Who hasn’t dreamed of having access to designer clothes for a great price?  Well now we all can!  There are a number of websites that have 48 hour trunk sales for designers, one of which is Ideeli.  As an example, today’s sales include Rebecca Beeson (of which I made a purchase), Paige denim, and Bill Blass (just to name a few).  There are normally 10 designer sales going on at any given time.  The trick to these sites is to log in at the opening of the boutique since each item has a limited quantity for each style/size.  You can only hold an item in your cart for 15 minutes before it’s up for grabs to the next shopper!  I know that it can be overwhelming to read emails and scan the sales from every company out there, but it’s so worth it!  Buy a few designer pieces at a great price and your wardrobe will truly thank you (maybe your wallet will too)! 

You need an invitation to join, but I wouldn’t tell you about this great place if I didn’t have an invite for you!  Click on the link below.  You can invite as many friends as you’d like once you become a member!  I’ve posted pictures of the two Rebecca Beeson purchases that I made.  Quality clothing and such a great price.  Not the most exciting pieces of clothing that I’ve ever purchased, but comfortable clothes are a must for any working mom!  I will live in these tees and leggings on the weekends!

www.ideeli.com/invite/linzdi77

shops love…ps, I’ll tell you about the other designer sites – in time my friends

Can you feel the excitement!!!???  Urban Outfitters has always been one of my personal favorites because they have a ton of variety and you can find trendy pieces for a reasonable price.  I have missed having a store nearby, but thankfully their online shop has a million things (more than you’d ever find in one store).  Every season I buy a few really trendy things that become my season favorites - I don’t mind retiring them a few months later because I always get my money’s worth!  So back to the excitement I was talking about – Urban Outfitters will be opening in Syracuse on August 19th!  Can you guess who might be there opening day?  One hint – ME ME ME (ok, so that was 3 hints).  The store will be located at 223 Walton Street (Armory Square area).  I will give a more detailed review of the store (size, selection, location, etc) after the store opens – but after I was tipped off of the grand opening, I just couldn’t resist sharing the news!

My most recent Urban Outfitters purchase was this “bella inspired” hooded, canvas jacket.  You’ve probably noticed that I’ve started stocking up on the fall clothes… because you can never have too many jackets in Syracuse!  I hope you enjoy the news, and for those of you outside of the ‘Cuse area – check out their online store if you haven’t already! 

I can’t even believe it but my daughter is turning 2 in exactly one month.  I’ve been planning her birthday party for a couple of months already – mostly picking up pieces here and there so it wouldn’t seem like such a big expense at the last minute. There are some things that I can’t help but put off like the food and cake, so why not buy the other things early?  I chose the theme of “Sesame Street” for her party (real original, right?), but honestly it’s because she won’t watch anything else!  I’m aware that there isn’t a shortage of Elmo and Sesame Street out there, but I really didn’t want to have a generic ‘birthday-in-a-box’ party – so I turned to my good friend, www.etsy.com.  When in doubt, there’s etsy!  Etsy is the home of all things creative and personalized.  Mostly it’s just creative people who like to sell their goods for a pretty reasonable price.  I was able to have our invitations designed, favors made, stickers created, and much more without ever getting off of the couch (hmm…maybe I shouldn’t be bragging about that)!  Regardless, I’m pretty sure that I’m more excited about this party than she is, but one day she’ll see pictures and understand!  I’ve posted a sneak peek of one of the etsy creations…more pictures to come after the big day! 

I’ve purchased from at least 10 different etsy vendors over the past year, and all of them have been super nice, professional, and had amazingly quick turnaround (not to mention I’ve found some adorable stuff)!  Please feel free to post stories of your own from etsy!

BUDGET!!  That is probably the single most hated word to any shopper out there!  People assume that just because I like to shop (a lot) that I must be spending too much money, but that simply isn’t the case.  It’s all about finding deals and buying the right things at the right times.  The other thing is that it’s all about priorities.  My hubby likes to golf – hello?!  Golf is not free!  Many people like to continuously do home projects and buy big, new toys.  Me? I like to shop for clothes and shoes.  It’s all relative if you think about it.  So every 6 months or so, we sit down and redo our budget.  This is where I have to tell him realistically how much money I *need* to spend on my wardrobe (and my daughter’s too).  In the end, you’ll still find him on the golf course on Sunday afternoon…and I’ll come home most days to find that UPS made a delivery.  As long as we both stay within the dreaded budget, no complaints from our household!

Moral of the story, a budget is actually a smart thing to have.  Once you have a budget - set your priorities and stick to it.  Everyone stays happy (including your bank account). 

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I had been wanting a “mommy” necklace for quite some time and happened upon the Nashelle Jewelry line.  Everything is customizable from the stones and metals, to the engraving, to the different size discs.  There are a number of brands out there, but Nashelle happens to advertise everywhere and they include coupon codes!  So I was *super subtle* when I hinted to my hubby that I wanted one…by *super subtle* I mean his inbox included the exact number of discs, wording, and chain lenth that I hoped for (and of course I included the coupon code).  Surprise!  On Mother’s Day he had given me exactly what I wanted – how lucky was I?!  The only thing this shopper likes more than shopping herself, is when other people shop for her!  Long story short is that the Nashelle jewelry is adorable and long lasting – something I’ll treasure forever because it has the name, birthdate, and birthstone of my favorite little girl.  My sister has two kids (adorable if I do say so myself) and decided to get 2 necklaces (one for each child) and the different chain lenths make them work together perfectly. 

