Posts from — January 2009

Your monthly guest post from Rather Be Shopping …

I’m back! Thanks JuiceFairy for letting me once again share some online coupons on her terrific blog.

For whatever reason, the best coupons on my website right now are submitted by apparel and clothing retailers. Not sure if it’s because they are really struggling right now, or if they are trying to clear out last season’s merchandise. Whatever the case, these coupons can really help you save some money on clothes for the office or for a night on the town. Does anybody actually say “night on the town anymore”? I may have just aged myself.

As always, if your favorite store is not listed, please drop me an email and I will do my best to personally track down a coupon for you. Happy savings!

American Eagle Outfitters

Get 15% Off your entire Clearance order

Coupon Code: 30718045

Expiration: 2/03/09

See All: American Eagle Coupons

Ann Taylor Loft.com

Save an Extra 25% Off already Reduced Items

Coupon Code: 104000189

Expiration: 1/31/09

See All: Ann Taylor Loft Coupons

Banana Republic.com

Save an Extra 30% Off All Sale Items

Coupon Code: SAVE30

Expiration: 2/01/09

See All: Banana Republic Coupons

Eddie Bauer.com

Get 20% off your entire online purchase

Coupon Code: NEWSPRING

Expiration: 2/01/09

See All: Eddie Bauer Coupons

JCPenney.com

Get Free Shipping when you spend $69 or more

Coupon Code: LOVEBUG

Expiration: 2/05/09

See All: JCPenney.com Coupons

Lands End.com

Get Free Shipping on your entire online purchase

Coupon Code: MENS w/ PIN 6724

Expiration: 2/05/09

See All: Lands End Coupons

Macys.com

Get 10% Off + Free Shipping on your Jewelry order

Coupon Code: VALENTINE

Expiration: 2/11/09

See All: Macy’s Coupons

New York & Co.com

Get $20 off your $75 or more online order

Coupon Code: 8130

Expiration: 2/20/09

See All: New York & Co. Coupons

Nike Store.com

Get Free Shipping on your entire online purchase

Coupon Code: TRYAGAIN7

Expiration: 1/31/09

See All: Nike Coupons

Shoes.com

Get $20 off your $100 or more order + Free shipping

Coupon Code: NYSHOES20

Expiration: 1/31/09

See All: Shoes.com Coupons

I am going to do something different for once in my life and start with the positive …

Whenever I visit my mother in-law I see her often reapply this one lipgloss she loves.  The tube has no logo on it because she uses it so frequently I think she has rubbed it off. I have been dating Mr. Juicefairy for four years so I know it’s not the same exact tube but my point is that she loves it so much I always see her with the same brand, same color.  One day I asked her what it was and she told me it was some brand she got at Target for $1.97.  So of course I became obsessed and went to Target and found that it is N.Y.C Liquid Lip Shine in color 548 and it is indeed $1.97.  I bought it and now I love it too.  It has this great scent of coconut and has the best consistency — not too greasy, not too sticky.  Did I mention it is also only $1.97!  The only drawback is that it doesn’t last that long but I like the smell so much I don’t mind reapplying a fresh coat a few extra times.  So kudos to my mother-in-law because she has found a great bargain beauty buy!

Now for the negative, which is more familiar to me …

You may remember that I have an unhealthy habit of staring at my pores in my bathroom mirror, specifically the blackheads which are the bane of my existence!  OK.  I am being a little dramatic but I hate them and they never go away!  So I decided to try the Clean & Clear Blackhead Eraser Kit.  It was like $12.00 (and I think I used a coupon) for this horrible contraption that ended up giving me breakouts instead of helping them.

The “eraser” is a vibrating device with a cleansing pad on the top that you wet and use to clean your skin.  The idea is that is buffs away dead skin cells or something.  Well, let you tell me I am sure it does a good job at that because it feels like sandpaper rubbing against your face.  It is also medicated, on top of its scrubbing power, so unless you have a thirteen-year-old’s greasy pubescent face this very uncomfortable to use.  It made my skin feel very dry and sensitive.  So then my face decided to rally against my “erasing” by sprouting pimples across my t-zone.  So save your dollars and put it toward a professional facial.

