No more cheap sunglasses

Until now, I have never owned a pair of fancy sunglasses. Typically I buy pre-smudged, pre-scratched shades for $15 or less at the drugstore.

Last summer I classed it up a touch, spending $20 on "designer" shades from Filene's Basement. Since I managed to avoid losing them for an entire year, I felt like I might finally be ready for a pair of grown-up sunglasses.

Expensive sunglasses.

Ray-Bans.

Crappy Blackberry self-portrait

I picked out my favorite pair at Sunglass Hut, but forgot my wallet. Used that as an excuse to scour the internet for a cheaper price, but figured the $15 I'd save buying them online from some sketchy sounding site wasn't worth the wait--particularly since we've got a mini roadtrip coming up this weekend.

So what do you think?

Holiday shoppers: Beware the gift receipt!

I was under the impression that including a gift receipt with a gift would ensure that the recipient--should she decide to return or exchange the item--would be able to do so for the price paid.

This was not the case at Anthropologie yesterday.

I went in to exchange a lovely cardigan that Josh had so thoughtfully bought for me for Chanukah. In mustard yellow. The sweater had just been marked down to half-price that morning, so I was surprised to find the cashier only giving me the marked-down price as credit. I didn't say anything because the gift receipt didn't reveal how much Josh had actually paid (maybe he'd gotten it on deal?), but I did call Josh afterwards to ask him exactly how much he'd spent.

He'd paid retail, which meant I should have gotten an extra 80-odd dollars in credit. I called the store. They apologized and said that if I could track down the original receipt they'd credit the difference. Fortunately Josh had saved it and today they made good on their promise.

From now on I'll use gift receipts sparingly and tape the real receipt under my gifts. If someone doesn't like what I've picked out, I sure as heck want them to be able to spend the whole amount on something they'll love.

I bought this sweater with some of the credit. Gift receipt policies aside, I love me some Anthro.

Behold our new dining room table

Happy heart, happy belly: My weekend in Portland

My 48 hours in Portland were not wasted. We largely left Franny's children at home with Dave as we shopped, walked and ate our way across the city, sharing food from restaurants, diners, food carts, hole in the wall doughnut shops and the Farmers' Market.

I ate...

Tomato soup, grilled cheese and a butterscotch milkshake at Blueplate

Everything bagel with scallion cream cheese from Kettleman's

Marionberry scone and cookies from the Farmers' Market

A glazed doughnut and Stumptown coffee from Voodoo Doughnut

Assorted Japanese bar snacks and udon noodle soup at Biwa

Spinach, sundried tomato and feta pizza from Oasis Cafe

Lettuce with green goddess dressing and a soft boiled egg followed by a very rare cheeseburger at The Country Cat

Egg, sausage patty and cheese biscuit sandwich from Pine State Biscuits

And a coconut and wicked chocolate ice cream cone from Cool Moon Ice Cream (and since we're not completely heartless, we took the kids there)

I bought...

Dansko sandals from Clogs N More, a pair of earrings and an earring organizer from vendors at the Saturday market, a miniature box of Alma Chocolates, 2 pounds of Stumptown coffee, a folk songs book from Powell's Books for Home & Garden and a half dozen secondhand cloth napkins from SCRAP, a shop that rescues potential landfill and resells it as crafting supplies.

And because we eventually did get shopped out, we also visited...

The Oregon History Museum and the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, where we had fun taking pictures.

You can see more here.

Magnetic poetry for kids and Frye boots for me

Thanks to the grandparent largess, we haven't bought our kids more than one or two Chanukah presents a piece. But I couldn't resist getting my budding wordsmith her first magnetic poetry kit.

In related news, I got an awesome Chanukah gift from Josh--Frye boots! He knew I'd been lusting after them and surprised me with a pair he's ordered from Amazon. Unfortunately he picked a tall chocolate brown pair with a square toe. I already have tall brown boots I love and I so don't love the square toe. Oh, and they weren't very comfortable either.

I felt guilty for not loving such a thoughtful, generous gift, but I couldn't fathom keeping a pair of pricey, pinchy boots that I wouldn't wear enough to justify the cost. Josh, good sport as always, told me to walk over to Nordstrom at lunch and find a pair I liked better.

I picked out these and--with Josh's blessing--bought them (we're returning the others). I think I must have made my salesman's week. He kept saying "Thank you. Thank you." with such emphasis, passion and relief in his voice that I started thinking his commission on my purchase might have really made a difference in his take home pay that day.

