Moneyisforspending's Blog

Loub Sale

moneyisforspending — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:54:20 +0000

At approx 10:30 AM I recieved an e-mail from Outnet.com announcing the impending Louboutin sale. My palms were sweaty, my heart was racing, and I was nervous. I knew the moment I clicked on the link I would be spending the next hour figuring out which how I would pay for my new purchase. How would I pay off the balance of my credit card in 15 minutes in order to pay for something else? Did my debit card have enough of a balance? Would Bank of America increase my credit limit in 10 minutes? I had so many doubts. Then I realized that I had Marcy’s credit card # on hand. She would understand. Nobody questions a pair of Christian Louboutin prive wedge pumps for 60% off. I was right on. I clicked on my size and by the time I convinced myself that Marcy wouldn’t care and entered her credit card info… I was informed that they were sold out. SERIOUSLY… 5 MINUTES. Nymag had written up this impending sale which I am sure didn’t help my cause. I am devastated. The next time Outnet has a Loub sale I am hiring a robot that can type 100 wpm…because at this point I am convinced that robots with impeccable typing skills are the only ones who got a pair.

The Outnet

moneyisforspending — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:11:31 +0000

Of all the milestones in my life I sit here and reflect upon a few highlights; the day I got my license, College graduation, getting my first job in New York… the day I discovered NetAPorter.

NetAPorter is an online luxury retailer based out of Long Island and yes I have applied for a job there. They carry an amazing selection of both the new and relevant designers of today, and some of the icons. I lost my battle to NetAPorter the day I discovered they had same day messenger service to Manhattan.

I was always impressed by the sales and you can imagine my horror when one day the “sale” tab had seemingly gone missing from the upper right hand corner. Alas! The OutNet launched about 2 weeks ago. The OutNet is the sister site of NAP stocked with all things marked down. Marc, Christian, Matthew, and Diane for up to 60% off! It doesn’t get any better. I love the flash sales. You watch the countdown so you can be the first to get that Chloe bag for… wait for it… 640$! It’s almost as exciting as bidding on e-bay.

I finally moved

moneyisforspending — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:35:50 +0000

I’ve had my fair share of crappy New York apartments. I started out in a hotel room with a roommate. I lived in a tuna can with a sleeploft. I lived in a cramped high rise with a bathroom where I could smell the neighbors burning chicken every night. And last but not least a walkup that was so intense that we were convinced we could leave the door unlocked because nobody would bother. I finally moved to an apartment that is worthy of my astronomical rent. I even have a wine fridge that I will never use.

Seeing that I’ve moved at least once a year (sometimes twice) for the past 10 years, I have pretty much become an expert. 5 of my moves in the past 3 years have been in New York and here is what I learned:

It’s freaking expensive.
Your parents won’t help you.
The movers don’t give a shit about your stuff.

Of course I tried to convince myself that I needed to buy all new furniture from WestElm 3 years ago but I’m glad I didn’t. It never would have survived and how do you know the stuff will even fit in your next room? I have devised my own system. I bought stuff from Target and Ikea and made it look like I didn’t. Here are my suggestions:

Download the room planner on the website. You just lug in the measurements of your room and pick out the furniture and arrange it to see what your space could look like. This kept me occupied for hours.

Instead of paying for delivery I rented a Zipcar and drove there myself. The delivery for my items started at around 100$ and I rented a Zipcar for 79$ and went to Target too. Recruit a friend to help you and leave out the part about the fact that Ikea makes you take your own crap of the shelves and load it into the car yourself. That’s what I did to Libbie. It took us 5 hours to put my wardrobe together. She’s still mad at me.

There are so many things you can do to make your mass produced furniture look original. I bought the Aspelund wardrobe and painted it green. I just went to home depot and bought the same stuff you slap on your walls.

I also went to Anthropologie and bought new knobs for my dresser. Look in the sale section they always have them. Mine were $2.95 a piece! Obsessed. I’m going to buy knobs for everything that has a hole in it.

Topshop

moneyisforspending — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:25:00 +0000

It’s 9pm and still no call or text. Do you know where your best friend is? I do. She’s at Topshop and she didn’t tell you. Wanna know why? Because it’s virtually impossible to navigate/shop/touch/make decisions in the 3-floors that is the USA Flagship with a friend. I lost Jackie in approximately 25 seconds when we went last weekend. I was so overwhelmed I think I forgot she was with me. When I first walked in it was like Christmas morning. There were sequined mini’s, floral sundresses, clutches that were make of leather and not plastic…then I looked at the price tags. Okay but seriously let’s get to it:

Why you should go:

trendy – wanna get a pair of distressed jeans or feathered headdress? (You wish I were kidding.) This is a great stop for the things you know you will only like this season.
well merchandised with seemingly full size runs
3 floors full of greatness, 300 new items every week
fitting rooms – big and roomy and plenty of them!

