The Cheap Diva

Buy One get One Half Off Deal at New York and Company

There may be countless apparel web sites on the web, but when it comes to wearable, affordable and stylish clothes, there are only a handfull of web sites that consistently deliver the goods.  New York and Company definitely makes my top 5 list of women's clothing retailers worth checking out on a regular basis. 

Right now New York and Company is having a Buy One get One Half Off deal that includes EVERYTHING they sell.  In other words you could buy the City Style Zebra Print Tunic for $39.95 and then buy the coordinating City Style Bermuda Shorts at half off of their regular $26.95 price.   

The brim of a summer hat should be wide enough to shade your face but not so wide it looks like you are wearing an umbrella.  Even  women who don't normally wear hats will find the proportions on this City Style Floppy Straw Hat for $14.95  flattering and easy to wear.  The cutouts and beaded tie add some pizazz and distinguish it from the more basic boring straw hats out there.

The practical advantage of this City Style Colorblock Satchel for $34.95 it that with the light to dark range of colors allows the bag to transition easily from warm to cooler weather looks.  The not so practical advantage of this hand bag is that it allows you to wear horizontal stripes without looking like you gained 20 pounds.

Don't Get into a Lather over Hotel Shampoo

One a recent vacation I managed to remember to pack almost all of the clothing and beauty essentials that I could possibly need.  The one essential I forgot to pack was shampoo.  This was a five day trip and there was no way I was going to end up in vacation photos with a greasy mop of hair!  Discovering the shampoo dilemma too late to run to the store to buy more shampoo left me with two choices, borrow shampoo from one of my traveling companions or use the shampoo provided by the hotel. 

I decided to ask one of my generous travel companions if I could use her shampoo on the trip and she graciously agreed.  I have serious reservations about hotel shampoo.  No matter how nice a hotel is the bottom line is that it's a business and cutting corners increases profits.  Given the choice between cheap detergent quality shampoo that would strip my recently dyed hair of it's glorious color and a more expensive salon quality shampoo, I suspect most hotels would offer the cheap stuff. 

Hotel shampoos may not be good for your hair but they can be good for other things.  A bit of shampoo rubbed on a stained piece of clothing can act as a nifty spot remover.  The hotel size shampoo bottle makes a great travel bottle that you can fill with your own shampoo.  The bottle is already labeled as shampoo which takes some of the confusion out of what is in which bottle, making your travel beauty routine easier. 

Thrifty Travel Tips

When traveling it's easy to get so focused on the big  expenses like plane tickets and hotels that you overlook the small expenses, that is until the credit card bill comes.

One vacation my travel companions and I agreed that when we reserved a rental car we would pay extra for a car with a GPS system.  This additional cost was about $10.00 a day, but we thought the GPS system would ease the stress of driving in a strange city by preventing us from getting lost.  None of us use a GPS system in our own cars, but the device is designed to simplify getting around right?  How hard could it be?  A lot harder than we anticipated.  We tried to locate our destination using our hotel address as a starting point.  The GPS system insisted on having just the name of the street first.  When I typed in King Street it brought up several local King Streets preceded by north, south east or wests as in East King Street or West King Street.  The problem was that our hotel was simply on King Street.  Not north, south, east or west King Street, just King Street.  After trying other features on the GPS system that might generate some sort of useful directions we gave up and reverted back to the printed map we had.  We eventually figured out where we were going and vowed to never pay for a GPS system again.   

Food is a big expense while traveling.  If a free breakfast is included with your hotel stay and it consists of  something more appetizing than a stale donut and cheap coffee, then by all means take advantage of it.  For lunch and dinner you will probably have your choice of everything from sandwich shops to nicer restaurants.  Frequent the nicer restaurants during lunchtime when their menu will be cheaper and save the bargain sandwich shops for dinner meals.

Some tourist friendly travel destinations provide local buses, trolleys or even boats for getting around.  One way or another transportation is probably going to cost you money.  To save cash on transportation, cluster your activities around the same areas.  If you are interested in one attraction across town look into other attractions and restaurants in the same general vicinity so you can hit them all at once and not have to pay for multiple rides going in opposite directions.

