So, do you want to know what I have been up to? Ok I will tell…. I learned to sew! I know….who would have ever thought a girl who loves to shop as much as I do would want to make something instead of shopping for it. Well, I have been planning another trip to Disney World (stay tuned for some wonderful details about our trip and a pre-trip report), and I came across all of these beautiful custom made Disney outfits on Ebay and Etsy. Naturally I wanted to buy my daughter about 20 of them for our trip, but here’s the catch they were nearly $300 a piece. I don’t think my husband would have been happy if I spent $6000 on my daughter’s Disney World apparel. So I decided if I wanted her wearing cute Disney Boutique clothes, I would have to learn how to make them myself.

Now I figured it was a long shot, but when I put my mind to something, I am pretty determined. Now for those of you who don’t know, I am an accountant (not a very creative field). I had never touched a sewing machine before in my life. The things I have been making aren’t perfect, but I am pretty happy with them, and my daughter loves them!

Here are a few of the outfits I have made in the past 4 weeks since I bought a sewing machine and embroidery machine.

Now does this mean I am shopping less? NO WAY….. in fact I have to admit I am shopping MORE! Between buying the machines I wanted and needed to complete these outfits (STAY TUNED: My deal of the week will be my embroidery machine and a great discount I found on it), and shopping for fabric and patterns, I am shopping more then ever. I have only been sewing for a month and I have a full sized dresser full of fabric already and a few bags waiting to be unpacked. I never knew how addictive fabric buying could be. There are just so many prints I adore, and don’t even get me started on applique designs for my embroidery machine.

So stay tuned…. I will be bringing back my shopping deals of the week and sharing all the shopping I am doing for my new hobby!

My favorite deal this week is from SmartBargains.com. They have a great shoe sale going on. There are lots of shoes to choose from, and you can get 3 pairs for $99. The sale is such a bargain, I am having a hard time just choosing 3. I am seriously thinking about getting 6 (but I think my husband might start complaining about how many shoes I own again).

Here are some of the great shoes you can choose from:

Kenneth Cole Reaction Party Bella Mary Jane Pump normally retails for $89, just $10 less then what you will pay for 3 pairs of shoes!

Jessica Simpson Elroy Croc Embossed Pump normally retails for $79.

Martinez Valero Socal Stretch Ankle Boot normally sells for $149, more then the $99 you will pay for 3 pairs!

This shoe sale is just way to good for me to pass up. There are over 60 pairs of great designer shoes in the 3 for 99 sale, so I am sure you can find 3 pairs you like too!

I had thought of getting rid of some games and movies on EBay before, but that was a lot more work and separate shipments for me, and it didn’t seem worth the small amount of money I could receive. Not to mention some movies never sell and I would have to still pay the listing fees. I would have liked to get some money for the stuff just taking up space on my shelves, but I just never got around to it. Then I discovered SecondSpin.com, a site that buys and sells used DVDs, CDs, and Video Games.

I first sold movies to Second Spin a couple years ago, and every time I realize we are building a large collection of DVDs and games I log onto their site and see how much I can get. If you want to sell movies, games, or music you just visit SecondSpin.com, click sell to us, and search for your product by UPC code or keyword. Second Spin will tell you how much they are paying for that item, and you have the option to add it to a cart, or skip it and search for another product. Not every movie I own is always worth selling at the time, but the price they are paying it based on their inventory and the current demand, so check back later if you don’t like the price on a title. For the most part I have gotten $3-$10 for DVDs and CDs, $15-25 for seasons of TV shows and $15-25 for video games.

I have been putting together a shipment for this week and I have already added $200 to my cart for a few seasons and video games. It is a great way to get a little extra cash for the things you are not using anymore, and it is very easy. After you have added everything to your cart that you wish to sell, you will complete a checkout and will be given instructions for mailing your items. You only have to make 1 shipment, and Second Spin reimburses you for the cost of media mail shipping. Mail your box to Second Spin and you will receive a Paypal payment within 3 days of your box being delivered or a check within 7 days. It couldn’t be any easier or any faster.

