Treat Yo Self to Birthday Goods!

What's the best way to get free stuff and discounts? Sign up for free stuff and discounts and get rewarded on your Birthday!

In the month of November, only 2 weeks in, I have redeemed $5 off at DSW, $10 off at Victoria's Secret, $10 off at the Body Shop, ate a free pretzel from Auntie Anne's, and drank a free Starbucks chai latte.

If you're a woman, or even a man shopping for your woman, you NEED to be part of the the Pink Nation at Victoria's Secret. FREE PANTIES! I repeat... FREE PANTIES. Free to sign up, check in store by providing your home phone number or simply on their website. Almost every month I get a free panty card in the mail good for a free panty, usually a cotton one worth up to $8.50 but sometimes they have a special one worth up to $12.50! I never have to buy underwear again! #TMI :)
They also will send you a $10 rewards card for your birthday! I used it to buy yoga pants that I absolutely love but I'm never willing to pay $34 for them. They were on clearance at $22 and after the -$10 I paid $12, plus since I purchased more than $10 I got a Victoria's Secret Rewards card to redeem (secret reward ranging between $10-$500; most likely it will be worth $10 when revealed-- however, one time I received $100!).

I signed up for the free DSW Rewards about 2 years ago and already twice now I have received a discount savings from DSW. I know $5.00 doesn't sound like a lot but if you use it correctly you could get a good deal! I bought these heels that were on clearance for 80% off and used my $5 off on top of the total cost for a final total of $9.78, a $110 savings! If you can't find a god bargain there then use the $5 for a pair of socks, laces, or insoles for your shoes! Hey, they're free or barely a $1 or $2 after the reward.

I bought a Groupon for the Body Shop for $20 worth of product for $10. They usually have this deal 2-3 times a year and it's a great deal when used correctly in combination of current deals. I usually only buy one Groupon because I buy enough items only using one Groupon I don't think it's necessary for me to buy two and stock up on something I won't have room in my makeup bag or bathroom cabinets for. See, I have some...control... =P.

I signed up for the Body Shop rewards program which costs a one time fee of $10. I have turned down this program numerous of times whenever I was offered but decided to go for it this time! Why? It took a lot of convincing from the sales person but as a person who works in sales I needed to know the details and benefits as I'm not one to easily just say yes to a deal. If anything... I say no to a lot of sale pitches. I'm not ever easily convinced. 

By purchasing the Body Shop rewards program at a one time fee of $10 I actually received my $10 back right away because as a part of the program you receive $10 for the Body Shop during your Birthday month! Plus I received a point for my first purchase. After 4 purchases (4 points) you receive a free item worth up to $15, nice!

The Body Shop also always has promotional deals going on. During the Holidays they like to have a "wheel" that is spun for a reward deal-- 30% off your purchase, 40% off your purchase, 50% off your purchase, buy one get one free, etc. I was able to spin the wheel and land on 40% off my total purchase (except on gift sets). Last year I was fortunate to land on 50% off my total purchase.

I purchased 2 lipsticks ($12.50 each), a concealer ($14.50), hemp chap stick ($8), travel size moisturizer ($6), and a facial scrub brush ($3) [40% off everything + rewards discount] for a total of $12.43-- less than the cost of one lipstick at full price. Apply the Groupon I purchased -$10 which equals my cost today of $2.43-- less than the cost of the facial scrub I purchased!

SIGN UP FOR FREE BIRTHDAY GOODIES AND TREAT YO SELF!
There are many other Birthday freebies especially at restaurants where you can get a free dessert. That's easy and a no brainer on your birthday!
There's definitely way more birthday freebies if you're a kid but there's some still left for adults!
When I was a kid I was a part of every kids birthday club you could think of. My Mom would have to take me to multiple places to claim all my free ice cream sundaes and children's meals :). Of course back then you would sign up with a self stamped post card but if there was free food involved, you would have me at "free".