All that sightseeing can work up an appetite, but anything that comes out of a hotel vending machine can be ridiciously overpriced.  Ask the hotel desk clerk for the location of the nearest drug store or supermarket and stock up on your soda pop and snacks there.  If you want to be a truly thrifty traveler, bring your own energy snack bars such as Luna Bars and carry an empty water bottle with you that you can fill up whenever you come across a drinking fountain.

The desire to see new places, new faces and having experiences you simply can't get at home is so strong it's easy to get swept up in the adventure of travel and lose sight of the real cost involved,  but by planning ahead you can reduce the financial stress of traveling and focus on having fun! 

Long Wearing Lip Gloss By L'Oreal

Lip cosmetics usually offer two options, lip gloss so clear you can't tell what color you're wearing and opaque lip sticks where the color is obvious and unfortunately also obvious when the color starts to disappear.  L'Oreal Infallible lip gloss, available at mass retailers, falls somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.  It has the staying power of a lip stick, but the creaminess of a gloss.  The color is slightly more obvious than a typical gloss, but it's still sheer enough to enhance the color of your lips without disguising them.  Right now Infallible lip gloss is my first choice in lip gloss for when I want a little color, a little shine, and I want it to last longer than 5 minutes!

Chic Swimsuit Cover Ups

The ideal swimsuit coverup is a light, easy breezy number that exhudes the sort of relaxed vibe that suggests you threw it on almost as an afterthought.  A stylish swimsuit distracts attention away from the fact that the real reason you are covering up is to hide your not quite bikini ready body.  To take this relaxed vibe beyond the beach, some stylish swimsuit cover ups do double duty as light tunic tops that work over everything from jeans to shorts and everything in between. 

Old Navy Metallic Gauze Swim Cover Up for $24.50

Newport News Georgette Cover Up Tunic $39.00-$44.00

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Victoria's Secret Split-Sleeve Cover Up Tunic for $38.88

Find Fabulous Thrift Stores Near You

Thanks to the less than stellar economy, shopping at thrift stores no longer carries the negative stigma of being shopping meccas for the poor.  Anyone who frequents thrift stores knows that if you peruse their aisles often enough you will eventually score some real treasures.  To increase your odds of finding fabulous stuff it helps to shop thrift stores regularly and shop more than one store.  To learn how to work thrift stores like a pro and find ones near you check out thethriftshopper.com.  Thethriftshopper.com not offers helpful articles on thrift store shopping it locates thrift stores in your area.  Just type in your zip code and a list of thrift stores near you pops right up.  When I entered my zip code I was surprised at the number of thrift stores within a short driving distance.  I have lived in the same place for years and I had no idea of all the thrifty resources available to me.  Looks like it's time to go shopping!

Show of Your Style Cents at J.C. Penny's

While J.C. Penny has it's share of truly boring home decor, there are a some interesting pieces that stand out from the yawn worthy merchandise. 

For $139.99 Molly Mannequin stands at the ready.  Ready to add a feminine touch to your home decor as is or as a dress form that supports and shows off your favorite fashion pieces.  With Molly Mannequin you can bring a fun cocktail dress out of the closet and treat it like the decorative object it is.  Drape long scarves at the waist for a full skirted effect, or rotate outfits according to your whims. 

Table lamps provide a nice ambiance to a room, but they can take up precious space on small end tables.  This Bookshelf Table Lamp for $89.99 sheds some light on the issue of how to keep your favorite books handy without looking cluttered.  Instead of burying your end tables under framed family photos, why not buy medium sized photo albums and have a mini library of cherished memories right at hand under this practical lamp?

If you want to add a touch of taste and style to your patio parties, then get rid of that cheap plastic cooler and replace it with something like this Ice Bucket for $79.99.  The flowing lines of the wrought iron and copper finished steel bowl comes across more as a stylish piece of furniture than a humble ice bucket.  The bottom shelf is actually a removable tray so you as the hostess can serve your guests and prevent them from bottle necking at the ice bucket. 

Lighten Your Load with Space Saving Lip Brushes

Sure you want luscious looking lips, but there isn't always enough room in your purse or pocket for that fat tube of lipstick or thick pot of gloss.  To save face while saving space, load up a thin lip brush with your favorite lip color.   Swipe a clean lip brush over your preferred lipstick or gloss until the lip brush is saturated.  Pop the cap of the lip brush on to prevent smearing, toss it in your purse and you are good for at least one touch up throughout the night.

