January sales

Hello all! Hope your new year is starting off well!

A quick post to share some recent purchases. This is sale season and it is hard to resist regular visits to my favorite stores.

First I bought the Banana Republic Hacking Jacket in Burgundy for around $30. I felt this one fit me very well (I did size down). I initially bought the pink hacking jacket at a great price ($50) but after consideration I returned it. I didn't fit nearly as well as the burgundy one for some reason, and a deal is not a good deal if the item will stay in your closet.

I also visited J. Crew where the extra 40 off sale is going strong. I purchased the Vintage Sweatshirt in gray (I already have the lilac) and also the military shirt. Each cost me about $20 after discounts so I didn't mind buying them on final sale.

Do you own any of these items? Have you made any great purchases at Banana Republic or J. Crew this month? I love to read your comments!

J. Crew Haul (part II)

I meant to post this sooner but it has been a busy month.

I bought the J. Crew Rock Salt Boy Shirt on a popback. (It was impossible to find in store and generally sold out online -- except for this one particular morning.) I am happy with it -- a girl can never have too much tartan! I paid about $50 for it but being that it was so hard to get my hands on, that was fine.

I also bought the skinny utility cargo pants from J. Crew. Would you believe I paid $10 for these after discounts?

Today, I shopped at J. Crew and found the holiday tartan shirt and these gray toothpick jeans on final sale. Both came to $76 after discounts.

What are your thoughts on these items? Are you doing any after-Christmas shopping?

J. Crew and J. Crew Factory Haul (part 1)

So for the second half of 2013, I'm pleased to say that my J. Crew bills have not been through the roof as they have in the past. But this is holiday season, a time when the sale racks tend to offer deals too good to pass up. Here are a few items I have recently purchased:

The Merci linen graphic tee in gray: $18 after discounts. These linen shirts tend to run big because they stretch so I sized down to a Small.

The Cheers stripe crew sweatshirt cost me approx. $18 after discounts. I am a sucker for J. Crew sweatshirts -- they are the most comfortable in the world! I took a size Small -- they stretch.

I bought a Shoulder Button Sold Painter in pink because it is just such a beautiful color (much nicer in person than seen above) and it was only $10 after discounts. I took a size Small because I've learned that these stretch.

At J. Crew Factory, I bought the Charley Intarsia Bow sweater because it was very cute and under $20. I took my normal size Medium.

I returned to other J. Crew stores in my area since this haul and will post about my items later.

Have you purchased any of these items? Any thoughts on J. Crew's sales this month? Thanks for reading!

T'is the Season (for great sales)

I've posted before about my conflicting feelings with regards to shopping holiday sales ... for myself. My husband firmly believes that any shopping this time of year has to be for someone else. I disagree. It's hard to ignore the best markdowns of the year for items that I really want or can use.

With all that said, I bought some items at J. Crew and J. Crew Factory this past week. Total spent: $75.

First I bought the Funny Birds tee. I liked the print immediately when I saw it in store. I thought that I would end up buying the blue boy shirt version of the print, but wasn't willing to pay the ridiculously high price. (Note: the boy shirt is on the sale rack, but even at 40 percent off I feel the price is too high. Also don't need another blue button down shirt.) I am happy with the gray shirt version.

At the Factory, I bought the Fair Isle sweater (which looks like the Farmyard sweater from retail minus the animals.) I actually bought the sweater so I would have one for an "ugly sweater" party even though I don't think the sweater is terribly ugly. With sale and promotions I paid less than $25 for it.

I also bought a pair of cabernet Matchstick cords and a red currant tissue turtleneck, and a red Clare (aka Jackie) cardigan. All three items were on the sale rack, and all three items were reddish-colored "holiday" pieces that I was looking for.

Have you bought any of these items? What are your thoughts on holiday shopping for yourself? Love to read your comments!

Have you joined eBates? Get paid to shop

Have you joined yet?

Ebates is an online rebate websites that will reward  you cash back when you place an order through one of the hundreds of websites they are affiliated with. They work with major websites like Old Navy, JCPenney, etc. So – if you are placing an online order, instead of going directly to the store’s website, go to Ebates.com to see what percentage cash back they are paying and then go to their website via Ebates. Ebates.com will track your order and will reward you with cash back based on your order amount!

Ebates is totally free to sign up. Right now you can become an  and you’ll receive a $10 Gift Card of your choice when you make your first $25 purchase or more!

There are a number of ways to save on some of your favorite stores right now too, and you can get cash back as you place your order! (There are literally hundreds of participating stores.)

Shopping the Sales (J. Crew, Factory, LOFT and Bloomingdale's Outlet)

Pardon the hiatus but I've been trying to rein in my shopping these days. Still, a girl has to have fun once in a while so $360 later here are some of my recent purchases.

I wanted these plaid pants from Loft since the moment I saw them in a magazine, but I'm not paying full price for anything at Loft where items hit the sale racks in less than two months. Scored these pants for under $40 (and might have grabbed a better deal if I waited two days later.) As much as I love a good sale, the day-to-day changing of sales at Loft really irks me. At least J. Crew lets a promotion run for an entire week! For anyone contemplating these pants, I say buy them, but maybe size down.

I also bought this frayed tweed pencil skirt in coral from J. Crew Factory during the CARDPERK online promotion. I had a rewards card so the total with shipping came out to $9.99. I think this item will be great for fall, winter, and spring. Sold out, but watch for popbacks (which is how I got mine.)

At J. Crew where I have managed to (thankfully!) spend very little money this season, I grabbed the Plaster Peonies Tee and the Vintage Cotton Floral Tee in Ivory. Both were 30% off the marked down price and could have been stacked with the 25% off $100 (except I didn't spend that much -- and NOT from lack of trying!)

So wait -- that all adds up to .... how did I spend.... must have been.... OH YEAH that's right - I made this impulse purchase! Lo and behold the Marc Jacobs Classic Q Fran Bag in Gunmetal. Once I saw her sitting by herself in Bloomingdale's outlet there was no turning back. No way do I need another bag but this one is going to be my new everyday go-to neutral dress-it-up or dress-it-down bag. It just fierce with every outfit. And the best part is the price -- the retail is about $400 but at the outlet it was $230 plus tax. Check it out below:

 Do you own any of these items? Are you considering any of these items? I love to read and respond to your comments!

I'm back!

Apologies for the delay in posts. I started a new job and frankly wasn't shopping much. Rather than get into the mundane details, let me just share what I bought over the weekend.

I got the J. Crew Factory version of the Hothouse Floral. I wanted this print when the retail store sold it last year, but frankly I prefer a blouse like this in polyester. For the price and the machine washable factor, J. Crew Factory's version was the better choice. During their 50-percent off storewide sale, it only cost $40.

While there, I also grabbed a pair of Winnie stretch pants and Leopard pajama pants... because you can never have too many pairs of either! 

Have you visited the Factory this weekend yet? The sale is going on through tomorrow.