Secret's Secrets!

For the past three years or so I have not paid a cent for underwear, and never more than $15 for a bra. I have done my Christmas Shopping for 10-15 people for under $40 dollars, and acquired quite a collection of free lip gloss. How do I do it?

One thing I am good at is not buying stuff. I mean, I have my moments. But I've been complemented on my ability to walk in and out of stores with either nothing, or only what I came in there for. That said, I am a sucker for deals and steals. And the places I will share on this blog are no big discovery. Nevertheless, you might be surprised how much money you can save by going there at the right time, with the right tools.

Recent spree -- Victoria's Secret. You might think of it as the store where they sell bras at $55 a piece (ridiculous, right?) But it could be your money saving haven! I am not generally a promoter of credit, especially not the retail kind at standard 22% variable APR's. (For the record: I have one major credit card with $0 balance on it, and two retail ones. Also all paid off.) But if you are going to get a store card, make it Victoria's Secret! After signing up, you will receive countless free-panty coupons and acquire points that quickly add up to $10 gift cards. Small tip: ALWAYS use your card. If you want to, you can pay for it right at the register with cash. But this way you'll get points for the dollar amount you put on the card, as well as for using it each time.

If you don't have their credit card and don't want to open one, do not despair! There are more ways to save and things to know about this store. (I don't even think I know them all at this point...) The simplest thing you can do is actually give your e-mail when the cashier asks you for it. Unlike other places, VS will not bombard you with ten ads a day. Instead, they will send you coupons. Wonderful, useful coupons, such as free lip gloss, lotion samples (and their samples are HUGE), and, of course, their signature free panties.

Another thing you can do is search for their coupons online. One of my favorite websites is http://www.retailmenot.com/, where you can either print coupons or get catalog codes to enter for savings like free shipping.

Perhaps the most obvious of all money saving "tricks" for Victoria's Secret are their semi-annual sales. My best advise to you -- go early. On the first day of the sale. That's when you can find unbelievable deals. This year I bought approximately 30 items, and the total cost me $35 dollars. And that's with me being stupid and not checking http://www.retailmenot.com/ before, where I would have found a coupon that would have saved me another $15...

I will break my purchases down for you so that you can figure out how this works... the total cost of everything I got was $76.00. That's with a piece of lingerie that cost $29.99 but I later decided to return. On this purchase I could have applied the "$15 off $75 or more" coupon from http://www.retailmenot.com/, as well as the birthday "$10 off any purchase" card that I got in the mail before the sale. Total amount I would have paid: $50.00. Then I still would have returned that lingerie. Another $29.99 back on my card. Left for me to keep: 30 pieces of lotion, bubble bath, shower gel, lip gloss, etc. for a total price of approximately $20.00!

So much shopping and no guilt factor -- a dream come true!