Years of training. TinaDeal in the works since I was a kid.


Here are some Birthday freebies for you to sign up for (no purchase required):
Free burrito from Baja Fresh
https://secure.murgent.com/emopt/index.php?id=8339

Free ice cream scoop from Baskin Robbins

https://www.baskinrobbins.com/content/baskinrobbins/en/signin.html

Free pretzel from Auntie Anne's (personal favorite)

http://auntieannes.fbmta.com/members/UpdateProfile.aspx?Action=Subscribe&inputsource=w

Free large order of fries from Wing Stop

http://www.wingstop.com/email_club.aspx

$10 to Cost Plus World Market

https://www.worldmarketexplorer.com/rewards/register/

Free Starbucks drink

https://www.starbucks.com/card/rewards/program-information

Free tater tots, cream slush, or medium drink at Sonic's

https://www.sonicdrivein.com/Account/Register

Free mini makeup kit at Sephora

https://www.sephora.com/profile/MyAccount/beautyInsider/beautyInsider.jsp

Free burger from Red Robin

https://redroyalty.redrobin.com/

Plus many more out there!!! It's all free and during your Birthday month!!
Please allow however amount of time it says to receive your rewards. I signed up for Auntie Anne's pretzel club in September of 2011 and didn't receive my free pretzel for my Birthday by November of 2011.

Side Note!

Instagram has taken over on Tina Deals! I've neglected updating the blog since uploading a photo using a collage application is just so much easier than this. I'm never on my laptop any way so It's difficult to update my blog via iPhone or iPad.

Follow me on Instagram @yaytina or search for #TinaDeal

The my favorite Tina Deal posts on Instagram:

 Bar III Blazer, Fitted Skirt, and Crop Top from Macy's at under $30 compared to $125

 Sad Edelman heels from Ross at $20 compared to $120

 Material Girl jumper from Macy's at $9 compared to $58

 Geometric necklace from Ross at $10 compared to $38

 Saks 5th Avenue dress from Off 5th Outlet at $33 compared to $130

 Red work dress with belt from Ross at $16 compared to $58

All 4 items from Urban Outfitters at $15 compared to $154

White one shoulder cocktail dress from Ross at $17 compared to $68

Fashionably cheap,

Tina

NYC: Blazer by Gap at $17 compared to $88

Lovely and Flowy for Spring!

Two outfits.  Spring themed.  Fun, cute, and flowy!
One outfit is more for a night out while the other is for a lunch date :)


Outfit 1: Tank, Skirt, and Necklace total cost = $23.00

Item 1-- Flowy printed skirt; short in the front and long in the back, weird way to put it would be a "Mullet Skirt" but much better looking than an actual mullet.
From: Macy's
Brand: Bar III
Type of sale: Macy's one day sale (scan the bar code on the price tag for lower prices!)
Original price: $59.00
Purchased price: $35.40 with final price $13.00 (I used a 20% off coupon on top of a sale price and an additional 40% off sale price)

I wore a black spaghetti strap top you can get from any retail store.  Mine was from Ross for $4.99.

Pair it with a fun necklace with some color like this one!  Purchased for only $5.00 at a flea market from a local vendor.  I love the different shaped stones and wooden bird on the chain.  Play with different charms in a necklace to make one piece of jewelry really stand out.

I wore this outfit for 3 nights out (not in a row..of course...) but loved it so much for it's comfort I wore it to two Birthdays and just a night out too.

Outfit 2: Dress, Belt, Sandals, and a Clutch for under $35!

Hello, lunch date :)

I love pairing tan and coral, it's a great Spring combo.

Item 1-- Tan flowy dress
From: Forever 21
Type of sale: Forever 21 everyday
Purchased price: $14.80


Item 2-- Coral belt
From: Forever 21
Type of sale: Forever 21 everyday
Purchased price: $1.50

Item 3-- Floral clutch
From: Ross
Type of sale: Ross everyday
Original price: Compared to $16.00+
Purchased price: $7.99


Item 4-- Strappy flat sandals
From: Urban Outfitters
Brand: Ecote
Type of sale: Clearance sale
Original price: $38.00
Purchased price: $9.99

Side Note!

