Vanity Fair Reader? Like Bloomingdales? You're in Luck.

This month's issue of Vanity Fair (you know, the one featuring Jackie Kennedy) has an insert in the first part of it that will give you maddd Bloomingdales discounts, to be used in store. Just rip it out of the magazine, bring it into your local Bloomingdales between now and Sept 20, and get a mystery card valued anywhere between $10 and $500 to spend at your leisure with minimal exclusions!! As an added bonus, you get extra coupons that can be used by Bloomingdales card holders. I will pass those along to someone who does. If there are any takers who live locally I am glad to give them to you!

The catch is that only the 1st 100 customers who do it will get the deal. But I visited the Friendship Heights location just before closing today, thinking I would not get it, and found out I was only the 22nd person to come get the deal-- which has been going since Friday. I didn't strike the $500 jackpot but I did get a $20 card which essentially equals free money. Not bad.

If you are concerned you will miss the deal, take a minute and call your store's customer service and they will confirm or deny that this is still available!

Ann Taylor Loft and Ann Taylor Deals!

So while I'm not so much into signing up for credit cards from every retail store I shop at (or any for that matter) I am a fan of signing up for mailing lists, online and via snail mail.

And and a little birdie dropped these on my doorstep:

For Ann Taylor Loft get $20 off any full-price purchase of $75 or more or $50 off a full-price purchase of $150 or more by using the code 133000315 OR 133000359. The catch? Each is only valid for 1x use so please comment if you've used it!!

For regular Ann Taylor recieve 25% off your purchase of $100 or more with the code 108020038. This can be used more than once!

Lord and Taylor 20% off Online and In Store!

Even better than the labor day sales :) We just had to wait it out, right?

Click here to print out an in store coupon or just enter the online code BONUS at check out between today and Monday Sept 14 and get 20% off almost anything full or sale price.

Outlet Shopping: A Love/Hate Relationship

Being the child of an avid bargain-hunter, I was raised to believe in the power of the outlet: a rare oasis where one can relish in their favorite stores leftovers and walk away with very satisfying deals.

My problem, however, lies in how many retailers trick us into thinking the outlets have the same quality merchandise that a normal store would. Favorites of mine like Banana Republic, Gap, Ann Taylor, Brooks Brothers, J Crew come to mind as examples of retailers whose "outlet" locations do not have their leftover merchandise, and instead carry a separate factory store line that mimics the styles of the regular stores. Translation: poorer quality, and definitely not as stylish. You can normally tell this is the case when you look at the label in a factory store and see a slightly different font on the tag, and three stars or dots below it to sneakily suggest it is a different line.

But not all stores are this crafty, and some have been kind enough to conform to the traditional meaning of outlet. One place that has never let me down is the Kate Spade outlet. I have been to at least 4 or 5 of these and each of them have had a fantastic selection of genuine leather bags in all colors and sizes.... significantly discounted... and undoubtedly recognizable for earlier seasons. I had been weighing buying a big, black leather tote and the price they were willing to give me should have been enough to put me over the edge. A $400 dollar bag, discounted earlier, with 40% off plus another 20% off for labor day which I asked her to give me even though I didn't have the coupon. She saw me hesistate, I asked if she could do any better, and she tacked another 10% off. In the end I ended up getting an amazing bag I will use for years for $140. Advantage, Diva!

No, but really, the selections are just as good as you would find at a Bloomingdales or Nordstrom, and at the outlets they will give you an added discount if you ask and smile. This is the second time this has worked-- and I bet many of my readers are far cuter and better actors than I am so I'd gamble that it would work for any of you.

Other stores that keep things real in the outlets are Nine West, Naturalizer, Saks Off Fifth, Neiman Marcus Last Call and BCBG (though the stock is sometimes eh). If you have any other tips on good outlet finds give a shout!

As We Being Our Week....

Possible to dos:

Today: Hit up Caribou Coffee for $1 java day
Tomorrow: Hit up Anthropologie stores or the web site since tomorrow is markdown day!!

15% off Full-Priced Ann Taylor Purchase

Really quality work clothes. I'm particularly a huge fan of this dress .

Sept 1-27 enter the code 108020178 at checkout and get 15% off your duds. I will be partaking...

So I Guess I'm On a South Moon Under Kick...

cause I have this 20% off coupon to South Moon Under for any purchase of $150 or more online. Valid until 9/30/09, enter the code FALL20 at checkout and you are good to go :)

Savings Event at South Moon Under in Clarendon!

Hit up the South Moon Under Clarendon location (2700 Clarendon Blvd, Ste R440) and receive 20% off your full-price purchase from 7-9pm! Complete with wine and cheese. You will likely run into me there....

Ann Taylor Loft 20% off

Online and in store deal valid Aug 27-30! 20% off all full price items.

Shoebuy End of Summer Sale

Shoebuy is offering $15 off any $60 purchase. I love ordering shoes from this site because they have have brands and offer discounts on items that most other shoe sites don't (ie Jack Rogers, Charles David). They also offer free shipping and free returns! Booya.

The site seems kind of aloof as to when this starts and ends, but it is definitely working right now. No code needed, the discount automatically appears in your shopping bag.

Hello Lord and Taylor Coupons ....

Lord and Taylor might be my favorite department store for a few reasons: 1) They carry some excellent brands like BCBG, Lucky, Hudson, Trina Turk etc and 2) Their prices are generally more reasonable that other high end department stores and 3) They almost always have serious sales and coupons floating around!! And even if they don't, I've found that most stores will give you a discount if you ask :)

So here is the latest in a string of great deals from L & T.

