Your wish list is our command

Want to take a beach vacation? Book it. Get a weekly massage? Make that appointment. Eat out for lunch? Mock those brown-bagging bozos while you head for the door. If you think you can’t afford these luxuries anymore, think again: They can be within your budgetary reach if you follow these tips from our bargain-hunting Cheap Genie, starting with his advice for four Chicagoans who covet some pricey possessions. (Local wardrobe stylist and expert shopper April Francis gave him a big assist.)

ANNA KLADZYCK
She wants A Meade telescope for stargazing from her fire escape. “I know a guy who used to set up a telescope on Wells during the summer,” Kladzyck says. “You could see Venus.”
The Cheap Genie found While shops like Wal-Mart carry telescopes, a specialty retailer offered a lower rate. Opticsplanet.net has the Meade ETX 80, originally priced at $499, for $243.99, plus a free microscope.
Kladzyck’s response “Whoa, a free microscope! Yeah, that sounds way more feasible [than paying $500].”

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