Cents in the City

Awesome Boot Buy

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:12:00 +0000

Just wanted to share my amazing boot score off Amazon.com.

I've been looking for a boot that might be a little bit more supportive than my current boot. I've found that rounded toes also help ease the pressure of my foot, which works well if you have neuromas like I do. These boots seem to fit the bill, although I wish the heel was under 3" since that is better for foot problems. Actually no heel is ideal, and it's quite the shoe catch 21 for me as I don't tend to like anything without one.

I ended up paying $26.99. Did I mention they are LEATHER boots!? They were on clearance (you can't even buy them on Aldo's website for this price) there was free shipping, no tax, AND I had $15 in Amazon.com gift cards I accumulated from swagbucks. In case you haven't heard of swagbucks, it's an online search engine. It somehow utilizes Google's search engine (so if you use Google anyway you might as well get something out of it) and when you search, you randomly win swagbucks. The bucks can be cashed in for gift certificates and prizes. I usually spend 45 bucks on a $5 Amazon.com gift certificate. It's so simple, takes little effort, and I usually earn at least one gift certificate a month. Click on the link below to sign up if you haven't already!

My New Laptop Bag...Now All I Need is the Laptop!

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:32:00 +0000

I know I've been MIA. Between work and the holidays I've been pretty busy and not very motivated to write.

I've had a HUGE computer fiasco. My desk top is old...very, VERY old. My brother built it years ago, but then gave it to me when he received a laptop for college. We've upgraded it a bit over the years and at one point I installed a new hard drive due to a power surge that destroyed the old one (thankfully not before I was able to rescue most of my data!) Despite he hard drive refresh 3+ years ago, it's become annoyingly sluggish. I couldn't even operate Internet Explorer 8. Finally it crapped out with what could be a fixable error, except it won't let me login at all...not even in safe mode. I'm not going to pay the cash to have it fixed at this point, and while I am pretty good with computers this issue is way past my realm since I can't get into safe mode. Thankfully my brother has some kind of hard drive contraption that would allow me to plug in the hard drive and then connect it to another computer via USB, so that I can pull off my data. SCORE!

I've been itching to get a laptop as I watch my roommates type around the couch while we all watch TV. It would be convenient to check email during commericals. I asked my brother for assistance and he helped me find what I think is a pretty darn good deal. I should have had it Monday, but due to complications it was supposed to be delivered tomorrow...and then the fiasco began...but that is really another story.

I've been told that I SHOULD be receiving a call at some point to tell me when I can pick up my laptop. So I maybe too eagerly worked on the assumption I will have one soon and decided to order a cheap laptop bag. Unfortunately in my search I stumbled upon a beautiful camo Nicole Miller laptop bag with hot pink lining! It was only $39.99. $39.99 isn't what I would define to be cheap, but it was 84% off the MSRP. I opted to go through Bing.com shopping and received 20% off plus 20% back from Bing. This should bring the final price to $34.54 when I factor in shipping costs. I've never used Bing before, so I hope it doesn't disappoint! After I made the purchase I realized eBags has a special that ends today...10% off plus free shipping. The total cost will be $35.99 if you go that route which is not much of a difference. I come out on top with Bing, but since I'm not sure how it works, I'm kind of bummed I didn't see the eBags special.

I think I should be good based on Bing's terms since I will be over $5, I just might have to wait 60 days for it:

A waiting period (of up to 60 days) and $5 minimum applies to payouts. To
earn your cashback, stores will provide us (Microsoft) non-personal info
about your purchase, and you will need to provide us with personal
information (like your email address above) to create a Bing cashback
account. We may use this information to personalize your online experiences,
and will treat all your information in keeping with the Microsoft privacy statement. cashback is available only for personal purchases made during your store visit directly from the Bing site. You cannot use coupons or discounts. See Bing cashback terms. Additional store terms may apply.

Either way the bag was a complete deal and you can find it here. Not that I travel much, but it would be ideal as my personal carry-on item, because it looks like it could hold far more than a laptop. I'm HOPING I will be having one of many trips soon, but I don't want to jinx it. I felt that way about Chicago and that didn't work out so well. What is it with me and long distance?

My only real downfall is I've had trouble tracking my spending without complete access to my spreadsheet. I haven't added all of my recent spending, but thankfully so far it's been pretty minimal. I've updated it at work, but I'm always wondering if people are checking out my income. I don't feel totally comfortable doing it this way, but right now it's my only option.

The Blind Side

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:54:00 +0000

I think this will go down in my history of top free deals!

The Blind Side opened last Friday 20th to rave reviews. I was lucky enough to get to see it earlier, because I had free tickets to a preview on the 17th. This was my 3rd free movie this year. In NYC movies average about $12 per ticket, so far have saved approximately $72!

"The Blind Side" depicts the remarkable true story of Michael Oher, ahomeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightfulself-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle. In the latest chapter of his inspiring story, Oher was a First Round draft pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, selected by the Baltimore Ravens. The Touhys were there to share the moment with him." ~Anonymous from IMDB

I was prepared to enjoy the free movie and was fairly excited for this movie in general. What I didn't know was that I would be attending the premiere! Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and the real life Touhys were all in attendance. We didn't see Tim or Faith, but Sandra was not sitting too far away. I could actually hear her speaking from where I was sitting.