Why you shouldn’t go:

the quality doesn’t appear to be that much greater than H&M
crowds – I went the minute the store opened on a Sunday. I thought I was smarter than everyone else for the 15 minutes that everyone was still at brunch.
prices – great selection of accessories with some being exceptionally cute but I’m not spending 140$ on something that is going to make my neck break out in hives. Also, you could buy a few pieces here OR you could get one NICE thing at Barney’s.

Here is the one top I tried on.

This bejeweled snake ring was 60$. I could smell the nickel and I’m pretty sure my finger was on the verge or turning green.

So in conclusion… is Topshop super fun and trendy? Yup. Is it over-priced, over-crowded, and over-whelming? Yup.

Will I be returning? Most definitely.

moneyisforspending — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:38:00 +0000

Is it really 2009? It feels like yesterday that I was at Chris Burckhart’s house waiting for the ball to drop and turn the much anticipted year 2000. Rememeber that? Some of us thought the world was going to end…or at the least some of our electronics would go haywire. Of course I don’t remember b/c I was 16 and thought I could handle a few too many Boon’s Farms and faceplanted on the carpet before the whole thing even started.

I don’t make new years resolutions. What’s the point? They’re always the same and I know I won’t keep them. Go to the gym more. Eat less. Play the lottery more so you can buy more crap. Great.

Christmas was fun. Christmas is always fun at the Greenfield’s. Every year I hear the same thing… “We lost so much in the stock market so don’t expect this Christmas to be as good as least year.” And it’s always better. Plus don’t forget kiddies I get Hannukah too. Forget the kids that made fun of me in my Catholic Highschool for being 1/2 jewish. I’m laughing all the way to the menorah with presents under it.

I got Guitar Hero for Nintendo DS and a philips power squid to supply energy to my 4 ipods all at once (plus this laptop while I write this)! Then Christmas came and I cleaned up nicely.

I got everyone’s gift at Bendel’s this year sans David. I got him an ipod case at the apple store. Gift highlights were Marcy’s new golf clubs, golf covers and matching shoe bag, and Arhaus leather bar stools for Florida that I love and hopefully steal someday. David got a telescope to bring out his inner 6 year old, 2 Enstein books, 1 Giants Superbowl book, record cleaner kit, 2 Vinyls, and iPod touch. Oh AND he’ll most likely be getting my Verizon bill and early termination fee for the iPhone that I got myself whilst I was making this gift purchase for him.

As always, Ali got a TON of crap probably because as usual Marcy feels bad because I got more. (Most likely because I asked for more.)

But let’s be real kids. What is the lesson here? Times are tough. We’re all pretty lucky. I say SPEND IT (wisely) because you can’t take it with you. Who are we to criticize P. Hilton for her pre-new years spending anyways??? Besides we have an economy to fix.

A Christmas Letter

moneyisforspending — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:27:00 +0000

Every year when I come home for Christmas the first thing I do is go the letter holder and pull out all the 3-pagers. You know…the families that take the time to write a multi-page bragbook about everything that each member of their family has done this past year. Something like this:

Dearest friends,

So and so celebrated his 30th year at the cinder block plant where he was presented with a plaque….blah blah

Out youngest son “Sam” got a new 7 iron and hasn’t left the golf course in 5 months!…blah blah

We had quite a scare with Fluffy this year when he ate a flipflop…blah blah

“Joe” graduated college with a degree in agricultural science, has moved back in with us and plays Wii all day WE ARE SO PROUD OF HIM!!!! blah blah

We hope you are as blessed in this coming year as we have been. Our savior Jesus Christ has never been more present in our lives. God Bless.

Did I mention my Dad is jewish?

Don’t get me wrong I love all of our friends and I hope to get the letters for many years to come.

Here is mine:

Hello dear friends, lovers, and family,

This year has gone by so fast for Mallory. Of course she is still in New York. She lives on the 17th floor of a high-rise where she constantly stares into the penthouse complete with rooftop garden across the street and aspires to live.

She works for MMG and from this has gained many new friends on facebook.

Two days ago she bought an iPhone. Her very first. It was love at first application. Feel free to buy her old phone here: OLD PHONE. For 200$ she will include all the juicy texts and pics that Gregg Hiller has sent her.

Mallory is slowly getting better at the whole cooking bit. She used the oven 4 times this year and only burned the contents and set off the smoke alarm once. She even got an e-mail from seamlessweb stating that they MISS her and wonder why she hasn’t been ordering as much take-out! Go Mal!

