DEAL: My Best Friend’s Closet
Now through the end of Tuesday (September 27, 2011), Groupon is offering a 50% off deal for My Best Friend's Closet, a women's clothing store in Rockville, MD. According to their site, the store sells a combination of "new and recycled clothing," stocking popular brands from H&M and Forever 21 to Kate Spade and True Religion in sizes ranging from girls' 7/8 to women's 32.
Groupon is offering $40 towards merchandise at My Best Friend's Closet for $20. There are no apparent restrictions on what can be bought with the voucher; the only restrictions are a limit of one voucher per person and that the voucher cannot be combined with any other offers.
This voucher cannot be used online; you must go to the Rockville, MD, location to redeem the voucher.
Sound good to you? Head on over to snag your own voucher before the deal ends (or they sell out)!
Disclosure: The link above is my personal referral link for having bought the deal; if 3 or more people purchase the deal using my link, I'll get my deal for free. You can do the same by passing along your personal referral code to your friends after purchasing the deal.
HAUL: $80 at Village Thrift
After my first visit to Village Thrift, my closest (big) thrift store, I had mixed feelings: I was impressed with the size, the organization, the quality of the items, the cash registers, and the discount days, but I was disappointed with some of the prices (higher prices at Village Thrift than the original/sale price tags still on new items, clothes from places like H&M for the same prices as new). I also was a little confused about the discount days; I thought it was 50% off certain colored tags on Mondays, and a different percentage off on Sundays, but it's actually 50% off three tag colors on Sundays and 50% off three tag colors on Mondays.
Today, I decided to give it another chance... and boy did I clean up! I found many items that I've been looking for: spare pillowcases, word games, cardigans, flats, generic wrapping paper, and polos for my husband. I purchased almost entirely discounted items; the full-price items I bought were ones that I felt were very good deals anyway and/or things that would be very useful to me.
The Goods
Satin jacket
Purple cardigan sweater
Fuchsia knit cardigan
Straight jeans
Dressy tank
Empire-waist shirt
Striped skirt
Metallic gold flats
Plaid canvas flats
Men's green T-shirt
Men's green polo
Men's teal polo
Men's striped polo
Men's yellow polo
Green men's shirt
Striped men's shirt
2 pillowcases
2 rolls of gift wrap
Scrapbook refill pages
Set of Christmas cards
2 word games
1 hardcover book
My total: $80.25 for 25 items. That's an average of $3.21 per item! I have a feeling I'll be making a lot more visits to Village Thrift...
Read through for all the nitty-gritty, like brands and prices per item.
HAUL: Birthday Presents
Last week was my 25th birthday. I haven't had a chance to post much since then because, the day after my birthday, I was bitten by a dog on my right hand. It's a long story, but I'm fine; it's just a little harder than usual to type.
Anyway, I received a number of items off my wish list, as well as some other great presents; you can check out all the goodies below. The only birthday deal I wound up using was the Rita's one for a free regular ice, partly because of my injury but in large part because most of the offers weren't compelling enough for me to go out of my way to use them.
The Goods
5 sets of 5 items
Books and more
Penguin umbrella
Ravens jersey
3 books
Read on for all the details.
DEAL: Victoria’s Secret
Victoria's Secret currently has three offers running that, combined, will net you a pretty good deal.
1. You can save $15 on a purchase of $100.
Or spend $150 and save $30, spend $250 and save $75, spend $500 and save $150. You must use offer code FALL11 at checkout.
Limitations: Clearance merchandise, UGG® Australia, Frye®, gift cards, gift wrap & kits, store and previous purchases do not qualify toward offer eligibility. Shipping & handling and taxes do not qualify towards the minimum purchase. Ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, September 22, 2011 (tomorrow).
2. You can receive a free "Gorgeous" T-shirt with a purchase of $60 or more.
Add the Gorgeous Tee (item # 277-027) in the size of your choice to your shopping bag before checkout. You must use offer code GORGEOUS at checkout. (Or go to a Victoria's Secret store between September 22 and September 25.
Limitations: Gift cards, gift wrap & kits, shipping & handling and taxes do not qualify toward minimum purchase. Not valid on clearance merchandise, store or previous purchases. Ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, September 25, 2011.
3. You can receive $10 off your next online or catalog purchase by making a purchase now.
There is apparently no minimum purchase limit, at least according to the e-mail I received, nor does it appear that there are any restrictions on the original qualifying purchase or the purchase with the discount.
Limitations: The discount is only redeemable between October 1 and October 15, though the e-mails with the details and codes won't be sent until October 5, 2011. Qualifying purchases must be made by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, September 25, 2011.
As far as I can tell from the e-mail I received, all three of these offers can be combined (though their only overlap is online through tomorrow night, so you have just a day and a half to take advantage of the combo). Altogether, you can receive $142 worth of Victoria's Secret products ($100 initial purchase + $32-value T-shirt + $10 later purchase) for $75, not including taxes or shipping & handling. Not a bad deal, so if you need or want some Victoria's Secret products, now's the time to get them!
