{What a Bargain} Sonia Kashuk

Sonia Kashuk Gold Mine seven piece brush set

It never fails.

I go into Target (or Tar-Jay as we lovingly call it), with the intentions of having tunnel vision and just picking up the two things I required from them.  The zebra printed sheet set for Lil Diva's bed, and Lil Man's Pediasure (long story short...he has the worst appetite, and he has been prescribed to drink two servings of it per day in order to insure he has all the necessary nutrients).   

So far so good.... I have made it past the dollar spot...past the jewelry section, and almost made it past cosmetics when I see a woman walking past me with a friend, holding in her hands the cute teal colored box walking past me.  My savvy bargain hunter vision has also spotted the red and white sale tag on the corner of her box.  All this takes place in mere nano-seconds really.  So instead of turning left towards the section where the Pediasure is located at, I veer right, straight towards cosmetics. One adorable box is on the shelf....with the sale sticker affixed to it.

I had seen this brush set reviewed and recommended in several magazines throughout the Spring.  Even a few of the make up blogs I follow mentioned it back in March.  Seems the thoughts were unanimous, these brushes were great for the price.  The set almost made it home with me a couple of times between April and May, but I always seemed to put it back when I saw something else I could spend my $24.99 on.

Lucky thing I did!  This bargain shopper got this set with 7 amazing brushes and a cute storage clutch which was the last one sitting on the shelf for an amazing 50% off the regular price!  For those that frequent the Sonia Kashuk section of Target, you know this an awesome deal.  They very rarely markdown these items, if ever.

$12.49! Now that's a bargain! Seems fate had a hand and knew I just had to have it!

{Mission: Accomplished} The Search for the Perfect Wedges

With Easter quickly approaching, and Lil Man's First Holy Communion fast on it's heels, I was on a mission to find a pair of wedges that would compliment both dresses I already purchased.

Easter Dress

NY & Co.

First Communion Dress

Anthropologie

After several weeks of searching, I found this pair.

Candies Dania

Originally priced at $59.99, they were on sale for $34.99.  I also had a $10 off certificate which brought my grand total to $24.99.

photos via NY & Co, Anthropologie, & Kohls

{Wardrobe Basics} The Denim/Jean Jacket

There was a time....long, long ago, in which the only way you wore a jean jacket was with matching jeans. So 80's!

But my, has the denim jacket come a long way baby!

I have owned several jean jackets. In the 80's it was the acid washed one (I actually saw a pic of it the other day....What was I thinking?!?!?)  In the 90's it was the boyfriend one....quite literally...one in which I took from my then boyfriend, now husband.  And then in the early 2000's I pretty much was more interested in dressing up Lil Diva in fashionable little outfits, I had no time to even think about adding a new denim jacket to my wardrobe.

Until now.....

I have always loved the casualness of throwing on a jean jacket with a cute summer dress.....

Or, pairing it up with leggings...

Cargo Pants....

Shorts....

and of course, jeans....

***Disclaimer.....I did mention before that Rachel Bilson is one of my fave style icons....that being the reason she is featured so much here. ***

It is one of those pieces that tie everything together in a casual way.  Of course for it to be modern and chic, the jacket must be fitted.  (And to avoid being a fashion faux pas, you can never wear it with matching color bottom.) Since the one in my closet was "the boyfriend" one, it was time for me search for the perfect denim jacket for me.

After much hunting for the perfect one, and more importantly, for the perfect price, my mission was accomplished......

GAP Denim Jacket in Classic Wash - $69.50

I know, I really should be on payroll for the Gap, I happen to shop there often and do rave about their products A LOT. But what can I say, many of their pieces are classic and wear well.

Of course, we all know I didn't pay that price for it either, right?  I shopped on a Wednesday with the coupon given to me by the store employee on a past visit, and I bought this classic jacket for 45% off.

Total cost? $38.23

{What a Bargain} New York & Company

Can you believe, after store promotional discount, plus $50 off $100 discount, and a gift card for $25 I have been hanging onto to use on new items for my Spring wardrobe, I got all this.....

Chiffon Ruffle Draped Cap Sleeve Tee

Scoop Neck Tee with Chiffon Trim

Smocked Scoop Neck Tee

Straight Roll Cuff Crop Jean

 

Chiffon Flower Sandal

*Plus, not pictured, a stack of rings.

$25!! Nothing beats bargain shopping!

{What a Bargain} GAP

I am always in search of a bargain.... and with Spring on the way, I am always interested in incorporating a new piece into my wardrobe at a great price.  I do spend a lot of time scouring online for what I call "The Great Bargain".  Last Friday, I found just that.

GAP has an offer going on now through 3/16, if you submit your cell phone number to this link, GAP will text you a coupon for $25 off of $50 purchase (standard text messaging fees apply).  A free $25, for spending $25?  I was all over this one! So I entered my cell phone number and that of Mr. Man....(because I knew he would be with me on my shopping excursion that weekend).

