Frugal Friday: Black Friday

Hi! Here's the deal. You can get great deals on all kind of things on Black Friday but you should really be planning in advance for something like this. I mean, I know that you want a new television but have you set aside some funds for it? It's easy to get way out of hand with Black Friday deals. So start planning in advance and prepare your bank account for the spending that will inevitably ensue during the next two months.

That said, don't forget cyber Monday. The Monday after Black Friday when, from the comfort of your own home, you can get similar deals delivered to your front door or wrapped and shipped to your family and friends. Christmas. Done.

Make a list, check it twice, including how much you plan to spend and then start shopping as early as 8pm on Thanksgiving.

Old Navy is offering $1,000,000 to one of the first 500 people in line in select Old Navy stores on Thanksgiving night. 

BCBG is offering 40% off of the factory store prices! 

Black Friday outlet deals are the best because it's double discounts!

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

Frugal Friday: Inexpensive Coated Jeans in Action

Hi! A few weeks back, I told you about these coated jeans from Old Navy and now I finally put together a look for them. Just wanted you to see $34.50 in action. Jazz it up by mixing high and low. Get a really vamp look by matching the lipstick! I opted for this merlot color in addition to a teal pair. Vince Camuto has coated jeans this same color for $98 and All Saints start at $175 and up!

God Bless,
Green
(GBG)

Frugal Friday: Discount on Cosmetics!

Hi! Some things never go on sale. Like Chanel. Ever. But today, Lord and Taylor's is having a Friends and Family sale this weekend through Sunday and guess what? Cosmetics and Fragrances are 10% off. Everything else is 25% off. This is huge, Bloomingdale's and Macy*s sales are usually 20%. This is the best deal you will get. In addition, the sale is also applied to items that are on sale.

You're welcome. Code: FRIENDS

I buy a lot of Chanel and if you want to feel special and own some Chanel, there is no better time. Here are two nail colors that I recommend and recently purchased: 

Mysterious is a nice mix of green and clay, perfect for fall.

Rose Moire is the shade of nude that I've been looking for. It's perfect for flawless nails that don't show a chip here or there right away.

Here is a new fall lip color and my 3rd out of 4 that I'm allowing myself to get. It's #122 and it's a beautiful slightly deeper then nude but brighter than my other vamp lip looks for fall.

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

FRUGAL FRIDAY: Leather Moto Cross Jacket

Hi! I often shop the high designers when they do a line at a lower price point. It just makes economical sense. I have a desire for a BCBG moto leather jacket that's around $400 but found this faux leather version from Kohl's for Catherine Malandrino on sale for $90! I rarely do faux leather but this transitional piece won't get too much use so you might as well put it in the low budget trendy category.

Still love BCBG, if you can, splurge on the higher priced leather version.

God Bless,
Green
(GBG)

Frugal Friday: Coated Jeans

Hi! There are trends and there are trends. I think it's safe to say that the coated jeans trend will come and go and I'm not willing to put in $300 towards it. However, I found these Old Navy jeans that are only $36.94. I encourage two things:

1. Flowy asymmetrical shirts

2. Try not to rub your legs together too much, I hear they are noisy. (That's what I was afraid of but, you get what you pay for.

It comes in these fun colors; my favorite is wine.

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

Frugal Friday: Matte Top Coat

Hi! Here's the thing, I have a pretty extensive nail polish collection and as usual with fashion, the trend is something we don't already have- matte! It's almost like they do it on purpose to make it obvious that your shopping constantly. Well, not this time. Instead of buying a new set of matte polishes, I'm trying a new top coat. I found this one called Illamasqua from my local Sephora. It was $14.00 and didn't come with instructions. I'm assuming I just substitute the regular Essie 'no chips ahead' for this top coat. The truth is, I don't love it. It may be this brand or it may be the concept altogether. Today's Frugal Friday is a lesson- you get what you pay for. Buy matte polish. It's inexpensive and when the trend goes back to glossy and glittery, throw your top coat that you already have on it. Ta-da!

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

Frugal Friday: Full Face Make-up for Free

Hi! How do you get a full face of make-up done for free? Here's how...do it at Sephora. At any other makeup counter, you have to spend quite a bit. for example, if you have to buy 5 items (priced at $30 each on average) that's $150 + tax. At Sephora, you can get things you actually need. You only have to spend $50.00. That's less than calling in a make-up artist for your next big event. Plus, you can choose from Bliss products (which we love), Michael Kors shimmer or perfume, the new Marc Jacobs collection, Urban Decay, a few bottles of nail polish, or some good quality Sephora brand items. At the end, you leave with what YOU need. Even if it is just the lipstick and lipgloss you are wearing for that night. Not to mention, ask questions and learn about makeup application while you are there. You have 45 min of dedicated time to learn. That's what I do!

