It's Here! My first Stitch Fix

Well I'm already impressed. Two reasons, ok, actually three:

1. My box arrived a day EARLY! 2. They listened and didn't send me pants which was my big fear. 3. They knew my weakness, chevron.

Thanks, Jackie!

So once again, here is how Stitch Fix works. You pay $20 and a "personal stylist" will use your style profile and things like your Pinterest to select five items for you. You try on the pieces at home and then the hard part comes: what.do.I.keep.and.what.do.I.send.back? Ugh! If you keep all five pieces they give you a 25% discount on your purchase. The prices vary, and you can give them some parameters as far as cost goes. Here is what I got:

Collective Concepts: Esten Button-up Sleeveless Blouse

 Out of the box I thought it was adorable. It's actually more purple than the photo shows. Here is what it looks like on me:

Here it is on me.

From this angle I think it looks cute. The price is $58.It's also good to note it is dry clean only. The fit was fair. It's very sheer and I'd have to wear something under it to work for sure. That's why in the end I'm going to PASS on this shirt.

Next up is probably my favorite. This chevron top is me. I'm obsessed with the pattern and lately I am loving the cut/style of the tab sleeve tops. This one isn't as sheer as other ones. It's comfy and adorable! Did I mention I'm obsessed with chevron? It's a bit pricey at $68...but my $20 credit does get applied...this is probably my KEEP!

I flippin love this top. Why must I be so addicted to this pattern?

41Hawthorn Ivy Zig Zag Print Tab Sleeve Blouse 

When I first saw this dress I was like.. hmm..interesting. Then I unrolled it and took it all in. I got excited. But, then I noticed it's houndstooth, and I'm an Auburn gal and we don't rock the houndstooth...but then I tried it on. The hubs liked it. I liked it. It's the most expensive piece at $98. It's a DEFINITELY MAYBE.

Pretty stinkin cute

Mystree Soren Belted Printed Dress

This necklace was undeniably cute. The price is $32. Which turns me off immediately because you can find the same thing almost daily on veryjane.com or groopdealz for half that price. Adorable indeed, but PASS.

41Hawthorn Multi Shaped Opaque Gems Necklace

 Finally, this little gem. Cute blazer! Love the lining. Very soft. The lace detail is a nice touch too. I tried it on with a yellow top because yellow and navy are a good combo, especially where I work since that is our college's color scheme. The problem I noticed is that it was too formless for me. I like blazers and jackets to be tailored and have nice structure. It was almost too big in places. Price was $78 so between that and how I felt about it, cute, but PASS.

Sugarhill Boutique Baltic Lace Detail Blazer

Overall, I'm excited. This was fun and I'm impressed. I don't plan on doing this every month because that just might get too costly for my budget. However, I could see myself doing this once a season, or during a month when I need a happy surprise pick-me-up. I've read other blogs and a great idea for anyone who has friends of a similar size: try it together! Go halfsies or both order boxes and trade out pieces so you each get to try on more. Could be beneficial! Stitch Fix = I recommend! 

Mail Order Madness: Birchbox, Victoria's Secret + Forever21

Today is a very photogenic post. I've been scoping out some deals online.

Victoria's Secret- Clothing Clearance

I bought this one in black- so cute when I tried it on too.

Bought this top in the colors shown and it is HUGE! It doesn't actually taper, it's just MASSIVE all over.

Forever 21- Good deals!

This one is adorable!

I took a gamble on this one, but it turned out ok. I find it to be comfortable and summerish!

I also bought some various tank tops for layering in all kinds of colors. You cannot beat their stuff at 2.80 a pop. The black one I ordered months ago has held up pretty well for 2.80....

Birchbox- July Glamour Edition

It arrived on time! Woo!

Lots of goodies inside.

Inside this month's Birchbox:

amika Obliphica Hair Treatment

amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask

boscia B.B. Cream SPF 27 PA++ 

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner 

Harvey Prince Hello (perfume)

LÄRABAR® über

Also there were a pair of earbuds. I'm overall really excited with my box. I cannot wait to try out the hair treatments because they claim to tame the frizz. Also, I loved my Dr. Jart's BB so I'm really fascinated by BBs now. I'm looking forward to trying the boscia BB.

And that's it. Thus concludes my mail order madness! An in case you're wondering, all of this in my post cost right at $80. That's 4 tops, 3 tank tops, 1 bandeau top, shipping and my Birchbox subscription. Not too bad!

Christmas Wishing and Fun Internet Distractions

Have any of you heard of pinterest.com? It's wonderful fun. I'm not as developed on there as I'd like to be, but I'm using it right now to come up with my dream Christmas Wish List for 2011. I think it's still invite only, so if you would like one just let me know. It works well with Google Chrome which is my browser of choice. I have plans to eventually do a board on pinterest for all of my books, my dream home, etc. What types of boards will you create?

The Art of Couponing: Good Sale @ The Limited!

