Wow, I am on a roll here! 2 how to be cheapie posts, I love it!!
Okay, so this one is for a website that I love, and that everyone can access, no matter where you are. The website is www.nomorerack.com
This website has 8 fresh dealies, every single day. Its a fun site and has something for everyone. The catch is that its only for ONE day and if they sell out, too bad so sad. Example...they had knee high Kenneth Cole boots for 30 bucks. Yup, 30 bucks(Ken ain't normally cheap.) BUt I was teaching when this deal happened and by the time I could sit down in order, they were sold out.
Boo.
So, lesson learned, act fast if you like it. Anyway, its a good site with some fun and cheap deals. Check it out yo.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Queen of Cheap shares her favorite store. GO NOW.
One of my most favorite stores in the whole universe is Crossroads Trading Company. If you do not know of this place, you should get to know it. Its like a thrift store but with nice clothes with insane prices. You can find Target and Old Navy clothes, but also in the same store you can find more upscale brands like Jill Stuart, Nicole Miller, Michael Kors,and lots of other brand names. YOu can also find really nice boutique clothing that you can't get anywhere else. Now, a lot of ladies will say, "yeah, but I can't find my size, I'm not a size one!" Rest assured, you can find your size. I am so NOT EVEN CLOSE to a size 0 and I always find something!!
Crossroads has locations in SF, the OC, Sacramento, Portland (there you go Jess, go NOW), San Jose, Santa Cruz, Chicago, Seattle, and all over LA. I am lucky that my Crossroads is an "outlet" Crossroads which means the already great prices are slashed even more.
Its like a dream come true for a cheapie like me.
ANywho, I went yesterday and suprisingly, didn't go too hog wild at the store. I only bought 2 things, which is shocking!! Anyway, I bought a fitted brown (with red pinstripes) Trina Turk jacket for $4.50 and Citizens for Humanity jeans for $13. Jacket and Jeans for under 20 bucks...cant beat that!!
I always like knowing how much I saved, so I looked up Trina Turk online. She is a fun, L.A. based designer (www.trinaturk.com). I found a jacket called the "Andi Jacket" which was the closest to what mine was, and it cost $328 (YOWZA!).
I looked up Citizens jeans on Bloomingdales and their jeans range from $145 and up. (YOWZA again)
I came home and started to create an outfit:
Love the purple on the inside!
Gosh, these jeans are FAB. They are super soft. I might be wearing them quite often, lol!
I added another long necklace and voila! A fun little outfit I will be wearing this week! GO TO CROSSROADS!!!
Crossroads has locations in SF, the OC, Sacramento, Portland (there you go Jess, go NOW), San Jose, Santa Cruz, Chicago, Seattle, and all over LA. I am lucky that my Crossroads is an "outlet" Crossroads which means the already great prices are slashed even more.
Its like a dream come true for a cheapie like me.
ANywho, I went yesterday and suprisingly, didn't go too hog wild at the store. I only bought 2 things, which is shocking!! Anyway, I bought a fitted brown (with red pinstripes) Trina Turk jacket for $4.50 and Citizens for Humanity jeans for $13. Jacket and Jeans for under 20 bucks...cant beat that!!
I always like knowing how much I saved, so I looked up Trina Turk online. She is a fun, L.A. based designer (www.trinaturk.com). I found a jacket called the "Andi Jacket" which was the closest to what mine was, and it cost $328 (YOWZA!).
I looked up Citizens jeans on Bloomingdales and their jeans range from $145 and up. (YOWZA again)
I came home and started to create an outfit:
Love the purple on the inside!
I paired my jacket with a pink tee that I bought at another thrift store for a buck. Love it.
Gosh, these jeans are FAB. They are super soft. I might be wearing them quite often, lol!
Since I love accesories so much, I decided to pair this budding outfit with a tan cuff (don't remember where I got it, had it forever), a big gold ring (from Forever 21) and maroon circle bracelet (from Target, circa 3 years ago). I think most neutral, brown accesories would work perfectly.
I added another long necklace and voila! A fun little outfit I will be wearing this week! GO TO CROSSROADS!!!Tuesday, January 25, 2011
My gift of being cheap...
