Friday Deals!

Hey all! I'm so ready for the weekend! Christmas shopping, packing for my 2 week vacation, seeing friends and family! Bring it on!

*50% off on sweaters from the Gap when you purchase them in store (thanks Fantabulously Frugal)! These luxe sweaters are great!

*30% off one item at Borders! Offer expires on Monday.

*20% off all Philosophy products both online and in store through Monday! Use the code 2GIVEIS2RECEIVE online. I'm in love with the Amazing Grace sample I received from them a few weeks ago!

*FREE holiday music sampler from iTunes! Doesn't listening to Christmas music for 2 minutes totally transform your mood?

Seattle specific Friday Deals, courtesy of the Seattle Times Freeloader!

*FREE hot cider and FREE valet parking at University Village! The hot cider is available daily at the concierge desk (between Ben Bridge Jewelers and Sole Food), and free parking is Friday, Saturday and Sunday AND the week before Christmas.

*FREE appetizers at Kathy Casey Food Studios in Ballard to celebrate her new book! The menu features bacon, blue cheese and pecan cocktail cookies, lamb sliders on rosemary buns and croque monsieur puffs. The open house runs from 11 AM - 7 PM on Saturday, and it's located at 5130 Ballard Ave NW.

*FREE Nutella crepes at Mobatta at their new location on 2nd Ave between Cherry and Columbia!

Looks like I don't have to pay for meals this weekend! Enjoy and stay warm!

To Regift or Not to Regift?

Regifting. It sounds like a dirty word. To some people, it is a dirty word. But regifting can also be resourceful - it's a way of giving gifts you won't use to someone who will use and enjoy them. Treading the Regifting River may be tricky, so if you do choose to regift, here are some tips and rules of etiquette:

*Regifting should be done in a situation when it will not hurt or embarass the original giver. Think of how you'd feel if you found out someone gave away the gift you gave them. Maybe give in another circle of friends, a coworker, a neighbor, etc. If you have a pile of regifted gifts somewhere in your home, maybe think about keeping a list of who gave you what gift and when.

*Keep everything in its original package. It will be obvious something is a regift if the styrofoam packing is gone or the box is in poor condition. But then again, don't try and put it in a box from another retailer. What if the recipient tried to return it to that store? Embarrassing!

*DON'T regift something you've already used. Unless there is a special significance to the hand-me-down, don't do it. Tacky!

*Remember to present it as a new gift! Don't use the old wrapping paper or leave the old card on the box...it's amazing that some people neglect to check things like that, but it has happened to me!

*Regifts can sometimes make awesome white elephant exhange gifts!

*If regifting is totally not an option for you, think about selling unwanted gifts on Craig's List, eBay or Amazon. Then use the money you make to buy real gifts!

Have you ever regifted or been on the receiving end of a regift? How did it work out?

PS - did you know the term regift originated in a "Seinfeld" episode? Elaine's boyfriend was a "regifter". Reason #173 I love that show!

Holiday Help: Decorating on the Cheap

I know I tend to go a little overboard on my holiday decorating budget, but this year, I definitely tried to create decor on a dime - nay, a nickel!

I think keeping things natural is a good way to go. I love the smell of fir trees, and in lieu of getting a Christmas tree that would 1) die, because we are gone the week before Christmas and 2) would cost at least $40, I went to Home Depot to get some garlands. While I didn't find exactly what I wanted, I did find a pile of branches that had been cut off trees. Bonus - the staff at Home Depot just gave them to me for FREE! I made custom fir decorations for my entry table and my kitchen.

Another natural thing I brought in were fresh cranberries! They were so pretty for Thanksgiving, I wanted them for Christmas. I put them in small votive holders to brighten up my space. One bag at the grocery store cost $2 and filled 8 votive holders.

Other natural things that make easy and beautiful decorations are: pinecones (I've seen some even glazed or spray painted), leaves, oranges or clementines (hint: if you stick cloves in them, they smell ah-mazing), and cinnamon sticks.

