Friday Shopping Report: Uniqlo, Boden and Boutiques.com

Uniqlo
Yes, I was in NYC earlier this week and I stopped at Uniqlo. But aside from a thermal tank, a pair of gloves (which are already unraveling) and a super-cute flannel tunic top, my purchase was really weighted toward purchases for Josh. He got another thermal long-sleeved top (his request) and a black and white striped dress shirt and coordinating black argyle vest sweater. He's wearing his new duds today and looks so handsome.

Boden

I wear my Boden dresses a lot, so when Want Not alerted me to a 25% off sale with free shipping and returns, I pounced, ordering this wrap dress and this printed jersey dress.

Boutiques.com

Have you heard the buzz about Google's foray into fashion, Boutiques.com? I checked out the site and found it really easy to search and browse clothes, something I ordinarily find impossible on the web (unless I'm in a very limited catalog situation like Boden or Ann Taylor Loft). I used their tools to figure out my personal style (it's street, surprisingly enough), and give my preferences in silhouette, designers/brands, colors and patterns. Fifteen minutes later a personalized boutique was created just for me. Go ahead and click through. You can "follow" my boutique if our tastes align and even buy me gifts from my favorites (yeah, right). In addition to browsing the photos, I can search for free shipping, sale items or sort by price. Or, if I decide my taste sucks, I can view the boutiques curated by fashion icons, bloggers and celebrities. It's a brilliant concept, really. Who would have expected it from Google?

Hours later it occurs to me that today is THURSDAY and I've published the Friday shopping report early. I guess that means I have to go to work tomorrow. 

Friday Shopping Report: soft things

I purchased our queen sized mattress 6 1/2 years ago. It's easy to remember the mattress's age because we bought it when I was pregnant with Z. Since it was our first queen, I also bought two sets of sheets.

Both sets gave up the ghost this month. They're different brands (and different colors, not that it matters), but they both got worn through at exactly the same time (although not in exactly the same way).

So lest we start sleeping--crackhouse-style-- on a naked mattress, I ordered us up another set of sheets. Based on the reviews and the reasonable $39.99 price, I bought these Laura Ashley flannel sheets from Overstock.com (oh my, they're even cheaper today!).

Sleeping on them is like a dream--they're as soft and cozy as can be. I've only washed them once, but so far there's no sign of pilling.

And speaking of soft and cozy, have you seen the sweet, domestically-designed toys offered by North American Bear Company? They kindly sent my Cinderella-obsessed 3 year old their Topsy-Turvy Cinderella, a huggable cloth Cinderella that transforms from scullery maid to princess with the flip of a skirt ($28). A ran around singing "Bibbity bobbity boo!" and performing the fairy godmother's magical spell on her new doll for a few days, but her interest in the new toy eventually flagged. Perhaps her repeated viewings of the movie limited her imagination when it came to different ways to play with the doll (I've read that can happen)? Nah, I actually believe it is because her favorite toys are small and can be set up in a variety of ways and made to interact with each other (think Playmobil, Little People and Littlest Pet Shop).

Note: This post originally described North American Bear Company's dolls as domestically-manufactured. I was mistaken and the company set me straight. I apologize for the error.

Friday Shopping Report: Loft bed

The bed in pieces on my front porch

The time has come for my 3 year old to move out of her converted crib and into a twin bed.

I posted a want ad to MomMail (a local newsletter) and spent Sunday afternoon checking out second hand beds in OPRF. I saw two Pottery Barn beds, but the cottage style and giant headboards were a little too stylish for my kids' "IKEA-eclectic" bedrooms. They were also priced at $175 each--a decent deal for PB, but pretty pricey for something I'd have to haul home in my CR-V.

One River Forest mom led me up to her garage attic, where she showed me her collection of twin headboards and a pile of frames and bed rails. She told me I could take whatever I wanted for free, but that she'd need to have her husband sort through the stuff to pull out all the necessary pieces. One of the beds (last used in the early 70s) was pretty appealing, but midway through the consideration process I'd floated the idea of putting a loft bed in Z's room and handing her bed down to A, and it was seeming more and more like the smartest way to maximize the space in their small bedrooms.