Fashion is something that I love. A good purse, fab accessories and a good pair of heels can make you feel amazing. My husband will laugh and roll his eyes because I sometimes will literally sit in my closet, and put together and accessorize outfits down to the T, because I love it so much. However, I was never into spending a paycheck for a single outfit. Over the years, I have crafted my talent of what I call is being the Queen of Cheap.
I truly, and sincerely, have a gift.
Some friends would often be jealous, as I would magically find insane deals pretty much out of nowhere. I don't think I have ever a majority of my clothes at full price and even gasp when people spend $50 on jeans (when to everyone else, that actually might be a pretty darn good deal). My favorite cheap-o purchases of all time have been:
-Stila Makeup "barbie" cans with full eye shadows, lip stick, gloss, mascara normally priced at 50 bucks a pop (which is still pretty good for Stila), I only spent 7.99 (at Sephora)
-My fab tan military H&M coat normally 100 bucks for 20 bucks
-Stila concealer, normally $22 bucks, I bought it at Sephora for $3.33
-Chip and Pepper Jeans, Paper Cloth and Denim Jeans, and Seven for all mankind jeans (all ranging between $100-200+) all for less than 15 bucks a pair. (all at crossroads, no joke.)
-Nicole Miller one shoulder strap dress (her dresses cost $200 bucks cheapest and up) for $5.99 at crossroads, NO JOKE.
-Victoria Secret's bikini, top and bottom for 15 bucks (end of summer sale)
And that is only the tip of my cheapness ice burg. I seriously could keep going, but I won't be annoying.
So, you might be saying, what the heck?????? How do you find these deals???
First off, I scour and I mean SCOUR the clearance. I also go to consignment shops, my two faves being Crossroads ( I HEART THIS PLACE) and Plato's closet. I shop at regular stores like macy's, American Eagle, Forever 21, H&M but like I said, I comb through the clearance and look for good deal signs. I also frequent Marshall's and Ross, and I take my time. I also buy what I like to call "fancy girl" shampoo and products, like Chi, Fredrick Fakkai, Sexy hair, etc all at marshall's because their markdowns are insane. There isn't much of a science, but you have to be willing to look, which I know for many there isn't time.
I think I have a solution.
It just came to me today. I stumbled upon a lady's blog where she was devoted to fashion and pointing out trends, except while that is great and dandy, a decent majority just may want to find these items at a good deal and not be broke by the end of the month.
So that is where I will come in.
I won't start another blog. Heck, I am not good at constantly updating this guy. So....I will make it my job to post at hopefully at least once a week if I stumble upon a good sale or find, as I know in these times, we could all use a good deal.
Be on the lookout!!
I truly, and sincerely, have a gift.
Some friends would often be jealous, as I would magically find insane deals pretty much out of nowhere. I don't think I have ever a majority of my clothes at full price and even gasp when people spend $50 on jeans (when to everyone else, that actually might be a pretty darn good deal). My favorite cheap-o purchases of all time have been:
-Stila Makeup "barbie" cans with full eye shadows, lip stick, gloss, mascara normally priced at 50 bucks a pop (which is still pretty good for Stila), I only spent 7.99 (at Sephora)
-My fab tan military H&M coat normally 100 bucks for 20 bucks
-Stila concealer, normally $22 bucks, I bought it at Sephora for $3.33
-Chip and Pepper Jeans, Paper Cloth and Denim Jeans, and Seven for all mankind jeans (all ranging between $100-200+) all for less than 15 bucks a pair. (all at crossroads, no joke.)
-Nicole Miller one shoulder strap dress (her dresses cost $200 bucks cheapest and up) for $5.99 at crossroads, NO JOKE.
-Victoria Secret's bikini, top and bottom for 15 bucks (end of summer sale)
And that is only the tip of my cheapness ice burg. I seriously could keep going, but I won't be annoying.
So, you might be saying, what the heck?????? How do you find these deals???
First off, I scour and I mean SCOUR the clearance. I also go to consignment shops, my two faves being Crossroads ( I HEART THIS PLACE) and Plato's closet. I shop at regular stores like macy's, American Eagle, Forever 21, H&M but like I said, I comb through the clearance and look for good deal signs. I also frequent Marshall's and Ross, and I take my time. I also buy what I like to call "fancy girl" shampoo and products, like Chi, Fredrick Fakkai, Sexy hair, etc all at marshall's because their markdowns are insane. There isn't much of a science, but you have to be willing to look, which I know for many there isn't time.