Next, I love ornaments. They're so versatile - besides hanging them on the tree, you can put them on your mantle, you can fill a hurricane or a vase, stack them on shelves...so I purchased ornaments from Home Depot for $7. I hung them using some ribbon (which I'll also used to wrap presents) for $4. I also strategically placed them in my fir arrangement and to spruce up an old wreath.

Oh, and of course, the $1 advent calendar from Trader Joe's!

I literally decorated my house for Christmas spending less than $15, repurposing a few things and using a little creativity!

How did you decorate for the holidays? What are some tricks you use to save money on decorating?

Friday Deals

I'm sure in a good mood this morning after my Oregon Ducks clinched the Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl spot! But seeing some of these good deals for weekend shopping was the icing on the cake!

*Friends and Family at Cost Plus World Market! Get 25% off home decor, furnishings, gifts and more, and 10% off food/alcohol. Use this coupon in store or use code FFONLINEDEC online. Is anyone else a sucker for their Beer of the World 10-pack like I am?



*Friends and Family at The Body Shop - 20% all merchandise in store or online (use code FNF2009). If you shop in store, you also get a FREE gift with a $20 purchase. Make sure to print up this coupon if you plan to shop in store. Ends Sunday.

*Love that Borders.com has coupons all the time (become a Borders member for free like I mentioned in this post) and this is a pretty good one! 30% off one item! Go here to get the coupon.

*25% off your order of $150 or more at jcrew.com. Enter code GIFTS. Totally wanting this vest...


*Take an extra 20% off Vera Bradley sale items! Enter code 20OFFSALE at checkout (thanks to Fantabulously Frugal for this one).

*Although it's not a Friday Deal per se, make sure to check out Ebates.com if you plan on shopping online for gifts. Ebates.com is a GREAT website I mentioned in this post, and it's a website that partners with over 1,000 stores to give you cash back on your purchases. I had not used it much but when I decided I wanted to get some great online deals on Cyber Monday, I thought I'd give it a try. Not only were all the online stores I wanted available, but Ebates was running a special of getting double cash back! I got about 11% cash back on my purchases! If you'd like to check it out and sign up, here's the link.

Happy weekend!

Holiday Help: Having a Greener Holiday

I have a few pet peeves about the holidays: crowds, rude people, traffic. Out of all of the things that bug me from Thanksgiving to New Year's, my biggest pet peeve is how much is wasted - wrapping paper, bows, decorations, food, and plenty more! Don't get me wrong - I'm not a scrooge! But over the years, I've gotten increasingly concerned about the environment and I'm trying to minimize my impact. I figured a lot of you are in the same boat. Here is how I'm planning to have a greener holiday:

*Wrapping presents with something I already have - newspapers are a classic, but what about old scarves or bandanas? What about placing a present in a basket or other container I have lying around the house? I also think it could be nice to get a gift in a reusable shopping bag - something I can use later! If I have to buy wrapping paper, I will only buy paper made of recycled materials. I also love to wrap presents with nice ribbon that could be used by the recipient again - I love to use old ribbons for headbands, belts, or an accent on my purse.

*Giving experiential gifts. I love this one! Last year, my husband and I got my twin brothers tickets to an Oregon Ducks football game. Since we couldn't buy tickets until July, the present they got to "open" were foam fingers that we hid in the house. When they found the fingers, we told them they'd need to use those to cheer at the game we'd be taking them to. It was pretty cute! I plan to do more of this during the holidays this year.




*Giving the gift of my time. I used to think these were so cheesy! My mom would always encourage me to make personal gift certificates, but I thought they were lame. Now, I love them and so do the recipients! Make a certificate for your parents and take them out to their favorite restaurant (or one within your budget) or babysit your niece and give your siblings a night out. People stay relatively connected with technology these days, but nothing beats a few hours of face time with those you love. I promise that will be a memorable gift.

*Giving a membership or subscription. As I've mentioned in other posts, I love giving magazines as gifts (just remember to either pass the magazine onto someone else or recycle it when you're done). Memberships are also great! One year, my mom got me a membership to AAA. With an unreliable car, that definitely got me out of a few pickles, plus it gave me ultimate piece of mind. Maybe you could find a cheap membership for a friend's favorite museum?