She read around 10-15 books (not magazines) in the past year. 4 of them were in the Twilight Series and yes that counts.

Major purchases have included but are not limited to:

4 new bags

3 pair Christian Louboutins

iPhone

3 Mackage coats

378 songs on iTunes

12 months NYC rent

20 plane tickets… wtf, does anyone want to tell me where I went???

Based on previous phone records Mal estimates that she has sent approx 9,000 text messages this year. This is out of hand. No wonder she never got around to writing that memoir. She was texting it instead.

Mal is grateful for all of her friends who listen to her complain, give her a shoulder to pout on, and actively participate in the “I turn a blind eye to the 5 new shopping bags in your room” game. I love you all dearly

Most importantly Mal has learned that if you want to fly, you’ve got to let go of the shit that weighs you down.

She continues to break hearts and have hers broken. All is fair in love and war.

-Mal

Sample Sales!

moneyisforspending — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:00:00 +0000

courtesy of Lib:

Minnie Rose(50-80% Off Cashmere)Nov 26 – Dec 21; Mon-Fri (10-6)264 W 40th St (b/n 7th & 8th St), 15th FloorNew York, NY 10018212-575-5766

Echo Of The Dreamer(Up to 75% off fashion jewelry)Nov 27 – Dec 15; Tu-Fr (10-6), Sat (11-4) 242 W 30th St (b/n 7th & 8th Ave), 14th FloorNew York, NY 10001212-594-8022

Stella McCartney(40% off Fall/Winter)Nov 28 – Jan 31; Mon-Sat (11-7), Sun (12:30-6)429 W 14th St (b/n 9th and 10th Ave)212-255-1556

Balenciaga(40% off)Dec 1-7 (11-7)542 W 22nd St (near Tenth Ave)212-206-0872

Nanette Lepore(50% off and more on dresses, pants, shoes, &c.)Dec 1-7 (9-6)225 W 35th St (near 7th Ave), 9th floor212-764-8810

Theory(Up to 60% off sweaters, outerwear, shoes, accessories, &c.)Dec 3-8; Th (10-7), Fr (10-6)261 W 36th St (b/n 7th & 8th), 2nd floor212-947-8748

Blue & Cream(50% off Coats, dresses, cashmere, &c.; L.A.M.B., Twelfth Street byCynthia Vincent, Jenni Kayne, &c.)Dec 3-9; Th (11-7), Fr (11-8), Sat-Sun (10-8)1 E. First St (@ Bowery St)212-533-3088

Lauren Merkin(Up to 70% off handbags, clutches, &c.)Dec 4-6 (11-7)231 W 29th St (b/n 7th & 8th Ave), suite 201212-239-2459

Anna Sui(Up to 65% off dresses, tops, &c.)Dec 4-14; Mon-Fr 8-9:30am, 11:30-2:30pm, 4:30-7pm250 W 39th St (b/n 7th & 8th)212-768-1951

Accents By Sophia(Up to 75% off Jewelry: sterling silver, marcasite, semi-preciousstones, cultured pearls; necklaces, earrings, bracelets, pins, &c.)Dec 4-21; Mon-Th (10-6:30), Fr (10-7), Sat-Sun (closed)35 W 36th St (b/n 5th & 6th Aves), 4th Floor212-594-5077

Catherine Malandrino Sample Sale(Up to 60% off; coats, sweaters, blouses, dresses, &c.)December 5-7; Wed (1-8), Th-Fr (10-8)145 West 18th StNew York, NY 10011212-388-0339

Generra(50% and more off men’s and women’s Fall)Dec 5-7 & Dec 10-14; Mon-Fr (9-7)275 W 39th St (b/n 7th & 8th Aves), 5th floor212-768-2868

Tevrow + Chase(Up to 60% off Coats, dresses, sweaters, &c.)Dec 5-7 (9:30-5:30)416 W 13th St (b/n 9th Ave & Washington St), suite 313212-929-1810

Derek Lam(65% off and more on dresses, blouses, sweaters, skirts, &c.)Dec 6-7 (10-6)601 W 26th St (b/n 11th and 12th Ave), Suite 1750212-929-1338

Tocca(60-80% off; clothing, outerwear, furnishing, candles, gifts, &c.)Dec 6 & 7 (12-7)542 W 22nd St (near Tenth Ave), 3rd floor212-929-7122
Botkier(Handbags starting at $200)Dec 6-9; Th-Fr (10-7), Sat-Sun (11-6)70 Greene St (near Broome St)646-747-4149