I think I have a solution.
It just came to me today. I stumbled upon a lady's blog where she was devoted to fashion and pointing out trends, except while that is great and dandy, a decent majority just may want to find these items at a good deal and not be broke by the end of the month.
So that is where I will come in.
I won't start another blog. Heck, I am not good at constantly updating this guy. So....I will make it my job to post at hopefully at least once a week if I stumble upon a good sale or find, as I know in these times, we could all use a good deal.
Be on the lookout!!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Pretend parents
A part of our Christmas gift to my sister, bro-in law and Shan's brother and sister in law, was two date nights for each couple, as they very much deserve a fun night out on the town.
We have babysat for our nieces and nephews many times before of course, but we are wanting to do this a lot more often so the parents can get a fun little break.
Yesterday, we got the chance to babysit Samuel and Abigail, my sister's kids:
of course that isn't them, but I'm not going to post a real picture, because my blog is very much public.
As we were getting ready for the day, we decided to take these cute kiddos to Target and Chipotle, two of their fave places (I know, they are awesome, as its some of my favorites too). I joked to my husband that this would be good practice taking them out, as someday, we will hopefully have little babies of our own (no, I ain't preggo). We joked with Sam we would be his pretend parents for the night.
Our afternoon/night went beautifully. My sister's kids are just fab. They are really good, very well behaved kids. Sam who is 7, was very helpful and so sweet with his little sister, Miss Abb. Abby, who is a year and a half was a cut up the whole time, making her Uncle and Aunties laugh and laugh. Both kids were so behaved in the store and at dinner. Sis, if you are reading this, you and Ben are doing a great job, they are doing you proud! At dinner, we were impressed how Abby was so good at feeding herself. Overall, what a fun time.
One thing I learned from our little adventure, it sure as heck isn't the same doing shopping with kiddos!!! DO NOT GET ME WRONG, the kids were marvelous, but I just couldn't take off and do my own thing as I would if I were alone. Also, you can't diddy daddle and take hours, as kids get antsy. I told my sister this, and she laughed and agreed. She basically said as a parent, you can't always leisurely shop as you once could (uh oh for me, as I am the Queen of leisurely shopping) and you need to get in and the show on the road.
However, I did learn that it is fun as well to shop with kids. Sam was so funny, sneakily leading us to the toy area to point out the desired toys he wants, Abby was super cute helping me pick out lotion. It was cute having the kids point out things they liked and having them be willing participants of their crazy Aunties' photoshoot in target, LOL. My hub had a blast racing the cart up the down the aisles with them (good idea? Hmmm LOL) but the kids had so much fun, so I guess that is what matters!!
Overall, we had a great time being "pretend parents". Thanks Sam and Abby for the super fun time!!
We have babysat for our nieces and nephews many times before of course, but we are wanting to do this a lot more often so the parents can get a fun little break.
Yesterday, we got the chance to babysit Samuel and Abigail, my sister's kids:
of course that isn't them, but I'm not going to post a real picture, because my blog is very much public.
As we were getting ready for the day, we decided to take these cute kiddos to Target and Chipotle, two of their fave places (I know, they are awesome, as its some of my favorites too). I joked to my husband that this would be good practice taking them out, as someday, we will hopefully have little babies of our own (no, I ain't preggo). We joked with Sam we would be his pretend parents for the night.
Our afternoon/night went beautifully. My sister's kids are just fab. They are really good, very well behaved kids. Sam who is 7, was very helpful and so sweet with his little sister, Miss Abb. Abby, who is a year and a half was a cut up the whole time, making her Uncle and Aunties laugh and laugh. Both kids were so behaved in the store and at dinner. Sis, if you are reading this, you and Ben are doing a great job, they are doing you proud! At dinner, we were impressed how Abby was so good at feeding herself. Overall, what a fun time.
