Hello Everyone! It’s me again, Laurie!

Now that the major “Gift Giving” holidays have passed, I can begin to concentrate on starting my list for next year.  (I know, I’m a dork-What can I say?)  After this year’s holiday, I promised myself I would never do the last minute gift gathering hustle again.  I know I say it every year but this time I really mean it!

A few months ago, I decided to set up a Face Book Page. At first, I was a little apprehensive about it but now that I have established my network of friends and family, I am more than happy I did this.  I have many old friends on my page that I had lost track of do to Life’s infamous ups and downs. Many of those people from my life mean the world to me.  I wish I had stayed in contact all these years.  Unfortunately, sometimes the craziness of life brings us down another path and we loose touch with some of those great people in our lives along the way.  The great thing about Face Book is you don’t need an address or a phone number, just your friend’s name.  Kudos to the people at Face Book!

With the expansion of my friend network (new friends of recent years and great friends of years passed), I realized my gift-giving list had increased by quite a bit.  (Hence, my resolution to start shopping now for gifts.)  With many family and friends to buy for, I decided I needed to put my shopping skills to the test.  We all know I like a bargain and know I am to the verge of OCD when it comes to getting the best product for my money.  I researched some of the great programs out there to get the best return on my shopping experience.

I found two programs that give you great return on your money spent.

1. Kohl’s Cash- For Every $50 you spend at Kohl’s, you get $10 in Kohl’s cash towards your next purchase.  They do have a time frame on the Kohl’s Cash Coupons but still it’s a great deal!  Kohl’s has a huge selection of clothes, furniture and decor, jewelry and watches, electronics and much, much more. Their prices are very reasonable and you will get a great selection of products to choose from to use your Kohl’s Cash.

1. Domaine Cash- If you like jewelry, this is the place to go.  You get $5.00 for every $50.00 you spend from Domaineltd.com.  The best part about this program is the Domaine Cash is good until December 31, 2010.  You can use on your next purchase or accumulate them for a free shopping on domaineltd.com website. (and they’re good until the end of 2010)  Domaineltd.com has the best prices I have seen for Quality Fashion Jewelry.  In combination with the Domaine Cash, you are getting the real deal.

Ok people, that’s all for now!  Until next time.

You can find those great deals at:

www.kohls.com

www.domaineltd.com

TLV2JFK presents the 2010 Pre Pesach Price Planner for those taking the family to the states for Passover. The sooner you start hunting for tickets, the better. Right now ElAl, Delta and Continental are charging around $1500 for non-stop. Adding a stop can get you down to about $1200 and even down to about $1000 if you are ready to spend a night somewhere and trek from one airport to another. Here are some tricks to help in your search:

• Orbitz is easiest to use for the big picture
• AA is best for finding alternate dates – but make sure to indicate “All carriers” on search
• ElAl site often has lower prices than shown elsewhere
• Children pay about 10% less – usually best to see that on the airline site
• AlItalia comes up with great deals if you can catch it (was $800 for pesach, last week) – but not on their site! Use Orbitz. And take a day off in Rome or Milan.
• Prices go down a bit if you can return the week after Pesach
• Forget about free tickets from Israel, but if you can pay your way to Europe – you may have some luck using that free ticket.

And finally, an idea that most of my readers (and my family) will ignore. Royal Jordanian via Amman.

You can find these flights by “including nearby airports” on Orbitz (not on Kayak). A random search today turned TLV to Amman to JFK (non-stop) and then return to Amman for under $800. Thats a savings of about $400 per person. But, you have to make your way back to Israel from Amman. Its a 4 hour drive to Aquaba and a simple crossing into Israel. Make the trip less painful by spending a day in Petra in Jordan and a day or two in Eilat. It will cost less and the kids get to miss more school. In another post I will discuss Jordan and the option of crossing directly at the Allenby bridge.

A word about passover destinations in the US. If you have to go to the catskills, take a day off for the local attractions,  like the  Kykuit Rockefeller Estate. If you end up in Disney, you can save money at the Prime Outlet Orlando Mall.  LA is a good passover destination – check out the Fun Things to do in Southern California.

