STONEnyc: Find Fab Jewelry on Any Budget

Posted on May 16, 2011 by She Makes Cents

Once upon a time a woman let go of all inhibitions and allowed Prince Charming access to her sole(s). Yes, a pair of shoes transformed Cinderella, a working woman, into royalty…. If only this were true in real life. While I don’t own a pair of glass slippers, I do own a fabulous pair of Chanel sandals purchased first semester of my freshman year of college. I love them. I love them. I love them….and boy oh boy the secrets they would tell if shoes could talk. I believe the first confession would be about how I bought a pair of $1000 Chanel sandals from Bergdorf’s on sale for a little under $200 (Thank you God for a size 35.5 shoe) or how those very same shoes were born from a labor of love, also known as a shopping-showdown. Disclaimer: It would not be in your best interest to come between me and a sale. Back then, finding deals of that magnitude were best done in person, now-a-days you might be just as lucky on the web. Now I won’t reveal ALL of my little pleasures, but one good place to start would have to be STONEnyc.

STONEnyc is not a shoe store, it is an online boutique featuring jewelry and accessories by designers from New York to Los Angeles, Canada and beyond. Did I mention it is also one of my newest secret happy places? Why?

Find out in my Top 5 Reasons to check out STONEnyc:

The Mission is Awesome:to be an outlet that encourages women to create their own style.
One of A Kind: rarely will you hear someone say, “oh I have those earrings” when you rock pieces from STONEnyc.
Crystal Whalum: owner and one fly chick who I met while she was making her mark by influencing AUC (Atlanta University Center) fashions one bracelet at a time. She is gorgeous, humble, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
The Price is Right: The price points fall within everyone’s budget. For example, rings range between $15- $295.
Promos: Not too long ago, STONEnyc offered a giveaway to their Twitter followers. I would encourage you to follow @mySTONEnyc and @shemakescents for future promos.

In the meantime, check out a few of my favs. I found my slippers from Chanel, I found my special ring from STONEnyc, where is my Prince Charming? j/k

Click here for the entire STONEnyc Collection

Follow @mySTONEnyc

Like what you saw? Share the knowledge with the “share” buttons below.

Subscribe via email or RSS Feed for FREE updates.

SMC Answers Email Question: How to Get the Most Out of Coupons

Posted on May 9, 2011 by She Makes Cents

Today, I will be providing information to answer an email question that was submitted to She Makes Cents via my About.Me page, which by the way you should totally check out!

I’m trying the coupon bit, can you please show me how to use them, I guess coupon 101, and how to get the most out of my coupons, I often see where folks buy $600.00- 1100.00 in value , but pay $50.00 or less, can you teach me how to do that?

First off, congratulations on making the decision to start reevaluating ways to make your money work for you and not the other way around. To be honest, I do not coupon to this degree where I buy ”$600.00-$1100.00 in value, but pay [around] $50.00 or less”, but I have seen it done. If this is the level of couponing that you aspire to, then there are a few things that you must consider:

Keep an ongoing grocery list. This helpful because it I find it easier to jot down an item I’m running low on or completely out of when I’m thinking about it. That way, it ensures that it makes it on my list. If I start a grocery list right before I go to the store, I risk forgetting something I actually need or spending money on products that I didn’t know I already had.
You must be extremely organized. Keeping up with coupons to multiple stores can easily become overwhelming if you do not have a system in place. Reuse a folder or an old note book where you store your coupons. Find a way of filing that works for you. For example, you can store coupons by type of product (groceries, health and beauty, fashion, restaurants, etc) or by store.

Don’t get tricked into buying things you don’t need. Stick to your list. Review your ongoing list before you actually go shopping. Then compare the list of items (including specific brands) on your list to your library of coupons you have compiled and filed away oh so neatly in your folder or notebook. Just because the coupons mentions that you have to buy three of the same products to get .75 off, doesn’t mean it is a good deal. Who really needs three containers of mayonnaise any ways? Remember the tour of Amanda’s stockpile from TLC’s Extreme Couponing?

Know the stores’ policy about couponing. Some stores allow manufactures coupons and some don’t. In addition, some stores allow the practice of double couponing and some don’t.

Read the small print. So this one is self explanatory, yet few people actually take the time to read the tiny print. Think about it for a second, they make it small for a reason. It’s better to know the limitations of the deal before your get to the cash register.

HOW TO SPEND $16 FOR $75 WORTH OF STUFF AT TARGET

CHECK OUT WHAT $20 AND COUPONS WILL GET YOU…YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE IT

Like what you saw? Share the knowledge with the “share” buttons below.

Subscribe via email or RSS Feed for FREE updates

Extreme Couponing: Is It Cost Effective?

Posted on April 14, 2011 by She Makes Cents

Extreme Couponing

Lately I’ve been hearing the phrase “extreme couponing” being thrown out in everyday conversations. This is mainly due to TLC’s show Extreme Couponing that follows shoppers as they plan and plot their way to incredible savings. Admittedly, I have not seen the show and prior to today the term “stockpile” meant nothing to me. If the clip below is any measure of what the show is like, I probably won’t be tuning in often. The people in this particular video seem very friendly; however, I found that this type of program could definitely be a trigger of my OCD. The stockpiles freak me out…seriously! Plus, I wonder how cost effective this level of couponing can be when you are constantly spending money, just because you have coupons, on items that you already own in bulk. Is this just another form of saving that I have yet to master? Or, does this type of shopping generate a similar high I can get from the purchase of a fly pair of shoes?