Japonesque Professional Lip with Cap Sable $13.00

Cheap is Chic When You Shop Consignment Stores

For years consignment stores have been the secret weapon of chic women who posses more style than cash.  Upscale consignment stores offer real deals on designer duds, often charging less than half the original price.  Naturally consignment stores located in more affluent areas tend to sell the better designer brands so start your shopping safari there before hitting other stores. 

Like a thrift store, a clothing consignment store sell slightly used clothing.  Unlike a thrift store, women's consignment stores often have extremely high standards about the merchandise they sell.  Some consignment store owners are almost as snobby as pricey upscale stores, selling only designer brands and insist on selling merchandise produced within the last three years to avoid getting stuck with a lot of out of date merchandise.  

Usually consignment store owners inspect clothing before selling it to ensure that it's clean and in mint or near mint condition.  Just because someone else inspected the merchandise before it was put out doesn't mean you don't have to.  Look the merchandise over closely for stains, snags or any other flaws before you buy.  

Be decisive about whether or not your want the item.  Love it or leave it, just don't expect it to be hanging around in three weeks after you spotted it at the store.  If the consignment store sells that item the odds of them getting another one in that same size as the one your are looking at are about as good as your chances of winning the lottery.   

Just in case the consignment store has an all sales final policy, try the garment on at the store to be sure it works.  If a high quality piece requires minor alterations such as hemming or taking it in it may still be a good deal as long as those alterations don't require letting anything out.  The seam allowances in many garments are too narrow to allow the garment to be let out at all.  If it's too tight skip it and move on to garments that fit better.  If you have any reservations about your purchase ask the cashier about their return policy before walking out of the store with your fabulous new find. 

Find out what the consignment store schedule is for accepting merchandise from sellers.  If you are looking for winter clothing for example, and that consignment store stopped accepting winter merchandise from sellers two weeks ago then you know to do your shopping now and not to waste your time checking back with them next week.  If your are a regular shopper there is no point in stopping in on Monday if they accept new merchandise on Tuesday and don't put it out until Wednesday.  Personally I love the fact that consignment stores receive merchandise so frequently and you never know what you are going to find.  After all, it's the thrill of the hunt that transforms mere shopping into stylish entertainment. 

Home Spaaaaaa Treatements

Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream $8.49

I was about to enjoy a deliciously indulgent facial at a local beauty school (much cheaper than a local salon) when the woman doing my treatment slathered my hands in rich creamy lotion, put each hand in a clear plastic bag and inserted each hand into it's own heated mitt.  The purpose of the heated mitt is to encourage the hand lotion to sink in more effectively. 

After my hands were tucked nice and cozy into the heated mitts, the esthetician proceeded to give my face the kind of serious pampering that melts stress and makes me want to make facials part of my daily routine.

Since I can't take the esthetician with the magic hands home with me, and frequent beauty treatments can add up, even at beauty school prices, I started thinking about how I could duplicate this pampering beauty treatment at home.  Like a beauty treatment you get at a salon, you can customize your treatment to your own needs and preferences. 

Start by creating the kind of mellow environment you find at a spa.  Put on some relaxing instrumental music, and infuse your bedroom or whatever space in your home is private and quiet, with some sort of soothing scents.  I prefer reed diffusers for scent since you can close your eyes without worrying about your candle lighting something on fire.  Gather your supplies, hand lotion, two Zip Loc bags and two oven mitts, on a table near the bed.  Now you are ready to begin.

Unlike the spa, your beauty treatment with with the face not the hands.  In front of your bathroom mirror, apply the face mask of your choice, one that takes at least 20 minutes to work.  Lie down on the bed or couch.  Slather your hands with rich lotion designed specifically for the hands.  Insert each hand into a Zip Loc bag to prevent lotion from rubbing off onto the oven mitts.  Place each hand in an oven mitt.  Now lie back and relax for about 20 minutes.

Some beauty experts may argue that face masks don't do anything.  I think they are missing the point of this exercise.  The real purpose of this pampering is to relax and focus on the feeling of being indulged, if only for a short time.  The mental benefits of pampering are just as important, if not more so, than the physical benefits.

