July 13, 2011 | 1:04 pm

BARGAIN HUNTING

Posted by Annie Korzen

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I hate to go shopping when I need something.  I don’t enjoy having to race against a deadline to find the right thing at the right price.  I prefer to buy stuff when I spot a good deal, and then I have it when I need it. 

My son was wandering through the mall a few weeks ago, not looking for anything in particular.  He noticed that Macy’s had a one-day special: a rack of men’s pants for ten dollars each.  Being his mother’s son, he happily snatched up four pairs. 

My friend Jay regularly checks the clearance sections at Target.  The merchandise in these areas goes from 30% to 50% to 75% off, based on how long it’s been sitting there.  He knew I needed a small space heater and bought me a box of two for $14.95.  He found a large patio table for himself for seventy bucks which had originally retailed for almost $300.  He’s also gotten fountains and other garden accessories at rock-bottom prices. 

Jay also trawls for specials in the grocery aisles.  Last week he scored 8 boxes of cereal for a buck.  That’s a lotta corn flakes!

Through a combo of Radio Shack and Amazon, Jay got four Tivo units and two one-year subscriptions for a pittance.  He kept some and sold some.  He finds a lot of these electronics deals on http://www.fatwallet.com. 

When I needed a smart phone, Jay found an AT&T deal on Amazon. I paid $50 for my HTC Aria and then was not happy with certain elements so I complained to customer service and got a $30 credit.  I’m not great with math, but even I can do the numbers here.  Twenty bucks for a phone.  Not too shabby.