The premier was held in a HUGE theatre. It even had a balcony level. The tickets had seat assignments on them and somehow my roommate and I scored prime seats. Free popcorn and soda were distributed. I wish I had known this was the premiere, because I felt a little under dressed.

I've never been to the premiere of any movie before and some cool aspects were:

The unusually large crowd. I have never seen so many people in one movie theatre. A good group usually enhances the movie experience.
Lots of clapping and cheering. When the producers, actors, etc. are actually there watching the movie with you there is a lot of congratulating going on. You can feel the happiness and satisfaction of a job well done in the air.
A lot more laughing. Maybe it was due to the crowd size, but the overall experience seemed more enjoyable.

My only beef with the movie was the loud girl behind me that I will refer to as Captain Obvious. She talked to her friend through a large portion of the movie. It was extremely annoying.

I found the movie itself to be entertaining. I quickly lost track of time and was drawn into the story. It is a great message and the fact that it is a true story which recently happened further compounds it. It is also very witty and lighthearted, despite the difficulty of the situation. There were definitely moments where I became choked up, but I just had to keep telling myself that I know it has a happy ending. I left feeling inspired.

Needless to say, I had an awesome night and it cost $0. (Although afterwards I did end up grabbing dinner with my roommate and then taking a cab home for a total cost of $18.)

11/21 Save 50% on a full priced item at Old Navy

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:39:00 +0000

I visit Old Navy a lot. It's a great place for cheap staples, even when they're not having a sale. When a sale is on, all bets are off. Just the other week I bought a new denim jacket and a pair of black jeans for under $30. (I know I shouldn't be spending on myself right now, but who can pass that up?) I combined the 50% off outerwear sale with the 30% off purchase Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic friends and family coupon.

I try to keep up on their sales and they even offer text alerts. One text alert just came through:

Go to Gobblepalooza.com for a one-per-person VIP deal on 11/21. Make a band logo, print & bring to a U.S. Old Navy store. Save 50% on a full priced item.

You do not require any type of artistic experience for this logo. You just need to know how to type your last name and click a few buttons. You will also get a coupon for $10 off $50 or more to use on Thanksgiving. I had no idea Old Navy would be open on Thanksgiving!

THE dress buy of the season, an offer I couldn't pass up!

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:22:00 +0000

I have been slacking on the posting, yet I've had many shopping triumphs this month. (My friends have been making fun of me lately, because I find saying "shopping triumph" to be extremely satisfying.)

The Daily Asker actually linked to my blog based on a comment I made about shopping in Soho. It has probably been one of my most amazing fashion triumphs to date. I feel bad for not posting earlier. Thankfully she has motivated me. (Not to mention I wrote out most of my story as a comment on her blog earlier.)

For those of you that don't know I work in Soho. (The following is a brief synopses of Soho's past based on my general knowledge, totally off the cuff, so don't quote me on accuracy!) In the past Soho was a run down area filled with warehouse space. It wasn't very safe and if you've ever seen older pictures it wasn't very pretty. Artists flocked to Soho due to the availability of large, lofty spaces and cheap rental units. Over the years it became hip to live in Soho. It's slowly been gentrified, been cleaned up, and is now a shopping mecca. Most major designers have a store in Soho.

Pretty much any clothing store imaginable is within walking distance from my office. This is not so good when it comes to walking around during lunch. I almost always find myself shopping on the way to Rite Aid, the bank, or other errands. In fact usually I'm so shopped out during the week, I'm not very motivated to shop on the weekends. The constant bombardment of clothes and trendy dressers walking around outside can really wear a girl out!

Last week I was on my lunch break and heading over to my shoe guy in order to give some old heels an extended life. (How frugal, right?) I was walking down Lafayette and somewhere between Prince and Houston I noticed a sample sale. Beautiful Cole Haan coats called me in for just a peek. (Just a peek since I should be buying Christmas presents and not spending on myself.)

On a rack of $50 Oscar dresses I found one random Marchesa dress. Despite the warning signs that I had no idea how much it cost and it was a size smaller than I normally wear I figured, heck, I might as well try it on. As I was maneuvering the dress over my head, I was simultaneously Googling the original price on my cell. If it fit I would have two options; I could keep the dress to myself or attempt to sell on eBay and if it didn't sell I'm sure I'd find a use for it. If it didn’t fit, I would just continue on to my shoe guy.

Needless to say the dress fit. It is a little tight around my hips, not in unflattering way but more of a makes it hard to move way. It turns out the sample sale prices was $50. My Google search revealed it originally retailed for $600! Of course I had to buy. After modeling for various friends, the verdict was it's too pretty and I looked too amazing in it to sell. I can't say I wasn't tempted though. Most eBay sellers were trying to unload the dress for about $200. That would be a huge dent towards Christmas gifts!

I already have the holiday party in mind that I'll be wearing this beauty. It will be perfect, because the party won't involve dancing or much sitting. My dress's fate is to stay in my closet. I've been stealing peeks at it every time I open the door. I feel like Gollum with his ring, "Oh my preeetty."

