Shopaholics and Vacation

As all of you know, many people travel for the holidays. This is my first year my family and I will be away for Christmas. This year, we are going to enjoy a 1 week cruise to Jamaica, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Key West. With vacation, comes endless shopping opportunities! To help everyone traveling for the holidays, here are some shopping while overseas tips!

1) Be Picky: When shopping while you are away, it is important to be a little picky about what you buy. I like to ask the question, "Can I get this in the US?" If I can, I make sure not to buy the item. It is important when buying souvenirs that you get something you like and that you can only get while away. It would be boring to only spend your money on things you  can purchase while at home.

2) The Infamous Limit: It is so important to set a spending limit for yourself while on vacation. People tend o get carried away while on vacation and don't keep track of how much they spent. When you go out to shop, bring a set amount of cash that you are allowed to spend for that day!

3) Currency: Make sure you know what currency is accepted at the location you are staying. Equally important tomato sure you know the exchange rates! Something you see may look cheeper, but when the currency exchange is made, you might be a little surprised at how expensive it actually in.

4) Think Holidays: Vacation time is a great time to get gifts for others. You can knock out birthdays and other holidays while on vacation. Everyone loves getting a unique gift from a place they may have never been before. Also, they will be happy you thought of them while you were away. Once again, you kill two birds with one stone.

5) Sapphire and away!: For those of you who travel overseas a lot, I recommend getting a chase sapphire card. The chase sapphire card with a chip allows you to purchase overseas without getting hit with an exchange rate fee. This will allow you to be more flexible and not tack on that extra fee.

Have a Happy Holidays! Happy Shopping Everyone!!

Don't Over-Spend this Holiday Season

Ah the holidays. The smell of money is in the air. This week, I present to you the best gift of the season: money saving tips!

1) COUPONS: You know those little pieces of paper you get in the mail sometimes from stores and you just happen to toss them...This holiday season USE the coupons! Various stores have been offering great holiday sales this season. Just today, I went to Lord & Taylor in search for a new winter coat (and gifts for others of course), and I came across a 50% off coat sale. Yes readers, 50% off. For a shopaholic like me, this was the jackpot. I remembered I also had a coupon for 25% off sale items. Using my coupon, I only paid $84.55 for a coat that was originally in the hundreds! Help yourself and save those coupons. Believe me you will be saving a lot more green than you think.

2) Be online Savvy: In one of my older posts, I mentioned how Amazon.com often has products for much cheaper than what they might be at the store. This holiday season I advise you to be online say. If you find something you wish to buy for someone, look everywhere and compare prices. The price at the store may not necessarily be the cheapest one out there. Popular places to look are Amazon and Ebay!

3) It's a Wrap: This holiday season I recommend you save that 4$ extra for wrapping at the store and just wrap the presents yourself. I know store wrapped gifts look great, but your family and close friends will not hate you for your poor wrapping skills! That little extra wrapping money you are saving will add up.

4) Be Bulk: For those who like to receive practical gifts such as socks or sponges, buying in bulk for Christmas can help you save. Buying in bulk has many benefits. The cost is often cheaper than buying the item separately, and you have multiple gifts that can go to multiple people. You are able to knock out two birds with one stone. Who doesn't love that during the holidays?

5) The best come small: You know that old saying "The best gifts come in the smallest packages"? Well that saying is so true! We often get caught up in buying that one very expensive thing for our loved one. Instead of spending so much money on just one gift, you should buy smaller less expensive items instead. This will give the illusion that you spent a lot of money, but in reality, you just bought many little things.

Happy Shopping Everyone!!

What's on Your Christmas List?

Ah Christmas! What an amazing time of the year. The smell of burning fire wood and the sound of swiping credit cards during a purchase. It is also the time of the year when people make a list of all the wonderful and sometimes useless things they want this holiday season. 

This year, I have decided that practicality trumps uselessness. As I get ready to go abroad to Wales to study for a semester, I have compiled a well organized list of practical things I would like while I am away. For example, on my list are and I quote, “A LOT of UK electrical adapters”. But of course the shopaholic girly side of me says, “I can’t just have any old adapters...” So yes, on my Christmas list I have specific requests for my adapters. I would like green and pink monogrammed adapters. Got to love the uniqueness of that request.  

Also on my Christmas list are giftcards. I personally love gift cards. You can pick out and buy anything you like with a giftcard and it puts a lot less stress on the giver.  

