May 2009 - Especially for Women

Summer

Summer. Summer. Summer. Summer. Summer. Hmm? Oh, sorry, having trouble concentrating because, well, you know…summer. Not only summer but….the best deals for summer ever are out there on that glorious net of the inter. I’m gonna break it down for you—but you need to know that this is just the tip of the amazing summer sale iceberg. In order to find more sales, y’all need to get out there and shop.

Bluefly: I love Bluefly. Bluefly makes me want to go to gala’s, garden parties, and charity events. They also make me want to ask for a raise because I can’t afford to spend $300-$400 on a dress. But with Bluefly’s 75% off sale, I can actually afford some of their designer steals. Like this cute little number, perfect for all the garden parties I intend to crash this summer. It’s marked down from $330 to $177.99 and it is the perfect Birthday present to buy myself this year….except that it doesn’t come in my size because…well….I like food too much. But it might be right for you, you hungry size 4,6, and 8 ladies.

Victoria’s Secret: Victoria’s secret is having a summer sale with up to 60% off clothes. They've also got shoes and accessories marked down. I found this straw bag that is ultra-perfect for my days at the beach and is 42% off.

Barnes and Noble: During the summer, there is nothing I want more than to read. I can spend endless hours reading, and when Barnes and Noble offers up to 80% off their bargain books, I can afford to buy as many as I want.

Amazon.com: C’mon….is there anything we can’t find on Amazon.com? This summer, you can get beach towels for 33% off, and a beach cabana for 57% off.

I would not imagine that this is the last post like this I will write this summer.....

Yo

Photographer Peter Kaminski had me at Gorilla...

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The Benefits of Being a Pack Rat

When I am done with something, I am done with it. I will throw out a perfectly good measuring cup simply because I think I am not going to use it anymore (this example is based on a true story that Hubby just loves to use against me whenever he gets the chance). Even if my throwing out means that I have to re-buy the item in a few months, I simply don’t care. I don’t like clutter, do not like to keep things indefinitely that I am not currently using and I do not form emotional attachments to inanimate objects.

Hubby is the complete opposite. Hubby will hold onto cell phones the size of bricks because, “You never know.” Never know what, you may ask. Well, don’t ask me because apparently I will never know what it is I may never know. While I generally don’t like this, I respect Hubby and we do have to live together in a democratic type of arrangement, so I let my love for him override my annoyance of his Rubbermaid storage containers filled with stuff that, in my short-sightedness, I see no use for.

Although I am reticent to admit it, Hubby's pack rat syndrome has been really, really helpful. A few months ago, the power supply for my laptop died—and my battery only lasts 30 minutes. Of course I had deadlines to meet and started freaking out. Hubby went to his trusty Rubbermaid kingdom and opened a box that was filled with indistinguishable wires. He pulled one out after a mere glance and plugged it into my laptop. A spare power supply from goodnessknowswhenorwhat. Suddenly, this white knight’s pack ratting took on a whole new light. He seemed in that moment, almost God-like to me and I doubted my impetuous garbage flinging ways for, like, a day. Then I promptly forgot how he saved me by being a pack rat and started getting annoyed again.

Until this weekend. This weekend we spent some time putting my office together. We assembled bookcases, mounted a television, rearranged a room and set up a cozy seating area filled with Eames era antiques. We collect Eames era antiques—tiki, rattan, Hawaiiana—we love it all and we are always looking for a deal. A few years ago at an open market, we scored a 50 year old rattan corner table and chairs set that would normally cost anywhere from $500-$1,000 for only $150. The catch? The chairs came without cushions. So what, we get cushions made for about $300 and we still end up ahead. Except that we didn’t have to. Hubby, in his infinite wisdom had apparently saved all the cushions from an old sofa and love seat set that I thought we had thrown out. It turns out, Hubby had thrown out the sofa and love seat, but not the cushions. Hubby thought, “Maybe we could use these cushions sometime. I mean, you never know.”