Here it is. Images, prices, and copy borrowed from Netaporter.com.

The trompe l'oeil technique is used to stunning effect in this dress by Notte by
Marchesa. The pearl detailing makes for a dressier piece that can be worn at
night whilst its simple shape is perfect for day. Shown here with a Fendi bag, Jimmy Choo shoes and a Tom Binns cuff. 100% silk; lining:
100% acetate. Dry clean only. US sizing.

Flat View

On Mannequin V1

On Mannequin V2

From the Back (I might try wearing this dress backwards)

Close Up of Pearl Detail

Taking Some Action

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:19:00 +0000

I've been feeling a bit lonely lately...lonely in terms of dating that is. Thankfully I have 2 roommates that are awesome, so I never have to worry about not being surrounded by friends. My love life on the other hand, could use some work, or at least some men that actually live in New York City. For some reason I keep meeting guys who live far away and each one lives further than the last.

Admittedly my main source of meeting potential romances is at bars. I know it's cliche and awful. It's not that I haven't tried other methods. I play a social sport every season and have done the whole online thing. I scoured my brain for something new and painless. I finally opted for a cooking class. I love cooking, although I will admit since I only cook for one, the big extravagant meals are few and far between. At any rate I figured worse comes to worse I learn to make something new and get a good meal out of it.

I signed up through a singles website that runs various activities throughout the year. There are quite a few that I've been wanting to try. If I'm going to take a cooking class, cooking with a group of singles is the way to go! Even if there aren't any guys, I can make some new female friends. We are going to be making spaghetti and meatballs and gnocchi. I'm not sure how this is possible but meatballs is something I've never tackled. I've also never made gnocchi. I was debating an attempt at gnocchi last week, so it worked out perfectly.

The cost was $60, which is a reasonable price for a cooking class. I've been planning on taking some at the Institute of Culinary Education next year. Their one day classes run for about $100 each.

MIA

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:25:00 +0000

I've been a bit MIA since last week. Tuesday was my birthday and I had off work from then until today. I hardly used my computer and it was a nice break. I'm struggling a bit with the age, because this will be the final year of my 20's. I've been feeling a bit lonely and the age reminder was/is not helping.

I came back to work today to find my DKNY coat sitting at my desk and it fits perfectly. I can't get over what a great deal it was. My only problem is that I didn't think how a grey herringbone coat would go with my black herringbone hat. They might look a bit funny together. My head is unusually small and finding a cute winter hat is nearly impossible for me. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that. I truly love that hat which was an $8 purchase from Loehmann's about 2 years ago.

Today only! Save 10% + free shipping at Smartbargains.com.

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:05:00 +0000

I have scored some amazing deals from Smart Bargains over the years. On any any normal day the prices are fantastic, but if you wait for one of their sales, you can really score an incredible bargain. So far I have never had a miss with Smart Bargains *knock on wood*. Today Smart Bargains is celebrating 10 years of Smart and with this link you can score free shipping plus 10% off your order! The offer expires after today, so act now. They don't offer free shipping with a discount very often.

I went after this beautiful DKNY Grey Herringbone coat.

NYC winters can be cold and unlike living in the suburbs where I used to run out of the house to heat up my car, go get ready, leave my house, jump in the warm car, drive to work, and then run into the office...well let's just say I now spend a lot more time outside walking around in the cold. I've spent the last few years buying a cheap, black wool coat that looks like crap by the end of the season. I figured now was the time for an investment piece (not that $108 was a huge investment.) Did I also mention that grey is the new black, it can worn with brown and that I saved 75% off the original price? I hope I'm not disappointed in this coat.

Last week I was trying on DKNY coats in Daffy's and was seriously consider buying one of two coats. The price was decent, but I decided to wait until next week as I was planning to do some much needed birthday shopping on my days off. I figured I could most likely get a better deal at my favorite discount store, Loehmann's. I am extremely glad I did not buy one of those coats, but that I did get an idea for my size in DKNY.

Speaking of Loehmann's, did you know it is connected to Smartbargains? It's no wonder why this is one of my favorite online retailers! I couldn't remember how I came about this information, but after I did some digging I found my proof. Even if you don't have a Loehmann's near you, often I find many of the same items in the stores online.

Ebay Update + New Purchases

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:35:00 +0000

Last week I wrote about my Ebay costume purchase. Well, it arrived in the mail earlier this week and I couldn't have been more excited to try it on! I had expressed concerns that it wasn't the same costume as what was pictured, but it was the correct costume to the T.

The only difference between my costume and the standard costume was it didn't come with a sword and eye patch, however, it did come with the boot inserts which normally have to be purchased separately. I was never planning to wear the eye patch, drinking and walking around using only one eye would probably cause for an uneasy stomach. Swords are cheap, and the boot inserts really make the outfit. Considering the costume originally retails for $120 and I only spent $49.99, I am the one making off with all the booty!

I couldn't be happier...after all I've had my eye on this costume for 4 years! I always wondered what could be so great about to justify a cost of $120, but the fabric is thick and luxurious. Even better, one of my friends randomly had a sword hanging around her office. Weird, right? She gave it to me, so now I don't even need to purchase any extras.