One can never have too much personalized stationary. On my list I have various personalized things such as, return address labels, envelope seals, and thank you cards. To me, receiving personalized stationary is amazing. It is something I can use and enjoy using. I will be able to send friends and family postcards from Wales! A great website for personal stationary is personalizationmall.com. I love this site! They are very reasonably priced and they allow you to see your final product before you place your order! 

Lastly, on my list I have various pieces of artwork. It an odd thing to put on my list, but nevertheless it is there. I happen to love home decor. I am sure many of you have seen the art pieces I have bought on my Instagram page. I want to bring at least two art pieces to Wales with me so I can feel a little more at home while I am away! Don’t underestimate good decor! 

Have a happy list making weekend every! 

Instagram: collegeshopaholicgirl

It's Happily Ever After on Cyber Monday

Tomorrow is one of the greatest days of the year: Cyber Monday. I personally love Cyber Monday. It is the one day when online shopping sales are at their highest and joy is in the air. Like last week’s post, I will be giving everyone a list of tips that I believe will help you conquer the infamous Cyber Monday. 

Tip 1: 

$$$ Watch it $$$. Online shopping claims new binge spending victims everyday. When the order process is as easy as entering a card number, it is hard not to know when to stop. It is so easy to lose track of how much you have spent in a given hour. My advice, is to first set a spending limit. Set a limit just as you would if you were going to a store. Don’t forget to add a little extra for shipping fees. As you purchase different things, write down how much you have spent and save those confirmation emails! If you have a mobile banking account, you can open your online profile and watch your spending as it happens. 

Tip 2: 

Save some for the shops. When it comes to clothes, online shopping can be a little tricky. My advice is, know when it’s time to make a purchase at a store rather than online. If you are not 100% positive of a size, don’t risk it. It will be a hassle to return if it doesn’t fit. 

Tip 3: Double check the measurements. I have heard plenty of horror stories! People purchase something online and it turns out they did not look at the measurements of the item they wanted. Make sure you check your measurements so you know exactly what you will be receiving. If you need something to be a certain size, check all the possibilities before buying. 

Tip 4: Coupons. Remember to check if there are any additional online coupons that you can use during check out. They are usually advertised on the home page of the website or in your email. 

Happy shopping everyone! 

Tune in for next week’s post: “What’s on Your Christmas List?” 

Follow on Instagram: @Collegeshopaholicgirl 

It's All About the Thanks...and Black Friday

The sweet smell of the holiday season is in the air ladies an gentlemen. Holidays bring joy, food, ‘some’ peace, and an amazing supply of gifts! Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and everyone knows what that means...so is BLACK FRIDAY.  

Oh Black Friday. We Americans love you so much. I thought it would be best if I dedicate this post to giving some tips on how to maintain Black Friday madness and assure you will still enjoy holiday gift giving. 

Tip 1: 

Just sleep. I have heard so many stories of people waking up at 2am to wait outside of stores in the blistering cold. DON’T DO IT. I promise you the product you wish to buy will still be on sale at 8am versus 3am. “But what if it sells out?” As a shopaholic, I can assure you nothing is ever “sold out”. Maybe it isn’t at that store, but it is always online hence Cyber Monday! Many stores this year are allowing customers to pre-order Black Friday sale items and pick them up on their own time. DO THAT. Don’t waste your time being miserable in the cold outside of a store. I promise you it isn’t worth it and there is always another way to get your gifts. 

Tip 2: 

Remember to keep the peace. We all have heard the vicious stories of families getting out of control on Black Friday. Some yell and scream and forget what gift giving is all about. To keep the peace this holiday season, make separate lists of items you are thinking about purchasing and give each list to a family member. This way everyone has their own task and you don’t have to stay together the whole time. Believe me, this will keep the peace!

Tip 3: 

Credit and debit, not cash. To help your Black Friday shopping go quickly and smoothly, I recommend not using cash. Cash can be annoying and time consuming especially if you don’t have exact change. Save time and swipe that card! 

Tip 4: 

Know the sizes. If you are buying clothes or shoes for someone else, come to the  store knowing their exact sizes. No one likes waiting for that one person who didn’t know her husband’s pant size and now she’s spending ten minutes with the store consultant debating if he’s bigger or smaller than the image in her head. Write them all down before and that will save time, hassle, and mean looks. 

Tip 5: 

Make a spending limit. For those of us who do not have a job and are in college, making a spending limit is a must. Before you go shopping, write down a number that you are willing to spend and then STICK TO IT. The last thing you need is to go broke before even entering the month of December. Shop smart and use your coupons. Pay attention to sales and count each penny you save!

