Archive | March, 2011

Modest bikinis for young teens?

by Mir at 10:44 am on March 28, 2011 in Big Picture, Questions Answered, What to Wear

As a mom to a young teen, myself, my head couldn’t nod in agreement fast enough when pretty reader Maria emailed me this morning to say:

My current dilemma is about bathing suits for young teenagers. My 13 year old daughter has worn one piece or tankini-style suits. She would like a bikini this year and I’m ok with that, but I cannot find an ‘appropriate style’. The ones we are finding in stores are the string style. I would like more coverage and something that won’t fall off when she actually wants to do some swimming. Any advice on where to buy such a suit?

(I thought it was a nice touch that she added an addendum with a link to this piece about Abercrombie selling padded bikini tops for 2nd graders to highlight exactly what she doesn’t want. Ack.)

The short answer, of course, is that there are viable options at the intersection of “she thinks it’s cool” with “Mom doesn’t think she’s naked.” It’s merely a matter of ferreting those options out. And the first problem is the size issue. (more…)

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It does everything but drive the car

by Mir at 8:04 am on March 28, 2011 in Hot Hot Hot!, Product Talk

I am not afraid to admit my deep dependence on my beloved GPS unit. I used to be the person who gets lost all the time; now I am just the person who talks about the miracle of GPS technology all the time. I think this is preferable.

Today the Amazon Gold Box holds the Magellan RoadMate 5045-LM, a 5″ widescreen GPS unit with lifetime maps and traffic. So basically, this one has all the bells and whistles, and I have to say, I will never again buy a unit that doesn’t have lifetime maps. We finally got one that does and it’s magical to be able to plug it in and get updates for free. (Our first GPS, they wanted almost as much for the map update as the unit cost. No thanks!)

Anyway, today you can get this fancy-schmancy Magellan for just $120 shipped—a good $60 cheaper than you can find it anywhere else. Of course, if you’re one of those “I’ve got a map in my head” sorts of people, I don’t even want to talk to you.

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It’s a rainy day…

by Mir at 6:43 am on March 28, 2011 in Hot Hot Hot!

How did Target know that it’s pouring here? I am deeply suspicious.

Be that as it may, the rain-themed Target Daily Deals are pretty awesome today. Solid colored rain boots, long jackets for women, kiddie jackets… and the pièce de résistance, a beautiful MOMA umbrella. (Clouds! On the inside!) That one’s still pretty pricey, but it’s so pretty.

(Plus, then you could stand in the rain, and still look up at blue sky.)

Don’t forget to try coupon code TCA23BMA for an extra 10% off, too.

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I want to put De Blob on your Xbox 360

by Mir at 5:22 pm on March 26, 2011 in Contests

So here’s what happened: I got a pitch about a game, and I said I would love to get a Wii version to offer for giveaway. I was told it was on the way, and then I got a package in the mail. Sadly (for us Wii folks) it was not the Wii version, but the Xbox 360 version. Huh.

I know a lot of Want Not readers have Wiis, but I have no idea how many of you have Xboxes. I’m thinking not many. But if that’s true, then those of you who do Xbox are about to have awesome odds of winning this contest. What I have is a copy of De Blob 2 for Xbox 360, and it’s an E10+ game where you get to paint the whole world. It sounds kind of soothing, actually, though the reviews lead me to believe even hardcore gamers can take it to a challenging level, while people like me could just be all “Oh, paint! Fun!”

Want to win it? (Um, I’d love for someone with an Xbox to get it, but I see that Amazon is giving nearly $30 for trade-in on this one right now, so… do with that information what you will.) First, go review the contest rules and regulations, then come on back here for this quickie weekend contest and leave a comment on this post by 8:00 a.m. Eastern (that’s 5:00 a.m. Pacific) on Monday, March 28th, 2011 for a chance to win. Winner will be determined by random number generation and ability to say “join the color evolution” with a straight face.

Ready? Go!

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Saturday deals

by Mir at 9:44 am on March 26, 2011 in For the kids, Hot Hot Hot!, What to Wear

Gooooood morning! The sun is shining! The children are singing! Well, it’s morning, anyway. Moving on….

Today’s Amazon Gold Box is filled with discounts on pretty dresses for girls, just in time for Easter. (There are many more options in the smaller sizes than the larger ones, but that’s always the way it is.)

Have your eye on something at Folica? This may be the weekend to buy—coupon code MARCH10 will take $10 off you $20+ purchase, but only through Sunday.

This weekend at Aeropostale, all tops are buy one, get one for $1 (clearance excluded). There’s also your choice of a free tote bag or water bottle with your $50 purchase, too.

Not only are there a few decent items in today’s Target Daily Deals—there’s a couple of scooters, and a Bumbo seat—but there’s also a new coupon available! (That sound you heard was the bargain angels singing.) Use code TCA23BMA for an additional 10% off your purchase. And remember, the Daily Deals always ship for free.

Until 1:00 p.m. today, JC Penney is having a big one-day sale with price cuts of up to 80% off, plus you can apply coupon code SALEDAZE for $10 off your $25+ purchase.

