New Years Resolutions Fill My Soul With Good Vibes!

   First to start out with...wishing one and all a very happy and healthy new year from my home to yours.  As the Jewish New Year starts out there are always new resolutions that I can make and try to keep.  And as always the usual ones are certainly a good start...get to the gym, try to eat a better diet, clean out the closets and yada...yada...yada.  But what resolutions should a bargain fashionista make or would she like to make?
   So here we go:  Every store I shop in I will always hit the clearance racks first (especially at Old Navy )in the hopes of finding a sensational bargain and then be able to use a coupon!  And then after I find that bargain in one color I will not stop until I can find the same deal in another color.  I will never shy away from the $2.99 bargain rack at JC Penney, not for fear of being picked over, but fear of how much I will buy!
   I promise to shop at Kohl's at least once a month so I can spend my $10 Kohl's cash and try to enjoy the new Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony collections. And everytime I hear from DSW via mail, I promise to not let their $10 coupon expire without a purchase...no matter what city I'm in (I was in Los Angeles and bought a pair of shoes from DSW)...talk about coast to coast!
   Every time I visit SteinMart I promise I will always check out the costume jewelry on sale just because I have an addiction to necklaces...200 plus and still adding...and I promise to only shop at the 30-50% off racks (you can find the best deals in town on those racks!)
   I promise to share with my readers the trails and tribulations of bargain shopping...the highs and lows, the ups and downs, and the good, the bad and the ugly!!!
   So I have put a lot of pressure on myself with all of my new years resolutions but I think I am fully up for the challenge.  Let's hope for a new year filled with happiness, love, health, fortune and lots of sales out there and newspapers filled with coupons!   

One Good Bargain Starts the Fall Season Off Just Right!!!

   Okay...it's time to get back to bargain shopping, back to the gist of this whole blog, back to the sport that gets my blood pumping and back to the pure joy of finding a bargain.  My inner voice told me to head over to JCPenney in search of a good find.  And yes the 80% off rack sure was looking good!
   And there it was, a "kick-ass"," awesome looking", " just my style" vest.  Light brown macrame with lots of long fringe...I'm already picturing it with jeans and cowboy boots.  Now for the best part, it retails for $44.00, marked down to $17.60 and then marked down again to...$6.97.  Really???!!!   Isn't that couch change?   It was in my hands so fast I shocked myself. 
   Checking out the brand, it is made by the company Allen B. Schwartz.  Just for fun I googled him and found out that the "A.B.S. sportswear, dress and jewelry collections are worn by top LA & NY fashionistas as well as red carpet starlets."  Now this is what I'm talking about!!!
   I felt exhilarated about my bargain...I felt like I was back in the saddle riding the big bronco and of course I was wearing my new vest.  It is safe to say that my winter bargain shopping has now begun!!! 
   It's crazy how an item made of hardly any material, marked down to the bare bones, and buried on the clearance rack can make my day, put a smile on my face and start my winter bargain season...happy hunting!!!
  

At The End of the Day...It's All Mid-West For Me!!!

   Well readers I am back after spending a week in the fabulous city of Los Angeles.  This vacation was centered around a family members big birthday and it was celebrated in high style with old friends, new friends and good times.  But then this bargain fashionista starting thinking, how can I take my blog give it a bargain slant and talk about LA...interesting and basically not to easy...so here goes!!!
   Trying to find a bargain in LA is like trying to find a celebrity sitting next to you in a restaurant...it's hard!  I must add here that the restaurants, cafes and bistros are wonderful, Italian food is truly to die for, Mexican is so authentic and even a salad is the freshest ever and its not unusual that every place has a nice outdoor seating patio but the food is pricey!  One night we had sushi on the rooftop on the 21st floor... the view was stellar!  (yes it was pricey!) And people walk everywhere...from your front door you can walk to a bistro, post office or Whole Foods...this is great.  Or you can ride the public transportation which is overcrowded or you can be brave and fight the California traffic...not even going to address that one!!!
   The boutiques are cutting edge with fashion and very trendy but don't faint when you glance at the prices...I kept thinking that some of the boutiques I'm browsing through...well, celebrities shop here, ok, but don't they like a good sale once in a while!!!
   The beaches are fabulous...beautiful long piers filled with the excitement of food, amusement rides and lots and lots of people. The landscape of the back of the million dollar beach houses is breathtaking and within eye shot off the beach is a silhouette of a cruise ship...no bargains here but wanted to interject the beauty of it all!!!
   One should not be surprised by the showcase of cars that people drive on the west coast...it is amazing all the Mercedes, Bentley's and BMW's on the road...and that was citings in just 5 minutes!  A ford or chevy just does not cut it as any kind of status symbol and...no bargains here either! 
   Here are the bargains that I can share with you...the sun shines almost everyday, people are so friendly, you can walk on a beach for miles, and the people watching can be an all day sport.
   So as this mid-westerner thinks about the stops we made in West Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Manhattan Beach and Studio City, at the end of the day...there is no place like home!!!