From the category archives:

Shopping

Feeding your guilty pleasure

It’s a guilty pleasure – hit a Barnes & Noble and get a few books.

Till a little later and you realize not all of them were the best decision. What do you do with it? Donate to the library? Toss? Hope that a friend will want to read it?

A few better solutions exist: Bookmooch and Paperback Swap.

Both are based on the idea of sharing books. I’ve personally traded books with local readers, and also sent them as far as the UK, or just to CA. In the end, the cost works out, as you pay media mail rate [$2.41 for one pound] and if you request others’ books, they pay shipping for the books they send. So it evens out. I’ve even been fortunate enough to sometimes get brand new hardcovers, and later sell on Amazon.

I’m also checking out Bookins and TitleTrader. Have any faves?

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Four eyes for less

You know how it goes: You’re talking to a girlfriend about Wil Wheaton, then the efficacy of epidurals, then eventually, cheap prescription glasses. Yep, it’s one of those days.

While chatting with our blogger buddy Karrey [who has a great DIY home rehab blog], we’ve found that we’ve been looking in all the wrong places for inexpensive name-brand frames [not that we've worn glasses since '89 anyway!].

I prefer For Eyes and have had the same eye doctor in Schaumburg for ages; this is an economical option, but not the only one out there, especially since they too use an online service for contacts orders!

“I’ve gotten glasses online three times now: once, I got a pair of Kate Spade frames from BestBuyEyeglasses for half the price that they would have been at my optician’s shop,” Karrey said. “I ordered some sunglasses from 39DollarGlasses that kinda sucked, and then a pair of prescription sunglasses from Goggles 4 U that rocked.”

But the deals didn’t end there, according to Karrey. “With the latter two, I got a discount on the glasses by using affiliate links from http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com .” [Disclaimer: Neither Karrey nor Thriftista are associated with this link.]

And a note: Don’t use Goggles4U’s search function; you’ll have better luck browsing the site.

What are some of your favorite eyeglass and contact shops?

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2011 Suburban holiday light shows, craft fairs and other fun stuff

Here’s a list of holiday light shows/events in the Chicago suburbs…

25 Nov- 31 Dec:   Winter Wonderland Holiday Light Show   (Vernon Hills and the Cuneo Museum)    $5 per car

27 Nov.:  Christmas Light Display of the Parcell Family (Geneva)  Toys for Tot donation box  [Hint hint...]

28 Nov…2pm: Christmas Parade (Woodstock)

2-4 Dec.:  31st Annual Lambs Farm Holiday Lights Gift & Craft Fair (Arlington Park) $7 per person plus parking

6 Dec.: Schaumburg Park Foundation Holiday Shopping Bazaar  (Schaumburg)   FREEEEE!

Okay…this is just a start. I’ll add more as I discover more suburban events.

 

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When Black Friday is over…

So, the deals are done. Maybe you scored something good, or avoided it. I’ve scoured the Twittersphere to relax and unwind:

@ChicagoPrime: Come to “Black Friday Specials all weekend long” Friday, November 25 at 3:00 pm until Sunday, November 27 at… http://t.co/8VMwWpeS

@Sunda: Heading out for Black Friday? Bring in a shopping receipt and receive $15 off of lunch!

@PinstripesBBB: BLACK FRIDAY shopping?!?! Bring in your holiday shopping receipts during lunch or dinner and receive a… http://t.co/6Gx8KQzN

@CarlucciRest: Get ready to eat & shop! It’s our Black Friday Menu! $25 3-course dinner menu. Friday thru Sunday (11/25-11/27)
@GooseClybourn: BLACK FRIDAY EXCLUSIVE: http://t.co/A6iaANK1 Join us for the exclusive release of King Henry at our brewpub! #Chicago #craftbeer

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The Thriftista Black Friday & Cyber Monday Guide 2011

Black Friday

Black Friday by Beth Rankin, on Flickr

Black Friday seems to start earlier every year, bleeding even into this past weekend! But it’s still the biggest shopping day of the year. Here’s how you can get through it:

Wait, what’s the deal with Black Friday & Cyber Monday?

Check out last year’s post for some pointers.

Thrifty blog tips

Another tip from blogger Jessica Shallow-Miller of Save Green Being Green: “Group shop, but shop alone. Each person takes their top pick of a store and shops for the entire group at their store. Then you have the best chance of getting the doorbusters at all the stores, even when they open at the same time.”

And Laurie Matheny of Great Ideas and More advises: “Plan accordingly. Know where your store displays for big ticket items are located. Ask the manager beforehand or scope the store. That way you can get straight to what you are wanting to purchase without wasting time looking.”

Kitchen Table 4 U‘s Alison Shaffer offered the great, “Shop where they give gift cards with purchases and buy gift cards at restaurants that give bonus gift cards.”

