shopping - Views From the Ville

This is the big shopping weekend of the year and your inbox is probably flooded with announcements and alerts. One you haven’t seen until now, though, is this big sale at Vitacost! They will be offering 15% off everything on their site. They already have some great prices so this extra discount could really help you save. You’ll also receive free shipping on orders over $49; if your total is less, it’s a flat rate of $4.99, no matter the product size. And when you sign up for their free rewards program, you’ll receive code for $10 off your purchase.

Save 15% on everything during the Vitacost Cyber Monday sale

If you’re anything like me, you like to save money while shopping. I never purchase anything online without searching for a coupon code first. I also like to look for sales when I’m going to traditional brick and mortar stores. It’s nice when they have coupons available, but that isn’t a common occurrence. Then you have to remember to take them, find them in your purse… well, it can be a bit of a hassle (especially if you’re juggling a toddler/baby/stroller/a pair of fighting siblings/a latte).

Get local coupons on the go with RetailMeNot's iPhone coupon app

So it was exciting when RetailMeNot recently launched their location-based coupon app for the iPhone! Coupons at my fingertips – what’s not to love? And now they’ve released version 2.0 that has a ton of great features. They include:

Location-based coupons available at more than 500 geo-fenced shopping malls across the country by Black Friday
Map services that identify nearest store locations to redeem in-store coupons
Simple, easy-to-use interface with curated “Hot Deals” from popular stores and access via search to RetailMeNot’s best online and in-store coupons from thousands of merchants
Ability to save coupons for later use, helping consumers organize their shopping excursions
Coupon expiration alerts that message you when your saved coupons are about to expire
Push notifications to consumers of relevant coupons
Ability to add RetailMeNot coupons to Apple’s Passbook
Supported on iPhone 5 and iOS 6 optimized for new screen size and features

You can download the app from the App Store for free. If you’re heading out to do any Black Friday shopping – or any shopping at all this holiday season – this app could come in very handy for saving you a little green. Don’t forget to enter their giveaway; you could win an iPhone 5! Giveaway ends on November 26th, so head over and enter now.

I received a promotional item to thank me for my time in this campaign. All opinions, as always, are 100% that of myself and my family.

Rue La La, one of the boutique daily deal sites, is having a “Style. I Do!” sale (curated by The Knot which I posted about during Week 1) that will be running for the next 36 hours. They have wedding dresses, tuxes, veils, bridal accessories, shoes and more! Prices are low – nearly $2000 wedding dresses selling for less than $400, and some wedding gowns for less than $100 – and inventory is going fast. Pop over there now to grab some goodies at a steep discount before they’re gone.

Here are some examples of sale items:

Private Collection Pleated Bodice Wedding Gown

DaVinci Beaded Satin Wedding Gown

Majorica Silver & Pearl Necklace

Kenneth Cole 2-Button Tuxedo

Elie Tahari Black Stripe Silk Tie

From the day the engagement is announced to the day of the wedding itself, there are a number of occasions where someone may want to purchase a gift. Some people may choose to give an engagement present (especially because some couples now throw engagement parties), and then there may be a gift for the shower, a gift for the wedding – possibly even a bachelorette or bachelor party gift. And the couple may want to purchase gifts for their bridal party, too.

Whatever occasion you’re looking for the prize sponsors for Week 2 of the Goin’ to the Chapel event have items that anyone would love.

Simply Said Wedding Wall Design

Appropriate for an engagement party, bridal shower or wedding gift the wall sayings from Candace at Simply Said Designs would make a nice touch for the couple’s new home. I also think they could be very unique shower, ceremony or reception decorations. They have four whole pages (14-17) of wedding design packages.

Simply Said Last Name Design

And for the home they have personalized designs of the couple’s name and year of marriage as well as sayings like “Together We Make a Family”, “Be True to the Family Name You Bear”, “A Smile Last a Moment, the Memory Lasts a Lifetime”, “I Gave You My Heart and You Filled it With Love”, and “Together is a Wonderful Place to Be”. All the designs come in a variety of different sizes and price ranges so you’ll be able to find something perfect for every spot in the home at the price point you’re comfortable spending.