     

Dare to Go Bare

Warmer weather calls for a lighter more natural look makeup wise.  Thick black mascara can look overdone when sporting lighter clothes in the naturally brighter light of summer.   

Loreal Bare Naturale mascara is the kind of subtle mascara that simply makes your lashes only slightly more noticeable.  The resulting effect is that you look like you have naturally lush lashes instead of looking like you applied your mascara with a spatula.  For a truly subtle look that looks like you aren't wearing any mascara at all, try wearing mascara in a dark brown shade instead of the more dramatic black.  Loreal is available at drugstores, mass retailers and anywhere else beauty addicts on a budget shop.

Fresh Flowers Sprout up at Local Farmers Markets

Local farmers' markets have evolved over the years to provide much more than fresh produce.  Some farmer's markets offer live music, cooking demonstrations and fresh flowers.  Like the fruit and vegetables sold at farmer's markets, you can expect the flower selection to change with the seasons.  For a longer lasting bouquet, look for flowers that haven't quite fully bloomed.  Ideally fresh flowers will fully blossom and reach the height of their beauty in the comfort of your home. 

To get your pick of the prettiest flowers, shop early before the best bouquests get snatched up.  The selection is better early in the day, but you may get a better deal towards the end of the day from sellers who would rather discount their goods for a quick sale than take their merchandise home.  Bring some sort of tote bag with a shoulder strap with you so you can stash you farmers' market finds in the bag while leaving your hands free to carry your bouquet so you can literally stop and smell the roses as you stroll leisurely through the farmers' market. 

Being a Curvy Gal is a Real Plus at Onestopplus.com

Fortunately for women who happen to be a size 12 or above, smart women's clothing retailers such as onestopplus.com recognize that there are plenty of stylish women out there with money who aren't a size 2.   Onestopplus.com is making shopping  even sweeter with their $10.00 off a $30.00 purchase, $20.00 off a $60.00 purchase and $30.00 off a $90.00 purchase special goood through April 20th.

Their Kiwi Ribbon Tie Sheath for $37.90 that picks up on the black and white trend, would work just as well with a bright colored cardigan instead of the ribbon belt.

If the color of this bright orange Lattice top for $24.99 reminds you a little too much of Halloween, don't worry.  It comes in many other colors.   The problem of the open design showing off your bra as well as your style can be easily solved by buying a bra with clear bra straps.

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No outfit is complete without fabulous accessories, like these Cherie flower wedge shoes for $29.99.  Flowers are showing up on shoes so frequently they are a definite trend.  Unlike a floral print dress, which can make you look like you are wearing cheap bed sheets if the print  is done badly, a flower at the toe of a shoe looks feminine and sohisticated.

Decorative Dishes take Inspiration from the Garden

Fresh flowers are lovely, but their beauty is fleeting.  To grace your table with flowers that last forever try adding a few floral inspired pieces to your tabletop.  Flower designs can look fresh and sophisticated or they can look cute and predictable depending on the pattern. 

For a more contemporary look skip the overly small and dainty floral patterns and go for the bolder interpretations like Martha Stewart's Tea Blossom Dinnerware set for $32.00.  These microwave, dishwasher and oven safe dishes look like finer china but wear like everyday dishes.

For less fancy a hanging out on the porch kind of vibe Pfalzgraff introduces the apty named Patio Garden Dinnerware set.  The pale silhouette of  graceful flowers against a backdrop of nature inspired colors is a more relaxed and casual take on the floral motif.   

 

Serving hungry guests anything even remotely tasty means that your soon to be empty serving dish will soon become a main attraction, so you might as well buy an attractive one.  The sections of this White Divided Serving Dish for $18.00 are spread like the petals on a blooming flower.  The snack dish makes everything from veggies and dip to nuts or candies look like a gourmet treat.     

Thongs are Just the Thing for Warm Weather Dressing

Some fashion phrases, like flip flops and thongs, are used interchangeably and inaccurately.  A flip flop is a pair of plastic shoes usually available in bright candy colors that are so cheaply made they are practically disposable.  The fact that the word "flop" is used in the description is a major clue that these shoes don't exactly represent high style.  Thong sandals are a step up from flip flops.  They are usually made in better quality more attractive materials with an emphasis on looking sleek and stylish.  Flip flops are casual, a well designed pair of thong sandals is casual chic. 