I ended up purchasing this:

Skinny Cargo Pants

And this:

City Flats in black patent

Yes, I know....I just purchased a pair of the same shoes last week in the patent blush(nude) color. I did mention they are extremely comfy right?  No harm owning two.

Since my little man was in need of a few things for his wardrobe, I decided to take a peek around for him. His purchases were the major bargain! I ended up with 7 pieces for $25! One long sleeve tee, 3 raglan graphic tees, 2 favorite graphic tees, and this:

Canvas Hoodie Jacket

Mr. Man was in awe at my bargain shopping skills!  He could not believe everything  he came out with for a mere $25! Lil Man was excited to get a few new shirts and a "cool" jacket for the Spring!

Text yourself the coupon!  And don't forget to come back and let me know what goodies you find on your GAP excursion.

Thrifty Thursday: Zoya

I have a confession to make.

I am a bit of a "like" addict on Facebook.  When I am on, I tend to run the brands and things I love on the search bar to see of there is an official FB page for the particular product.  To some this may seem "nerdy" or "pointless".  Let's just say I sometimes run into some pretty good discounts or bargains doing this "nerdily pointless" activity.

Like today.....

I'd just finished polishing my nails and still had the bottle of nail polish in front of me when I logged into Facebook.  I looked at the name and thought....you guessed it... "Wonder if they have a Facebook page?"  I typed in "ZOYA" and sure enough, they do.  But even before I liked the page I saw four letters that always perk me up F-R-E-E. Free?  Free what?  If you "like" their page, you get a special code for 3 bottles of your choice nail lacquer!

Are you still here?  What are you waiting for?  Offer is only good through January 7th.  You pay only shipping.  Happy shopping!

P.S. In case you were wondering which colors I selected....I picked up Marcella, Flowie (pictured above) and Hermina.

{What a Bargain} In Search of the Perfect Peacoat

Two years ago, I decided I was through with carrying around the last 15 pounds I had left to shed from having my Lil' Man.  Since I had already had much success with the Weight Watchers diet after giving birth to Lil Miss, I knew once I put my mind to it, I would accomplish my goal.  Within 6 months, I was back to the weight I was during my University years.

This was a huge accomplishment.  Although I was extremely excited about dropping 3 dress sizes, my pocketbook was in dire distress.  I couldn't wear clothes that were literally falling off of me.  This meant I had to start acquiring a new wardrobe.  Of course one of the priciest things to replace is outerwear.  Living in the Northeast where we have to wear a coat or a jacket on an average of 7 months out of the year, means we usually have about 4 different types of them in our coat closet.  Last year I replaced the dire essentials....my everyday coat and jacket, and my dress coat.  I decided to leave replacing my peacoat for this year. 

I have been scouring all the websites looking for the perfect one in style and value.  I had seen several updated stylish looking ones which I was tempted to buy but decided against it thinking "The ruffles are cute, but will I eventually say, I want a classic looking one?"  Over the weekend, I went shopping with my mother and came across the one pictured above.  I was instantly drawn to the camel color.  The coat priced originally at $129.95, was on sale for 40% off making it $77.97.  Great deal, right?

Well, keep in mind, I am the bargain shopper.  I remembered I had a store coupon for $35 off the purchase of $75 or more at home.  I decided to call Mr. Man and send him on his bargain shopping mission.  I took a picture of me modeling the peatcoat, jotted down the style number, told him where I kept the coupon at, and sent him on his way.  When the cashier rang Mr. Man up, she even exclaimed "Wow, this is an amazing bargain!"

Final cost for my new peacoat? $42.97

photo

{Sweet Find} J Crew

I love adding pretty 3/4 sleeve and long sleeved tees into my fall wardrobe.  You can dress them up by pairing it with a nice pair of trousers or a pencil skirt and some fun accessories, or you can wear them more casually with a nice fitted pair of jeans.  I was scouring through the J Crew sales section and happened upon the above tee, which I had my eye on several weeks back.  The ruched front and cascading ruffle give it that added touch of femininity.  Lucky thing I waited.....the price came down from $42.50 to an extremely reasonable $14.99.

Stylish Addition

Last year, I went through the exhausting but exhilarating process of redoing Lil. Miss Diva's bedroom.  She had just turned 10 years old that winter and we both knew it was time to transform it into a young lady's room.

{BEFORE}

I asked her what would she like her room to look like.  After giving it some thought she responded, "Mom, I want my room to have a mature, girly travel theme.  I'd like to visit beautiful far away places some day and I love girly accessories....so if there is a way to combine the two, I'd like that."