• Hotels Blog
• Landscape Blog
• Dole Pineapple Factory Tour
• Cielo Vista Mall El Paso
• Hollywood Connection Utah
• Top Beaches in US
• Top 10 malls

Boost Your Energy and your Spirit With These Prices!

Elise K. Bowder

One of the main attractions of big cities is all the fabulous places to shop. Living in Philadelphia, I discovered that is one of my favorite features the city has to offer. Shopping requires energy, though, especially when you’re spending a shopping day in Center City walking numerous city blocks. A little pick-me always gives me that much- needed energy boost, but when I’m already spending god knows how much at Walnut Street shops, a $5 Frappuccino suddenly loses its appeal.

As I was leaving a local boutique after a pricey shopping spree one afternoon, a bright orange sign across the street at 17^th and Walnut caught my eye. “ING Direct Café.” One of those silly café banks I thought to myself, but I was tired and thirsty so I decided to give it a try. Thankfully, I did.

ING Direct Café has one of the cheapest menus I’ve seen in the Rittenhouse area besides McDonald’s. Coffee and pastries are a buck fifty, hot cocoa is two bucks and specialty drinks are a measly three bucks. So next time you’re close to Walnut Street and you need a boost without breaking the bank, don’t shop till you drop. Just drop in ING Direct Café. 

One of the main attractions of big cities is all the fabulous places to shop. Living in Philadelphia, I discovered that is one of my favorite features the city has to offer. Shopping requires energy, though, especially when you’re spending a shopping day in Center City walking numerous city blocks. A little pick-me always gives me that much- needed energy boost, but when I’m already spending god knows how much at Walnut Street shops, a $5 Frappuccino suddenly loses its appeal.

As I was leaving a local boutique after a pricey shopping spree one afternoon, a bright orange sign across the street at 17^th and Walnut caught my eye. “ING Direct Café.” One of those silly café banks I thought to myself, but I was tired and thirsty so I decided to give it a try. Thankfully, I did.

ING Direct Café has one of the cheapest menus I’ve seen in the Rittenhouse area besides McDonald’s. Coffee and pastries are a buck fifty, hot cocoa is two bucks and specialty drinks are a measly three bucks. So next time you’re close to Walnut Street and you need a boost without breaking the bank, don’t shop till you drop. Just drop in ING Direct Café.

contact Elise at: ElisePRH@gmail.com

Welcome Welcome!

My name is Sarah and I am THE Accessorize Queen! My whole life, some might say I have been addicted to shopping.  With the ease of the internet, I have found myself up very late at night scrolling and scrolling and scrolling…..

I knew growing up I had an interest in business and product development, which led me to graduate school where I finished with a degree in Business Communication.  With such a broad degree, it was difficult to figure out what to do out of school.  I initially thought I would love to be a buyer for a big retail corporation like TJX, but with the worst job market in history, that didn’t quite happen!

In school I actually wrote up a business plan to start my own “Fashion and Image Consulting Firm.”  Again, in a horrible economy I haven’t had the chance to start my own business.  However, I see great things for the future and lots of shopping!  So this has led me to today.  My first attempt at utilizing my product knowledge and love for research and shopping.

Need some gift advice? With the holidays, Valentines Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day etc., all coming up, I know it can be difficult to figure out what to get for someone who seems to have everything. Some people just don’t have the patience to find that perfect gift!

That is why DomaineLtd.com has asked me to start this new gift advice blog called  “Dear Accessorize Queen.” From Jewelry and Fashion to Electronics and Gadgets, you can ask me all of your gift-giving questions!  Just consider me to be your personal shopper without the outrageous hourly charge!

With all of the issues we live with in this world today, it can be hard to trust in what you are buying.  Unfortunately, if you buy something that is “cheap” or didn’t cost you your whole paycheck, your conscious prepares you that it is probably going to break in the near future.

There is NO reason to have to “enjoy it while it lasts.”  If you spend your hard earned money on something, it should last until YOU decide you don’t want it anymore! That’s why we decided to launch the Domaine Ltd. website and open the Domaine Factory Outlet Store in downtown Providence, RI.

