i went to ross yesterday and i got myself some great hauls. for anyone who is not familar with ross, it’s the capitalist USA’s gift to middle class shoppers and bargain hunters like i am. ross carries ‘designer and brand name fashions for women, men, kids and home at everyday savings of 20-60% compared to department and specialty stores.’ they also have home decor at very affordable prices. in fact, most of our first purchases for our apartment in santa barbara were from ross – the kitchen and dining ware, the beddings, the home accents. ross is very similar to marshalls although i think the former’s prices are still a tad cheaper than the latter’s.

 

anyway, i was so ecstatic to have bought brand new DVD set of lord of the rings: two towers and return of the king platinum series special extended edition for only $4.99 each. no kidding, halflings! it’s like gollum finding my precious under the river. it’s a little unfortunate that there is no the fellowship of the ring. but i’m planning to scrounge around the other ross stores here in the hope of being able to buy it too.

 

LOTR is my favorite movie of all time. i mean if someone asks me what my favorite movie is, i will say LOTR without even thinking twice. i have seen the movie trilogy countless times – in the theatres, in DVD, in cable and local TV channels and yet i would still want to watch it a thousand times over. since its DVD release, i’ve always wanted to get myself a copy but everytime, the cheap side of me overpowers my urge to buy the set.

 

i can’t wait to watch the films on DVD along with the documentaries about the filming process. but for now excuse me while i salivate over my latest precious possessions. 

 hi, i’m g and i’m shopaholic.

i realized this a million light years ago. but i realized it even more yesterday when i started emptying my closet in preparation for our move to hawaii. i have too many clothes, maybe enough to last a year without repeating the same clothes twice. it’s hard to keep track of things when one lives in a state with four seasons and the seasonal stuff including clothes are stored away. so yesterday when i saw all the summer/spring clothes that i have which i, of course, can take with me to hawaii, i cannot help but to channel celine dion and sing, in reference to my clothes, it’s all coming back to me now. excuse the wrong grammar though.

but i’m not here to renounce my addiction rather, i’m here to give you five helpful tips on shopping and fashion:

- shop within your means. allot a specific amount of money from your monthly salary and keep the shopping spree in budget. don’t go overboard. if you don’t have much to spare, you can shop one item at a time. the important thing is you don’t deprive yourself of your hard earned money. i’m sure my mom would be appalled to see how much i have it my closet (she’s going to see them very soon) and to think about how much of my earnings i have spent on them. in my defense, i rarely shop at high-end designer retail shops. i’m more comfortable going to cheap stores and outlets.

- scrounge around for sales and discounts. i have coined myself as a sale slut for obvious reasons. i usually go to the where the sales racks are first. i actually find more satisfaction and pleasure in shopping discounted items rather than the regular ones. shopping in a sales event is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get (apologies to forrest gump). many of my favorite clothing items, i got on sale. also, compare online and store prices because they are sometimes different. some stores like urban outfitters, would allow you to get the online price in the register. if they don’t, i would suggest fitting the item the store and then getting it online. i am not too fond of shopping online for clothes and shoes but hey, never say no to a cheaper price. in addition, always bring your in-store discount coupons if any and do sign up for them. macy’s always give $10 off coupon for their monthly one-day sale event.

- learn how to bargain. haggling, of course, can only be done in flea markets. but you can also try to get extra deals. some stores would give you additional 10% discount if you are buying the last pair of shoes and/or the floor display. at another time, i got extra 15% discount at famous footwear because the nike bag that i bought had a small scratch in it. do not be afraid to ask for additional discounts.

- go through the process of elimination before buying. in other words, do not be an impulsive buyer. think twice before making the decision. before spending on something, i always ask myself if i can sleep well at night without any regrets for not buying the item. if the answer is no, then i definitely have to make the purchase. i had my danish friend adopt the same shopping philosophy. never shop when you’re hungry or when you’re in a rush or when you’re not wearing comfy shoes as the probability of buying impulsively would be higher than when you’re relaxed and have the luxury of time.

- forget about brand loyalty. you miss a wide variety of styles, colors and designs by sticking to one label. shopping is not only about buying; its true beauty lies on going through the vast array of options there are. besides, you’re not really going to get anything in return by being loyal to one brand unless you get signed up as an endorser.

