The Cheap Girl

This awesome promotion is back again!

If you plan on shopping at Smart Set, receive a $25 free savings pass with every $50 (before taxes) that you spend. This promotion is valid on selected regular priced styles.

You have to redeem the savings pass within a time period. This is a great deal, especially if you plan on shopping there for your spring/summer wardrobe. Who can say no to free store credits? I love freebies!

Click here to find a Smart Set store location.

My experience with buying clothes online has been pretty good but from time to time I do have doubts on the sizing especially if I’ve never purchased from the store before. I think that the size charts online are pretty accurate but nothing can beat trying the clothes in-store to get the perfect fit.

Here are some tips:

I think that it is really important to know the accurate measurement of your bust, chest and hips. It’s always easy to make slight alterations if you’re in between 2 sizes. For example I am between an xs – s (petite) at Banana Republic and I am comfortable with buying both online because I know that the items will fit.

I would suggest sticking to silhouttes that you are comfortable with and look good on your body type. I always have problems with pants so I  almost NEVER buy pants online unless I know that the cut is for petites and has a stretchy material because I always have an issue with how the bum and the thighs fit.

Also it is easier to buy from online stores (that have store fronts) that you’ve shopped from in the past because you’ll have an idea of how the clothes fit. If you know a store that has amazing online sales, drop by the physical store to try the clothes on so that you’ll have a better idea when you purchase the items online. I do this when I buy clothes on Ebay. I go to the store first to try it on then buy it online for a cheaper price.

If you’re not 100% sure about the item but want to buy it anyway, check the return policy. A lot of stores (like Forever 21) allows in-store exchanges (or refunds) for online orders.

Hope that this helps

Online shopping is so convenient. I can’t wait until all my favourite stores go online. I love the fact that everything is accessible with just a few clicks and things just show up at your door. Before I make a purchase online, I usually check to see if there are any discount codes available.  I love shopping online because items are usually priced lower than store-front locations. And if they’re not, they’re cheaper somewhere else. When it comes to shopping online I find that clothes are hardest thing to shop for because of sizing. I usually try things on at the store (if possible) and then I would check online to see if it can be purchased at a lower price point. One thing that I love doing is shopping for accessories. Shoes, bags, scarves, jewelry…you name it!

There are many sites out there offering discount codes but I like savings.com because of the variety. This site carries free online coupons from many brands and stores.  I think that this site carries mostly American brands but a lot of places ship to Canada and internationally. I usually visit the fashion section and beauty section for discounts. I wish that more places shipped to Canada. I have family and friends in the States so I usually send my purchases to them whenever the store that I shop from only ships in the States. Also the additional discount helps especially if you have to pay for the shipping cost. I cannot wait until companies start offering more free shipping offers.

I recently stumbled upon Lulus.com and could not stop browsing. The online store carries cute and feminine styles at affordable prices. The sale section is quite generous as well.  They ship internationally to some places. For Canadian addresses, Lulus charges a flat rate of $22.

Here are some of the things that I liked:

I Lilac It Ring

$9.00

Bamboo Darling 48 Red Suede Ruffle T-Strap Sandal

$17.00

Preening Beauty Headband

$28.00

Swoon Spell Dress

$72.00

When I shop online I usually ship it to friends and family in the States and have them ship the item to me. I have a feeling that the people I know down south will be receiving a lot of packages in the near future

Click here to view the entire collection

This post is brought to you by Shopwiki.com

If you like getting the best online deals check out shopwiki.com, a search portal that generates search results and gives you the best prices. I like sites like this and I find that it is very handy when shopping online. Basically, you can search the website and it will come up with a list of online vendors and allow the shopper to compare prices. How convenient is that? I really detest searching on a search engine and having to manually filter my search results. I think that having a website do it for you is super handy. The website is pretty simple to navigate. You go the website, type in your query and hit search. A product description along with the price is available for view. If you want to purchase the item, there is a link that will take you to the store/website that carries the product.  There’s also a filter (price, colour etc.) that can help with searching and selecting.

Since the holidays are coming up now is the Shopwiki will be very helpful. My current list this year includes women’s and men’s jewelry.  I hardly buy jewelry for myself so I personally love receiving jewelry as gifts. With the website, you can search for any jewelry with a wide variety of price ranges. I think that when buying jewelry it is very important to keep the receiver’s style in mind. If you’re not sure ask someone to help you pick out a piece. If in doubt stick with classic pieces such as a pendant and chain or studs. If you’re purchasing fine jewelry then it is ok to stick to classic styles. However with costume jewelry, I think that more fun and trendier styles are more appropriate. Afterall, costume jewelry has the word costume in it so choosing a fun style is implicitly implied. From fine jewelry to costume jewelry, you will have tons of selections to choose from. Regardless of the price, I think that at the end of the day it really is the thought that counts.

