auction was foreign to me, and it had never crossed my mind that I'd someday be refreshing the My eBay page over and over until I was sure that I'd won. But one glorious day, all that changed when I saw a Tom Petty poster that was too good to pass up. I didn't win the poster, but a whole new world of online rummaging was opened up to me.

I've used eBay to get a few different hard-to-find items, such as a pack of Pokemon games or an exact replacement for Mike's old camera. But since I've gotten engaged eBay has become a lifesaver twice now. The first time was when I decided that it was stupid to go to the bridal shop and pay their exorbitant fees for a headpiece. The veil alone - just a strip of tulle and a plastic comb - cost around $100, and actual tiaras were even pricier, around $150 without the veil. I found my headpiece on eBay for a mere $15. The second time I scored an excellent eBay deal was recently when I needed some bridal jewelry.

Now, originally I had planned to either use my mom's pearls or take my friend Meghan up on her offer to raid her costume jewelry box, but the more I thought about it the more I wanted something of my own to serve as a keepsake. Of course, I'm way too cheap to actually invest in a fine piece of jewelry to commemorate this occasion. Just get me something big and sparkly from the 'Bay!

This is one of my greatest triumphs so far. I paid a mere $1.87 for this pendant, complete with genuine rubies and diamonds.

Okay, genuine lab-created rubies and diamonds. But what do you expect for $1.87?



My friends are already teasing me about the creative money-saving measures I'm taking for this wedding, but I don't care. You can't help but pity those who are so unenlightened about eBay.