News & Links: 09/21/2011
A semi-regular round-up of fashion and shopping-related news and links.
» Would you use a Netflix-esque book service? Amazon.com is reportedly considering a subscription e-book service: "customers would pay an annual fee to access a library of content."
» There's a new app for iPhone and iPad (sadly, no Android yet) called StyleBook that enables you to inventory your wardrobe and then experiment with different outfits without having to pull the clothes out of your closet.
» The Economist looks at the impact "digitisation" has had on the book publishing industry in their article "Great Digital Expectations."
» What's the best thing you've ever found at a garage sale? Over at mental_floss, Stacy lists 8 of the most amazing garage sale finds of all time.
» If you want a good deal on your cell phone plan, look into your service provider's "secret" no-contract deals. As Get Rich Slowly shows, "The plans without the contracts had a lower monthly cost than the plans with contracts."
» The new advertising debate: Is it ethical to use children as brand ambassadors?
» In Finland, all expecting mothers receive a "baby box" full of gender neutral baby clothing and essentials for the first year. Love it or hate it? Personally, I'd be a lot more amenable to the idea of having kids if we had a program like this.
» Great but inexpensive decorating idea: Maps!
» Recycling is necessary (and awesome), but it can be hard to know where to recycle things other than paper, plastic, and glass. For electronics, head to Best Buy, whose e-cycle program accepts everything from cables to movies to computer monitors; they also have kiosks for ink and toner cartridges, rechargeable batteries, and wires. In NYC, clothing can be recycled through the re-fashionNYC program, a partnership between the City and Housing Works; they accept any clean fabric and material (clothes, towels, linens, etc.) as well as shoes and accessories. And no matter where you live, there's always a thrift store to which you can donate your unwanted items!
TIP #3
#3. "Don't wait for an invitation to buy an evening dress.
When you see something you love, buy it!"—Isaac Mizrahi in How to Have Style
I don't have many occasions to wear fancy dresses, but when I spot one I love for a price I can afford, I always pick it up.
Why?
It's a lot harder to find a great affordable evening dress than you might think (or hope); heck, it's hard just to find a great evening dress that fits well in the first place. So when you do find one that works, you should snatch it up.
Inevitably, we all wind up attending a wedding, dance, charity dinner, or other formal event over the course of a year. (Or, if you're lucky, your guy takes you on a really nice date!) And such events are often the ones where cameras are out in full force, so you don't want to wear the same fancy dress every time you go to a formal event. Who wants it to look like they've only ever been to one fancy event? Or to look like they only own one dress? Not me!
But if you wait to buy evening dresses until you're invited to events, you'll have a much harder time finding one that you love and can afford, and you'll often wind up settling. (I know; it's happened to me more than once.) To save yourself the frustration, buy dresses you love and can afford when you find them, especially if they're versatile enough that they could be worn for a wedding, dinner, or charity event. Then, keep them safely tucked in the back of your closet, and you'll be ready to pull them out at a moment's notice.
Who knows, maybe having some beautiful dresses you love stashed in your closet will inspire you to create more occasions to wear them.
DEAL: St. Vincent’s “Strange Mercy” Album
For today (9/13) only, St. Vincent's new album "Strange Mercy" is available for $3.99 (digital download, not CD) in the Amazon MP3 store. That's a great deal on its own.
But, through September 18, Amazon.com is also offering a $1.50 credit to be applied to any of 21 new indie albums, including St. Vincent's. That means you can get "Strange Mercy" in DRM-less MP3 form for only $2.49. That's an even better deal.
But hurry, because you can only get it at that super low price today.
Amazon.com offers a $3.99 digital album every day. The only other one I've purchased was Weird Al's "Alpocalypse" earlier this summer. Most of the albums they offer are good and by popular artists, but I get so much music for free (legally) and I'm not very particular about what I listen to that most of the time they're not worth it to me. But they are still good deals, so if you are a music aficionado, keep your eye out for their deals. You can follow Amazon MP3 on Facebook to stay updated on all their daily deals and other specials.
Birthday Offers
If you've ever shopped online or signed up for a store's membership club (and provided your correct e-mail address), you've probably received a flurry of "deals," "gifts," and offers around your birthday. But these birthday deals aren't always such a great deal after all. I figured I'd give you a run-down on all the birthday offers I've received and whether or not they're worthwhile.