That should keep you busy for a bit. I have a bit of contest catching up to do, so I’ll be back later with that. It’s been a long time since we had a weekend contest, right? Might be time to change that.

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More Friday goodness

by Mir at 9:08 am on March 25, 2011 in For the kids, Groceries, Hot Hot Hot!, What to Wear

As much as I’m digging that Cost Plus World Market deal I posted earlier, we need more than that, right? Right.

Starting today at The Limited, you can take 40% off any order with coupon code 451. This offer is good through the weekend, and if you’d rather go to the store (I know, I know, I don’t understand it, either) you can head over to Savings.com for a printable version, instead.

I’m digging today’s Mamapedia Sweet Deal, which is $20 for $40 to ecomom.com. Their prices are on the high side, but with the $20 savings and free shipping on your $50+ order, this could be a great way to finagle a deal.

At my talk yesterday I mentioned that 6pm.com is the Zappos clearance center and it was as though I’d just brought some tablets down off the mountain. Y’all knew that’s why 6pm is so fabulous, right? It’s Zappos, but cheaper! They’re also running a deal right now where if you sign up for daily deal alerts (feel free to send them to an email address reserved for such things—I have one called Mir’s Junk Shopping Mail, myself), you’ll get an exclusive 10% off code for a purchase this weekend. Every little bit helps!

The Amazon Friday Sale is looking coffee-riffic, as always. Of note: If you’re interested in any of the myriad Lipton teas which appear in today’s sale, don’t forget that qualifying teas are on special this month, with coupon code LPTONTEA saving you 15% and Subscribe & Save taking off another 15% and giving you free shipping. Combining those savings with today’s sale works out to ridiculous cheap tea, and iced tea season is nearly upon us.

It’s time to earn more Kohls Cash at Kohls, and will you look at that, they’re having a sale. (I’m shocked. Are you shocked?) Shipping is free on your $75+ order, and everyone can use coupon code THANKS4256 for an additional 15% off; Kohls charge holders can use SAVEATKOHLS, instead, for 30% off, plus use MVCFREE to ship any order for free.

That should keep you busy most of the morning, right? I’m just doing my part to keep you out of trouble. I’m a giver!

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Kick off your Friday

by Mir at 6:32 am on March 25, 2011 in Hot Hot Hot!

We’re having a scramble of a morning here (you know the type; my alarm went off, then my husband’s alarm went off, and still we lay in bed, lamenting that maybe someone else could get the kids off to school and go to work for us), so here’s a quickie for the early birds while I mainline some coffee and deal with the kids:

Starting today, and continuing through the weekend, Cost Plus World Market is offering 25% off your entire purchase with coupon code FFSITE0702. Awesome, right? Big thanks to my pal Chris of The Peche for letting me know about that one. (And if you are not reading his food blog, clearly you hate America. Why do you hate America?)

They’ve got a sale going on, too. Perfect—combine the sale and the coupon and get some pretty new things for your home or pick up some gifts. I do love me some Cost Plus.

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A 100-calorie, 34-cent snack

by Mir at 2:06 pm on March 24, 2011 in Groceries, Hot Hot Hot!

Y’all are going to have to buy these in my stead, as I can’t have chocolate-covered pretzels anymore (the gluten thing is actually not much of a problem until I remember how much I used to love chocolate-covered pretzels). But I trust you can do me proud.

Right now Amazon has these 100-calorie Fudge Pretzel Right Bites on Manager’s Special, and even knowing that they’re probably loaded with HFCS and such, I would probably buy them if I could eat them. Heh. Because they’re marked down to $14.22 for six 6-pack boxes, or just $12.09 shipped if you buy via Subscribe & Save. That’s around $2/box (my supermarket sells these for twice that), or about $.34/pouch for a nearly guilt-free indulgent little snack.

That’s chocolate and pretzels in sweet harmony with your wallet, right there.

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Personalize it for less

by Mir at 12:56 pm on March 24, 2011 in Hot Hot Hot!

Need a personalized gift? Look no further than GiftsForYouNow.com, of course, but for the next few days, make it an even better deal—you can use coupon code SPRING25 to save 25% on your entire order.

They have some really cute Easter stuff, that I’d probably buy if I was a better mother. As it is, we are rapidly approaching the, “Oh, right, the Easter Bunny brought you that chocolate that’s still in my purse. No, really,” age. Ahem.

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Want Not loves the Athens Christian Women’s Connection!

by Mir at 12:22 pm on March 24, 2011 in Bragging on a deal

Many thanks going out to the Athens-CWC for having me out to their brunch this morning to talk about savvy online shopping. I had a blast and I hope everyone had a great time.

If you’re visiting Want Not for the first time, after hearing me speak, I would love to tell you that my hollering at random people, “Come back! You can buy tampons from Amazon!” was an anomaly, but sadly I cannot. (Um, if you weren’t there, then that totally did not happen. Never mind. Stop looking at me like that.) I do suffer from chronic foot-in-mouth syndrome, but if you’ll forgive me, I promise to help with your shopping.

I feel like I should get new business cards made up. Mir Kamin: Awkward and inappropriate, but really good at shopping. That’d actually be kind of awesome, no?

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