Alexander Wang(Up to 75% off dresses, jackets, leather, &c.)Dec 6-9; Th (3-7), Fr-Sun (10-7)210 Fifth Ave (b/n 25th & 26th St), 2nd floor212-532-3103

Farantino Designer Handbag Sample Sale(Autumn/winter 2008 handbags from Gucci, Fendi, Prada, AlexanderMcQueen, and Dolce & Gabbana)Dec 7 & 8; Fr (4-9), Sat (8-12)Waldorf-Astoria Towers301 Park Ave (@ 49th St);28th Floor, Room # 28H866-890-1241

Alexis Bittar(Lucite Jewelry)Dec 7-9; Fr (10-7), Sat (11-6), Sun (11-2)147 W 15th St (near 6th Ave)718-422-7580, ext. 125Cash only

Showroom Seven Moving Sale (Women’s: Sue Stemp, Erickson Beamon, Orla Kiely, Issa, &c.)Dec 10-21 (9-7)498 7th Ave (near 36th St), 24th floor212-643-4810

Gerard Yosca(50-70% off jewelry)Dec 11-13; Mo-Tu (10-6), Wed (10-1)39 W 38th St (near 5th Ave), 7th floor212-302-4349Cash Only

Adam Plus Eve & 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent(Up to 65% off coats, sweaters, dresses, capes, jackets, trousers, &c.)Dec 13-15; Th (8-8), Fr (10-8), Sat (11-7)145 West 18th St (b/n 6th & 7th Ave)212-388-0339

Carolina Herrera(Women’s Clothing & Bridal gowns, dresses, cardigans, &c.)Dec 14-16 (9-6:30)Soiffer Haskin317 West 33rd (b/n 8th & 9th Aves)718-747-1656

What: MulberryWhy: Up to 70 percent off original prices on the coveted bags andclothing.When: Dec. 12 & 13. Wed. & Thurs., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.Where: Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., b/t Sixth & SeventhAves., 5th flr.

What: Proenza SchoulerWhy: Tops, bottoms, dresses, and shoes were $325-$3,500, now $80-$875.When: Dec. 13 & 14. Thurs. & Fri., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.Where: 120 Walker St., b/t Centre & Baxter Sts., 6th flr.

What: Eberjey LingerieWhy: Camis, briefs, bathing suits, and more are 50-75 percent off.When: Dec. 11 & 12. Tues., 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Wed., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Where: 183 Madison Ave., at 34th St., ste. 610. (212-696-5393).

What: Diane von FurstenbergWhy: Iconic dresses, coats, gowns, sweaters, and other stuff at up to 75percent off.When: Dec. 10-15. Mon., noon-6 p.m.; Tues., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Wed. &Thurs., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat., 10a.m.-3 p.m.Where: 260 Fifth Ave., b/t 28th & 29th Sts. (212-725-5400).

What: Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent and AdampluseveWhy: Up to 80 percent off of-the-moment coats, tops, dresses, skirts,and sweaters.When: Dec. 13-15. Thurs., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat.,11a.m.-7 p.m.Where: 145 W. 18th St., b/t Sixth & Seventh Aves. (212-388-0339).

What: Castle StarrWhy: Current collection including dresses and blouses at 50 percent off.When: Dec. 12 & 13. Wed. & Thurs., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.Where: 275 W. 39th St., b/t Seventh & Eighth Aves., 10th flr.

What: ElijahWhy: The collection is up to 50 percent off wholesale. James Coviello,too. Shop and drink to that.When: Dec. 11-13. Tues.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.Where: 213 W. 35th St., b/t Seventh & Eighth Aves., ste. 903.

What: Yaya Aflalo and Love YayaWhy: Trendy blouses, pants, sweaters, and other threads priced belowwholesale.When: Thru Dec. 14. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.Where: 80 W. 40th St., at Sixth Ave., 7th flr. (212-391-4400).

What: Fresh InkWhy: Denim for men and women retails at Barneys; now up to 80 percentoff.When: Dec. 12-14. Wed. & Thurs., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.Where: 264 W. 40th St., b/t Seventh & Eighth Aves., 3rd flr.(212-869-6300).

What: Colette MaloufWhy: Headbands, scarves, ponytail holders, and cuffs from 50 percentoff.When: Dec. 12 & 13. Wed. & Thurs., 9 a.m.-7 p.m.Where: 594 Broadway, b/t Houston & Prince Sts., ste. 305 (212-941-9588).

What: Lola HatsWhy: Caps (and more) priced $45-$140. Cash only.When: Dec. 11-13. Tues.-Thurs., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.Where: 535 Eighth Ave.,

LUST

moneyisforspending — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:51:00 +0000

Jimmy Choo Mave Foldover Clutch.