You may have never heard of us before, but Domaine Ltd. has been a premier provider to both the retail and catalog markets  for almost two decades! As the market changes, we are changing course and bringing our trendy fashion jewelry pieces from our  great manufacturers to YOU, cutting costs for YOU WITHOUT CUTTING QUALITY!

Coco Brown Croc Leather Hinged Bracelet With 14kt Gold Plated Beaded Accents

We work hard researching the latest trends in order to constantly update our site with new products.  Our newest products are easy for you to find because they are featured right on our homepage.  New products include trendy multi-strand and beaded necklaces and bracelets, crystal accented earrings and rings, pearl jewelry, bridal jewelry, inspirational jewelry, and Pink Breast Cancer Awareness items.

Is there something that you want that isn’t on Domaineltd.com? Let us know here on the blog, and we will work even harder to get something similar for you!

Need some gift advice? With the holidays, Valentines Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day etc., all coming up, we know it can be difficult to figure out what to get for someone who seems to have everything.

That is why we are launching the start of our new gift advice blog called  “Dear Accessorize Queen.” From jewelry and fashion to electronics and gadgets, ask our professional and expert gift giver Sarah, all of your gift-giving questions!  Make her your personal shopper without the outrageous hourly charge! Just go to:

http://AccessorizeQueen.wordpress.com

Work is stressful enough…I need something to smile and laugh at everyday. I think I’ll get a Dilbert 2010 calendar.

Naturally Thrifty’s 25 Days of Christmas Day 16, Wednesday, December 16th 2009

$15.00 of credit at shutterfly! I love printing my photos here. The quality is great for the price, and I print most of my scrapbooking sized photos at shutterfly. This credit doesn’t expire until 100 years from now, yes, really! Log into (or create) your account, click on “My Account” and then scroll down to “special offers” and enter the code FIFTEENOFF. The credit will be added to your account and will be there waiting for your next order. Yay!!

This year, it was undeniably the year of the multi-strand necklace. Whether you are layering more than one necklace together, or just buying a multi-strand necklace, this look is versatile!   What many might consider “Hippy Chic,” this look may have started on the neck of a hippy in the 60’s.   However in 2009, these designs are new and modern, and really dress up a simple dress or outfit.

Celebs like Salma Hayek, Eva Mendes, and Taraji Henson, all rocked this look and looked AMAZING!

If you like this look but can’t afford designer pieces like they can, you probably have to look a little bit harder for the perfect necklace.  Well look no further! Here are some from our site that are under $11.

This Multi-colored, Multi-strand Necklace is fun and great for a playful and casual night out.   Only $9.95

This Multi-strand Heart Necklace is great for the “Rhianna” Urban Rocker Chick look!   Only $8.95

This Bronze, Gold and Silver tone Multi-strand necklace adds a “Hippy Chic” touch to an everyday “jeans and a t-shirt” casual outfit.  Only $8.95

And last but definitely not least, this Multi-strand Jet Crystal Necklace is great for adding sparkle to a simple cocktail dress!  Only $10.95

Organic coupons are hard to come by! Here is a link to several. They are for Organic Valley Brand products. Just click, print, and save.

If you’re like me, you only watch the red carpet shows to see dresses and accessories.  Well this year, it was undeniably the year of the multi-strand necklace.  What I consider “Bohemian Chic,” this look may have started on the neck of a hippy in the 60’s, however in 2009, these designs are really dressing up a simple dress or outfit.

Like they say, I am a full believer that bigger IS better when it comes to accessories.

Celebs like Salma Hayek, Eva Mendes, and Taraji Henson, all rocked this look and looked AMAZING!

If you like this look as much as I do but can’t afford designer pieces like this, you’ve got to look hard for the perfect necklace! Here are some that I found all under $11.

This Multi-colored Multi-strand Necklace is fun and great for a playful and casual night out.   Only $9.95

This Multi-strand Heart Necklace is great for the Urban Rocker Chick look!   Only $8.95

This is Bronze, Gold and Silver tone Multi-strand necklace adds a “Hippy Chic” touch to an everyday casual outfit.  Only $8.95

And last but definitely not least, this Multi-strand Jet Crystal Necklace is great for adding sparkle to a simple cocktail dress!  Only $10.95

If having New Sales and Clearance items wasn’t enough, we are offering $5 off any purchase of $25 or more until December 31st!

