Get free ice cream on Valentine's Day!
There are 11 freebies and coupons total today!
Today only! Free glasses - If you missed this yesterday, today CoastalContacts.com is giving away 5,000 pairs of free glasses to CA residents!
Free ice cream – On Valentine’s Day from 3-6 p.m., Marble Slab Creamery will be giving away free ice cream. Yum!
Free DVD rentals – Here’s one nice Valentine’s Day freebie. Send a card through Redbox and get a free movie rental coupon!
Free phones – T-Mobile is giving away free phones (with a few catches) Feb. 11-12, 2011. Stay tuned for details! (more…)
Splurging at Macy's and Out of the Closet
I went shopping yesterday and came home with three pairs of pants and two pairs of shoes, $139 later. I started at Macy’s, where I found two pairs of shoes that I loved. They were on sale, plus I had a 10% off coupon. Cha-ching!
The soft leather, hardy sole, and distinctive look of this pair of creamy tan slingbacks sold me. They are made by Lucky Brand, which I didn’t even realize made shoes. I wear flats ALL the time and was down to one lime green pair. I paid $49.77 for them (orig. $79, on sale for $55.30).
I rarely find appealing shoes in the jumbled clearance racks (more…)
M. Hall/The Recessionista Blog
Lacking a reliable fashion sense, I asked Mary of The Recessionista Blog where she’s back to school shopping, what the biggest deals are, and how parents are stretching their dollars at thrift stores.
How is the economy affecting back to school shopping? There are people in this economy doing more back to school shopping at Goodwill and the Salvation Army. There are a lot of items that are new with tags on them from the department store. I saw good sneakers in the box, good jeans, tops.
How do you talk to kids, who are often very brand conscious, about shopping at second hand stores? I didn’t see (more…)
If you live in the greater Los Angeles area, this sale is for you. The largest wholesaler in the country, DLM Off-Price Specialists, is opening their doors to the public this Saturday, July 31, 2010. Expect prices to be 80-90% off retail and look for name brands like DKNY, Ellie Tahari, and more.
DLM normally sells to the discount shops, so you are getting prices below wholesale – pennies on the dollar in some cases! There are absolutely no knock offs.
The selection is huge in DLM’s 100,000 square foot warehouse, which is 15 minutes from downtown. Score great bargains in women’s clothes, men’s clothes, and children’s clothing, plus home goods like Paula Deen dishware. One Paula Deen platter that sells for $25 at Macy’s is $7 at DLM. Snappy!
The sale is this Saturday, July 31, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. DLM is located at 2343 Saybrook Ave. in Commerce, CA. Their phone number is (323) 724-5474. This video has more details about prices and brands.
This is paid content. Interested in an ad? Read my Advertise page.
The reason I love shopping at thrift stores is the truly amazing deals. I set my budget at $25 for a new-to-me pair of jeans (both my current pairs are one squat away from ripping in the crotch) and came away with eight items for $14.49. She shoots…she scores!
I bought:
- Two baskets for holding fruit and potatoes/onions/yams – $1 each
- A wooden tray for holding garlic and onions – $3
- Two juice glasses – $1 each
- A brick red scarf with brown and creme accents – $1 (I’m still on the fence about this purchase because I can’t tell if it screams “retro” or “grandma”)
- A ring of four measuring spoons – $.49
- A pair of jeans that make my butt look bigger than it is (a plus in my book) – $6
The cool thing is that everything but the scarf was on my list of items to look out for until I found a good deal. I could have paid $10-$15 per basket at Pier 1 Imports or Ikea, $4 a glass at Crate & Barrel, and who knows how much for a new wooden carved tray. Earlier in the day I stopped in at a high-end thrift store and saw used jeans for as much as $70. Ridiculous!
Now to settle the scarf issue. A picture of it is above. Do you think it is retro or grandmotherly? How would you wear it?
Related:
Money Morality: legit to shop at thrift stores?
Friday Fun: Are my bargain basement shoes tacky?
Getting bargains at thrift stores
back_garage/Flickr
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains
Bargainistas know not to pay retail for clothes (except for undergarments.) We all have our favorite thrift shops and know when the new stuff is put out.
But, what to do when you are on vacation? Are you really going to pay $25 for a t-shirt at the seaside resort when you know there is a gently used version for $2.99 at a second-hand shop within blocks?
Let me introduce you to my favorite “don’t leave home without it” web site – The National Thrift Store Directory. No matter where you are in the United States, plug in your zip code and you will find a thrift store near you. Oh be still my beating heart!
I would much rather visit the local thrift shop in some small town than spend time in a tourist trap. Not only can you pick up local souvenirs for a fraction of the cost (mugs that go for $25 at Disneyland are a dollar or two at a thrift store) but you can talk to fellow shoppers and possibly find out about a local event that you would never know was happening (like a pancake breakfast at the community center or a free concert at the high school.)
The National Thrift Store Directory currently has almost 10,000 listings, but you can help other bargain hunters by adding your favorite store.
What is the best item you ever found at a thrift store?
My do-it-yourself deal site, BargainBabeLA.com, has great coupons and deals for LA. Here are the best deals posted by readers like you this week.
Spa week in LA, OC, San Diego and San Francisco is April 12-18, but book now to get a good appointment.
Tax-free shopping day is April 10 in Santa Monica on Montana Ave. Mark your calendars!
