WAYS YOU SHOULD BE SAVING MONEY AT TARGET

This is not a sponsored post. I am just a Target junky, and college student on a budget. So, I love to save a buck whenever possible, and I wanted to share some ways that I have been saving.

1. Target REDcard

I don't know why I didn't get this sooner. I got the debit card, so whenever I use my REDcard, it comes right out of my checking account, and I automatically save 5% by using this card. I got it a couple of months ago, and I have already saved more than $25.

2. The cartwheel app

This is one that I occasionally forget about, especially if I am in a rush. But it is definitely worth it to take the time to use it. Even though the deals might seem small, it adds up, and it is so easy! If you already have an idea of what you will be buying before you go to the store, take a few minutes and look through the deals. While you are in the store, you can also scan products, and it will show you if there is a deal and recommend similar products with deals if there isn't.

3. Personalized Coupons

You know those coupons that they usually hand you with your receipt? How often do you actually use them? I can't tell you how many times I have set them on my counter with the intention to stick them in my purse by the next time I go back, and then they sit there until after they are expired. One solution is to pull them out, and find a place that you would have a better chance of remembering them. For example, you could keep them in your car so that they will always be with you on your trip to the store.

4. Pay attention to deals and how long they run

Sometimes I will go to the store with the intention of buying one thing, but I will decide on something else because it is on sale or they are running a promotion on it. Other times I will take a closer look at the sale tag to see how long the deal is running. If the deal will still be available next week, I might hold off and plan to take advantage of it later.

On my last trip to Target I saved $7.94 between taking advantage of sales, using the Cartwheel app and paying with my REDcard. That is almost $8 that can go to other expenses--or justifying the money I spent going out to dinner with a friend the other night. Saving money can take a little extra time, but think about how much time it takes to earn the money that you could be saving! It is definitely worth taking a few extra steps to save your cash. I promise your checking account will thank you.

How do you save money while shopping?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR BLACK FRIDAY 2014

Wine red dress / Chanel evening handbag / Cartier rose gold jewelry / Nars cosmetic

The holidays are in reach, and you are more than ready for Thanksgiving break. For college students, going home means seeing family, not having to cook for yourself, and not having to buy your own food. So you are extra thankful. It means a weekend full of family, food, and massive shopping deals.

Thursday you will be a little too busy to think about Black Friday shopping. Here's what you need to know now, so you can enjoy your Thanksgiving.

 

It's no surprise that Black Friday is no longer exclusive to Friday. For years stores have been opening on Thanksgiving, seemingly opening earlier and earlier every year. People grumble over the irony of setting aside a day to give thanks for all we have while people trample each other over Christmas presents. But stores continue to open earlier, because enough people show up to get  things like a crazily under-priced 70" 3D flat screen.  

And things can get a little out of hand.

According a Forbe's article, just 28% of consumers plan on going in-store shopping on Black Friday, and 55% of Americans plan not to shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

Friday isn't the only day of sales.

The entire weekend will be filled with deals. Some retailers are spreading out their deals throughout the weekend and Cyber Monday. The horror stories of herds of people might turn some people away from shopping, but retailers are trying to provide more incentives for people shop this week.

Thanksgiving will still be a big shopping day. 

No matter how much people complain about hitting the stores on the Holiday, they will continue to open on Thursday. And this is when people are spending most of their time in the line. Some people even skip the Thanksgiving festivities to camp out for the deals.

 

You could be saving now. 

There are retailers that have details happening before Thanksgiving. Stores like Sam's Club, Macy's, Wal-Mart, Staples and more have deals all week long. Amazon even has "8 Days of Black Friday Deals." 

Major retailers will match prices.

According to Forbes, Target recently announced that it will be among the retailers that match prices. If you find something at one store that is advertised lower at another, you could potentially get the lower price.

There is an entire site dedicated to Black Friday.

If you want more information on what kinds of deals you can expect this Black Friday, check out the website dedicated to the day. You can even sign up for Black Friday alerts via email. The sidebar has a list of popular retailers that provides more information about their deals this year.

With all of the madness around Black Friday, don't forget to enjoy your Thanksgiving and spend some time really appreciating everything around you. There is plenty of time to get the deals you want. Plan ahead! If you do join the herds at the major shops on Thursday night, stay safe.

And... don't get too carried away.

 Do you have shopping plans this week?

P.S. This post also appeared on Her Campus.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR ONLINE SHOPPING

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by eShakti. Still, all of the opinions in the post are my own.

Online shopping is one of my favorite activities. Based on what I have seen from people who use laptops to "take notes" during lecture, it is a favorite pass-time of many. It's fun, because you can browse your favorite stores without ever having to deal with the persistent sales people. "Are you finding everything ok?" I particularly like browsing for clothes, because--I don't know about you but--no matter how full my closet is I always feel like I have nothing to wear. 

Recently, I discovered eShakti. They are the only online women's fashion apparel company offering sizes 0-36W & custom clothing. I recently got a dress from their site that I was able to customize to my liking. Normally, when splurging on some online shopping I have to dig through the pages until I find something that I like. But with eShakti I had so many more options once I found something that I liked.

Here's a preview of what the process was like:

Step 1: Choose your sizes.

You will see a chart that allows you to select your size based on bust, hip, and waist size. 

Step 2: Height.

There is a drop down menu to select your height.

Step 3: Custom Styling.

These are the elements of the dress I was able to customize. I chose the capsleeve, knee length, and the boat neck for my dress. 

//SLEEVE TYPE//

//DRESS LENGTH//

//NECKLINE//

Other options.  

This particular dress also gave me the option to remove the pockets (with no additional cost).

The full dress

I was very impressed with the quality of my dress from eShakti. Ordering online can be scary, because you are often unsure about the quality of the material and whether or not it will fit right. With eShakti I didn't have to stress about those things. I was sure it would fit, because it was customized to my measurements. You are able to get something that fits your body shape, rather than wondering if its going to be small or bunchy in some areas.

Unfortunately, it was a bit too cold to search for a better location to get a picture of me in the full dress. And we don't have a lot of open wall space in my apartment, so we had to improvise. Here is a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes of taking pictures for a blog. It's the only shot we got of me in the full dress, and it features the wall space below our tapestry and our lovely outlet.

 Check out eShakti.com

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Use the code 'lifeinthelostandfoundbin' to get 10% OFF from eShakti Valid until 11/25/2014.

*Please note:

Code has to be entered in the ‘promotional code’ box.   It is not case-sensitive.  

Code can be used any number of times until the validity period. 

It can be clubbed with any other promotional offer, gift coupon or gift card in the same order unless explicitly specified otherwise in the offer conditions.

This discount code is not applicable on clearance / sale, gift cards & overstock categories.

Not applicable on previous purchases.