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1. Underwears for him:

Please don’t those cheap underwears from Wal-Mart. He deserves to have some good ones from 2xist, C-in2, Calvin Klein, Diesel, Under Armour, etc. Choose any one from the following, they have about the same prices.

HisRoom.com: Men’s underwear only. No coupons ever.

UnderGear.com: Underwear and swimwear for men. 15% off coupon available all the time. Today you can use code U2BC for 15% off entire order.

FreshPair.com: For both men and women. If you want to get an panty for yourself, this is the one. Coupons available once in a while. You can expect one on every holiday.

 

2. Geek Toys:

Brook Stone: My husband and my son will enter this store evertime they go to the mall. Most of the time they don’t buy anything. Pay attention to the item your husband shows most interests. Then shop it online at BrookStone.com, and you can always save 20% to 30% off your entire order with our coupon codes.

ThinkGeek.com: Most men like geek toys since they were boys. At ThinkGeek you choose the toys based on the themes, such as Star Trek, Angey Birds, etc. $5 off or $10 off coupon can be found here.

TFAW.com: Things from another world. Best for comic books as well as other geek toys. Free shipping coupons are available, but no dollar off coupons.

 

3.Personalized T-shirts:

Cafepress.com: Any type of T-shirts can be found here. Customize one for him and one for yourself. 30% off coupon available very often. Use code BLISS to get the discount today. If you shop today, you will receive 30% off automatically during checkout, no code needed.

Snorgtees.com: Find all funny T-shirts here. 15% or 20% off coupon available sometimes, but not today.

Jinx.com: Video-game themed T-shirts, such as War craft T-shirt, Mario T-shirt, and more. 10% off coupon available all the time.

 

4.Computer accessories:

There are many of them selling computer accessories. The following two are the ones I want to recommend to the ladies. If you don’t know what to buy, rank the itmes by popularies, or by most reviewed.

Newegg.com: The most popular store for computer parts as well as electronics. No general dollar off or percentage off coupon for Newegg.com. But we have many coupons for select items, which can save you $5 to $20.

eCost.com: The best part of eCost is their Daily Deals. Some of them will only last a few hours. No coupons ever.

 

5.Camera & Accessories

B&H Photo Video: Best place to shop for cameras and lens. All brands are available, and most of the cases you will find the best prices here. No coupons ever. But instant price drops and mail-in rebates available all the time. You can find a complete list of them on our site.

Adorama.com: This place is very hot, because there are many coupons and deals available. And prices are as good as BH Photo Video.

 

6.Knivies & Guns

Budk.com: For knife and sword fans. 10% off and free shipping coupon available sometimes.

Brownells.com: For gun fans. Coupons available for national holidays, especially during the Christmas shopping season. Rebates and price drops available very often.

 

To be continued tomorrow…

A white dress is always essential no matter what age you are and what body figure you are. Pair it with a nude tight for a classic look, pair it with dark stockings for sexier look, pair it with a sparkling stockings for younger look, or pair it with a pink tight for a chick look. White dress can also easily match with any necklace: a shining diamond necklace, a colorful gemstone necklace, or a little heart white gold necklace will adorn your neck.

Today I want to recommend a few white dress, prices from low to high. Some of them have similar designs, but branded one is definitely more expensive than non-branded one, although they may be 90 percent identical. Most of the case a more expensive one will worth the money with better material and better cut if you purchase them from well know fashion retailers. If you like to shop clothing from Amazon or Overstock, especially Amazon’s Market Place, the quality can not be guaranteed, and higher price does not mean better quality.

 

Kohls:

Daisy fuentes Crochet Sweaterdress is sale at $34.50. The soft cotton blended crochet dress will give you a contemporary and charming look. Plus if you use a 20% off promo code LEAP20, the final price is only $27.60.

 

 

Forever21:

The Eyelet Sweetheart Dress w/ Belt is only $27.80. Currently no money saving coupon for this piece. But the price is already very low. It is made 100% of cotton, with a self tie belt. There is very similar one, but with yellow color and no belt, for only $13.50.

 

 

dELiAs:

Bella Dress, $44.50. Three more colors available. dELiAs offers 15% off coupons all the time. After apply coupon code DDC15A, the price is $37.83.

 

 

JC Penney:

Speechless Glitter Tulle Party Dress, $40. Made of polyester, it is perfect for a party dress. We have JC Penney coupons all the time, including printable coupon. 10% to 20% off coupon is very common.

 

Macys:

Speechless Dress, One-Shoulder with Rose Detail, was $79, now $54.99. Unique one shoulder strap, polyester. Rate 4 and half stars by 38 reviewers. Macys offers coupons very often. Unfortunately there is no valid coupon today.

 

Guess:

We posted one as our deal of the day on our homepage today: Annie Sleeveless Dress $98. Halter strap, 100% cotton. GUESS rarely offers coupons. You may expect one during the holiday shopping season, but not now.

 

 

Nordstrom:

Laundry by Design Beaded Waist Bloused Chiffon Dress, $285. Elegance and sexy, with sheer chiffon, made of polyester.

 

Shopbop:

Antipodium Tuxie Dress $402. You have probably seen this on runway. It is expensive. But if you have the extra bucks, it definitely worth the money. If you have ever wanted to dress like a superstar, this is it.

 

 

Some people like to shop at shoe stores, such as DSW or Payless, some prefer to shop at department stores such as Kohl’s or Macys, someone like me shop at online shoe stores online, and some people only shop at sports stores. Today we compiled a list of coupons and deals for buying shoes. Some of the coupons will expire within a few days, you have to hurry to get the discount.

 
Department Stores:

Kohl’s – Extra 15% Off Shoes in the Kohl’s Prom Shop. Use coupon code MYPROM15. Valid through 3/1. This offer is stackable with 20% Off promo code LEAPYR20.

Sears – Celebrate the spring! 10% off shoes with code THINKSPRING. Valid through 3/3.

Target – Spring Break Women’s Sandal Sale, Spend $50 or more, Save 10%. Valid through 3/3. No coupon code needed.

Macys – 25% Off with order of 2 pairs of shoes, coupon code: SHOES. Valid from 3/7 to 3/11.

 

Shoe Stores:

Payless -Save 20% off online  with code 65791. Or enjoy a 15% off printable coupon valid through 3/31.

Finish Line – Free Shipping on New Arrivals.

Famous Footwear – 15% off with code 15SPORT.

Foot Locker – Free Shipping on a $75 Order, promotion code: LKS12237.

 

Online Only Shoe Stores:

BuyAndWalk – 10% off with out exclusive coupon code gogo10.

Shoebuy.com – 20% off entire stock, promo code: WINTER20.

Shoes.com – Buy more save more: $10 off $50, or $20 off $100 w/ code: MCSHOES11.

 

Sports Shoes:

Nike.com – Some of the new styles are only sold here. Free Shipping for Members on orders $100 or more. Sign up to become a Member, Free.

Puma.com – Free Standard Shipping on orders of $85 or more.

Road Runner Sports – Free Shipping on all Orders! Plus get $10 off on $115 order, $15 off on $125 order, or $25 off on $150 order, coupon code: CX11R049.

 

Special Shoe Stores:

FootSmart – EXTRA 20% off Clearance items, Code: SaveMore.

Gravity Defyer – 10% off Gravity Defyer e-gift cards of $50 or more with code PRINGTIME.

Under Armour – Free Shipping on Footwear Orders of $75 or more, code: AFP7D6M9P7EE. Valid 3/31.

 

$100 is a lot money, right? It can buy you 10 T-shirts at Walmart or 20 panties at Victoria Secrets. When you enter Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue, you will know $100 is nothing. Well, you are probably able to buy a face wash and an age defense cream at $50 each. But with online coupons, you can buy brand name bags, shoes, makeups, or even jewelry piece with $100.

Bag:

Look at this Tommy Hilfiger bag. Classic design, only $98. Tommy.com has a coupon for 30% off entire order, if you add any pant in your cart. Use code PANTS30 or PANTPLUS30 to receive the 30% off.

 

Beauty:

If you like Estee Lauder, Macy’s is the the best place to buy. You can choose a Skincare Gift set (two options) or a Makeup Gift set for free with any $35 Estee Lauder purchase. See details here. Plus We have many 10% to 20% off coupons for Macys.com.

Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator Even Skintone Trio (Web ID: 622397): $58. Repair and moisturize to reveal a flawless, luminous, less-lined and significantly more even-toned look.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee (Web ID: 660167): $42. Smooths on as an all-over soft sheen.

 

Jeans:

6pm.com is good place to shop for brand name shoes, as we have recommended before. At 6pm.com you can two pairs of ALDO shoes with $100. But it is also a good place to shop for jeans. Do you own a pair of color jeans? See these colored denim jeans by Sanctuary. There are more colors to choose from, $100.99 each.

Necklace:

Szul.com’s Deal of the Day is my favorite to shop for cheap jewelry. Many of the pieces are below $100, which were a few hundreds dollars before. Their clearance section often has give us 50% or more off the retial prices. See these 1CT Gemstone & Diamond Pendant in White Gold, only $69.75 to $79.75! You can choose from Amethyst, Garnet, Peridot, Citrine, Green Amethyst, Pink Topaz, or Smokey Quartz.

Spring is almost here. Now is the time to shop for new swimwear. If you are going to some beach this spring break, you’d better get ready now. The 2012 swimsuits has arrived at the retailers, while the old ones are on sale now.

Designer Swimwear:

TheOrchidBoutique.com is my number choice for designer swimwear. The best about this website is that it has the back views on most of the swimwears. My favorite designer is AGUA BENDITA. See the 2012 AGUA BENDITA designs below. The price range from $200 to $300 each. We have a 10% off coupon going on for The Orchid Boutique. SouthBeachSwimsuits.com is another choice if you didn’t find anything you want at TheOrchidBoutique.com and we have a 12% off coupon running now. If you are used to shop at Nordstrom or Neimans for swimsuits, try Bluefly.com, you will see many similar styles as you see in the store.

 

For Kids:

Boden is my favorite place shop for kids swmwear. Their designs are very unique, you won’t see any similar pieces from department store like Target or Kohls. They are look so lovely on little girls. See the pircture below. Sizes available for ages from 2 to 14. We have coupons for Boden for 10% to 30% off. But they are usually valid for a very short period, you need to check us back often get the discount.

 

Landsend.com is also a good place to shop for kids swmwear. See picture below. They also have swimwear for both men and women. Landsend is running a Family & Friends sale with a 25% off site wide.

Plus Size:

SwimsuitsForAll.com is the place for plus size swimsuits. They have sizes from 8 to 26W, and brands like Beach Belle, Delta Burke, Longitude by Robby Len, Penbrooke, Maxine of Hollywood, etc. It is running a site wide sale with 40% off this month. Use coupon code: SAVE to redeem the discount. If you miss it, don’t worry. We have many other coupons for them.

CyberSwim.com is also for large figures. With their exclusive Miraclesuit, you will look 10lb lighter in 10 seconds. The secret is the material and the design. If you want to read how it workds, read here. Free shipping coupon available.

Sexy:

Wanna to be ultra sexy? Try Amiclubwear for a club look. Most of the styles are Pucker back, which gives your butt a rounded look. This site offers big discount coupon all the time, from 30% to 50% off your entire purchase.

 

Large size canvas arts could cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars if you buy them from an art gallery. Now you could get them for about $100 to $500 each, depending on the canvas size, from many online retailers. Today I want to introducing three major retailers selling big canvas online: ImageKind,com, GreatBigCanvas.com, and CanvasonDemand.com. They are all subsidiary of Cafe Press, you should expect the same quality from any one of them. I purchased a few times from Image Kind and Great Big Canvas last year when I was decorating my new home. No complaint at all. And a year later they are still as shine as new.

 
Imagekind.com is the largest community for real artists worldwide. The canvas arts you purchased from this website are painted by these artist. The arts here are original, and one of a kind. If you need a unique look of your hourse, this is it. But, it comes with a cost. It is expensive. See the following piece, Butterfly On Lavender Oil Painting by Ginette, one of the top seller a Imagekind. The 32″x22.9″ size with a 1 1/2 gallery wrap is $507. Imagekind also offers photo prints on canvas, or prints to mouse pad, mug, iphone/ipad skins, anything you could imagine.

 

GreatBigCanvas.com is the place I highly recommend. You could find the thousands of canvas arts at much lower price. You could find tranditional art pieces from the greatest artists in the past, such as Van Goghs. A similar size of canvas art with same wrap only cost $174!

 

Canvasondemand.com only print your photoes to canvas. Good thing about it is that it can split the canvas up to 10 pieces, with a same photo or each showing a different photo. I had tried this service yet, But it sure sounds interesting.

These three sites always have same coupons. If one coupon works at one site, you can use it at the other two sites. Today there is a 20% off coupon, valid for all these 3 sites, coupon code: JUMP20. This is not the biggest coupon in the past, though. The biggest coupon is the past one year is a 40% off coupon, and a $60 off coupon with purchase of $200 or more.

Dads should not be left out of their baby’s everyday life. It is important for dads to schedule father-child activities on a regular basis for just dad and the baby. Here are some interesting things fathers can interact with their child and enjoy it. These experiences and interactions will stay in the child’s mind for a lifetime, and also build a father-child bond that lasts a lifetime.

