I went up to the 'burbs yesterday to visit family and of course, had to drop by Markville Mall, where I spent many high school spares and lunches.

I happened upon their All You Can Haul sales event (July 4-10). I remember one sidewalk sale years ago where I bought leather high heeled sandals for $19.99 marked down from $129.99 and ended up getting quite a bit of use out of them. But aside from that star purchase, subsequent attempts have proven fruitless.

This time, however, I found quite a few things. At Bluenotes, I found black and white fitted short sleeve tees for $4.98 down from $10, cute socks and undies for $0.98 down from $6, jeans for $20 down from $50, and boardshorts for $6.98 down from $25. At Footlocker, I found Puma Avanti and Nike Dunks for $49.99 down from $119.99, at Costa Blanca, lots of embellished and silk camis for $9.99. At Old Navy, the comfiest sweatpants in the kids section for $7.99 down from $26.50 and a summer essential, their flips flops, at 2 for $7. My best deals were at H&M where I found dress pants and 'the little black dress' for $9.90 down from $49.90+,, sweaters and blouses for $4.90 down from up to $24.90, and tons of other clothing, lingerie, and swimwear marked down. Accessories however, are still full price.

For those who like sales, you'll be happy to note this event is worth checking out; especially with popular mall staples such as Gap, Bluenotes, Guess, Aldo, Le Chateau, Costa Blanca, Jean Machine, Urban Behaviour, The Bay, and Sears and less common Old Navy, H&M, Coast Mountain Sports, and Winners & More. Without the freedom to bike everywhere and reliant on a gas-guzzling car, I can buy pretty much everything I need.

I love bustling downtown Toronto, where I can walk from boutiques to the giant Eaton Centre to street markets and back. But once in a while, the convenience and relative quietness of sprawling malls back in the suburbs are a welcomed diversion.

Outside of the city core, Scarborough Town Centre will also be hosting a sidewalk sale from Thursday, July 14th to Sunday, July 17th. If you can stand the hoards of teenage boys loitering around, reminding you of school hallways, you might score a few deals.

Scarborough Town Centre is located at Highway 401 between Brimley and McCowan (or the Scarborough Town Centre stop on the TTC RT) and Markville Mall is located at the corner of McCowan Road and Highway 7. Photos courtesy of www.scarboroughtowncentre.com and markham.ca