You know what Hubby? I think you’re right. You really never do know.

Yo

Welcome to my office, please have a seat. I'll be right with you.

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Memorial Day Sale Shopping

Sometimes, I really wish I were a more organized person. I know there are always good sales to be had on holiday weekends, but I never save any money or write a list of the things I need and save it for a holiday sale. This weekend, there are about a gajillion Memorial Day sales to enjoy and, because of my shoddy life planning, I won’t enjoy them as much as I could have.

Since you are smarter than me, here’s a list of some of the sales you can find this weekend.

Ikea: Ikea has a cute Futon for only $149.00. That’s $100 off the original price. This is good in store only on Memorial Day at participating locations.

Macy’s: Macy’s is offering up to 50% off in every department for their Memorial Day sale. When I stopped by, I was especially touched by the shoes and handbags they had on sale. I’m not going to lie, I cried a little when I saw the Calvin Klein bag that we have pictured in our write up.

Banana Republic: Banana Republic has a Memorial Day sale with up to $20 off. I noticed some handbags that were over $50 off when I went to the site, so there really is a lot to be explored here, especially this shirt ‘cuz it’s sooooo cute and is only $40—normally it’s $59. They’ve even got some men’s stuff on sale…but I didn’t look at any of it because…well…I’m self-absorbed.

Wilson’s Leather: Wilson’s Leather is having a Memorial Day sale that just happens to coincide with their off season Leather Jacket sale and Handbag and Wallet sales—so you could get up to 75% off if you stop by this weekend.

Guess: Guess has up to 40% off during their Memorial Day sale. When I took a peek, I found this dress for only $69.99 which actually made me wish I had a job that required I get dressed up and leave the house every day.

Carson Pirie Scott: Carson Pirie Scott is giving up to 20% off during their Memorial Day sale. I found some Lucky jeans for only $69.99. They made me happy I have a job that doesn’t require I get dressed up and leave the house every day. I’m so conflicted.

Altrec: If you like camping, hiking and other outdoorsy activities, Altrec.com’s Memorial Day sale should make your summer funner (I know, but I break rules for alliteration). They’ve marked down a ton of clothing, shoes and gear up to 50%.

So go forth and shop, ladies--and please, leave me a comment and tell me what you got so that I can silently loathe you and your shopping genius.

Yo

Photographer Son of Groucholoves a good sale.

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Wonderful World of Etsy, Part Two

Today we are getting some great shopping tips from some real Etsy insiders. We're also going to find out about how shop owners do mark downs and what they think the future of Etsy is. To read the first part of our interviews please see part 1. Here is a little information about the ladies we are continuing our interviews with:

Anda Corrie- Anda is in charge of social networking for Etsy. She also works on the Community Team and she is Etsy’s staff illustrator so she draws all the illustrations you see on the many pages of Etsy. 

June Jessie- June is not only an illustrator and toy designer but she also creates resin jewelry for her shop isewcute.She describes her store, "...sweet, fun, cute jewelry for teens on up from resin, cupcake candy sprinkles, & glitter…as well as unique accessories for crafty gals who love knitting, crocheting, & embroidery! If you want a unique hand embroidery pattern of a family member or favorite pet…then I’m the gal you’ve been looking for to make that happen! My passion is to make well loved items which will be treasured for years ...inspired by cartoons, toys, candy, pinups & more!"

Audrey Jill Mann- Audrey is an artist and interior designer. She has a home decor shop on Etsy called Audzipan Design. Her store has, "...all kinds of home decor.  The style is clean, simple, and contemporary without being too modern."   

Erin Keck- Erin is the owner of Artisan Adornments by sidhejewels. Erin uses both glass beads and Swarovski crystal to make jewelry. Her store has, "...handmade jewelry, mostly out of glass beads and Swarovski crystal. I try to keep the designs simple and choose materials that stand out on their own. Recently I've also gravitated toward more romantic, vintage looking pieces -- chandelier earrings and necklaces with extra chains and dangles seem to be in style right now, so I'm hoping to make more like that soon!"