Savings or Waste? You be the judge as you check out the stockpile of Amanda from TLC’s Extreme Couponing!

If this is your cup of tea, TLC.com has launched the companion site http://tlc.com/extremecouponing, and a Facebook fan site is available at http://www.facebook.com/ExtremeCouponingTLC.

One Way to Rid Yourself of a Car Note

Posted on March 30, 2011 by She Makes Cents

A year after I graduated from college, my dad presented me with an Emerald green BMW that I named EMMY (yes, I named my car and it’s a girl). She was cute, small, and just what I needed to get me around town. She was also purchased off Craigslist from a guy who wanted to punish his son for slacking off in school. My father, who had been diligently checking the internet for BMWs, came across the ad for the sale of the car. Instead of jumping on the deal immediately, my father decided to wait it out and do as much research on the car, the person selling it, and vehicle purchases from Craigslist before he would make a financial transaction with a complete stranger. We met the man at a Walmart and my dad talked to the seller as I drove around in my version of a test drive. By the time I returned, I was in love with a girl named Emmy. While I was test driving, my dad and the seller conversed and the seller dropped the price of the car an additional $200. Apparently, while I was driving around my dad and the seller talked about something they had in common—their kids. My dad told the seller of how I had graduated not too long ago and how he wanted to buy me a car. The seller confessed to my dad, a perfect stranger, of how he was disappointed in his son’s attitude towards academics and he was selling his car to teach him a lesson. While I felt bad for the son, I happily took the keys and drove off in my BMW. I mean, seriously, that dad was going to sell the car anyway so as much as I felt bad for the son who would come home to find his car and a cd that he left in the cd player gone, I wasn’t going to miss out on my opportunity. I loved that car, may she rest in peace.

R.I.P Emmy

Purchased off Craigslist for $3300

After I loss Emmy to a sudden battle with the concrete barrier on the highway, I had a window of about two weeks to find a car. You see, to get the best deal on insurance rates I have bundled multiple accounts that require you to maintain all accounts with the company. I certainly was not going to pay for car insurance when there was no longer a car to be insured, but I also did not want my home insurance, for example, to increase because of this. So back to Craigslist we went. My dad was looking for another BMW, which I wouldn’t have minded, but I felt like he kept showing me pictures of cars that looked exactly like Emmy. Then I found it, my new ride. I found a car, similar to this for less than $5000. Yep, I’m driving a Mercedes with no car note for less than $5000. Now let me show you how you can do the same SAFELY, with my 12 Commandments to Buying a Car on Craigslist.

Purchased off Craigslist for under $5000

Like what you saw? Share the knowledge with the “share” buttons below.

Subscribe via email or RSS Feed for FREE updates.

My 12 Commandments for Purchasing Cars from Craigslist

Posted on March 30, 2011 by She Makes Cents

Do your research. There are only two ways in which you can purchase a car from Craigslist– dealer or owner. Anything else is a scam!
If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Know the fair market value for the item you are trying to purchase. Just because it’s on Craigslist doesn’t mean that you won’t find anything comparable for less somewhere else.
Stay away from money wires, transfers, or shipping of vehicles. Scam! Scam! Scam!
Once you decide to meet, meet in a public place. I viewed both of my cars from Craigslist at a Walmart and/or Target.
No title no deal. If someone cannot provide a clean title, you have no way of knowing if this person is the legal owner of the car.
Do not bring money with you when meeting a seller. In my opinion, this is like inviting someone to rob you. Hello my name is (insert your name here) and I have thousands of dollars in my pocket. Do you want to rob me? Creepy, huh?
Trust your gut. Not everyone out there is trying to scam, con, or rob you. I facilitated this last sell on my own and despite advice from my dad to walk away, I pursued my car and trusted the seller based off of a gut feeling. She turned out to be an honest and nice person but she broke a few of my Craigslist shopping rules. She mentioned a transfer in an email correspondence and the title was not readily available in the negotiation phases. In this instance, I acted based off feeling not good sense and it worked out.
Talk to people who own the same make, model, and year as the vehicle you are trying to purchase. While I love my car for aesthetic reasons, this particular make, model, and year is known to have issues with battery drainage, which has been an ongoing issue with this car. It’s not the fault of the seller or me for buying it. It is what it is.
Owners over Dealers. If you are searching Craigslist to find a deal, remember that dealers often don’t include taxes and dealer fees when advertising cars. The price on the sticker is not the actual price of the car and depending on the price and your budget you could end up with a car note. Owners, in my experience, have been known to budge on their price and you drive away without the financial worry of a new car note and hidden dealer fees.
Take a mechanic or someone who knows cars with you/Don’t go alone. Look at everything and take pictures of the car just in case something happens between the time you test drive it and the time you actual purchase it, you can have proof of the condition of the car. Check the condition of the tires, look under the hood of the car. Turn the car on and off. Accelerate and hit the brakes. Turn the radio on and off. Open the sunroof. Make sure the power seats, power mirrors, and power windows work. Ask for ALL service records and actually review them. Order a Carfax to find out detailed vehicle history. Walk around the car to inspect the exterior. Check for chipped paint and potential rust damage. Turn on all lights. Check seats belts. Everything.
Deal Locally With Folks You Can Meet In Person. follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts on Craigslist.