Williamsburg Prime Outlet Stores

One of the things I must do that allows me to indulge in my shopping addiction is that focusing on my work is sometimes necessity! I have been working nonstop and unfortunately, have not had a lot of shopping adventures lately....hence the lack of shopping AND blogging!

Today, my mama and I decided to trek the full 50-miles from VA Beach to go to the Prime Outlets of Williamsburg that I have heard so many people gush about. Let's put it this way....we arrived at 4:00 PM and was back on the road just in time for Hampton Roads Friday afternoon traffic back to the Beach by 4:45! No one panic...I did get a chance to spend plenty of hard earned cash in such a short span of time....

I usually don't even have the slightest urge to interrupt my carefully set cruise-control when I see outlet malls...In fact I usually cringe at the idea of sorting through outdated, ill-fitting clothes to convince myself that I should buy something simply because of the perceived "deal" I am going to get! However, Juicy Couture, Burberry, Marc Jacobs, and BCBG piqued my interest to fight traffic to the North Peninsula on my vacation day prior to the biggest snowstorm expected in VA in over a decade....Imagine my surprise when most of the items were only about 20% less than shopping online, excluding the shipping cost.

It was fun being with my mom and we did get a couple of good buys in the 45 minutes of of my first outlet experience in years. I would recommend going to the high-end outlet stores (http://www.primeoutlets.com/locations.aspx) but you have to keep in mind that if you don't expect to buy a Burberry coat for less than $600, you will be ahead of the trickery of which I bought hook, line, and sinker....back to work on Monday!

Amazon Kindle

This is one "must-have" if I am going anywhere and there is even a small chance that I may have over 10 minutes of downtime. I do love to read and the convenience of being able to carry around about 1,500 books in my bag is kind of humorous to me!

Right now, the Amazon Kindle can be purchased for about $260. Sounds like a lot but keep in mind you are buying a wireless device, much like an iPhone or Blackberry. You can purchase books directly on the device anytime, anywhere for no more than $9.99 per book. The best part is that you avoid the hassle of driving to the store, paying more than double for a hardback, and risking the chance that they may not have what you spend 20 minutes looking for and, God forbid, having to return or go elsewhere! I highly recommend it for people who love to read and are tired of spending an arm and a leg on books.

The drawbacks are minimal. Leaving the Kindle unattended can cause some anxiety if you are out and about but having a guard dog nearby is helpful....as long as he isn't passed out from all of the rest and relaxation by the pool.

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reading-Display-Generation/dp/B0015T963C/ref=amb_link_85650291_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=002PSA89EV9ZKVBKT9VS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=51297122&pf_rd_i=1286228011

Post-Christmas Ornament Sales

One of my favorite things to shop for after Christmas are really nice ornaments for my tree that are typically 50-60% off. I always feel I am getting a great deal on something I feel is overpriced anyway....so in my mind, I am actually paying regular price.

The last 3 years, I have been in Neiman Marcus right after New Year's when they are having serious clearance sales on their Christmas ornaments and have walked away really happy with what I found as well as the price I paid for each one. This year, my sister and I did find a few in Key West at Fast Buck Freddies but these folks must have caught on to this little game since there were signs everywhere saying "All ornaments are STILL full price!!!!" I asked the guy as to why they were not on sale yet and I did get a little snooty answer of "They are NOT mass produced and are sold as works of art to those who love this artist. If they are not sold this year, the artist will just have more to sell next year!" I didn't point out that yet again, we were on Duval Street facing a drag-show theater just to bring things into perspective but, didn't anyone ever explain to the artist that wheeling and dealing is actually part of how the price of art is really established? Isn't it about how much a buyer is willing to spend? Not to mention, we are in a rotten economy and I would think that there is a small target demographic for those who are willing to by high end Christmas Ornaments in the first place and on Duval Street?

Regardless, I did play stupid tourist (not hard, the stupid part) and Molly and I bought some really pretty peacock themed ornaments....I guess I am not too good to pay full price (I mean the inflated, pre-Christmas price) when I fall in love with colors and shapes of the glass ornaments even in a bad economy. I am pretty sure I don't do that with anything else I buy....silence from the peanut gallery!

Either way, if anyone is in Neiman's in the next few weeks, take a look! You may be able to enhance your tree next year with something very nice and reasonable! Also, if you do find something online, they are having free shipping right now on ANYTHING....just type in SHOPNM when you are checking out. No shipping is a beautiful thing that can be a savings in and of itself!

Have a wonderful first week back at work....for those of you shopping during work, let us know if there is something we should all be aware of!

Key West Shopping

Shopping in Key West isn't what it used to be. You could find high end to somewhat classy shopping on Duval Street, typically between one of the many t-shirt stores that boast t-shirts with sayings like "I got Duval-faced on Shit Street!" or "Tell your boobs to stop staring at my eyes!" and the Adult Role-Play and Fantasy Shoppe. Unfortunately, things have changed a bit....

To my relief, we did finally come across a cute store across from Mango's on Duval called Indigo Boutique that has great chunky beach jewelry and organic cotton maxi dresses. Perfect! I left the store with a really cute white-lavender hombre style dress that would be perfect for my last night in Key West but, being 5'2'' and even though it is a small, I would certainly trip and fall. Bummer that everything I get must be hemmed....either way, I barely noticed the jeweled Speedo-style thong bikini's for men in the display window as I walked by the next store when I was leaving!

www.RueLaLa. com

This is a fabulous site and I have been surprised at how much I have actually been on it to purchase gifts as well as clothing which I normally would be prepared (or not) to spend almost double for!

What is Rue La La? It is a site for those of us that would like to have great labels but really can't afford an entire wardrobe of high end designers like Prada, Juicy Couture, Marc Jacobs, and La Perla. Also, it is hard to find these labels on sale unless you are willing to admit that you may be buying an "impostor". Rue la la is a member-only site that offers sale boutiques with some of the best labels in the world, albeit slightly limited options. I have found a number of good deals including some very cute Cole Haan leopard print boots, VIX Swimwear bikini, Citizens of Humanity jeans, Juicy Couture velour pants and matching hoodie, and a TOY Watch.....All for a fraction of what I would pay if I were purchasing them at Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus!

The only drawback that I have experienced and have heard from friends would be that if you want to be sure to get a specific size or a very popular item, you have to be ready to shop right at 11:00 AM EST as soon as the boutique opens. However, you are able to preview what some of the items in the boutique as well as having reminders sent directly to your Blackberry or iPhone. There have been many times I wanted to purchase something but it was either sold out or they didn't have my size. Even if I do remember right at 11:00 AM EST, it may conflict with, I don't know....hmmmmm......working?

Please let me know if you would like to join and I will be happy to send an invite...Enjoy!

Happy New Year from me!

It's 2010! Happy New Year and welcome to the first day of my shopping blog. This blog is about all things related to shopping for necessary and indulgent everyday items! Due to the economy showing no signs of improving but we all want to continue shopping, this blog site is designed to help save $ on everyday purchases by sharing of cool deals found online and in stores. I hope you will share your favorite deals too!

I hope you have a wonderful year and thank you for reading and contributing to my blog!

Allison