Event: UMD Midnight Madness 2011
I love free events, so last I was psyched to go to the University of Maryland's free Midnight Madness event last night, Friday, October 14. Last night's event, which is a scrimmage / pep rally type event to open the basketball season, was the university's 40th Midnight Madness so, in addition to the usual festivities, there were video reminiscences from past coaches and players.
What's great about this event is that there's something for everyone. The night included various competitive games for the students, who could win Under Armour apparel, gift certificates to the book store, and other goodies; an alumni basketball game featuring some great players from the history of the school's basketball program; performances by the cheerleaders, the dance team, and Gymkana, a gymnastics group open to all students that made it to the semi-finals on America's Got Talent this season; and, finally, the introduction of both the women's and men's basketball teams followed by scrimmages. The stadium's food booths were open and serving their (expensive) fare of hot dogs, pizza, and soda. And it appeared there were giveaways, too, as I saw many students with posters and new T-shirts.
Gymkana
Women's entrance
Men's entrance
Men's entrance
HAUL: Salvation Army Quick Trip
After checking out the new B-Thrifty store (see that haul here), I made a quick stop at the Salvation Army across the street, since I hadn't been in that location before. I focused on belts, because lately I've really been trying (unsuccessfully) to find good belts to wear with dresses and longer shirts, but somehow a bunch of movies snuck into my haul, too; the fact that they're under the glass at the check-out counter probably had something to do with it.
The belts I found, at $3.99/each, were slightly more than I would have liked to spend (and $3/each more than the one I got at B-Thrifty), but they were perfect for my needs and I've had such a hard time finding any at all that I felt they were worth it. Likewise, I usually wouldn't have bought so many movies unless it was a discount day (which, at Salvation Army, is Wednesday), but there was such a good selection and several of the movies are ones that I've been wanting to get on DVD to replace my VHS collection, so I figured they were worth it.
Luckily, I resisted the urge to spend on some items that were quite tempting, but either not necessary or more than I was willing to spend: a tan Gap wool coat for $29.99, a tank top for $6.99, shoes for $11.99, and a whole bunch of tempting winter clothes.
The Goods
Belt
Belt
Tunic
Men's polo shirt
5 DVDs
Despite my intention to just run in quickly to check out the location, I wound up spending $30 on 9 items.
Read through for the details on brands and prices.
HAUL: B-Thrifty Groupon
This week I purchased a Groupon to a new "big box" style thrift store called B-Thrifty. It was a good deal: for $15, I got a voucher for $35 to use at the thrift store (excluding its consignment section and the International Bazaar housed in it). That voucher was burning a hole in my pocket, so I headed over today to check it out. (Little did I know when I left that a tornado watch would go into effect while I was out... just my luck.)
Overall, I enjoyed the B-Thrifty. The store is huge -- I believe my tweet said, "Holy clothing, Batman, this place is enormous!" -- and it's the first thrift store I've seen that actually has as much, if not more, men's clothing as women's. I found many items that were brand new, including the short-sleeve men's polo and the dress I bought, but I was also disappointed to find several significantly stained items as well; in the shoe department, there were like-new dressy high heels next to sneakers that should have been in the trash. So like with most thrift stores, you really need to pay close attention and examine each item.
The aisles are very wide and can more than accommodate the shopping carts; very few thrift stores can fit carts down the aisles at all, so this was a real plus. And as funny as it sounds, I really enjoyed the music selection, which included really well-known classic rock songs.
I'll definitely be going back, and I plan to take advantage of their BiP Member card (for 30% off on Thursdays) and their Federal Holidays discount (50% off).
The Goods
Pink tank top
Patterned tank
Plaid tank top
Sundress
3/4-sleeve cardigan sweater
Hooded 3/4-sleeve shirt
Eagles jersey
Short-sleeve polo shirt
Long-sleeve polo
Belt
I wasn't sure how many items I'd be able to get (or would even find) for $35, but I came home with a total of 10 items for $35, which is a good deal. Since I only paid $15 for the Groupon, though, it was really 10 items for $15 for me, which is an even better deal!