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers- 4pk for $2.50

These things are amazing and get almost anything wiped off of walls.
Dan uses these in his room/apt and man, this stuff cleans well ;D.

If you purchase these from Lowe's at their very low price, they have free in-store pickup.  

I've seen them for about double the price at other retail stores so hit up your local Lowe's and grab one of these for your cleaning needs.

Deal found on FatWallet.

Fashionably cheap,

Tina

Fa La La La La...La La La La

I went after Christmas shopping today and Urban Outfitters had their "Take an additional 50% off sale items" just like on Black Friday! (minus the madness of feeling of 'death by hipsters')  Although I didn't buy anything it was a really good sale of a few select dresses for $5 and v-neck BDG tees, both men and women, for $2.50.

I'm going to be showcasing my Christmas Eve outfit; total price: $37.00.  It was an outfit I wore for a family lunch at home with some relatives.  Pictures were taken with my awesome new Canon Rebel T3 by my cousin Sharon.  So long lame Olympus camera... well for blogging purposes at least.  The Olympus is still great to take along with me in my purse to go out.

Item 1- Lace trim flow top
I love this flow-like top.  It's very light weight and the lace trim at the sleeves make it feminine.  The buttons on the back are very charming to add.
From: Macy's
Brand: Petticoat Alley
Type of sale: Macy's one day-- take an additional 40% off clearance apparel
Original price: $58.00
Purchased price: price scanned at self-scanner at $20.00 with final price $12.00

Item 2-- Skinny stretch 5-pocket jeans
From: Ross
Brand: Celebrity Pink
Type of sale: Ross everyday
Original price: Compare at $36.00+
Purchased price: $14.99

Item 3-- Red pumps
From: Urban Outfitters
Brand: Kimchi Blue
Type of sale: Take an additional 50% off sale items- Labor Day sale
Original price: $49.00
Purchased Price: $19.99 with final price $10.00

 

For kicks :)  And because my cousin wanted me to post this photo!

Side Note!
After Christmas Sales--
Urban Outfitters: Take an additional 50% off sale items
Gap: Take an additional 50% off sale items
Ann Taylor Loft: Take 50% off everything in the store
Bath and Body Works: Take 75% off "Charmed Life" items, $3 select shower gels and triple moisture body lotion
Pac Sun: Blue dot sale, buy one get one free anything with a blue dot (which is about 75% of the store)
Bloomingdale's: Semi-Annual handbag sale, 30%-50% off handbags

Fashionably cheap,

Tina

BLACK FRIDAY, BLACK FRIDAY, GOTTA GET DOWN ON BLACK FRIDAY

I must say that Kohl's parody of Rebecca Black's "Friday" is pretty catchy.

Any way, countdown to midnight in t-minus about 1 1/2 hours...for the majority of the black Friday sales.  There are so many good deals going on but many are unnecessary for me to buy.  I really don't need a George Foreman grill but for $10 at Macy's... that's pretty good.  Therefore, I will buy one for Dan.  Walmart had a waffle maker or a food chopper for around $2!  I know what everyone's going to get this Christmas!  Choose wisely between your waffle maker and the food chopper.

There are some clothes deals for Black Friday as well but many are misleading as 'great deals':

Express- They open at Midnight with everything in the store at 40% off.  However, in the past 2 years they have not provided any free gifts.  Express has given out clutches to women in the past which were nice little gifts worth at an Express price of about $16.50.  Men received pajama pants worth around the same price as well.  Express has been crossed off my list as I find that during their clearance bin sales the deals can be better than at 40% off the entire store and of course to avoid long lines!  Express usually has "Take an Additional 40% off already reduced prices" at the end of each major season of Summer and Winter.  Dresses can be marked down to about $14.99 then plus an extra 40% off!  During this time 40% off everything in the store is great if you're going in to find that one item you loved last week and now you can get it almost half of during Black Friday.  Other than that, I don't find it too beneficial to go to Express as many items aren't marked down to it's lowest price of the season.