Happy Appy

This year there are more new iPhone and Android Black Friday apps that could help you find deals.

Deals, deals, and deals

Black Friday, Thursday, you name it…

Anthropologie is taking an additional 50% off sale clothing from 6-11am, in-store only.

Threadless tees are $10 each but I haven’t verified this yet!

Kohl’s has many doorbuster specials, including a $99 Polaroid 7″ Android tablet, and as usual deals on apparel and housewares.

Target has a Westinghouse 46″ LCD HDTV for$298. I’m betting they won’t be around past 12:01 am [yes, they open at midnight!]. Also a $79 Kindle and plenty of other electronics.

Macy’s has deals on fragrance sets [Justin Bieber parfum, anyone?], housewares, jewelry… still looking for clothing/shoe deals.

Express has 40% off everything in-store on T-Day till noon, on BF 40% off online and in-store and 30% off after noon.

PetSmart starts at 7am and has many 50% off deals for toys.

Old Navy is open on Thanksgiving Day, with $5 graphic tees, 50% off outerwear [I believe this has been going on already], cheap gloves & scarves, and more.

Menard’s has that same Polaroid 7″ tablet as Kohl’s, for $79.99 and lots of toys and power tools on special.

Best Buy and hhgregg have many TV dealsis featuring a ton of DVD, camera and cell phone deals. There are very small limits on many of these items, so I suggest an early start if your heart is set on electronics.

Updates:

Victoria’s Secret has buy one bra get one 50% off… this is just 25% off! Passing…

Cyber Monday:

Some tips from the Chicago Tribune to keep your credit card info safe.

I strongly suggest using coupon codes to bring your prices down considerably! My favorite is RetailMeNot, as is Coupon Chief.

Amazon has deals all week long — pair this with RetailMeNot coupon codes, and you’ll knock out much of your shopping.

6pm.com always has great deals on shoes and accessories, and you can get more off now.

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Christkindlmarket Chicago 2011

LisaG and the Christkindlmarket treeSipping hot, spiced Glühwein on a crisp, cold day. What could be better? Shopping! The annual Christkindlmarket begins on 23 November and will be open through Christmas Eve. Lots of shopping stalls to either buy decorations and gifts, or simply spend a pleasant afternoon with a friend while browsing the stalls, sipping Glühwein to keep warm. Spend as little or as much as you like, so it will always be within your price range.

This German festival is held every year at Daley Plaza (50 W. Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602) and continues to have free admission. It is open from 11 am to 8 pm every day, so you can stop in on the weekends or any day you are in the Loop.

Try the roasted nuts while you are there…freshly roasted and sweetened. YUM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Staycation: Chicago InstaGreeter Tours!

I just learned something new about the city…some willing citizens volunteer to give free tours of touristy areas of the city.  Right now (Nov. 2011), InstaGreeter tours are being offered for The Loop and for the Mag Mile.  Each tour is an hour long and they are….FREE!!!!!!

Loop tours:  Friday – Sunday, tour start times are 10 am – 3 pm.  Tours are limited to 6 people and are first- come-first-served.    They start at  Chicago Cultural Center Visitor Information Center,  77 E. Randolph St.,  Chicago, IL 60602.

Mag Mile tours:  From 12 Nov to 31 Dec 2011, this tour is available Fridays and Saturdays, 10 am – 3 pm start times.  Tours are limited to 6 people and are first- come-first-served.    They start at Water Works Visitor Information Center,  163 E. Pearson St.,  Chicago IL, 60611.

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Filene’s Basement: GOING OUT OF BIZ

HUGE UPDATE PEOPLE!  If you haven’t heard yet, Filene’s Basement is going out of business.  They recently filed for bankruptcy and will begin closing their stores soon.  Keep an eye out for going-out-of-business sales.

 

 

Previous post about their Running of the Brides:

We’ve all seen the sitcoms where a bride and all her friends attend a bridal gown sale that results in hair pulling, ripped clothing, and bruises.  It also normally ends in triumph for the sitcom heroine.

While not quite that dramatic, Filene’s Basement holds an annual bridal gown sale in strategic locations.  Luckily, Chicago is one of those locations!

I actually attended in 2009 to help my niece find a gown.  We deliberately arrived an hour after the sale began because we didn’t want to be a part of too much craziness.  We wore matching t-shirts (black with dripping smiley faces–very easy to spot in the swarm of pink around us), stared at the gowns strewn all over the store, and noticed the security guards enjoying their jobs as women stripped down in the aisles to try on gowns.  Some customers were rude and obnoxious (acting possessive over gowns they’d already decided they didn’t want, but would only relinquish if you had something good to “trade”) while others were helpful (asking what you were looking for and telling you where they last saw a gown of that nature)– if you go, be a helpful one.  It took about two hours, but her mom came through for her and my neice found the perfect gown for about $250.

