I once saw a doggie in the window...and a pair of shoes...

It's harder than it looks, folks.
Walking away from the strategically colorful and beautifully lit displays of fashionable flats and stylin' stilettos was harder than I ever thought it would be!! I've been trying so so hard not to shop lately, in efforts to save for what Uncle Sam refuses to help me out with (ahem. an education). Hence the lack of Canny Chic posts, lately (which I am undoubtedly sorry for!!). But what made today even more difficult (even more difficult than a regularly difficult day) was the 25%+15% discount coupon screaming at me from inside of my wallet.
But I did it, guys.
I walked away without spending a penny on those cute little silver pumps.
But I have a confession...I didn't leave without spending any of my pennies. I spent a lot of pennies, actually. But it was well justified!
Let me EXPLAIN!!!

You might remember reading about my cute Italian boy, over at Pink Lemonade. Well, this little blogger got invited to prom! By who else, other than the cute Italian boy?! It wasn't too long ago that I was planning out my own fabulous Senior prom night. I was so super excited that I couldn't help but look at all the pretty, sparkly dresses.

I tried so many dresses on, but once I picked up this one. I got that undeniable wowza feeling! This. Was. It.

Of course, being the bargain shopper that I brag about being, I left the store empty handed to search for a better buy (spending 200ish dollars on a dress I'll only wear once was not exactly my idea of a savvy spend!).

Going back to the mall yesterday, I decided to stop by the store and just check to see if "my" dress was still there.
And sure enough it was.
And it was in my size.
AND THEY WERE HAVING A SALE!!
Hallelujah! They were having a sale.

And, turns out, by opening a store card that day, I would get 25% off of my purchase, upon approval, and an additional 15% off whatever I charged, that day.
$200 dress (minus) $50 dollar deduction for opening up the card (minus) an extra 22ish dollars for using the card = about 120 for the dress.
That's an 80 dollar savings, here, ladies.
So I caved.

Kick off this weekend right!!!

Many of you know that I am currently battling my shopping addiction. Now, I in no way, shape, or dress-form claim success, because it is definitely a work in progress. But lately, I've been doing alright by paying down the credits and staying away from the mall.
But, even though I'm sticking to shallows, there isn't any reason that you guys can't go out with a splash! Right now is a fantastic time to scarf up scarves and save on sweaters! Stores, right now, are hastily slashing prices on winter garb, to make room for the bathing suits. (Am I the only one who finds this weird? I mean, it's not even February yet, people!!) But anyways, on top of the already reduced prices, lots of stores are issuing a little something extra as incentive to spend some post-holiday dough.
So I thought, hey! why not put together a little shopping list for you guys? Not necessarily of items to buy, but more like coupons and discount codes to make shopping just a little bit sweeter (if that's even possible!).

 

Online shoppers at American Eagle can score discounts by checking out before February 1.

Click here to shop clearance.

Since you're online shopping, why not stop by Victoria's Secert to score some sweet savings?

Click here to check out their sale items.

You can score 10% off of ALL your shopping at Pac Sun (in store and online) by signing up for email sale alerts. 

Check out my e-mail It-List and tips here.

Click here to go claim your savings pass! 

As always, the same promotion is offered at Kohl's depatment stores.

You can click here to get your free $5 and  10% coupon.

For a limited time, you can claim free shipping (which starts at about $6) on all crew necks and purchases over $100.

Click here to shop clearance at J.Crew

Now, of course, there are plenty of other stores that are offering great discounts, but for now, these savings should give you a start!

I can't wait to see what you shop for!!

{and how much you save!}

Student Savings! :)

Every true fashionista knows and follows "The Three C's of Shopping", but to truly save, shoppers have to think outside of the bag!
Full or Part time college students (as well as middle/high schoolers with a student ID) are eligible for discounts at many stores just by presenting a valid school identification at checkout. The savings vary, but usually are around 15% off.

A few stores that offer great student discounts are:
The Goodwill
 J. Crew*
Apple
T-Mobile
GAP
Charlotte Russe
Canon
*Select stores also offer discounts for teachers with a valid ID.

Another great option is the Student Savers Card. They cost about $20 a year, but entitle you to savings at hundreds of retailers and health services from 10-50%. Depending on how often  you purchase from these retailers, your twenty bucks could be easily paid back in tenfold!

Not every store offers the discount, but it only takes a quick second to ask and be on your way to student savings!