 
Activity 1: Daddy Slide (6-12 mo)

Lean over the wall, hold the baby to your chest and let the baby slide down on your body. Or sit on a sofa, let the baby slide on your leg.

Activity 2: Climb the Wall (6-12 mo)

6 month old baby will start to learn crawling. Lie down sideways, attract the baby climb over your body by rattling a toy on the other side of your body.

Activity 3: Pulling a Ring (3-6 mo)

Give the child a plastic pulling ring. Help the baby to grasp the ring with a full hand, while daddy pulls the ring from the other side.

Activity 4: Daddy Kangaroo (0-6 mo)

Use a baby carrier to hold the baby on your tummy, facing front. Crawl (not jump) on the floor or bed, mimic the sound of a cat or dog, or a kangaroo, whatever that is.

Activity 5: Daddy Boat (0-6 mo)

Lie down on your back, and let the baby lie down on your stomach. Breathe deeply and let the baby feel your tummy move like a boat.

Activity 6: Daddy Bicycle (0-6 mo)

Babies like to kick. Lie down on her back on a pad, hold her legs and pedal her little feet.

Activity 7: Driving a Car (0-12 mo)

Let the baby sit or lie down on a blanket, daddy pulls the blanket slowly in the room.
Activity 8: Hide and seek (6-12 mo)Hide a toy under a baby blanet. Ask the baby to find it out.

Activity 9: Daddy Elevator (3-12 mo)

Put the baby on your shoulder, stand up and down, like an elevator.

Activity 10: Clawling Racing (6-12 mo)

Kneel down and race with the baby. Make sure the carpet is clean enough.

 

American Kitchen 10-piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set, made from professional grade stainless steel. Set includes 1- and 3-quart saucepans (each with lid); 3-quart saute pan with lid; 6-quart stockpot with lid; 8- and 10-inch nonstick skillets. This nonstick cookware set is one of the highest rated cookware set at Amazon by many happer buyers. You could get it for $169 at Amaon (qualified for free shipping) or Costco. But you need to pay tax at Costco. So the best place to buy is Amazon. Prices at other stores: Wayfair: $199; Bed Bath & Beyond: $199; Sears: $221.

 
All-Clad Stainless 9-Piece Cookware Set. Set includes 10-Inch Fry pan, 2-quart Sauce pan, 3-quart Saute pan, 3-quart Casserole, 6-quart Stock pot and 4 lids. This is highest quality cookware set I have ever used. They are sold at Williams Sonoma for more than $1000. But buying it online could save you more than 30%. You can find it at Amazon.com, Wayfair, Abt Electronics & Appliance, Chefs Catalog, or Cooking.com all for $659! We have many coupons for Cooking.com and Chefs Catalog, from $10 off, $40 off, to 20% off entire order, but they are not valid All-Clad items. But if you need to buy some other items, these coupons will save you some money.

 

Do you like Cuisinart? I do. They have the best coffee makers and juice makers. Their 12-pc. MultiClad Pro Stainless Cookware Set is also one the best buys. It is only $209 at Amazon. Or get it for $231 at Barnes & Noble, $254 at Newegg, $299 at Best Buy or Home Depot. Set includes 1-1/2- and 3-quart saucepans; 8- and 10-inch skillets; 3-1/2-quart saute pan; 8-quart stockpot; steamer insert. Or you can find it at Cuisinart’s official website: CuisinartWebstore.com.

 

I am an average mom with an average family income, paying average amount of tax every year, living in an average house like most of other mid-class families, and driving a $25K car filled with 89 gasoline. I have a super smart boy, 8 years old. Well, maybe not that smart, I can’t be sure. I know I am definitely not a “Tiger mom”. I would not ask him to play piano for hours, not even 10 minutes a day. I do not expect him to go to Harvard, because I am afraid I can not afford the tuition. I do not ask him to be the number one in his class, I am satisfied as long as he did his best.

I don’t know how much other parents would spend on their kids. I am posting my average expense on him here. Tell me if I am spoiling him or maybe too harsh him.

Clothes:

I buy clothes for him once every season. All his clothes are either from Gap or Abercrombie and Fitch Kids. I only shop at Gap when I received a 30% off coupon, or A&F when theire is promotion. Every time I would spend about $200 to $300, a little more in the winter of course. So on average I spend $100 every month.

Shoes:

Two pairs every year, each pair is about $60. All his shoes are purchase online from Shoebuy.com. They are either Geox or Clark.

Toys:

About $20 every week. We shop grocery once a week. And we go to the mall almost every week. Every time he would buy a small toy, such as pokemon cards, or hot wheels. I would also buy some educational toys for him online, not very often though. So average expenses on toys for him is about $100 every month.

Books:

His school requires him to read at least 100 minutes a week. He usually finished a book in a week. So we went to Barnes and Noble almost every week, and buy a book around $10. His average expenses on books is $40 every month.

Entertainment:

Movies, Chuck E. Cheese’s, etc., about $ 50 a month. In the summer it would cost more. We went to water parks or other themed parks almost ever week.

Classes:

He joined an art class, $550 a semester, and a swiming class, $370 a semester, and a hip-hop class, $460 a semster. On average that is $200 every month.

Add all these up, it is about $500 a month. Is this also an average number that you would spend? If you read this article please share me your thought and how much you spend on your kids.

 

President’s Day is here. You can enjoy some big discount during this weekend till Monday. Some of the sales are online only.

1. Department store

Macys.com – 15% off entire site with coupon code PRES. Plus additional 10% off on home items. Plus extra 25% off clearance items.

2. Kids clothes

Gap and Tommy Hilfiger offer clothes for both adults and kids. But I like their kids’ designs more than adults’.

Gap.com – EXTRA 25% off Sale Merchandise with coupon code: GAPFUN

Tommy.com – Receive 30% off all sale items with coupon code THSAVE30, or 30% off all non-sale items with coupon code THLEAD30.

 
3. Women’s Fashion

BananaRepublic.com – 30% off, coupon code: BRINDULGE.

Chadwicks.com – 30% off All clearance items, coupon code: CH42486.

ToryBurch.com – 20% off $250, 25% off $500 or 30% off $750, coupon code: PRESDAY.

metrostyle.com – 30% off All clearance items, coupon code: MS39177.

 

4. Underwear and Bras

Freshpair.com – buy more save more, $10 off with $60+ order, $20 off $100+ order, $50 off $200+ order, coupon code: LOVE12.

 

5. Shoes

Shoes.com – 25% off all shoes with coupon code 25SALE.

 

6. Plus Size Apparel

JessicaLondon.com – 40% off entire store with coupon code JLPRES.

OneStopPlus.com – 30% off $75 order or more with coupon code OSPPRESIDENT.

LaneBryant.com – 30% off + Free Shipping, coupon code: GETTHELOOKLB.

 

7. Furniture

Cymax.com – 10% off with coupon code: PRESDAY10.

 

8. Electronics

JR.com – $15 off with $150 order or more, coupon code: PRESDAY.

 

 

 

I am not a millionaire, but I like to shop for luxury clothing and brand name shoes. I can’t afford to shop everyday, but I can window shop everyday. I used to visit Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Ave almost every week, but I usually end up shopping discounted clothing at Last Call by Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom Rack. Here is the good news: you can buy designer’s apparel, shoes and jewelry online at deep discounted prices today!

 
The best place I want to tell you is Bluefly.com. Today you can get an extra 30% off its already reduced-price sale items, now up to 80% off! I spent half an hour browsing the Tops & Tees category, because there are about 200 items to choose from, including brands from BCBG MAXAZRIA, Marc By Marc Jacobs, Wyatt, etc. I bought 3 tops and 3 bras today, the total is only $69.94, plus $7.95 shipping, the final price is $77.89. I did not use any coupon, because the minimum order to apply a coupon $100.

 

 

 

Wyatt smokey lilac jersey scoop neck boxy t-shirt retail price $78, now only $13.99.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twenty orange modal-cashmere scoop neck henley tank was $98, now $13.99.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Torn orange striped jersey Denise tank was $85, now $13.99.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Belabumbum coral stretch bamboo ribbed triangle bra was $42, now $6.99.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natori cafe microfiber Swirl padded contour plunge bra was $47, now $10.49.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only Hearts pink polka dot ‘Mika’ lace trim underwire bra was $66, now $10.49.

 

 

 

 

What a deal, isn’t it? If your order total is over $100, you can save $15 with a coupon code 15OFF, or you can save $50 with $250 order or more with code BEFRUGAL50.

 

 

 

Many couples get married after dating period, and gradually lost the passion and romance. For a married man in the daily lives, he has probably stopped flirting with you for a long time, and more will be used as a tool in the sex. Where is the man who used to tell you that in his mind how important you are, who gave you cheerful smile and gentle caresses everyday? Marriage is really a graveyard for a couple? How to let your men wake up? How to get him back to the passions? Here, you have to do is perhaps follow the 3 steps to make yourself a lovemaking artist, and you will rekindle his love in your relationship.

 

Tip 1: Live a more romantic life.

Romantic life, is not just for young couples, but also for all the stages of marriage. Romance are sweet adhesives to your relationship. Tell him clearly that, romance is necessary even after 10 years of marriage. And then, work out together with him on romantic plans, including revisit the palce you first met, or places full of memories, refresh the feelings of your first date,or  go to the theater of your first date, travel to the place you first traveled… Pick a common holiday, and practice all of the wonderful “first” to remind him once again.

Frequent giving gifts and sending flowers are replaced by groery shopping, changing diapers or picking up kids from schools. To change it, try to buy him some surprise gifts, and he will do the same to you. If you shop online very often, it will be only a minute or two for you to find him a small gift. If he is a geek fan, try ThinkGeek.com, lots of geek stuff like iPhone controller toys, or iPad arcade stick. If he is football fan, try FootballFanatics.com and get him a jersey. Be creative, there are thousands of gift ideas which could cost as little as $10.

Tip 2:  Communicate in a gentle, clear manner.

Clearly express your idea, tell him every day to have at least half an hour of conversation, only between you and him. Constantly tell him you love him, tell him you need him, tell him what kind of love you need. Men like it in a simple and direct way. Once you have identified your needs clearly, he will follow.

Are your conversations all about mortgage, bills, and children? If so, you need to find more new topics. Talk about the topics that make both of you happy. Find topics belongs to you and your husband only. Find common topics you both enjoy.

Tip3: Have a wonderful sex.

Many men have the feeling that after many years of marriage he began to put sex as a pressure of “homework” every few days. He might even deliberately delay the time of “homework”. It is not him to blame to though, but boredom, the less enjoyment, and lack of novelty in yur sex.

Create a scenario: a sexy underwear, a candlelight dinner, a music CD with love songs, a cup of wine… Any bit of unusual change in the daily rigid life will make him happy. Try sexy costume or clubwear at Amiclubwear.com, or find all your needs at FlirtCatalog.com. Men love sex toys too. Adameve.com is the best place to shop, and the Hitachi Magic Wand Massager, $69, is so far the best toy I have ever used.
Make changes: Having sex in the same position and on the same bed for 10 years is tedious, or even painful. If you own an iPhone, try 280+ Best Sex Positions Free for iPhone. You will discover intriguing positions you had never thought of, like the Figure Eight and G-Spot Jiggy…

UGG boots from UGG Australia, soft and cozy, are my favorite in winter times. The classic color of chestnut, grey, or black makes it suitable for all occasions (even a party), while the new color of pink, neon magenta, neon jade, or purple has attracted more teenagers and young women.

 

 

Nordstrom has a large selection UGG for Kids, and the shoes are not only comfortable for the little feet, but also look adorable. They are sold at the original prices, no discount available. Macy’s does not carry any UGG shoes, but they have many EMU shoes, which are very similar to UGG shoes. Plus, if you shop today and enter code “LOVE” at Macys.om, you will receive 10% off all the shoes.

 
Nordstrom used to be my only place to shop for UGG shoes. Now I have turned to online to find more selections. I buy almost everything from Amazon, but I have a second thought on buying shoes at Amazon. I have heard some complaints from my friends that they bought fake UGG shoes at Amazon.com. 6pm.com offers the largest selection of UGG shoes online. There are about 600 styles to choose from, and 296 styles are on sale with 40% to 60% savings. Many classic styles can be found on the sale page.

 
See this beautiful UGG Women’s Lattice Cardy, 5 colors available, $140 at Shoes.com. Shoes.com also carrys a large selection of UGG shoes, 359 styles to choose from, for both men and women, boys and girls. We have many coupons (such as 20% off with code “SECRET20“) for Shoes.com, but they are not valid on UGG. There 70 styles are on sale, with price drop of 5 to 15% off.

 

 

Onlineshoes.com has less selection on UGG shoes. But some of them are sale with lowest prices. Women’s Tularosa Route Detachable Chestnut Sale: $149.99 Reg.: $249.95 Save 40%! It has a 10% off coupon (code: 2GOOD), but again not valid on UGG.

 

 

 

 

ShoeSteal.com is offering a 15% to 40% off all UGG shoes, not many selections though. Check out this Kids’ Classic Tall Stripe, Pink/Heathered Grey, now on sale at $102.00, was $120.00, save $18.00. Today it has a 25% off coupon (Code: STEAL25), not valid on UGG though.

As your age passes 35, your family doctor will probably advice you to take some vitamins to improve your immunity or bone density. And when getting older, you will need CoQ10 or Omega 3 for your heart health. Buying these supplements from CVS or Walgreens may be the most convenient way, but it is also the most costly way.

