Online Shopping Secrets

The holistic approach to life means we integrate our beliefs with our ways of living — physical, mental, spiritual.  Many of us are becoming more conscious of what is called our “carbon footprint” on the environment — that is, how what we do contributes to pollution and over-use of resources.  Many people are foregoing what we have come to rely on as conveniences in order to reduce our impact on the environment.  My website, Shopping Shortcuts identifies online stores that either specialize in or carry products that help support a sustainable lifestyle or are eco-friendly or organic or natural products.  I’ve even devoted a special page that consolidates most of those online stores that carry such alternative and environmentally-friendly products.  Here are a few deals from those online stores, as well as some general deals on health care products.

If you want to dry your clothes outdoors like your grandma used to do, you can get a rotary hanging systems from Breezecatchers.com and receive a 5% discount.

Yoga promotes both physical and mental health.  You can save 10% at YOGAaccessories.com and add to your overall well-being at the same time!

Why chance risky plastic surgery when you can use natural anti-aging products?  Give it a try and get 15% OFF All Products at Anti-AgingStore.com

Real Good Solar is one of the original catalogs (online & offline) to offer energy-saving, sustainable products.  Their online outlet store offers great discounts everyday: Real Goods Outlet Sale. Save up to 75% off instantly.

Those of you with babies and children want to be sure they are nurtured in a healthy environment, free of fumes and toxins.  Naturpedic gives you the best in organic fiber mattresses, crib and bed accessories:  Organic Cotton Mattresses from Naturepedic.

Brighten up your life with fresh flowers! Get 15% Off Labor Day Flowers and Gifts at OrganicBouquet.com

Organic Green Tea is one of the best all-around beverages for general health. At Adagio Teas, you can save 10% off all green teas and be automatically be entered to win one of 5 utiliTEA kettles.

Even geeks can be environmentally conscious!  iPage.com, a web hosting service, is 100% wind-powered and very affordable:  iPage Web Hosting — Go Green for only $3.50/mo.

I’ve covered quite a few categories here, but remember that you can find more environmentally-friendly stores on Shopping Shortcuts.net.  Just look for the Green Leaf Symbol    which identifies a store that carries organic, natural or earth-friendly products!

And in the meantime, Happy Shopping!

Whether you’re observing the Labor Day Holiday by going on a picnic, just relaxing, or puttering around the house, you can find time to shop for online sales that always surface at this time of year. 

If you’re looking for home furnishings from kitchens to bedroom to patio, you can save up to 20% on most items at KelleyFurniture.com.

Personal Creations is offering a Back To School Sale: 15% off your entire order.  Expires 9/24/10 code: PCBTS01 at checkout.

Spruce up for those special occasions: Get 20% Off orders of $200 or more at PaulFredrick.com

And remember that special companion in your life, Save 10% at Wysong Natural Pet Food.

Starting today, and through Labor Day only, Shop the Labor Day Sale at Irv’s Luggage. Take an Extra 10-75% Off Sitewide! Plus Free Shipping on $99+ orders.

If you’re looking for women’s intiate apparel, take advantage of the limited time offer – Get an additional 50% OFF Clearance Styles at BareNecessities.com. Ends 09.07.10. Shop Now!

Sierra Trading Post, noted for everyday bargains on all items is offering an additional 20% off your order – Valid 9.2 to 10.6.2010! Use Code: ALVSEPT2KX

You can find more bargains, coupons and sweepstakes on my Super Sales page on the Shopping Shortcuts website.

Enjoy your holiday however you choose & Happy Shopping!

Observing the last warm-weather holiday of the year, Labor Day, has always elicited mixed feelings in me.  Happy to have another holiday to enjoy, the waining of summer causes me to reflect on things I could have done — picnics, day trips, visits and other things fostered by warm weather.  But the summer bargains still abound, and Labor Day has added icing on the holiday sales cake.  Here are some to whet your appetite for savings — and remember you’ll find more deals on Shopping Shortcut’s special Travel and Super Sales pages.

From the Sportsman’s Guide (Good through September 6, 2010):

Huge Savings on Boat Covers – Save up to 42%

Spectacular Sales on Boat Cleaning Supplies! Save up to 34%!

End of Summer Fishing Blow Out Sale! Save up to 65%!

Labor Day Sales Event! Save up to 55%!