Scentsy DIY Silver Wedding Pack

Another great option are the products from Brandy at Scentsy Candles. Almost everyone loves candles and that warm feeling you get when you catch the soft scent in the air. Scentsy gives you that great candle scent minus the fire (which, as an aside, makes them a nice gift for college students who can’t have a flame in their dorm room). One item they have that I think would make a great shower gift would be their DIY Warmer with DIY Wedding Theme Packs. Not only is it a nice home decor item, the bride could set it on the head table at their reception.

Scentsy Bar in Love Story

If you’re giving as a shower or wedding gift you could also pick something that might match the couples decor, their favorite sport, or their favorite team to cheer for together (go UK!). Then you can choose one of the scented bars to add to the warmer. The Romance Collection or Corner Cafe Collection might be good places to start to select a scent.

Outdoor Cool & Serve Square Tray

And of course you can’t go wrong with selecting a gift if you’re choosing something for the kitchen. Everyone loves to eat (they do say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach) and preparing food together is an activity that can truly bring a couple closer together. Pampered Chef in Louisville (delivery US-wide) can help you choose a gift that’s perfect for the couple. Do they like to grill or entertain outside? Then maybe one of the grilling tools or outdoor serving & dining pieces would be a great choice. Maybe they’re bakers?

Dip Set with Bamboo Spoons

And for a great wedding present you may consider purchasing a knife block and choosing a couple of knives like the chef’s knife, Santoku, paring or utility knife. They have a lifetime warranty and I guarantee they would be used on a daily basis in the couple’s new home – even if they’re not big cooks. (And if they’re not big chefs, you might want to think about tossing in a cookbook or two and maybe some mixes or spices.)

Our giveaway sponsors have put some great prizes up for this week and I will be posting the entry forms shortly. In the meantime please take a moment to visit them and show them a little support if you enjoy their products!

One of the things that I dislike about living where we are right now is that there isn’t enough space to have a dog. I love dogs. I literally grew up with a dog; my parents picked up their puppy just a few weeks before I came home, and we were pretty much inseparable. Even though I’m told that I did confuse the poor thing when I first learned to talk, because my Mom would always tell the dog to “get away” and I thought his name was “Get”. So I’d chase him around trying to hug him all while telling him to get away from me.

I’m very much looking forward to us finally finding a new place (yes, we’re still looking) where we have a yard big enough for a pup. I really want Baby C to have a furry friend to grow up with. Not only for the play and unconditional love experience, but I also think it teaches responsibility.

AnnieWear

If you’re like me and you’re a dog (or cat!) lover, then you are going to love the line of animal-themed baby and kids clothes and gifts at AnnieWear. Not only are their designs adorable but a portion of all the sales are donated to animal rescue programs around the country. The company is actually named after the founder’s own rescued dog, Annie, who came from the Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue.

The shirt I received came packaged very securely and wrapped in pretty hunter green tissue paper. As I opened it, you couldn’t help but say “awww” when you saw the design on the shirt.

Opening my AnnieWear pacakge

And of course, once we put it on Baby C, I had to say “awww” again!

Baby C in her “good girl!” onesie

The AnnieWear signature “Good Girl!” onesie is a size 3-6 months, and as you can see, it’s just a smidgen big on Baby C who is 14 weeks, but that’s normal of most clothes for her right now. It comes in black, white, lime, lavender and turquoise and goes up to size 12-18 months. You can get it in both long and short sleeve versions. The quality is also very nice; the shirt is 100% ringspun combed cotton and the design is silk screened with non-toxic durable ink.

We really like the shirt; it feels so soft and Baby C looked mighty comfortable in it. And at $22.50 it makes a reasonably priced gift for any pet lover and their child. I have a friend that is recently pregnant. She is a big dog-lover and I can definitely see getting her an AnnieWear item as a gift once she knows and shares the gender.

Even though the prices are reasonable, it’s always better when you can get something on sale! So AnnieWear has generously provided a 15% discount for all of you! Just use promo code BLOG2011 at the checkout.

Please share below if you find something you love!

Views From the Ville

Vitacost Cyber Monday Sale Starts Today: Save 15% On Everything Plus $10 Off!

Goin’ to the Chapel Event Week 3: Ceremony & Reception – Dress the Part

Goin’ to the Chapel Event Week 2: Purchasing Gifts