Savvy Shopping

I'm going to go ahead and pat myself on the back because I am a very savvy shopper. If you ask any of my friends they will tell you I'm an expert, so I thought I would share some of my tricks of the trade.

I almost never pay full price, I love reward programs, referral programs and any other type of purchase where I get what I want for less.

1. Ebates- The Ebates Cash Back Button that gives you cash back when you shop! You download the button, and it automatically applies the cash back percentage to all your online purchases (i.e. 6% cash back on Athleta). How does it work? Stores pay ebates a commission for sending shoppers to their websites, and they share it with you.

I've made over $200 in cash back since signing up! Get the button here. You won't be sorry.




2. Ebay- I've been an Ebay shopper and seller since 2001. When I find things I like, I look for them on ebay. My first tip is to "follow" or "save" a search. For example, I was in the market for a new Patagonia down jacket, so I saved the search, "black Patagonia long down jacket small", and within a week one popped up. I got a like new, worn only a few time $400 jacket for only $110! I save searches for the Mini fashionista too. Just a few weeks ago I entered a "Patagonia ski pants size 10" search for next year's pants and ended up getting a set of long underwear at an amazing deal, just because it notified me of the search.

So...long story short. If you find something you love and don't want to pay full price or can't find your size in a store, or saw it on a friend and it's from a previous season, look for it on ebay! oh...and if you sign up for ebates, you will get 2% cash back on all your ebay purchases. BONUS!

3. Consignment/Resale- Not only do I love consignment stores, but I also love consignment shops on social media. A majority of my clothes and the Mini's clothes are "2nd hand". Here are some of my favorite consignment/resale stores and online shops.

- Baby & Me and Rock it Resell- For those of you in Portland, this is one of my favorite shops for the Mini Fashionista, and I occasionally buy from the adult store.

- Recycled Chic & Seams to Fit- These Portland consignment stores focus on high end, like new clothing, handbags, shoes and accessories.

- Consign Design- If you follow C&C, you know this is my favorite consignment store on the planet. It's in Sun Valley, ID and has been my gold mine of consignment finds....Chanel, Jimmy Choo, Oscar de la Renta, Ferragamo, Tory Burch, Vince...I could go on and on.

- Les Petites PDX- I actually started this high ends kids consignment shop on Instagram with two friends over a year ago. They have now taken it over as I focus on my consulting business. Follow the boys account here and the girls account here. AND they are launching a high end women's site called Grayson Rose.

- Shop the Wild Things- This was the first Instagram consignment shop I ever followed, and it was the inspiration for Les Petites PDX.

- A few other online "resale" shops I frequent are: The Real Real, Poshmark, and En Vogue Consignment. 

Happy Shopping!

If the Shoe Fits

Earlier this week I popped into Seams to Fit on my way to teach at Barre3. I wanted to see if any of my items had sold, and do a little browsing...as the saying goes, "when in Rome"! Anyway, I have a habit of spending whatever credit I have, and then some.... but, for the first time I managed to leave the store both in the positive and with something fabulous in my shopping bag!

Behold these amazing NY&CO colorblock wedges. Ivory, grey and black...with a pop of orange under the foot. The will go with everything! I'm in shoe love!

And, I'm digging them with my neon pink toes! 

Another Steal

Last week I stopped by my favorite Portland consignment store, Seams To Fit , to see if I had sold any items and to check out the latest inventory. As I approached the rack of coats an olive jacket caught my eye...could it be a Barbour? I pulled it off the rack and sure enough, it was! A BRAND NEW (with tags) Barbour Beaufront Jacket and the Betty Interactive Liner (also in Olive)!  

My husband had a Barbour jacket growing up, and I bought him one a number of years ago for his birthday. Since then I have been lusting after my own but have never pulled the trigger...until now. This jacket retails for over $400 (and the vest for $100), and I got both for $199! It was too good to pass up.

For those of you who are not familiar with Barbour, it is an iconic British Lifestyle Brand founded in 1894. Think Fox hunting and country chic. It's been a brand of the British Royalty for years and was worn by the late Princess Diana. 

And now it's gone mainstream and is seen on some of the chicest celebrities like Alexa Chung and Olivia Palermo.

And now it will be seen on me!

Seams To Fit

For all your readers in Portland, I wanted to spread the word about Seams To Fit's Anniversary sale this Friday. Everything in the store will be an additional 50% off.

For those of you not familiar with it, Seams To Fit is a consignment store that sells high end clothing, shoes, handbags and accesories. Everything from J Crew (at the low end) to Prada, D&G, and Chanel (at the high end). Last year I got a Phillip Lim 3.1 black mini dress for $99 (as seen in this photo), and you may remember a few years back I was trying to sell Stella McCartney boots I got at their sale for $125! I tried to make a size 8 work despite my foot being a size 8 1/2. The things we do for fashion!

For those of you in the area, the sale starts Friday at 10 a.m.  Happy Shopping!