One thing I learned from our little adventure, it sure as heck isn't the same doing shopping with kiddos!!! DO NOT GET ME WRONG, the kids were marvelous, but I just couldn't take off and do my own thing as I would if I were alone. Also, you can't diddy daddle and take hours, as kids get antsy. I told my sister this, and she laughed and agreed. She basically said as a parent, you can't always leisurely shop as you once could (uh oh for me, as I am the Queen of leisurely shopping) and you need to get in and the show on the road.
I guess bottom line, I better savor my alone time before the kiddos come!!!!
However, I did learn that it is fun as well to shop with kids. Sam was so funny, sneakily leading us to the toy area to point out the desired toys he wants, Abby was super cute helping me pick out lotion. It was cute having the kids point out things they liked and having them be willing participants of their crazy Aunties' photoshoot in target, LOL. My hub had a blast racing the cart up the down the aisles with them (good idea? Hmmm LOL) but the kids had so much fun, so I guess that is what matters!!
Overall, we had a great time being "pretend parents". Thanks Sam and Abby for the super fun time!!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
4 legged little boy =)
This "little" handsome, pouty rascal is my dog child, Zeus. I met this little boy about 4 years ago when he was the tender age of two. Back then he wasn't sure of this crazy lady who was trying to steal his daddy, but he quickly warmed up to me and I became a part of the family, lol.
He is such a sweet loveable dog who truly
and sincerely believes he is human. He is stubborn and picky, JUST LIKE his daddy, is happy, bouncy, playful and weighs a mere 100 pounds, but he really thinks he is 10 pound puppy dog.He truly is our dog child. We dote on him like he is human, lol. Lots of treats, outings, hugs and kisses are always on order. He also is a jealous butt and will often get in the middle and try to break up mommy and daddy if they are hugging.
He is also the best guard dog ever. It is his duty to protect his mommy and daddy. Anyway, that is all. Just had to make a shout out post to the sweetest and best pup in the world. I love him.
Enjoy:
Sunday, January 2, 2011
The girls goin' Hollywood?!?
God has blessed me with an amazing group of gals that I consider like sisters. Here are some pics of us through the years.
Minka Kelly as Elisha
Lacey Chabert as yours truly, ME =)
Kirsten Dunst as Chrissie
Keri Russell as Vanessa
Isla Fisher as Kristen A.
Lisa Kudrow as Liisa
Olivia Wilde as Kacie
The OG's of the group, Jessica, Alicia, Liisa and Kristen, I have known for 10 whole years. Crap, that is crazy.
As our college years continued, we added more to our group, and we became like a sorority, a sisterhood that has an amazing bond that is unbreakable. Of course, we had our ups and downs, like boy drama, typical girl drama but we got over it and got closer. We laugh about all of our stupid, fun memories. As the years gone by, we have gotten closer and closer and college is filled with WAY too much fun college memories. The boyfriends and hubbies of our group always jokingly ask if we even attended our classes. As we graduated college, we all moved back to our hometowns, started internships/grad school, moved out on our own, got married, got to be in each other's weddings and as of late, babies are making their debut to our group. We grew up and some of us endured some hard stuff, such as death and loss, moving farther away from family friends, job drama and other heartaches. All in all, we have always come together to support one another and have gotten even more closer because of that. Everytime we meet, we pick up right where we left off. Its like nothing has changed, and I love love love that about us.
This new year's some of the girls and our guys got together for New Year's. We were down in numbers, but it was still fun. At brunch the next day, Kristen mentioned she wants to write a book of the "life" of our friendships, from 2001 when it all started to now . I loved the idea and we all agreed it should be done. I took it even further and said if it gets done we should take it to Hollywood and make it into a screenplay and turn it into a monster hit, LOL. We laughed and laughed at the possibility. It would be like the Sisterhood Of the Traveling pants but crazier and sillier. We joked about what celebrity actresses would play us. That was fun. I know we are crazy, but hey, it was the morning after New Year's Eve! I think we got the list. Now keep in mind, I know that these gals don't match us perfectly but I went based on skin tone, eyes, etc. so don't get yourself in a twist, LOL. Here is the list:
As our college years continued, we added more to our group, and we became like a sorority, a sisterhood that has an amazing bond that is unbreakable. Of course, we had our ups and downs, like boy drama, typical girl drama but we got over it and got closer. We laugh about all of our stupid, fun memories. As the years gone by, we have gotten closer and closer and college is filled with WAY too much fun college memories. The boyfriends and hubbies of our group always jokingly ask if we even attended our classes. As we graduated college, we all moved back to our hometowns, started internships/grad school, moved out on our own, got married, got to be in each other's weddings and as of late, babies are making their debut to our group. We grew up and some of us endured some hard stuff, such as death and loss, moving farther away from family friends, job drama and other heartaches. All in all, we have always come together to support one another and have gotten even more closer because of that. Everytime we meet, we pick up right where we left off. Its like nothing has changed, and I love love love that about us.