What advice would you give shoppers looking for the best all around deal when shopping on Etsy (things like quality, uniqueness, price and shipping expenses should be considered)?

Anda: I like to remind people to be voyeurs and peek at others' Favorite items, and to explore Etsy's features like Pounce and the Treasury, or search keywords in our blog because every blog post ends with a selection of related Etsy items. But to answer your question: I think the best all-around items are found most frequently in our Gift Guides. The merchandising team at Etsy does an amazing job of combing the site for relevant items for the guides, and if they aren't exactly what you're looking for, they're still a great starting point. Also, for absolute uniqueness and to get a really Etsyesque experience, use Alchemy to custom request exactly what your looking for, and artists bid like contractors on your request.

June: Etsy has various ways set up for helping shoppers find something unique…from the treasuries which are member curated collections of items…
 to the time machine where you can find ‘fresh items’ just listed, as well as items which have recently sold or even items which are about to expire…if you are interested in finding a deal! It’s possible to even shop by searching for a specific color. If you are looking for a reduced shipping cost…there is a ‘shop local’ feature…so you can find etsy shops right in your own neighborhood! My personal favorite feature is pounce…and I usually pounce for ‘undiscovered’ shops. I remember how great it felt to finally make that first sale & love to pass on that feeling to another seller just starting out! I’ve found the most wonderful things that way!

Audrey: Use specific keywords to find what you are really looking for.  Searching with too broad of terms can be overwhelming and frustrating.  There are so many wonderful shops around.  If you find an artist that you really love, check out their favorites if you can.

Erin: I'd say the quality of the listing is your best tool in determining the quality of an item. If the photos aren't good or there's very little description of the item, you might want to ask a few questions to make sure you're getting what you want for the money you're laying down. And just like Ebay, an Etsy seller's rating and number of transactions will give you some insight on whether other customers have been happy with what they bought. And if you're not finding what you're looking for at the price you're willing to pay, try Etsy's Alchemy feature -- just put up a description of what you want and how much you're willing to pay, and maybe a seller will take your order and make it for you! In my own browsing on Etsy, I've found that no one wants to be known as a price-gouger and the prices are pretty reasonable. Tthere are some shops that are expensive, but it's often because they're using very high quality materials, like actual gemstones for jewelry.

How often do you mark down the items in your shop? What compels you to do (or not do) so?

June: I don’t mark down items…because I don’t want to devalue their worth. I believe my prices are fair for the time & materials that go into each piece & I offer a variety of items hitting several price points…but sometimes I’ll run a promo with free shipping…or a free surprise gift with purchase usually on a special day such as a holiday or my etsy anniversary! Milestone buyers have also received bonus freebies with their orders…like my 100th & 200th sales!

Audrey: Every once in a while (about once every other month or so) I run a special.  Usually it is before a holiday or to celebrate a major event in my life.  Usually I do it just to have something to advertise rather than just saying, hey! i have stuff for sale.  I think it makes shopping a more exciting experience.

Erin: I had a sale once, just before Christmas -- it was mostly to sell a few more items so I'd have more holiday money myself. I might consider it again if I had too much inventory and things weren't selling that well. But overall, I don't think of doing markdowns often because I try to keep the prices of my jewelry low to begin with. Generally I calculate the price for each piece by how much the materials cost and add a little extra for the time I spent working on it. 

How do you see Etsy and other small online businesses affecting consumerism in the next decade?

Anda: Well, we want to change how commerce works, period. In a perfect world, maybe you would always know who you were buying from. Buying from small businessowners and directly from artists adds meaning to the transactions. There is a story, a certain value, behind products on Etsy that is missing from mass-produced goods, and I think consumers are craving more of a connection to their purchases--especially in a recession, when money is tight. What you buy and where you buy it becomes more important.