So I ended up purchasing a second-hand IKEA loft bed for $75. Josh picked up a mattress ($99), duvet and sheets on Wednesday, which means we my mom and stepdad can assemble it this weekend.

Why did I decided to go the second-hand route? A couple of reasons. I don't think our current house is our forever home, and I anticipate moving sometime before both of our girls are teenagers. I imagine their rooms in our future house will be more spacious--perhaps even big enough to accommodate a double bed. That means the beds I'm buying them for early childhood only need to last 5-10 years. I also don't believe children need fancy, super-supportive mattresses. Z's been sleeping fine on IKEA's entry-level foam mattress for a few years, and I've even spent the night on it once or twice. It's firm, but perfectly adequate.

This is what the bed looks like assembled but unmade

I also believe second-hand is an excellent way to afford higher-end furniture that can last a lifetime, like my beautiful dining room table and chairs. It's cost-effective and better for the environment, too.

Friday shopping report: Uniqlo crazy

Thanks to an extravagant shopping spree at my favorite store, Uniqlo (with only one US location--in NYC), I have a lot to confess on today's Friday Shopping Report.

So what does $393 buy you at the store my co-worker aptly described as "H&M meets J. Crew?" Well, in addition to the camel sweater and cordless chocolate brown skinny cords pictured here (photo credit goes to my 5 year old--please excuse my messy hair and lack of makeup), I got two cotton long sleeve t-shirts, a black turtleneck sweater, two pairs of striped socks, a fitted shiny black down jacket and two items from their thin-yet-warm HEATTECH collection, a raspberry turtleneck and a pair of black leggings.

I also picked up an orange down jacket, a flannel shirt and three pairs of socks for Josh (I think I mentioned already that Josh was just outside the store pushing A in her stroller when he saw The Boss, Bruce Springsteen).

Anyway, I'm thrilled with my purchases and feeling just stylish enough to show my face at today's Gilt Groupe Blogger Brunch at the Peninsula Hotel. So excited!

Okay, confession is still not quite over. I'm embarrassed to admit I also bought an embellished tunic top ($24) and a dark blue sweater dress ($49) from Nordstrom Rack. But that's it, I promise. No Groupon-style purchases were made this week.

Friday shopping report: Wine, cupcakes and a very special book

My name is Alma, and I'm addicted to social shopping websites.

Wine
This week I bought this Red Wine Tasting pack from MyWinesDirect, paying with a Groupon + about $7 in tax. Shipping was free.

Cupcakes
Two different sites, Groupon and Plum District, offered special deals for Bleeding Heart Bakery, which has a location close to our house in Oak Park. I snapped up both, which means a dozen cupcakes and a box of assorted bakery treats (including their delicious scones, brownies and cake balls) are our future.

Prudent Advice for My Baby Daughter

I bought two copies of my exceptionally talented friend Jaime Curtis' beautiful book, Prudent Advice: Lessons for My Baby Daughter, (A Life List for Every Woman). You can be sure I'll have her autograph them when she comes to Chicago for a party later this week.

Also, the Gap
As I wrote earlier, I also hit the Gap on Monday, scoring a pair of black pants for only $35. Buying the pants was a headache, but I'm thrilled with how they look.

Friday Shopping Report

Knee socks for skating
I discovered the hard way why so many roller derby girls wear knee socks. Roller skates can rub you the wrong way if your skin isn't protected. After scoring an ankle blister at last Saturday's Derby Lite practice, I stood in line at Nordstrom Rack for 15 minutes to buy blue and black striped knee socks and hot pink Betsy Johnson over-the-knee socks. I also stocked up on knitted tights for winter as I love a) how cozy they keep my legs and b) that they are control top free. I hate control top tights.