 
GNC and Vitamin Shoppe are the two most well-known vitamins and supplements retailers. I wouldn’t walk into a local GNC or Vitamin Shoppe store, simply because there are too many selections. I like to shop at their websites though, as I can take my time to read the product descriptions, especially reviews from other shoppers. GNC offers a 25% off sitewide coupon about once every month. It will be valid for one day only, or even a few hours. You have to watch for our site closely or signup our GNC coupon newsletter to get notified. We also have some printable GNC coupons for select brands for you to take to the local GNC store. VitaminShoppe.com do not offer sitewide coupons. But the best about it is its free shipping policy with any order of $25 or more, while at GNC you have to order minimum $99 or get free shipping.

Beside GNC and Vitamin Shoppe, Puritan’s Pride and Purity Products are the two nutritional supplements retailers I want to recommend to you. Puritan offers coupons for 10% to 15% off or free shipping very often, but only valid for a few days. The best part about Puritan is its buy 1 get 1 free or buy 2 get 3 free offer, valid on all their products. The one I buy every few months is Puritan’s Pride Women’s One Daily Multivitamin 100 Coated Caplets, it is buy 1 get 1 free (2 for $12.99), or buy 2 get 3 free (5 for $25.98). You can’t get any better deal from CVS or Walgreens. The Perfect Multi by Purity Products “makes no compromise for quality” as it stated is much more expensive than ordinary multivitamins. But you can get 1 for free if you buy 4. Plus there are many 20 to 30% off coupons: save 30% with code BIGBLUE today!

If you prefer natural herbs, try Blessed Herbs, Native Remedies, and SunFood. The Colon Cleansing Kit is the best sell products at Blessed Herbs, and we have 10% off coupons valid all the time. Native Remedies offers mood control, stress & sleep support etc., as well as multi vitamins for general health. There are 15% to 25% off coupons or $5 to $15 coupons, a few times every month. Sunfood is my number one choice for superfood, which has high concentrations of essential nutrients with proven health benefits. There is no sidewide coupons for Sunfood.com, but certain categories are on sale from time to time.

For muscle building, try BodyBuilding.com, Muscle and Strength, or Zupplements. BodyBuilding.com is my number one recommendation, you buy products based on your goal, such as: Build Muscle, Lose Fat, Improve Sports, Increase Energy, Improve Endurance… There are many $5 to $15 off coupons for you to save at BodyBuilding.com. If you wan to lose or control your weight, a weight management system, such as BodyMedia FIT LINK Armband, is an effective way to monitor and keep track of your fitness program in real time, while at Heart Rate Monitors USA, you can find many similar prodcuts at lower costs.

For your beloved husband, a digital SLR camera or a spare lens should be your top choice as a valentine’s gift. I am not an expert on digital cameras. I don’t know which brand or model is the best. But I do know where to find the most popular model and the best price.

 
There many articles on the internet teaching you how to pick a right DSLR camera. You could spend hours or days to do the research. But I am not so into cameras, and I am too lazy to read the product reviews. If your husband won’t read them for you, or if you wanted to give him a surprise, here is the easy way. Go to Costco or Sam’s Club, or their websites, you will see Canon T3i, Canon 60D, and Canon 7D. OK, they are the most popular ones. No more researches needed!

 
I wouldn’t recommend you to buy Canon cameras at their official website Canon.com. Although they do offer some coupons for accessories, there is no coupons for camera body. The best places to shop is BHPhotoVideo.com or Adorama.com. The entry leve digital Canon EOS Rebel T3i Digital SLR Camera, 18 Megapixels, w/ Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens, is only $709 at Adorama.com and BHPhotoVideo.com, while it costs $799 at Sams Club, plus you need to pay sales tax.

 
B&H Photo Video is running a Double Instant Savings on Canon’s camera and lens. Click this link to enter the page.  Select a body (or a body kit) first, choosing from 60D, 7D or 5D Mark II. Then select a lens you needed. The instant discount will be applied once you added both into your cart.

Adorama.com has $50 to $100 discount on Canon cameras this month, eg $100 saving on Canon EOS-7D Digital SLR Camera Body, $50 saving on Canon EOS Rebel T3i Digital SLR Camera, w/ EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens. You need to enter “febcanonslr” into search box to find the specials.

Cameta.com has the largest selection of refurbished Canon DLSR cameras, although it also has many brand new cameras on sale.

Canon 5D Mark II is a higher end DLSR camera, which cost more than $2000 for a body only. It is too expensive for me…

 

Valentines is the time to shop for your loved ones, as well as yourself. Gifts, candies, cookies, jewelry, watches, and beauty products are on sale these days. I like to shop them online, but I hate paying shipping fees or handling fees. If shipping is not free, I wouldn’t buy them at all. For this Valentine’s Day, many beauty retailers offer free shipping. Most of them will expire after 2/14 though. Here are the list of free shipping offers:

Lancome-usa.com: Free standard shipping on any order. No code needed.

Sephora.com: Free shipping with $50 order, no code needed.

ULTA.com: Free shipping on any order with coupon code “SHIPFEB12”.

ElizabethArden.com: Free Shipping with $25 order through 2/16.

MarioBadescu.com: Free shipping on $30 order or more with coupon code “LOVEMB”.

BobbiBrownCosmetics.com: Free shipping on any order with coupon code “HEART12”.

LOccitane.com: Free express shipping on any orders over $60. No code needed.

Free shipping is not enough for you? There are many free sample offers. Place your favorite items in the shopping cart, enter the coupon code during checkout, you will receive the items for free:

Lancome-usa.com: Two free samples with any order, a $19 value. The free samples are: BI-FACIL, Award Winning Eye Makeup Remover 1.7 Oz, and HYPNOSE DRAMA Full Body Volume Mascara. No code needed. Valid through 2/12. You have to click through this link to activate it.

Sephora.com: During checkout you can choose up to 3 free samples at Sephora.com. Samples include Jean Paul Gaultier LE MALE Eau de Toilette, Tocca Graciella Eau de Parfum, and many more. Preview all the free samples here. Plus, you can receive Free 1-year Elle magazine subscription with coupon code ELLE4U, or Free “the art of shaving” pre-shave oil with coupon code PRESHAVE.

ElizabethArden.com: Free 10-Piece Valentine’s Day Gift with Coupon Code VDAY10. Or Free Red Carry All Bag with Coupon Code VDAY40. Many other free samples listed here.

Kiehls.com: 2 free deluxe samples with any Healthy Skin order, Coupon Code: HEALTHY.

BobbiBrownCosmetics.com: Free Mini Mascara with any order, Coupon Code: HEART12.

EyesLipsFace.com: FREE Beauty Clutch ($15 value) with a $25 Order, Coupon Code: BEAUTY.

Neostrata.com: FREE 10g deluxe sample tube of Exuviance Evening Restorative Complex with any order, Coupon Code: DELUXE.

Not satisfied with free shipping and free sample offers? Here are some dollar off and percentage off coupons:
LovelySkin.com: 20% off with code VAL20.
YvesRocherUSA.com: 15% off with code 15DISCOUNT.
Dermstore.com: 20% off Perricone MD items with code PERRICONE.

For you hair care, StyleBell.com and Folica.com are good choices for flat irons and hair dryers.

StyleBell.com: $20 off $100 with code: LOVE20.

Folica.com 15% off with code: LOVEHAIR15.

 

 

To update your look, the easiest method is through an eye-catching hair accessories. As you you have seen them from red carpet or runway show, celebrities’ hairstyle and hair accessoies draw as much attention as their clothing. They are considered the most fashionable and trendy people out there. Let’s see some of the newest pictures here. These hair accessories are from big desingers such as Channel, or Peter Philips.

You can get luxury hair accessories from Louis Vuitton or Saks Fifth Avenue. They will at least cost you $200 a piece, or even more. My favorite place is Urban Outfitters. It is running a stock up sale this week, such as 2 tees from $28, 2 sneakers from $30. They don’t have too many selections on hair accessories. But I love all of them! And the prices are only from $10 to $20.

Modcloth has many selections on flower headband:

Free People has lots of unique designs:

Nordstrom has the largest selection of hair accessories, more than 200 items to choose from. See some beautiful headbands from Nordstrom:

Do you like head scarf? There are many to choose from at Shopbop.com:

 

You may wondered sometimes where the money has gone to? You probably didn’t buy any expensive clothes or luxury watch, but the money just disappeared before you knew it. If you are using any personal finance software such as Quicken of Money, run a yearly report. You will notice that most of your money has been spent on home mortgage, insurance, utilities, phone bills, cables, electricity, internet, etc. There isn’t too much left for you to spend on other stuffs. Well, I want to share some of my tips. There are no secret, but you need to take an action today. You could save hundreds if not thousands of dollars every year.

Tip 1: Start using a personal finance software. I would recommend Quicken or Microsoft Money if you have extra bucks. If not, use Mint.com, an online money management software for free. You could also check out these free softwares. To save money, you have to learn where you have spent the money. Run report monthly, quarterly, and yearly.

Tip 2: Refinance your home mortgage once every few years. I am no expert on mortgage. Consult with your bank, they will be happy to assitant you. There are also many online mortgage lenders. Try to educate yourself before you start. Many information and mortgage calculators are avaialbe online.

Tip 3: Find a new auto insurance every few years. Your current insurance went up year by year, while getting a new policy will get you some extra discounts only for new applicants.

Tip 4: Pay attention to your phone bills. If you are still using a landline telephone, cancel it. Cellphones could be as cheap as landline telephone. Read our article on how to save on cellphone bills. If you prefer to use a fixed -line phone, try VOIP phone service from Lingo.com. It is no difference from the tranditional AT&T, just cheaper and no contract to signup.

Tip 5: Don’t throw away your electricity bills. Spend a minute or two every time you received it. Did the unit price go up this month? You could switch to another company. Do the price comparion like you shop for anything else.

Tip 6: Do the same to your utility bills.

Tip 7: Cable TV, Dish Network or DirecTV could cost you more than $100 a month. Do you really need so many channels? Do you really need HD? A Tivo? A DVR recorder? Cancel the packages you don’t need. Switch to new company if necessary. Secret: if you tell Dish Network that you want to cancel their services, you will get $10 off your bill immediately.

Tip 8: Do you know how much you spend on your internet? Internet service providers improve their speed every year, but you probably are paying the same money for a slower coonection. When you singup for a new service, you have usually signed a 12-month contract to get a fixed price. But after that your price will go up a little. Try to do a price comparison after the contract expires. If you want to stick to the same company, call them and signup for another 12-month to get lower cost.

Tip 9: Get a new credit card, and consolidate all the others to this one. There are many cash back credit cards without annual fees. There used to have a 2% cash back card, but CapitalOne Cash Rewards card is the best one as of today. It pays 1.5% cash back on all purchases (you will get 1% back every month, the rest 0.5% will give to you at the end of the year). Don’t believe those 3% or 5% cash back, read the fine print: they are only valid on certain purchases and may be only valid for one or 3 months.

Tip 10: Don’t try to do tax return on your own. get help from H&R Block. Talk to tax professional face to face. They know secrets you don’t. The money paying to them are always worth it. Donate non-cash items as much as possible is one of the tips they told me. They are tax-deductable, and keep the receipt for every donation you made.

I am sure everyone of you have some good ideas to share. Please comment on us and share them with others.

Every woman loves jewelry, and among all the jewelries, most women love diamonds the most. Diamond earrings, diamond necklace, or diamond rings, women love them all. If you are going to propose, or celebrate your aniversary, or buy her a gift for this Valentine, diamond is always the best choice. Besides the shopping season in December, Valentine’s Day is the best time to buy diamonds and other jewelrys. Let’s see which jewelry retailers are offering good deals these days.

 
1. Macys.com has a coupon for 20% off on almost everything. Use promo code RED to redeem the discount. But this coupon does not apply to jewelrys. There is another 10% off for jewlrys, coupon code: EXTRA. Both coupons will expire soon. Don’t forget to check out the clearance items under the jewelry category. There are more than 4000 items are on sale now! The 10% code also works on these clearance items.

 

Diamond Ring, 14k White Gold Diamond Three Station Ring (3/4 ct. t.w.) Reg. $1,800.00, Was $1,259.00, Sale $899.00. After 10% off coupon, it is $809.10! Shipping is Free!

 

 

 

2. I do window-shopping at Zales all the time. When I decided to buy, I will go to Zales.com, because it has a $50 off coupon always. And for Valentine’s Day, they are offering extra 20% off the clearance items. No coupon code needed for this offer. Just click into the clearance section and add the item to your cart. The discount will be automatically applied in the cart.

 

1 CT. T.W. Composite Princess-Cut Diamond Cluster Ring in 10K White Gold, ITEM # 18134395, Orig. $1099.00, Now $769.30. After 20% off coupon, the final price is $615.44.

 

 
3. Bluenile.com is my favorite place to shop for diamonds. I can choose a loose diamond by price, shape, carat, cut, color, and clarity. And then choose a setting to finish building my own ring. It has the largest selection of loose diamonds at very competitive prices. And now it is offering a 10% off coupon (code: BLUE12) for the Valentine’s Day.

Build your onw ring with diamonds from 0.23ct to 12.35ct, clarity from SI2 to FL, colors from J to D, prices from $222 to $1,354,223!

