Shopaholic: Store 'Cash'

I'm a big lover of Kohls cash. If you're not familiar with it, it's a promotion where if you spend a certain $ amount ($50) you get a coupon for $10 off your next purchase. What's great about Kohls cash is that you don't have to spend a minimum to use it, it's like a gift certificate.  The only downside to Kohls cash is that it's only valid for a two week period of time. I can't save it for the spring when i'd want to buy a birthday gift for someone, i have to use it NOW.

I have yet to not use one, because $10 is $10, so i've gone in and bought socks, clearance shoes or a picture frame just to make sure that free $10 didn't go to waste.

Old Navy recently started doing their own version called Old Navy Bucks. Boy was that disappointing. I don't recall the exact amounts but i think for every $20 you spent you got a $10 certificate for your next purchase. Sounds great right? well not really, because to use the $10 you have to spend at least $20 at your next visit. Plus you can't use it online. So the only time I got ON Bucks I didn't use it because 1) the line at the store was too long and i had somewhere to be 2) i wanted to use it online and couldn't and 3) the redemption period was short and i ran out of time to go back to the store.

So the ON bucks were a bust, i won't waste my time with that again. I'll just keep an eye out for the $20 Groupons.

I do have one Kohls cash coupon and this time I think it's for $15. What to buy ? I'm sure I'll pick up some good  stocking stuffers.

Have you heard of any other 'cash' offers like this that work well?

The Shopaholic : Black Friday Edition

If ever there was a time for me to have a moratorium on shopping, THIS IS NOT THE TIME.
At least if I buy stuff this Friday, I can buy it under the guise that it is a gift for someone else. Or that it was really cheap and I've always wanted it. Ok, so I'll probably buy stuff for me as well as Christmas gifts, I can justify nearly anything.

I've done some marathon Black Friday Trips before with both my Mom and my Mother in Law. Both involve getting up and leaving the house by about 6am, getting to the stores with the freebie door gifts and super sales that go from 7am-9am or 8-am - 10am etc. I've gotten some really good things from these sales, I've also found almost nothing and was exhausted and done with pushing through people wearing their PJs in public and standing in long lines that snake around the store.

This year I hear some stores are open at Midnight on Friday. As in, 'I haven't finished digesting my turkey yet and now i'm going shopping while everyone is asleep'. That's no fun, that means I can't get there early to get the free mickey mouse sno globe or the extra 5% off. This probably means that I will avoid shopping so I don't get trampled. I will not show up at 5am to get one of 5 new Playstations for $2, besides I already have a nintendo 64, that's good enough right?

It's likely that I won't be shopping in the physical stores this year, I'm more likely to sit in my PJs at home and surf the web looking for good deals.

I'll still take a look at some of the Black Friday sites, but nothing beats getting the paper on Thanksgiving day and sorting through all the ads and earmarking the ones I like.

For those of you who are adventurous, here are some Black Friday Ad sites:

• http://bfads.net/
• http://www.blackfriday.info/
• http://www.theblackfriday.com/
• http://www.amazon.com/Black-Friday-After-Thanksgiving-Sale/b?ie=UTF8&node=384082011
• http://twitter.com/#!/blackfriday

Shopaholic: tempted by that extra % off

I am continually sucked in by the 'extra 15%' coupons at Kohls. They offer then nearly continuously throughout the year. They'll send them in emails, via snail mail and in the paper.

TIP: I have a special 'sale' folder in my email to keep sales such as these just in case I don't have the coupon with me. This has happened before and I was able to find the coupon in my smart phone.

 

NOTE: above coupon is just an example, it's expired, don't use it ok?

The other day I got an email that they were offering 15% off for 5hours only!!! OMG LETS PANIC ABOUT SALES!!! (TM)

 And I totally fell for it. I had been thinking about getting a duplicate pair of Levis that I had bought at Kohls about a month ago, but hadn't purchased them yet because they weren't on sale. I had this conversation in my head this weekend while I was considering 'just running out real quick' to get some things. I had decided to wait for the next sale. Which ended up being two days later.

So I purchased the Levis and then I also got sucked into buying some new towels (buy-one, get one FREE) and then I looked at my cart and I had over $100 in there, which I could justify because you know if you spend $100 you get 20% off! (OMG MORE PANIC!). This is also when I check the clearance section just in case, because what if I were to miss something awesome? I didn't, but i do have three sets of new towels and new jeans on their way.

So Kohls has a good idea going with these 'extra' sales. They know what'll suck me in and get me to buy more. Next time i'll give you my ideas about Kohls cash and the other stores that try to mimic that idea. 

Now I feel like I can justify those jeans because I bought something for the house too. The house will be so pleased.

The Shopaholic

I've got a problem, a shopping problem. At some points I feel like i need to stand up and declare, "hello my name is Teresa and I am a shopaholic". But then so many of my friends shop for MANY unnecessary things or duplicates of items they already own or stock up on birthday and Christmas gifts for years in the future.

Currently I have the following websites open in my browser (chrome if you're asking)

• DSW.com
• Kohls.com
• 6pm.com

Just three, but it's been much worse. And i don't always have shopping sites open but I can say I check Amazon.com several times a week. Someone will post about a great deal in a blog, I'll get an email inviting me to try THESE vitamins since I already bought THOSE or an idea will pop into my head about something I need.

What's on my list of things I need this week?
Shoes, it's always shoes, but I need a pair of stylish black heels, I want a pair of stylish snow boots that don't look like Napoleon's moon boots and an affordable pair of replacements for my Clark Privo black slip on tennis shoes.

What am I waiting for?
Well I'd like to find something that speaks to me, but my delay is more about cost. I just cannot bring myself to spend full price on something, it's in my DNA. My mom used to only shop the clearance rack when i was little and if she bought something full price it was a BIG DEAL, because darn it that pair of pants better last me forever.

I'm a rewards member at DSW so i get free shipping AND i have several $off certificates I can use. So I'm partial to shopping there because I can't bring myself to pay for shipping. This is the same for Amazon and Zappos, I have accounts there with free ship and occasional discounts. It's these three sites that I check before looking anywhere else.

What's the other reason? Well...I really don't NEED any of these items. I have plenty of shoes, I don't feel inadequately dressed for the weather and I likely have something similar to what i'm looking for. Do I really need a pair of Burgundy Suede Booties? Absolutely NOT! But they do make me happy to wear them. So now I need to find a happy medium between the NEED and Want. I think i'll start with not buying anymore boots this winter, I don't really need to replace my privos just yet so maybe i'll just find one pair of black dress heels I can wear to church or dinner. Just one.

And all that looking and searching will still make me happy and satisfy my urge to shop. Because what makes shopping fun is not always purchasing, but the actual browsing, trying on and considering.

And Christmas is coming up, so i can always add some things to my Amazon wishlist and hope someone will buy them for me or get me a DSW gift certificate. :)