Mad Shoppin Skillz

My mother has tried to teach me lots of things over the years, many of which I didn't want to learn. But a lesson that was instilled in me from the moment I could walk around a store is 1) Never buy anything at full price when you can get a bargain, 2) Getting a bargain sometimes takes patience and persistence. Hence our frequent TJMaxx and Marshall's runs, and the massive amounts of Macy's coupons that can be found in Mom's purse at any given moment.

I'm so proud of myself for getting these bargains. This first beauty caught my eye in the Chicago Kate Spade store, and it was love at first sight. I waited and waited for it to go on sale. Then I waited some more for it to go on clearance, then finally snagged it at clearance price plus an extra 15% off with the coupon code I have been saving. 

The anticipation was killing me... but I wanted to remember how pretty the packaging was!

Next up is a functional, yet beautiful laptop bag. I never even considered paying full price, not even normal eBay prices for this. But, my relentless daily eBay searches finally paid off after only six short months. :) Some amateur listed it as a "Kate Spade Women's Business Bag" instead of a "Laptop Bag", or a "Computer Bag" and since as many people didn't find her listing,  I got it at 1/5 of the retail price! To think, I had almost given up and purchased a Marc Jacobs laptop bag! 

This one is perfection. It's beyond gorgeous, fits my laptop, and the front pocket is perfectly sized for.... my iPad!

That's what patience and persistence gets you- and it is so worth it!