To Shop or Not To Shop- that is the question....

I love shopping.

I love it even more when I don't have to leave my house to do it.

Enter- online shopping.

Now- there are some good and bad things when it comes to online shopping, a Pros/Cons list if you will.

Pros:
-I don't have to leave my house
-I can access WAY more stuff in less time then if I were driving.
-Better for the environment because I'm not driving/using gas (cheaper too)
-More selection
-Better Deals

Cons:
-You can't try anything on (I rarely buy clothes for myself online though)
-You are taking the word of the seller that the item is in good shape.
-Shipping costs.
-You need to have a credit card (although a lot of places are now taking Debit online- sweet)

Ok- so those are just a few things off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more- but for the sake of this post- that's my list.

Now my rule when it comes to online shopping is it has to be free- or pretty stinking close to free for me to even consider buying it- and then it depends on shipping costs. Shipping is what usually bites you in the butt- which is a definite draw back when it comes to shopping online. There are ways around this- like buying above a certain amount and getting free shipping...but I guess you would be spending more money that way- and if the whole point of online shopping is to save money, then that kind of defeats the point. Right?

So today, I did some online shopping. And I'm going to pass along a few tips and a promo code so that if you are INTERESTED you can go do some online shopping for yourself.

I bought some books today- which is rare for me. I don't often buy books, and when I do, I get smutty romance novels for $0.50 at garage sales or I buy them from friends for cheap (thanks Linda for the Twilight books!) To be honest, I usually just borrow books, that way I keep them off my already stuffed book shelf, but I bought 2 today. I bought them used, online, for less then $7 a book and with shipping, my order came to just over $20- which is less then buying them new from Walmart, Costco or even Superstore (all 3 places offer 30% off bestsellers). At the recommendation of a fellow Vampire Obsessed friend I purchased the first book of the Sookie Stackhouse Series (True Blood series on HBO is based on these books) and the first book for the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series. So for just over $20 both of these books are going to be shipped to my house in 1-2 weeks. I'm not saying it's an extremely good deal- but it makes me happy and I have enough reading material to last me a few weeks until they arrive. These books are hard to come by right now as they are snatched up quickly so I figured it would be best for me to buy them this way and avoid the hassle of driving around trying to find them. I shopped HERE it always is a good deal. I would also like to mention that I usually try and buy my textbooks through here as well. I got a brand new textbook for $12 last semester, when it sells for $80+ in our University bookstore. Can you say deal?? I recently sold it for $50- so I actually made a profit...go figure eh!

As a Mom, with friends who are either Moms, Mom-to-be's or one day Mom-to-be's, I like to make sure that I always have Baby Shower gifts on hand. You never know when you are going to need something. I came across this online company a while ago, and bought one of there Nursing Covers. As a breastfeeding advocate (going on 17 months with Miss C.) I like to encourage my fellow Mom's to do the same. I really liked this company, my product was shipped quickly, and I got it within the estimated time. I got the nursing cover for free and paid $8.99 for shipping. $8.99 for a Nursing Cover is almost unheard of. Unless you are prepared to make your own (which I will definitely try next time) I don't think you can get one for any cheaper. Recently I received another email from the owner of the company with another promotion. This one is almost to good to be true- so I thought I would pass it along to my friends. You get an Udder Cover™ nursing cover of your choice, a matching Milk Bands™ breastfeeding bracelet and 2 pairs of 5 ply washable 100% cotton breast pads- for $5, which is a 90% saving. This is almost free! With shipping the total is $14.95- which IS AN INCREDIBLE DEAL! The whole package is worth $45...so you can see the savings here. I'd stock up if I were you. If you are interested in purchasing your own gift set or one for an expectant mother or friend, the promo code is "thanks". You can click HERE for the website.

That is all from me today.

Frugally Yours,
Erin B.