The other day I received an envelope in the mail from JCPenney. Normally I don't shop there, and the envelope would find it's way to my recycling bin, unopened. For some reason I opened it, and am I ever glad I did! There was a coupon inside for $10 off a purchase of $10 or more. Well, sounds good to me.
I almost forgot I had the coupon, but saw it this morning when I was getting my list together for BJs. My youngest son could use an extra pair or sneakers. He has a shoe obsession, and is always hiding them in random locations. I figured it couldn't hurt to try. We headed to the coat section first because the one I had from my older son is a little small for my "big" baby.
When JCPenney did their whole "no sale" strategy, I completely admit I wrote them off. I love to find that awesome deal, and I thought it didn't fit in with my shopping philosophy. When I started looking through the coats, I will admit I was impressed with some of the prices. I found an adorable winter coat for $17. Pretty good price in itself, but with a coupon for $10, even better. Thank you JCPenney!
We headed to the shoe section, and I found a pair of sneakers that were ok. Nothing fancy, nothing incredibly stylish, but a decent pair of sneakers. They were marked down to $12, which I thought was also pretty good. However, when I took them to the register, the cashier did a double take after scanning them. Twenty-five cents!! Yep, basically these shoes were 99% off. They suddenly got a heck of a lot cuter. The girl stopped ringing and looked up at me. "Ummm, they are $.25. Do you want more?" Ummm - yes!
I left the store with three new pairs of shoes for my little guy as he grows, and a pair for a friend. Add in the coat, and my bill was under $9. Holy cow!!! What a deal!! Lesson learned; I will never write off a store without doing my research. And I will open all envelopes that I am sent which may contain coupons.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Zulily
As a mom who tries to stick to a budget (tries) when it comes to children's clothing and toys, I love sites like Zulily. They offer some of my favorite brands at a great price. That being said, there are certainly pros and cons to the site. So, here are the ups and downs of Zulily.
Pros:
1. Price - Everything listed is discounted, sometimes up to 80%. You can find great steals on great brands, and who doesn't love a great deal? One thing to keep in mind is some brands are always on sale, and even if you can find them at 60% on Zulily, sometimes you can find them at 70% off on another site. Add to your cart's content, but do at least a quick websearch before you hit the checkout button. Sometimes you will find them cheaper, and sometimes you will realize what a great deal you are about to land. Either way, it's 30 seconds well spent.
2. Customer Service - I have had two problems with orders on Zulily. Both times the customer service was amazing! The last order, I was send a sweater (for me - they have cute mommy clothing, too). When I went to hang up the sweater, I noticed a small hole in the back. I e-mailed customer service, and heard back that day. They sent me a new sweater, and gave me a credit to my account for my inconvenience. Thank you, Zulily! That is the kind of customer service I love.
3. Options - New boutiques open every morning on Zulily. The options are endless, and I love just searching through them all for the treasure. Zulily has clothing for kids and adults, home goods, handbags, toys, etc. If you don't find what you are looking for on Monday, check again on Tuesday becasue there will be a ton of new things. And, their their search option makes it easy to narrow it down by topic, size, color. They even have an app for your smartphone. Shopping doesn't get any easier
Cons
1. You can't see it in person - For some things, you might want to be familiar with the brand before you order. You can't see the stitiching or feel the fabric to determine the quality. If you are unfamiliar with a brand, read some reviews online. Most of the brands are stellar. Some might not be as good, and this is something you want to know before it arrives in a box at your house.
2. Timely arrival - Some things show up at your doorstep just days after purchasing. Others take a lot longer. Just make sure this is not something you need tomorrow, because often those are the items that take their time in coming.
All in all, I am a big Zulily fan and search through their deals every morning. Want to give it a shot? Go to Zulily and sign up for a free account. Just click on the link and it will work as your invitation. Happy shopping!
Pros:
1. Price - Everything listed is discounted, sometimes up to 80%. You can find great steals on great brands, and who doesn't love a great deal? One thing to keep in mind is some brands are always on sale, and even if you can find them at 60% on Zulily, sometimes you can find them at 70% off on another site. Add to your cart's content, but do at least a quick websearch before you hit the checkout button. Sometimes you will find them cheaper, and sometimes you will realize what a great deal you are about to land. Either way, it's 30 seconds well spent.
2. Customer Service - I have had two problems with orders on Zulily. Both times the customer service was amazing! The last order, I was send a sweater (for me - they have cute mommy clothing, too). When I went to hang up the sweater, I noticed a small hole in the back. I e-mailed customer service, and heard back that day. They sent me a new sweater, and gave me a credit to my account for my inconvenience. Thank you, Zulily! That is the kind of customer service I love.
3. Options - New boutiques open every morning on Zulily. The options are endless, and I love just searching through them all for the treasure. Zulily has clothing for kids and adults, home goods, handbags, toys, etc. If you don't find what you are looking for on Monday, check again on Tuesday becasue there will be a ton of new things. And, their their search option makes it easy to narrow it down by topic, size, color. They even have an app for your smartphone. Shopping doesn't get any easier
Cons
1. You can't see it in person - For some things, you might want to be familiar with the brand before you order. You can't see the stitiching or feel the fabric to determine the quality. If you are unfamiliar with a brand, read some reviews online. Most of the brands are stellar. Some might not be as good, and this is something you want to know before it arrives in a box at your house.
2. Timely arrival - Some things show up at your doorstep just days after purchasing. Others take a lot longer. Just make sure this is not something you need tomorrow, because often those are the items that take their time in coming.
