There was a lot of discussion about racial relations and Indian-American viewpoints on race and culture this weekend on Sepia Mutiny, in response to our favorite "Brown Girls" pontification on bringing Obama home to momma. Look for more on that this afternoon but in the mean time--what are you wearing?Did you guys see the piece in the New York Times about "The Recessionista"? If the New York Times Styles section is featuring Target-finds and blogs about frugality (amongst the ads for Gucci hobos of course!) you know it's time to take this money-saving talk seriously.
Get ready to shop without breaking the bank Devis. Welcome to Edition One of Devi Style: The Recessionista Files.
-Online Sample Sales
We already told you about Gilt.com, but Gilt, at this point, is the old kid on the block. There are a slew of others, most of which are invitaiton only --but we got you covered with special access, using the following codes:
-Hautelook.com: Click "sign up" and enter code "stylewatch10"
-RueLaLa: Go to ruelala.com/style to join
-Idelli.com: Invitation code "stylewatch"
-Sites for Discount codes/coupons
Try these sites to see if your favorite stores are offering any promotions.
-Reesycakes.com
-RetailMeNot.com
-Styleforfree.com
-Sign Up for Sales Alerts
These sites send info on sales to your inbox, so you are only alerted to the deals on the brands, styles or store you are interested in. TIP: Set up a separate email account for these sorts of mailers, otherwise you will be overwhelmed with the volume of mail you receive.
-ShopItToMe.com: Choose a weekly or daily email telling you when styles and brands you like go on sale in your size
-Stylenotes.com: To-the-minute information on when there is a sale at your favorite store or on a style you are looking for
-Shefinds.com: Weekly deals, as picked by a team of editors. And Momfinds.com, a sister-site to Shefinds which focuses on all sorts of stuff for all sorts of moms.
-StoreAdore.com: A directory of the best shopping online and offline.
-Compare Prices
Make sure you are getting the best prices available--before you "add to cart."
-Dealio.com
-ShopStyle.com (aka your new BFF)
-Get Money Back for Shopping!
-Ebates.com: See if the store you are about to purchase from is part of the Ebates network, which includes 900-plus stores. If it is, ebates will deposit a percentage of the sale into an account and, four times a year, they'll send you a check!
-Swap Your Stuff
Be that Indian Auntie/momma who loans all your saris (aka: jeans) and curry pots out to everyone--but get something in return too.
-Swapstyle.com: Exchange clothes with people around the world
-GiftCardRescue.com: For a small fee, you can swap a card you don't want for a different one you will use.
-Spa discounts
Forget the stuff and get thee to the spa--for less.
-Spa-addicts.com: If you live in LA, NYC, New Jersey, Chicago or Atlanta, check out this site for monthly spa specials, and to earn "SpaMiles", redeemable for treatments
-SpaFinder .com: Find day spas online-only deals and packages
-SpaWeek.org: Get all the information on spas in your city participating in Spa Week, when spas across the country offer up to 80% off their signature treatments.
And there is much much more to come, Devis. Next week: Check in on how to reuse, repurpose, and rework the clothes, accessories and makeup you already own--including that sari blouse that is just a LITTLE bit snug post-baby...!
Deepa is a wife, mother, writer and she sometimes masquerades as a lawyer as well. She revels in friendship, humor, champagne, and laughing at herself--often. She never ever reads US Magazine, thinks Rushdie is a genius, wishes she could write one sentence as funny as "Arrested Development," and lives in the Bay Area with her motley crew. She can be reached at deviswithbabies@gmail.com
wow! This is awesome information! Saw your mention on sepia--glad I did (though my credit card may not end up being so thankful!)
The reaction on sepia is amazing. What surprises me is how aghast people seem that racism still exists. Looking forward to your response especially since you wrote the comic. (great fashion tips).
Thanks for all of the great info. I am on hautelook.com, which I LOVE. They have great sales and I am totally addicted.
A thought provoking and intellectually challenging (and funny!) comic strip in one breath...and the best compilation of shopping secrets I have encountered in the next. If this is the "devis with babies" world sign me up!!
This list is unreal, thanks so much. And I can't even begin to count the number of useless garments (Indian and otherwise) I have, after having had two children--I have size 4-10 in my closet. So I'm super curious and cannot wait for the post on "repurposing" what we already own. Just found this blog--am addicted, thanks again!
wowza these be many-a-good deal(io)s, thank you devis with babies. any insider tips on technology deals? i can only assume the big box stores are trying to unload all sorts of electronics right now
Thanks for the mention! Dealio.com is a great site for comparison shopping, but we also offer many store coupons and hot deals posted by our community of bargain hunters. Our shopping blog,www.dealio.com/blog, is where we feature the best coupons/deals and coolest products.
Another sample sale site (not affiliated with Dealio) is Regency's Secret. I've gotten some great deals from there.
Glad you liked this compilation of deals and steals, ladies. Start gathering your old clothes and accessories to get ready for next week's tips on how to make everything old new again. Helen--thanks for the tip and we would not be adverse at all to any super-secret-special Dealio deals for our readers...!
Alright, I have a bone to pick. I came here through Sepia to add to the bile and venom...but got sidetracked and started perusing your blog and came upon this post. You had to go and make me a fan of a momma-blog eh? From what I can gather from your blog, I AM a Devi, but no "with baby" in sight, and a rotating roster of baby-daddys. That being said, I will be checking back. This list of deals rocks.
Thanks so much for this. Hautelook is UNREAL. And today on Gilt, there was a huge sale of up to 90 % of all the stuff that they have been selling. I got a Valentino jacket for $49! LOVE the deals on this blog! More please!!!!