June: I think it will grow! Personally I did all my holiday shopping online this past year …very different from the year before! I’d guess about 80-90% of the items purchased were handmade ones as well! I think it’s amazing to be able to ‘shop the globe’ to find unique treasures for your loved ones! It’s more personal too! That is something that keeps me motivated to do what I do…just knowing that the little treasures I make could end up in far away lands being loved by the folks who stumbled upon my etsy!

Audrey: I think Etsy and other sites like it will only continue to grow.  People will turn to the internet to find customized and unique products. 

Erin: I like to hope that more people will get more comfortable with the idea of buying from small businesses online, and that other sites like Etsy can make that seem more safe and accessible to people. A lot of folks are still hesitant to send money online to someone without a brick-and-mortar business and customer service staff, which is understandable. But overall, I think more people are getting used to using sites like Ebay and Craigslist and Etsy to find smaller businesses and individuals, and hopefully that trend will continue. The big question is how and when tax law might be extended to people who have small businesses (which I don't know much about, but I've heard something about new guidelines coming for people who make money on Ebay or similar sites).

Yo

My thanks to Anda, June, Audrey and Erin for allowing me to interview them and wayfaring stranger for the photo at the top.

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Wonderful World of Etsy, Part One

In my 33 years of life, I have known many crafty women. Now, I don’t mean crafty as in manipulative soap opera type women who know what they want and who they have to step on to get it. I mean women who can do things with a glue gun, paint brush, scissors, or whatever material that I couldn’t dream of doing.

It started with my mother. When I was a kid, Mom sewed like a maniac. She sewed most of my clothes and many of my toys. Later, and now, she began painting portraits of people and animals as well as landscapes and, well, just about everything else. Her crafty gene worked itself into my sister who is a scrapbooking savant. She is constantly inspired and goes to conventions to stay on top of all the coolest scrapbooking….um….things.

The crafty gene missed me entirely. Give me a glue gun and I’ll glue my eye shut before I can create art. Give me a paint brush and I swear I will try to eat it. All of my friends are artists or musicians—they all do miraculous things that I can’t.

In the spirit of this female crafting envy I have, I’ve been visiting Etsy a lot lately. If you are a crafter and you aren’t familiar with Etsy, you'll want to be. Etsy is a place for crafters to sell their goods and make a living, and for those of us who love crafters to support them and get totally awesome, affordable, high quality, unique stuff that all our other friends envy.

But you don’t want to hear about Etsy from me, I can’t create anything—let me introduce you to some Etsy experts who have a lot to say about the place they love.

Anda Corrie- Anda is in charge of social networking for Etsy. She also works on the Community Team and she is Etsy’s staff illustrator so she draws all the illustrations you see on the many pages of Etsy. 

June Jessie- June is not only an illustrator and toy designer but she also creates resin jewelry for her shop isewcute.She describes her store, "...sweet, fun, cute jewelry for teens on up from resin, cupcake candy sprinkles, & glitter…as well as unique accessories for crafty gals who love knitting, crocheting, & embroidery! If you want a unique hand embroidery pattern of a family member or favorite pet…then I’m the gal you’ve been looking for to make that happen! My passion is to make well loved items which will be treasured for years ...inspired by cartoons, toys, candy, pinups & more!"

Audrey Jill Mann- Audrey is an artist and interior designer. She has a home decor shop on Etsy called Audzipan Design. Her store has, "...all kinds of home decor.  The style is clean, simple, and contemporary without being too modern."   

Erin Keck- Erin is the owner of Artisan Adornments by sidhejewels. Erin uses both glass beads and Swarovski crystal to make jewelry. Her store has, "...handmade jewelry, mostly out of glass beads and Swarovski crystal. I try to keep the designs simple and choose materials that stand out on their own. Recently I've also gravitated toward more romantic, vintage looking pieces -- chandelier earrings and necklaces with extra chains and dangles seem to be in style right now, so I'm hoping to make more like that soon!"

How did you first hear about Etsy?