I let her pick out the color for her walls and we agreed on the complimentary colors for her bedding and window treatments and then I went to town.  I spent countless hours scouring online websites, visiting yard sales, little shops, super stores and chatting with online friends of mine for inspiration.  July 3rd, I got down to business.  Lil Miss remained downstairs during the whole process, since she wanted to be totally surprised for the reveal.  She was extremely excited with the end result.

{AFTER}

A year later, she is still in love with her room.  She gets many compliments from her friends when they come to visit.  My only desire was to find a lovely chair that would fit the young travel chic decor of her room.  Today, I went to drop off Lil Man at a play date and was chatting with the mom.  She was telling me how she obtained the beautiful furniture she had in her family room.  Out of the blue, she asked me if I would have any use for a white wing back chair. I looked at her and asked, "May I see it?"  She took me to her bedroom where, there in the middle of the room, stood the chair I had only dreamed of getting for her room.

The chair, although slightly smaller, is almost an exact replica of this one:

We plan to wash down the upholstery and place it beside her window.  What a perfect chair to sit and read a book while enjoying the brisk autumn breeze, or for a friend to sit on while visiting.

{Sweet Deal} Anthropologie

Anthropologie Deletta sleeveless 100% cotton dress

Retail Price $138

My Price?  $29

Sweet Deal indeed!

{Getting Ready for Fall}

The heat is back in the Northeast and I am so looking forward to the cool brisk weather to come in.  I am not much of a fan of temperatures over 70° F (21° C).  During the summer, when we get those unseasonably mild days, I can't help but get excited.  This can only mean that autumn is around the corner!

Lil' Miss Diva had quite the busy schedule this weekend which required her to be occupied from 10am-5pm dancing and singing to her hearts content in a town 40 minutes from home.  Mr. Man and I decided to make a day of it and spent the day doing what I do best.....shopping!  With the temperatures at a mild for August 80° F (26° C) with a beautiful ocean breeze, I was enthusiastically looking forward to adding a few new pieces to my Fall wardrobe.  Lucky for me, the often times restless men in my life were wonderful during this all day shopping expedition.   When i entered stores they had no interest in, they busied themselves by entering gaming stores or would sit at a bench and play hand-held video games.  Since we had the whole day, the boys didn't rush me which was pure heaven!  

Below are the items that made it into my wardrobe. None, of which, I paid full price for, I am happy to report.

Charlotte Russe button down camp shirt - regularly 14.99 on sale $8.99

Charlotte Russe Sequins Inside Pocket Tee- Regularly $14.00 On Sale $6.99

BOGO 50% off- Final Price $3.49

GAP Ribbed Military Cardigan - Regularly $69.50

40% card member One Day Only Sale- Final Price $41.70

GAP skinny studded belt- regularly 19.50, on sale $3.97

40% card member One Day Only Sale- Final Price $2.38

Forever 21 knit circle scarf- Regularly $7.80, On Sale $4.00

Grand total for my late summer shopping spree? $60.56

Sweet Finds

What do you do when you have 2 hours to yourself, and $30 to spend?

Well, if you are me, you try to figure out how far you can stretch $30. I decided I would take a trip to the mall.  I must have been one eager beaver because when I arrived I thought there was something terribly wrong.  All the stores were closed.  No worries, I just arrived 15 minutes prior to the start of the business day.   I decided to stop at Starbucks and get a Caramel Frappachino....just the energy boost I needed to decide which stores I wanted to visit.

I vowed I would not take out the plastic.  This meant I could not go over my allotted $30. My only cushion was $2 (my change from Starbucks). What did I get?

@ Forever 21

Loved this T.  It's a lovely blush color, of course, but the details on the sleeves are so girly and delicate.  If you look closely you can see pretty pleating and gatherings.  The hanger does no justice for it. $6.50


@ Forever 21

Seems like blush was the color of the day.  I spied this adorable 3/4 sleeve crop cardigan on the sale rack. And since I was wearing a cami today, tried it on, on the spot.  Loved it.  One look at the price tag, and the decision was made! $4.99


@ ALDO's
A pair of sandals were just calling my name as I passed ALDO's to Starbucks at the start of my adventure.  But I thought, there is no way I am going to find anything within my budget in there.  Went to peruse the Macy's shoe sale rack, nothing.  I was about to walk out the Macy's exit when I realized...I didn't park on this side of the mall! Through Macy's I went and out into the mall area....I had to pass ALDO's to get to the exit where my vehicle was parked. Again the sandals started taunting me....CJ....CJ....  Oh, well, what can looking at the price tag and laughing do to me right?  I walked in and it was then I noticed a sign...SALE up to 75% off.  A smaller sign on the shelf where the sandals were calling me from stated $19.99. I asked the sales woman if she had my size in these sandals and sure enough, she did!  I came home with these pretties!

My grand total for my finds today? $31.48.  Sweet finds indeed!