While looking for a costume, I've also been looking for a dress to wear to my high school reunion. Even though I'm not sure what everyone is wearing, the one thing I know is that I want to get dressed up. I've had my eye on this beauty at Macy's.

It's a Max & Cleo dress, which one of my favorite brands. FYI Max & Cleo is a division of BCBG. What girl doesn't love some BCBG? Anyway, the dress retails for $148, every once and awhile Macy's puts it on sale for $110.99, which is a pretty reasonable price for a party dress. The thing that kills me about Macy's is that their online shipping is usually about $15-$18! WHY?! I just can't justify paying that much to ship a dress. (Actually if you go to Macy's right now the dress is on sale for $110.99, you can get $25 off of $100 and the total cost will now only be about $100, plus any applicable taxes for your state...not too shabby.)

Needless to say I've been watching this dress for months, waiting for a better sale or looking for it on another website. Every few days I also check Ebay in the hopes that someone was selling it cheaply used. I had checked earlier this week, but when I checked again yesterday I found the exact dress, brand new, in my size, and with only 6 hours left. I calculated a reasonable discount vs Macy's and placed my bid. Unfortunately I had a game that night and knew I wouldn't be available to monitor the auction.

Thankfully I won anyway, even though someone did try to bid against me. It didn't even get to my max price! Turns out shipping was free with some special discount and my only additional cost was $3 for insurance. (God forbid it doesn't show up, I'm not giving the seller any excuses!) My total cost was $69. I can't believe my luck, because if I hadn't found the dress yesterday, I probably would have bought it from Macy's super sale today. I saved myself 31% off the Macy's sale price and 53% of the original price.

This month is going to be big!

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:10:00 +0000

I have birthdays on the brain and birthdays mean cake. Last week I stumbled upon Cake Wrecks, a blog that makes me laugh hysterically every day. This particular article was where the image above came from and I found it to be a doozy. I even sent it to my firemen/Costco loving roommates.

October is my birthday month, which means lots of treating myself. I just can't help it! Thankfully I've calculated my savings and I am well above what I wanted to save, so I an afford a little indulgence. I took off quite a few days from work in order to celebrate, so I'm sure that's when most of the shopping will go down. Yet part of me wants to go run out and buy lots of things today!

My New Takeout Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:18:00 +0000

I will admit on Sundays I am LAZY. I also am hungrier than usual. Does laziness = hungriness? Unless I have some yummy ingredients lying around the apartment, I tend to crave and often partake in takeout. (Because there's no way I'm dragging my butt down five flights of stairs and 2+ blocks to the market to buy food.)

This particular weekend I've been hit with a cold again. Either I just can't shake the thing or I keep getting different colds stacked upon each other. I even took last week off from drinking and late nights in an effort to heal, and I thought I had. Needless to say, on Sunday I was not feeling up to snuff. I had a headache that wouldn't go away, so I decided to drop out of meeting up with the girls to watch the various games at the bar. Since this saved me at least $20 on beer/nachos I thought I would reward myself with takeout.

My new addiction is called Seamless Web. Seamless Web is an online food ordering service. It's fast and easy to use, not to mention the fact that you never have to call anyone on the phone. They offer 20% discounts from many of the restaurants, and this will often cover the delivery tip. Here's how it works:

1. Order your meal at SeamlessWeb.com
Your order is electronically transmitted to the restaurant the instant you submit your order.
2. Your order prints out at the restaurant within seconds
Your order prints automatically at the restaurant with a random two-digit confirmation code located at the bottom of the order print out.
3. The restaurant confirms your order, which generates a confirmation email
Someone at the restaurant determines the estimated delivery time for your order and then types the two-digit code to confirm receipt of your order and initiate your email confirmation. Your confirmation email is transmitted - acknowledging that
the order is in process. This email: Displays your order details. Contains an updated delivery estimate based on the restaurant's current estimated delivery time. Includes contact information for the restaurant. If you have any problems with the food or delivery, the best thing to do is to contact the restaurant directly. SeamlessWeb customer service representatives are constantly monitoring orders to make sure they are confirmed immediately (but remember, once the restaurant confirms receipt of your order by typing in the code, the order is in process).
4. The restaurant prepares and delivers your meal your meal is brought straight to your door by the restaurant's delivery person, as specified by your clearly printed order. Just sign for your order and enjoy! Remember, once you receive your confirmation email, the best contact for problems with your order is the restaurant. If they are unable to solve your problem, SeamlessWeb's outstanding customer service team is always standing by to assist you with your order and to remedy any
problems you may encounter!

I decided to order Italian an opted for penne vodka with chicken, garlic knots, side salad, and a soda. With tip included the order came to just under $14. Not bad for NYC! In less than a 1/2 an hour my order was on my table ready for me to indulge. Then I noticed there was no chicken in the penne and my garlic knots were missing. The restaurant let me keep that penne and then sent out another order along with the knots. In the end I had a penne vodka, a penne vodka with chicken, 2 large pieces of French bread, side salad, garlic knots and soda all for just under $14. It was a lot of food! Yummy, fattening, food. I'm going to have to hit the gym hard this week.

