Makes Me Wanna Ralph

Image via RalphLauren.com

More Friends and Family deals, this time from Ralph Lauren:

ENJOY 30% OFF

In Stores and Online

March 31-April 14, 2009

Enter code RLSP2009 at checkout when shopping online.

Shop: http://RalphLauren.com

Shop: http://Rugby.com

SHARE THIS CODE with your friends and family so they can enjoy these special savings.

Receive 30% off at Ralph Lauren, RRL, Polo Ralph Lauren Factor and Rugby stores in the US, and online at RalphLauren.com and Rugby.com. March 31 through April 14, 2009. Not valid at department, specialty stores or the Ralph Lauren store in Sacramento. Does not apply to previously purchased merchandise and may not be combined with other offers. Shipping & tax are subject to additional charges. Out of stock items cannot be purchased with this discount.

With the exception of Factory Stores, this offer cannot be applied to women's Collection apparel or men's Purple Label apparel. Cannot be applied to Gift Cards & Online Gift Certificates, fragrances, antiques, vintage apparel & accessories, alligator handbags and luggage, special order programs (Home, tailored clothing and accessories), TOMS shoes, FEED bags, Match Rugby shirts and A Peace Treaty scarves. In Factory Stores, this offer is valid in locations in the US and Puerto Rico only. FSC code 2600. 

Saks Friends and Family

It's that time of year again: time for friends and family discounts! Either print out the picture above or go to saks.com and enter the code SFAFAM2 at checkout--you'll get up to 25% off your purchase (only 20% off if you're buying jewelry, and 15% if you're picking up cosmetics). Offer is only valid April 16th-19th, so start perusing saks.com now and plan ahead!

7 Days of Discounted Dining

Image via tastingtable.com

Thanks again to Nina W. for putting us onto yet another hot tip: The Tasting Table has rounded up its favorite discounted meal deals and put them into a handy, printable calendar. Nina's and my favorite? The $8.50 Wednesday special at Cabrito, which includes a can of PBR and any taco of your choosing. (We're classy gals, clearly.) 

Great Success

I wasn't kidding when I said I love drugs(tores). Went to the D.R. today and picked up some basics--you know, Irish Spring, Cetaphil, Charmin super soft, super strong TP--all on sale. And, bonus: I got $5 back. If Duane Reade was a man, I would marry him and bear him 2309482039483984 kids. God, I love that place.

Happy Almost Passover!

Outside Orwasher's Bakery, 78th Street between 1st and 2nd

Cheap + Chic

For Nina W.'s first "Cheap + Chic" column, she decided to mine a source close to home: her cousin, Addie. Take it away, Nina!

WHO: Adelaide Wainwright, Literary Agency Assistant

STYLE PROFILE: Vintage maven with a practical streak

WRITES NINA: My cousin, Addie, has had amazing personal style longer than she's had a personal bank account. And she's always done it on a tight budget, so even though the stock market is looking all washed up right now, her wardrobe isn't. Here's what she had to say about cheap chic dressing:

AW: Scour your mother's--and your grandmother's--closets. Try to look past retro shapes and see how they might work on your body. Cinching belts can do wonders. And, fortunately, near-vintage looks are de rigueur right now. And learn some sewing skills! 

NW: What about eBay?

AW: If I shop on eBay it's when I have something very specific in mind, like espadrilles or huaraches. Shoes on eBay, actually, are a boon. Shoes are such an easy way to make a statement and I feel like it's difficult to find anything really special in stores without spending a ton of money.

That really goes for anything: I know that for this spring/summer I wanted to buy a pair of chunky platform sandals (check), an African print cutout bathing suit, and a pair of sophisticated shorts. Beyond those, I'll surely buy some simple T-shirts (Uniqlo is a wonder for those: well made and very cheap) and other minor incidentals.

NW: What's your best shopping advice?

AW: I won't buy anything serious on a whim. It's a practical way of building a wardrobe: if you concentrate on really beautiful pieces, be they $3 vintage dresses or $250 bathing suits, and take care of them, you'll be in great shape in the long run.

Desperately Seeking Style

At left: I guess it could be worse...   Image via gofugyourself.com

Fact: I have zero personal style. When I want to look nice, I'm reduced to either shelling out money I do not have on frocks I cannot afford (the reasoning being that if it's expensive, it's gotta look good) or to copying outfits that my infinitely more put together little sister has worn. Neither course of action is savings savvy, and neither gives me an idea of how to craft my own, individual look.

For fun, Nina W. and I decided to start writing about people we know whose style we admire not just for the look of it, but also for its wallet-friendliness. Nina's first column will follow this post. 

Hopefully this'll give some of us style-starved penny-pinchers a few hints. God knows we could use them...