This blog is dedicated to Shopping on a Shoestring! We've spent the last few days trekking around different parts of town and it's been really tiring but quite satisfying as we were on a mission to find things as cheap as possible. Afterall we're only here for another 2 months so we'll probably be giving our stuff away, but we can hopefully take some of the things we've bought home with us.

I have to thank my Uncle and my cousin for pointing me in the right direction on where to shop! I also have to thank www.yelp.com which is an excellent reviews site where I found 2 discount stores: Ichiban Kan in Japantown and Lucky Star Discount Store between Chinatown & North Beach.

I've read other people's San Francisco Offexploring blogs and they're a pretty good resource for information, especially tips and advice for tourist attractions. So I'm hoping this blog will be interesting and helpful for other visitors to San Francisco who need to buy things to furnish a home! I would go to Ichiban Kan and Lucky Star first as they're the cheapest and then try the other stores if you can't find what you want (unfortunately we'd already bought a lot of stuff at Walgreens and Ross).

Sports Basement: (www.sportsbasement.com) 1590 Bryant St. They sell absolutely everything related to sports, fitness and the outdoors at very reasonable prices.

Queen size Airbed with pump = $50
2 Sleeping bags = $117
Folding Table = $43

Walgreens: (www.walgreens.com) Hundreds of locations! About as prevalent as Starbucks, you'll find one on every street!

Large Baking Dish = $10
2 Bowls = $1
Utensil pack = $2
10 Forks = $2
10 Knives = $2
Measuring jug = $1
Measuring cups & spoons = $3
2 plastic glasses = $1
2 mugs = $1
Tea Towels 3 pack = $3
2 plastic plates = $2
Iron = $22

Ross: (www.rossstores.com) 2300 16th St. There are quite a few of these stores around and they sell clothes, shoes and all sorts of household things - basically like a department store at knockdown prices.

2 Pillows = $16
2 pillow cases = $4
Box grater = $6
Peeler = $3
10 inch Saute Pan = $20
3 piece cookie sheet set = $10
Potato masher = $4
2 Kitchen Knives = $9
2 Chopping boards = $6
Saucepan = $16
Oven Gloves = $4
Can opener = $5
Bath towel = $6
2 hand towels = $7

Ichiban Kan: (www.ichibankanusa.com) 1625 Post St. If you're looking for japanese cuteness then you'll find it here. Also great for really cheap kitchen things like frying pans, bowls, plates etc and japanese food.

Colander = $2
2 Spoons = $2
2 plastic cutlery sets = $3
Plastic food container = $2
Bamboo spoon = $1
Plastic mixing bowl = $2

Lucky Star Discount: 622 Broadway. This shop sells so many things you need (and even more that you don't!) that it's very crowded and a bit difficult to see the wood for the trees, but if you spend some time rummaging then you'll be rewarded with bargains! This was the only place that sold the plastic steps/stools we needed so it was worth the trek! 2 Plastic steps/stools = $11

Now that we had all our kitchen gear it was time to do some cooking!
The first meal I made was meatballs stuffed with mozzarella, with a tomato and pepper sauce and spaghetti. The meatballs were a bit dry as I'm still getting used to using an electric oven and hob! But I made another batch and put them in the freezer so hopefully next time they'll be better.

Second meal was Chicken Thai Green Curry with Jasmine rice. Again not a complete success as I put too much water in the rice so it was a bit gloopy, but Steve said he liked it like that, bless him!

Third meal was Italian sausages with mashed potatoes and Heinz Baked Beans! Yes we were craving a taste from home so we found a shop that sells imported British food (www.yousaytomato.biz) and bought some beans and a bottle of Heinz Salad Cream. They also sell chocolate bars, Ribena, Aunt Bessies Yorkshire puddings and custard but it's pretty expensive in there. The beans were nearly $2 for a can but they were really worth it! The sausages we had were from Safeway and they were damn good too, so this was the best meal so far!

Yesterday we went to the Heart of the City Farmer's Market near City Hall (www.yelp.com/biz/heart-of-the-city-farmers-market-san-francisco), which is practically on our doorstep. My cousin told me about this and I'm so glad he did! It's every Wed and Sun and basically you can buy all sorts of fruit and vegetables, seafood, nuts and dried fruit, honey and eggs for extremely cheap prices.

It's not like the French Farmers Markets that we get in the UK where they sell bread and cheese at over-inflated prices, or like the English Markets where all the sellers are shouting out "Paaand for a paaand!" to advertise their goods. No, this market is very cheap and quite chilled out. It was busy but there wasn't any pushing and shoving, there's plenty of space to wander along at your own pace and just take in the atmosphere - yes it was a very enjoyable morning and yes I sound like I'm a middle-aged woman but there you go. There are quite a few stalls run by Chinese people but you don't have to worry about not speaking Chinese as you just hold up what you want to buy and they tell you how much it is.

It was a little daunting knowing what to buy as there were quite a few stalls and not everything was priced or labelled. But after a little walk around we saw that everything was pretty much $1 for a lb (make sure you take lots of small change!) so we just went for it and soon we were laden with bags full of great things to eat! Here's what we picked up:

• 2 zuccinnis (courgettes) = 75 cents
• 2 white peaches = 75 cents
• 1 large red torpedo onion, 1 red bell pepper, 2 broccoli heads, bunch spring onions = $5 (the guy running this stall was the most friendly so we spent the most money here!)
• Big bunch pak choi and some other leafy chinese vegetable (I'm pretty sure it's choi sum!) = $2
• 1 leek = 75 cents
• Bunch of carrots = $1
• 1lb of Gold Yukon potatoes = $1
• 1 lemon = 35 cents
• 1lb Tiger Prawns = $8
• 2 HUGE portions of salmon (1 piece will serve 2 people!) = $10

I'll definitely be going back on Wed to buy some ginger and hopefully I'll find the mushroom man that everyone keeps talking about. Oh yeah, I'll definitely be buying some more popcorn from the really friendly Kettle Korn guy who cooks it up fresh as you wait in line. It's the best popcorn I've ever had and $3 for the small bag (which is actually plenty for 2 people!) is such a bargain - just follow your nose and you'll find him!

TOP SHOPPING TIPS:
At Safeway if they offer you a Safeway card at the checkout then get one as you'll get instant savings off your shopping on certain items, it can save you loads!

If you're walking away from the market towards City Hall watch out for the water sprinklers that suddenly come on otherwise you will get wet like I did!!

A website called www.craigslist.org was recommended by lots of people in the States - it's a lot like Gumtree and it's basically a database of classified ads. However, when we were looking for an apartment we were only interested in viewing the ads that had pictures, which you can do by filtering your search. However, you still need to click on each individual ad to view the picture, but I have found this website which only shows the ads with photos so it's much easier to find stuff! www.mywisebunny.com