4. DiamondHarmony.com offer unique designs with affordable prices. Enter coupon code dh50off450 to save $50 if your order is over $450. They have Valentine’s Gift Guide on homepage. Check it out if you are not sure what to buy.

 

 

This is the one I like most. 14k White Gold Captive Love 2/3 Carat Diamond Heart Pendant, Retail:$3,095, Our Price: $1,635, a 48% saving.

 

 

 

5. DiamondsInternational.com is offering a 10% off coupon for the entire site, code: Love10. The reason I love this site is because it listed jewelrys by designers, as well as by collecitons.

 

If your budget is tight, check out their Valentine’s specials. This Heart 18″ Necklace (Item # 1977115) is ony $265!

 

 

 

6. Stauer.com is also offering a 10% off for this Valentine’s Day, code: STR10VAL. The company started as a print catalog business. You can order a catalog through their website if you want to. Stauer offers low price jewelrys, mostly from $100 to $1000, and the designs from copied from famous designers, which dramatically lowered the price.

 

 

DiamondAura True Heart Necklace & Earrings Set (Item # 18210) is only $99! After 10% off, it is only $89.10!

 

 

Valentine’s Day is about love and is the day to celebrate the spirit of love. Valentine’s Day is not only for adults and teenagers, it is also for young kids in daycare and elementary school. It is not about how much money you spend on the gift cards, but to show your appreciations to the ones you love and care.

Beginning of the year is a good time to shop winter boots, or winter jackets and parka as we blogged a few days ago. But please expect to get deep discounts for Valentine’s Day gifts. Besides, V-Day is not about shopping like a Christmas, although retailers do want to sell you as many as possible for the holiday. For parents with kids at daycare or elementary schools, they need to shop for gifts for teachers and students. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make everyone feel special. Here are some ideas:

1. Take your time make a card for everyone. Here are some ready-to-print cards ideas. Then decorate the cards with crafts such as pink hearts, shining beads, etc.
2. Write Valentine’s cards by hands. Write your own words, or copy a poem from internet. Make each card unique so everyone feels special.
3. Attach lollipop to each Valentine’s Day card.

4. Write down you name on each card. Or attach a photo.

5. If you have extra budget, prepare a goody bag for everyone, filled with pencil, heart-shape eraser, stickers, bouning balls, or sticky hand, etc.

And last, don’t forget to decorate a shoebox. Your kids will be asked to put all the valentines into the shoebox and bring it to school on Valentine’s Day.

Orientaltrading.com and BirthdayInAbox.com are the two websites I would shop for goody bags. We have many coupons for Orientaltrading, such as $15 off with $85 purchase or more, or free shipping with $49 purchase. BirthdayInAbox.com never offers coupons, but their prices are very competitive. I can’t tell you which one offers better prices, because they have totally different products. I like Orientaltrading’s toy assortments very much, and they are good for all occasions.

For teachers, gift cards are the best. A $10 one is good, while some people may spend $15 or $25. GC for Target, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble are the most popular ones. Barnes & Noble had an offer in the past holiday season: receive an $10 e-giftcard for free with $100 gift card purchase online. If this offer come back again next year, you should use it and get your Valentine’s cards ready in advance.

 

 

 

Almost every Americans shop at Costco, Samsclub or BJ’s wholesale club. The reason is simple, good quality and low price, although sometimes you have to buy products in large quantities. But do you know there are more and more online-only wholesale retailers nowadays? For small business owners they are good sources of products. But some of them are good for household use too. You probably don’t need buy electronics in bulk, but it is a good idea to buy gifts, toys, baby items, pet supplies, home decorative items, underwear and pajamas in bulk, especially if you have a big family. Today I want to introduce some of the top whole retailers to you.

Smilemakers, part of STAPLES company, started business over 35 years ago. It sells toys, stickers, crafts, pencils and bags for schools and clinics. But now they are open to buyers like you and me at their website smilemakers.com. You can buy stickers or small toys which you used to see at your doctor’s office. Or mix the gifts to fill your own goody bags. Smilemakers offers coupons very often, a 10% off coupon and a free shipping coupon are available all the time.

Speaking of goody bags, OrientalTrading.com is the best place to buy. This is another party city, – everything you may found at Party City, you can find is here at lower price. If you have 3 or more kids at home and need to host birthday parties often, their toy assortment is your choice. You don’t know what will be in your box, a variety of toys for girls and boys will be randomly filled. Today there are 99 assortments for you to choose from for different needs, such as Sticky Assortment, Mini Fingers Assortment, Glider Assortment… We do not have active Orientaltrading coupons today, but we used to offer $15 off coupon quite often. So you should expect they will come back at any time.

 

 

Super Toy Assortment, 50 pcs, $12.00 at OrientalTrading.com. This is my favorite toy assortment for kids 3-5 years old.

 

 

Potpourri Gift started as a mail-order catalog business, while more and more buyers have turned to their website Potpourrigift.com to shop online instead of reading the catalog. Potpourri focus on gifts for home, fashion, collectible, pets, jewelry, or just for fun. The company also operates many other catalogs/websites, such as Country Store, Catalog Favorites, North Style, Pyramid Collection, and more. Technically speaking Potpourri Gift is not a wholesale retailer, because you can buy one item if you want. But their prices for gifts are from a few dollars to $20, perfect if you need to buy a large quantity. The company never offer coupons or coupon codes, but we do list some special deals from time to time.

 

The above websites are for gifts shopping only. There are some wholesale retailers who sells everything at wholesale prices, such as Dollardays.com, AliExpress.com, LightInTheBox.com. Small house hold items at extremely discounted prices are the most popular at Dollardays.com, while AliExpress.com and LightInTheBox.com have more selections on electronics and accessories. See what’s hot at Dollardays.com:

 

17″ Assorted Color Backpacks only $3.75 each;

 

 

 

Silicone Sports Watch $2.50 each;

 

 

 

 

Swan Boy’s Briefs $1.14 each!

 

 

 

DollarDays offer 10% off and free shipping coupon every few days, while a $5 off coupon is valid everyday. AliExpress is China-based wholesale company, and they offer $5 off, $10 off, $20 off, and $30 off coupon from time to time.  LightInTheBox offers $10 and $20 off coupon everyday. Their prices are usually higher than the other two sites. But their dresses, especially wedding dresses are very competitive.

 

When was the last time I visited Sears in the mall? A year, two years, or maybe three years? I don’t even remember. I used to visit Sears almost every week. I knew they had the best price on Levi’s jeans, best quality and services on appliances, and best products for fitness equipments and garden tools. The online shopping hits Sears big time, and I have almost forgot about Sears.

Sears is actually still attracting people by offering good quality at affordable prices. Its stock price went up almost 50% in the past few weeks, while Best Buy was the biggest loser in 2011 and not getting any better in the new year. Sear brands, including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands End, are still ranked most trust-worhty brands in USA.

Sears offers coupons on certain categories very often. It had 15% off shoes, 20% off Craftsman power lawn tools, 15-20% off fine jewelry and more offers in the past few months. But this is the first time comes to my attention that it is offering a sitewide discount coupon. Use coupon code BONUS to save 5 to 15% on everything! It is valid for two days, Friday and Saturday only! 5% off saving is good on tools, grills, small kitchen appliances, and furniture. 10% off saving is good onfitness & sporting goods, patio furniture, mattresses, bed & bath, luggage, window coverings, home decor. 15% off saving is good on clothing, intimates, accessories, shoes, fine jewelry, cosmetics & fragrances, automotive accessories. I hope it is not too late when you read this post.

 

Sears has clothing for both men and women, for both young and old. See this Men’s T-shirt, it is only $9.99!

 

 

Sears.com offers deal of the day. See this Cobra 12 Digital Radar/Laser Detector is only $69.99 today, a $100 saving! NordicTrack T5.5 Treadmill now $579.99, saved $320! Bladez Fitness SXPro Exercise Bike now $449.99, saved $350! Simply Outdoors Roscoe 5 Pc. Firepit Chat Set now $899.99, saved $300!

 

Sears has the larget selection of kitchen appliances, and offers hot appliance deals everyday. Today it is running a sale on all Electrolux ICON Appliances, with savings up to $500! Kenmore and Kenmore Elite are loved by millions of Americans including me. Shop today you will receive 5% off with the coupon. But that’s not all. Sears.com is also offering buy more and save more deal with appliances $399 or higher: buy 2 save 15%, buy 3 save 20%, buy 4 or more save 25%! Some brands are not included in the deal, but Kenmore is! You don’t get this deal at your local Sears. If you are thinking to buy refrigerator, cooking top, washer/dryer, or dishwasher. Don’t miss the deal!

For people shopping bras only at Victoria’s Secrets, I have to tell you that there are more options online now. There are more selecitons, more colors, more sizes, and more discounts at online stores. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Victoria’s Secrets. There is just no need to waste time on trying bras, since I know exactly what sizes or styles I need. If you are not sure, here is a guide on how to measure the right bra size.

BraSmyth.com is my number one place to shop bras. It is running a “2 For Deal” sale, 36 styles are included. It does not offer coupon codes. But price drops or free shipping deals are available all the time.

 

 

Le Mystere Signature Y-Back Underwire Bra Buy 2 and Save.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chantelle Arteforme 3-Part Cup Underwire Bra Buy 2 and Save.

 

 

 

 

 

Grenier Dream Comfort Buy 2 and Save.

 

 

 

Soma.com is running a “Buy 1 Get 2nd 50% off” sale, 22 styles included. Receive free shipping with $100 order if you place the order before Feb. 6. See Vintage Satin Bra($48.00), Minimizing Susana Bra($49.00), Ravishing Push Up Holly Bra($42.00), Ravishing Plunge Push Up Bra($45.00) in the picture. With 50% off the 2nd item, prices are unbeatable! Soma is also running a “70% off Semi Annual Sale”, many bras, panties and sleepwear to choose from. Coupons do not come very often for Soma.com. Try to use code 11178 at checkout. It will save you $20!

EssentialApparel.com is running a 20% to 25% off all bras sale. It offers bras for your essential needs at a very affordable price. See price below, they are only $25 each! And it offers 10% off coupon quite often, however there is active one as of today.

FreshPair.com is offering $10 off sports bras today. There is no active coupon code as of today. Freshpair has the largest selections of bras, and many of them are 20% to 30% off the original prices.

 

 

Winter will be gone within a month or two. People who can’t wait for the summer are looking for shoes for spring/summer already. But do you know now is the best time of the year to buy boots, especially winter boots? Let me show what boots are sale and how to save you big money at different online retailers.

6pm.com: Designer boots on sale this week, all boots are 70% to 80% off MSRP. Look at these boots, Lisa for Donald Pliner only $59.99! 6pm also carries boots by Joan & David, Michael Kors, Cole Haan, and many more. Most of the prices now are from $50 to $200, compared to the original prices from $300 to $500!

 

My favorite brand is Stuart Weitzman. See this glamorous boot, made in Spain, now only $161, was $535! 6pm.com only offers 10% coupon for Black Friday and a few days during the Christmas season. Otherwise do not expect any other valid coupons for 6pm.

 

Endless.com is part of Amazon.com, offers largest selection of shoes, from low prices to designers’ brands, from active shoes to dress shoes. It is running a boot sale lately, all boots are up to 45% sale. And it is also running a sale on select athletic shoes: 20% off with order of $75. See these 7 for All Mankind boots, one of my favorite brands. Endless.com only offer coupons duing the holiday season. I had never shopped at Endless, because of its prices are always a little bit higher than other stores.

Bloomingdales is also running a boot sale, with prices 30% to 65% dropped. There are 350 items in sale, way less than 6pm and Endless.com. But you can assure the quality of Bloomingdales. Bloomingdales.com offers coupons very often, including coupons for $25 off $100 order, or 20% to 30% off family and friends sale.

Macy’s is another store to shop boots. Boots are 20% to 65% off the original prices. And best of all, Maycs.com has coupon for 15% off, enter promo code BEHOME to redeem the coupon. Valid through 2/6.

Sears offers low prices boots. See these boots, only $24.99 to $39.99! Plus, you can an extra 15% and receive free shipping by using coupon code SEARSJAN. Valid on all shoes. Sears has coupons very often, usually 10% to 15% off on select products.

ShoeMall.com has 982 boots to choose from. And currently it has a coupon for 25% off all boots, when you enter promotion code: BOOTS25 on checkout page. After applying the coupon, boots here are certanly the best deals. See these Aerosoles women’s boots.

Bluefly.com: Designer’s boots 40% off sale! We have coupons for Bluefly.com for discount of $30 off or $40 about once a month. The coupons will be valid only for a few days. But if you are new to Bluefly, enter code AFF30 to save $30, valid all time. See these most wanted boots at Bluefly.com.

 

Before the Internet age, Walmart and Target are my favorite places to buy toys. Walmart always has the lowest prices on toys, while Target offers better toys, especially real wood toys which Walmart never sell. Toys R us has the most selecitons of toys for all ages, but their prices are always highest. I bought my children to the tore for fun, but I rarely buy anything, unless something I couldn’t find at Walmart or Target. A few years back, most of the toys are bought from Amazon. Amazon isn’t that cheap, but it is convenient to search toys I need, or research top sell toys others recommended.