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

*Fashion Tip: Make an appointment! Fashionably late is not 2 hours! That picture was before. For after, see my post last Tuesday. 

Frugal Friday: Inexpensive T-shirts

Hi! It's the end of summer and time to start layering. I usually layer with a tee or tank on the bottom but I don't pay much. Here's how: invest in a few Hane's tee's for men in a small size. Ta-da!

From Target, they are $13.99 for 8! They are soft, wash well and make a great layering piece.

*Fashion tip: be sure to wear a nude bra under it!

So I skimp on the tee's, this season I will tell you what I splurge on for fall.

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

Frugal Friday: Poshmark

Hi! Always looking for ways to save, this season I've been telling you about donating items. Some things aren't worth the trouble and could easily be sold. I discovered this new website to set up an online store. Free to join, free to list items! Check out my listings at: poshmark.com/greenshareen 

I will send a link out immediately following this post.

Start your own account, follow me and I will follow back. Let's make our wardrobe work for us a bit. In order to keep the looks fresh, I will be cycling through them every 30 days and taking down old items and donating some. (There are some my sister will steal away with for free, I'm sure). 

BONUS: For reading the blog, if you make a purchase on poshmark from my closet, I will send you a free Shareen International, Inc. polo shirt. Simply mention: blogreader when checking out.

Struggling with what to sell? Revisit my post last Frugal Friday about what to donate. 

Oh and did I mention? There is an app for that? Second row, second app.

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

Frugal Friday: H&M 15% savings & good deed

Hi! You know how H&M is very inexpensive? What if I told you it could be even less expensive? They have a new promotion called, 'fashion-conscious'. In each store, there is a bin to donate gently used clothing. Something we should all do regularly. Seeing as we are changing seasons, it's a good time. If you do it at H&M, you'll get 15% off.

Questions to ask when making donating decisions:

• if I gain 5 pounds, does it still fit?

• have I worn it in the past year?

• if I saw this in the store right now, would I buy it?

• does it have sentimental value? (Limit 5 items per wardrobe!)

• is it without spot or wrinkle?

• are you willing to invest in alterations for this piece to fit properly?

If you answered 'no' to 4 or more questions above consider donating it. If you donate to goodwill, get your receipt for tax purposes. If you donate to H&M, check your receipt for 15% off.

I will post some items that I'm donating this year soon, you'll see what I'm deciding against as we move into fall.

I did buy this jeweled sweater for the season with 15% off. It'll be in my fall/winter shoot this weekend. Pictures coming soon. Can't wait to show you how I styled it!

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

Frugal Friday: Rental Car Savings

Hi! How much do you spend on car insurance? What does gas cost in your area? Here it's about $3.99 a gallon. Have you looked into ZipCar? No seriously, you can rent a car for a day for $70. That includes gas and insurance. If you live in a metropolitan area, it may be worthwhile to sell your car and just stick to this plan. There is a small annual fee that most companies get a discount on and then you only pay when you use the car, by the hour or day. 

On a recent vacation my husband and I stayed at the W and they charge $25/night for parking. Well, we rented Zipcars each day and saved on that fee and had the flexibility of driving when we needed the car and avoiding crazy California gas prices.

Check zipcar.com, there is a ZipCar app available in the App Store and Google Marketplace that's pretty fun also. 

Happy Travels!

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

Frugal Friday: JetBlue Getaways

Hi! Want to go here? Yes, don't we all! Notice how expensive vacations are? Between the flight, rental car, hotel, eating, entertainment- it adds up fast. Well, here is a way to save. Sometimes, when a flight is really expensive, I check JetBlue.com/getaways. It's not all inclusive but sometimes it is. For the most part, they combine flight and hotel. What I find is its cheaper than getting the flight alone! You don't have to stay there, stay wherever you want and save. Try it. Do a quick search to fly round trip to Vegas. Then do a 'getaway' with the cheapest hotel possible and you'll see what I mean. 

Also, if you're a TrueBlue member they send you a code for booking that gets you $50 off next time, code: THANKYOU. You also get another code for your birthday, code: BDAY50.

You're welcome and safe travels.

Next weeks' frugal tip will have more savings on traveling frugally to maximize your summer!