Are you a CPA? Morton’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills wants to appreciate you with a chance for a free meal on April 16, 2010.
Get a free sample of Huggies diapers no matter where you live! You can also get a free sample of Pampers Cruisers
The Junior Drake Warehouse sample sale is coming up April 9-11. The sale has a special emphasis on handbags.
This week’s $10 Starbucks gift card goes to Marie for sharing great deals this week. Congrats, Marie!
irina slutsky/Flickr
By Mike Barclay of 10CentsWorth.com.
A few weeks back a friend of mine who works for a local radio station approached me. “Would you be interested in passing out a bunch of flyers for an event we’re doing if I got you some concert tickets?” I instantly said yes, seeing as I’m the world’s biggest concert guru. Now I am the proud owner of free tickets to two shows I’ve been hoping to see.
But were they really free?
Technically the tickets were not free. Did I have to pay money for them? I did not. Was there some type of exchange that was beneficial to both parties? Yes there was. We used a medium that most people today don’t really think about, or even understand they may be doing. It’s called bartering.
Bartering is defined as trading goods or services without the exchange of money, according to Dictionary.com. We should all look into it. How much money would we end up saving if we traded services or items around the house for something we did need?
Here are three great sites I’ve found in my swapping frenzy as of late.
Most people use Craigslist for classifieds, but have you ever clicked on the “barter” section in your cities? Craigslist is great if you want to go super general. And it’s always going to be local. If you’re looking for more specific swapping, check out these next two sites.
SwapTree.com – As I mentioned before, I’m a big music fanatic. So when I found SwapTree, I wet myself. It’s all about media: books, DVD’s, CD’s, etc. You can trade your stuff or browse what other people have and make an offer. Needless to say, I’ve had it up on my computer screen for the past week, constantly looking at what I can find.
Zwaggle.com – Zwaggle is strictly for all things tot-sized. Babies, toddlers, you name it, they’ve got something for it. It’s a perfect site for new couples having their first child and for the couple with kids who’ve outgrown everything and want to get rid of the stash.
So the next time you want a new CD, clothes, books, or need something fixed and can offer something in return, remember you don’t always have to use dollars. Look into trading or swapping and see if you can do it without having to touch your wallet.
TheConsumerist.com
Jetblue is selling a bunch of flights from JFK for $10 each. The site was getting hammered last time I checked so give the pages time to load.
New customers can get a free photobook from Picaboo or, if you already have an account with them, there is a BOGO free coupon that is good through March 31, 2010.
Use this Gap coupon code to get jeans at 30 percent off. Just trade-in an old pair by Sunday, March 14, 2010.
Snag a bag of free dog treats from Science Diet when you share your name, email and address.
Coldwater Creek coupons! Get 20-25 percent off when you buy $100 or more. Good in stores and online.
Do you live near a Dunkin Donuts? Then get free coffee every Monday in March.
Get a free one-week gym membership and a customized fitness plan to help you lose weight through Curves. Note, you’ll have to share your name and phone number to take advantage of this deal.
Emergen-C has new flavors of its vitamin-packed powder mixes, including some that suggest cocktails! Get a free sample here.
Coming later today to my WalletPop blog: a free sample of dog treats, and a tip on how to get 30 percent off Gap jeans.
Smashion.com is the answer to every woman who has a closet of clothes she never wears and doesn’t know how to sell. You can buy and sell clothes for free, which makes Smashion.com a lot more attractive financially than a traditional consignment store, eBay, or Etsy. Plus, the site leaves up listings indefinitely.
When I checked the site had 1,633 items for sale. Impressive considering they launched in October. There were 62 pairs of women’s jeans. All the clothes are new or lightly worn. Some items still have the tags!
One of the cool things about Smashion is that browsing the site feels like going over to your girlfriend’s house and trying on all her clothes. How awesome is that?! It’s fun to browse, and you never know what you’ll find, like this sparkly party dress that has got the seller doing her best moves, above. It’s going for $40.
Smashion is focused on fashion forward clothing. Most of the sellers are regular folks though there are also a few independent designers, too.
Clothing prices are set – no bidding – and payment is directly between buyer and seller through Paypal. Sellers agree to ship your new threads within two days.
In between searching for your next clothing purchase, you can chat with other frugal fashionistas about age appropriate clothes, fake handbags, and other trends. The forums page on Smashion.com has dozens of topics and is pretty active. The site also has a gallery section where people can share fashion inspirations with each other. And there is a blog that is updated daily with tips on how to dress for a specific situation, fashion trends, and reviews of up and coming designers.
Smashion.com comes at a great time. Who isn’t looking to save a few bucks these days – while still being able to afford new (to me) clothes?
This post is brought to you by BuildDirect.com, which sells laminate flooring and other building materials for less.
I really outdid myself with this week’s Friday Freebies, if I may say so. The list includes free candy, toothpaste, movie rentals, two magazines, free tacos, and free pretzels. Check it out!
Get 25 percent off regular-priced Gap clothes with a coupon that is good through Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010.
Get 25 percent off at Ann Taylor Loft when you buy pants. Once you put a pair of pants into your bag, everything else is on sale too!
Rite Aid’s medicine sale includes 20 percent off over the counter medicine through Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010.
The Walgreens sale is not as big as at Rite Aid – get 10 percent off through today, Feb 19 – but it applies to nearly everything they sell online.
