Good Sales Right Now & Blogging on a Budget: September

A few good sales and coupons going on right now...

GAP: 30% off your purchase online with code GAPCOLOR (Ends 10/8) and 40% select styles in stores

LOFT: 60% off select full-priced pieces online with code TAKE60, and an extra 50% off sale styles (no code needed)

J. Crew Factory:  40% off select styles, online (ends Sunday)

Ann Taylor: 30% off everything with code SALE30

Another month, another Blogging on a Budget!

 September's breakdown.....

Last month, I spent:

$0 on hair

$0 on makeup

$0 on jewelry

$24.94 on clothes (this awesome chambray shirt from Old Navy--review coming soon!)

 

Considering: Cambridge Satchel

I am seriously considering buying a Cambridge Satchel. This Cambridge Satchel, to be exact:

Classic Cambridge Satchel in red

I love its classic messenger bag style, the bright cherry red color (which would surely go with most of my often-neutral-toned outfits), and the fact that it is made from high quality leather and would (hopefully) last quite a long time.

Here's the thing: it's $119. I know that for many people out there, spending a hundred (or even a thousand) dollars on a bag is not that out of the ordinary. I, however, am notoriously stingy, for lack of a better word. I don't think any bag of mine cost more than $40, barring the one nice brown leather messenger bag I got as a gift for my 21st birthday.

But, I think I might do it this time around, for two very simple reasons: utility and timelessness. This bag is incredibly useful and would get near-daily wear. The style is timeless enough that I won't want to toss it in a year; instead, I think I'd keep it around for a very, very long time. Similarly, the quality of it is such that it'll hold up for years, making the cost-per-day ratio make a lot more sense. Every once in a while, spending more than I'm used to on a classic item that will fit perfectly into my wardrobe can make sense. At least, I hope it can. :)

Bundle Up

Seeing as I'm moving to Boston next year (and by next year I mean 2 months from now), I'm pretty sure that I'm going to need a coat. Honestly, I have never felt more Californian than when I think about preparing for a Boston winter. As far as I can tell, it will involve water proof shoes, coats (see below), and possibly earmuffs. The boyfriend says adults can wear earmuffs, but I'm not so sure.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself, let's start with the coat. I think I'd need two, one pea coat type thing, and one waterproof/puffy coat. So, I turn to you, who must know more about this sort of thing than I do; am I on the right track? And are there any secrets to shopping for coats on sale?

Winter Coats by petiteonapenny featuring j crew coats

LOFT 30% Off Spring Arrivals

I have a LOFT gift card burning a hole in my wallet from the holidays, so I did a bit of window shopping to see if anything in the new Spring line struck my fancy. (LOFT is currently having a 30% off promotion on all new Spring arrivals.) My window shopping confirmed what I had long suspected; I don't like spring clothes that much. Too ruffly, too florary, too girly for me, and I'm not so keen on pastel colors. Give me the dark earth and jewel tones of Fall (along with cozy scarves and warm jackets) any day, but the light and floraly hues of Spring? Not my favorite, personally.

A few things from LOFT did interest me a bit, though probably not enough to buy right now. (All prices listed are before the 30% off promotion.)

 

Hook-and-Eye Mandarin Collar Jacket ($79.50) / Grosgrain Stripe Full Skirt ($69.50)

 

3/4 Sleeve V-Neck Cardigan ($49.50) / Lace Overlay Ponte Mini Skirt ($69.50)

Stripe Dolman Sleeve Blouse ($54.50) / Isabella Canvas Heels ($89.50)

Easy Way to Stay In-Budget While Online Shopping

I, poor just-out-of-college student that I am (Can I still call myself a student? Can I still use my student discounts? Good question. I sure hope so.) have recently found that it is far too easy to get into online shopping. At first, you peruse...y'know just to look...and then maybe to add a few things to your cart...and then maybe to check out...and then..suddenly you've spent $90 on t-shirts. Or...is that just what I'm afraid of?

Either way, the #1 easiest way I save money when shopping online is a really simple two steps.

Step 1: Sort the page you're viewing by price, lowest to highest.
This way, you don't even have to see the high-priced stuff, and can't be tempted. What I don't know (at least when it comes to extra items when online shopping...) can't hurt me.

Hrm. I realize this photo doesn't show pricing.
Which kind of defeats the purpose of said photo.
But I promise, they're sorted by price!

Step 2: Set a price ceiling.
After sorting by price, I decide to cut myself off at a certain limit. If I'm looking at skirts, I'll promise myself I'll stop looking at anything over $40 (for example) at this particular retailer. That way, as I'm scrolling down, once I hit $39.99 I simply back away slowly and ignore the pretty, yet pricier, items. If nothing fits the bill below my price limit, I just move on. Of course, I break this sometimes, and set different price limits depending on the store, the quality of the item I'm looking for, and how essential it is to my wardrobe, but in general, the rule works pretty well.


I like using websites like Retailmenot.com, which aggregate coupons and discount codes for you to search for and use at your favorite stores.

Another thing to be aware of is how much more easily we part with our money when we use credit cards as opposed to cash. This study out of MIT shows that willingness-to-pay can be increased significantly when customers use credit cards instead of cash. I think I'm going to try going to stores with only cash on hand and seeing how well this works for me!