Aeropostale Canada Friends & Family Coupon

Get 30% off in-store and online from November 19 – 22, 2009.  Use the code FFNOV online to get your discount. This deal is valid in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Click on this link for the in-store coupon or here

Click here to find an Aeropostale location near you

Talbots Fall Fashion

When it comes to obtaining a classic wardrobe, Talbots is the place to shop.  The pieces that the store carries can be transitioned for many seasons to come.  I also love the fact that they carry a petite section for smaller women like myself. I also love, love their accessories. When it comes to budget shopping, purchasing an accessory piece is often enough to bring life to a season’s wardrobe.  If I had $500 to spend (and I am sure that I’ll have no problems spending that amount!) I would certainly pick up a few things from their collection this season.  This fall I am feeling the vibe of old world charm. So I am looking to the era of the 1930’s up to the 1950’s for inspiration. I am thinking sweater sets. pearls. butterfly sleeves, art deco inspired jewels, strappy shoes and anything that is super feminine. Be sure to visit Talbots and their blog Red Chair Confessions to view the latest styles.

One of the things that I am craving from the Talbot’s website is their collection of Mary Janes. I really love these two. They have a classic vintage look to them.  They’re so sophisticated and I would love to wear them with a flouncy skirt or dress. The second pair has a very Chanel-like quality to them.

This hat is so cute but I am not sure if I can pull off this wool felt fedora.  I’d wear this with a classic pea coat to work the look of old school charm.

The scarf is one of my most favourite accessory. I prefer the long rectangular kind like this one. Scarves are very versatile. One can wear them around the neck, the head as a band, around the waist and as a bag accessory. Purple is hot this fall and I love the bright print on this Talbots scarf.

Another classic, the pearl necklace. I love the multi-strand versions that Talbots is known to carry.

Don’t you just love this brooch? The colour combination is so beautiful. It has a gothic feel to it and I absolutely love anything that combines black and violet. Pin the brooch to your scarf, breast, hair or bag.  Another versatile accessory!

This season they also have a few bags that have caught my eye. I really like this croc embossed hand bag. I would use this as my everyday work bag. It’s so feminine!

This hobo in this season’s colour can double as a work bag and weekend bag. Although it does not fit my vintage theme this fall, this is my favourite item from this year’s line of bags.

Be sure to visit the Talbots site:

Talbots

and to visit their blog:

Red Chair Confessions

This is a sponsored post brought to you by exspecto.com

Shopping Search Engine

Are you in search of a shopping site that will give you ratings and good prices? I find that when I buy items and if I wanted to do more research to find if the item is a good by, I would have to visit several other sites to get ratings and reviews. Well look no more!

Exspecto.com is a search engine/shopping portal that allows its users to find products at the best price.  Targeting England, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden and Italy.  Users have the ability to search within 4 price criterias (highest to lowest and vice versa),  by relevance or alphabetically. Price/product ratings can also be viewed as well as price history. Once you find a product that you are interested in you have the option of being directed to the shop that carries the item.

Super easy to use and there are many categories to choose from (taken from the English categories): Adult clothing, clothing, clothing accessories, computers, electronics, entertainment, food, furniture, garden, gifts, health, home, jewellery, malls, office products, photography, sports, tools and toys and games. I’ve found many items on the website and I think that it might be useful for people that don’t really like to take the time to hunt for bargains.  Click here to view an example of a product, view price history, rate product etc.

This is a sponsored post brought to you by exspecto.com

Free gift (value $125) with an online purchase of $50 or more. Click on the image for more details. Offer expires on  June 30, 2009.

I love the internet. You can find anything about everything without having to go out or talk to anyone. It’s a mole’s best friend. But most of all, I love shopping on the internet. Lately, I’ve a been a bit obsessed about one-stop shopping sites where you can find a wide variety of brands. Clothes, shoes, bags and accessories all in one site.

That’s when I met Zappos my current boyfriend who introduced me to my current lover, Lucky Brand. This site has hundreds of brands that I can choose from. I can spend hours browsing this site. Plus, they have a great clearance section! So anyway, back to my lover, Lucky Brand. I was never really into trendy and youthful brands but Lucky Brand is trendy chic. The type of style that hot moms have. Hey, and I aspire to be a hot mom someday.

I really like their jewelry and bags. They have everything from casual to dressy styles to choose from.

Chic*Trend*Vintage*Novelty*Ethnic.Rockability*Art Deco*Collector*Street*Dress*Elegant*Victorian

NECKLACES

BAGS