Last week I wrote a blog post on Barnes and Noble, because I just realized that Barnes and Noble are now very price competetive on books, comapred to Amazon. And now I just found that it offers very good prices on toys too. Yesterday there is a 40% sale on all Melissa & Doug toys, one of my favorite brands. I bought a princess doll house at only $57. Today its price went back to $95! Too bad I didn’t write a post in time to recommend it to you guys.

Today it is running a 25% sale on all Fisher Price toys. Visit the Barnes and Noble toys page, in the middle of the page you will see “Today’s Deals”. I want to recommend to you some all-time favorite toys from Fisher Price before the prices go back again.

 

$10.46, was %13.95. Fisher-Price Little Superstar Classical Stacker is for 1 year old kids. But my son play it from 6 months till he is 4 years old. It is a simple toy, but kids just love it. The same piece is $13.62 at Amazon.

 

 

$13.46, was $17.95. Laugh & Learn Say Please Tea Set are little girls’ favorite, for ages 6 months and up. It is not only a play set, but a learning toy, – it teaches baby about numbers, and shapes. Girls never had enough of this kind of toys, and they can play it forever, even into teenage. It is $17.75 at Amazon, $17.88 at Walmart, $19.99 at Target.

 

 

$23.96, was $31.95. Fisher Price Learning DJ is another all time favorite. I saw this toy over 10 years ago. And it is still one of the top-selling toys. With 16 song, kids can sing along and learn along with numbers and letters. Its price at Amazon is $40.19!

 

 

 

$33.71, was $44.95. Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Fun With Friends Musical Table is for ages 6 to 36 months. It will keep your babies busy for hours. It is an interactive learning center, which plays songs and teaches letters, numbers, counting, first words, colors, shapes, opposites and animals. It is $44.97 at Amazon and Walmart, $45.99 at Target.

 

By the way, if you are new to barnesandnoble.com, you can save 10% on one item order with coupon code: F7C8V8N.

 

Before the internet era, the only way to get window blinds or shades is go to Home Depot or Lowes. They don’t display all the blinds, but they do have sample blinds about 1 foot by 1 foot. Now you can do your shopping online, and most of online retailer offer free samples too. For example, at Justblinds.com, you can request up to 10 samples for free, and at SelectBlinds.com, you can request 15 free samples at a time! And the best about online shopping is the price. The prices are only fractions of that of Home Depot or Lowes. Today we want to show you where to shop, and how to get the lowest prices with use of coupons.

Buying blinds online are very easy. Step 1: Select a style. If you are not sure, read their reviews, or watch their videos, or consult their sales rep. Step 2: Select size.Step 3: Select color. If not sure, request free samples first.Step 4: Select features, such as mount type (inside or outside), tiler location (left or right), tilter control (cord or wand).

Following are the most popular online blinds and shades retailers. We compare their prices based on a similar wood products at the same size and color.

StevesBlindsAndWallpaper.com:Steve’s Blinds offers lots of coupons. See their “Extreme Price Drop” on top. All their coupons are listed here. But we offer some special coupons they don’t have. For example, 20% off sidewide coupon with code: WP20. Their prices are the best amony all the stores we compared today, even without a coupon. For example: Wood Blinds 2″ Slat2″ Paints and Stains, width: 24″, height: 48″, only $39.06!

JustBlinds.com: It doesn’t offer coupons very often. But now it has a $10 off coupon, with minimum order of $150 with code: Save102006Z12. Just Blinds’ prices are very competetive too. For example, 2″ Premium Wood Blinds, width: 24″, height: 48″, only $44.

At Selectblinds.com, a 2″ wood blinds with same size(24″x48″) starts from $65.97. It has 30% off coupon very often. Enter Upgrade30 as discount code on checkout page the price drops to $46.18. And another offer it is ruuning now is buy 3 get 1 free. You can mix match any 3 blinds or shades, and get the 4th one free! If you combine it with the 30% off coupon, SelecBlinds.com is your best choice!

Blindsgalore.com does not offer sidewide coupons in my experience. But somehow today it has a 10% off coupon with code: GETGALORE. They have coupons for certain products very often though. Their prices are ok after 10% off coupon, for example, Hardwood Blind: 2″ Slats, width: 24″, height: 48″, $46. But they charge processing fees, which is unacceptable. It has a lot more selections than Just Blinds, which is the only good thing about it.

Smith & Noble offers high end blinds, so their prices are also the highest, for example, 2″ Wood Blinds, width: 24″, height: 48″, $102. If price is sensitive to you, don’t choose Smith and Noble. It offers 10% to 20% off coupon very often. But there is no coupon available today. And their prices are very high. I wouldn’t consider it at all.

If real wood blinds are too expensive to you, I would suggest faux wood blinds. The prices above are all for real wood. The faux blinds would be 20% to 30% cheaper, while it is hard to tell the difference any way.

If you ask me when is the best time to a winter jacket, I would say whenever you need it. Most people will start shopping for winter jacket before winter start, say October or November, while some people wait for the Black Friday. People thought they will get big discounts on Black Friday. But believe me, most likely you won’t get what you really wanted. New items and popular items are always excluded from the sale list, and very few retailers will offer site-wide discount on Black Friday.
Winter jackets’ price will start to fall in January. Why? Because retailers want to empty their winter stocks before the spring/summer starts. You probably don’t need a new jacket for this winter any more. But shop for the next winter would be a good idea, especially for kids, who will need a new one every year, or for men, when jacket styles don’t matter too much to them.

I wouldn’t buy winter jackets at a super market such as K-Mart, or Target. Their prices may be low, but you don’t get the quality you deserve. You only need one or two winter jackets anyway, so it is better to get a good one. You can also find cheap ones online at Amazon or Overstock.com. Buying clothes from them are not a good idea, because there is no guarantee on the goods. These big online retailers are not specialized on clothing.

EMS.com, Altrec.com, Backcountry.com Sierratradingpost.com, Rei.com are ones I will recommend for you to shop winter jackets or parka.

EMS.com is the official web site for Eastern Montain Sports, one of the nation’s leading outdoor gear retailers. It started business in Colorado in 1967, now has 65 retail stores in 12 states. It carrys brands like Columbia, Isis, Marmot, Montbell, Mountain Hardwear, Outdoor Research, Rab, The North Face, Western Mountaineering, etc. EMS does not offer general coupons. But it offers sales on certain categories every week and free shipping when your order is over $48. Now EMS is a running a 50% off sale on winter items, which includes all the winter jacks and vests.

See this THE NORTH FACE Women’s Metropolis Down Parka at EMS.com, was $289, now on sale at $231!

 

 

Altrec is a online only store, which means you will never need to pay sales tax no matter which state you live in. It offers free shipping to all states on any order. And best of all, it offers lifetime return. Read the detail here. Altrec.com offers a large selection of winter jackets, – 113 men’s styles, 158 women’s styles, 17 boys’ styles, and 25 girls’ styles, including brands of The North Face, Columbia, Marmot, Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, and Canada Goose etc. Altrec will have a $10 off $100 coupon once in while. 10% off coupons also available on certain products or categories.

Backcountry.com started in 1998, a fast-growing internet only retailers specialized in outdoor clothing, ski, hiking, climbing, and camping gears. It carrys a largest selection of winter down jackets: 129 men’s styles, 160 women’s styles, 17 boys’ styles, and 29 girls’ styles. And it is running a “Save Big On This Year’s Gear -Up to 50% off” sale till the end of the month. An iPad application can be downloaded for your easy shopping. Each product comes with lots of pictures, or even a video. The best part about Backcountry is that you can select a few items and compare them side by side. Free 2-day shipping on orders over $50. No general coupons available for Backcountry.com. But they have sales very often on select categories. Signup their newsletter to receive the promotions in time.

Sierratradingpost.com is running a 50% off sale on down jackets today, valid through the end of the month. Shipping in not free, but it offers coupons very often. 20% off to 35% off coupons are available all the time. They even post coupons on their own homepage. But you better check out our Sierra trading post’s coupon page, because we sometimes have a coupon with bigger discount. For winter jackets, it has less selection than that of Altrec and Backcountry, but more than EMS.
REI has the least selection of winter jackets with the highest prices. The only reason you might want to try REI.com is that you want to return items to their local stores. It has 110 retail stores in 30 states. With the sales tax, the price would be higher. Not recommended! And they never offer coupons, not even during holidays.

 

Did you get a HDTV in the holiday season? If not, now it is another good time to buy a HDTV. Walmart, Newegg and Circuit City are running HDTV sales recently. You may get a better deal than in the holiday season.

The first question of buying a HDTV is: What size is right for my room? Read this article. If you are too lazy to read it, get a 55inch for your living room, and a 42inch for your bedroom. It is that simple.

Then you will need to decide which type of TV you should buy. You have heard enough of LED TV, or 3D TV, or super slim TV. Do you really need one of those? Probably not. LED televisions are really just LCD televisions that use LED lights for back lighting. LED TV can have a very thin depth, and will reduce the power consumption greatly. If you really care about energy conservation, or you need to hang it on the wall, probably you should get a LED HDTV. 3D TV is totally uncessary. First, there ain’t enough 3D movies, second, you will get dizzy or headache by watching them. It is a better idea to watch a 3D movie in the theater, and enjoy the family time as well. Read this article Plasma vs. LCD vs. LED: Which HDTV Type is Best?
The cheapest 55 inch LCD HDTV at Walmart is RCA 55″ 120Hz HDTV, 55LA55R120Q, $749. And it is also the cheapest 55 inch LCD TV across the entire internet. Read the reviews from the happy customers at Walmart. If all you need is to watch cable TV (or dish network/directv), this is best choice. Picture qulaity is good enough, it would be hard to tell a difference from a $2000 HDTV.

 

 

Another good choice is VIZIO 55″ 120Hz HDTV, E552VL, $998. Its contrast ratio is double of that of the RCA 55-in HDTV, which means you will get a more crispy picture. But I tell you, if you are not a pro, it is hard to tell the difference.

 

 

A high end 55-in TV is Samsung UN55D6000 55-Inch LED HDTV. We compare the prices from the major retailers.

Amazon: $1649

Walmart: $1499

Sears: $1699

Dell: $1697

BHPhotoVideo: $1699

Tiger Direct: $1599

Again Walmart has the lowest price. Its contrast ratio are exceptionally higher than the above two TVs. I have used many Samsung TVs in the life. They do deliver a more vivid picture. Especially when you connect it to computer or blu-ray DVD players, you will see the picture quality is better. But again, if watching TV only, the RCV and Vizio are good enough.

For your bed room, the most common TV size is 42 inch. The cheapest 42″ LCD TV at Walmart is Sceptre 42″ 60Hz HDTV, X425BV-FHD, only $359! You won’t be able to find a better deal than this. And these deals will be gone fast, some of these HDTVs are already out of stock at the moment when I am writing this post!

Comp USA and Tiger Direct are offering many coupons for LCD HDTVs. They are valid for select models, such as Vizio E470VA 47in, Vizio E260VA 26 inch, Vizio M420VT-B 42in, Samsung UN55D6400 55″ HDTV & Samsung BD-D5500. Comp USA’s prices are not competitive at all, even after coupons. But Tiger Direct are definitely worth to try.

 

Spring is approaching. Now it is good time to replace your old golf equipment with the new ones. Read this article about before you buy golf clubs. There are plenty of other articles about how to pick right golf clubs and other equipment. I am no expert on this topic. But I am sure a shopping guru. Let me tell you a few tips on how to save money on golf equipment.

First, don’t expect to get good golf clubs at extremely low prices. That’s never going to happen. Golf clubs will cost you from a few hundred dollars to thousand of dollars. You should know exactly what you are looking for and what you need for the near future. Once you’ve identified what types of clubs you are going to buy, set your budget first.

Read reviews, get opinions from your friends, consult with your coach or any expert you know. Good reviews can be found at Amazon.com. You don’t have to buy from Amazon, but it is sure a good source for quality reviews. They are from real players. If you want ask questions, you can post them at golfforum.com, or twitter your questions. If you want to chat, go to TGW.com, click on the “Live Chat” green button, agents are available 24/7, and they are free to help.

Don’t hurry. You are going to spend a lot money, and you better get your money’s worth. I suggest you to sign up newsletters from major online golf retailers. They will send you promotions and sale items from time to time. As I said before, don’t expect to get extremely low prices. But you should be able to save some dollars.

Compare prices.

TGW.com, Golfsmith.com, Rockbottomgolf.com, and Globalgolf.com are the most popular online golf retailers. They sell everything you need on golfing, including clubs, bags, balls, apparel, shoes, and all kinds of accessories. Dickssportinggoods.com is another good one, and better yet, you can return items to their local stores if you are not satisfied. Sometimes you can find good deals at Overstock.com. If you knew what to buy, don’t forget to search it at Overstock. But keep in mind, you may not be able to return it if it ias marked as final sale.

Get coupons.

TGW.com: You won’t see 15% or 20% sitewide coupons very often, they are mostly offered during the holiday season. 15% off shoes or balls or apparel coupons come very often, though. Coupons like “$20 off $100, $50 off $250, $80 off $400” will come once a month.

Golfsmith.com: 15% off coupon is very common, as well as $15, $20, or $50 off coupon.

RockBottomGolf.com: 5% off coupon available, and coupons for a free bag or a free hat, etc.

Globalgolf.com: No dollar off or percentage off coupon availble. Free Shipping coupon sometimes.

