Friday, June 25, 2010

Made by Angie in NYC

Last night we were out late with the kids when my phone went berserk with texts and emails...news that Made by Angie wipes cases were spotted on the latest episode of Bethenny Getting Married. Although US Weekly graces my mailbox, apparently I'm behind on this hot, hot, hot reality show. I did a quick DVR search when we got home, recorded the 1:00 am repeat and watched this morning, as Bethenny had a near nervous breakdown in Rosie Pope Maternity (one of my retailers) ... as she shopped for clothes. The cases have been a strong seller at RP since their debut. Hopefully, Bethenny picked one up! 

Did you watch?

Angie

Monday, June 7, 2010

Bargain Shopper, and Proud of it

I scour the internet for the best deal before buying. The deals are there (sometimes they are hiding, but it’s fun to search) and I figure I may as well get the best price for them.

Before I had kids, I had no problem sifting through TJ Maxx, Loehmann’s and Marshalls for deals. Now, it’s a different shopping world. I do most of it late night, but almost always online. Nothing is better or easier than a few clicks, in your pj’s and a package at your door the next day or so.

Lately, with the explosion of deal-a-day websites, my bargain shopping addiction has been fueled even further. Groupon was the first I came across (thanks, DER). What a genius business plan! A deal in your local city (tons of active cities) a day, delivered to your inbox. Easy peasy. Usually 50% off for retail bargains or services, you are guaranteed a great deal. Restaurants, spa services, etc ... it’s all stuff we do anyway, so why not pay less.

We’ve tried a bunch of restaurants I wouldn’t have otherwise tried, all with great savings.  Other than restaurants I’ve scored deals on yoga classes, car washes, local kids store, local sporting good stores, family yearlong membership to the Adler planetarium (for over 50% off!), reusable snack/sandwich bags, poster size photos on canvas, amazing bracelets, mani/pedis, spahhhhhh. And the list goes on...

Here are some of my favorite deal sites:

WeDeal -- All North Shore (Chicago) deals. Fab-u-lous!

Mulamu -- Also, Chicago ‘burbs

Jasmere -- This one is amazing too. The more people that buy the deal, the lower the deal price goes!

Fly Coupon -- Similar to Groupon, select your nearest city

Living Social -- Also similar to Groupon, select your city

We Give to Get -- This one is Chicago specific. You pick a charity for them to donate 10% of the purchase price.

Two other discount websites that grace my inbox daily:

Hautelook & RueLaLa. Both are membership based (but free) and deals focus on upscale retailers. I did score a great pair of Joe’s Jeans for $60 and some (a-hem) Hanky Panky’s for nearly 1/2 off.

Don’t forget to share the wealth. If you see a great deal, post your special referral code (you’ll get one when you buy the deal) on Facebook, Twitter, email etc. and get paid if your friends buy it too using your link :) Credits vary based on the site, but are between $5-10 per referral which adds up quickly (trust me, I’ve gotten a bunch of freebies this way!)

Another super easy search before clicking “buy” is on Retail Me Not. This and several other similar coupon sites collect online promo codes from websites that may not otherwise be published. I always check here for FREE SHIPPING codes.

A few things to watch out for:

1. Be sure to check expiration dates. I enter them (a month out) into my calendar so that an alarm reminds me of an upcoming expiration date.

2. Tip on original prices at restaurants (duh) so the server doesn't get the shaft.
3. Deals are timed, and typically expire the same day or next day. If you want it, buy it!
4. Read the fine print, sometimes you can purchase more than one deal, and combine. Sometimes you can't combine. They are very upfront with the rules though (always reasonable) so just read before you buy, so that you are not surprised or disappointed.

If you have other favorite deal sites, feel free to leave me a comment.

Happy shopping ... oh, and if you need a baby gift, you know where to look. I’ll save you the trip to Retail Me Not, use the code BLOG for 20% off your order at Made by Angie.

Angie