Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Black Friday ... and Beyond!


Unless you are buying an appliance [and even then, tax free weekends generally have better sales] 
Black Friday is not much more than a smart marketing move by most retailers. 
So what are my tips for shopping on Black Friday and the following weeks
 leading up to the holidays, because, well, we all 
obviously have to do Christmas 
shopping sometime?
Here they are.

 1.    Time Shopping Right

If you do chose to shop on Black Friday... Be strategic. Many shoppers will be going early in the morning so if you go mid morning, you generally won’t be dealing with as many crowds. BEWARE though, if you are looking to shop specific deals that retail stores have going on, many of them end between 12/1pm.
Also, Many stores extend their store hours leading up to the holidays and in my experience I have found the least busy times to shop in the busy weeks before Christmas is either early in the morning or later at night (not right after work because that’s when everyone goes) but maybe after supper or after you go to the gym. The stores are open anyways and most people will have stopped to shop right after work.

2.     Shop Clearance, Not Just Sales

My best bargain tip is always to shop clearance. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, stores are trying to move as much merchandise out of their stores as possible so they will be marking things down. Shop clearance and shop often. Also, if you are on store’s email lists they will usually send an alert when things have been marked down or there is an additional sale on clearance, which brings me to #3.

3.     Sign up for Email

I get SOOO many emails over the holidays of exclusive offers from brands both in store and online. It’s a great way to get a discount on something full price that you might have spotted in store earlier in the season.  AND a lot of stores will have free shipping promotions going on during the holidays, for added convenience.

4.   Shop Off Price

Don’t just shop the stores in the mall. Some of the best presents I have found for family and friends come from off price stores (TJMaxx, Marshalls, Homegoods, Nordstrom Rack,  Off5th etc.)

Now, let me be loud and clear when I say this:

OFF PRICE IS FOR THE MOST PART THE SAME STUFF THAT IS IN DEPARTMENT STORES. 
But at a way better price, so it should pretty much be a no brainer.


 5.   Don’t Toss the Receipt

Always keep the receipt. Some stores if you buy something within a certain time frame will do a price adjustment for you if the item goes on sale right after you buy it (I have had this bad luck on many occasions). Just check the store policy before trekking all the way back to the store…

 6.    Google

Please for the love of God if you choose to shop online, Google to see if there is a promo code first before checkout. It is pretty much the EASIEST way that you can find a discount for whatever you are trying to buy online, or maybe you will even find a better price on the same item.

Here are a few of my faves:



Friday, November 15, 2013

Fashionista does Food - My night at Moksa in Cambridge

I love a delicious meal almost as much as an amazing deal on designer shoes. Last week I was invited to a blogger dinner hosted by Blog & Tweet Boston as Moksa in Cambridge. Moksa is a Pan-Asian Tapas restaurant with a cool urban vibe with food flavors that will knock your socks off. It's a cozy atmosphere and conducive to a large or small crowd (they even have an indoor bocce ball court... SO COOL).



The evening  started off with cocktail hour where a warm rum punch with marinated peaches was served in the sweetest little mason jar. It was quite possibly one of the most delicious drinks I have ever had.

Warm Rum Punch 
We then enjoyed a roasted butternut squash soup that was delicious and had a little twist with the addition of edamame.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
The second course was even better than the first. We were served fabulous little spicy tuna dumplings with a guacamole and thai mango sauce. Such great flavors that you would never think would be so good together!

Spicy Tuna Dumplings paired
 with a Fall Manhattan cocktail
For the third course the options were a 7 Spice Crusted Salmon, Paneer Masala or a Kung Pao Angel Hair Pasta dish. I chose the pasta dish and it was served with crispy chicken, beans and bok choy. Like the three previous dishes, it was fantastic.

The dining experience ended with the serving of a warm milk and honey drink made with cognac, rooibos milk and Boston Honey. It was the perfect way to end a fabulous meal and paired perfectly with the warm coconut ride pudding dessert. I am not a huge rice pudding fan, but the drink was a perfect sweet treat to end the meal.

                   
Coconut Rice Pudding        
Milk & Honey Dessert Cocktail





















Overall, between the fabulous company of lovely Boston blogger women, the fantastic service, the delicious food and delectable drinks it was an amazing night. I so look forward to my next visit to Moksa after such a great experience!

Cheers! 
The many drinks from the night (Photo Cred: Elizabeth Hale)

Monday, November 11, 2013

Making a list (with Keep.com) & checking it twice!

 
 
 
Hi Everyone!
Last week I was Keep.com 's featured keeper. Keep is a fabulous online shopping platform that acts as a shopping list where you can 'keep' your wishes or buy those must have items, with no hassle. I personally, used to keep so many internet tabs open to different stores' website and the shopping carts would be full of items that I wanted to buy, but now I just 'keep' it all in Keep collections making my life so much easier to remember those items I want to go back and buy or gift to others!

Speaking of gifting... the collection that I currated has some of my most favorite picks for this holiday season!

Follow this link to check out my collection: Andrea's Featured Keeps

(Below is a sneak peek of some of my fabulous holiday picks)