Organic fruit and veggies
Having taken delivery of our Mamaloot Ripe Organics box on Tuesday and finding it to be a pretty good deal, I snapped up a $15 Groupon for $30 to use with Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks. We spent our Marion Street Cheese Market Groupon and snapped one for another Oak Park restaurant, Klay Oven.

Knitting book
Since I finished my cabled hat and abandoned a crap pattern for a baby hat for my friend Kate's about-to-be-born daughter, I was hungry for some more knitting projects. I'd admired Stephanie's fingerless gloves and she told me the pattern was from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. Based on the reviews I'd read, I ordered its sequel, More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts from Half.com. But if it doesn't arrive ASAP, I may try knitting these. And Kate, if you're reading this, I still have plans to knit something for your baby girl--it just won't be ready in time for her to wear it home from the hospital.

Friday shopping report: Halloween and the Gap Groupon

Master Shake

This week I did my part to revive the economy and deplete my cash.

Spending my Gap Groupon

I headed over the 3-story Gap on Michigan Avenue on my lunch break and found it hard to find $50 worth of stuff I wanted. Well, actually I fell in love with a $70 pair of black pants (curvy fit), but I only buy on sale at the Gap. So I headed to the back, where everything on sale was marked down an additional 25% and it looked like a tornado had touched down. I picked up a striped v-neck sweater, a striped tunic top with 3/4-length sleeves, a thin gray long-sleeved tee with button detailing on the shoulder and one other shirt so uninspiring I can't even recall it.

Halloween costumes

Since my mom and stepdad are going to be here for Halloween, my kids are jazzed about the holiday, and since Josh and I were actually invited to an adult Halloween party, I decided it's high time got into the spirit of things. I used the coupon code attached to a catalog from BuyCostumes.com and made sure to click through to the site via USAA's Membershop so I could get 6 points per dollar. There I picked up a witch's wig for Z, a Baroness costume for myself, Jill from the nursery rhyme "Jack and Jill" for A and Aqua Teen Hunger Force's Master Shake for Josh. The $85 order received upgraded shipping and arrived the very next day! Josh had to pick his chin up off the floor when I popped into the living room as Master Shake singing "We are the Aqua Teens!" He said, and I quote, "I'm so surprised I just might wear that."

Birthday party plans 

We put a deposit down on Z's 6th birthday party, which will be held at Tri-Star Gymnastics in early November. I ordered these "budget" invitations from Tiny Prints. The plan is to invite the girls from her 1st grade class, but we might have room for a few non-class friends as well.

Daily deals

I purchased my first deal from Mamaloot, $20 for a $40 box of organic, mostly local fruit from Ripe Organics. It will be delivered on Tuesday.

Friday Shopping Report: Eye drops

What do you buy when your eyes are recovering from Lasik PRK? Well, you don't shop online, because focusing on a computer screen is damn near impossible. (At one week post-laser, it is much better, but since I still need to look away from the computer every few minutes to rest my eyes, I'm not tempted to cruise the online sales listings on my lunch break.)

Instead, you try and buy eye drops. A lot of eye drops. Here's my take on the OTC varieties I've tested in the last 7 days.

Tears Naturale Free I went through a big box of these pretty quickly post-surgery. They are individual one-use vials, but I found that each vial is actually more like 3-5 uses. They feel like tears. Walgreens makes a knock-off version that lists for about a dollar less.

Systane Ultra Preservative Free Eye Drops are very similar to Tears Naturale Free: individual vials that feel like soft tears. At least at Walgreens, they cost a bit more than Tears Naturale Free, but since I had a coupon that came with the starter kit from Dr. Kraff, the cost difference was negligible.

Refresh Optive Sensitive Lubricant Eye Drops I got a few of these as samples from Dr. Kraff, and they're also similar to the Tears Naturale Free individual vials, but they are slightly more moisturizing and the moisture does seem to last a bit longer. This helps make up for the fact that there's less solution in each individual vial (more like 1-2 uses), but the product performance isn't so much better that these are worth their premium price.