Read on for all the details on brands and individual prices.
It’s All in the Family
I'm not the only frugal shopper in my family; in fact, while we all have varying tolerances for shopping, we all love to get a good deal. Take, for example, the Salvation Army expedition I went on with my sister (center), my mom (not pictured), and my grandmother (on right) this summer. We all left with multiple bags of goodies! (That box in my arms was a brand new bathroom cabinet.)
I'm also not the only thrift store fan. My husband likes them because he figures if I'm going to shop all the time, at least it's inexpensive. But my dog Toby is probably the biggest fan of all—he loves the way thrift store clothes smell when I bring them home! Something similar to this scene happens every time I bring home a thrift store haul:
I guess frugality just runs in our blood!
DEALS: Thrift Store and Pet Food
Today I found two great Groupons that I wanted to share...
1. $15 for $30 of Products from PetFoodDirect.com
This "spend $15, get $30 to use" deal, available for about 13 more hours (it ends at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, October 11) is good for any of the products on PetFoodDirect.com which, despite its name, stocks medicines, treats, and toys in addition to food for all pets. The deal's filed under Washington, DC, but it can be purchased and used by anyone in the U.S.
Sounds good to you? Head on over to snag a voucher before the deal ends (or they sell out)!
The Limitations:
- Only one voucher per person; may buy one additional to use as a gift
- Only one voucher can be used per order
- Voucher's value cannot be applied to shipping (so your pre-shipping total would have to come to $30 or more)
- Voucher cannot be combined with any other offers, such as 15% coupon codes
- Promotional value expires on April 12, 2012. That means that after April 12, the voucher is only worth the $15 you paid for it, instead of its promotional value of $30. So you wouldn't lose your money, you just wouldn't get anything extra.
2. $15 for $35 of Products at B-Thrifty (Woodbridge, VA)
This deal is available for 2.5 more days (it ends at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, October 11). For $15, you get $35 to spend at B-Thrifty, a "big box" style thrift store in Woodbridge, VA. The store is open 7 days a week (unlike many thrift stores that are closed on Sundays) and stocks more than 250,000 items daily.
Sounds good to you? Head on over to snag a voucher before the deal ends (or they sell out)!
The Limitations:
- Only one per person; may buy multiple as gifts
- Only one voucher can be used per visit
- Vouchers cannot be used on Federal Holidays (50% off days at B-Thrifty) or on 30% Off Customer Appreciation Days
- Vouchers cannot be combined with 30% off BiP membership discounts on Thursdays
- Only applicable towards thrift store purchases; not applicable towards purchases in the International Bazaar or the Consignment Shop
- Promotional value expires on April 14, 2012. That means that after April 14, the voucher is only worth the $15 you paid for it, instead of its promotional value of $35. So you wouldn't lose your money, you just wouldn't get anything extra.
Disclosure: The links above are my personal referral links for having bought the deals; if 3 or more people purchase the deals using my links, I'll get my deals for free. You can do the same by passing along your personal referral code(s) to your friends after purchasing the deal(s).
HAUL: $50 at Village Thrift
Today I made my fourth trip to Village Thrift, one of my new favorites. My first trip was somewhat lackluster, but since then I've gotten a 25-item haul for $80 and a 15-item haul for $60. I scaled back a bit more today, but still came home with a good haul.
I've mentioned before that Village Thrift's discount days are Sunday and Monday, when three different tag colors are 50 percent off. Today, perhaps for the holiday, in addition to three tag colors at 50% off, there were another two tag colors at 33% off. I succeeded in restricting myself to only discounted colors, buying 8 blue tag items at 33% off and 3 violet tag items at 50% off. (And, looking at the receipt now, I just realized that some items that I had thought would be full price actually received a discount... always like when that happens!)
The Goods
White cardigan sweater
Gray knit cardigan
Patterned tank
Blue knit tank
Flowered blouse
Purple dress
Gray & blue dress
Eagles jersey
Orioles jersey
Christmas Cards
Brown & blue organizer
The total: 11 items for $41.31.
Continue reading for the price and brand details.