With their studs and extra straps, these City Style Studded Thong Slides for $18.36 pick up on the gladiator trend in sandals without taking the trend too far.

 

Talk about jewelry for your feet, these Mork Mirrored Slings for $22.99from Payless are a shining example of how a bold touch of gold can transform a simple design into a simply stunning pair of shoes.

 

The black patent material, silver accent, and slightly raised heel lend an air of respectability to these Merona Elda Thong Sandals for $22.99.  I would feel perfectly comfortable waltzing into a nice restaurant or (window) shopping in some of the more upscale stores confident in the knowledge that fashionable thongs would not be a flop among a more stylish crowd.

Form Follows Function and Frugality in Decorating

What I have learned from decorating on a budget is that you have a better chance of getting a good deal if you can look at an object within your budget and imagine it in your home serving a purpose it wasn't originally intended for.

For example, when I found a clearance priced set of three nesting tables I immediately saw their potential. The tables are made of four solid panels each. Think of a rectangular box with the lid and back removed. I knew the nesting tables could easily be stacked and rearranged to suit my mood and my decor. I turned two of the tables on their sides, stacked one on top of the other and used this as a bedside table. The third table acts as a storage cube that sits on the floor displaying books and decorative items.

When I moved into my apartment I couldn't find stylish budget friendly curtains for the two windows in my bedroom so I bought some solid colored shower curtains that were both attractive and cheap. I am not a morning person, so when I noticed the curtains weren't heavy enough to block out the bright morning sunlight, I bought shower curtain linings in gray and hung them behind the shower curtains to help block out the light. I hung the curtains with decorative shower curtain hooks. One disadvantage of buying shower curtains is that they stopped several inches above the floor which looked unattractive. I disguised this problem by putting furniture in front of the curtains, a chest went in front of one window and a nightstand in front of the other, to hide the gap between the bottom of the curtain and the floor.

In order to avoid cramping my budget, a lot of my furniture falls into the low budget "some assembly required" category, but I don't let that cramp my style. In my apartment I have stacked a couple of faux wood grain storage cubes on top of each other to serve as one end table, a TV stand that serves as an end table, but no actual end tables next to the couch. These disparate pieces work together because they are close in color and scale. The TV stand is wonderful for clutter control. The open shelf designed to hold a DVD player instead holds magazines and a serving tray that keeps my remotes and TV guide corralled and out of sight. By seeing potential in these objects, I gave myself more options than if I limited myself to buying actual end tables. I also paid less than I would have for end tables that offered me the same kind of storage I have now.

Narrow CD towers about four feet high are great for storage in small spaces. In a well ventilated bathroom the tower can hold toiletries, washcloths and rolls of toilet paper. Next to the kitchen or dining area the tower could be put to use to hold mugs, cocktail napkins, or extra glasses not much taller than a music CD. This frees up some kitchen cabinet space while keeping things you don't use every day but still need easily accessible.

On my bathroom counter I organize my cosmetics with three acrylic tumblers, short wide glasses. One glass holds lipsticks, the other glass holds eye products like mascara, eyeliner and an eyebrow pencil while the third glass holds brushes and combs. I don't remember how much I paid for the glasses, but I'm sure they cost a lot less than the acrylic organizers specifically designed to organize cosmetics.

An attractive bed sheet also works as an attractive tablecloth. Sheets come in such a variety of patterns and colors there is a style and price to suit every taste and table. For a richer look, layer a solid colored tablecloth under a lace tablecloth. More options for tablecloths include machine washable blankets and quilts to give a warm cozy feeling to the table on a chilly day.

Another way to get good deals is to shop unexpected places. A printer cart with shelves and cabinet doors that I bought at an office supply store acts as space saving table for my sewing machine with sewing supplies neatly hidden behind the cabinet doors.

When decorating with and eye toward function and frugality is done well it has the potential to create a more interesting and unexpected decor than if you had bought the "right" pieces.

The Summertime Blues

Inevitably the arrival of warmer weather is accompanied by some loud "it" color of the season, like bright lemon yellow or neon orange, but when the heat is on many women choose to skip the latest "it" color in favor of cool blues.  Blue, the color of swimming pools and ocean waves, looks and feels cool always. 

