Which bag is which?

Which one of these purses was $4,395 and which was $36 (well, I got it for $25 on sale)? When I wrote earlier about "replica bags" they don't always have to have a logo on them to be a replica. Most designers for large stores copy the style, sizes and looks of designer bags for their own store collections. I bought the above bag this week (on sale finally) at Target. The bag below is from Ralph Lauren. Same type look and idea, but the RL bag is real, printed calfskin. (thankfully, not real leopard, but they did waste a calf) Is it really worth $4,359 MORE than the Target bag?

I didn't buy the Target bag because it looked like a RL bag....I honestly just saw this RL bag for the first time today. I bought the bag because I really liked it! (I liked it 3 months ago, but I took a gamble that the price would go down.....as it usually does at Target.)

You could buy 122 Target purses at this price for the price of this one RL bag. You could almost pay my mortgage 2 times with one RL bag.

If that is your cup of tea, then go for it. But, for Fabulously McFrugal....less is more.

On a side note: Just as many stores copy designer products...I have a little secret about grocery stores for you. You know the STORE BRANDS that you see (Publix Brand peas, Harris Teeter Brand Mac and Cheese, Etc..). Those are not copies of real products, in most cases they ARE the real product.
Many large food manufactures have a smaller division that rebands their products as "store brands." So, you are getting the same product without having to pay for the name. If you haven't already started trying store brands are your grocery store, try it. It saves money. And sometimes any differences you taste, are actually all in your head! But, that's a whole 'nutha blog.

Thinking of buying something from Old Navy? WAIT!!!

Don't shop at Old Navy......at least not until Friday! The annual "Stuff and Save" sale begins on the 30th and goes through November 8. "Stuff" all you can in a shopping bag (which is unlimited online, but supposed confined to a reusable canvas shopping tote in the store) and get 30% off it all when you use your Old Navy, Gap or Banana Republic Card.

If you want to be one of the first 50 customers to Old Navy on October 30th, you can get 50% off your "Stuff and Save" items when you use your card! Sweet!!!

Also, if you bring the tote back in the store in December, get and extra %10 off when you use your store charge card.

FABULOUS B&Bw offer.....but there's a catch!

I got emailed a FABULOUS Bath and Body Works offer. It's for 2 days only (Wednesday and Thursday). You can get 10% off a $20 purchase ($2 off), $15 off a 30 purchase ($4.50) and %20 off a 50 purchase ($10). Obviously, the %20 off $50 is the Fabulous offer......$2 off a $20 purchase is not that exciting.

But, wait! There's more! PLUS get free shipping on purchases over $65. Right now, if I order the stuff in my online cart at B&BW, I have a $77.49 total (with shipping) and get $13.70 off that PLUS free shipping (-$8.99) for a grand total of $54.80 before tax. Not too shabby!

This is a GREAT way to kick off your holiday shopping........if you are not OCD like me and already have it completed. (I know, it's sick)

The catch is this.....this is an offer only for people who shop their frequently. There is no offer code I can give you. You must do a click-through on an email to use it. BUT, I can forward the email to friends.

So, if you know me and know my email address and want the email.......email me. (That's a lot of emails.) Otherwise, I'm sorry I can't include you in this one. But, trust me, this is one store that will continue to have great deals through Christmas!!!

Clinique Bonus

Clinique.com is now offering it's own BONUS TIME. Usually you have to shop through a store....now you can get a bonus directly from the online site. The promo is going on right now (no code required) and you can select the bonus you want. Pretty sweet!

20% off at the Gap and B&BW deals

Gap has a promo code to get 20% off your total order this week. But, hurry! It expires on Thursday the 29th! The code to use at checkout is FRIEND.

And, remember, The Gap is a Upromise partner. Get your % back!

Also, Bath & Body Works has their full line of Holiday scents available now with some holiday candles 2 for $10! Antibacterial soaps are $3 each and they have a ton of holiday gift sets, too!

Also, get $3 shipping with any $50 purchase with the code SHIP3!

I am bumbed I forgot to get the $3 aromatherapy foaming soaps offer! I had them in my online shopping cart and forgot to order them. They are $6.50 now! If you snooze, ya lose!

Black Friday Ad: Office Max and Wal-Mart

Thanks for my friend Jonathon for sending me over a link to the Black Friday offering from Office Max. Here. Check them out! Looks like some great deals on printers and digital cameras.

Here is the website that the ad is from Black Friday Info. It has some other great info including the Wal-Mart 100 toys under $10 Black Friday offer! I am keeping an eye out to see if any of those $10 toys will be offered online (in case any of you are like me and try to avoid Wal-Mart at all costs.)