Dickssportinggoods.com: $10 or $20 off coupon avaialble.

Now let’s compare prices of a popular driver, TaylorMade Mens Burner Superfast 2.0, at these 5 stores. When comparing prices, don’t forget to include shipping and ta into consideration.

 

TGW.com: $199, shipping $6.99.

Golfsmith.com: $199,shipping $6.99, may need to pay tax.

RockBottomGolf.com: $179, free shipping.

Globalgolf.com: $199, free shipping.

Dickssportinggoods.com: $199. Free shipping, but most likely you need to pay tax.

 

You see, prices are all same except RockBottomGolf.com. But after applying coupons, TGW is as cheap as Rock Bottom Golf.

 

Recently I realized there is a brand new Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble did not redecorated their local stores, nor did they have a new website. But Barnes and Noble is becoming more and more attractive to me and thousand of others. In my impression, it only sells books and CDs at their original prices. It is more like a library to me than a bookstore, since I never bought any book from Barnes and Noble ever since online bookstore are becoming popular.

Things got changed after I recevied a 40% printable coupon in my email in the past holiday season. I thought it could be good to buy a gift for the Christmas. I went to a Barnes and Noble located in a shopping mall. I haven’t been for years. The first thing shocked me is that they have lots of good toys, which I had never seen in Toys R Us or Walmart. Most of them are educational toys. New books are still priced as MSRP. But there are a few rows of bargain books to choose from, and many kids books are marked at discounted prices. And the best news is that the 40% off coupon is accepted. The next day, I printed another 40% coupon!

Let’s compare the price at Amazon and B&N. I randomly picked two best sellers of 2011.
1. The Psychology of Wealth: Understand Your Relationship with Money and Achieve Prosperity [Hardcover]

List Price: $26
Amazon: $15.60. Amazon never offers coupon for books.
BN: $17.33, If you are a member of Barnes & Noble and buy it in store, you will get 10% off, which brings the prices down to $15.60. If you buy it onlne, be sure to use online coupons. You can find plenty of 15% off Barnes & Noble coupons. After applying 15% off coupon code (eg., R9V9D8K), it is $14.73!

 

2. Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) [Hardcover]

List Price: $17.99
Amazon: $8.99. No coupons ever.
BN: $9.98. After 10% off member discount, it is $8.98, – price when you buy in store. If you buy it online, after 15% off coupon, it is $ $8.48!

 

 

You see, prices at Barnes and Noble are actually cheaper! But wait, you need to pay tax at Barnes & Noble. And what about shipping? Let’s do the math again. If you are BN member, shipping is free. Even if you are not a member, shipping is free if your order is ovre $25. So we can ignore shipping when you online at BN.com. And remember shipping at Amazon ain’t always free. The two books above happens qualify for free shipping if order is over $25. Depending on the tax rate of your state and after applying the 15% off coupon, the final prices at Barnesandnoble.com are slightly cheaper than that of Amazon.

Conclusion: I have been used to ordering books from Amazon. I assume that the prices at online only book starts are cheaper. I am wrong, you see. Let’s go back to Barnes and Noble!

Editor’s Words: the 40% off Barnes and Noble in the holiday season is for Black Friday weekend only. The most common printable coupons you will receive from emails are 15% off. But they also send 20% or 25% off coupons from time to time. These coupons are valid both online and in store. When you receive them you knnow you should not waste your chance.

If you are still buying contact lens from a local eyewear store or from your optometrist, you should switch to online contact lens stores. Buying contact lens online are very easy:

Step 1: Select your most trusted brand. All online stores will carry these popular brands: Acuvue, Air Optix, Avaira, Biofinity, Biomedics (Aqualite), Bausch & Lomb, Boston, CIBA Vision, Clearsight, Coopervision, Dailies, Focus, Frequency, FreshLook, Proclear, PureVision, Soflens.

Step 2: Enter your lens options from your prescription. Power/Sphere: Strength of lenses, a number between –20.00 and +20.00; BC: Base Curve (back curvature of lens), a number between 8.0 and 10.0; DIA: Diameter (diameter of lens), a number between 13.0 and 15.0. Don’t worry. If you are not sure, you can get help via online chat.

Step 3: When you are ready to checkout, you will be asked to enter your doctor’s name and phone number. Actually you can enter anything here. They don’t verify at all.

ACLens.com, DiscountContactLenses.com, Lens.com, 1800GetLens.com, VisionDirect.com are the most well-known online contact lens resellers. They all provide good services, but their prices are different. A price comparison engine will not tell you who is cheaper, because these retailers provide different coupons from time to time. A good coupon will save you big. If you don’t see one today, better come back later.
Today we did a price compare on these five stores. We pretended to order 20 boxes of 1-DAY ACUVUE (10 boxes right eyes, and 10 box of left eyes). See our results below.

ACLens.com: $21.95/box, final price $395.10 after 10% off coupon code “CHILL”.

Discount Contact Lenses: $21.95/box, final price $395.10 after 10% off coupon code “NY2012”.

Lens.com: $20.99/box, final price $430.03 after $25 off coupon code “FIRST-12DK”.

1800GetLens:$20.99/box, final price $430.03 after $25 off coupon code “FIRST-12DK”. Same company as Lens.com?

VisionDirect: $23.99/box, final price $359 after 25% off coupon Code “25NEW”. This is coupon for first time customers. For returned customers, use code “20NEW” for 20% off.

Today’s winner is Vision Direct!

Using coupon code at ACLens.com or DiscountContactLenses.com is tricky. You need to enter the code into “Special Comments or Instructions” on the checkout page. We created a video to show you where to enter coupon code at ACLens.com and DiscountContactLenses.com.

Remember the old days when you want to buy a TV or a dish washer, you’d walk into a Best Buy or Circuit City and a sale clerk will help you to make a decision, or recommend you something you don’t need? Now with Circuit City stores all closed, did you visit Best Buy more often? I bet you did not. You would do a product research online first, then do a price comparison, then serach for available coupons, and finally you would make a purchase online. Accoding to the recent stats by The New York Times, more than 55% off Americans buy electronics and computers online (exclude large appliances such as dide-by-side refrigerators) at least once in 2011. And apparently the number will grow fast with time. Best Buy’s stock (BBY) lost 40% of its value in 2011, and it closed all its stores in China and UK. Did that tell you something?

There are a few hundred of online electronics retailers listed in Google price comparison. Most of them are rated 4-5 stars. But the ones I would recommend are: B&H Photo Video, JR.com, Abt Electronics, Abes of Maine, and Onecall. They all offers digital cameras, camcorders, HDTV, audios. B&H and JR also offer large selection of desktop computers and notebooks. They are in business for more than 10 years, they are large companies, they have very detail product dscriptions, they have many product reviews for your reference, they have easy return policy, they don’t try to sell you extra stuff you don’t need, they offer white glove dilivery. In one word, you can trust them and their prices are always lowest. Sometimes you will find extremely low prices. Please read carefully, the product could be: open-box, refurbished, dented, or scratched. If you find none of them, their sale person will call you once you placed the order and ask you to buy “necessary accessories”, such as a TV stand, lenes, filters, cables, protection plans, bags, etc.

Today we did some comparison at these 5 retailers. Products are randomly picked by our staff.
1. Samsung UN55D6500, a popular HDTV, 55″ LED-backlit LCD TV, 1080p, FullHD

B&H Photo-Video: $1899.99

J&R: $2024.00

Abt: $1897.00

Onecall: $1897.00

Abes of Maine: $1698.18. Free Flat Wall Mount, Value $149.95, with purchase. Plus, use promotion code “LOYALTY15” for an extra $15 off. It brings the price down to $1683.18!

Winner: Abes of Maine!

2. Canon PowerShot ELPH 510, a popular Point & Shoot digital camera with 12.1 megapixel and 12x optical zoom

B&H Photo-Video: $289.95

J&R: $301.69Abt: $349.99

Onecall: $299.00

Abes of Maine: $276.95

Winner: It is Abes of Maine again!

3. Large Appliance: Whirlpool WFC7500VW Washing machine

B&H Photo-Video, J&R, Onecall: N/A

Abes of Maine: $823

Abt: $777

Winner: Abt Electronics.

We did another thoroughly price compare. The cheaptest is Appliances Connection, $727. Plus, use coupon code “SAVE10” to save an extra $10, which brought the price to $717! Appliances Connection focus its business on appliances, expecially large appliances. They have a price match policy. If you find the price is lower at other stores, call them to match the price. Another good place is AJ Madison, price for Whirlpool WFC7500VW is $791.

Every time my little girl went to the mall, her eyes will not leave the window where there are cute little dresses. She always wants new clothing, no matter how many we just bought last week. Retailers knew that very well, that’s why they change the window every week, or maybe everyday to attract girls.
Well, I can’t afford hundred dollar clothes at Saks or Neimen. But there are many well-designed clothes at very deep discounted prices at JC Penney, Gap and Macys. For clearance items, I wouldn’t go to the local stores. They don’t have as many selections as the their online stores.

1.JC Penney: $4.99+$17.49

 

You won’t believe your eyes. This Arizona Girls Cover Up, Terry Hoodie, is only $4.99, was $24.99. It can pair with any jeans. White color is also available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Levi’s Jeans, Girls 517 Flare now $17.49, was $34.99. Or Levi’s Skinny Flare Girls Jeans 7-16 now $21, was $38; Levi’s Girls 7-16 Straight Leg Jeans now $21, was $38. She’ll love pairing these jeans with all the tops in her closet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If your order is over 69, free shipping is available with promo code “SHIP69”. Ship to store is always free with no minimum purchase required, promo code “FREESHIP”. Both promo codes are valid all time.

2. Gap: $9.99+$19.99

 

Gap has many long sleeve shirts like this one on sale now at $9.99 each. They are simple and good for everyday wear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denim mini skirt (indigo wash) was $24.95, now $19.99. Available at regular or slim cut.

 

 

 

With orders of $100 or more, free shipping is available if you check out with a Gap card, or a Banana Republic card, or a Old Navy card. Different coupon codes are needed for different cards. See our Gap coupons page to find out.

3. Macys: $15.99 or $34.99

Nautica Kids Dress, Girls Uniform Pique Polo Dress now $15.99, was $30.00.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ralph Lauren Kids Dress, Girls Polo Dress now $34.99, was $45. White and red also available. This one is a little expensive. But it worth the money with Ralph Lauren’s brand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free shipping with $99 order. $8 shipping if order under $99. There is an extra 15% off sale will start tomorrow (1/12) till 1/17. Enjoy it.

 

1. Some jeans are only perfect when they are in the shopwindow. Try them before you buy. Or you will most likely regret it afterwards.

2. One size smaller is more than enough, two size smaller will kill you. What is the fun when you cannot breathe or move your legs?

3. Wear seamless panties to better show off your curves. Or don’t wear underwear at all when you are wearing a low rise jeans.

4. Dark wash denim makes you look thinner. See the left photo. You can easily tell.

5. If you think it will fit after one month of diet, then come back in a month.

6. No pair of jeans are exactly same, even with same brand, same style and same size.

7. Standard size is no standard. You have to try them.

8. Shorter jeans will make you look shorter too. And remember, jeans will shrink after machine wash. A few inches longer is a must when you buy.

9. Wear shoes while trying on new jeans.

10. Walk at least 10 minutes while trying on new jeans. Try to lift your legs high, bend your knees, sit down, etc. You will see they are comfortable or not.

11. Take a closer look at the rear pockets from a three-sided mirror. Try to select those with smaller pockets. It will better show off your hip curve.

12. If there are lots of wrinkles when you sit down, try to get one size smaller.

Here are some good places to shop.

Jeans for Casual:

For casual wears, I will recommend Levis jeans and Gap jeans.

Fashion Jeans:

For high end jeans, I will recommend 7 for all mankind and True Religion Brand.

Large Size Jeans:

For large figures, I will recommend Ulla popken, Just My Size, and Avenue.com.

 

While the Mayan prophecy said on December 21, 2012, the world will be destroyed, fashion designers brought us the bright designs like it would be the last summer full of color. Mary Katrantzou, the digital-print master, or D&G with the colorful patterns made of lavish silk print, all tells us that spring and summer of 2012 are you going to be beautiful, colorful, and blooming.

1. Dolce & Gabbana 2012 New Collection

Check out this D&G short dress. It is a light-weight knit, with 88% Silk and 12% Viscose. Yoox.com also carrys Dolce & Gabbana, but only the classic styles. The new collections are only available at D&G’s official website here. Was $1505, now on sale at $903.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Max Azria’s Colorful Geometric Prints

These designed are first presented in New York Fashion Week in September 2011. But they are not available at Max Azria’s official website BCBG.com yet. You can find many other Max Azria’s designs at Nordstrom and Bloomingdales.com at discounted prices though.

3. MARY KATRANTZOU

Available at Yoox, Barneys New York, and Net-a-porter. Personally I don’t like them at all. It is more a runway dress which is suitable to wear in the real life. See this one at Yoox. Was $820, now 580.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Custo Barcelona

You can find Custo Barcelona’s collection at 6pm.com at very low prices. Not all sizes are available though. Custo Barcelona’s designs are very popular, you can find them at many online fashion retailers such as Singer22, Stylebop, Yoox, Shopstyle, and many more.