I have sold to Second Spin time and time again and have always been pleased. So if you have some DVDs, CDs, or Video Games collecting dust in your house, why not get a little extra cash to help with your holiday shopping? What are you waiting for, visit SecondSpin.com right now and get paid. Don’t forget they have used DVDs, CDs, and Video games for sale for great prices, and they offer a guarantee that their products are in excellent condition and will work flawlessly. You can find many games and movies for the lowest prices around. Check them out today!

I knew my boss was going to start noticing soon if I kept coming in late, so it is time to find something else to help me wake up. I just found the cutest alarm clock. It is called Clocky, and it is a mobile alarm clock. Clocky gives you one chance to get up. But if you snooze, Clocky will jump off your nightstand and wheel around your room looking for a place to hide, beeping all the while. You’ll have to get out of bed to silence his alarm. This sounds like the solution to my problem. The alarm will start off by my ears, but force me to get out of bed to turn it off. Clocky can jump 3 feet in the air and is designed to move quickly on carpet or wood floors. Clocky comes in a variety of colors, I am ordering the light blue.

I think this would work great for your teenagers who fight you when it is time to get up for school in the morning. Let Clocky spend the time making them get out of bed instead of trying to do it yourself. Plus it would be entertaining to watch them try to chase down Clocky.

Clocky retails for $80, but I found a great deal at Buy.com! Buy.com has clocky on sale for $48.99 and they are offering a $15 mail in rebate, making Clocky’s final price $33.99. Pick yours up now, the sale ends November 3rd.

I may be an expert in a lot of things when it comes to shopping, but I have always been intimidated by the cold medicine aisle. There are so many choices, so how will I know what works? That is also why I like drugstore.com, because I can read user reviews and ratings before I buy. I personally love that I don’t have to go digging through the aisles at my local drug store any more. I can find great prices and research the medicines without driving to the store.

Here are some great values I picked up this week, and remember with the $5-$10 coupon you get an even better value.

First up, I needed something to help prevent colds this year. I have always felt like Airborne has done a good job at keeping me healthy. Airborne was on sale for $4.49 (A $3.00 savings from my local drugstore).

My husband’s favorite cold medicine has always been Dayquil and Nyquil. Drugstore.com’s price is pretty much the same as my local drug store $11.99 for the 2, but the sales tax savings is great, and it helped me get to my minimum order for a discount code or free shipping.

They also had great prices on cold relief supplies I needed like vapor rub and cough drops.

So if like me, you need stock up your cold medicine supply before illness hits this winter, check out drugstore.com and you will save yourself time and money!

The weather has begun getting cooler here in North Carolina this week so my main shopping goal this week was to find some warmer clothing for my 3 year old daughter. I found some great bargains at The Children’s Place. You can use the discount code HAA8 at the Children’s Place through 11/8/08 to recieve 15% off.

I found some great deals like this baby doll top. This top was on sale for $4.89 and after the 15% discount it was only $4.16


At Children’s Place I also found this cute long sleeve floral dress for $5.33 after the discount.

I also grabbed a few pairs of these pants in various colors for $5.30

I placed my order on Saturday and the package arrive by Wednesday. Shipping was a flat $5.00. I would have paid at least $5.00 in gas to drive to the store to shop in person. I ordered 12 complete outfits from Children’s Place for less then $90.00. The quality was great on the clothes and they looked exactly as they were pictured online. If you have a little one at home Start Shopping Now!

Next up I found some great deals at The Disney Shopping Outlet. My daughter loves Enchanted and I know she will love this Giselle Robe for little girls. The robe was originally $39.99, but you can get it now for only $14.99. This robe is sure to keep her warm when worn over top of the little night gowns she insists on wearing even when the weather is cold.

It is also a great time to stock up on Disney T-Shirts. They have a huge selection in the outlet for $2.99 like this one.

Disney has also begun marking down Halloween Costumes up to 40%, so now is a great time to buy your costume. I love this Minnie Mouse Costume for toddlers, and at $14.99 it is a bargain.

Check back next week for more great bargains that I spot online. Happy Shopping Everyone!