- invest on accessories. a belt, a necklace, a scarf, earrings, a headband- do not be afraid to express yourself through them. these accessories will make you stand out from the crowd. my officemate and i have almost the exact same plain striped dress although we bought it at two different retailer. i am always scared that we would wear it at the same time so i only wear it when i know she’s off (she’s a part-timer). i also tie a scarf around its collar so it would look more stylish than my officemate’s. and indeed, i’ve gotten compliments whenever i wear it. do not be afraid to improvise as well. the scarf that i use also doubles as a headband. i also use some of my long necklaces as belt. fashion is always about creativity and resourcefulness.

in closing, i have two words of wisdom to impart: the first one is from coco channel, ‘a girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.’ the second one is from my mom who always tells us in the vernacular, ‘…nasa pagdadala yan’. loosely translated, it’s how you carry yourself that matters. i attended a party once wearing a simple black, off-shoulder dress which i bought at old navy for less than $40. i wrapped a hot pink belt around the waist which i got at charlotte russe for $10. the whole get-up looked so pretty and fashionable that my friends thought the dress was expensive. my friend, who only shops at designer stores, couldn’t believe it when i told her where i got the dress from.

ultimately, your clothes are only part of who you are. if you let your personality shine, then you can be the best person in the room – classy and fabulous in your own way- even when wearing something as simple as a plain tank top and jeans.

happy holiday shopping!

from allure magazine December 2007 issue:

‘two leading brain researchers at johns hopkins have concluded that as shopping requires a trifecta of healthy behaviors – physical activity, decision-making, and a positive self-image – it might actually help keep you alive longer.’

note to my husband (and to my mom): it’s not about splurging, it’s about healthy living.

yesterday and today was macy’s biggest sale of the year. naturally, aki and i went in search of the best deals.

yesterday at 11am, we closed the sales office on the pretense of an early lunch. but no, we rushed to macys (which is a block away from our office) and went to check out the shoes on sale. the sight was truly overwhelming. racks and racks of discounted shoes (as low as 50%); of different styles and colors; of different brands. i almost wanted to stay there for the entire day.

my initial plan was to buy a pair of black boots since the heels of what i was currently using are so worn-down. but my inner fashion guru is egging me to buy the gray boots at BCBG and so i did. it was 50 gran less than the original price and i know that i already have few pieces of clothing that would go with it so it’s really a good deal. i figured i could just bring my black boots to a shoe repair store. i just hope that my new boots are comfy so i can abuse them as much as i like.

the other thing that i wanted to get was comfy flats that i can bring with me on my most anticipated trip back to manila. i saw this pair of gray flats (yes, still my fashion guru saying gray is the new black) that i really really wanted. i had the 5.5 size but the weird shape of my feet makes it impossible for me to fit them without causing severe injury due to blisters. i tried on the size 6 and it was the cinderella size that i needed. BUT the other pair was missing so the saleslady said i had to search for it on the racks. i didn’t have much time (since my ‘lunch break’ was almost over) so i asked the lady if she can keep it for me until 6pm.

motivated by the shoe hunt activity, i finished my work early and went back to macy’s. after going around the entire shoe floor once, i gave up on finding the other pair and decided to focus my energy on something else (that was when i decided to buy the above item).

aki and i went back to macy’s today to check out the other things on sale. i was pretty happy that i got to buy what i wanted at very cheap prices. after lunch, my feet started to ache from all those walking so i decided to wait for aki at the shoe floor so i can sit down and rest. however, it was so hard to resist the tempting desire to find the other pair of gray flats from yesterday so i commenced into my shoe hunting activity once more, all the while praying to the fashion gods to let me find it. i was even chanting in my mind please, let this be the miracle on the 34th street. this would have been the title of this entry had i found it but sadly, there was no miracle.

but as they say when God closes a door, he opens a window somewhere. or in my case, when the gods loses the other pair, he gives you a new set. as i was telling myself that the gray flats were not meant to be, i saw this pair of black boots that have just about the right length, width and heel height i wanted. they were also exactly my size. i scanned the price and lo and behold, it was 50% off. i don’t think i have to write down here what i decided to do. suffice to say, my boot collection is growing. imelda marcos should be proud.