Accessorizing this Allen B. Flutter-Sleeve Surplice Dress for $41.99 with heavy strappy sandals prevents the ruffled dress from looking too precious, but I don't care for the belt.  Another accessory that would tie in with the shoes would be a men's style watch wide a wide leather band.

Brighten up your warm weather wardrobe with this Dana Buchman Signature Hobo for $39.60.  The designer manages to literally put her signature on the bag by having her initials woven into the fabric in a shade that blends in with the background of the bag.  The resulting effect is that you can wear a logo bag without looking like a walking billboard for the designer.

This Old Navy Women's Sleeveless V-Neck Sweater for $19.50 look pretty and polished when layered under a lightweight jacket or cardigan or sport and chic when worn with city shorts or a casual cotton A-line skirt.  There are two different variations on the rib knit topped off by a flat band of fabric around the neckline.  This change in texture is a more subtle way to add visual interest than using a print or contrasting colors.

Save Cash When Stores Close

When a retailer has a store closing sale the implication is that they have fallen on hard times and they are so desperate to get rid of merchandise that they are willing to sell it at rock bottom prices.  The reality is that even when stores close the retailers still want to make money and will engage in some pretty deceptive tactics to make an extra buck or two.  One recent article I read talked about how the Linens N Things store actually infcreased the cost for a lot of it's store merchandise and then took discounts off of that inflated price which left buyers to purchase what was essentially regular priced merchandise. 

Another deceptive store closing tactic is when they say markdowns are go up to a certain percentage, like "Up to 40% off!".  Once you start shopping at the store you soon realize that most of the merchandise is only 20% off which is the type of deal you can get at stores that are not going out of business.

In spite of the questionable tactics used, there are still plenty of great deals to be had at store closings and smart shoppers keep their eyes open for store closings in their area.  Here are some store closings to keep your eyes open for in the next year.

Peir 1 Imports is closing 80 stores.

Ann Taylor is closing 163 stores.  Ann Taylor is known for good quality classic clothes that don't go out of style so if a store near you closes it's definitely worth checking out.

Macys is closing 11 stores which means  sales on everything from fashion to home decor.

Yankee Candle is closing 28 illumination retail stores.  Yankee Candle is sold through other retailers like Bed Bath and Beyond so their product should still be easily available to candle lovers.

World Market is closing 26 stores. 

Being famous apparently doesn't always pay the bills.  Famous Footwear will close 30-35 stores. 

The women's clothing store Chicos is closing 25 stores.  Their merchandise has a nice mix of patterns and easy to wear knits but the prices are so inflated that a store closing sale is probably the only way I would buy one of their pieces.

Don't Befriend a Spammer

I recently started a style club for the purpose of meeting women with an interest in fashion, beauty, home decor and fine dining.  Basically the purpose of the club is to help women meet other women with similar interests and hopefully make lasting friendships.  To help promote the club a posted an ad on craigslist.com. 

The first response from the ad that I received simply said that they had tried to email me twice.   My reaction to this email was to check my spam folder where I found an email from someone else responding to the ad.  Since these two emails were the only response I had received from the ad at that point I automatically assumed that my email system was blocking legitimate emails coming from craigslist.  I felt bad about this person repeatedly trying to get in touch with me, so I sent them an email with a sincere apology, a brief description of the club and my real email address so there wouldn't be any further communication problems.

I got an email response back from this person so fast it was like a computer sending out some sort of autoresponse.  The email said that they "Read your post and ive got a solution for you." and then went on to describe how they were unemployed but a blog that supposedly shows you how to get free government grants solved their financial worries.   Gee I wonder, does this special system require that I give you money or just enough personal information to steal my identity?  No wonder this person, or more likely a computer, got blocked by my email filters, it has scam written all over it.  I didn't say anything in my post about being unemployed or looking for easy money.  The emails I received could have been directed at anyone posting an ad on craigslist.  Here is what I have learned from the experience.

