Confessions of a Bargain Shopper

Broke bitch? Cheap ass? Call me what you want, but I love to shop! I share a bond with shopping like no other fashionista. I have a serious problem with buying items for full price, depending on what it is of course. Fashion for me consists of clothes, accessories, and SHOES! Some might argue that I try live a materialistic lifestyle and that I have a lot of shoes. Wrong! I live for the pleasure of finding deals at affordable prices. Bargain shopping is not a skill, it is a lifestyle and it can be followed. Don't expect to find something you won't feel guilty about later when you shop at Nordstroms or JMR because I did once upon a time and there shit always goes on sale after you buy it anyways... grrr! This doesn't mean you have to give up all your favorite stores or your expensive taste you just have to consider the alternatives to smarter shopping! Good finds are out there you just gotta spend the time looking for them. The idea is to get more than what you pay for. I can go in to Charlotte Russe with $20 and walk out with at least three new things just from their clearance rack selections. (If anyone has additional advice he or she would like to add about wise shopping please do because I love sharing and saving haha!) When girls want to go shopping and have money to splurge it's like we can never find anything we like and when we don't have money it's like everything we like finds us! It's seriously the worse feeling in the world to not get what you want ;) This of course was not intended to be a factual statement, it just happens all the time with me and my friends when we go shopping.


Yesterday, me and Renee went to the Gateway to occupy time, I was waiting for the frontrunner and she was waiting for her husband to get off work. We browsed through are favorite stores then we went to Urban Outfitters and with no intention of buying anything I saw no harm looking at what was on sale there. I saw the biggest cutest bag on sale, I didn't really have a need for it right now, so I thought of how this purchase could benefit me in the near future. So I bought it! I can use it as a carry-on perfect for traveling, and now I've got something big enough to combine my backpack and purse into one! This bag will be able to haul all of my books/notebooks for school and I'll have extra room to pack a lunch! How convenient this was truly a match made in heaven. If I decide to later stick with my backpack this coming semester, then no biggie!

Originally $78 on sale for $19.99 by Deena & Ozzy at Urban Outfitters!

So this is how I do it, I never go shopping to intentionally buy anything, if that makes any sense. I will go window shopping to my favorite stores browse through what's new and hot that way I get an idea of what will be on sale at a later time haha then I browse through the sale items and compare the discount from it's original cost. Buy 1 get 1 free (Bogo's) and anything 50% off or more is a good deal! Good deals don't last very long so it's wise to buy or place something on hold before the next prospect shopper steals your deal. Recommended time consumption to effective bargain shopping is 20 minutes per store, that's how long it should take you to skim through clearance racks BEFORE trying things on. If a shopper has gone longer than 40 minutes then he or she is wasting energy and must continue on to the next store! The work effort is the biggest con for bargain shopping, yes it's a hassle sometimes to look through tangled hangers and buckets of clothes, but when that moment of glory comes when you found that perfect blouse for your perfect price, it's like finding treasure! So I recommend "skimming" don't look at stuff you know already isn't your style duh. To be honest, a lot of discounted items are FUGLY* and/or XXS, XS, XL, XXL so there is a reason why some things can be practically free. The time of the season is THE most important factor in bargain shopping. My mom and I like to shop holiday specials, day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday), and end of season sales. Right now retailers are gearing up for the Fall season styles while Summer is still here and this is an example for perfect timing to browse through discounted summer selections while they last. I find my best deals at: Old Navy, JC Penney, Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe, and Tai Pan Trading (accessories and home decor only) and for the men I suggest going to: Savers, Plato's Closet, Rue 21 and I don't really know where else haha guys aren't as lucky when it comes to deals. Also, what I like to do is sell my clothes to Plato's Closet or UpTown Cheapskate by recycling fashion and to ensure that I have the closet space and extra cash for new updated styles. :)


*Term used to describe something fucking ugly!


A few helpful reminders that I would like to leave for my shopping friends is to remember B.L.A.C.K. this can be easily remembered as you strive for successful bargain shopping. (Black for Black Friday and because it happen to work out that way, not because I'm racist).


Step 1: Be realistic about where you choose to shop.
Step 2: Look for things that can match items you already have.
Step 3: Always ask for a military or student discount lol.
Step 4: Clearances and Sale racks are usually in the back or very front of the store.
Step 5: Know your budget, spend what you can spare.


Happy Shopping!

Psycho For Teacher.

Ever since class started my thinking has broadened deeper thoughts and memories that have occurred now and throughout my lifetime. Psychology 3430: Theories of Personalities is the class I'm taking and Dr. Todd Baird is the instructor. What's interesting about this course is that we haven't been learning about personalities at all, well at least that's what I think. We actually have been studying to think like theorists by learning the structures of personality and how people develop their personalities either during early childhood, biological factors, change of time etc. I believe any person that's in the field or sub-field of Psychology is bananas in a unique way :). Not necessarily coo-coo, but slightly demented... and that goes for anyone who's curious to study those interesting fields. Psychology can never be understood or appreciated until a person understands themselves by having  consistent traits and characteristics that follow a them through adulthood. Slowly, but surely I'll find my self-actualization as I continue to grow and learn.
It was just this recent Tuesday when Dr. Baird shared an abnormal vibe in the classroom atmosphere. No way was he psychic, if he was he could totally quit his current job and make more money. He stated he could analyze someone and be somewhat accurate of his senses. He said:

"Someone in this room is experiencing a mild case of anxiety, is unsure of the direction in his or her life, suffering from post-traumatic stress from school and work, and is under social-ital pressure..."

Sounds like a general expression of what every person experiences throughout his of her life to me. Until he had the nerve to say the following

"This person is a female between the ages of 20 and 24, and is brunette."