Anda: It was July 2005. My friend Nora came running into my apartment all a-flutter, babbling excitedly about some new website she had heard about on Craftster.org where you could sell your handmade stuff. As an artist and crafter, I thought it sounded like the answer to my enteprenueral prayers and signed up for an account then and there.  I spent a year selling full-time on Etsy before I managed to convince Matt to hire me to work for them.

June: A crafty friend told me all about it & really pushed me to try it out!

Audrey: My sister, Azurerocket, showed me the site one year while I was shopping for my mom's birthday.

Erin: I think I ran across it couple of times when I was looking for beads, because people also sell crafting materials on there. But I wasn't sure what it was or how ordering worked, so I didn't pay much attention to it. I had been working on building up my jewelry inventory for a couple years but hadn't really considered selling it through Etsy until I was looking for jewelry to wear for my wedding and saw all the unique things that other people were selling there.

What draws you to work for and support Etsy (to the sellers I added, "instead of Ebay")?

Anda: It's addictive to be a part of Etsy, it's hard to resist. Every aspect of the site is so hopelessly appealing: participating in the handmade/DIY community, supporting small businesses and individual artists, the huge variety of work itself.

June: I’m only a buyer on Ebay… I  prefer Etsy for selling my unique creations because it’s more specific to selling handmade, supplies, & vintage items… not selling just anything. Ebay fees are too high & I’m not crazy about their feedback setup where sellers are concerned. I'm a pretty big buyer on etsy too...I can find unique things there that just aren't available anywhere else!

Audrey: I really love the idea of a community where nothing is commercially made.  Each item has its own personality, because the artist took individual time to work on the project.  I also like to think that it creates an environment where it is easier to "make it" as an artist.

Erin: I actually tried selling my jewelry on Ebay first. It didn't go very well -- in fact, it seemed people were barely looking at my items. It seemed like there were just so much jewelry on Ebay, and a lot of it was low quality or priced really low because they were being sold from Asia, that my listings were just getting lost in the shuffle. After about a month of that, I moved everything over to Etsy and started getting a lot more interest in my jewelry, along with my first few sales. The big draw for me, and I think for shoppers, is that it's a site where you know everything is handmade and that someone personally made what you're seeing and is vouching for the quality of what you're getting. There's more of a connection and respect in transactions because buyers know they may be talking directly to the person who made what they want to buy, and sellers know they're talking to someone who appreciates their work. There's also a lot less "noise" because you don't have to sift through the same mass-produced items you might find while searching for something online. Plus, a lot of items are unique and one-of-a-kind, so it almost takes on the feeling of buying art, even if it's something functional.

Come back tomorrow to get these insiders' Etsy buying tips!

Yo

Thanks to photographer Zela.

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Should You Worry About Your Kid's College Fund?

I was talking to one of my friends the other day and she mentioned her concern over her son’s 529 college savings plan. She talked about the market, how it never seems to go up enough. How, when they first invested in the plan, the Dow was much higher than it is today and how she feels that, at this rate, the 529 plan is not going to be enough to fund her son’s four years away at school.

I told her not to worry about it. Why? How could I be so flippant? Don’t I understand how dire this is, and how bad the market is? Of course I do. But I also understand her situation. You see…her son is not exactly going in to college this year.

He is 3 years old.

Okay, so can you see why I told her not to worry? With another 15 years left to invest in the 529 plan—and really, you could lump your retirement plans into this scenario too—you don’t need to be paranoid about them growing right now.

Naturally, it is frustrating to see a loss in your account. You put $5,000 in the 529 plan and now it’s only worth $3,300. I get it. But the thing to remember about investing is that it makes sense to buy low and sell high—not to buy high and sell low. Talk to your financial advisor about buying more right now. See what he or she suggests as a good investment.

You may be a little gun shy, and that high-risk, aggressive portfolio might feel like a bad idea to you now—and that’s okay. You can always change your risk tolerance in your account and buy differently to accommodate that.