By far the most interesting eye product I've tested is GenTeal Eye Gel. Now that my eyes have healed, I'm supposed to apply it just inside my lower lash line and blink until it's coated my whole eyeball in soothing squishiness. I do this before bed so that my eyes can stay tucked under a sheet of moisture all night, but the box indicates for daytime use as well. It does feel good. I purchased the GenTeal brand on my doctor's recommendation, but I saw a lot of similar eye drop gels and eye gel products, and given how similar the tears are, I doubt I'll remain brand-loyal in the future.

Immediately after getting PRK, I couldn't wear any eye makeup. But since I've now been giving the go-ahead to do so, I picked up a waterproof mascara, Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof. It's a pretty basic mascara (and was on sale for under $4 at Walgreens), but it is doing a decent job of staying on even under a near-constant shower of artificial tears.

Friday shopping report: New eyes, new body

New eyes

flickr photo of Lasik by Space Pirate
Queen (Creative Commons)

As I write this, I'm just a couple of hours away from LASIK surgery. With my employer discount, it is working out to $4100. And my very generous mom is kicking in $2000 (Thanks, Mom!). Yes, I'm nervous. Also, excited.

New body

Did I mention I signed up for Derby Lite, a roller-derby inspired workout class? Well, in addition to the park district fee, I had to shell out for a helmet and knee, elbow and wrist pads ($108), roller skate rental ($50) and a boil-to-fit hot pink mouthguard ($39.99). Now all I need are some fishnets knee high tube socks.


Also, a Groupon
I couldn't resist the $10 at Oak Park's Jerusalem Cafe for just $5 Groupon* offered earlier this week.

We didn't buy
I found a pair of skinny 5-slim jeans on sale at Gap Kids for just $9.99, but even rail-thin Z deemed them too tight and uncomfortable so they went back.

*Affiliate link

Friday shopping report: 4 pairs of shoes and more!

Shopping on State Street
I took Z on a special "just the two of us" outing on Labor Day, and in addition to checking out the Chicago Architecture Foundation's Model City, we shopped. And shopped.

I'd promised Z a pair of shoes, but locating just the right pair took stops at Macy's and Nordstorm and the Sketchers store, were we scored this none-too-subtle pair of glittery, light-up kicks. They are regularly $40, but everything in the store was 20% off. I also picked up a pair of leather sandals for Josh for a remarkable $15!

At TJ Maxx, Z picked out a Halloween costume. She'd been talking about going as Strawberry Shortcake, but she changed her mind and selected a spider witch getup. We'll keep our eyes open for plastic cauldron for collecting candy. I also found a lovely new tablecloth ($16), an iPod charger for the car ($8) and a paint-your-own-birdhouse kit ($7) to add to the birthday closet.

I was shop-weary, but Z didn't want to go home without something for her little sister. At first she insisted on getting A a matching pair of Sketchers, but I explained the folly of spending a lot of money on shoes for a kid who refuses to wear anything but Crocs (no socks). She felt strongly we couldn't come home without any presents for A, so we walked over to Old Navy and found a cute hot pink tulle tiered skirt on clearance for under $8. Z convinced me to buy her a matching one, and a 97¢ sport-cap metal water bottle made it into our cart as well.

Did you say Crocs?

I would not be surprised if I am one of 6pm.com's top customers. This week alone I bought warm, wooly Crocs ($12) for my shoe-averse 3 year old (so far she refuses to wear them) and new, larger classic Crocs ($10) for Z (who actually wore the tread off a pair she's had for almost two years).

Just the thing to warm up in before I lace up my roller skates, right?

I also ordered a pair of retro-fabulous New Balance sneakers ($30) so that I won't have to worry about toting my sole pair of athletic shoes back and forth between my work gym (where I keep them) and Oak Park, where I am about to start roller derby workouts with Derby Lite. Stay tuned for that shopping report next week!

Friday shopping report

Dansko shoes

How's this for a surprise: my sister, who lives in Australia, discovered a cute little shoe store in Oak Park and told me that all their Camper and Dansko shoes were 40% off. I raced over to Shoe Soko the next day and found this adorable pair of olive green Mary Janes for just under $80 with tax.