Which got me thinking. Usually I buy shoes online. I try them on at home and send back the ones that don't work. (And why not? Return shipping is typically free.) I wonder if there's a growing segment of frugalistas out there trying on shoes at Nordstrom and walking out of the store empty-handed only to make their purchase online. And I'll admit, if Frye boots were available at a sizable discount online, I might have tried this dirty little trick myself.

How far could a smart shopper stretch $1000?

I love, love a good deal. Back in the dark ages, my Mom would clip coupons, scan the grocery store circulars for loss leaders and make dinner from whatever was marked down. She'd spend her weekends driving to three different grocery stores to get all the best deals and insist that any clothing she bought for us kids needed to be marked down at least twice. Clearance rack with a coupon and she'd have approved even the shortest miniskirt.

Her savvy shopping skills were admirable, but a lot of freaking work. As the mother of two small children who works full time, blogs a lot, is studying Hebrew and serving as co-president of the board of her daughter's school, I could totally rationalize Peapoding my grocery list and stocking up on toilet paper, detergent and tampons from Alice. Time is money, and my stay-at-home husband--who does most of the shopping--can't be bothered to bargain shop on his own.

Thanks to the Internet, I don't have to look very hard to score the most amazing deals. Fellow Oak Park mom Carrie Kirby updates Frugalista with the best deals at Chicago area grocery stores and savings codes for local entertainment. She turned me onto Money Saving Mom, a Christian housewife who sees economizing as a call from G-d. If I'm planning a trip to CVS or Walgreens, I'll scan through I Heart Wags or Mommy Snacks first.

I check the Woot sites and the Chicago-specific Groupon for one-day-only discounts on electronics, kids' toys, restaurants and more. If I'm feeling flush or need to buy gifts, I'll browse the online bargains at DealNews. WantNot is another great blog; Mir's alerted me to deals so good I couldn't pass them up--like the time I bought my Dyson vacuum for $249.

There's no denying smart shoppers are out there sharing their wisdom with those of us who want to save big but don't have the time or energy to snoop out all the best deals. It's about time they got recognized--and paid--for their talents! To that end, IRI is sponsoring the Savvy Supermarket Cents YouTube contest, and I--along with Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase from Cool Mom Picks--will be judging. Four category winners will receive a $250 gift card to the store of their chosing. One audience favorite will win a $500 gift card, and an overall grand prize winner will get a $1000 gift card. Hurry, the contest ends October 16th.

Money doesn't grow on trees, but gifts come from Grandma

I'd like to think my kids aren't spoiled, but I'm probably wrong. After all, Grandma and Grandpa arrived for a rare weekend visit today, and after Z had emptied a duffel bag full of new fall clothes from Carter's for her and her sister (but mostly for her), she had the nerve to ask if they'd brought her anything else. Toys, specifically.

Z knows the rules around our house. We only buy stuff that's on sale. Preferably with a coupon.
Presents come at birthdays and Chanukah. And on those occasions we rarely buy them anything ourselves because between family, friends and neighbors, they get plenty. Unbirthday surprises don't come from the toy store, and certainly not by request. But once or twice a month--in the summer, at least--I'll take them "shopping" at yard sales. There, I don't mind dropping a couple of dollars on a new doll, a lacing set or books. I can rationalize it because I'm not bringing any more plastic crap into the world, it's costing me pennies on the dollar and really, it's fun to see my kids so excited about getting something "new."

So do my kids understand that money doesn't grow on trees? Sort of. Z knows I have to go to work to earn the money we spend, and she knows I won't buy something if it's "expensive." But the gimme beast inside her? Alive and well.

This post was inspired by a Parent Bloggers Network blog blast sponsored by Capital One, which is promoting their Moneywise eLearning Tool.

Target's Bullseye Bazaar

Have you checked out Target's adorable pop-up store on Michigan Avenue? The space, which occupies two stories in the Tribune Tower building, is only open for three short days.

I went there--ostensibly for work--and ended up trying on a bunch of clothes and buying a Tracy Feith for Target swim cover-up/tunic. While in the dressing room, I eavesdropped on the resident fabulous gay guy as he dispensed fashion advice to the masses (and the videographer following him around): "Oh my gawd, I'm just loving white on white this season, don't you?...Pair this with a little cuffed jean, maybe a skinny leg?"