HAUL: Payless BOGO
Today I was at the mall with friends and noticed Payless was running a full-store BOGO sale, so I stopped in to pick up a few essentials. (For those of you who don't know, BOGO stands for "buy one, get one"... in this case, it was buy one item, get one of equal or lesser value for half off. So buy one pair of shoes, get a pair of shoes for half-price. Buy a purse, get a second purse for half-price. Etc.)
The Goods
Tights and shoelaces
I snagged 5 items for $15.46. Not exactly a steal, but not bad to get some items we've been needing. (One of the pairs of shoelaces isn't pictured, as my husband has already put them into his shoes.)
The Details
I only picked up some items my husband and I have been needing: tights for me and shoelaces for him. The haul:
- 3 pairs of Minicci tights: a hot-pink pair on sale for $0.99, a brown pair at full-price for $6.99, and a grey pair half-off for $3.49 (50% off of $6.99)
- 2 pairs of shoelaces: one pair of 54-inch brown shoelaces (not pictured) at full-price for $1.99 and a pair of 40-inch brown shoelaces half-price for $0.99 (50% off of $1.99)
News & Links: 10/05/2011
A semi-regular round-up of fashion and shopping-related news and links.
» Tales of the retail bizarre: An Australian store is reveling in the negative attention it has received since news broke of their poor treatment of one customer, who wrote an open letter regarding her experience.
» Have you bought any of Reebok's "toning" shoes? If so, you may be receiving a refund — Reebok will refund $25 million to customers as part of a settlement with the FTC over deceptive advertising.
» As a non-chef, I love these "10 Simple Kitchen Tips You Wish Someone Told You Earlier." So true.
» The AtomicAttic duo makes good on the term "upcycled": they make awesome pet beds out of vintage products and beautiful home decor from old barn wood.
» Speaking of vintage products, Maggie Mason (of Mighty Girl) has a Flickr pool of the clever ways vintage products were designed, from mixing bowls with measurement marks inside to an expandable purse and a multi-faced baby doll.
» Even Michelle Obama shops at Target!
» Want to look amazing in photos? Check out these tips from a supermodel.
» I'm in love with the custom wedding gown sketches by Megan Hamilton. They're a beautiful way to remember your wedding dress, and they take up a lot less room than a gown box or garment bag! (I'm still hoping I'll get one eventually.)
» Today Groupon introduced Groupon Goods, which offers "really good deals on great products." Whereas regular Groupon offers discounts at stores, Groupon Goods will offer discounts on specific products.
» Now that Amazon has introduced its new Kindle Fire, you may be wondering what tablet is the right choice for you. PCMag has it covered.
DEALS: $5 Magazines & MP3 Albums
Amazon.com offers a variety of $5 MP3 albums each month; the October ones are now up on the site. This month's offerings are particularly good, in my opinion.
A sampling of the 100 albums available for $5 each:
- NOW That's What I Call Music 39 [various artists]
- Sorry for Party Rocking [an Amazon.com exclusive version] by LMFAO
- Volume One by She & Him
- Give Up by the Postal Service
- Rockin' the Suburbs by Ben Folds
- Parachutes by Coldplay
- Demon Days by Gorillaz
- One of the Boys by Katy Perry
- A Fever You Can't Sweat Out by Panic! at The Disco
- Take My Home Tonight [soundtrack]
Additionally, Amazon.com is offering 15 different magazine subscriptions for $5 each now through October 11, 2011. (Warning: Most of the subscriptions are "auto-renewal" subscriptions; if you don't want to keep the subscription beyond a year, make sure you cancel before it renews.)
The selection includes:
Categories
- About the Site (5)
- Complaints (2)
- Confessions (5)
- Deals (11)
- Events (2)
- Freebies (17)
- Hauls (38)
- Missions (3)
- News & Links (6)
- Outfits (3)
- Playlists (1)
- Shopping Tips (3)
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Favorite Sites
- Amazon: All Free MP3 Albums
- Amazon: All Free MP3s
- Amazon: Free Rising Artists MP3s
- Books on the Knob
- Freecycle
- IKEA Hackers
- Through the Looking Glass