Grand Opening Goolah

It comes as no surprise that in order to score the hottest deals, a fashionista needs to be thrifty. But these days, even the most frugal of shoppers still find themselves muttering in hindsight about unlucky worms and giddy birds. This is because a truly successful shopper knows that to save more than she will spend will require more than a quick eye and speedy shoes - it will require patience.
Although there are countless ways to prove dedication to your dollar, standing behind dozens of other anxious and dedicated divas seems to top the charts as proof. If the temperatures are below freezing or the guest list is over 100, shoppers seem to rake in the brownie points by the minute. Now, while my shopping buddies and I had been number twelve or so in the air-conditioned line, I would like to think that the two or so hours we spent waiting for the grand opening of our local Tilly's store was at least a small tribute to our extreme dedication. ;)
Unfortunately, we were not able to stay for the entire day's events, which included a visit from a local radio station, a live debut by Kids of Survival, and refreshments (when in doubt, go for the food!). But we were able to score free tee-shirts, discounted merchandise, and other goodies! The first 100 dedicated shoppers were guaranteed to receive a Tilly's logo tee, Volcom brand stickers, and a Tilly's key chain. In addition, the first 50 early-birds scored themselves a promotional $10 gift card (with one extremely lucky shopper receiving a $100 gift card). Now, tell me, fashionistas: What is shopping-lingo for "extremely lucky"? Whatever it may be, insert it here, because after waiting in line a few hours, one of my shopping buddies (who, ironically, was bribed to tag along for mere company) walked away not only with their slew of goodies, but with nearly $100 in free merchandise, thanks to being lucky number thirteen in line. :)
We ended up shopping around, but saving much more than we spent, by using plenty of the discount coupons laying around the store.
If you would like to see some of the items from our Tilly's Haul, just click here!

The Look for Less

After an incredible amount of clicking, vetoing, and coupon code typing, the results are in! While the original inspiration, found in Coldwater Creek's latest catalog, was more on the classy side of chic, I decided to opt for a more modern alternative  for today's Look for Less. The vest I found was from JCPennys.Com. Mind you, it was a bit of a $plurge for my part-time piggy bank, but it's so incredibly cute, I couldn't pass it up! The faux leather vest (which is uber 'green', I might add) by Liz Claiborn is available through JC Penny's new fall collection. It comes in Dark Brown, and is available in ranging sizes, including Misses, Women's, and Petites. Again said, it was a splurge, costing me about $72.00 (with free shipping, because I'm spending over $49). Let's just say that I plan on wearing this baby around the clock!!

I was a little more relieved when I logged onto Alloy.Com to search for a cute striped top to wear under the vest. In the clearance section, I found an adorable Mod "paint streaked" top, priced at $9.99. Since I was still in the green, at this point, I decided that the only thing that could top off such a cute combo would be shoes to match! And *surprise!*, Alloy had adorable black suede boots on sale. Some colors were selling for $14 - but, of course, the ones that will match my Look were ringing up $34.00. But, they were still a deal, considering the many times I will end up wearing them this season, and the seasons to come. To make the deal even better, I used a 15% off coupon I thieved from my mama's Entertainment Book, and was entitled to free shipping! Lucky me!!

The only piece I did not purchase today was a pair of dark wash denim. The reason behind my omission is the 30+ pair of jeans I already own, courtesy of the Goodwill's wonderful $5- Denim sale, and the fact that I haven't grown very much over the past 9 years (it's a blessing and a curse...). But after all, dressing fabulously isn't always just about shopping and new finds - it's about working with what you already own to enhance your own style!

After tallying up today's expenditures, which were $115.00, I realized I had saved about $45 just by shopping sale items, not to mention the $244.85 we avoided spending by shopping around, and finding our Look for Less!!

Super Shopping

As many of us Pro-Shoppers know, fall time is one the best times to take advantage of major sales, designed to lure in bargain hunters like us! With the season's shopping well under way, Banana Republic, The Gap, and Old Navy, among many other stores, are making an extra effort by offering shoppers extra discounts for coming in to browse over these next few weeks. In fact, today is the last day for their Give to Get promotion. These stores are offering 30% off of ALL purchases, including sale and clearance items!! Yahoo!! :) What could make this promotion even better? An additional 5% of what you spend goes toward the non-profit organization Teach for America.


I, personally, can't wait to go and do some window shopping this afternoon. To print out your coupon, click here. I got mine through the Banana Republic E-Mail List. Saving dough on my splurges and promoting a great cause sounds like some super shopping to me!
I can't wait to hear about your fabulous finds, today!

Happy Hunting!