And don’t forget the tax breaks you get by investing in both retirement and 529 savings plans. That can offset some of your losses—of course, as long as you don’t sell the positions, you haven’t realized your loss because you are still invested and, therefore, will benefit from any increase in market value. So you still have the potential for gain AND you get a tax break. Pretty nifty.

There is no guarantee that you will make money in this market, and there is no promise that you won’t lose—but if you invest relatively conservatively in positions and companies that your financial advisor thinks are stable and will weather the economic storm, then over the next 15-30 years, history and logic tells us, you will see growth.

So why not take all the money you save with the deals you find here on CheapToday and FreeToday, and throw them into a little piggy bank. At the end of each month, make a deposit into your retirement account or your kids’ college savings accounts.

If your kids are fewer than three years away from college, it may be time to start selling some positions, but you need to talk to an experienced financial advisor before you do anything rash.

Yo

Thanks to asterisco for the piggy bank photo. Hope they've got more than a dollar in there...

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Planning My Cheap Road Trip

Sometimes, the free deals that Renee LaVoie, our FreeToday editor, finds fill me with sadness. Sadness and jealousy. Don’t look at me like that, I know some of you understand what I’m talking about. Some of you, like me, don’t have a Benihana’s nearby to get your free birthday meal. Some of you have never even heard of Red Robin. When you see these great deals and you can’t enjoy them because you are not near the restaurants…it hurts.

This year, I’ve decided to work these deals into my summer road trip. In this economy, I can barely afford to take a summer road trip—but I know I’ve got to take a break and do something fun. As a way to save money on food and entertainment, Hubby and I decided to work as many of these free deals into our road trip as possible.

First, we’ve scheduled the trip for my birthday weekend in June so I could take advantage of all the free birthday deals. Free stuff on your birthday is overwhelming. There are so many free birthday deals, I will never be able to fit them all in, so I've got to pick and choose.

Free Disney admission on your birthday

Free birthday meal at Benihana

Free hamburger on your birthday from Red Robin

Free steak dinner and dessert at Black Angus

Free Baskin Robbins ice cream on your birthday

Two Free Chicken Soft Shell Tacos at Del Taco and a free shake on your birthday

We decided that we would go to Disney on my birthday (yes, it is a fun place for adults without children…even if you have low tolerance for children). We’re going to go to Tacos Del Mar for lunch where Hubby can get the two free tacos and I can enjoy a free shake. For dinner, I am totally psyched to go to Benihana. And dessert, if we can still move, will be free Baskin Robbins. So here we have a full day of food and fun and we really only have to pay for Hubby.

The next day, we start out with the 'Free Entree With Purchase at Bakers Square'--also known as Village Inn. We can then catch Jerry Seinfeld’s "Bee Movie" at Regal Theaters for free. For lunch we head over to A&W for a small float or freeze free with purchase. After lunch, we’ll pay full price to visit Sea World’s water park Aquatica because I love it there and would even pay double it’s so fun. Dinner brings us free chips and queso at Chili's.

Now, if you have kids or take a longer road trip, you can get some of the free samples we’ve got listed to make packing and travel easier.

Yo

I hope photographer kevinzim got some free stuff on his trip.

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Reality Television and Deals

I am addicted to reality TV. No...seriously. I'm a real housewife of Florida and I keep up with the Kardashians. I love a good real world, road rules challenge and could totally be the biggest loser in an amazing race. I want someone to make me a supermodel, but not until I meet the millionaire matchmaker after going to Dr. 90210.

As addicted as I am to this useless reality crap, and as filled with self-promotion as these reality shows are, I actually did not know that Dr. Rey of E's "Dr. 90210" had his own shapewear line. Do you know how I found out? By logging in to CheapToday.

With as many magazines as I read, newspapers I peruse and television as I watch, I still can't keep up with all the product development out there. CheapToday has so many different categories and deal finders that you get a very interesting mix of deals that I always get an education from.