I'm a latecomer to the Dansko party as their clogs don't fit my feet at all, but earlier this year I bought a pair of Dansko gold sandals and I've worn them virtually every day this summer. They're that comfortable.

A Book

I had a $10 Borders gift card and a 20% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket, so I bought a copy of Kate Atkinson's When Will There Be Good News? I hadn't headed in knowing what book I was going to buy, so my decision was based on the cover and insight page, which were chock-full of critical acclaim.

Another Groupon

I couldn't resist the $40 Groupon worth $85 at MyWinesDirect, so I bought it.

Friday shopping report

I scored a few bargains this week, but the one I am most proud of is a $39 Calvin Klein contour bra I bought for just $6.57 at Loehmann's. It was on clearance for $14.98, but all clearance items were 50% off. This postcard took an additional 20% off the final sale price.

It was a hot summer, so my swimsuits got a lot of use. And by wearing them and observing the other moms at the park district pools, I realized tankinis are not in fact our friends. Naturally, I own 3. So, inspired by this post from Ain't No Mom Jeans, I bought a new bikini from Athleta.

Five Palms banded halter top, on sale for $29.50

And shortly after my friend Frugalista posted a 20% off coupon code for The Children's Place, I scooped up a halter top, 3 pairs of microfiber tights and a new lunch box for Z for $18.01 (including shipping and tax).

In preparation for the annual fall consignment sales and any outlet shopping my mother-in-law offers to do, I also inventoried Z's fall and winter wardrobe. Thanks to her small stature and my buying some things "to grow into" at Old Navy's end-of-season clearance in February/March, we're in good shape with regard to long sleeve shirts, pants and casual dresses, but she needs sweaters, sweatshirts, socks, a skirt and perhaps a fancier dress.

I didn't buy

Any group coupons or one-day deals. While there are more and more social coupon sites competing with the original (and best) Groupon, I haven't found a deal local enough or tempting enough to purchase since the Marion Street Cheese Market offer at the end of July.

Friday shopping report

Hopefully this will become a new feature here on Marketing Mommy, a weekly report on stuff I bought, received or ultimately decided not to buy.

Item 1: Sundress from Soho boutique, $29

It is hot as Hades here in Chicago, so I'm wearing this breezy cotton spaghetti strap dress I purchased at a going-out-of-business sale during BlogHer weekend in NYC. I don't much like wearing strapless bras, but I haven't entirely embraced the visible bra strap trend, so I'm wearing one today. I now have a lot of floral sleeveless dresses in my closet and I probably shouldn't buy any more. At least until I miraculously lose 10 lbs and have to buy a new wardrobe.

Item 2: Silver "happy" bracelet, price unknown

This sterling silver Lisa Leonard bracelet was included in one of the swag bags I received at BlogHer and I love it. I'm tempted to order one of her custom mom necklaces--the kind with charms stamped with your kids' names.

Item 3: Simple Sojourner shoes, $14.95

I'll admit my attention was wandering during one of the less compelling BlogHer sessions and I started paying more attention to my Twitter stream than the speaker. A tweet from 6pm.com came through announing Simple shoes for $14.95. Five minutes later, I'd ordered this pair of incredibly soft, comfy, slightly Boho shoes. They're now back up to $50--50% off their $100 retail price.

Items 4-34: Elmer's glue sticks

Yes, that is a lot of glue. I balked a bit when I saw Z's kindergarten supply list called for a whopping 30 glue sticks, but I was delighted to relieve the Walgreens near my office of their entire supply when they went on sale for $0.19 a 2-pack.

I didn't buy

Despite receiving a tempting email from Overstock announcing a big sale and $1 shipping on Queen size bedding, I ultimately didn't buy any new bedsheets. We've been using the same 2 pairs since we bought our mattress in 2004, but they are soft and comfortable and--really--with one set on the bed and one in the wash or the closet, we're fine.