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

Frugal Friday: M•A•C Sale

Hi! You know how there are some things that NEVER go on sale? Well Cosmetics are usually one of those things. Here's the deal, if you take 6 empty MAC containers to any MAC store you can choose from either a free lipstick or a free lipglass. How about that? They even recycle responsibly. No limit, that I know of, to that deal. You're welcome.

Also, if you hurry to Nordstrom's, you can take advantage of their Anniversary sale. They have little beauty packets of MAC lip products, eye products or brushes for a pretty unbeatable price. Check it out here. This deal is up on August 5th. 

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

Frugal Friday: Save My Jeans!!

Fashion tip: If you've bore a hole in your favorite jeans, (in the wrong place), take them to your tailor for a patch. If you're like me, you probably invest in good pairs of jeans expecting them to last. That's ok, but when they get a hole, don't be so quick to toss them. 

Another option is denim cut offs, always in style during the summer. If they aren't working out, cut the legs and roll them a bit and see what happens. You may be surprised. Start with Capri length and if you don't love it, go for Bermuda THEN 3" shorts. That way you can be certain about your final cutting decision.

I hope you'll be able to save a few pairs and save a few dollars!

God Bless,
Green
(GBG)

Frugal Friday: Dry Cleaning

Hi! Did you know that Dry Cleaning is a pretty bad thing for the environment? You should research the process. Of course, if you love clothes like I do, you probably dry clean. If you must, find an organic dry cleaner. But what things can you machine wash? Did you know if the tag says, 'dry clean' its a recommendation? If it is Dry Cleaning is required, the tag would say 'dry clean only'. Check washing instructions when you shop. That may increase the cost or decrease the potential that you'll get good use out of it. It also could leave a carbon footprint- all things to consider.

I haven't tried any at-home dry cleaning systems but I have a monthly rolling budget and I also get things tailored whenever I can't tailor it myself. The only way your clothes are going to fit you perfectly is if you tailor them. Bethenny Frankel says, "Tailor everything!" Love her!

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

Frugal Friday: Inexpensive Eyewear

Hi! By now you've noticed that I switch up my eyewear often. I go from eyeglasses to sunglasses, to contacts and no glasses and back to a different set of frames. Ok, here is how: 

1. Not all of my frames cost a lot. You can get inexpensive frames anywhere. I prefer to get mine from C. Wonder, they are approximately $30.00. 

2. I buy them and pop out the lenses for a few hours to see if I really like them.

3. If so, I take it to my local optometrist and he inserts my prescription lenses. 

The Chanel pictured above are my favorites right now. If you participate in a Flex Spending program and you HAVE to use that money before December 31st, treat yourself!

Bonus: C.Wonder & J.Crew offer student discounts if you have school identification.

Eyewear is an accessory, an easy way to get a new look and add to your outfit.

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

Frugal Friday: Eyebrow Kit

Hi! Everyone has their 'thing' make-up wise that they don't leave home without. For some, it's mascara, for some it's lipgloss, maybe blush or even a perfume scent. For me? It's eyebrows being clean and colored. That said, I invested in Anastasia of Beverly Hills brow kit. I like it. It's great, there is a gel, powder and a highlight all in one. It also has a neat little brush and stencils. Life was fabulous, until one day, I lost the brush. Instead of paying $39.50 for a replacement kit or $18 for the brush, I opted to try E.L.F.'s brow kit and I love it! I've been using E.L.F. since 2006 and they just recently opened their first store near me in NoHo. Anyway, it's $3.00 well spent! Thanks

 +e.l.f. Cosmetics!! A $36.50 savings.

God Bless,Green(GBG)

Frugal Friday: Flash Sales

Hi! In case you don't know what a flash sale is- it's a limited time only deal. There are a few companies that hold designer sales from a certain hour in the morning and then it's over. This week I'm featuring one of my favorite apps for this: HauteLook. 

If you liked my DolceVita sandals from Tuesday, you could've bought them on sale for 45% off on Wednesday. Interested? Download the app and tell them Shareen referred you by using this link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hautelook/id390783984?mt=8

I know, you want to hear about the sale in time to take advantage of it...then turn notifications on for that 11am reminder.

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)

Today's tip comes from follower @EmpressBreeze1, thanks, Breeze!

Frugal Friday: Chanel nail lacquer

Hey! I love Chanel as much as the next girl and when I jumped on the new Azuré color, I was so excited. Imagine my surprise when I went to put it away that night and saw this:

I will always vote Chanel but if you need to be frugal this Friday, grab Essie's 'Trophy Wife' instead- I won't tell.its approximately ($20 savings)

God Bless,

Green

(GBG)