Ladies, you might want swing by Macy’s on your lunch hour today.  They are giving away free makeup!  As part of a class action settlement 14 department stores, such as Macy’s and Dillard’s are giving away $175 million worth of free cosmetics.  You can get items from Chanel, Estee Lauder, L’Oreal and more.  But you better go soon, because it is first come first served.  Here is a link to what is being given away and where.

So FICO has branded you with a not-so-desirable credit score and you have made the resolution to bring it up as much as you can.  You know what your score is comprised of but what’s next?  Here are the best tips for improving your credit score.  These are the ones I followed to increase my score.

1. Pay Down Your Debt.

Don’t stop reading yet.  I know you are thinking “if I could pay down my debt don’t you think I would have done it by now?”.  I completely understand what it’s like to feel like the amount of total debt is too overwhelming and you don’t think you could ever pay it off.  But try to remember even if it takes a while, the lower the total amount gets the higher your score will go.  Try coming up with a budget that allows you to pay a little more than the minimum payments each month.  Remember also, not all debt is bad.  Items like mortgages and car loans on your credit report show that you can handle your finances.  The debt that can bring down your score are items like personal loans and credit cards if you have balances that are too high. Try looking into getting your interest rates lowered which will make it faster to pay off.

2.  Always Pay On Time

While you are chipping away at the debt always pay your bills on time.  Try setting up automatic payment for your bills so you know they will always get paid on time.  If you happen to be late once, call the lender and see if they will take the late payment off so it doesn’t show up on your credit report.  They are usually willing to accommodate good customers.

3. Spread it Out

If you have more than one credit card spreading the balances between cards could help your score slightly since you are lowering the ratio of card balance to credit limit.  Be warned, that you should not open new accounts in order to accomplish this because new accounts can lower your credit score.

4. Don’t Stress About Making Your Score Perfect

Once your score has reached 780, you are considered as having above average credit.  Trying to reach a score beyond that really isn’t going to make a difference in the interest rates your receive beyond that.

5.  Check your Credit Report Often for Errors

More than once I have found discrepancies on my credit report that were lowering my score.  One was an account listed on my report that in actuality belonged to a family member that lived at the same address. If I hadn’t have caught those errors I wouldn’t have been able to increase my score.  If you find an error there is a link in your online credit report for submitting disputes.  If you fill out the pertinent information the credit reporting agency should be able to sort the problem out for you.

6.  If All Else Fails Mail a Letter

Remember the expression “It never hurts to ask”.  I had a couple of late payments that were so old I had no idea whether they were accurate or not.  I ended up sending a letter to Experion, Trans Union and Equifax requesting that the negative items be removed because I had never paid these items late.  You can use this template to write your letter.  They all wrote back saying they would investigate the claim and two of the agencies removed the item from my report.  Equifax is run by the devil and said they couldn’t find reason to remove it.  But two out of three is not bad.

I have hit that age where all of my friends are having their first and second children and I am getting flooded with invitations to baby showers.  I have been searching for some good good gift ideas and keep coming up short.

I thought about knitting baby clothes for each family so they have something that is personalized and meaningful but that would take me a decade to make.  Not to mention the wool would cost a fortune (knitting is not a cheap hobby, FYI).  Then I stumbled across The Retro Baby and I instantly fell in love with all the old school baby clothes.  How cool would it be for mom and dad to open up these blast-from-the-past baby rompers?  All of my friends are children of the eighties who would all appreciate the fond memories.  And, bonus, they are all at a reasonable price.

For my friend who has a little rocker in her and will probably style her son’s hair like Pax’s blue mohawk …

The Rolling Stones 1975 New York Tour Onesie, $28.95

The Ramones Seal Logo Onesie, $14.36

For a daddy-to-be that I happen to know was a huge comic fan as a kid.

Future Super Hero DC Comics, $19.96

For my friends who are all children of the eighties and loved the smurf.

Papa Smurf Loves You Bodysuit, $24.95

And you can’t forget about Smurfette lovers.

Smurfette is so Pretty T-shirt, $12.62

For the gamers having babies.

Old Skool, $17.95