All in all, I am a big Zulily fan and search through their deals every morning. Want to give it a shot? Go to Zulily and sign up for a free account. Just click on the link and it will work as your invitation. Happy shopping!
Hartstrings/Kitestrings
Raise your hand if you love finding adorable clothing for your kids.....Ok, I better not be the only one with my hands raised. I have two boys. The reason God gave me boys is because He knew I would put my husband and I in the poor house if we had girls. Our home would be on tutu overload. Because boys are often not as exciting to shop for, I LOVE when I find a brand with adorable boy clothes. My husband hates it, but I love it. =o)
One of my favorite brands is Kitestrings, the little boy version of Hartstrings. Their clothes are adorable. They are little man clothes! Super cute vests, polo shirts, dress slacks, all kinds of great options for little boys. I am a complete snob when it comes to clothing. I don't like play clothes that look like play clothes. I have the philosophy that collared shirts fit into the washing machine just as easily, so why not wear them?! I have never been disappointed with a Kitestrings outfit.
Another great thing about Kitestrings is they have lots of different sizes. My oldest son likes to dress like his little brother. And, who am I to complain? I love that I can find the same shirt in a 18month that I can find in a size 5. Lots of other lines only have the same shirt go up to a size 4. This just doesn't work in our house, so I LOVE that I can get matching outfits for the brothers.
Now, that being said, Kitestrings is not cheap. Well, ordinarily. I don't buy Kitestrings from the stores because the prices are ridiculous. However, if you sign up on their website, you get all the information about their sales! And their sales are great, especially if you are someone who likes to shop a year in advance like I do. Sometimes you can get up to 75% off the MSRP through their webite. And at those prices, you can certainly find some great clothing that will hold up at affordable prices. You even get 10% off your first order when you sign up. Visit http://www.hartstrings.com and shop around. But be sure to let me know of the great deals you get. Happy shopping!!!
One of my favorite brands is Kitestrings, the little boy version of Hartstrings. Their clothes are adorable. They are little man clothes! Super cute vests, polo shirts, dress slacks, all kinds of great options for little boys. I am a complete snob when it comes to clothing. I don't like play clothes that look like play clothes. I have the philosophy that collared shirts fit into the washing machine just as easily, so why not wear them?! I have never been disappointed with a Kitestrings outfit.
Another great thing about Kitestrings is they have lots of different sizes. My oldest son likes to dress like his little brother. And, who am I to complain? I love that I can find the same shirt in a 18month that I can find in a size 5. Lots of other lines only have the same shirt go up to a size 4. This just doesn't work in our house, so I LOVE that I can get matching outfits for the brothers.
Now, that being said, Kitestrings is not cheap. Well, ordinarily. I don't buy Kitestrings from the stores because the prices are ridiculous. However, if you sign up on their website, you get all the information about their sales! And their sales are great, especially if you are someone who likes to shop a year in advance like I do. Sometimes you can get up to 75% off the MSRP through their webite. And at those prices, you can certainly find some great clothing that will hold up at affordable prices. You even get 10% off your first order when you sign up. Visit http://www.hartstrings.com and shop around. But be sure to let me know of the great deals you get. Happy shopping!!!
Hess Trucks
It is hard to believe that Christmas will soon be there, but there are less than two months until the big day, so it's time to hit the stores! One of my all-time favorite toys will soon be hitting the shelves - the Hess Truck! Every Christmas season, Hess puts out a limited edition toy, and let me tell you, they are awesome! We have collected quite a few over the years. Since my oldest son was born, we have purchased one every year. We have also hit Ebay to buy some from years past. Heck, I even remember having a few when I grew up.
The Hess trucks are great. They are hard to break, which is one of the best things to look for in a toy. Even if the little pieces come off, they generally snap right back in. I would not hesitate to say that they have held up better than any other toy we have purchased. On a few trucks some of the paint came off when we took them to a beach house and exposed them to water, but in the grand scheme of things, what harm is a little missing paint?
Other than being such a hardy toy, they are really creative. We have fire engines with sirens and lights, and movable ladders. The space ship with the probe that actually lifted up when the button was hit was a personal favorite. Dump trucks with moveable beds, and helicopters with moving blades, what kid wouldn't love them?! They all light up and make noise in some way, but are just as much fun when the batteriest are out.
If you are looking for a great new toy, check out the Hess stations this season! You certainly won't be disappointed.
The Hess trucks are great. They are hard to break, which is one of the best things to look for in a toy. Even if the little pieces come off, they generally snap right back in. I would not hesitate to say that they have held up better than any other toy we have purchased. On a few trucks some of the paint came off when we took them to a beach house and exposed them to water, but in the grand scheme of things, what harm is a little missing paint?
Other than being such a hardy toy, they are really creative. We have fire engines with sirens and lights, and movable ladders. The space ship with the probe that actually lifted up when the button was hit was a personal favorite. Dump trucks with moveable beds, and helicopters with moving blades, what kid wouldn't love them?! They all light up and make noise in some way, but are just as much fun when the batteriest are out.
If you are looking for a great new toy, check out the Hess stations this season! You certainly won't be disappointed.
Let my habit be your guide
If there is one thing I love, it is shopping. They call it retail therapy, but if I ever sent my receipts to my insurance company, I am pretty sure they would drop my coverage. While I love shopping for almost anything, my favorite thing to find are great new buys for my boys. Along with anything, there is certainly a lot of trial and error with sites, brands, and options. So that is where this blog comes in. Let my shopping be your guide, and I can teach you what I've learned! If there is something you would like me to review, send me a comment. And I will share with you my favorites, least favorites, need to haves, and leave behinds. Happy shopping!
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