Clearance: $7.99

Clearance: $5.99

Enter the code 5OFF at checkout and Save Save Save!

Naturally Thrifty’s 25 Days of Christmas day 10

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Get 20 free song downloads from Itunes…a Christmas music sampler with lots of great artists!! You need to have itunes on your computer to use this freebie! Enjoy!

If you are on the hunt for deals this Christmas, look no further! We are updating our site with new products more regularly and saying byebye to older items.  We’ve added a Clearance section where you will find great prices from $1.99 to $7.99 on our bracelets, necklaces, pins and earrings! Here’s a taste:

Get this Silvertone Rosette Necklace Accented with Crystal Stones  for only $6.99! It is 16″ with a 2″ extender & Lobster Claw Clasp.

Get this Silvertone Butterfly Necklace Accented with Crystal Stones  for only $6.99! It is 16″ with a 3″ extender & Lobster Claw Clasp.

Get these Crafted Satin Silvertone Oval 2-in-1 Earrings for only $5.99!  – Wear As A Post Or A Clip! Posts are made with surgical steel.

Pay less for your Holiday gifts this year!  For more gift ideas check out our other blog post:

http://domaineltd.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/holiday-gift-ideas/

Naturally Thrifty’s 25 Days of Christmas Day 9

Wednesday December 9th, 2009

Here is a great way to win a $10 gift certificate to Victoria’s Secret PINK! Just sign up for Pink Nation and play the instant win game to see if you win the $10 gift certificate! The odds of winning are 1 in 250 and you can play as often as you like until the promotion ends on December 30th, or until 10, 000 prizes are given out. You just print the coupon from your computer and take it in to the store. One coupon per person, per day with photo ID that matches the name on the coupon. Easy! I have won 3 already, with way less than 250 tries! My first win was after around 5 tries, and then I tried again the next morning and won after about 15-20 clicks. I let my kiddos spin the next one a few times, and there it was! Have fun, and good luck!

You can get “Good Housekeeping” magazine for a whole year for just $5 today at amazon.com! This is a huge savings off of cover price! Get it, give it as a gift, or even better think “green” and get it and make a deal with a friend to pass it to her as soon as you read it! If you share magazines with friends it is both cost -effective and paper- reducing!

Do you have someone on your shopping list who is “green” or someone with little kids that would appreciate a bundle of products that are naturally made and organic? If so, then use the code  SGKITS15 to get 15% off of a Seventh Generation product kit. Get a “Free and Clear Kit”, “Healthy Home Kit”, or “Green Baby Kit”. I think this is a great idea for a practical gift or just to use!

Get your coupon here for $5 off of your total purchase (yes, it can be only $5) at Hallmark Gold Crown stores. Be sure you are ready to print as you can only print once per IP address. The coupon is good through 12/24/09 . I suggest using this to get a few nice holiday cards or gift wrap, and if you shop the clearance isles you may be able to get a steal!

Naturally Thrifty’s 25 Days of Christmas day 8! Tuesday Dec 8th 2009

JcPenney.com is offering a new online coupon code that is good for $10 off of any purchase that totals $10 or up. If you shop the clearance section, you can get something for extremely cheap, or for free (plus shipping). The code is NICE4U and is good Dec 7th- Dec 24th, 2010. Just enter it at checkout to get your discount. Also, if you would like to make a larger purchase, there is a new coupon code for 15% off of your entire order at JcPenney.com.  The code is DECSERV09 and expires Jan 7th, 2010 . I have not tried this code yet, but it is a brand new one, and should work great! If you can stack the two together, it would add up to a great savings on a gift for someone you know…or for yourself.