The best part about these necklaces is that you can add to them…start with your initial and add on as your family grows if you please!  They also have rings, earrings, and necklaces that are not personalized – super cute.

If you use the coupon code OURPLEASURE you’ll receive 15% your order!  Enjoy

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This shopper is a big football fan!  I love summer sooo much, but I can’t wait for football season!  Not only do I love to watch the games, but you’ll see me decked out in my Skins gear every Sunday that they play (and in the post-season when the Skins aren’t playing) – I have hope for this year, which just means more gear!  So if you’re like me, you need a wardrobe full of paraphernalia ready to go before the first kickoff.  Well www.nfl.com is having their Christmas in July sale which includes 20% all orders and free shipping on orders of $99/over.  So now is the perfect time to pick up your new McNabb jersey – or whatever you team you choose – for a fraction of the price! 

Remember to use the code: NFLJULY to get this great deal!

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While I enjoy shopping for clothes and shoes the most (for me or my daughter), I would take buying anything over nothing (yea, that’s how I know that I have a problem).  In the past few months, I’ve been reading in most of my spare time – eek, something taking over my online shopping time!  It was only a matter of time before I could turn my reading into a mini shopping spree.  I started researching the Nook (Barnes and Noble e-reader) and the Kindle (amazon.com’s e-reader) and was leaning towards the Nook.  I said I would not buy it (right) and went to B&N just to “look.”  25 minutes later I was in my car with my new pink nook and accessories!  I must say that this was a great investment though!  The ebooks are cheaper than the hard and paperback versions, plus, I’m not spending money on gas on the way to the bookstore, right?  So maybe it will take some time before it actually SAVES me some money, but I’m just going to go with it. 

I downloaded my first book, Breaking Dawn, and find that it’s very easy to read, hold, and learn to use!  I purchased the new, lower priced 3G and wifi version that will connect *free* to any AT&T connection.  If you’re an avid reader like I am, I would encourage you to at least “look.”

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First of all, don’t think that this post only applies to people with children.  I found Upromise in 2006, before I was even married!  I recommend that you join Upromise and link all of your savings cards (grocery store, drug store, etc) as well as your debit and credit cards!  When you buy certain items, a small percentage will go directly into your upromise account.  For the online shopper like me, you can log into upromise and see that literally thousands of online retailers are linked to upromise.  If you enter the partner site through upromise, a portion of your total purchase will go into your upromise account.  For those of you shopping the Norstrom Anniversary sale that I recently mentioned, you will earn 6% savings for any online purchase!  Again, the key is that you enter the Nordstrom site through upromise.  You can start saving for your children, for your future children, or it can go directly to Sallie Mae if you have current loans that you’re still paying off!  It’s a win-win! 

I have already saved hundreds for my daughters college fund simply from shopping online.  I have my account linked directly to her New York State 529!  And you thought being a shopaholic was a bad thing

www.upromise.com

This wouldn’t be much of a shopping blog if I didn’t at least mention the Nordstrom Anniversary sale that is going on now through August 2nd!  For those of you (us I should say) that have  a Nordstrom credit card account, you will earn double points on all purchases made during the Anniversary sale!  Nordstrom doesn’t have many sales throughout the year, but this is the one to shop.  The Anniversary sale actually puts brand new FALL items on sale; on August 2nd the prices will increase to the actual price.  Time to start thinking about boots, jackets, jeans, and all things fall.  I know it’s hard to think about when it’s hot outside, but you can thank me later when the chill hits the air and you’re wearing something fabulously fall.  See my personal favorite item of the Nordies Anniversary sale…my new Doma black leather jacket with a hoody (thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law who feels me on the shopping)!

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In my opening post, I said that the shopping in ‘Cuse is less than impressive.  I stand by what I said, but I want to clarify just a bit.  We don’t have Nordstrom, Saks, or South Moon Under (one of my personal favorites).  We do have some nice boutiques though and I truly believe in giving business to the local community.  If you’re looking for infant and toddler clothing, you could try Chloe’s Closet in Fayetteville, NY.  I also recently stumbled upon a shoe store in Fayetteville when my mom was in town (did I mention that I inherited my love and ability to shop from my mother)?  Paul Karaz shoes has high-end shoes and excellent customer service.  Unfortunately for me, they do not carry many small sizes – I wear a size 5.  The owner was working with us, though, and special ordered a pair of Frye Boots – the Veronica Slouch (see below).  I received them in under a week!  Now I have at least one reason to look forward to fall…well these boots and football.  So while I still do the majority of shopping online, I do enjoy shopping in person at the local stores – just a matter of finding the right stores (and it helps when mom is there too – thanks mom)!

shops love