Shopping

Saving Money on Food
Although there are a number of reasonably priced restaurants in the area around the campus, eating out on a regular basis can be very expensive. Cooking for yourself will save you money. Large supermarkets such as Safeway usually have the best prices, and have weekly specials. Produce markets such as the Berkeley Bowl and Monterey Foods at 1550 Hopkins have good quality and prices. Organic produce from local farms is available at "farmers markets" in Berkeley and neighboring cities. The website to find the nearest farmers market to where you live is: http://www.cafarmersmarkets.com/.

Large Purchases
If you will be making a large purchase, check for stores that sell specific items (such as furniture, electronics, household items, etc.). You can save money by calling first to compare prices, then shop at the store with the best prices. You can also ask if the store can deliver larger items to your home and what they charge to do that.

General Household Supplies
There are a number of discount stores which sell a wide range of general household supplies, small furniture, and clothing at lower prices than most specialty shops or retail stores. These include:

Target or Wal-Mart
Ross Dress for Less or Bed, Bath and Beyond
Long's Drugs
Costco (requires an annual membership, but has excellent prices)
Walgreens (full-service pharmacy, also bedding and small household items)
Furniture stores near campus: Ikea, Scandinavian Designs and the many "futon shops" that line University Avenue.
On Solano Avenue and San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley are stores that sell "foam furniture" and sleeping pads.

Buying Used Items
You can get a good price by buying used or "second-hand" items. There are "Flea Markets" every Saturday and Sunday at Laney College (take BART to Lake Merritt station), and at the Ashby BART station parking lot, which is also fun just for people watching. Second-hand stores or "thrift shops" such as Goodwill and Salvation Army carry used household items, clothing, and furniture.

Used items for sale are listed in newspapers such as the Classified Flea Market the East Bay Express, or The Berkeley Voice. They offer household goods, clothing, books, bicycles, and other items (even cars) for very low prices, and you can usually bargain over the prices. On the weekends, people who are moving or want to sell used items (such as those mentioned above) have garage sales or yard sales, which are also advertised in those newspapers. Students who are moving frequently sell beds, desks, tables, TVs, bikes, etc. and often post this on bulletin boards at I- House. Another useful website is Craigslist.

The Equipment Loan Center
This is run by the Faculty Wives Foreign Student Committee, offers household items (kitchenware, bedding, small appliances) for loan. For a small fee ($10) you may borrow what you need for your stay here and donate the items back when you leave Berkeley. The Loan Center is at Haste St. (between Telegraph and Bowditch) in Building F and is open from June through September every Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m. From October through May they are open every first and third Wednesday of the month from 12:30 to 3:30.


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