 

This season, 70s style wide leg pants brought good news for ladies who does not have confidence on their legs. In a cold winter, with a wide and comfortable pant you no longer have to worry about the leg shape, and it makes you look more elegant. You are probably not as skinny as runway girls, but these tips will help you look your best in them.

 

1. If legs not thin enough and long enough, wide leg pants will make your legs look shorter. The simplest way is to enhance the waist line, visually elongated legs. In predominantly dark colors in winter, some bright color accessories will improve the femininity of your body shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. To wear wide leg pants especially high waist wide leg pants, you must first make sure you have a flat stomach, and a smooth waist and hips lines. If not, then choose a coat to cover it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Dark color wide leg pant matched with same color little suit is one of the most classic office lady dress. Simpler is better. Don’t wear too much jewelry, a ring or a neat design necklace is sufficient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Tired of black and white? Get a shining silk wide leg pant!

 

I am not going to talk about fashion chain stores like Banana Republic, Bebe, Gap, or Lord and Taylor, because they are well-known enough. They are good places to shop both online and at local stores. But there are many other smaller and niche retailers online who attract female buyers for different reasons.

1. Shopbop.com is my favorite store to buy designer’s apparel. If you knew which designer fits you best, simply click into the designer’s page. About 500 designers are listed from A-Z. You can find names like Alexander Wang, Maison Martin Margiela, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Kelly Bergin, etc. Designer’s fashion no cheap, prices range from $100 Tshirt, $300 jeans, to a $1000 fine dress. Brands like these are also available at local Saks 5th Avenue, or Neimen Marcus. But at Shopbop you pay lower prices, at least 20% cheaper than that of local stores, and you don’t pay taxes. And better yet, both shipping and return are free, which means you can try it and return it at no cost. Read the product reviews before you buy, they are very helpful.

2. Yoox.com is another place to shop designer’s apparel. They carry many Europian’s brands which you can not find elsewhere, such as Martin Margiela, Jacques Fath, Pierre Cardin. And in total they have more than 1000 desingers listed! Sometimes your ordered are shipped from overseas, which may take a long time to get you. But the worst thing about Yoox is that they don’t offer free shipping nor free returned.

3. Bluefly.com have apparel from a few hundred of designers. Their prices are often higher than that of Shopbop. But they offer coupons very often. If you are able to use a coupon, the prices are sometimes lower. They do not have free shipping nor free return. Standard shipping is $7.95, which is not too bad though. Bluefly attracted many buyer because its luxury bags at very discounted prices.

If you are not comfortable with online only stores, Nordstrom.com and NeimenMarcus.com are your choices. They are the only brand name stores who offers free shipping and free return. You can either return items to their local stores with no questions asked, or return to any UPS stores at no cost.

4. 7ForAllMankind.com: Nice jeans!

5. 80sPurple.com: The name says it all.

6. AlternativeApparel: Handcrafted apparel made of extra soft fabrics.

7. Appleseeds.com: Classic and formal.

8. BabyPhat: More black people wear them than white.

9. BeallsFlorida.com: Low price apparel.

10. Boden.com: Boden kids are my favorite.

11. Chadwicks.com: Fashion for office lady.

12. Christopherandbanks.com: Comfortable and casual wear for older ladies.

13. Couturecandy.com: Another fashionable clothes site, similar to Shopbop. Free shipping with $150 order.

14. DJPremium.com: Another trendy designer’s clothing site. Less items listed, but prices are competitive.

15. DrJays.com: Urban clothes mostly for blacks.

16. Editorscloset.com: Members only, private sale for designers’ brands.

17. FrenchConnection.com: Classic Europian styles.

18. GoJane.com: Trendy shoes and clothing for teens.

19. HauteLook.com: Similar to Editors closet, deep discount for members only.

20. HotTopic.com: Funky styles.

21. JimmyJazz.com: Urban clothes mostly for blacks.

22. metrostyle: Classic wear with real steal price.

23. MidnightVelvet.com: Formal wear at very affordable price.

24. ModCloth.com: Indie, Retro, Vintage Dresses.

25. Monroeandmain.com: Casual wear and office wear at low prices.

26. PeruvianConnection.com: Luxury alpaca sweaters.

27. PinkMascara.com: Many complaints about their customer service.

28. PinkIce.com: For young chicks who want to catch the fashion trend but don’t want to spend a lot, this is the one for you.

29. Rocawear.com: Urban clothes mostly for blacks.

30. Shabbyapple.com: Vintage style dresses and skirts.

31. Spiegel.com: Classic apparel.

32. Splendid.com: Country styles at affordable price.

33. TheOrchidBoutique.com: Top quality swimwear from top designers. Can’t find at any local stores.

34. ToryBurch.com: Brand also available at other designer’s store. Here you will find more selections and on sale items.

35. UrbanOutfitters.com: Urabn styles at affordable price

 

If it is a printable coupon, you should read the fine print carefully. If it is a online coupon, all you have to do is try it online. Here I listed 11 common reasons that coupons may be rejected by retailers.

1. The coupon expired.

You need to read the fine print carefully, expecially the expiration date.

 

Retailer: It expired.

You: But it said expiration is 12/31.

Retailer: Yes, 12/31 of 1998.

 

 

2. Minimum purchase required.

Some coupons are only valid your order exceeds the minimum requirement. For example, a $10 off $100 coupon means you need to spend at least $100 to get the $10 discount.

3. Need to buy more items, or together with other items.

For example, buy 3 and get 20% off. Please don’t buy more items just because you want to use the coupon. You end up spending more.

 

You: Did I get 1 free?

Retailer: Sorry, no.

You: Why?

Retailer: You need to buy 100 donuts to get one free.

You: OK, give me 100.

 

4.Only apply to select items.

For example, coupon for extra 20% of sale items. Retailers published these kinds of coupons trying to get rid of some of their stocks.

5.Only valid in select locations.

 

You: Can I use this coupon?

Retailer: Sorry, no.

You: Why?

Retailer: Because it is only valid in Alaska.

6.Invalid coupon code.

This is for online coupons only. Some websites posted non-authorized or expired coupon codes on their websites, just trying to trick people to visit their sites.

7.Retailers reject it for no reason.

Bottom line is they have the right to qualify or disqualify the coupon. Some retails may change their mind for no reason. Of course they will tell you at least 10 reasons.

8.Some coupons are one-time coupons.

It means someone has used this coupon before you did, and it has become invalid.

9.Some coupons are for new customers.

Retailers have this type of coupon because they want to attract new buyers to their store. If you are a returned customer, you are not eligible to use it.

10.Some coupons are for returned customers.

Retailers have this type of coupon because they want to reward their loyal buyers. If you are a first time customer, you are not eligible to use it.

11.Some coupons are for next purchase.

Well, they want you to come back next time. Very smart coupon. You are not eligible to use it this time.

 

Can you imagine that 25% of Americans saids their number 1 must-have in their lives is facebook. If you have one th following sings, you definitely spending too much time facebook. C’mon, there is a real life out there. You need a real friend, a real girlfriend or boyfriend, face to face. You need play games on a real field.

1. When you see a captial letter F, you want to change it “f”.

2. When you saw a blue square box, you want to add a “f” in it.

3. When one of your facebook friends told you you can make money on facebook, you believed it.

4. When you said “I like you” to a girl, you literally means you liked her on the facebook.

5. When your parents ask you to go out and make more friends, you proudly told them you have 3518 friends.

6. You don’t print phots any more. All your photos are in Facebook.

7. You want to “Check in”, even when you are in bathroom.

8. Before you buy something, you want opinions from all your facebook friends.

9. Your facebook friends know exactly what you are doing now, and everything you did in the past few years.

10. If you are reading this article via a facebook link.

 

College textbooks are very expensive. I want to write some tips for those freshman on how to save on textbooks, in case you haven’t learned that from your classmates or roommates. Don’t be shocked that you might spend over $1000 on books if you bought them with the original prices. Follow the 10 tips in this article, I am sure you can at least save half of the cost.
1.Get the list of required books as soon as you can.

Summer break or winter break is a good time to get started. Don’t wait for the school starts. Check your school’s website, ask your professors, call the department, there are many ways you can find out.

2.Don’t go to your campus bookstore.

It is the most expensive bookstore, and they don’t give you any discount. You can find all your books somewhere else. I don’t see there is any reason you should go to the campus bookstore, unless you use it as a library.

3.Compare prices online.

Get the ISBN number, compare the book prices can’t be easier. There are plenty of websites can do so. All of them are pretty much the same. Just search book price comparison, you will find many good websites. Among them addall.com is my favorite. It has no or minimum advertiement, and has very simple user interface.

4.Buy books online.

Amazon used to be my favorite bookstore. But nowadays, Amazon didn’t provide competitive prices. Buy.com and Walmart.com always give me the lowest prices if available. Beside, Buy.com offers price gurantee, which means if you find a better price anywhere on the web, tell them and they will offer you the same price.

5.Use coupons.

There are online coupons for many bookstores, such as Half.com, Alibris, Barnes & Noble, etc. Write down the coupon code and use it during checkout to get the discount. I have to mention Barnes & Noble’s printable coupons, such as 40% off any one item. It will be delivered to your email account if you are their member, which is a very sweat deal to use at local stores.

6.Buy used books online.

This is the most cost-effective way to have your textbooks. Many bookstores also sell used books, the prices sometimes are 90% off the original prices. But a 50% off is a fair price.

7.Rent books online.

This is another cost-effective way to have your textbooks. For example, renting a book at Chegg is about 60% less than the listed price. Which means you are only paying around $40 for a book that would cost you around $100 to buy. Coupons are available for Chegg too. CampusBookRentals.com is another good rental site. If you are not sure where to rent, try textbookrentals.com to see which site offers the lowest price.

8.Go digital.

Try CourseSmart.com, which claims they have 90% of college textbooks available. Amazon and Barnes & Noble also provide eBooks. Prices are normal around 50% of printed version. But as a textbook, ebook is not as convenient as a conventional printed book in my opinion.

9.Get chapters you need.

Some professors only uses a few chapters of the textbook. You can photocopy them from your classmates. Or buy the chapters at cengagebrain.com for as low as $1.99 per chapter.

10.Borrow books.

If you can borrow, this is the ultimate money saving way to have your textbooks. Try borrow books from library or from your friends.

 

Because she wants to K-I-L-L-Y-O-U, pong…, and eat you fresh.

Lips are the main focus of your look. If you want to have a completely new look, change the color. Makeup artists this season tended to go bold lip colors or very light colors. One of the bold colors is the mixing color lips, as you can see on the runways.

I collected a few mixing color styles from different magazines for you to choose from. There must have one to fit your skin tones.

1.Rose Red + Pink

See the effect on the left.

 

 

 

Lancome Color Fever Lip Color – No. 136 Red Red Rose
It gives vibrant, brilliant color. The lowest price you can get from is Amazon, $28 each, no tax and free shipping. If you prefer or shop at local store, get Dior Addict Lipstick Rose Deshabille 260 at your local Sephora store.

 

 

Bobbi Brown Lip Color – Pink or Pale Pink
You can find it online at Nordstrom or at local Norstrom store. It is $23 each.

 

 

 

2. Hot Red + Nude

See the effect on the left.

 

 

 

Clinique Long Last Soft Matte Lipstick with vintage wine color gives you hot red color. You can find it online at Nordstrom or at your local Nordstrom for $14.50 each.

 

 

 

M·A·C ‘Viva Glam Gaga’ Lipstick has light warm beige with an amplified finish. It can be found at Nordstrom, Macy’s, or Bloomingdales.

 

 

 

3. Dark Purple + Sheer Beige

See the effect on the left.

 

 

 

Yves Saint Laurent Dark Purple lipstick can be found at Yves Saint Laurent Online Store. Choose color 111 – Violet Singulier. It is $30 each.

 

 

 

Giorgio Armani Rouge d’Armani Lipstick – Sheer Beige can be found at Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, or Saks Fifth Avenue, at $30 each.

If you pay a little attention to your wireless phone bills, you should notice that they are getting more and more expensive year by year (if not month by month). Say Verizon Wireless, to get a unlimited talk, it is $69.99/month. To get unlimited text, it is another $20; to get 2G data, it is $30 extra. Who needs unlimited text and 2G data? But they are most likely included in your plan before you knew it. Yes, this is my phone bill. I am paying $120 to Verizon every month!
There are plenty of other wireless provider to choose from at much lower cost. Net10, Straight Talk, Cricket, and PlatinumTel.com are the major players. You don’t need to sign any contract with these companies. All you need to do is select a plan (either monthly plan, or pay as you go plan), and select a phone you like. They provide different phones for you to choose from at different prices. But if all I need is a wireless phone, I wouldn’t care how it looks or if it can play music or surf internet or not. The monthly cost is what I care about.

Net10 is the oldest prepaid cell phone companies. But Net10’s pay as you plan isn’t cheap. For example, the $30 phone card will only give you 300 minutes, which is 10 cents per minutes. And it is only valid for 60 days. So I wouldn’t choose Net10’s pay as you plan. PlatinumTel.com offers much better rate. See below. But Net10’s $50/month unlimited plan is very attractive. At $50 per month, you get unlimited talk, text, and web. There are many smart phones to choose from at Net10. If you are really into internet using your smart phones, this the best choice. There is also a $25/month plan, with limited talk/text/web.

