hey fred and jessica…you’ve got something to look forward to!

so, i’m totally into awesome ways to save money shopping on the interblags, because…as my friend becky said to me last week, “what did we ever do before we could shop online?”

i failed to answer aloud, but in my head i said,
i.
do.
not.
know.

i don’t.  i mean, i freakin’ order PIZZA online!  (sadly, yes, dominos is the best of the 6 pizza places in my college town.)

anyway, ebates is cool…if you click on that link, i think you get a $5 credit or something.  i’m still figuring it out, but, essentially you get free money and/or coupons for stuff you’d buy anyway.  cool, right?

also, before buying anything online, check retailmenot to see if they’ve got a discount code?  i just saved $25 on a $75 purchase!  (so my new total was $52.)

and related to retailmenot is beatmyprice.  pretty neato.  specifically for things of an electronic or more geeky nature, dealnews does sort of the same thing.

know you like a certain brand/style of something?  don’t want to pay store price?  don’t mind if it’s a bit older?  try ebay!  lots of times people get discontinued stuff, and it’s brand new, never used…and you can get it at a discount from the original retail price.  i do this when i buy a pair of jeans or something, decide i LOOOOVE them, o noes!  they’re not in the store anymore…good thing i remember the style name.  i ask ebay, and lo and behold…there is a pair in my size.  (occasionally this strategy has cost me MORE than i paid in the first place, but when i find something that WORKS for me…i’m willing to spend a bit more for the peace of mind of knowing i am happy with the product.)

(for instance, i just bought 3 bottles of the most magical hair product ever.  i have an old bottle from a few years ago that i haven’t been using much because my hair was shorter.  but when my hair is longer, it does wonderful things.  it’s discontinued now, but i KNOW it works, so i was willing to pay a salon product price for it.  so i did.  i’m not telling how much i spent, though…haha.)

ebay doesn’t have it?  REALLLLLY love those jeans?  get ‘em duped!  (it’s pricey, so decide if it’s worth it to you.  i am actually thinking of doing this…i have some pants that i just love to bits and pieces…and when they are nothing more than bits and pieces…i want some back ups!)

for plane tickets, i always check kayak.com or travelocity and plug in “flexible dates”…(unfortunately, travelocity usually says, “oh, this price!” and then you go to select dates and they’re all sold out.  tres lame.)  for a general area of the world, try travelzoo for deals.  (and sign up for their newsletter!  it comes once a week, and i’ve gotten some great deals just because i peruse it every time it comes my way.)

i don’t buy baby/kid/mommy stuff, but my sister’s got a fantastic list of places she checks.  her favourites are mama bargains and baby steals which have a daily deal (much like woot.com).  (though, i have to tell you…i’m surprised that a site about stealing babies is allowed to stay up, just saying.)  lastly, she found a pretty good stroller in good condition on returns for sale.  (that stuff can be hit or miss.)

lastly…for eyeglasses, if you want updated lenses in your old frames, send ‘em in to 39 dollar glasses.  new lenses + anti-reflective coating runs a bit over $70.  definitely cheaper than your local lab.  willing to try new frames w/o trying them on?  you canNOT beat zennioptical’s price.  seriously.  can’t.  i have used 39 dollar glasses personally with great success, and i have friends who have ordered from zenni and been very satisfied.

i think that’s all my secrets.  have any of your own?  leave ‘em in the comments!  wow.  i am enthusiastic!

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so, sarahkchen (a fellow wedding photographer and fantastic person) has a pretty incredible ring shot on her blog right now…it’s gotten a lot of compliments, and i was looking at it going…i could probably create an effect like that…i’d just have to ______ and then ______ and then do ________.

i was ALL SET to haul my butt off my chair and give it a whirl, and then i was like,

“oh.
oh yeah.  i don’t HAVE a big diamond to play around with.”

and then i returned to my regularly scheduled programming, which currently…is working on chris & kate’s photos from their peak’s island october wedding and avoiding doing my oh-so-hip-and-totally-2008-not-2000 tae-bo video, that i-don’t-care-what-you-say…it totally kicks my butt!  (and then i don’t have to leave the house.  it is grey and misty and foggy and rainy.