Someone should get this for me for my trip to Florida.

http://www.net-a-porter.com

S5A

moneyisforspending — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:09:00 +0000

Today is a sad day. Remember my Mackage “Hope” coat that I was so excited about? The one I found at Saks for 50% off the day after T-giving? Well I realized that it was too big. Actually I kinda knew that all along. I wear a small in Mackage and I bought a medium b/c it was the only one left and I clearly couldn’t live without. I was going to call the production crew from “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” and see if they had any of those special machines left that make things smaller. When they never got back to me I realized I had to take the coat back since it didn’t fit….UNDER THE CONDITION that they would order me a small from another store and ship it to me. I wasn’t going to part with my new Hope coat regardless of if it fit or not. (I could always hang it in my closet and just look at it from time to time.)

Well guess what. Today I get this e-mail from them:

Canceled Saks Fifth Avenue Order
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 6:03 AM
From:
“S5ALocator@saksinc.com” Add sender to Contacts
To:
mallogreen@yahoo.com

That’s it. That’s all it says. No explanation and no coat for Mallory. I don’t get it. Don’t you want to make a sale? This was a 700$ coat and the second time Saks has done this to me. I know for a fact that sales were down 57% for them in November so why they refuse to sell me coat is a mystery to me.

I’m so upset. I really needed my 3/4 length wool asymmetrical zipper MADE ESPECIALLY FOR SAKS “Hope” coat which is exactly what I have lost in them… along with my will to live.

I will be going to this tomorrow and NEVER GOING TO SAKS AGAIN:

editors note: Mallory also went “vegan” for approx 5 hours the other day. We are guessing the ban on Saks will last about this long as well.

PETA and my nerves….

moneyisforspending — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:27:00 +0000

When shopping and deciding what to wear I always seem the struggle with the same issue. I love animals but approx 1/2 my wardrobe consists of leather and I have fur in my winter portion of it. I haven’t made an actual fur purchase as these items were given to me.

However, I do not own a handbag or pair of shoes that isn’t made of leather.

Call my crazy but I do not believe that one can condone the wearing of fur and still justify wearing leather. Unless you live a completely vegan lifestyle, I do NOT believe that you have the right to judge the use of fur, leather, or a diet that contains meat.

By the way…vegan means no meat, no diary, no animal bi-product, no seafood.

I’m not sure if you are aware but gelatin is a common bi-product of the meat and leather industry. It is used in everything from household products such as the glossy finish on playing cards and hair gel, to common everyday food items such as soda, gummy bears, and marshmallows.

In order to adopt a vegan and cruelty free lifestyle, you must abstain from ALL of this. A nearly impossible task.

Peta’s latest attack is on my precious Brit Brit. They are mad that she used elephants in her Circus video.

Here’s the quote that was on Perez today:

A PETA rep writes, “As Britney is such a victim of the paparazzi and always complaining and crying about how she hates to be held up in her guarded house and can’t feel free, she of all people should be able to relate to the horror that captive animals go through when they’re used for entertainment. Except Britney chooses to perform, and the lifestyle just comes with it. Animals are ripped away from their mothers at a young age, kept in chains, and prodded with electric shock devices to make them perform.”A PETA rep writes, “As Britney is such a victim of the paparazzi and always complaining and crying about how she hates to be held up in her guarded house and can’t feel free, she of all people should be able to relate to the horror that captive animals go through when they’re used for entertainment. Except Britney chooses to perform, and the lifestyle just comes with it. Animals are ripped away from their mothers at a young age, kept in chains, and prodded with electric shock devices to make them perform.”

And here is the problem I have with this:

On the Peta website Eva Mendes would rather go naked than wear fur. However, she wears leather every day.

Here she is with a lovely Jimmy Choo bag.

And here she is with an exotic beauty. Looks like Ostrich to me. That’s right. Ostrich.

On the following page they go on to criticize Marilyn Manson for wearing leather.

PETA, your stand on all these issues would be a lot more valid if you all weren’t such hypocrites. This is a joke. In the world we live it is virtually impossible to live a lifestyle in which we don’t eat or wear anything that comes from an animal.

We are encouraged to be “green” and only use products that come from the earth and can easily be put back into it however we are also told that everything we buy should be made by man and not taken from animal.

An now I’m all confused. So I am going to continue to live my life in which I eat very little meat because I personally don’t like the taste and do not feel it is necessary to my survival. But if you try to take my Balenciaga away from me you will find that I may knock you upside the head.

Let’s try to keep our focus on helping to aid to a more humane and educated world and quit wasting time attacking people.