Online coupon: Use the coupon code BIG at checkout to get 15% off all regular and sale-priced items Weds Aug. 26- Sun Aug. 30. Huzzah!

In store coupon: Extra 25% off clearance items (pdf)

Monday 1$ Java Day at Caribou

Caribou Coffee has this great Monday pick-me-up deal where you can get a medium coffee for a dollar, medium iced coffee for 2 (with this delicious white chocolate syrup if you want), and a fancy latte for 3.

Available at all the Caribou Coffee locations in DC I have seen: 14th and Rhode Island, Connecticut and M, 17th and L, 15th and M, 13th and G, etc.

I know I posted this late in they day, but there is always next week :)

10$ off Nine West with Visa

Need a new pair of pumps for work or boots for the fall? Nine West has a pretty good deal, online or in store, where you automatically save $10 when you use your Visa card.

Click the link and print, or use the code NWSUMV9 online! Valid until October 31, 2009.

J.Crew Free Shipping

on orders of $150 or more.... use coupon code NEWFALL at checkout.

Bloomingdales Fashionable Fundraiser...

= a rare Bloomingdales coupon for August 27th that really doesn't exclude a whole lot. I have the actual coupon in my hand, but the good news is that this deal works online too.

Here's what you need to know:

August 27th enter the coupon code FASHION at checkout on Bloomingdales.com and get 15% off most items, or 20% off most items if you use your Bloomingdale's card.

This fantastic deal will benefit AIDS research organization amFAR--Bloomingdale's is pledging a $75,000 donation. So if you didn't have a reason to shop before, here's yet another reason to make your closet happy.

Anthropologie.... a Tough Nut to Crack

but possible. The Holy Grail of feminine, yet funky boho-wear (and some of the prettiest earrings ever) can be a bit out of my price-range but I still keep going back hoping, just hoping, their sale rack still has some of the things I have been eyeing in my size.

Often, that is not the case. Especially at the Georgetown location, which is most convenient for me, and unfortunately always seems ransacked by the time I get there.

But there is a way around this.... I discovered on my visit last Tuesday to the Georgetown store I found the sale racks overflowing with cute stuff in most sizes!! Well, it turns out that all Anthropologie stores make their markdowns on Tuesdays! The Tuesday markdowns also apply online.

This discovery also makes me curious which other chains/small boutiques have a rhythm to their price reductions. I'm betting quite a few do... Will get back to you with what I find.

In the meantime, have fun perusing Anthro's web site, save that shopping trip till Tuesday, and avoid sulking in the sale section :) We win.

Betsy Fisher Massive Clearance

As of today, sale clothing and shoes from the spring and summer collections at Betsy Fisher are being marked down as much as 85%!

I have had some very good experiences with this store (located 1224 Connecticut Ave. NW between the Dupont and Farragut North Metro stations), which although pricey, has incredible markdowns like this one.

I'm definitely a fan of their eclectic shoe selection. Got a great pair last season that were marked down from $195 to $15 dollars!

Chocolate Bargains in DC!

I didn't say I was only about clothing did I? On my lunch break I noticed a deal calling my name.

A chocolate store called Schakolad located at 19th and L St. NW is doing something called Dollar Days where they offer some amazing weekday deals on treats and drinks!! I just got hazelnut gelato for a buck...ahhh so money!

The schedule is as follows:

Monday: 10% of selected items
Tuesday: 2 chocolate dipped pretzels for a dollar
Wednesday: Chocolate-dipped strawberries for a dollar
Thursday: 1 scoop of gelato for a dollar
Friday: Any latte iced or hot for a dollar (includes the kind they put fresh chocolate into!)

Eat up guys!

Make Shopping Work for You....and Your Budget

Being that I spend an inordinate amount of my free time hunting for deals to fuel my own budget-lorn shopping habit, I thought it was only fair to share my finds.

I learned the hard way that paying retail for beautiful clothes translated to guilt, and stress, but consequently, that not feeling confident and excited about what I wore on my body was equally disheartening.

I am not suggesting that great finds can't come with small price tags, but rather, it will do you more good in the long term if you evaluate purchases based on quality and fit rather than justifying buying something based on how inexpensive it is. Those small purchases you justify because of their price rather than how excited you will be to own them eventually add up. And besides, that means you won't crowd your closet with a fraying mess of crap that eventually finds its way to good will.

So then how do you not erupt into a spending frenzy? The short of it: stake out the items you want in stores and online, and size up the retailer to find out to find out when and how to get those items on sale or with a promotion code. This works particularly well with large chains like Banana Republic, Gap, and JCrew since you can go to the store to try something on, and often find a way to get that item cheaper online if you sign up for that stores email list to stay in the loop on promotions. In the example of these three, you can count on almost everything going on sale.

If you are unsure of what retailers you like and are squeamish about ordering clothing online, start by looking in your closet and picking out your five favorite things. Look at their labels, and make your way to to the store to get the lowdown on colors, fits, and pieces you will want in your wardrobe. Oftentimes, brands use the same colors from season to season so by getting a mental image of what BCBG or Banana Republic "blue" looks like you can avoid the shock of colors looking differently online then when they arrive at your doorstep.

Enough of my blather for now. Time to go shopping. Here are some deals for ya:

Online:

***Gap is offering 20% off any online purchase between today and August 23rd. Just enter the code FALL at checkout

In Store and Online:

**Ann Taylor Loft is offering a buy 1, get 1 50% off special for sweaters. Click this link to print for in-store visits

Happy Shopping! Back with more as it comes in.