Free eBooks: Vook Classics
In September, Vook made many of their Kindle-only Enhanced Vook Classics available for free on Amazon.com. Heading into October, they've made another batch of Enhanced Vook Classics free for Kindle, bringing me to a total of 37 free classics. The "enhancements" in these editions appear to be the inclusion of illustrations and photographs, as well as the formatting and editing standard in print editions but usually lacking in free digital editions of classics.
Read on to see the 21 free Vook classics I've snagged this month, with book descriptions from the sites and links to purchase them. (Find the descriptions for last month's Vook classics here.)
Please Note: While all of these books were free at the time of my purchase, that does not guarantee that they are still free or that they will remain free. Make sure you check the price listed before purchasing any books.
HAUL: $60 at Village Thrift
I was divided about Village Thrift after my first trip there, but after my second trip there last week it's become a new favorite. Today was another discount day at Village Thrift, with 50% off on three different tag colors. Once again, almost everything I bought was discounted, although unfortunately the most expensive item I bought was not. (It was still a good deal, though, and will be very useful.)
My husband really liked the shirts I got him last week and gave me the go-ahead to outfit him with more, so I focused on the men's department this time around. I'm really glad he wanted more shirts; I think he needs more variety in his wardrobe (and the less I need to do laundry, the better!). I only picked up two clothing items for myself, as well as a few books and household items.
We'll see if Village Thrift expeditions become a weekly tradition...
(I apologize for the poor quality of the photos today. I think it's a combination of bad lighting and difficult-to-photograph patterns and colors.)
The Goods
Blue men's button-down
Blue striped men's shirt
Green striped shirt
Tan striped men's shirt
Brown striped shirt
Maroon men's polo
Purple men's sweater
Pink knit cardigan
Striped cotton blazer
Men's khakis
Striped throw pillow
3 hardcover books
Set of drawers
That's a total of 15 items for $60.60, or an average of $4.04/item.
Read on for all the brand and price details.
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.
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