If you are in your late 20s like me, you may struggle in Columbus to find "age appropriate" clothing. It's like stores here cater to the extremes and my age group is left out. I generally have to drive to Atlanta to find things that suit my needs and taste. I love TheLimited. And right now they have pretty good deals going on. All of their pants and jeans are 40% off. And all of their shirts and shirtdresses are on sale 40% off as well. Plus, I had a coupon in the mail so I got $30 off $100 (it is also good for $50 off $150). I chose the following:

My final total was $86. That was a savings of over 50%. And, the great thing is that I know these pants last (so long as you stop losing weight...I bought several last fall that I can no longer wear from losing my weight).

The Art of Couponing: I Love Shoes

Yessss, Nuncio. You're coming home to mama! *muah*

Anyone who knows me, knows I love shoes. But, I've been trying to live more on a budget. I used to buy shoes once a month at minimum. Now, I try and catch the sales. And right now Nine West is having a good sale. These sweet babies are on sale 60% off right now AND Nine West is offering free shipping. Hit them up now!

PS-I own many many pairs of Nine West shoes and highly recommend the Barbe for a classic pump that goes with almost anything. I have a red pair that I wore with a black dress to a UGA themed wedding and made lots of girls green with envy ;) I also love the BooBoo style's fit. I bought a pair of Escher once, but they are a challenge to fit my foot in and walk properly.

The Art of Couponing: Lessons Learned

Today I haven't been able to focus (I blame the spring allergies) and I misread my first CVS mailer. Granted, in the end I still came out well, just not as well as my SUPER deal from the other day.

Transaction 1
I started out doing the buy $30, get $10 Extra Care Bucks. This was easy to do because we needed ALL of these items:

• Aussie shampoo & conditioner (2/4.49 after manufacturer coupon + CVS deal)
• Dawn dishsoap (.79 after coupon + CVS deal)
• Bounty paper towels (5.99 - CVS deal)
• Charmin TP x2 packages (10.73 after coupon + CVS deal)
• Tide detergant (5.34 after coupon + CVS deal)

So that + tax was $35 even. It sounds high, but I got the $10 ECB to use on my second transaction AND when you do all the math it was 36% off.

Transaction 2

• Old Spice Body Wash x 2 (@ 3.49 each with coupon + CVS deal)
• Venus razor cartridges (13.29 after coupon + CVS deal)

And that is where I made the mistake. I misread the CVS mailer to say "$4" for the cartridges. But...it was really $4 OFF. Pay close attention and don't be memorized by the numbers like I was. I could have paused and come back, but I decided since there was now a lady in line behind me I needed to move on out. I used my $10 ECB and ended up paying $11.90 total. Which, when you do the math is 56% off. So, not TOO bad.

So overall, I saved $33.74 which rounds out to 44% off my entire trip to CVS. All of these items will get used. :)

The Art of Couponing: Weeks 1 & 2

I decided on March 7th to take control of my finances and learn how to coupon. I was mostly inspired by one of my Auburn friends, Jaclyn. She has started an amazing blog and I really really encourage you to check it out. I got an idea from her to start tracking how much I saved using coupons. I mean, I was skeptical. How much do you really save by using a .40 cent coupon? [actually, I've learned that at Publix you'll save .80 cent because they double all coupons under .50]

So, I'm happy to report that on my last four grocery related trips I have saved the following using deals + coupons:

Trip #1 to Publix - 19%
Trip #2 to Publix - 21%
Trip #3 to Publix - 28%
Trip #1 to CVS - 33%

It may not seem like a lot, but you'll notice each time is a little more. I'm learning how to do this and it is working. Let me share one deal that I just got at Publix:

Weight Watchers Frozen Treats (regularly $5.29 each)
Currently, they are B1G1 free. So, that makes them $2.64 each (because it's basically 50% off).
I also had a $1.00 coupon from the internet.
I should have paid $10.58, but instead, I paid $4.29. That's a savings of almost 60%.

And that is honestly the trick. Shop at Publix (or a store with similar deals) and add the coupons on top.

Now, I know that people say..."but that's takes time, and my time is worth money." It was a little time consuming at first, but only because I was reading trying to figure it out. It really only takes a few minutes each day to check online for new deals (have them emailed to you if you want- I've created my own coupon-only email address) and clip from the Sunday paper.

I spent more time blogging right now than I did on clipping coupons.

The Art of Couponing...

So, I've been inspired. I want to learn the art of couponing. Especially when I hear these grand stories of how people get $100 worth of stuff for a dime. If you have any tips or suggestions please feel free to comment.

Currently, I'm following a friend's blog, Jaclyn's Couponing Journeys and I've read a lot about Southern Savers. 

Another friend recommended I join inbox dollars.

It sounded a little weird at first, but I'm giving it a try. I don't use it to play games or whatever. I don't even fill out all the crazy surveys that ask you for your address. What I am interested in are the features that allow you to earn cash back for using coupons you print there, and the online shopping cash back. One of their stores is Express and Tim and I purchase online there once or twice every few months. They give you 4% cashback. I can see that as being somewhat productive. I'll let you know how it goes.

One good tip I've been using for a long time now is this: sign up for newsletters. Create a separate email JUST for email offers. Especially with clothing stores like Express, NY&Company, The Limited, Bath & Body Works, Victoria's Secret, etc etc etc. I log in to that email anytime before I go to shop and print away the savings.

So yeah, let's hear those tips!