For other ideas on how to have a no-waste holiday, go to reduce.org.

What do you think? Is it important to you to give in a way that reduces waste? How are you incorporating being green into your holiday routine?

My Frugal Heart Beats for Twitter

I'm still a little new to the whole Twitter scene (melissawgaffney, if you'd like to follow me). It's kind of neat to see celebrities on there - Joel McHale and Bethenny Frankel are some of my favorite tweeters (is that the right use of the word?), but I think my favorite thing about Twitter is how instantly you can find all kinds of deals!

First off, you can follow some of your favorite stores. Much like Facebook, if you follow certain stores, they are likely to post special promotions or deals on Twitter. It's a good way to keep informed on sales all in one place. Since I never pay full price at Banana Republic, I like to follow their tweets letting me know it's 30% off sweaters and outerwear!

Here are some of my favorite deal tweeters:

1) Fantabulously Frugal - I love Lisa and her sweet, sweet deals! She keeps up with EVERYTHING! Check out her blog, too!

2) Free List - Free List is just like it sounds - it lists anything from classifieds in your town that are free! The posts can be a little overwhelming, but it's a good way to score anything from free skiis to free hot tubs to free cars (okay, no engine, but still). I'm following Free List Seattle, but there are lots of Free Lists. Check for your town!

3) Groupon - I've mentioned Groupon before, and now I'm in love with their tweets! They send out a fantastic deal every day for restaurants, spas, events and more for numerous cities! Last I checked, they were in 45 cities. Find the Groupon for your area!

4) Target Daily Deal - I can't spend time every day checking Target's site for good deals, so they tweet it for me! Their Daily Deal tweets are great! Just 3 days ago, Dyson vacuums were on sale for $299 - normally $400! Can't wait to see what they have for the holiday shopping season...

5) Travelzoo - if you love to travel, or just need to find deals on how to get where you need to go cheaply, you must follow Travelzoo. They have great travel finds ($29/night at the Tropicana in Vegas?!) for last minute getaways or they can give you a head's up when you plan something in advance.

Do you tweet? Who do you follow that makes you laugh, think, or save money? I'd love the suggestions!

Clothes Shopping the Frugal Way Part 3

So I finally made my shopping trip. As a refresher, here were the items I've decided to start with to round-out my wardrobe. I've put an X next to those which I have purchased.

Black Tank
White and black T's (short sleeved and long) X (One long sleeved black T, still looking for the others)

Black turtleneck sweater
Crew neck sweater X (three one red, one pink, one black)
Black pants X
Heavy sweater X (a tan over sized cowl neck)
Cashmere hoodie
Gray Flannel pants (I might choose another fabric aside from flannel) X (I got flannel and I love them! I even found a washable flannel)
Black round-toe pumps
Black knee high boots
1-2 additional pairs of neutral pants such a pin stripe X (a very dark grey/silver. What can I say? I like grey)
1-2 dressier blouses X (a burgundy colored blouse with a ruffle)

So overall I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished. I spent about $350, which considering I haven't purchased clothes since March isn't that bad. I made my purchases at Express and Ann Taylor Loft. I consider these good quality stores. While eventually I'd like to move toward a beautiful pair of Theory pants, the fact is my closet was sooo bare, that my budget just wouldn't allow. So always buy the best quality you can afford. I'm proud of my self for not going to the cheapest of cheap stores and buying a ton of stuff I know will stretch out and pill within a couple of days.

I've worn Express editor pants in years past and they always hold up well. I highly recommend them for anyone who is looking to add some pants to their wardrobe.

The other thing I'm going to do differently is being very cautious how I launder my clothes. I plan to hang dry almost all of them, and then through them in the dryer to just wrinkle release. Even though they say they can handle the dryer and they may or may not shrink, they will still start to look older much faster.

I'm still on the hunt for the perfect black boots. Anyone have a pair to share?