Old Navy- Random door busters of $5-$10 items here and there.  However, usually right before Black Friday they have random daily deals.  For example this past Tuesday they had a special where from noon to 5pm it was "Take 75% off all long sleeve women's and men's tops."  A bit cheaper than a Black Friday deal of a $7 long sleeve top when you purchase a $25 top with 75% off and not to mention no crazy lines!

Urban Outfitters- Until 10AM all clearance items are "Take an Additional 50% off."  Although, they do this more than once a year.  Usually around some sort of holiday they bring up this sale again.  During Labor day I went to UO and got 2 pairs of shoes at original price of $59 and $29.  Both were marked down to $20 each with final total of $10 each.  If lines are crazy hectic, don't bother, they will have that same sale again.  Not only that but the deal is only until 10AM!  During Labor Day it was the whole weekend clearance items were at the sale of the additional 50% off.

Just an example of how Black Friday sales can be misleading for clothing.  I won't say it's always like that but just to show you to shop other times of the year for great bargains!

Now onto my awesome deal!

It's a Day to Night outfit.

Fun and cute for the day and still fun and cute at night!

Same Jeggings, flats, and tank to mix with different jackets for day and night!
Sure my night photos aren't at night but you get what I'm talking about :)

Item 1-- Gray jeggings with side zipper at ankles
The material is fantastic.  Great pair of jeggings to go with any of your long shirts.  The zippers are a nice added touch too.
From: Nordstrom Rack
Brand: Joe's Jeans
Type of sale: Nordstrom Rack price
Original price: $118.00
Purchased price: $19.97

Item 2-- Long black tank with draping back
This shirt is one of a kind for me.  I own nothing like it and it's super cute over these jeggings with great flow.  You can actually unbutton the draping and have a more flowy top.
From: Tilly's
Brand: Ezekiel
Type of sale: Take an additional 50% off clearance items
Original price: $34.00
Purchased price: $9.99 with final price $4.99

Item 3-- Black simple flats with textured design
Great pair of simple flats from Burlington Coat Factory ("We're more... than great coats!").  I've seen these flats even at Ross for $12.99 so I got a great deal here instead.
From: Burlington Coat Factory
Brand: Bamboo
Type of sale: Burlington Coat Factory price
Original price: Compared at $28.00+
Purchased price: $7.99

Item 4-- Zip up hoodie with tied bow at back of hood
Cute hoodie for the day time with frills at the shoulders and a bow to tie for a girlie touch.  Clearance price is faded but about $20?  Nice.
From: Nordstrom Rack
Brand: Juicy Couture
Type of sale: Clearance
Original price: $148.00
Purchased price: $49.97 with final price $19.80

Item 5-- Black short length blazer
A better camera could show you the shine of the blazer.  It has a bit of a shiny tint to it which makes it ideal for a night out.  I love how the draped tank looks great under the blazer, especially in the back!  Pair it with a fancy layering necklace and you're set!
From: Macy's
Brand: Guess
Type of sale: Clearance + scan the price tag and discover the new clearance price!
Original price: $108.00
Purchased price: $37.80 with final priced (after self scanned) $13.20! This was legen (wait for it) dary!

Item 6-- Layered gold necklace with white gems
Random find that really gives an extra pop to an outfit.
From: Nordstrom Rack
Type of sale: Clearance with 75% off original price
Original price: $29.00
Purchased price: $14.97 with final price $3.72

Side Note!
Um... It's Black Friday soon... 'Side note' could go on forever here.  Just go look at your local ads for all the awesome deals :)

Fashionably cheap

Tina