Naturally Thrifty ’s 25 Days of Christmas Day 7!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Download a free screensaver from Stonyfield Farms! Stonyfield Farms is the maker of one of the organic yogurts that we buy often. They also make other organic dairy products like cheese shreds and sticks. In an effort to help conserve energy and also help us mellow a tiny bit, they are offering a free downloadable screensaver of a farm scene. Here is what their website has to say about it :

“This animated screensaver takes you to an idyllic farm setting, complete with animated animals, the changing seasons of New England, and some cool weather effects. See and hear the rain fall, view a rainbow after a lightning storm, and watch the snow fall gracefully over the landscape.

The screensaver will be synced to your computer time settings, so you’ll also experience the farm from sunrise to sunset, into the dark evening hours. Seasons will change every twelve hours so in the course of a week: you’ll get a taste of winter, spring, summer, and fall.”

Enjoy!

Naturally Thrifty’s 25 Days of Christmas

Sunday, December 6th 2009

Love to cuddle up and watch a good nostalgic movie at Christmas time? Dislike running to the rental store only to find all the holiday ones already checked out? There are 7 FREE holiday movies available to watch at abc.com from abc family. Just choose your favorite and grab some popcorn.   There’s even one for the kids.

The best time to Woot is at midnight (CST) when the inventory changes over.  If you haven’t heard of it, Woot is an internet retailer that sells one item per day until the product runs out or midnight arrives and another item is put up for sale.  You can buy 1-3 quantities of the item and will pay $5 shipping no matter how many you order.   Woot generally sells electronics and electronic houseware items, like Roomba vacuums.

There are many reasons it’s fun shopping on Woot .  The product descriptions are usually humorous and entertaining.  Woot also supplies stats on the item being sold.  My favorites stats are Speed to First Woot (time it took for the first purchase to be made) and Woots by State.  They have a very active user forum which will probably answer any questions you have about the product before you can even ask.   If you want to see a list of recent products, check out the Community, where you can see previous days’ products and all of its comments.

Woot is especially fun when they have a Woot-Off, where they’ll sell a continuous stream of product, back to back for anywhere from 24-72 hours.   You never know when a Woot-Off will start or end so Wooters are constantly on their toes.  Woot occasionally sells “Random Crap” for $1.  Bags of Crap (BOC),  as they are nicknamed by Wooters, contain 3 items, usually junk but sometimes expensive items.  You can order up to 3 BOCs and get 9 items.  In your BOC you might get an iPod Nano case, camera bags, defective electronics, open items.  In the last BOC sale (on Nov 19) someone reported getting a Kodak digital camera without a battery and another person reported getting an Aerogarden that was missing the seed and nutrient packets. It’s fun to read what people report getting in their BOCs.

In recent years Woot has also started a few related sites.  There is Wine Woot, which sells a single selection of wine(s) or alcohol related items per week. I especially like Shirt Woot, where Woot posts a theme for the week and Wooters design a t-shirt around the theme.  Wooters vote on their favorite designs and at the end of the week the top 3 designs are made into shirts and sold.  The designer gets a cash prize and a cut of the proceeds.  On the other 4 days, Woot picks the shirts it sells.  Woot continues to produce and sell the 20 most popular selling shirts. This past year Woot added Kids Woot, selling a daily kid item.

I’ve made a few purchases on Woot, some refurbished MP3 players that I’ve been very happy with as well as a shirt.   If you’re in the market for some electronics, you might get lucky and find a good deal there.  Otherwise, just enjoy visiting the site and reading their silly product descriptions.  To learn more about Woot, visit this Wiki entry.

So, the collection of free Christmas Music continues… add these titles to your list if you like any of them:

1. Mannheim Steamroller’s new Pat a Pan

2. Curious George’s A Very Monkey Christmas

3. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing from the album Carola

Don’t forget to check the song of the day from Amazon’s 25 Days of Free Christmas Music Downloads. Today the song is ” Slower than Christmas” by the Boxmasters. Each day a new song is free, so check it out and see if there are any that you think you would enjoy.

Become a fan of International Delight Creamer on Facebook and you can print a coupon for a free pint of creamer! Actually, the print limit is set at 2, so if you print and then close the window and click the link a second time you can print it again. This is limited to the first 25,ooo fans and it was around 15,000 this morning.  Happy Savings!