This new year's some of the girls and our guys got together for New Year's. We were down in numbers, but it was still fun. At brunch the next day, Kristen mentioned she wants to write a book of the "life" of our friendships, from 2001 when it all started to now . I loved the idea and we all agreed it should be done. I took it even further and said if it gets done we should take it to Hollywood and make it into a screenplay and turn it into a monster hit, LOL. We laughed and laughed at the possibility. It would be like the Sisterhood Of the Traveling pants but crazier and sillier. We joked about what celebrity actresses would play us. That was fun. I know we are crazy, but hey, it was the morning after New Year's Eve! I think we got the list. Now keep in mind, I know that these gals don't match us perfectly but I went based on skin tone, eyes, etc. so don't get yourself in a twist, LOL. Here is the list:
Minka Kelly as Elisha
Lacey Chabert as yours truly, ME =)
Neve Campbell as Jessica
Kirsten Dunst as Chrissie
Keri Russell as Vanessa 
Isla Fisher as Kristen A.
Lisa Kudrow as Liisa
Olivia Wilde as Kacie 
Jennifer Connelly as Alicia
Saturday, January 1, 2011
2010's highs and lows....
I can't believe 2010 is over.
It seems like time just keeps going faster and faster. I thankful to say this has been a pretty darn good year. While its had its ups and downs, it was definitely great.
I thought of compiling a small list of of the highs and lows of our year
Highs:
-Being a wife-holy cow I love it. I absolutely love being married. Shan is the best and sweetest husband and I am grateful everyday for the wonderful gift that is my husband. He is so handsome, kind, amazing, supportive and so patient. I love him so much.
-Marriage quirks- learning to become a partnership has been fun and silly. Prior to being married, I never lived with a guy before, which is something I am glad I didn't do. It made it all the more fun for Shan and I as we got "used" to each other, lol. We have had so many belly laughs over the silliness =).
-Having a job-it seems like that is a precious commodity these days. God has been faithful and has provided us with jobs and we were never without. Thank you Lord.
-Growing closer to our amazing family and friends. We are grateful to God for our fantastic family and our network of friends. What a blessing they are!!!
-Our house. Yes. It is a high. I have decorated and made our house a wonderful, shabby chic-ish home that makes me just want to stay in it all the time! Its also special because Shan's grandpa built in the 40's, so it holds special memories to my dear hubby.
-Our health- I knock on wood as I write this, LOL. BUt praise God, my fam and I are healthy. It breaks my heart as I know some others near and dear to me have had to deal with cancer and other horrible illnesses, which makes me BEYOND grateful to be a healthy gal. Thank you God. I pray everyday though to myextended family, friends and acquiantances who are dealing with cancer/other ailments.
-Trips! Yes trips!! Shan and I have made it a priority to go on little trips, even if they are day trips. Many outings to Columbia, San Fran, the beach, Hollywood, Disneyland, Beverly Hills, Tahoe, Reno (LOL it was fun!!) and Vegas have been way too much fun and SHan is so fun to travel with. We are hoping to explore Europe someday, as going to Ireland spolied us way too much!!
Some lows :
-Dealing with the pink slips-this summer was brutal as Shannon and I both lost our jobs. It was beyond frightening, but it brought us to our knees and as I mentioned before, GOD HAS BEEN FAITHFUL. I thank God for the experience, despite it was hard. It made me fully rely on HIM and not on my own.
-Mortgage crap-Yep, our mortgage sky rocketed this summer right at the same time of the job loss. It was beyond ridiculous and there was a moment where we didn't know what the heck we were going to do. My knees were definitely sore this summer, as we seemed to pray our guts out. AGain, sorry to repeat but GOD IS FAITHFUL, we were able to get it WAY down and we are all good now!!!!!