Tip 6: 

Don’t go too crazy. Last, but not least, don’t go too crazy this Black Friday. The fun part about the month of December is getting to shop for Christmas and other holidays. The fun is gone if you get everything you could possibly need on Black Friday. Save some gift ideas for mid December. You will be glad you did!

Tune in for next week’s post: It’s Happily Ever After on Cyber Monday 

Follow College Shopaholic on Instagram: @collegeshopaholicgirl

Don’t Get Bit in the Tank: Shark Tank that is...

I must admit something: Shopping is not my only guilty pleasure. There is another “activity” I love doing almost as much as looking as shiny new product on shelves. I love to watch TV. I think television is fascinating. So fascinating that I even took a college course titled, “Knowing Television”. We spent our classroom days watching and analyzing different TV shows of our choice. 

There is a TV show that combines my love of products and my love of TV. That show ladies and gentleman, is ABC’s masterpiece “Shark Tank”. 

For those of you who are not familiar with the show, it features a set of “sharks” who are actual people in the United States. Each “shark” is a successful entrepreneur that has made millions and even billions of dollars. The sharks are: the infamous Kevin O’Leary, Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, real-estate empress, Barbara Corcoran, cyber security mogul, Robert Herjavec, product designer, Lori Greiner, and fashion expert, Daymond John. The idea of the show is, people who have an idea for a business, created a business, invented a product, etc... can present their idea/business to the sharks and ask for money in exchange for equity in their company. It is up to each shark whether or not they wish to invest in that company or not. 

For a shopper and a television lover, shark tank is a dream come true. I am able to watch an exciting show while looking at interesting products that I could buy. 

My personal favorite “Shark Tank” success story is with a product called Urbio. Don’t know about it? Look it up! You wont be disappointed. For those of you who are too lazy to look it up, an Urbio is a magnetic wall piece that allows one to hang plants, supplies, or anything to your wall. It is sheik and useful. I purchased my own Urbio piece after the episode aired. I have an adorable little plant that lives in my Urbio on my college dorm room wall. 

I could go on and on about “Shark Tank” and how much I love it, but I will spare all the readers out there. What I will say, is that “Shark Tank” is ingenious and everyone should be watching it. My parents, who are the exact opposite of me and buy absolutely nothing for themselves, love the show and never miss an episode. 

To all my college shopaholics out there, take a break from studying and online shopping, and go WATCH “SHARK TANK”

Stay tuned for next week's post: "It's All About the Thanks... and Black Friday"

Follow me on instagram and see what I will buy next: @collegeshopaholicgirl

Traveling Through the Infamous Amazon

We all have taken a trip to Amazon.com in search of anything and everything we can get our hands on. But what if your trip was never ending and you were stuck there for hours and hours...

For a shopaholic, Amazon.com is the quicksand of all online shopping sites. You could be searching for a simple case for your phone and all of the sudden you see a new speaker system, and noise canceling headphones, and oh look, is that a cute shirt in the corner of the screen? 

Who can’t deny the quick and easy steps Amazon created in order to make purchasing merchandise, well,  quick and easy. Those steps are as always, 

1. Find Item 
2. Add item to cart 
3. Fill out your information once 
4. Good to go

With Amazon’s new one click easy buy, a shopaholic’s greatest dream and worst nightmare has surfaced. There have been multiple occasions when I have filled my Amazon wishlist with endless amounts of products I never intended on wanting. With one simple click, all of those items can be in my cart and ready to ship to my address. To make things worse, Amazon has an iPhone app that makes it easy to purchase in one click as well. 

Did I mention, you can find just about anything on Amazon? Yes people, just about anything. Just a couple weeks ago, I noticed I had an obscene amount of clothes hangers. At first I tried to do what everyone does when they have too many hangers; I tried to give them away. When that didn’t work, I knew I had to think of a solution other than throwing them out. So, I did what I do best! I went on Amazon.com and searched “hanger storage” and BA BAM! A product appeared that is specially made to store the odd and annoying shape of a hanger. At a reasonable $7.99 I quickly purchased it and now I have my very own hanger storage solution. 

For any shopaholic, receiving that brown box with the famous Amazon arrow, is like Christmas day any day. You get to open your perfectly picked out present for yourself and enjoy every minute of it. The only moment any shopaholic does not enjoy, is when they realize Christmas is over because the Grinch stole their money...

Stay tuned for next week’s post: Don’t Get Bit in the Tank: Shark Tank that is...