New Costume

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:17:00 +0000

For the past few years I've been recycling a beloved corrections officer costume. Last year I decided this officer needed to retire when at the bar I spotted a girl with the same exact outfit.

When I originally purchase the costume I was extremely tempted to drop $120 for this pirate captain costume instead.

I just couldn't justify spending that much on a costume...ever. I've been staring at it, searching for cheaper prices, every year, for four years. This year I noticed something different. The recession has some benefits and I've been seeing the costume listed for well under $100.

I started tracking eBay looking for a cheap used one when I found it for $49.99 with shipping. I couldn't pass up that deal! They used the same image as above with the face cutout. The description was a little funny. Normally the set comes with five pieces: jacket, dress, hat, eye patch, and sword. The boot cuffs come separately. This one was listed as jacket, dress, collar, (huh? doesn't the collar look like it's attached?) hat, and boot cuffs. Ok so I can only hope the seller isn't sure about what's in the package! If it's the same outfit and just missing the sword and eye patch I can deal with that. I probably wouldn't wear the eye patch (hello vertigo!) and I can buy a cheap sword at a Halloween store. I've been burned on eBay before, but I've always gotten my money back. Bad luck aside, I've also scored fabulous deals over the years. Here's hoping! *fingers crossed*

Free Spring Ringtone

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:54:00 +0000

Fill out this survey for Sprint and receive the free ringtone Champagne High by Sister Hazel. It's not half bad, but it's no All For You.

Anna Sui for Target Pop-up Store Experience.

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:37:00 +0000

So today, I got to preview the new Target line from Anna Sui. Target has opened a pop-up shop down the street from work, so I couldn't not go. Plus I thought it might be fun to buy a new article of clothing for this weekend's trip to Philly that most of America won't be able to buy until Sunday. Not to mention that it's based on Gossip Girl, a show that I looove.

Overall the shop was pretty impressive! There were a few moments when I thought I might die falling down steps, as it was set up in a random event space. The shop had 3 floors and each floor had sections devoted to the Gossip Girl character inspiration. There were mirrors hanging everywhere and the walls had hangings made of deep purple cloth. They even had live models lounging around dressed and made up to look like each girl.

Normally I find that Target runs a bit large, so I tried on an XS dress and top. I found that this line is a bit more true to size and I could have gone with a small. (I should have brought one of each size to the dressing room.) I did try on a really wrap type dress that was slightly too small. I don't think going up a size would have helped, because it it was a bit too low cut (though I could wear it with a cami) but also a bit too short. The dress was 100% silk and washable...nice combo Target!

Overall I wasn't too impressed. There are a few cute pieces. In my opinion most of the clothing has either a weird color scheme or strange shape. Many of the items were black. The neckline is high on the majority of the line. I'm a curvy girl and this looks strange on me, so automatically I avoided 75% of the collection.

I didn't end up buying anything. Yes, the prices were low for a designer but it's still Target. I'd rather wait for the sale if I'm going to buy clothing from there. Otherwise I'm taking my money and heading to Loehmann's, TJ Maxx, etc and getting the real designer deal for less. I might also be spoiled because living in New York City has exposed me to many more discount shopping opportunities, although even if you don't live close to any of these stores websites like gilt, ideeli, topbutton, redtagcrazy, etc. have made discount shopping accessible to everyone. (Contact me if you'd like a link to any of those sites.)

Grocery Savings

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:04:00 +0000

I walk around Soho a lot during my lunch break and believe me, my wallet feels it! I can't help that it is one of the major shopping areas of NYC and I just happen to work there. At any rate somehow in the past month I discovered that there is a library branch down the street and a cheapish market. It only took me what...nearly 3 years!?

At any rate discovering the Met market has helped me quite a bit when it comes to daily shopping. Previously if I needed to pick something up on my way home from work I hit up Gristedes, whose prices are usually higher for most items. Now that I have Met, I can pick up the items that I need during my lunch break and throw them in the fridge at work before I head home. It also helps to prevent hunger shopping. When picking up the sour cream I forgot on the way home from work unnecessary items like french fries suddenly seem necessary because I'm STARVING.

I've been on a BLT kick lately, so yesterday for $5.16 I picked up:
1 lb of bacon ends (Not sure what an end is, but it still looks and tastes like bacon.)
1 bunch of broccoli
2 tomatoes
3 apples

Overall I feel like that was a pretty good deal.

New York and Company Update

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:56:00 +0000

My email to New York and Company did not go unanswered. I had already worked out what happened over the phone, and yesterday the email came through with the answer to my question. (The rep on the phone had said the internet inquiries were about a day slower.) I didn't think much when opening the email, but the customer service rep had offered me free shipping on my order.

Unfortunately my order had already been shipped. I'm impressed by how quickly the orders go out. I emailed back, stating that I had already replaced the order and asked if they could apply the code to the existing order. I copied the order number and hit the send button with little hope of success. Worst comes to worse, maybe I would make a second sale purchase and use the free shipping. I received an email back this morning stating they would apply the free shipping to my order!

Though I haven't received anything yet, this has been an excellent experience and I will definitely shop in both their online and brick and mortar stores in the future.