Straight Talk does not offer pay as you go plan. It has plans for 1-month/3-month/6-month/1-year. Let’s compare the 1 month plan only. You can pay $30 per month to get 1000 minutes, 1000 text, and 30MB web. Or you can pay $45 per month get all unlimited. Very attractive. Some have complained that Straight Talk’s signal coverage isn’t as good as Net10’s. But some claims that Straight Talk is better and is as good as Verizon. I can’t confirm if it is true or not. If someone tried both services, please let me know your experiences.

Cricket does not offer pay as you go plan. Only monthly plans available. All of their plans come with unlimited text and unlimited web at not extra cost. The best choice would be the $35 plan (1000 minutes + unlimited web&text), or the $25 plan (300 minutes + unlimited web&text). They are excellent plans for people who use their cell phones to surf a lot. The bad thing is that under these two plans there isn’t enough phones to choose from. To get better phones, you have to upgrade to $45 or $55 version. But to save money, I will be satisfied with the $25/$35 plan.

The best about PlatinumTel is their “Real Paygo” plan at the rate of $0.05 per minute. You can choose $10, $20, $30, $50 or $100 phone card. They also offer monthly plan at the rate of $55 or $65 per month for any android phone. Both offer unlimited talk and text. $55 includes 200 Megabytes data, while $65 includes 1Gb data per month. Apparently they are not price-competitive. The $30 phone card may be your best choice at PlatinumTel. It will give 600 minutes talk time. And it won’t expire until 180 days. Choose it if you don’t talk too much via cell phones. It is possible that you only spend $30 every half a year!

Conclusions:For those only need a cell phone to talk, PlatinumTel.com is your choice. For those who need to surf a lot, Net10 $50 unlimited plan or Straight Talk’s $45 unlimited plan is your choice. For those who need to save and also need to surf, Cricket’s $25 or $35 plan is your choice.

 

When my kids are little, I used to go to Carters and Osh Kosh B Gosh to get everything I needed, including tops, pants, shoes and pajamas. When they were 3-5 years old, I visited Ralph Lauren most often. The dresses are cute for girls, and the polos and shirts are handsome for boys. Some of their clothes are too formal for kids though. I visited Old Navy sometimes. I gave up on them after I realized how bad their qualities are. It was a few years back, they may have made some improvement by now. If that’s the case, I applogize for what I just said. Old Navy is not the worst one. If you want my opinion, the Children’s Place is the worst kids apparel store I have ever shopped. You will find their clothes look terrible and cheap on your kids.
After my kids grew up and went to elementary school, I visited Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch most often. I don’t like Gap for adults, but Gap kids are pretty good. I receive Gap coupons in the mail from time to time. They can be redeemed online too – locate the coupon code on the flyer and enter it online during checkout. 30% off is the biggest discount Gap ever offered. Abercrombie & Fitch will send coupons to my email. They offer 20% off coupons quite often, valid if your order is over $100. They work both in stores and online. But I prefer to use them online, because there is a large selection of sale items online, which you will never find in your local store.

Online shoe stores always offer lower prices. I don’t shop at Payless shoes. You deserve to have better shoes. Clark, Geox and Ecco are my favorite brands for my boy. You can find them at Nordstrom or DSW as well. You have probably heard about Zappos because their advertisements are everywhere. But don’t buy shoes from Zappos. First, their prices are higher than that of your local stores and is the highest among all the online shoe stores. Second, you will have trouble to return them. Shoebuy.com is my favorite place. Their prices is slightly cheaper than other similar stores, such as Shoes.com or Onlineshoes.com. But they always have a 20% off coupon. Onlineshoes.com sometimes offer 20% or 25% off coupon, not very often. Shoes.com are pretty good too, because they have largest selection and most of shoes sizes are available, and they have $20 off or 20% off coupon sometimes. When I need to buy shoes for my boy, all I need to do is to compare these three online stores.

Spring semester will start next week. If you are thinking to get some new clothes or shoes fo your kids, now is the good time. Many stores are still running a post holiday sale.

 

My family and I took a 5-day vacation to Hawaii last week. Before we took off, I studied some tour guides, and read some articles on how to save money in Hawaii. I remembered that there is one article that says something like “Hawaii trip is not cheap, but worth it”. Well, the author obviously got the first part right.

I knew it wasn’t going to be cheap when I booked the flights and hotel at Expedia 3 months ago. The air fair and hotels are basically priced same no matter you book though Expedia, Travelocity, or Orbitz. The only reason I chose Expedia is that I am used to it. You can even try American Airline official website. I bet the price will about the same. Anyway, we spent $1200 for each ticket, and $450 per night for stay at Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel. These prices are ok with us. You think they are expensive? You will see.

When we arrived, it is time for dinner. There are many Japanese restaurants inside Hilton. We randomly picked one. It cost us $90 for 3 dishes, before tips! The worst thing is that we were still hungry after the dinner. I am not sure if Japanese really eat so little as dinner. We end up buying some cookies from a convenient store nearby. I thought it is my bad luck to have chosen this restaurant. We tried two other Japanese restaurants in the next few days (I don’t have many choices, more than 50% of restaurants are Japanese). The truth is that they do eat so little, and they are very expensive! The taste is ok, but if you are still starving to death after finishing your dinner, what’s the point of good taste?

Let me tell you what else are expensive. Intenet access is not free, it is $16 or $21 (depending on speed) every 24 hours. Room services for breakfast cost $25 for two eggs/patatos/coffee, and $7 for 4 pieces of bacan. Beach umbralla is $30 to rent one, bench: $20! The price is not even for one day, but one time. That means if you came back in the afternoon, you have to rent them again.

If Hawaii is such a great place to have fun, all the prices will be acceptable. See the picture, it is the hotel I was staying. Looks nice, huh? But the beach is the worst among all the beaches I visited in the past 20 years. There are many little rocks mixed in the sand. And for young kids, there is no water park for them to play. The only thing kids can do is playing with sand. I enjoyed Miami, Cacun, Bahamas, Jamaica, and Caribbean islands, but not Hawaii. If you are planing to go, think again.

 

Many of you may say it is not possible to spend less on food while get healthy at the same time. Well, it is not true. Here are some general ideals that you can achieve both. Before you can start, please spend a month or so to track down all the expenses you spend on food. Make a list of how much you spend on drinks, milks, vegitables and fruits, meat, can food, breads, snacks, and other items.
Now that we have the complete list your expense on food. Let’s talk about it one by one. Did you spend too much on soda, water, beer, wine? First of all, cut your all your expense on soda. They are not healthy, and cost too much. You don’t need them at all. Wine? If you have to drink, buy them online. Drinking water? No, you don’t need them. Drink from your faucet instead. Beer? You don’t need them either.

Milks are good. There are only a few brands. So try to get the lowest price one. Walmart is a good place, while Target and Safway will cost you more on the same products.
Vegetables and fruits are essentials for your health. Get them from farmer’s market if possible. They are cheaper and fresher than other stores. If you prefer to get organic vegies and fruits, do you know you don’t need everything organic? Such as banana and oranges, non-organic are as good as organic ones, because they have thick peels.

Try eat more white meat than red meat. White means, such as chicken, are healthier and cheaper. You should compare prices at different stores. If they are not organic meat, their quality are pretty much same. So just get the cheapest one. Don’t expect expensive ones are better.

Walmart always offers can food, breads and snacks at the lowest prices. So you should do most of your grocery shopping at Walmart. Please try to cut the expense on snacks. See how much you spend on chips, cookies, cholates, cheese balls. They are not healthy, all you can gain from them are your weight.

If you can follow all these advice, you will see how much you can save on your food expense.

 

It is good to enjoy Christmas time, as well as the gifts from all your relatives and friends. It makes our lives memorable. And for kids the biggest thing about Christmas is the gifts they can get, no matter how old they are. But did you ever realized that you have spent too much on the gifts after the Christmas? Or did it shock you when the credit card bill comes after the Christmas? If so, you should plan for next Christmas and reconsider your gift buying plans.

First of all, you need to have a budget. It may be $100, $1000, or $10000, depending on your income or financial status. Stick to it, even though there is a big chance that you will blow it. But keep the number in your mind, and do the math after each purchase. Then you need to make a list of relatives and friends to whom you need to buy gifts. Write a rough dollar amount next to the name, this is the money you want to spend on him or her. Now you have a rough idea that how much you will need to spend on the gifts for the Christmas.

You probably need to buy speicial gifts for your family members. Ask them first, see what they want and if they fit your budget. If not, ask again for alternatives. Start gifts buying for them first. Compare prices at different stores. Remember, buy them online, you will always get lower prices, and better yet, you will always get online coupons in most of cases, especially during the holiday shopping season.

Please don’t go to Black Friday or Cymer Monday sale. It will only make you end up buying something useless. You may have get something at very low prices. But what are they good for if you don’t really need them? Trust me, retailers will only mark down the prices that they want to get rid of fast! Stick to what you need only.

Now that you have finished shopping for your closed ones, start shopping for your not-so-close friends, colleagues, or relatives. There are places named online wholesale retailers, such as DollarDays, Light In The Box, ABC Distributing, LTD Commodities, Smile Makers, etc. You will need to buy items in boxes or cases, usually 12 pieces to a few hundreds pieces. The prices are very low, only fractions of normal prices. Sometimes they offer gift boxes filled with mystery gifts. Those are good buys too. These retailers do not offer dollar off or percentage off coupons, but they do have free shipping offer sometimes.

After you finished all the shopping, add up all the money you have spent on the gifts. Are there something maybe you don’t need? Maybe you can return some of the items? Are they out of your budget? Maybe you can save more next year?

 

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, luxury is something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary. It means you do not really need one for your life. People buy luxuries for variety of reasons. All reasons are acceptable reasons. As long as you like them and can afford them, you could buy them. But never buy because someone else has it. Some people treat luxuries as collectibles and investments, study the risks before you buy.
Here I want to list some luxury goods that are actually worth to buy, or not worth to buy.

1. Should I buy luxury bags?

My answer is yes. The bags in the price range of $500 to $2000 are good buys. They are probably 10 times more expensive than a normal one. But they definitely last 10 times longer than those cheap ones. And most of them provide free services for life time, such as clean and repair. Bluefly.com is a good place to find discounted luxury bags.

2. Should I buy luxury shoes?

My answer is yes to men, but no to women. Men’s luxury shoes will last forever, and men’s styles don’t change at all. Man probably only need one pair of luxury dressing shoes for his whole life. But this does not apply to women’s shoes.

3. Should I buy luxury clothes?

My answer is yes to some clothes, such as coat, winter jacket, leather jacket, trench coat, etc. But not to most of them, especially kids wear. Some luxury apparel are only sold at their official web store, but some you can find at Shopbop.com.

4. Should I buy luxury watches?

My answer is no. It is probably a good buy decades ago. But nowadays technologies are so advanced that a $50 watch will be accurate enough, watter-proof, and will last your whole life.

5. Should I buy luxury jewelry?

My answer is yes. Their value will increase with time, especially gold and diamonds. And they will last forever, unless you lost them. BlueNile.com is the best place for diamonds online at a much lower price than that of local jewelry stores.

6. Should I buy a luxury car?

My answer is no. You should buy a safest car if you have the extra money. Besides, you will probably get a new car every five years, and used cars depreciated fast.

7. Should I buy a luxury home?

It depends. Look back 30 years, if real estate prices continuously increase in the past in the area you are planning to buy, then you should buy. Do research at Zillow.com.

 

 

Well, you may say the holiday isn’t over yet. But I bet you have finished 99% of your holiday shopping, right? If not, it is probably too late to shop online to get delivered in time.

Now it is time to think of your new shopping strategies, if you are really trying to get your financial life back to normal, or to have a healthier financial life.

1. First of all, you got to have a goal. What is new financial goal in the new year? Maybe limit your expense to a certain level? Or save some amount in your saving account.

2. You got to have a strategy, or some rules. List your goal and your rules on a sheet, and put it on your fridge.

3. I am not going to list the details the rules you should be following. I bet you can come up a lot by yourself. The more important thing is to strictly follow your own rules.

4. There is THE  ultimate money saving rule: Before you buy, think about it, do you really need it? If you can, postpone your purchase for a few days. Remember, the only thing you really needed is food, while water and air are free.

 

Remember that I said yesterday: Walk on your toes in the morning, on your heels in the afternoon, and never wear shoes at night. Now you only need to buy half pairs of your shoes. I was kidding in the first part. But I wasn’t in the second part: never wear shoes at home.

Here are more tips on saving on shoes:

1. Never buy in the local store. Local stores are good for trying your shoes. Try if it fits you and if it is comfortable. Then write down or take a picture of the shoes you want to buy. Go shop them online. Online shoe stores always offer lower prices. Besides, you can at least save on sales tax.

2. Never buy shoes when you really need them. Be prepared at least a few months in advance. For example, never buy shoes right before school starts. Never buy summer shoes in the summer, and never buy winter shoes in the winter.

3. Always do a price comparison. Online shoe stores have difference prices.

4. Always uses coupons. All major online shoe stores offer big discount coupons, from 10% off to 30% off. When you do a price comparison, count in the prices after coupons.

5. Never buy shoes from stores like Walmart, or Payless shoes. Their qualities are not acceptable. A pair of brand name shoes will cost you more, but they will last a longer. Eventually they are worth your money.

6. If prices are really sensitive to you, buy kids shoes from Walmart, or Payless shoes.