 More deals on outdoor gear from Bargain Outfitters:

$5.00 Off Your Merchandise Order of $25 or More at Bargain Outfitters! Coupon Code: BF1805. HURRY! Good through September 06, 2010

Time to stock up on jeans and other clothing at Lee Jeans:

Save up to 40% on Fall Styles PLUS Free Shipping on all orders at Lee Jeans. (valid thru 9/13)

50% off all Shorts and Capris at Lee Jeans (valid thru 9/30)

Spruce up your surroundings and sweeten the deal with bargains from ProFlowers.com Save 25% on 100 Blooms of Peruvian Lilies w/ FREE Chocolates & Vase, only $29.99 Ends 9/30/10

Speaking of candy, Old Time Candy Company is offering 10% off all candy!  Find the candy you remember as a kid!

There are still many days left to enjoy your backyard pool!  PoolCenter.com has the equipment and supplies you need to keep it clean and trouble-free:

SAVE 20% ON IN-LINE LEAF TRAPS at the PoolCenter.com

SAVE 20% ON MESH POOL COVER REPAIR PATCHES

SAVE 20% ON SWIMMING POOL ANTIFREEZE

If you’re planning to replenish your vitamin and supplements supply, HerbsPro.com probably has what you’re looking for:

Month End Clearance Sale – Special Discounts from Herbspro

September Special Deals – Additional 5% Off on all orders

 Enjoy your holiday and happy shopping!

As summer winds down and Labor Day approaches, clothing and household items are being placed on sale. 

Gaiam, one of the first and more prominent eco-friendly stores, is having their annual sale.  Here are a few of their offerings:

   Shop the Gaiam Annual Sale and Save up to 80% off. Hurry, quantities are limited

  Gaiam Annual Sale Exclusive – Save 69% on Organic Cotton Sheet Sets – All Sizes – now only $39.99.

  50% off Organic Cotton Towels – as low as $3.99.

  55% off Earth Shoes! Sale: $29.99, Was: $67

  47% off Organic Cotton Boxer + Robe – Only $18, a $34 value!

  Gaiam Annual Sale Exclusive, UV-C Mini Sanitizing Wand, naturally kills unwanted bacteria, viruses, and other household pests – now only $29.99, a $50 value!

  Save up to 55% off Recycling Bins -as low as: $12.99. Hurry, at these prices, quantities will not last long.

  Buy 1, get 1 for 30% off select Seventh Generation eco-friendly household items – unbeatable savings found only at Gaiam’s Annual Sale!

If you’re looking for outdoor clothing and gear, check out Altrec’s Billabong Summer Outdoor Sale – Up to 40% off  and Mountain Hardwear Jacket Sale – Up to 40% off .

 For the surfer (or surfer wannabe), Huntington Surf is offering a US Open of surfing 2010 Tees Sale!  Up to 50% off through 8/31/10!

 At Sierra Trading Post, find bargains on casual clothing & accessories: Back-to-School Sale at Sierra Trading Post: Take 20% off your order – use code ALBTS2KX. Offer valid until September 1,2010.

Giggle.com – eco-friendly baby clothing & accessories is having a summer sale in addition to many limited-time close-out offers:  Get in on the Real Deal from giggle – special offers and fabulous finds that are too good to last. These deals are first come, first served, so get yours while you can!

Something for the whole family!  Happy Shopping!

Wow!  Some schools have already started classes and the kids are sweltering in the heat.  But there is still some vacation time left and there are always those long weekends.  I’m listing several great offers here, and you can find more on the Shopping Shortcut’s Travel Page – look for the “Hot Deals” column.

Travelocity is offering two family vacations in Florida — but you have to sign up quickly as the offer expires at the end of August:

 Grab the kids and stay one mile from Walt Disney World at the Holiday Inn Sunspree-Lake Buena Vista! Ends 8/31.

Stay just minutes from Universal Studios and SeaWorld at the Lake Buena Vista Resort Village and Spa. Ends 8/31.

 Hotels.com is having a 1-day only sale today, so if you’re looking for a deal in hotels, do it today: Make Friday the 13th your lucky day – Save 50% at hotels.com! – Book by 8/13/10

If you miss the Hotels.com sale, check out Expedia’s Summer Sale – Continental U.S. Hotels from $51 – Expires 8/31/10

Getting ready for college requires more than books, so here are a few miscellaneous specials for the college-bound and everyone else:

Show your school sprit with College Fleece Throws from lakeside.com. For only $9.95.

Buy.com Weekly Deals! Prices Drops on Laptops, MP3, Digital Cameras and more!