The Offers
- Best Buy: earn triple rewards points on any single regular-priced item
- This offer is a dud unless you need to buy not one, but two items from Best Buy in the immediate future. Personally, I almost never buy regular price items anywhere, so the chances that I'd be buying something at regular price near my birthday are slim. Even if I did have a regular price item to buy, it's even less likely that I'd need to buy something else from Best Buy not that long after, thereby applying the triple points earned and actually benefiting from this deal. - American Eagle: enjoy 15% off your next purchase
+ This offer is significantly more useful than the Best Buy one. First of all, it provides me with a discount at the time of purchase, which means that even if that birthday trip is the only one I make to AE all year, I still benefit. Secondly, it's valid at American Eagle, Aerie, and 77Kids, both in stores and online. There are no restrictions regarding the merchandise it can be used for, meaning that I can buy only clearance items and still receive the extra 15% off. Finally, there's no restriction on the number of items, so I can get 15% off whether I buy one pair of $2.50 clearance underwear or 50 full-price T-shirts. Will I actually use it this year? Probably not, but I've definitely used it in the past. - Rita's Italian Ice: one free regular Italian ice
+ Anything free is a good deal, especially free food. The only downside is that it's only valid for 7 days from when it's sent, so it expires 3 days after my birthday. That's a small window to take advantage of an offer. I'm going to try to use this one. - Capitol City Brewing Company: $5 gift certificate
+ While you'll probably need to still spend some money, a flat $5 off my dinner tab is always welcome. It does require proof of ID when using it, and it can't be combined with any other offers, but it's valid for 30 days from when it's sent (which was a week before my birthday). I'm not too close to any locations anymore, but I might try to take advantage of this before it expires. - World Market: $10 reward
+ Again, a flat monetary discount is always a welcome reward. This one requires only a minimum purchase of $10, pre-tax, which means I could buy some bags of pasta for only the cost of the tax, or I could take an extra $10 off a piece of furniture or some dishes. The deal is good online or in the store, applies to sale and regular price items, and the only items it can't be used for are alcohol and "kitchen electrics." I'll also try to take advantage of this one before it expires; it's valid for the whole birthday month. - The Melting Pot: free chocolate fondue with purchase of any Big Night Out or the combination of two individual entrees and a cheese fondue
- I absolutely love the Melting Pot, but I think their birthday reward is kind of stingy. My husband is rather picky, so we usually only order one cheese fondue, one entree, and one chocolate fondue... in which case we wouldn't be able to use this deal. I'd rather get smaller amount deducted from my bill (like $5) than get something "free" that I can't even take advantage of. - Magazines.com: $5 gift certificate
+ The $5 can be applied to any of the magazines available through Magazines.com, which means I could get a year's subscription to Good Housekeeping or Redbook for about $3.00 (about $8.00 for the 12-issue subscription, minus the $5 gift certificate). I'm not sure if I'll use this one this year, because most of the titles I would want to get would still be $8 or more after the discount (and I don't "need" magazines enough to warrant spending more than about $5 on them).
HAUL: 27 books for $2
This weekend, one of the branches of my local public library was having a big book sale. My husband and I went to the sale on Sunday, when it was only open from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., and books were being sold by the grocery bag. (On Saturday, the books were priced according to format: hardcover, paperback, etc.)
Here's how it works: As you enter the sale, you get a brown paper grocery bag. The books are all laid out on tables and shelves according to rough categories; you fill up your bag with whatever books you want as you go around the room. Then, when your bag is full, you pay just one dollar for the whole bag. Not one dollar per book, one dollar per bag of books.
In addition to books, they also had some board games, a few movies on VHS, several audiobooks, and some magazines.
My husband got overwhelmed by the crowd (people were waiting outside when we got there just before noon) and the chaos within a minute of entering, and left to read in the regular part of the library. I was in my element, though, and managed to cram a great selection into 2 bags. *
The Goods
27 books
» The Jolly Postman, Janet and Allan Ahlberg
» Chocolate Astrology, Joy Nagy
» Good Housekeeping Good Deals & Smart Steals, Susan Randol
» Politically Correct Holiday Stories, James Finn Garner
» The Abominable Snowman Doesn't Roast Marshmallows, Debbie Dadey & Marcia Thornton Jones
» The Floating Island, Elizabeth Haydon
» The New Tea Book, Sara Perry
» The Miracle at Speedy Motors, Alexander McCall Smith
» Spin a Wicked Web, Cricket McRae
» Wild Goose Chase, Terri Thayer
» The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Burbery
» Instant Gratification, Lauren Chattman
» Death is Semisweet, Lou Jane Temple
» A Puzzle in a Pear Tree, Parnell Hall
» As the World Churns, Tamar Myers
» Laced, Carol Higgins Clark
» The Fondue Cookbook, Gina Steer
» The Matrix and Philosophy, William Irwin
» Popular Mechanics Home Safety Handbook, Nancy J. Becker
» Style Rx, Bridgette Raes
» Charmed Thirds, Megan McCafferty
» The Pirate King, R.A. Salvatore
» A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subversive Spirits, Carol K. Mack & Dinah Mack
» How Things Work in Your Home, TimeLife Editors
» Perennials, TimeLife Editors
» Better Homes & Gardens Handyman's Book, Better Homes & Gardens Editors
All in all, that's an average of $0.07 per book.
Want to know all the nitty gritty on the prices and savings? Continue reading.
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