The whole shop has the vibe of hipster farmer's market/arty bazaar, and it does a great job of showcasing Target's many exclusive product lines, not just fashion labels, but brands like Smith & Hawken, @Home, Up and Up, DwellStudio, Liz Lange Maternity, Pixi by Petra, Umberto, Converse One Star and Archer Farms.

Steal and deals on baby stuff

I compulsively check the daily deal at BabySteals.com and this weekend they're offering a whole bunch of cool baby things for half price--usually it is just one item per day. And it is consignment sale season in Oak Park. The Mothers of Multiples sale is this Saturday at 9am at the Oak Park Arms and next Saturday is the Parenthesis sale.

Have you spotted the grocery shrink ray?

It's hard to notice at first, but many products on your grocery's shelf are shrinking while the price stays the same. Not as big as the news coming out of Wall Street, but it affects a lot more everyday Americans.

Just for my Oak Park readers: my favorite new places

I'm keeping my dollars in the neighborhood with these great businesses that I've been dying to plug.

Shoplifting with Permission beat me to the punch with her review of Oh Joy!, the new kids' consignment shop on Oak Park Avenue, just north of the expressway. A couple of months ago I hauled three wagonloads of clothes, toys and baby gear to the former cigar store (and yes, it still smells a little stale). With my store credit now over $60, I finally spent a little of it on two adorable long-sleeve knit dresses for Z. I'd asked her during Old Navy's $7 denim sale last weekend if she'd wear jeans this year and she said "no, only soft pants and dresses." So dresses from the consignment shop (and grandparents) it shall be.

Sushi's an expensive option for a family dinner (since we all know how taking kids to restaurants is no fun), but I've enjoyed the sushi, sashimi and maki at Sushi House, which opened on Lake Street this spring. Z still asks when we can go back and get the "sushi chicken" (actually teriyaki chicken) in the kids' bento box.

The Marion Street Cheese Market moved one block south from its original location on the Marion Street Court to a much larger space. Now, in addition to fancy cheeses, the market boasts locally grown fruits and vegetables, a meats counter, a wine bar and a full cafe. I've sampled the expensive cheeses and treated myself to some gourmet peanut butter, but I'm waiting for a date night to eat in the cafe. Again, so not worth it with kids.

Fine dining fans of the shuttered La Piazza will find a lot to like on the menu at Chef Gaetano's new eatery, Gaetano's. It's a little farther west on Madison Avenue in Forest Park, and the location is smaller and louder than the first, but the food is still amazing.

We're regulars at Hole in the Wall and the expanded Brown Cow ice cream parlor in Forest Park, but we've introduced gelato and Italian ice into our frozen treat repertoire with handscooped pints from Freddy's in Cicero and the brand-new gelateria Paciugo in Forest Park. A small seems a little pricey at over $3, but you get up to three flavors and unlimited tastes before you decide. I had sea salt caramel and dark chocolate, but the tantalizing olive oil and black pepper almost made it into my bowl.

Finally, we'll be first in line at Trader Joe's when their new location opens at Harlem & Ontario this fall. All the doubters can relax now; I saw Oak Park listed under "coming soon" on my latest email from Trader Joe's.

How I scored a play kitchen for $12

I'm scored plenty of kid-related bargains by shopping yard sales and Craigslist and staying active in the Oak Park Freecycle group.

But while Freecycle's netted me free swim diapers, a high chair, nursing bras, a boppy pillow and rain boots, my best bargain find of all time is the Talking Chef Magic Kitchen I found at the Oak Park Temple rummage sale in October of 2005.

Having always yearned for one myself, I was hoping to buy Z a play kitchen for her 1st birthday. So I was over the moon to find a like-new one (with batteries included) at a rummage sale just 2 weeks before her birthday. For $12! Equivalent kitchens cost close to $100 at Toys R Us and deluxe, non-plastic kitchens (like those sold by Pottery Barn) ran a lot more than that!

The kitchen has moved from our real kitchen downstairs to the playroom in the basement, where it still gets played with almost every day, by both of our girls.

This post was written in response to Parent Bloggers Network and Couponers.com, who are asking bloggers to write about their greatest bargain-hunting success.

Retail Therapy: H&M and Forever 21

It's rare that I have 2 full hours of uninterrupted time to shop for myself, but that's exactly what I got yesterday. I hit H&M on my lunch break and picked up a casual jersey dress with a sort of Japanese-inspired floral pattern on it and a cute, 1950's inspired outfit consisting of a polka dot blouse and shorts (it's far more flattering than it sounds).