Remember, Wal-Mart will ship most items to your local store for no cost. So, if they DO offer Black Friday items online.........avoid the crowds and order line with in-store shipping!

Black Friday Coupons.....already

Retail-me-not......my favorite coupon site, has a page just for Black Friday deals. Check it our below. I give them a ton of credit, and thanks, for collecting all that! They are they best!

BLACK FRIDAY COUPONS

It's my FAVORITE sale of the year

I hear bells ring and angels sing as I open my email today......an email from The Container Store! Yes, friends, it's that time of year where EVERYTHING is on sale at the Container Store.

This is not a private sale, either....head to their website for a printable coupon and an online code "savemore" to get 20 off EVERYTHING in the store. *smile*

Oh, and The Container Store is a Upromise Partner!! Shop through Upromise to get 3% back! Saving money on your purchase and saving for college/student loans.....what is smarter than that?

Are you getting your money's worth, per pound, with your new cookbook?

I found this cute article on one of my favorite "foodie" sites, Eatmedaily.com. They noticed that many new cookbooks were not only getting bigger and thicker, but heavier! They look more like coffee table books than cook books. Eat Me Daily took the biggest and most popular new cookbooks out there and did a price per pound comparrison! Very clever! Are you getting your money's worth per pound of book? Check it out at the link below!

Eat Me Daily, Price per pound.

The Beauty of Replica Purses

A purse is real no matter what. Saying it is fake is saying that it can't hold your wallet and cell phone just the same as another. I prefer the word "replica".

I have owned real Gucci purses and replica Gucci purses. I have real Coach bags and replica ones. But, at this point in my life, I can not bring myself to ever pay more than $60-80 for a purse again. It just seems silly! Especially since I constantly change my purse for my mood....or shoes....and that means I have a boatload of purses (and Target has some sweet purses under $50!)
So, I LOVE to find great fakes.....not at all because I want to fool people (because I am the first one to proudly tell you my Dior bag is fake and even get offended if you think I would actually buy a real one!) but because I see NO reason to pay $400, let alone, $1200 for ANY purse (unless it comes with free child care, fat free fried chicken and a private massage from L.L. Cool J!)
My mother feels the same way and we have a little hobby of finding the best fakes. I found a nice, little vendor of replica bags in D.C. this year and took my mom back there on our most recent visit. We each plunked down less that $100 for 4 "designer-inspired", replica bags. (2 Gucci, 1 LV, 1 Coach this trip for me.) These are the best of the replicas that I have seen.....since many were even real leather with beautiful satin lining! But, a keen eye, (meaning me, who has many replicas) can tell a real from a replica pretty quickly.

So, my mom took her all-leather, replica Coach into the Coach outlet in Darien, Georgia this past weekend (not on purpose, but she was using it and happened to be shopping.) The ladies at the counter literally came after her "We have not seen that one in that color yet!" "Where do they have it in stock?" "It's so soft!"
Now, the clerks at a coach OUTLET may be slightly less versed than ones at the Coach store, but this made me giggle. At first I thought they were humoring her, but she said they literally thought from first glance it was authentic. Upon real inspection, they only found 2 small design differences and the weight of the hardware (which is always the first giveaway for me) between the real they had in the store and hers. The funny thing is, this is not the first time this has happened to us.

A purse is a purse......and if you love it, use it! It's just hard to be fabulous and frugal and spend $1200 on something just for the name on it. Honestly, I could afford to buy a new, authentic Coach, Gucci or LV if I so desired, but I would feel like a TOTAL chump! Do you know how many pairs of little boy socks, Diet Coke 12 packs, utility payments or even car payments I could make with $1200? There are just more responsible, nay, more realistic things to spend money on in my opinion.....especially now. And spending $1200 on a thing that only I can use seems selfish now that I have a family and a child.
When Steve and I stopped in Gatlinburg on our way through the Smokies, I bought a funny tote bag that had a drawing of a Gucci purse and the words "SUPER FAKE!" on it. A fun juxtaposition on a canvas bag! On the back it said, "My fake is better than your real"
That summed up my point of view nicely! Flaunt your replica, or your generic, ......be proud of your frugality......and save the other $1150 for your IRA!