New York & Company Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:54:00 +0000

New York & Company is having a great sale on their accessories. I've had my eye on some of their stretchy belts for awhile and @ 6.99 a pop, now was the time to pounce. I purchased 3 belts, a necklace, and scarf for a total of $41.14 including the shipping and tax. I can return anything for free at the store, though due to the nature of my purchases I doubt it will come to that.

My only reservation is that my first attempt to place my order had me jumping for joy. For some reason I wasn't charged shipping or sales tax. Woohoo! Shortly after I received an email that said I needed to contact them, as their was an error in the order. I replied to the email (it was the same email provided to contact) and the email bounced back. I copied the email from the body of the message and it bounced back again. I forwarded the email to support, but received no answer.

I finally called and found out though the order shows on my side, it does now show up on their system. I could have reordered over the phone, but that seems like a huge hassle going over everything I had ordered, spelling out both my shipping and billing address, and providing my credit card number. I opted to resend the order online. Sadly, one of my belts was no longer available, so I switched to another belt I had been considering.

$5 of Free MP3 Downloads from Amazon.com

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:20:00 +0000

I was reading this blog at Money Saving Mom, who heard from Coupon Gal about how to receive a free $5 credit for Amazon.com MP3 downloads. Last year I wrote about my experience ordering MP3s from Amazon, and it has been nothing but positive since. I much prefer it to iTunes and it is just as easy!

So how do you get the free tunes? Download the free Big Kahuna Reef Game, which I heard is not only free, but pretty fun! After you download, the free $5 promotional credit towards any digital MP3 purchase will be added to your account. The credit will expire to September 30th, so it might be best to order right away before you forget. Don't worry if you're at work like me and aren't allowed to download software to your computer...you can choose the option to download later and still get the credit! I've already earmarked some songs I plan to download when I get home.

To get the most for your money click on this link for full albums $4.99 and under. You can't beat that price!

I'm No Warren Buffet, But I'm Not Doing So Bad

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:32:00 +0000

I've been meaning to write this post since last week, but due to my not too stellar math skill and lack of interest in math, I have not. Today I was reading Get Rich Slowly and realized I'm not the only person that has stock recovery on my my mind.

I have 3 retirement accounts. I have a small rollover IRA from previous employers. It's small, because in my first job I hardly made any money so I only invested up to the company match. I obtained my current job through a recruiter. For the first 3 months of employment, I was under my recruiter's payroll. I was shocked that they offered a 401k with match and took advantage of that as well...but for only 3 months. Both of those accounts have been rolled over into Fidelity and have sat there for the last few years. I don't really have enough money it in to really move between funds. I figured I would just wait until my next rollover.

My current company did not have a retirement program until about the time that they hired me as a permanent employee. This worked out well, because since I had been working at the company under contract for 3 months, I was immediately eligible for benefits. It's not the best plan and doesn't have a match. I put 10% of my income into this account, and adjust this with every raise. It is really hard to track the changes, because there isn't too much information available and I am constantly investing money.

Finally I have a brokerage Roth IRA with Vanguard. I opened this at the very end of 2007. I don't always invest the max, but I attempt to come close. This account is my baby, because I really do have the freedom I desire to do what I like with it. I have small regular deposits into a target retirement account, because there are no trading fees for that type of deposit. I never want to miss good market timing, no matter how small the investment is. I also save money and buy ETF's in increments of about $1,000, because there is a brokerage fee for trading. I have a range of large cap, small cap, and international ETF's.

In June I wrote about how I was annoyed with Vanguard's yearly fee. After some research I decided it was worth it and the extra $30 a year wouldn't take too much of a chunk of my investments. Vanguard gives the most comprehensive information of any of my accounts. I also trust them as a company, and can trade their mutual funds for free. This will come in handy when I actually have more money available to trade in the account. (Most mutual funds require a $3,000 minimum.)

Overall I am not much of a financial expert. Since I am still in my 20's I figured it can't hurt to leave my money as is. I'm more of the buy and hold mentality. My losses seemed to be following the S&P 500, so I figured I have plenty of time to hold out and recover. I continued to invest and hope for a turn around.

Last week I was crunching the numbers from my Vanguard Roth IRA. It's kind of pointless to attempt to do this with the rest of my accounts, because they just do not provide the wide range of numbers to review that Vanguard does. Like I said I'm not good at math and I wouldn't want to provide numbers that I can't back up.

I know a the end of 2008 I was down approximately 30%, maybe a little bit more in my Roth IRA. Today, it's only about 14%. I was calculating when this turn came around and determined that I have recovered about 60% of my losses. 79% of those losses were recovered in the last 6 months. Had I pulled my money out, I'm sure I would have been down a lot more.

Have I been following the correct path? I think so. Fidelity will stay as is, until I have more money in that account to play with. I have estimated based on previous statements that it's down about 20%. I can only do so much with my work 401K, and I think I have already invested in the best funds it offers (the website says I'm only down -6.2%, but I have no way to back up the numbers and how it takes into account direct deposits. If -6.2% is really correct then wohoo!) I think my Roth IRA is on the right path, so overall I'm pretty pleased.

Movies for Free!

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:18:00 +0000

Last week I went to see the "Time Traveler's Wife" before it opened and for free. How did I do this? I signed up for a free site called http://www.gofobo.com/.