From Drugstores.com:

Take 25% off all Tom’s of Maine. Offer ends 8.15.2010.

Spend $50 or more on Avalon Organics products and get $10 off your drugstore.com order + free shipping! Offer ends 08.30.2010.

New Customers – spend $25 at drugstore.com and get free shipping + a $50 Restaurant.com gift code! Offer ends 12.31.2010.

Happy Shopping!

Yikes! I had planned on writing about sweets, treats and beverages for this next posting, but there are more back-to-school sales and bargains than there are specials on food & goodies, so I’m going to cover the sales and get back to the treats at a later date!

So before I go any further, I want to point out the David’s Cookies is having a back-to-school sale on purchases made through 9/30/10. What better way to get that comfort food to your son or daughter during their first days away at college? Shop David’s Cookies for Back to School Savings! Shop www.DavidsCookies.com with the code BACKLS and save 13%. Offer valid through 09-30-10.

And Office Depot has partnered with Papa John’s by offering free pizzas when you order online & have the supplies delivered: Get 2 FREE Large 1 Topping Pizzas with the Delivery Order of $150 or more at OfficeDepot.com! A $25 Value! Limited Time. While Supplies Last.  You might be able to combine that offer with their back-to-school deals: Back to School Dollar Deals at OfficeDepot.com!

Office Max has several have several items that are specially-prices until August 14:

• Buy 2, Get 1 FREE on select Supplies + more SAVINGS at OfficeMax.com
• 7 Days of SAVINGS on School Essentials, This Week at OfficeMax.com
• Comfortable Chairs from $39.99, this week at OfficeMax.com
• Great paper price! Only $35.24 for Hammermill Paper Case at OfficeMax.com

College students need bedding, and Gaiam has organic sheets on sale until 8/31 or supplies last: Gaiam Annual Sale Exclusive – Save 69% on Organic Cotton Sheet Sets – All Sizes – now only $39.99. Hurry, at these prices, quantities will not last long.  And check out their clearance center: Save up to 80% at the Gaiam Clearance Sale! Hurry, inventory is limited.

And getting to the “bottom” of things, it’s also a good time to stock up on undies: Get up to 50% off Clearance Styles at BareNecessities.com

Happy Shopping!

I have a few more quick sales to post, so I’ll just dive into them.  Additional sales (and now some sweepstakes proomotions) are listed on my Shopping Shortcuts Super Sales page, so check there for more bargains. 

Kohl’s Department Store has a few online-only, limited-time specials that are worth investigating.  It’s Gold Star Clearance section is currently offering up to 60%70% off items. Plus, additional items are now marked final clearance saving you up to 80%.  This sale expires 8/10/10.  Starting Friday afternoon, 8/6/10 through Saturday morning 8/7/10, Kohl’s has a Back-to-School Night Owl/Early Bird Promotion.  Note that the times listed are Central, so be sure to adjust the hours to your time zone:

Kohl’s Biggest Back-to-School Sale
Shop 150 Power Hour Specials
Night Owls: Friday, August 6 2pm – Midnight (Central Daylight Time) 
Early Birds: Saturday, August 7  12am-3pm (Central Daylight Time)

Also starting 8/6/10 but ending 8/10/10 Kohl’s is giving store credit on purchases: “Kohl’s Cash - Get $10 Kohl’s Cash for every $50 you spend.” 

Want to save money on printer supplies? 123Inkjets.com is offering 15% Off Compatible Ink and 10% Off All Other Products (excludes OEM’s) Use Coupon SMART289. Expires 09/07/10.

Looking for shoes? Save 10% on regularly priced items at Onlineshoes.com! Summer styles are here. Huge selection. Offer ends soon. Shop now! Use Coupon Code SPLURGE. Expires 8/13/10.

For music students, Woodwind & Brass has several offers:

• Free iPod with Our Best Student Instruments at WWBW.com! Exp. 8/10
• 15% Off Select Music Stands with code STANDUP at WWBW.com! Exp. 8/10
• Free Sony Portable Digital Recorder With Our Best Step Up Instruments at WWBW.com! Exp. 8/10
• Free Yamaha Silent Brass with Yamaha Student Instruments at WWBW.com! Exp. 8/10

JustMySize has a site-wide offer, but you’ve got to take advantage of it soon — the offer expires on 8/6/10: Get 25% Off Orders at JustMySize.com. Enter code 612293 at checkout. Offer valid Aug. 4th through Aug. 6th.