UPDATE 1: I have gotten fun feedback from this! Thanks! I want to reiterate, too, that I don't care if you have a big brand named purse or a generic one......Lord, I have my share of them all. My point it "use what you love".....what I love will never make me feel guilty for the price I paid for it. :)

UPDATE 2: If you are looking for the location I found these bags, it is in Fairfax at a VERY large thrift store.......next to a "5 Guys". I don't live there and unfortunately don't remember the street, only the location......but if you use that info, I bet you'll find it!

Midnight Madness Sale at Polo Outlets.....mark your calendars!

So, not to be outdone by anyone, the Polo Outlets are already thinking about black Friday! (Can you believe that it's that time again?) I got an email this morning telling me that all Polo Outlets will be having a Midnight Madness sale starting at midnight after Thanksgiving, on November 27, and ending at 10am. No word at all on the actual savings (hmmm, sneaky!), but if they are willing to pay people to keep their stores open at night, I am thinking it might be pretty good.

Here is a link to all the outlet locations: POLO OUTLETS

Personally, would need to know that it was better than 20% if I were going to miss sleep....especially post-turkey sleep! I won't miss sleepy time for less than $50 off, or at least a free item! But, send me an email if you go to the sale! I'd love to hear about it! Shop smart.....and at Midnight Madness sales....shop with a buddy!

Oh, and if you go, look for the HUGE reusable Polo shopping bags for $10. These are selling on eBay for $21-$29 dollars each and are coveted items. For $10, I think they would make a neat "gift bag" to present a gift in that you bought at the sale. What's better, or smarted, than a reusable gift bag?!

Columbus Day Sales

Here is a link to some of the best Columbus Day sales out there!


Columbus Day Sales

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Save money at Polo AND give to a cancer charity!

One of my favorite types of offers is getting a percentage off a purchase and having a percentage of the sale go to a charity! Ralph Lauren (who is a favorite online store of mine for their great savings, coupons and FREE gift wrap on anything!) is having another fabulous deal! In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, save 25% on your purchase between now and October 12 AND 10% of your purchase will go to a Ralph Lauren Cancer charity of your choice! Awesome!

Shop online at Polo.com. Codes are: "pink" for the Ralph Lauren Pink Pony charity focusing on breast cancer or "RLCCP" for the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention

Polo.com is a Upromise partner so get your % for your account AND ALWAYS ask for free gift wrap at Polo.com. The gift boxes are beautiful, hard navy boxes embossed with "Ralph Lauren." Fabulous AND Generous!

Great savings at Victorias Secret

Thanks to my friend Wendy for suggesting Victorias Secret as a Fabulously Frugal find! This week, until Wednesday, save and extra 20% off already reduced bras and panties.....for a maximum savings of 80%! Use code save20vs at checkout! (and remember, VS is a Upromise member, so shop through Upromise to get a % of your sale back!)

VS also has great savings on clothing and shoes right now as well! And you can use more than one promo code at a time at VS, so keep an eye out for free shipping codes (retail-me-not always seems to have them!)

Have fun being frugal!

Bath and Body Works Holiday Collection is now online

Winter and Leaves are my favorite scents from B&BWorks.......I use them both as signature fragrances in my home all year. (What, you don't have a signature fragrance for your home? Sure you do, it's whatever you use to mask the dog/kid/husband/dinner smell in your house when company comes over, silly!)

Check them out here! B&BWorks Holiday. They have a deal going on candles right now, too! Fabulous!

Earn $ for your old games and DVDs

A great way to be frugal is to recycle....and it's even better when your recycle turns into cash! Amazon. com now has a trade-in store at their site where you can trade in games and DVDs for Amazon credit. And Amazon now sells clothing, groceries, tools.......so much more than books! And, Amazon has free shipping when you buy over $25 of stuff (from their warehouse, not always their vendors) so money to spend at Amazon.

The best part is, they pay the shipping for you to ship the DVDs and games to them. I sold back some great games and my season 1 & 2 of Mad Men and Dexter and got almost $50! (I bought my son's birthday presents with my Amazon credit and had them shipped for free!)

It's a fabulous find! Check it out here: Amazon Trade in Store.

ANOTHER Gap sales event online

Those pesky people at The Gap must be hurtin', cause the have offered up yet another sale for cardholders (Gap, Old Navy or Banana Republic cards). Shop at The Gap and get 30% off regular priced items and 15% off sale items! Wow! That's about the best they have done in a long time!

Use code GAPSTYLE4 at check out!

Sale goes through Sunday the 4th.

Remember to get a percentage of your sales to go toward your student loan debt, sign up for Upromise and shop though their site! It's like a matching 401K program for your shopping habit......well, sort of! Shop smart!