i have become known as something of a “saver,” “coupon queen,” “knower of all discounts” among our group of friends and families. they bring up a product / category of product / interest and i’m all, “hey, i totally saw that on xyz website you’ve never heard of, you should totally check it out!” in essence, i’m a personal shopper without actually doing the shopping for y’all.
so i was thinking – why not share some of my go-tos with all of you guys? not to mention, i can just name drop this post as a one-stop shop for people that need links or whatever. if i have labeled them as a “FLASH SITE!” that means that their sales are time-restricted, from four hours up to several days, but stock is limited so time is of the essence if you see a fav brand. here are my go-to (almost daily, sadly) websites:
Zulily
FLASH SITE! initially known as a kids’-only supply shop, now they have added sections for “moms” (i am not one but i am pretty sure i can still order clothes and shoes if i am just a female) and “home.” generally very accessible price ranges and a great place to get gifts for little ones as well!
ideeli
FLASH SITE! this is a total one-stop shop for everything – kids, men, women, home, vacations. they have a vast price range, from $10 flip flops up to Chanel and Hermes.
RueLaLa
FLASH SITE! another one-stop shop place, they have all the categories covered, and again, a generally wide price range. sometimes it seems a little pricier than, say, ideeli, but it all depends on what the flash sales of the day actually are. a great feature of RueLaLa is if you make one purchase and pay their $9.95 shipping fee, shipping is FREE for the following thirty days – keep this in mind for the christmas shopping season!
HauteLook
FLASH SITE! all categories are covered here, as are most price ranges. they have a great “deal of the day” section with one item that has been vastly reduced. i got my husband a $600 Invicta watch there for only $60, so it is definitely a great spot to keep an eye on for gifts!
Gilt
FLASH SITE! one of the originals, Gilt tends to peddle slightly to greatly higher-end stock. it is a great place to go for your splurge purchase to save a little. that is not to say, though, that everything is pricey – they have made a better effort lately to accommodate all incomes. they also have a Food & Wine section, as well as Jetsetter (travel) and City (for those of you in larger cities, more of a local-type Groupon deal) sections. and i totally got my wedding dress through Gilt, for a beautiful $150!
JossandMain
FLASH SITE! largely home goods-oriented, JossandMain has a great selection of gifts, decor, furniture, bedding, and all those great things everyone needs for their home. they offer a pretty wide set of price points.
OneKingsLane
FLASH SITE! again, this guy is mostly home goods. they tend to offer a little bit on the ritzier side, but i have made a purchase or two through them. today only, they are offering 30% off your purchase!
theFoundary
FLASH SITE! this is another mostly home goods-driven site. they have occasional offerings of jewelry, tech goods, or kids’ stuff, but their bread and butter is home decor and furniture. i have found their prices to be the most accessible of the home goods sites i check.
Save-On-Crafts
i used this site for wedding supplies. let’s just say i spent between $450 and $500 on this site, if that is any indication! cheapest craft supplies, home decor, DIY supplies out there. and believe me, i price compared until my fingers and eyes bled.
MyHabit
FLASH SITE! MyHabit offers mostly high-end merch marked down a bit – for instance, right now you can find Chanel, Elizabeth & James, Thakoon, Christian Siriano, Derek Lam, Peter Som, and See by Chloe up for sale on here. i tend to keep this site in mind if i have been or want to save up for a real splurge item and want to still get a little bit of a markdown.
BelleandClive
FLASH SITE! BelleandClive is pretty similar to MyHabit in its offerings. so far i haven’t found much that is in my price range on here, but they do seem to offer a wider range of price points than MyHabit. since i first started checking this site out, though, it seems that they have given more attention to offering some stuff that we peons can afford!
Fab
FLASH SITE! are you a hipster, or want to be? fab is probably the site for you. they offer quirky, independent, small-stock options from up and coming artists, designers, or brands. this is the spot for a funny gift, a worldly treasure, something handmade/hand-pressed/hand-drawn. it is a great gift site, for its unique offerings and wide range of price points!
BaubleBar
mmmm BaubleBarrrrrr. the chicest, most on-trend jewels and baubles offered up at real-people prices. i haven’t made a purchase yet because there are too many things i want!!
CoachFactory
lemme know if you need an invitation by email to this guy. Coach bags marked down drastically, as well as all of their accessories, tech gear, man stuff, shoes, jewelry, and more, for those of us that don’t live in the same zip code as a live storefront.