Finally, from now until August 13 (8/13/10), Anti-Aging.com is offering 50% off your purchase when you use the Coupon Code: beauty50offer.  The store carries a wide variety of products for skin, hair, weight-loss, etc. 

Happy Shopping!

In my hurry to get the first Eats and Treats posted, I overlooked a very good online seafood store — AllFreshSeafood — which supplies many high-end New York City restaurants with quality fresh seafood.  So I’m listing it now, knowing you’ll be satisfied with your purchase from them.  Just click on the icon to get to their website.

If you’re looking for specialty foods – ethnic or regional, organic, herbs & spices, then you can reap the benefits of online shopping harvest, especially if the brick and mortar stores in your area are mainly “white bread” establishments.  If you’re looking for Cuban food and accessories, try the Cuban Food Market.  For Spanish food, La Tienda is the place to go.  CyberCucina combines a few European cuisines and offers gourmet foods & beverages from Italy, France, and Spain.

If you’re looking for Mexican food, then try the  MexGrocer.com – the online grocery shopping store for Authentic Mexican food, cooking recipes and culture.

But sometimes a little spice is not hot enough.  Two online stores, run by the same family in Texas, kick up the heat a notch or two, even creating spicy jams and preserves in addition to salsas and mixes.  Fredricksburg Farms -Country goodness, gourmet taste – carries natural condiments, sauces, herbs & spices, peach preserves & syrups, chili mixes, bread mixes, barbecue rubs, salsas etc.  Salsa Express carries much the same plus adds spicy queso (cheese) dips and a few more firey options to its product list.

From other parts of the world, Asian Food Grocer carries a variety of Asian foods and snacks and is offering 5% off on purchases $30 or more until 9-1-10.

Although many brick & mortar and online food stores offer natural and organic foods, Kalyx is an online store that specializes in those items in addition to other natural products. Kalyx.com: Herbs, Foods, Supplements, Bath & Body

Finally, if you’re looking to stock up on freeze-dried and dehydrated camping, backpacking or emergency supplies, there are several online establishments that will help you fill your storage shelves.  One of my favorites is The Ready Store which carries some organic freeze-dried items in its product line and is offering a 5% Discount on purchases.

Another online store selling storable foods is eFoodsDirect.com which specializes in meals prepared with textured vegetable protein, so in essence, all their food is vegetarian! 

A supplier of emergency rations — mostly energy bars and water — in addition to emergency equipment for home, office and travel is 1800Prepare, currently offering savings on various all-in one kits:  “Check out the best-selling Guardian Deluxe 2-Person Emergency Preparedness Kit — a $140 value, now just $79.85! Click now to get prepared for any emergency!”

Now that I’ve covered most of the “eats” part of my review (there are a lot more, so continue to check on my Shopping Shortcuts Food & Beverage Page), I’ll next be investigating online shopping for treats.

In the meantime, Happy Shopping!

Many of us have at one time or another ordered a gift basket online — fruit, nuts, candy, hors d’ouvres, etc.  — usually from an online florist and usually sent to someone else as a gift.  But there are many online stores that sell food and beverages that you can use for yourself.  These stores carry items including everyday groceries, organic food, international or ethnic food, specialty meats and seafood, emergency rations, and of course, sweets and treats.   If you live in an area where certain types of food are unobtainable, then you just might benefit from internet food shopping.

Let’s start with groceries.

Peapod.com is a total grocery delivery service.  There is no downside to this service except that it is only available in certain areas of the U.S. — mainly the east coast and some of the midwest.  I used it periodically when I lived on the east coast and worked long hours with little time to shop.  The service was accurate and affordable.  You can order online (while you’re eating lunch at your office desk) and the grocieries will be ready and delivered to your home that evening.  Here’s the link:  Shop Peapod 24/7 and get $10 in FREE groceries

Next we have online meat and seafood stores, usually offering a higher-quality product that you can find in your local brick and mortar stores.  Often the meats comes from grass-fed stock and the seafood is wild-caught — important considerations for health-conscious consumers.  Additionally, the meat and fish are usually flash-frozen immediately after butchering or catch, which also insures a freshness that you won’t find in your corner store.  Yes, these products can be more costly than local (and lower quality) products, but a discerning shopper can save money by watching for sales or buying in bulk.

La Cense Beef is some of the tastiest Black Angus beef around, plus it’s all natural and grass-fed!  Need I say more?  They have a special offer that expires in 5 days (8/5/10):  Up to 50% off + FREE shipping on 100% Grass Fed Beef so take advantage of it today!  You won’t regret it.

