This Season's Must Haves

I was glancing at designmom today when I came across this fantastic website with sleek jackets and I stumbled upon the new items which I must have . . . are these not the coolest coats (I know I should choose one, but can't a girl have two coats--plus the ones she already has)? for $113, the houndstooth jacket, and for $83 the belted jacket are yours (or mine). I've already emailed Noah and reminded him that my birthday, anniversary and Thanksgiving (which I believe merits a gift) are all falling in the same week next month. The website with this jacket and more covetous ones can be found here.

Being a Super Shopper

Today I'm finishing the shopping secrets I have discovered as a result of being a "starving student" for all of 7 years.

First off: a word on yard sales. I used to be so against them, thinking that all you could buy was junk. I have since learned some tricks of the trade.

1. Even in Utah you can find some great deals--like authentic Dooney and Bourke purses (I bought a funky red one that looked brand new that I love for $30--new they're $250-$300). You can also find great handbags (including Dooney and Bourke) at T.J. Maxx, but stick to the clearance section for the best deals.

2. Find descriptions of yard sales at craigslist or a local newspaper (ksl for Utah is great)--these are also great when you're looking for a particular item to purchase (boats, pianos, and everything else--just be sure to barter with the seller by cutting the price so low it's almost insulting)!

3. There are some great tools out there to find the optimal yard sale neighborhoods without driving all around (rich ones of course). Check out zillow (also a great tool when you're buying a house to scope out neighborhoods).

Some other great stores in Utah are NPS (a very hit-and-miss store, but usually hit). This is the place they send things when they fall off of UPS and FedEx trucks (or get lost en route). You can buy groceries (nearly expired), shoes, wedding dresses, Ann Taylor clothes, and most recently I bought a $3000 treadmill for $300 (it has a small crack in the front end but it works great!) NPS has two buildings, an everything building and an industrial building (that's where the best deals are). When you go here, take a cell phone with Internet capabilities to make sure you're getting good deals, sometimes their prices are way over what they should be, but on the other hand, some times they're way under.

Other Utah stores we've liked are the RC Willey clearance center (if you're on the clearance side, tell the sales person you'd like 10% off and you'll get it)--all our stainless appliances are from RC Willey clearance or the Maytag clearance store.

More on Where to Shop

disclaimer: I know appearance isn't everything; however, I do like dressing my kids in nice clothes (I'm still working on giving my wardrobe a much needed lift but it of course comes second to my kids, as does everything).

So where do I shop for cute, high quality clothes and still feel like I'm getting good deals? Gap clearance, and recently Gymboree clearance as their clearance selection and pricing has greatly improved. The thing with both of these stores is that at full price you end up paying way too much (for me at least), but wait a few Weeks and the clothes will most definitely make their way to the clearance isles; granted you might miss out on getting the coordinated hat, shirt, skirt and underwear, but at least you can still sleep at night. The Children's Place is also fantastic for deals, but stick with their Spring and Fall collections (the designers change seasonally and the Spring and Fall designers are the best).

For my own clothes, I again love T.J. Maxx and Ross, however when I really want something nice, I'll go to Ann Taylor--now they have some awesome sale racks! I was there just a few weeks ago and just about went crazy when I saw all the winter clothes marked down (some of which you can totally wear in spring). Lesson: by clothes off season--especially kids, that's where the good deals are.

Where to Shop

I am one avid bargain shopper--but not the kind that will settle for junk to save a few bucks. I am of the mind set that if there's something I can't currently afford, I'd rather have nothing until I can afford the very thing I want. Example: my living room is rather sparse right now and is lacking a coffee table/ ottoman and a console table--for which I already have the lamps. Now here's the thing--I had an end table and coffee table but moved them to my basement living room because they don't really go with my decor anymore, but I'd rather go without than go with something I don't feel looks fantastic. I'm now saving up until I can go out an purchase a nice black ottoman and a black console table (I don't think furnishing are ever worth going in debt for so that's out of the question and don't even get me started on renting furniture--blah)!

I would venture to say that I have relatively expensive taste, however I can never justify spending unreasonable amounts of money for items that will surely go out of style within a year or two (I'm quite certain Noah would back me up on this one). So how do I go about getting high quality products at super deals? I learned how and where to shop (there are some benefits to having little or no money for a space of time).


If you like name brands and you don't mind sifting through some junk, I highly recommend Ross, T.J. Maxx, and Burlington Coat Factory you can always find Ralph Lauren products at a fraction of the price at Ross and TJ Maxx, fun home accessories at Burlington Coat factory (in addition to coats and average priced baby furniture and supplies). I recently bought a pair of authentic Gucci sunglasses at Ross for $30 (more than I usually spend on sunglasses, but I have a hard time turning down a deal like that when the original price is $200). I bought Gabby a pair of Ecco shoes for $15 (regular price: $65)--I tend to buy all shoes at the above listed stores, because for the same price of Payless shoes, I can get nice shoes that will last (that alone makes it an even better deal than paying slightly less for cheaply made products). Toys are another thing that you can always find Ross and T.J. Maxx (some at Burlington)--they often times carry specialty toys you can only buy from certified toy stores such as Red Balloon, but again it's hit and miss (but usually hit).

I'll continue this conversation tomorrow--feel free to leave your comments of where you bargain shop.