BathandBodyWorks
ok so i know this is kind of a standard mall go-to, but let me explain. join their email list. follow their sales and try to shuffle your coupons. i NEVER buy anything full price here, unless i’m getting something free on the side. for instance, just this week i went and got the 2 for $20 3-wick candles (one for me, one for my gift closet is my mentality), and scored a free full-size hand lotion and a travel-size matching body wash with coupons (both of which ALSO went in my gift closet). so basically, one candle and three free gift items for what i would have paid for just the one full-price candle. also keep an eye on them because they like to change their branding – when they do, the “old” branding gets marked down to simply ridiculous amounts (think $1 for a full-size lotion). in my mind, one of the BEST places to score stocking stuffers and other small gifts!
BedBathandBeyond
anyone who knows this store knows their coupon policy – i.e. they NEVER expire. i have a wad of mail-delivered and email-delivered coupons in my bag from them at all times. i tend to go for their WoodWick line of candles/diffusers, as well as the Tervis tumblers and other gifty items. it’s always good to have those 20%-ers on hand though!
also a great sale holder. sadly, they left the Memphis market a couple of years ago, so if i want to go to a “real” store it’s to Nashville i go. if you sign up for their email list and their World Market Explorer program, you can get tons of advance notice on huuuuge markdown sales, especially furniture that is relatively decent quality (i’d say a step up or two from ikea).
Romwe
i am pretty sure this is a Chinese-based company, so your deliveries can take a while from them (free shipping though!). they have cute, trend-based stuff at pretty solid prices, and offer discounts for signing up for their email program.
Asos
another long-distancer, this site is based in England, so your deliveries are not exactly quick – but hey, you don’t pay for shipping through them, so who cares? super cute, trend-based, at great prices. i got an oversized yellow clutch through them and get stopped all the time for compliments. a boutique employee in Austin even thought it was Celine (haaaaa cha right!)!
ModCloth
a bit hipster-ish/retro-ish, ModCloth has trendy clothing that is really great quality. half of my bridesmaids (those in the yellow dresses) got their dresses from here for a measly $40!
Poshlocket
they don’t have the widest offering out there, but i wear their Jana Twisted Knot Studs so often i should get paid to be a walking advertisement. they have great basics at solid quality, and each piece is something you could wear againandagainandagain (like i do).
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Drugstore.com & Beauty.com
ok another one you should join the email lists on and keep an eye out for their markdowns. i swear to god, i got an email from them once that was 40% off EVERYTHING on drugstore.com. this is stuff you already buy at the tarjay or kroger, people! i put together a huge order of detergent, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, etc etc and spent way, way less than what i would have in the store. scored free shipping, too! and same on beauty.com – if you keep an eye out for their sales, this is stuff you would be needing/ordering anyway, but rather than go in to Macy’s and spend twice as much, place an order and boom, on to your doorstep it appears! love these sites.
Ulta
Ulta is a fantastic place to join their rewards program. you routinely get $3.50 to $10 off of your purchases, plus they run all these lovely buy 2 get 3 type sales, AND with every online order you get 3 free samples. i have fully stocked my manicure shelf with their buy 2 get 1 free OPI & essie sales, and it can be a great place to stock up your gift closet or your guest bathroom!
SoleSociety
beautiful shoes. what more do you want? oh, and at great prices. enjoy.
ShopStyle
ShopStyle has both a store as well as a Polyvore-type feature so you can create looks for yourself from purchase-able items (that other folks can see, so show them what you’re made of!). they run pretty good sales on higher-end merch, so check them out!
Beso
Beso is my price comparison site. enter a specific item you are looking for (i.e. “robe” or “House of Harlow Chelsea Sunglasses”) and it runs a multi-site, internet-wide search. then simply find what you are looking for at the lowest price, and you hath saved!
Woot
while not the most user-friendly setup, woot can be a great place to score most especially techy stuff. so if you’re looking for phone/iPad accessories, a new tv, speakers, whatever, click on their “Community-Sourced Deals” link and search away. somehow the people that run and contribute to this site find INSANE deals on stuff. a great place to look if your child absolutely must have the brand new Nintendo DS/Wii/XBox/PlayStation/Atari whatever this christmas.
RETAILMENOT.COM
i am typing in bold here, people. this site cannot be underestimated. are you making a purchase from ANY RETAIL WEBSITE ON THE PLANET? open a new tab, pull up RetailMeNot, and run a search for coupon or promo codes for that store. you’re welcome. i have used this site to get free shipping, discounts, free items, and more. ALWAYS USE THIS SITE.
Col Tempo 