Then, since I was going to a GM-sponsored event for mommybloggers at the Marriott on the Mag Mile at 6pm, I popped into Forever 21. For the very first time. Whoa, that place is huge. It's in the old Virgin Megastore, but I swear their retail footprint is even bigger than Virgin's. And aside from the moms accompanying their teenage daughters on their search for the perfect lime green tube top, I might have been the oldest person there. I looked like a washed-up ho in every top and dress I tried on, but I hit paydirt in the denim department. For under $30, I scored a super-comfy (and I dare say flattering) pair of skinny jeans. Now, I've been trying on jeans at Old Navy, Loehmann's and H&M for months and this is the first pair I've found that fits me in length, gives me a decent butt and doesn't puff my muffin top every time I sit down. The only rub is that I had to buy the largest size in the store--a 29. Are fatties forbidden at Forever 21 or something?

Hurray for kid-free time

As if getting a babysitter last night so that we could see WALL-E wasn't good enough, I had the day off today (yes, my new job rocks!), but since the girls' childcare arrangements were already paid for, Josh and I dropped them off at their respective places and enjoyed over 5 hours of kid-free fun!

First I figured out how to convert my new bike trailer into a stroller without pinching tiny hands or enduring any whining. Then I dropped my bicycle off at Dan's Bike Shop for its bi-yearly tune-up and Josh and I headed to Oakbrook Center, where he got fitted for a new suit. He's a little tired of the very traditional suit he bought for our wedding 9 years ago and he looked very sexy in the slim-fitting Hugo Boss number the dapper Nordstrom salesman found for him. It retails for nearly $900 (gulp!), but their Anniversary sale is only 3 weeks away and that brings the price down to a more reasonable $530. Reasonable if you figure it works out to about $53 a year for 10 years of wear. I'm a H&M-lovin' cheapskate, but I wouldn't blink at dropping 50 bucks on clothes every month, much less once a year. And yeah, we hit my favorite Swedish cheap chic outlet too.

Trying on clothes made us hungry, so we asked our brand-new GPS unit (thanks, Mom) to direct us to Katy's Dumpling House, a fabulous Chinese noodle shop that's hidden away in an unassuming strip mall near Downers Grove. We shared some tasty potsticker-like dumplings and an enormous bowl of richly flavored beef noodle soup.

And, since there weren't any nap-needing monsters in the backseat, we decided to explore the area a little. We picked up a few things we needed at the DG Trader Joe's, checked out the downtown area and stopped for very disappointing blizzards at DQ before heading back to Oak Park in time for at 2:30 camp pickup.

Great moments in customer service (not)

Okay, so the spending ban isn't working out so well.

But Josh encouraged me to shop for some new clothes to celebrate my new job. So I hit State Street over lunch today. Picked out some really cute stuff at H&M--I can't remember how long it's been since I bought something trendy! I was feeling pretty good about myself.

Then I hit Nordstrom Rack and found a dress to wear to our synagogue's gala event this weekend. I'm at the checkout and the cashier's bagged my dress, stockings and socks. As she swipes my credit card, she looks at my midsection and asks, "Are you having a boy or a girl?"

I guess I'm better make sure those stockings are control top. Sigh.

I'm doing all my holiday shopping online

I don't think I'm going to buy a single thing in a traditional bricks and mortar store this year. And why should I? I hate shopping with kids. I hate standing in line. I hate bumping into frazzled shoppers or tailing package-laden consumers in the parking lot.

And honestly? There's nothing at the mall that I can't get faster-cheaper-better online. So, without giving away too much, here's where I've been spending wearing out my credit card.

Amazon, the biggie. They sell everything. Free shipping is a given (I don't have to troll around couponmountain.com or retailmenot.com looking for codes), and I save by not paying Illinois' sky-high sales tax. I've been an Amazon customer since 1997 (when it was just a bookstore) and I've never had a problem with their customer service.

Etsy. This fabulous shopping site is Ebay meets the Renegade Craft Fair. I can buy handcrafted jewelry, bags, dolls and so much more direct from the artisan and pay with Paypal. Prices range from ridiculously cheap to moderately expensive, but you can easily score a one-of-a-kind necklace for $25.

Not content with unique, handcrafted goods, I felt the need to get crafty myself. But not too crafty, mind you. I don't have time for that! So I created custom photo holiday cards at Tiny Prints and designed a t-shirt for a deserving recipient at Zazzle while munching a sandwich at my desk.

