Fade To Black: Black Friday Blues

Welcome to the Friday after Thanksgiving otherwise known in the retail world as Black Friday. Welcome to early morning alarms sounding, fierce crowds, impossible parking lots and tired arching feet. Sound like a nightmare? It is to me. I can't think of any reason to line up before the sun comes out to spend my money (now if they were giving away money, that's a different story). Honestly, I do a lot of shopping and there are some deals out there if you hit the pavement early. But in the long run, if you want to save money and time, shop online. Consider these tips:

1. Search for the items you want to doing by a search on price comparison sites like ShopStyle.com (best for clothing and accessories) or Pricegrabber.com (for just about everything else). These sites compile all the offerings across different websites on the net : the more specific the search the better (i.e. "Calvin Klein Black Sydney Pump").





2. After finding the site that offers the best price (include factors like the cost of shipping or returns to make the best decision), do a Google search for coupon codes (i.e. type in "coupon codes for Banana Republic" and search). There are often many coupon codes you can use when you check out online (i.e. Free Shipping and/or an extra 20% when you type in a specific code). Some online retailers let you use multiple coupon codes for additional savings.





3. Sit back and wait for your holiday shopping to arrive at your doorstep.

Happy shopping (your feet will thank you later)!

photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenniewoo/ / CC BY 2.0

All Vintage All The Time

It's no secret, I love vintage clothing. I'm also not opposed to buying something brand spanking new either. But when I'm in my throwback mood and don't have hours to go through the racks at my favorite vintage store's, there's always my computer. I discovered a cute blog (and online store) that talks all vintage all the time, http://www.debutanteclothing.com/.
Great info on all things vintage (not so great prices on the clothes). Worth a click. Have a Happy Friday!

photo: courtesy of Flickr

Real Women Have Guts, Glam, and Grace

Hey ladies, I'm always looking for a good source of information and good old fashioned entertainment and when I find it, you know I have to share. Check out new online magazine Guts, Glam, Grace for the latest in lifestyle, entertainment, career and of course fashion (there's much, much more but you'll have to go on the site to see-no peeking here). I have to admit I am little biased to the fashion section (I happen to be one of the contributing writers). Yet another tool to make yourself look busy at the office (you can thank me later).