I didn't know until I saw yesterday's Deal of the Day that Kohl's carried Dana Buchman accessories. I had no clue that I could try Sam's Club for free. I never would have thought I could actually afford to buy Steve Madden shoes (now I walk through the house and make my husband ask me "Who are you wearing" just so I can say, "Steve Madden").

It's our job as deal finders to now only find you really great deals, but also to stay on top of new product releases and popular consumer trends in order to bring you deals on products you want to buy.

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WTF? Deciphering Those Shopping Codes and Acronyms

When we write up our deals, we try to make sure we don't use any lingo that might confuse readers or be unfamiliar to you--but we have no control over what the merchants do. Sometimes, they might even use terminology differently than you are used to.

I remember when I first heard about a Payless BOGO sale. I immediately assumed that if I bought one pair of shoes, I would get another for free. But BOGO isn't BOGOF, it's just BOGO. BOGO really means Buy One Get One. From there, the store can fill in any type of discount they want--BOGO free, BOGO half off, BOGO 25% off, whatever.

Another acronym that I often see and threw me for a loop the first time I saw it is, WYB. WYB simply means When You Buy, as in, "You get 25% off milk WYB a carton of eggs." Similar to BOGO, WYB means that your discount is contingent on the purchase of another item.

I've noticed DND on the bottom of coupons and half worried that I was giving permission to not resuscitate me should I fall out while holding the coupon.  As it turns out, I'm really saying that I understand there is a Do Not Double policy on the coupon. As disappointing as a DND order is, it's a huge relief after thinking it means I could die while holding the little slip of paper.

MFR is a term I sometimes see in the fine print on sale papers. I always thought it was like a child-safe swear or something. You know, something you'd shout out the window if someone cut you off on the highway, "You stupid MFR!" Turns out it just means ManuFactureR coupon. So, it's different from a proprietary store coupon or deal--instead the coupon is straight from the manufacturer, which probably means the store gets reimbursed for accepting it.

There are so many different terms for serious shoppers to know, here's a quick quiz to test your shopping and coupon knowledge:

1. What do you call those coupon machines that spit coupons out at you in the grocery store aisles?

a.       Blinkie

b.      Ominous printy

c.       Lizard tongue

2. What is the name of the Sunday coupon insert in your Sunday paper?

a.      Smart Source (SS)

b.      Smart Buys (SB)

c.      Deal Handout (DH)

3. What do you call the piece of paper you get from customer service that promises you a sale price after a sale is over because the store ran out of product?

a.       Raincheck

b.      Thunderdome

c.       Deal Breaker

If you answered A to all the above, you are a shopping genius--pat yourself on the back and buy yourself something nice! If you didn't...well, we still love you.

Yo

Photo by brokenarts.

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Lost Island, Deal Hunting, and Insider Trading: My Life as an Expert Bargain Hunter

At CheapToday, we have a team of bargain hunters and each of us has our own categories to find deals for. I am the deal finder for the Home & Garden section along with the Health and Beauty section.

The great part about having the deal categories separated out is that I'm in for as big a surprise as you are every morning when I scope out the latest clothing, electronics, gift, entertainment and travel deals.

So while I know about the awesome deal I found on this comfortable recliner, elegant vanity top and island ceiling fan, I have no idea what the others found--the other deal hunters, that is. I don't mean "the others" like The Others on Lost. Seriously, I don't even know what they are...are they good or evil? Natural or supernatural, or preternatural...wait, isn't that the same thing as supernatural?

Our other deal hunters are completely natural and definitely on the side of good. Although, I haven't met them in person, so their presence is kind of like the whispers of The Others on Lost. I'm the newest on the team and as yet, they have not sent a smoke monster to get me, so I think we're on good terms.

I do have an unfair advantage over you though. It's my job to look for the deals--spending the time you don't have to look for them. I could shop as soon as they're entered into our system and before our evil and un-natural editor Joe gets his malevolent hands on them. (Editor's note--I'm not malevolent, I just wake up far too early. AND I stay up too late watching Tivo'd episiodes of LOST.)