Gofobo is a new and exciting online experience designed to help you see movies first and win prizes fast. It also will allow you to build new relationships with other people who love movies, celebrities and fun. Gofobo will allow you not only to experience new movies, contests and live events, but also to share your comments, get information on your favorite movies or stars…and a whole lot more. Keep coming back to gofobo as we continue to grow, offering more movies and contests – and more experiences – for our gofobo members.

Basically all I had to was sign up. When previews are available in the area they send out an email with a promotion code. You login to the site, use the code, and then print out up to two free passes to see a movie preview. You have to act fast, because these free tickets do not last very long. Trust me, I tried really hard, had login problems, and missed out on "My Sister's Keeper." Your ticket also does not guarantee you a seat, they offer more tickets than seats in order to ensure having a full house. You will need to get there early and gofobo recommends a half hour to an hour before the movie is scheduled to start.

I brought one of my roommates and arrived at 6:30 pm for a 7:30 pm movie last Thursday. We were maybe about halfway down the line, but we ended up with pretty good seats. We ate pizza while we waited as there was a pizzeria conveniently located across the street, and then snuck in garlic knots to save money on movie fare. One inside we were sitting one isle away from Jill Zarin from the Real Housewives of NYC and family. She was sitting in the VIP area, so while I'm guessing her tickets were free, I'm sure she didn't have to wait in line. How random! While we were waiting for the movie to start, I overheard a man telling someone he had free preview tickets to Post Grad he had obtained through Fox Searchlight. I signed up on their website and am hoping to score some more free tickets.

I enjoyed the movie, but I'm kind of glad I didn't pay for it. I'm thinking I may give the book a go, because aside from being a love story I kind of feel like I was missing the point. I also found it to be very sad. I do not like sad, as I tend to cry when someone gets so much as pricked by a pin. I tend to lean towards comedy, romantic comedy, suspense, and horror movies (for some reason gore doesn't bother me) so maybe this just wasn't up my alley.

Worst Dining Experience Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:41:00 +0000

I'm not one to post reviews on other sites often. Usually I'll speak up if I have a rave, if something strange happened, or if service or product was horrid. This past weekend I was visiting my friend's beach house in Long Beach Island, NJ. This meant quite a few dinners out and during one my friends and I had the worst dining experience I have ever encountered. This prompted me to go on a review binge posting on every site I could find. I have a feeling, some might be rejected as I tend to get a bit personal.

At any rate if you find yourself in Beach Haven, NJ stay away from Sweet Vidalia!

Here's my main review below in case you're curious:

I would have given one star if not for the fact that the food was good. We had the worst service I have ever experienced. (This is from a person who has worked as a waitress for 7 years and is highly tolerant of bad servers.)

The table shared the shrimp and leek fondue and we all enjoyed this dish. We also had the mushroom risotto which was creamy and yummy. I ordered clams with chorizo, and was very satisfied. Two of us ordered the onion soup which was the only dish I did not even remotely like. I actually found it to be inedible, and I am not a picky eater. It looked more like gravy and tasted extremely strong. It seemed like it had been sitting a very long time and too much water had evaporated.

The overall taste of the food was good the service, on the other hand, was a nightmare.

My 4 girlfriends and I arrived early for our reservation. Shortly after arriving another table was leaving. One of the women nicely approached the hostess to inform her that the server, Sean, was terribly rude to both her table and the table next to hers.

Of course Sean was our waiter. It is a BYOB, so we asked Sean to get us the bottles we had handed to the hostesses earlier. He was one glass short, but the hostess was already running for the 5th glass as we asked. It was recommended that we each order 3-4 dishes. We followed Sean's advice, shared the fondue and each ordered 3 dishes. This was too much food. I would recommend 2 personal dishes per person and maybe sharing a 3rd.

The meal went smoothly until we were finishing up our dinner. Sean asked us how everything was, and one of my friends mentioned we were disappointed with the soup. (Neither of us had eaten it.) We had no intention of making an issue since we were already full. Sean gave a perfectly reasonable explanation that it was not the typical onion soup, it is a brandy reduction. My friend responded in a nicely accepting his explanation and commenting that it didn’t say that on the menu.

It was like you flicked a switch. Sean became irate. He started yelling at us that we had an attitude since the moment we walked in. He claimed hostesses said we were rude to them outside. (We never spoke to them aside from telling them we were here and giving them our wine.) We explained it was his previous table complaining about him. His response to that was they had children, and this is not a restaurant where you can bring children. I found that comment strange, because Beach Haven is a family town and I can’t imagine restaurants turning away children.

He also asserted that the table next to us agreed with him saying we were rude to him all night. (I was sitting next to that table and could not hear anything they said, and highly doubt they heard any of the conversation until Sean started yelling. We asked them later and they had no idea what we were talking about.) He then threatened to throw us out of the restaurant. At that point he is just getting ridiculous. Who would throw out a table with a $300+ bill that had already finished eating?! Please do!

