Fantastically Free!

This edition of "Fantastically Free!" is super belated, but equally as impressive (if I do say so myself!) as the first edition...

After we purchased our living and dining room furniture from Raymour & Flanigan, we received a $100 "thank you gift card" in the mail from the sales agent that helped us in the show room.  At first I assumed it was too good to be true -- one of those "coupons" you can't redeem without being lured back to the store and tricked into spending a bunch of mula you didn't originally intend to, in order to get a discount you on items you didn't need in the first place.  I knew we couldn't buy any furniture for $100, so a repeat visit to the show room would not be worthwhile.  Instead, I decided to take a peek at the website to see if they carried any small items we could order online and get delivered.  To my surprise, they did!

This silk flower arrangement sits in our office, and sure pretties it up!  It's a real nice size for an end table, and even though they're faux, these blooms bring a smile to my face whenever I walk in the room and see them.  Silk flowers are not for everyone, but I consider it a bonus that they "bloom" all year long and can't wilt!  ;)

Mixed Flowers in Silver Pot

And speaking of brightening things up...

Silver "S" Desk Lamp

This lamp fits perfectly with the decor of the room.  We initially had it atop our computer armoire, but we recently upgraded to a full-size computer desk with hutch, so this guy now sits on a little cabinet and looks just as nice there.  I thought the curvy shape was unique, and love that the "S" design signified my hubby's first name!

At just under $100 for both items, I was very pleasantly surprised to be able to use my coupon without breaking the bank.  I just love me a good deal!  :)  The cherry on the sundae is that I'm still loving both of these fantastically free items 15 months later!  Bonus points!

Have you scored any noteworthy free or discounted items lately?  I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Note:  I was not encouraged, paid or perked for writing this post.  These opinions are purely my own -- I can't help bragging about such a good fantastically free find!

Wayfair Rewards

I want to let you in on a little secret.... it's an online website that has zillions of really nice items for sale at surprisingly affordable prices!  Most of their items ship free (and fast!) and their selection is huge -- I can (and have) spent hours drooling over their merchandise.  Plus, their customer service is top notch.

Introducing...

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I discovered this internet gem about two years ago and have been smitten ever since.  The icing on the cake is a really neat rewards program that allows you to accrue credits for each purchase you make and apply those credits toward future purchases!  That's right... you get free stuff for shopping!  Signing up for Wayfair Rewards is free, and easy.  You fill in your email address and then get 3% back on a zillion things home!

And, if you use my referral link to sign up, we'll both get a discount on a future purchase!  Most items on the website ship for free, and the prices are really affordable.  So, click on my referral link and start browsing!  You have nothing to lose, but I have a feeling you're going to find something fantastic to buy.  ;)

http://www.wayfair.com/invite?rfr=27636292505

Member Benefits:

+ Earn 3% on every purchase you make.

+ Receive an extra $10 for every friend that you refer.

+ Get access to exclusive members-only email offers.

To give you a taste of their selection, here is some of my favorite Wayfair eye candy:

Crosley LaFayette Expandable Bar Cabinet in Vintage Mahogany

Kaleen Regale Blue Rug

Graham & Brown Watercolor Meadow Printed Canvas Art

Well, what are you waiting for?  Get shopping!  This site has everything you could possibly want, and more!!!  If you've already bought something from Wayfair, I'd love to see what it is!  :)

NOTE:  For reach friend who makes a purchase after signing up for Wayfair Rewards through my referral link, I'll get a $10 credit.  You'll get the same once you refer friends, too!!!  I was not compensated in any way by Wayfair for writing this post and the views expressed are solely my own.  I simply love saving mula, and also love passing savings on to friends, so it's a win-win!  Enjoy!!!