In a way, it's like insider trading. I can see the clothing, handbag, and travel deals before you do. I could buy them up so you can't have any.

But I don't.

Although...you wouldn't ever know if I did, now would you? I sure am sorry you missed that $1 blowout sale on Birkin Bags...we wanted to tell you...I swear. Here's one that's $12,000 off. That's almost as good a deal.

Yo

Photographer yri's model did NOT get her Birken for $1.

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Confessions of a Deal Finding Chick

I have a confession to make. I love looking for the deals that you see on the front page of CheapToday. Often, you can even find out what is going on in my life by the deals I choose and, as a woman, they tend to have some sort of feminine touch.They're also like little pages out of my own life.

I have this meal I cook that consists of pork chops, curried couscous and roasted veggies with goat cheese that Hubby loves.  As I was making it this week and I was chopping the veggies, I noticed that my cheap old only-knife-I-even-have was really dull. I don’t have a knife sharpener and, since I was basically clubbing my sweet potatoes with what I believed was once the sharp end of the knife, I started thinking about those old Ginsu infomercials they had in the 90’s. You know, where the knife cut a paper thin section of tomato? So I went online searching for Ginsu and came across this Ginsu Knife and Cutting Board Set. It’s a top quality knife at an affordable price, and I loved the fact that the cutting board had a magnet in it. I have friends with toddlers, and when they come over for dinner I always unknowingly do something to endanger the toddler’s life, like leave a sharp knife on a counter that they can reach—so that magnetized cutting board is a huge draw.

Last weekend I decided to do some spring cleaning and take all of my winter clothes out of my closet. In doing so, I had to decide which pants I can wear with sandals and which I can only wear with boots. I found that a lot of my pants looked totally cute with sandals, but were just too long. At 5’3”, I generally have to wear 3” heels if I want to avoid getting my pants hemmed. I realized that if I bought a sewing machine, I could just hem them myself. I started looking at Target.com because I know they have sewing machines, but when I saw the deal on the Brother Computerized Sewing Machine for $269 off at Amazon.com, I thought maybe some of you could use this deal too.

Next came my concern over the state of my backyard with Memorial Day right around the corner. That brought up the portable grill deal that I posted. The grill is from Meijer, which is a store I hadn’t even heard of before but stumbled upon a couple of months ago when searching for some ultra-cheap furniture. I also found the Crate&Barrel outdoor chairs in a great shade of blue. I love Crate&Barrel’s style, but I can’t afford $716 for four outdoor chairs. When I saw these chairs—so different from everything else out there—I freaked out, I mean, $317 off is a major discount!

So not only do you get some really great deals all gathered together for you when you log in to CheapToday.com each day, but you also get a little peek in to what’s going on in the lives of your deal finders.

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Welcome to the Especially for Women Blog

The month of May is special--and not just because of Mother's Day. At CheapToday.com, we decided May shouldn't just be "Mom's month," it should be for all women--hence our brand new CheapToday for Women feature. This is the place where you'll find great deals especially for women, on everything from handbags, shoes, and clothes to gadgets and electronics. These deals are hand selected by our team of shopping pros and deal experts. Did we mention these deals are selected by women, for women?

Unlike some deal sites, CheapToday doesn't use software or robots to locate our deals. We believe in hand-picking only the best deals we can find. We also believe in using trusted retailers who meet our standards--if you can't get a fair shake from an online store, why spend your money there? At CheapToday, we're big believers in quality deals and freebies.

This space isn't just about hot deals for women, you'll also find a growing community of fellow deal hunters. Watch our Especially for Women section for blog updates, daily deals on clothes, shoes, and free stuff from your favorite retailers. Tomorrow, don't miss our first official entry in the new Especially for Women blog written especially for you. Savvy shoppers love CheapToday; we're hard at work as you read this looking for the next big thing at an impressive discount.

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