Shopping for a Few of My Favorite Things

I decided to take a break from hunting down holiday bargains tonight and instead offer up some advice on how to leverage every holiday shopping dollar you can get your hands on. As a result, I wrote this article, titled the same as this post. Please feel free to go read the full article - it should open in a new window.

Here’s a summary of a few of the money saving tips that I included in my article:

• Turn spare change into cash or gift cards.
• Shop online at places like Plastic Jungle to get discounted gift cards, then use those gift cards to do your purchasing of holiday gifts.
• Use reward program points that you have collected throughout the year to obtain free magazine subscriptions and the like that can be gifted to others.
• Sell your junk or the bad gifts that you got last year and forgot to return on eBay to earn extra money for your holiday shopping.

These are just a few of the pointers offered in the article, so I hope you will go read it. I’ll be back tomorrow with another round of awesome deals for the holiday shopper!

Well, the Black Friday doorbusters have passed, but there is more great shopping to be had! Here are a few more of the fantastic deals available to online shoppers for the 2008 holiday season:

• PetSmart: For your four-legged friends, check out PetSmart’s pet gift options for under $5. Also, spend more than $40 on the site and you can save $10 with coupon code SHOP (expires 12/2/08 at noon).
• Gap: Sweaters for the entire family are on sale! Buy one sweater at regular price, get another for 50% off.
• Old Navy: Now through Sunday, November 30, select tees, sweaters and hoodies for the entire family are just 2/$15!
• JCPenney: Select jewelry and watches 40% - 70% off online only.
• Victoria’s Secret: Lots of great online offers, including:
  • 20% off entire order (excludes Ugg® Australia, Frye®, and the 2008 Fantasy Bra). Use coupn code GET20. (Expires Wednesday, December 3.)
  • Flannel pajamas now 50% off, plus get free slippers with coupon code SLIPPER08. (Expires December 9.)
  • 150+ sweaters 50% off, plus get a free scarf with coupon code LUXE08. (Expires December 22.)
  • Remember, you can use up to three coupon codes for savings and free gifts at Victoria’s Secret!
• Crate and Barrel: Get free shipping on orders over $100 at Crate and Barrel. Also, there are lots of inexpensive gifts to be had!
• American Eagle: At American Eagle, all tops are buy one, get one 50% off. Free shipping is available for orders over $100. Also, be sure to participate in the “Scratch. Shop. Save.” instant win game to win gift cards or get additional discount codes.
• Target: All kinds of free shipping offers, in addition to their advertised 2-Day Sale.

Have you found other great online deals? Please feel free to post them in the comments section!

Happy shopping!

For the weekend of November 14-16.

Here’s a roundup of some of the better sales that I’ve found for this weekend:

Kohl’s:

Doorbusters: Friday, 3 p.m. to midnight; Saturday, Midnight to 4 p.m. EST (online) or 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. local (in store)

Check out specials including:

• 10% off selected coats already 50% off for the whole family
• 50% off selected bras and panties
• 50-55% off selected men’s sport coats and suit separates
• Extra 15% off shoes already 20-50% off
• 20% off selected vacuums, deep cleaners and hard floor cleaners
• Free standard shipping for online orders over $50

JCPenney:

Doorbusters: Friday, 3 p.m. to close; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Great deals such as:

• 50% off plus 10% off women’s outerwear
• 50-60% off plus 10% off men’s outerwear
• 65% off plus 10% off gold and fine sterling silver jewelry
• 50% off entire stock men’s belts and wallets
• 30% off Rosetti® and Worthington® handbags
• Bonus coupons available!

Best Buy:

Online only Friday and Saturday

• Free accessory with an iPod® Nano
• 20% off speakers
• 10% off all small appliances and personal care items (shavers, etc.)

