Bargain Shopping Tips & Pics from Christmas

Hey everyone!

So I know its been a while since I’ve posted, but I’ve been busy with the holidays and being sick. I just now got the energy to get up out of bed and get my mind working again to come up with a good post.

Keep reading until the end of the post for some pictures from my Christmas.

First of all, how was everyone’s Christmas? I know a lot of you might have gotten money and gift cards for Christmas and want to go shopping! So I am going to show you how to get more for your money and shop wisely!

Do your research:

The key to shopping wisely is doing your research. I like to do a lot of shopping online because I can go to websites like www.shopping.com or just the shopping section of Google, Bing, or Yahoo and type in exactly what I want. If you don’t want to shop online you can type in what you want and sort it by price and find the store that has it at the cheapest price.

Know what you want:

Another good thing is to know what you want. I know it is really irritating to go shopping for the day and be searching around everywhere, not knowing where to go, just to find one specific thing. So its good to look online with the shopping websites, find a store, then call the location near you to ask them if they have it in the store, or just order online.

I also like to make lists. The main times that I go shopping is for each major season. When I look through  fashion magazines and see what is popular for the season, I make a list of what I am looking for the most.

For example my list for winter had things like: scarves, black suede boots, gray ankle booties, leggings, sweaters, black pea coat, etc. The more specific the better, and less stressful your shopping trip will be.         

A lot of times that I just go to the mall not knowing what I want, I browse around for hours and then end up coming home with nothing or something I didn’t want and just settled for.

Choose wisely & Wait:

Do your research ahead of time to know what you want actually costs. Avoid impulse buying. If you see something in a store that you really like but is expensive WAIT! Things always go on sale, usually a in a few weeks, or if the season is going to change. I know it is exciting when the store first gets them in, but they mark them up at first, then put them in the clearance. Also, SLEEP ON IT. If you want a major purchase, wait a few days and really think about whether you really like it or even need it. 

Use coupons & Sales:

One of the good things about shopping online is you can always find discount codes. There are so many sites that provide tons of coupons like:

http://www.couponcabin.com/ 

http://www.bestonlinecoupons.com/ 

http://www.couponmountain.com/ 

Just type in the name of the store and coupon codes. There are so many sites. Just look around! Never checkout online without at least searching for a coupon. The only thing with this is people post these codes so sometimes they may not work or they are expired. Usually beside the code it will have a percentage of whether the code worked or not. Most stores will not let you use more than one so try out different ones to see which ones make you total the lowest. 

Sign up for emails from stores. They will send you coupons and alert you when they are having a sale. Sometimes it can get annoying to get a ton of emails, but if you are shopping, use them! Sometimes they even send you stuff in the mail with sales and coupons. I know Victoria’s Secret does this a lot. 

Ask the sales person if they have any discounts or sales going on. One time I was at the checkout at American Eagle and my mom happened to mention my birthday and they said they give discounts if its your birthday or even a family members. Just yesterday I was at Charlotte Russe and they had a sign in the dressing room saying 10% off if your a student or in the military. They just asked for my student ID and I got a discount! A lot of times they don’t like to advertise those kind of sales but they do have them, just ask!

Another thing I like to do when I go in a store is go straight to the clearance and sale sections. I don’t even bother looking at the new arrivals first. Then if there is something I really like in the new section if I wait a week or two it will be on sale. 

Also watch out for false sales. A lot of stores put up signs saying SALE when they just marked up the items then put them on sale and you’re not really getting a deal. So its good to know what things cost. And don’t let yourself get sucked into sales or buy something just because it sounds like a good deal. That’s what they want you to do.

Shop opposite seasons:

I know this is a hard thing to do because we all want the new stuff that just came out for the season. But for basic things like jeans, tees, camis, and shoes, its good to buy them opposite. Jeans are usually cheaper in the summer, along with long sleeves and boots. But things like tank tops, flip flops, and definitely bathing suits in the winter. Bathing suits are SO much cheaper in the winter. Victoria’s Secret online and in the catalog always have swimwear sales in the winter. 

Shop at Outlets & Factory Stores:

There is a mall near where I live called Potomac Mills Mall that has all discount stores. They have things like Abercrombie outlet, Hollister outlet, Bebe outlet, BCBG outlet, Victoria’s Secret outlet, Charlotte Russe outlet, H&M outlet, department stores outlets, beauty outlets, and a lot more. So search for outlets near you to shop at. Also a lot of designer stores have factory stores where they sell things cheap. 

Online wholesale stores are also great. Just type in what you want in a search and add ‘whoelsale’. A site I use a lot is:

www.ioffer.com 

It is kind of like Ebay but is based in China so the shipping is high. But with the price of the goods being so cheap, it is still worth it. I usually buy purses, sunglasses, and other accessories on there. But be safe about it and always use PayPal to checkout.

I get my designer bags for $50!

I also do a lot of shopping on Ebay, Amazon, and Overstock. These are great for electronics and phone covers and stuff.

Compare:

Comparing to generic brands is a good thing to do with beauty products. Beauty products are really overpriced mainly to pay for the packaging and advertising. Compare the main ingredients on bottles. They are usually exactly the same. Some things are just better with the brands but basic things are not worth paying more for.

Be smart & Happy Shopping!

Let me know if any of this worked for you. I’ll probably be adding to it when I come across more. 

And for some Christmas pics:

My car was buried in the 2 feet of snow we got last week! I was stuck at my boyfriends house for like 5 days and it was a nightmare to get my car out.

 Oh and I got my hair highlighted! Its not showing up very well in the pics but it has red and blond highlights.

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XOXO,

Gena