To Do Lists

Shep and I are big fans of to-do lists.  We have apartment to-do lists, life to-do lists, vacation to-do lists, hurricane prep to-do lists, and even weekend to-do lists.  For some reason, it seems more fun to spend our free time doing things we don't necessarily want to be doing when we get to check them off a piece of paper as we go.  {Wait a minute, that doesn't sound very fun at all.  We've been duped!}

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Last weekend we accomplished a LOT.  We:

• Wrote a letter to Visa customer service
• Replaced chandelier bulbs
• Took photos of defective/damaged items bought online for Christmas
• Took down all our Christmas decorations and our tree  :(
• Purchased 2 large bins to store additional Christmas decorations received this year (on clearance at Walmart = score!)
• Visited our storage unit to put all decorations away and get humidifier out
• Replaced our HVAC filters
• Looked up some crock pot recipes
• Researched (aka stared at pinterest for hours) chaise & settee chairs for fireplace area
• Looked at some potential entertainment center units to replace our current one
• Bought tea lights
• Bought chalk
• Took our car for oil change/check-up
• Contacted our realtor to renew the lease for our old apartment
• Applied some wood polish on some scratches on our wood floors (don't ask!)
• Purchased a gift for an upcoming event
• Did 4 loads of laundry (gulp!)
• Returned some Christmas gift clothing + shoes that didn't fit
• Laid down new rug purchased for fireplace area
• Went on a dinner + movie date night!  :)

Phew!  What a busy weekend!  No wonder it flew by.  ;) 

Whatever we don't accomplish one weekend, gets moved to the list for the next weekend.  Hopefully one day our list will look like this:

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Until then, a girl can dream!  ;)

Now it's your turn.  What's on YOUR to-do list?

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe

Catch a storage-solution-for-our-entryway by the toe...  Hmmm, the lyrics don't quite have the same ring but you get the point!  ;)

Since moving in, we've been trying to figure out how to best wrangle our belongings in the entry area.  Hall table?  Coat hooks?  Bench?  We luckily have a functional and spacious coat closet (finally! - our previous apartment hall closet was not deep enough to hang anything in!) but it's jam-packed with coats, scarves, hats, gloves & the like and the doors, while pretty, are not easy to open and close which means we avoid doing so.  ;)  The problem is, the entryway space is pretty tight, so we had to be strategic about which solution to choose.

Option 1
While on a recent trip to a Home Decorators Collection Grand Opening in Vauxhall, NJ, we decided to get a bench for our entryway so we'd have somewhere to sit while putting shoes on/off, cubbies to store our shoes out of sight (and out of the way to prevent tripping) and a convenient place to drop our keys/purse/gloves/briefcase/whatever in lieu of a table.  So after finishing our delicious hot apple cider (thanks Home Decorators Collection grand opening!) we bought ourselves this little guy:

Martha Stewart Living™ Storage Bench

Option 2
After getting Bench #1 home, we found a different bench online that Shep liked better.  It was pricier and didn't come with a cushion, but looked like it was made of nicer-looking materials (real wood perhaps?!) and appeared from the description to hold more shoes.  So, we ordered it:

Winsome® Walnut Finish Storage Hall Bench with Storage

Unfortunately, a few weeks after ordering it I received an email that the bench was back-ordered, and wouldn't ship for several weeks.  We weren't in a huge rush (illustrated by the fact that bench #1 was still in the box we bought it in), so we figured we'd just wait out the backorder.

Option 3
While I was out being a rebel on SuperBowl Sunday, a little sale fairy steered me in the direction of a sign stating that this bench was seriously discounted:

SONOMA life + style® Storage Bench

One of Kohl's famous 50% off sales AND I would get an additional 20% off from the Kohl's charge application I was planning to submit?!  That was enough of an incentive to call the hubby to discuss a revised plan of attack.  After looking up some reviews and measuring the space for the bench out at home on Shep's part, while I anxiously paced the sales floor of Kohl's holding on to a Dyson box on the other end of the phone, we decided to go for it.  So, we bought our third (and final!) bench and decided to return the other two.

Since we've already assembled lucky #3, this particular search has officially ended!  ;)  One more item crossed off the "to get" list... we're making progress!

75% off Patio Furniture at Lowe's!

If you're in the market for patio furniture, you should check out lowes.com!  Their patio furniture is currently 75% off -- wow!

This iron and wood bench is originally $128 on sale for $32!

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This black porch glider was originally $155 and is now marked down to $47!  (They also have it in white too for $38.75!)

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And this little red set was originally $98 marked down to $24.50!

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Now those are some good end-of-summer deals!  Happy shopping!