And don't think you can't surprise distant friends and family with gift certificates to independent places in their town. I've found restaurants, boutiques and spas (even those not part of a large chain) sell gift cards from their websites, so I didn't even have to pick up the phone to buy my BFF a gift certificate for a prenatal massage from Zenana Spa in Portland.

Has anyone else sworn off traditional shopping?

Cross-posted to Chicago Moms Blog

Bah humbug!

The FBI is warning Americans that Al-Qaeda may be planning to bomb shopping malls in Chicago and LA. Fisher-Price is recalling yet another batch of toys for toddlers. And Aqua Dots, a toy on Wal-Mart's top 12 toy gifts list, are being recalled because they contain a date rape drug. It's so unbelievable you'd think it was an Onion headline.

So what's a mommy to do? I've already got a short-than-usual shopping season ahead because Chanukah is early this year. Last year I said the hell with presents and made donations to Heifer in honor of all of our adult family members, and I'm tempted to do the same this time around. As for the children on my list, I will be shopping for quality books and toys online and at local mom-and-pop shops like Geppetto's Toy Box and Berwyn's Toy Trains. I'll look to the Cool Mom Picks Safer Toys guide and the Lead Free Toys list maintained by fellow Chicago Moms Blogger Marcie Pickel.

And I just may join the Consumers Union's Get the Lead Out Advocacy campaign, which I heard about from my friends at Parent Bloggers Network. This grassroots effort is designed to let store owners and Congress know after a year of scary recalls, we need to get serious about toy safety. And food safety too, but that's a whole 'nother post!

It's not twins

I was paying for my purchases at the West Suburban Mothers of Multiples rummage sale this morning when I overheard this exchange between one of the volunteer cashiers and the very, very large bellied woman next to me.

Cashier: Expecting twins?
Mom: No, I have a one year old and I'm due any day now.
Cashier: Did you sign up for our mailing list?
Mom: I'm not having twins!
Cashier: Oh not that. It's just to receive notice of our sales.
Mom: I found this one, didn't I?

It was somewhat insane, as all of these sales are, but pickings were really good. I didn't bother fighting over the most coveted baby gear (bouncy seats and swings), heading straight back to the clothing tables while Josh and Z test-drove the toys. Our best scores: a Talbot Baby layette set for #2, Merrell beach shoes for Z and a wooden tool box filled with toy tools.

Cool to a tee

Chicago-based Threadless is having a $10 "Spring Broke" tee shirt sale, making now the perfect time to stock up on tees you won't see anyone else wearing. I love the Threadless business model: let anyone who wants to design a tee shirt, ask the public to vote for their favorite, and print up limited runs of winning designs on high-quality tees.

Personally, I've got my eye on Nineteen Seventy Five.

Cheers for World Market

Seth Godin and Consumerist have been writing a lot about customer service. Seth Godin takes the perspective that today's underpaid, untrained staffers are ill prepared to deal with I've-been-taken-advantage-of-so-fix-it-now consumers. The kind of consumers who have educated themselves online using websites like Consumerist. Consumerist has built a loyal following by outing corporations' sleazy policies and publishing the direct phone lines and email addresses of company presidents.

So I'd like to counter all of the online negativity with a positive customer service story about World Market. As I've mentioned on this blog, Josh and I have been searching for ways to contain our toddler's clutter while not letting our living space turn into a plastic play land.
We've stashed smaller toys in these brown leather storage ottomans from Overstock.com, but we needed a place to hide Z's larger playthings: a basket of books, a barn, a vintage Little People house, etc.

And we found it in this lovely cabinet from World Market. We stopped into the store on Sunday, but couldn't fit the furniture into our car with Z still in the back seat. So we asked a store employee to put it on hold for us until Tuesday. Josh returned to the store, CR-V cargo space at the ready, paid for the furniture, and drove it home.



Once he'd unwrapped it, he discovered a long crack down the back, hidden part of the cabinet and called me for advice. He didn't really want to wrap it up and drive it back for an exchange, and he stressed that it was hard to see the crack unless the doors were open and the toys were out. So I suggested he call the store and ask for an additional 20% "damaged goods" discount. If they weren't willing to accommodate, we'd bring the cabinet it to exchange it. Sensing a difficult call with a front line cashier, I also stressed that he should ask for a manager right away.

Well, low and behold, the manager trusted us and gave us the requested credit!



As you can see, Z's toys fit perfectly. And the cabinet fits our decor perfectly! Go World Market!