He and I both knew he was talking about me, while the whole class looked carelessly and pondered. I acknowledged my notebook and pen to readily start lecture and to stop nonsense talk. Who the hell did he think he was besides my professor? He thinks he can analyze me and confront my young womanhood angst just like that huh? Or was it just my everyday life stressors getting the best of me? Maybe just assuming he was talking right to me? Whatever his motives were at the time, it got to me. It wasn't him confronting me, it was me confronting me by being aware of what was said to the whole class. Let's be honest stress and anxiety exist on all levels of human beings and apparently mine were both on a higher scale than normal that day and not because I'm some kind of school-work driven freak. It also could have been that I was sitting next to a really cute intelligent guy too ;) but that idea is going off topic and a blog entry on "Boys" will be in the near future for sure haha. What's funny about Dr. Baird is that he called me the night before class to tell me that the first day is cancelled (first day is usually syllabus day zzzzzz....) and he sounded way attractive over the phone and I had expectations of him being the "sexy professor" everyone wishes for haha. I even went as far as checking him out on his website! I'll admit I was totally creeping on my professor! I was so anxious I needed to know if he was hott or not. I even made a Facebook post about him! Good looking older man he was, until I saw all 5 foot 7 inches of him hahahaha. It's not that he's short, I'm just really tall for a girl and married men with children aren't my type to say the least. If it's not Dr. Baird's good looks, it must have been his powerful ways of getting his message across to those he thinks aren't listening, and to those who listened and comprehended.

June 3rd, 2011

There's not much to say about today or what's happening right now besides this awesome weather! I'm just waiting to clock in at work while I waste my time browsing social media sites. Hopefully, Mike mows the lawn today because he just sits on his ass all day now that school's out and the lawn better be perfect or i'm going to be pissed! We finally got our fence fixed from the culprit's who ran it over with their mustang. The story behind that mess happened when a couple driving a mustang approximately at 2 a.m. did a hit and run on my poor fence! The couple came over to my house the next day to tell us that the husband swerved the car to avoid hitting an animal and that they were very sorry. Obviously, the wife who shamelessly confessed her bogus lie to us was on drugs or something because that accident was not a "save the animals" movement. Which brings me to the point of my fence story, don't drink and drive AND lie about it. Drinking and driving is not the way to go and I don't tolerate it and if more people were aware of the dangers of drinking and driving maybe my fence/yard wouldn't have been a victim that night. I hope those people learned their lesson and will not harm people or objects ever again. Lying is just retarded, don't lie unless you can get away with it is my motto haha jk. Well, a helpful reminder to myself would be that drinking and driving could prevent me from seeing beautiful sunny days like right now because I always say to myself "I'm fine to drive" or "I didn't drink that much" but so could any tipsy driver behind the wheel. 

Being more cautious of my actions and learning from other people's mistakes.

Workin' it!

I'm not sure if I have anything to look forward to after I graduate. Am I suppose to be applying for editing/writing positions yet? It would help if I actually applied for jobs in that area instead of just jobs that get me by. One day I am just going to spend a whole day exploring local newspaper and magazine positions (that way I know what I'm up against) and see how confident I am taking on such an adult role. I know my life will change soon again and it will take a lot of hard work to stay on- top of the upcoming tech. writing projects, but I still haven't read the last Harry Potter even though I went and saw part I in theaters. I didn't feel guilty at all about it, I liked the movie and frankly, i'll just go see part II next month. I have enough reading to do as it is and I need to stop fantasizing about how grown up Harry and Ron have gotten because I love nothing more than this mystery, thriller, romance series. Anyways, the job thing....Well at least I like my jobs "right now", it's hard to have a change with my work because I've always had it scheduled around my classes and it's been that way for three years. School before work, work before friends, friends before sleep. I could go on but i'd hate for anyone to feel sorry for me :) Luckily for me the only set schedule I have is at Jason's Deli, I always know when I work. As far as subbing and student recruiting, I only sub when a teacher has an absence or leave and most of the time it's a last minute notice, I've always made arranged time to work there, but the nice part about the SubFinder calling system is that I don't always have to answer their phone calls ;)

Another "work when needed" job is my student recruitment job at my school and basically I just make sure WSU alumni parents don't get greedy with the merchandise for their kids, just kidding! I like having the opportunity to meet people from events and expos by helping them get back to school and providing the best answers to their questions and/or concerns. I'm excited for that job to be picking up more in the summer then I don't even have to worry about subbing and waking up early in the morning, but I do have to worry about crazy teenage drivers! I think that constant worry will never go out of season. If I still had to do charter school lunches at Jason's Deli, I probably would have kept continuing to replace that job and thanks to Mark, the Gateway manager who thought it was unfair and cruel punishment to bag 185 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup carrots each, etc. every evening with NO PREP! Alright, over it.. My justice was served and i'm still there and eating....aaaand i'm still cooler than Krystal :) My hourly positions couldn't be more than perfect right now, I like what I do, I like that I can get school and homework done efficiently, so why do I need to change it? Even just applying for jobs takes a lot of work and most of the time it's always the interviews and not the job! WHY AM I WORRYING ABOUT THIS ON MY SUMMER VACATION? I will make a promise to myself that I will try my hardest and soberest to explore my career job market a few times throughout this summer and not overwhelm myself about starting my career because I still have two full semesters ahead of me and I know I always work best when i'm busy and under pressure. So cheers to summer 2011 as I absorb every minute and satisfaction necessary as my heart desires. I may not ever have the answers to things I can only answer myself, but I'll figure it out no matter how long it takes me. Living in the moment, not in the future because what a person does in the present determines their future and i'm not ready to grow up yet!