Sears:

Saturday’s “Big One Day Sale”

• 15% off all appliances and floor care (financing and delivery options are available)
• 20% off all Craftsman® Lawn and Garden  (financing and rebate options are available)
• All fitness equipment on sale
• Much, much more
• Free shipping on online orders over $99

Others:

• Macy’s is offering an additional 15-20% off selected items sitewide using coupon code EXTRAOFF. There is a printable store pass that can be used in store, as well.
• Nordstrom is still running their “Half-Yearly Sale,” which offers up to 40% off selected items site/storewide. If you shop online, remember to use coupon code HOLIDAY08 to receive free shipping on orders over $100.

Not just this weekend:

• Ebay is offering 10% off though November 30, 2008 with coupon code CHOLIDAYNOV2008. Just make sure the seller accepts PayPal, that you pay for the item prior to the November 30 expiration date, and that the address on your PayPal account matches that on your eBay account.
• Victoria’s Secret is still in the midst of their greater sweater sale, with many sweaters up to 50% off. Plus, use code SCENT08 and receive a free fragrance gift set.

This is merely a taste of the great bargains that are available right now, and I believe that we will see even more phenomenal sales as the holidays draw closer. Retailers are worried, and that is going to mean great deals for shoppers!

I browsed on over to the Gap this evening to see if there was anything that caught my eye as I have a gift card to burn. Nothing really stood out to me, so I went ahead and checked out sister site Old Navy to see what was happening there. I was delighted to find that, this week only, outerwear for the entire family is up to 50% off at Old Navy! They’ve got some very cute stuff, too, including different styles of wool-blend coats, frost-free puffer-style coats and vests, and many other options for men, women, and kids. Hats, gloves, and scarves are also on sale. I decided to pick up the Women’s Belted Wool-Blend Coat in Cream seen in the picture at right. Marked down to $39.75 from the original $79.50, this coat’s three-quarter length sleeves might not exactly be practical in winter, but they’re very fashionable right now. To help keep my hands and wrists warm, I also picked up a pair of gloves. Oh, and because it would look a little silly buttoned up all the way to the top, I also picked up a couple of cute, colorful scarves to help keep my neck warm - all on sale, of course!

If you have an Old Navy credit card, you can also get an extra 10% off of your purchase. I’m guessing that a Gap or Banana Republic card would work here, too, though I’m not fully certain about this. Never hurts to try! Also, remember, if there’s anything on the Gap or Banana Republic sites that you want to add to your order, you can do so without paying any additional shipping charges. Add a cute pair of shoes from Piperlime, and shipping for the entire order is FREE!

Ebates also offers a 6% cash rebate for shopping through any of the aforementioned Gap-family etailers, making this deal even more rich!

Founded in the 1980’s by Patricia Miller and Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, gift industry leader Vera Bradley has spent more than two decades crafting quality luggage, quilted cotton handbags and other accessories. 

I love Vera Bradley handbags. Even more, I love Vera Bradley handbags on sale. This photo is of VB’s Microfiber Patch Pocket Tote. With lots of clever pockets, the Patch Pocket Tote is super roomy and, like all of Vera Bradley’s handbags, very sturdy. This particular bag’s original retail price was $97, but the sale price is a mere $38.80. Wow!

The Patch Pocket Tote is just one of many items for sale now at Vera Bradley. Select retired colors and styles are available for up to 60% off original retail prices. The most recent color retirees are Mesa Red, the bright paisley Capri Blue, the floral Botanica, and the ever popular Pink Elephants.

Here’s the Curvy Tote in Pink Elephants. Originally sold for $62, this handbag is now on sale for $24.80. This is another of my favorite styles from Vera Bradley. With its long shoulder straps and curved design, the Curvy Tote nestles nicely against the body and helps maintain a sleek profile - very fashionable!

Vera Bradley is one of many etailers that can be linked to via Ebates, giving the buyer 3% cash back on every purchase. Retired Vera Bradley bags can also be purchased at Ebags, which offers an 8% cash rebate through Ebates, or from Amazon.

Great bags at great prices PLUS cash back? What could be better?