-Dealing with loss- One of my best friends, Chrissie, lost her husband (and a dear friend of mine) in the war. Brian Piercy was killed in action, but is a huge hero to so many people. I miss him terribly but eternally grateful to the sacrifice he and so many have done to give us freedom.
-Extended family and friends dealing with sicknesses- Some our family and dear friends have endured tremendous heartache with cancer and other ailments. It has been very hard as their friend to not know what to do, but all I can do is pray. It hurts my heart to see such amazing people having to suffer with this, but my heavenly Father knows these things and is holding them close.
All in all, what a year. I am super excited to see what this year brings. Big things might potentially happen, and I can't wait to see what comes. I am reminded to be thankful everyday and give God the glory to the wonderful things he has put in my life.
It seems like time just keeps going faster and faster. I thankful to say this has been a pretty darn good year. While its had its ups and downs, it was definitely great.
I thought of compiling a small list of of the highs and lows of our year
Highs:
-Being a wife-holy cow I love it. I absolutely love being married. Shan is the best and sweetest husband and I am grateful everyday for the wonderful gift that is my husband. He is so handsome, kind, amazing, supportive and so patient. I love him so much.
-Marriage quirks- learning to become a partnership has been fun and silly. Prior to being married, I never lived with a guy before, which is something I am glad I didn't do. It made it all the more fun for Shan and I as we got "used" to each other, lol. We have had so many belly laughs over the silliness =).
-Having a job-it seems like that is a precious commodity these days. God has been faithful and has provided us with jobs and we were never without. Thank you Lord.
-Growing closer to our amazing family and friends. We are grateful to God for our fantastic family and our network of friends. What a blessing they are!!!
-Our house. Yes. It is a high. I have decorated and made our house a wonderful, shabby chic-ish home that makes me just want to stay in it all the time! Its also special because Shan's grandpa built in the 40's, so it holds special memories to my dear hubby.
-Our health- I knock on wood as I write this, LOL. BUt praise God, my fam and I are healthy. It breaks my heart as I know some others near and dear to me have had to deal with cancer and other horrible illnesses, which makes me BEYOND grateful to be a healthy gal. Thank you God. I pray everyday though to myextended family, friends and acquiantances who are dealing with cancer/other ailments.
-Trips! Yes trips!! Shan and I have made it a priority to go on little trips, even if they are day trips. Many outings to Columbia, San Fran, the beach, Hollywood, Disneyland, Beverly Hills, Tahoe, Reno (LOL it was fun!!) and Vegas have been way too much fun and SHan is so fun to travel with. We are hoping to explore Europe someday, as going to Ireland spolied us way too much!!
Some lows :
-Dealing with the pink slips-this summer was brutal as Shannon and I both lost our jobs. It was beyond frightening, but it brought us to our knees and as I mentioned before, GOD HAS BEEN FAITHFUL. I thank God for the experience, despite it was hard. It made me fully rely on HIM and not on my own.
-Mortgage crap-Yep, our mortgage sky rocketed this summer right at the same time of the job loss. It was beyond ridiculous and there was a moment where we didn't know what the heck we were going to do. My knees were definitely sore this summer, as we seemed to pray our guts out. AGain, sorry to repeat but GOD IS FAITHFUL, we were able to get it WAY down and we are all good now!!!!!
-Dealing with loss- One of my best friends, Chrissie, lost her husband (and a dear friend of mine) in the war. Brian Piercy was killed in action, but is a huge hero to so many people. I miss him terribly but eternally grateful to the sacrifice he and so many have done to give us freedom.
-Extended family and friends dealing with sicknesses- Some our family and dear friends have endured tremendous heartache with cancer and other ailments. It has been very hard as their friend to not know what to do, but all I can do is pray. It hurts my heart to see such amazing people having to suffer with this, but my heavenly Father knows these things and is holding them close.
All in all, what a year. I am super excited to see what this year brings. Big things might potentially happen, and I can't wait to see what comes. I am reminded to be thankful everyday and give God the glory to the wonderful things he has put in my life.
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