The Three C's

     What can twenty-one dollars and one afternoon of shopping do for the average Joe? Usually, not a whole lot. But for the canny spender, even the smallest of budgets can yeild amazing results! For me, as you saw from yesterday's extravaganza, twenty-one dollars refreshed my makeup stock, enhanced my shoe collection, and ultimately topped off my fall wardrobe. And I did it by following the Three C's of Shopping:

• Coupons
• Clearance
• Control

     Ask your grandma, coupons are the number one way to save dough when you shop. The easiest way to get the coupons that will end up saving you the most is through E-mail. I have two personal E-mail accounts. One for personal E-mails from friends, coworkers, coaches, and teachers, and then an additional E-mails for stores! This way, I won't be tempted by those "save-ory" sales when I'm not intending on shopping, and E-mails that need a reply won't be hidden among the alerts. Now everytime a sales clerk asks, "Are you on our E-mail list?" I eagerly fork mine over. Another great way to get a heads up on sales and coupons is by becoming a fan or "liking"  your local mall or favorite shops on facebook and twitter. By reading about the grand opening of a local Tilly's store via facebook, I ended up scoring myself a a load of goodies and a free gift card. My beau, who I dragged along to the event, scored one worth $100! But I'll tell you more about that deal later. ;) Another way to get coupons is via snail mail. Old fashion coupon clipping will always be in style! Sign up for store mailing lists by inquiring about a free catalog!
    The second "C" of shopping is Clearance. The clearance sections are the best way to score inexpensive and trendy additions to your closet. While often mix-matched and messy, shopping clearance can be a challenge, because of the limited availability of colors and sizes. Don't let the clutter distract you from your mission for savings! Focus on finding peices that you can pair with a variety of items that you already own, to spice things up. And most of all, stick with your size. Regardless of how affordable something is, it isn't a bargin if it doesn't fit, which leads us to our next "C": Control. Next time you're tempted to blow it all on those $80 boots, think about how many other cute items you could scarf up for the same cost. Do 16 pairs of jeans or 8 pairs of ballet flats seem like a better deal? If so, you'd better put the boots down. While there isn't anything wrong with the occasional splurge, the key to getting the look for less is having self control. I will be the first to admit it: Restraint is difficult! But just remember, for every dollar you save on one outfit, you have one more dollar to put towoards the next one.
     How do you make your dollar stretch? Shoot me an E-mail (to the address for people) and tell me all about your deals and dilemmas!

P.S.

I completely forgot to tell you about one the biggest bargains of my shopping adventure, yesterday! At Victoria's Secret they were having a sale on their new panty line. But, lucky for me, I had a coupon entitling me to one complimentary pair of panties with no purchase required! I scored a cute pair for less than a penny. :) I got this coupon in the mail, and while I try not to shop there too often, their freebies tend to lure me in. And let's face it: I'm a total sucker for freebies (not to mention PINK perfume) so they know what they're doing!
If you're as big of a Victoria's Secret fan as I am, you've probably already "liked" them on facebook. They're constantly posting about new additions and events, and you simply can't beat the sales and coupons!

Twenty Five.

Black Tee
Originally uploaded by Canny Chic

It's that time of year, again! Now is the season that cheesy slogans, super sales, and advertisements as colorful as the leaves on the trees float in the air, luring shoppers into their local department stores with lists longer than ever. That's right, folks: It’s back-to-school time! Accompanied by my Shopping Buddy, I set out today to see just how difficult the annual back-to-fall shopping spree would be, this year. Finding cute clothes for the season is simple. And spending loads of money on them? Well, that's even easier. The real challenge today was to stay on my small budget. After raiding my piggy bank and rummaging through my wallet, I was able to scrounge up $25 to spend on a new fall wardrobe. After a recent adventure into my messy closet, I've come to the conclusion that jeans and dress slacks are not a necessary buy this season. What I do need, however, are new tops. And a new pair of shoes couldn't hurt, either. After all, a girl can never have too many shoes! ;) For $25, I thought this list was pretty do-able, if I shop at the right places, of course. After grabbing a tasty lunch, it was time to put my money where my mouth was!
Armed with my stack of coupons, I walked in the first store: Kohl's. After a quick browse through the clearance racks and a shop around the beauty department, I ended up purchasing a black blazer and some liquid eyeliner. I also got a free "Flirt!" tote, just for purchasing makeup! The short cropped blazer with grey pinstripe cuffs, originally priced at $60.00, was a steal for only 12 bucks today! (I love clearance!!) The eyeliner, originally $12, was a bit of a splurge, costing me about $9. But here's the kicker-after deducting my coupons and discounts at the checkout, my total came down to only $6 for everything! With excitement in the air, my SB and I headed over to our next stop: Wal*Mart. For the quality of their products, I find Wal*Mart's prices to be slightly above average. However, if you're lucky enough to find your size in the clearance section, it's well worth the price! With this in mind, I meandered over to the clearance shoe section and, to my surprise, found a pair of brown knee high boots-in my size! Making this find even better was the low price of $7! To wind up the day of savings, we ventured to the mall for a bit of window shopping. I hadn’t heard of any outstanding sales, so I wasn’t planning on finding a lot for my leftover pocket change of $11.40. Walking into my favorite store H&M, however, changed my preconceptions. For only $5.00 each, I was able to purchase two tops to bring my day’s expenditures to a grand total of $23.60!! Not only did I stay under budget, but I racked up a savings of over $113.00, which can be accredited to having coupons, shopping clearance, and having self control!