Right now, I am going through total withdrawal. You might be thinking I’m on some sort of wacky diet or something, which I probably should be given the ridiculous amount of cookies I consumed during the holidays. But I’m in withdrawal about something completely different. You see, my mother has just quit her job at a very high-end department store and I have just lost the greatest discount imaginable.

And after years of this fabulous discount, often on items already reduced for clearance, I have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle. So now I wonder, am I never again going to eat a $25 taffy apple or a $65 box of peanut butter cups? And how in the world am I supposed to pay full retail price for make-up, perfume, jewelry, purses and serving pieces?

To get my mind off things, I went shopping in my mom’s closet where there are still tags on things she hadn’t used yet. And I felt much better as I walked out with a Miu Miu purse, a Jay Strongwater keychain and a sterling silver tin of popcorn.

While “shopping,” Mom and I reminisced about some of my favorite discounted items:

1. A few years ago, my mom gave me the cutest deck of Kate Spade playing cards. The cards have dainty, little, pink and green hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs and the pictures on the jack, queen and king look very elegant. And even though it’s a strain on one’s eyes to view these adorable cards, I still made my poker group play with them for an entire evening.

2. For my last birthday, my mom gave me a Christian Dior “Summer Play” Lip Gloss. I can honestly say it’s the most frivolous thing I own and I absolutely love it. It resembles a die with Swarovski crystals instead of dots and you’re supposed to hang the lip gloss container (which has the teensiest amount of lip gloss inside) on the outside of your purse. The only problem is the gloss container weighs about 3 pounds and should truly be considered a weapon. So, after being whacked in the head and arm about 50 times with the gloss and after all my friends got to see how incredibly cool I looked, I finally put it in a drawer.

3. Last Hanukkah, my mom gave me luxurious, long, UGG gloves—need I say more?

Anyway, a while back I asked the readers of this column to tell me about some of their favorite discounts. Here they are:

I worked at a popular home goods store and I got a 30% discount on regular and sale items. One summer I had 7 weddings and was able to get all the shower gifts and wedding gifts at a discount. Of course, my best friend got married after I stopped working there so I had to pay full retail for all of her gifts. I also worked at a place where we got kids boutique clothes for sample prices—only $1 to $3. Of course, I didn’t have any children at that time, so it didn’t do me any good.

--Margo, 33

Through my work in media relations, I’ve gotten tickets to all major sporting events, ice shows, the circus, museums, zoos and plays. It’s a nice added benefit because I probably wouldn’t spend the money to do these things if I had to pay on my own.

Stacey, 38

I worked at a bank and although we didn’t get free money, I did get free mortgage applications and when we locked in to a lower rate we didn’t have to pay the fee. We also got discount percentage rates on auto loans and no fees on checking accounts and other teller services like traveler’s checks, money orders, etc.

--Beth, 44

I get premium seats at sporting events with, free and close parking. I also get to meet the players, get autographs and go on the field. I’ve gotten tickets to concerts, too, but the best part is the sporting event stuff.

--Marty, 49

I used to work at a swanky health club and we were able to work out for free and get discounts on a bunch of other things.

-- Michelle, age 36

Our friend worked for one of those fancy closet stores. We got half off the entire closet design and hardware for our master-bedroom closet. It’s now my favorite room in the house.

--Sue, 32

We happened to be friends with the judge who married us so we didn’t have to pay any of the fees or donations. In my next life I’d like to be married to a jeweler. Wouldn’t that be a nice perk?

--Joanne, 43

My OB-GYN is a family friend so I have never had to pay for birth control pills.

-- Lisa, 35

I work for a cellular phone company so I get free cellular service. Every month I try to use more minutes than the previous month, since it’s free. Last month, I used 4000 minutes. I also get free texting and discounts off phones.

--Troy, 25

I had a friend of a friend who was a pretty high-up person for my favorite team, the Chicago Cubs. I was able to just call her at the drop of a hat and always get as many tickets as desired, even for games that were sold-out. The seats were fabulous and we sat with the ball-players’ families. Unfortunately, she has since left her position with the Cubs and now I’m forced to sit in the upper deck with the rest of the people scrounging for tickets.

--Sandra, 39

--Alex, 53

I friend of mine worked at a jewelry store where I got an incredible watch at 40% off and then another 30%. It was an awesome deal. I also get lighting at cost because I have a relative in the lighting business.

--Lynn, 36

My husband’s work gives us memberships to both children’s museums. It’s an awesome perk! Some of the employees don’t even know about it. We take our kids there at least once a month.

--Jill, 38

I used to be a “frame stylist” at Lens Crafters during vacations from college. And even though I got 50% off glasses and contacts, the best deal, by far, was when a really cute guy came in to buy glasses and became my husband a few years later.

--The writer of this column, 39

Do you have any ideas for future columns? If so, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

© 2008 Susan Dubin, Buffalo Grove, Illinois