Hearst Ranches, also provides grass-fed beef is offering: New York Steaks. Use Code: FREESHIPM1 and Get Free Shipping on New York Strip Steak Orders Over $39.

I don’t know whether MyButcher.com carries grass-fed beef, but their products are aged and delivered fresh, never frozen.  So this gives you another steak-buying option to consider.  Not to mention this great deal: Perfectly aged USDA Prime steaks 30% Off Today!

Omaha Steaks has been around for a while and are reliable suppliers of good quality meats, with frequent online specials.  Here’s the current offer: Save up to 67% plus, 3 free gifts at OmahaSteaks.com! Valid through 8-31-2010.

Based on the east coast, Legal Seafood has a reputation for good quality seafood and great gift packages.  Though their sales are infrequent (usually seasonal and holidays), you can stock up on supplies when the sales do occur.  I’ll also announce them in this blog or on my Super Sales page when that happens.  In the meantime, you can check out their offerings by following this link:  Legal Sea Foods delivering the highest quality seafood and gourmet gifts available. Shop Today

Going from the east to the west coast sea food industries, Seabear Smokehouse, selling wild Alaskan salmon, fresh or smoked, halibut, gourmet prepared fish, crab, fish oil supplements, etc.    Nothing farm-raised here! Delicious fresh salmon this summer – great for on the grill! 

Blue crab lovers take heed!  Chesapeake Bay Crab (CBC) Cakes are online and as yummy as ever!  In addition to crabcakes, CBC sells side dishes, deserts and other seafood.  Give them a try:  CBCrabcakes.com-Lump Crab Cakes and Other Seafood from the Chesapeake Bay!  As with most other seafood companies, most sales are seasonal or linked to holidays, so watch this site for announcements of when those specials occur.

The topic of food can be expansive.  I still have to cover beverages, deserts, ethnic food and gifts of food…. so come back for the next post on Eats & Treats, Part 2. 

In the meantime, Happy Shopping!

A quick reminder to folks that many online sales have a short life  — some even as brief as a one-day on-line sale!  All the more reason to bookmark this blog and check it daily.  Also, be aware of expiration dates for online sale listings and coupons.  Here are some of the short-life sales:

• Expires 8/2/10 at Barnes & Noble:   All Toys & Games – Buy 1, get 1 50% off with coupon W9M4U4U
• Expires 8/4/10 at AutoAnyting: $15 off $125 Plus Free Shipping w/code JULY5
• Expires 8/2/10 at Samsonite: Web Only Special – 15% off purchases through August 2, 2010.
• Expires 7/31/10 at SwimsuitsforAll:  Save 40% Off All Beach Belle Swimwear. Use Code BELLE40  and Plus Size- Clearance Sale At SwimsuitsforAll.com. 60-80% Off Plus Free Shipping. Use Code SHIPITFREE
• Expires Today 7/29/10 at Kohl’s: 30-50% Off Selected Apt. 9 Tops and 40-50% Off Selected Bed Sets and more:
  • 30-40% Off Selected School Uniforms
  • 30-50% Off Entire Stock Mudd Apparel for Juniors & Girls 7-16
  • 20-45% Off Selected Backpacks
  • $24.99 Selected Levi’s 514 Slim Straight Fit Jeans for Boys 8-20
• Expires Today 7/29/10 at Circuit City: 
  • SAVE $100 – Hannspree HannsBook Netbook Intel Atom 1.66GHz 1GB DDR2 250GB HDD 10″ 6-Cell Win7 $249.99
  • SAVE $100 – SanDisk Sansa 8GB Fuze MP3 Player FM radio Built-In Voice Recorder (Open Box) $49.99
  • SAVE $70 – HP ProBook Notebook Intel Pentium DC 2.2GHz 3GB DDR3 250GB HDD 15.6″ Win7 Premium 32-bit $529.99
• Expires 8/4/10 at Shoes.com: Save 20% on select Skechers Shape-Ups styles at Shoes.com

Some on-line stores regulary have one- or two- or three-day sales which are often missed due to their short lives.  In order to keep you up to date on these very limited-time offers, I plan to include more last-minute deals in each of my blog posts, as the sales occur.   Also, I haven’t forgotten about the “Eats and Treats” post — I’m still gathering data and will be posting it soon.  In the meantime,

Happy Shopping!