When my friend requested to see the manager, Sean said he was the manager. Then we requested to see the owner, and he said he was the owner. Now I’m pretty sure the manager part was true, but the owners’ names were on the front door and Sean’s name was not on that door. We pointed this out to him. Then suddenly just as quickly as he became this crazy person, he also flipped and said he would be willing to take the soups off the bill and give us free dessert. This is pretty surprising behavior, as most restaurants would not disagree with a customer so vehemently, then change their minds and not only remove the items in question, but also offer free dessert.

We did not accept the dessert and felt it was fair for them to remove the soups, as neither of us ate them.

After Sean left a bus girl was sent to check on us. She was very sweet and asked how everything was. We mentioned not liking Sean and she agreed with us on his very unpleasant demeanor. Later we spoke to the hostesses to apologize if we were rude and ask for the owners’ numbers. (They had no idea what Sean was referring to when he said we were rude to them while waiting.) They also wanted to know what had happened. Sean immediately came over, said the conversation was over since he was the manager, and proceeded to guard the hostess stand so that they couldn’t speak to us.

Overall this was the most unbelievable restaurant experience that both my friends and I have ever had. Honestly if I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me that he was a relative of the owners and/or if something else was going on with him because I see no other reason why anyone would hire such an abusive person to mange their restaurant. I also feel very sorry for the bus girls and hostesses that work there as they were very sweet, nice girls that seem to be regularly subjected to verbal harassment from Sean.

Free Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:20:00 +0000

Tonight I have tickets to see the Time Traveler's Wife one day before release and for free! It's a first come first serve basis and it is recommended that we arrive a half hour to an hour before showtime. I'm aiming to arrive about an hour and a half early or so as I need to grab food once I get into the area of theatre. If this works out, I'll post how I snagged these tickets and how you can get free tickets to movie previews sometime next week.

As of tomorrow I'm off to the beach.

Have a great weekend!

Etsy Purchase...Just Lovely

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:36:00 +0000

I received my first Etsy purchase today. Actually it arrived at work yesterday, but I was off for the day. It shipped fairly quickly considering it traveled all the way from Australia.

In case you forgot, I wrote about it here. I was inspired by Katherine Heigal's look in "The Ugly Truth. I thought finding a watch necklace was a tough task, but am surprised by how quickly I was able to find exactly what I was looking for. It is simply beautiful, so now I'm willing to divulge the shop. The name is finkgifts and they have many similar watches available. Even though they provided the size, I didn't realize how big mine would be! Mine measures out to be:

* This watch measures approx.(diameter - excluding bail) - 1.85 inches x 1.85 inches (4.7cm x 4.7cm)* pocket watch (including bail)- 2.55 x 2.55 inches (6.5cm x 4.7cm)* chain (total length) - 28.35 inches (72cm)

In retrospect, I might have ordered the smaller size for a more delicate look, but I am very satisfied with the chain length. I do like the large size and can't stop looking down! I was worried it might be flimsy, but the watch is also very weighty. So far seems to be of high quality. It has been keeping the time well for the last few hours and I am excited by the prospect that I can wind this watch myself and never have to replace a battery.

As long as nothing breaks within the next few months, this has been an excellent purchase. The pictures were very true to the actual look of the watch, I was amazed. (I have seen some misleading jewelry pictures in the past.)

Below are some more pics of my new favorite accessory!

Closed in the case

The back, but could also be worn in the front, since it's so pretty. I never have to worry about the necklace turning over!

Open

My First Etsy Purchase

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:51:00 +0000

A couple of weekends ago I went to see "The Ugly Truth." I enjoyed the movie, overall it was a decent chick flick. I thought the plot line was cute, entertaining and I LOVED Katherine Heigl's wardrobe. It was very true to what a real 20 something would wear. They even repeated pieces! I especially loved the long pocket watch pendant she wore and decided I must have my own.

Enter Etsy www.etsy.com. For those of you that don't know, "Etsy is an online marketplace where you can buy and sell items that are handmade, as well as vintage goods and crafting supplies." There is a lot of great stuff on here, not to mention the fact that when you order a piece the likelihood of running into someone wearing the same item is slim to none since it's mostly handmade and vintage items. Payments are made through PayPal and it's a rather painless process.

Over the past 6 months I have bookmarked tons of items, but never made the Etsy plunge. Jewelry has never been my forte, but in the last 2 months I have started to work on my collection. I decided my long watch necklace will be my first plunge into Etsy. I found this beauty and cannot wait for it to arrive. It's shipping from Australia, so I guess I'll have to be patient.

Finally $200 Gym Reimbursement!

noreply@blogger.com (Rae) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:03:00 +0000

Last week, after more than a month, I finally received my $200 gym reimbursement from my health care company. It was based on the honor system and turning in some paperwork, but all in all was fairly easy process. Since I would belong to the gym anyway, I view this as an bonus $200 in my pocket (or savings account.) Who can argue with that?

What impressed me the most was the motivation that the $200 for every 50 gym visits per six month period, gave me to actually visit the gym. I even finished early! I completed the requirements about two weeks early. I just finished month one of my second six month period with 11 gym visits.

I know that next year my company is thinking of switching our health care plan. I'm working towards getting the second period completed ASAP in order to make sure I can at least get the other $200 for the year. Hopefully we'll stay with the same company, or the new one will offer something similar. I wish more health care companies had programs like this!