The Chicago event will be held on 16 September 2011 beginning at 8 a.m.

If you have friends in other cities, those events are as follows:

30 September: Elmsford, NY – 295 Tarrytown Road

14 October:  Washington, D.C. – Mazza Gallerie

28 October:  Westbury, NY – 695 Merrick Avenue.

If your wedding isn’t for another year, keep in mind that they have a LOT of these throughout the country in the winter and spring.  If there currently isn’t a location scheduled near you, keep an eye out for future dates.

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Independent Retail Week 2011 parties & discounts

Independent Retail Week

Photo from ExploreChicago.org

It’s that time again: Fashion, fashion, fashion plus a dose of parties, swag and discounts. Here’s a quick guide to the best of the free grabbed from Explore Chicago:

 

Monday, October 17 from 5:30-7pm — Anna Fong @ The Blackstone Hotel, 636 S. Michigan
This hour-long presentation will consist of a 30-minute runway show of Chicago designer Anna Fong’s Fall/Winter 2011 Collection and a 30-minute hair demonstration by Salon Master Tony Di Pasca, a ‘How To’ for the latest Di Pasca styles for the upcoming cold months. This is a free event, but space is limited and reservations are required. For more information and to make reservations, email escalante@escanlantephotography.com.

Tuesday, October 18 from 2-8pm. — Alice Berry Studio Open House @ 1820 W. Cortland St.
Shop at Chicago designer Alice Berry’s open house and enjoy refreshments, informal modeling, shopping incentives, and more. This free trunk show is the perfect place to find that shawl, scarf or shrug and be sure not to miss the sale rack, featuring 50-75% off merchandise.

Tuesday, October 18-20, 4-9pm — Luxe Collectives @ Fashion House, 1520 W Fulton, Room 1520
Luxe Collectives is the pop up showcase of boutique retailers from across the nation offering luxury, designer apparel and accessories in a guided, intimate shopping experience. This is a free event, but space is limited and reservations are required. For more information and to make reservations, visit www.luxecollectives.com.

Tuesday, October 18-21 from 10am-5pm — Fashion Pops @ Block 37 at 108 N. State St.
This free shopping event will feature five pop-up shops including Cityblue, Gray and Frill offering Fall merchandise for purchase and giving shoppers a unique opportunity to check out looks from a variety of neighborhood boutiques all under one roof. More information can be found by visiting www.block37.com.

Wednesday, October 19 from 4-6 pm — Rock Candy by Helen @ Glam to Go, 2002 W. Roscoe Street 
This free event with cocktails and nibbles, plus goody bags and giveaways, will feature models showing the Fall collection from Rock Candy by Helen, matched with selected pieces from Glam to Go’s garments.

Thursday, October 20 from 5-9pm — Ellie Thompson and Thierry Roger present Soiree CHICago @ 8 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite 2203
This free event, themed as a tale of two cities, Paris and Chicago will feature the new designer collections, live models, champagne cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Thierry Roger will be showcasing his custom collection of women’s wear, while Ellie Thompson unveils Land & See a fine jewelry collection.

Thursday, October 20-21 from 11am-7pm — Experience Eclection, 2415 W. North Ave.
Visit Eclection’s showroom which houses independent designers in Chicago with items from handbags to jewelry to apparel to art. Experience the individually while enjoying desserts and drinks at this free event.

Sunday, October 23 from 4-9pm — Nomadic Ant Trunk Show at Squasht by Les, 2556 W. Chicago Avenue
This free event at Squasht by Les Boutique welcomes Nomadic Ant’s jewelry collection for a special in-store shopping event. Enjoy music and refreshments.

Sunday, October 23 from 12-6pm — shopNEWD CHICAGOmade, 1917 West Division Street
At this free event, guests can enjoy 20% off merchandise made in Chicago storewide including wall art, hats, jewelry, handbags, apparel and more all made by local artisans.

Sunday, October 23 from 3-7pm — Haute on Halsted, 120 N. Halsted Street 
Join Entourage Man for this free event as they sip and shop from the men’s collections of apparel and accessories.

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Navy Pier Bridal & Fashion Show & Expo 2011

Chicago Bride Magazine is putting on a free Bridal and Fashion Show Expo at Navy Pier.  Although tickets are free, they still need to be reserved in advance.

The show and expo runs from 11 am -4 pm on 16 October 2011. (If past years are an accurate example, additional dates may be added.)

As I skim through the list of exhibitors, it looks like there will be many types of wedding-related businesses present, from photography to cakes, bridal gowns to hotels.  You may have to force yourself to stay in Thriftista-mode as you browse these ‚ as there are references to North Shore weddings, which I imagine are not cheap!

Hopefully you will get some great ideas and find a vendor or two with great prices.

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