If you have more than one email address, say one for personal and one for business, respond to vague emails, like someone saying they have trying to get in contact with you about your ad but they make no specific reference to what was in the ad, reply to that person using your business email or whatever email you don't use for personal and important matters.  A gmail address works for this.  If you don't want to keep track of multiple emails indefinitely you can set up a gmail account before the craigslist ad runs and close the gmail account after the ad expires.

Instead of repeating information they can get elsewhere, use your email response to direct them to another source.  I have a page set up on Meetup.com for my Women of Style group which tells anyone interested what they need to know about the group. 

I received the email promoting the government grant blog literally less than a minute after sending the apology email to what I thought was someone more interested in meeting people socially than scamming them.  It takes longer than a minute to compose the promotional email they sent me which means the promotional email is part of some sort of autoresponse computer program and was not typed out and sent by a human being as a response to the email I sent them.

By the way, if you happen to live in Kansas and you would like to learn more about the Women of Style group just go to meetup.com and type Women of Style in the search box.  I would be happy to have you join the group, just as long as you don't try to sell me something!

Add Coupons To Your Shopping List

I've always been good at collecting coupons, I just haven't always been good about using those coupons before they expired.  After throwing away countless expired coupons over the years I finally came up with the brilliant idea that I should go through my coupons whenever I make a shopping list.  If I am going to the grocery store for example, I will grab my coupon stash from my purse and pull out any grocery related coupons.  

If I have a coupon for salad dressing I will make a point of including salad dressing on my shopping list.  After all of the grocery store coupons that I want to use have been added to my shopping list I can fold the list in half like a file folder and tuck the coupons I want to use inside. 

Coupons can be a great savings tool but they can also distract you from the fact that they often apply towards the more expensive brands.  When I get to the store I can compare the price of the store brand generic salad dressing against the price of the salad dressing I am buying.  If the generic salad dressing is cheaper than the dressing I have a coupon for even afterfiguring the coupon into the price, I will buy the generic salad dressing.  After all, shopping smart isn't just about clipping coupons, it's about getting the best price, period.

Oriental Accents add Contemporary Flair to Any Room

The contemporary look of simply styled Oriental influenced pieces adapts beautifully to a variety of stylish settings.  

Even the humblest nick knack can take on the air of a highly prized collectible if it is displayed well.  These Mingei Display Stands for $129.00 a piece from Oriental Furniture showcase your perfume bottle collection or anything else you deem worthy of displaying.

Multitasking furniture pieces are ideal for people who move regularly or people like me who get bored with their home decor long before they move.  This Circular Honey Stand for $169.00 from Oriental Furniture acts as an end table or a stool.  As a stool it provides that one extra seat for social gatherings.  As a small table it can go just about anywhere you need it.  What I love abut this design is that it looks interesting enough to avoid the assembly line feeling you often get with affordable furniture but not so different that the novelty of the design wears off after a while. 

 

  CD display cabinets are terrific for small spaces or wall areas that are too narrow to handle larger furniture pieces.  The clear glass door on this CD Display Cabinet for $99.00 by Oriental Furniture makes me want to find something a bit more attractive that plastic CD cases to store inside of it.  Dishes such as small vases in brilliant colors, decorative bowls or small teapots seem more suitable for showing off than my love of silly 1980's pop music. 

Unlimited Jewelry Savings at the Limited

The Limited is has a nice selection of jewelry priced low enough for you to adorn yourself as much as you want and still have money left over for chic clothes.  Right now they are having a buy two get one free deal on their jewelry.

This Stone Drops on Chain sells for $26.50.  When wearing a charm bracelet it's important that the charms are three dimensional and look good from all sides since the charms will probably flip over a lot when worn.  Wearing large beads like the ones on this bracelet ensures the bracelet will look charming from any angle.  (That's the last of the charm puns I promise.)

Delicate necklaces are often lovely, but it's the more dramatic necklaces like this Frozen Snake Chain for $29.50 that make a real statement.  I'm not particulary fond of snakes but I am fond of necklaces that get noticed.  The open spaces between the metal bands prevents the necklace from looking and feeling too heavy.

Whether it's a cocktail ring or a casual daytime look, 0ne bold ring looks far more stylish than a bunch of dinky ones on the same hand.    The brass bands on the Caged Stone Ring for $22.50 add a much needed design element to a very plain stone.   They frame the simple brown stone beautifully.