[EXPIRED] Free Song: "Next to You" by Chris Brown (feat. Justin Bieber) [MP3.com]

Get a free download of "Next to You" by Chris Brown (featuring the ubiquitous Justin Bieber), from MP3.com here.  This song is available today only, so get it while you can!

Lyrics from A-Z Lyrics:

"Next 2 You"
(feat. Justin Bieber)

[Chris Brown]
You’ve got that smile,
That only heaven can make.
I pray to God everyday,
That you keep that smile.

[Justin Bieber]
Yeah, you are my dream,
There’s not a thing I won’t do.
I'd give my life up for you,
'Cause you are my dream.

[Bridge]
And baby, everything that I have is yours,
You will never go cold or hungry.
I’ll be there when you’re insecure,
Let you know that you’re always lovely.
Girl, 'cause you are the only thing that I got right now.

[Chorus]
One day when the sky is falling,
I’ll be standing right next to you,
Right next to you.
Nothing will ever come between us,
I’ll be standing right next to you,
Right next to you.

[Chris Brown]
If you had my child,
You would make my life complete.
Just to have your eyes on a little me,
That’d be mine forever.

[Justin Bieber]
That’d be mine forever.

[Bridge]
And baby, everything that I have is yours
You will never go cold or hungry
I’ll be there when you’re insecure
Let you know that you’re always lovely
Girl, 'cause you are the only thing that I got right now

[Chorus]
One day when the sky is falling,
I’ll be standing right next to you,
Right next to you.
Nothing will ever come between us,
I’ll be standing right next to you,
Right next to you.

[Bridge]
We’re made for one another
Me and you
And I have no fear
I know we’ll make it through

One day when the sky is falling
I’ll be standing right next to you
Ohh ohh ohh ohhhhh

[Chorus]
One day when the sky is falling,
I’ll be standing right next to you,
Right next to you.
Nothing will ever come between us,
I’ll be standing right next to you,
Right next to you.

Oh nah nah
Oh yeah
Stand by my side
When the sky falls
Oh baby
I’ll be there

You’ve got that smile,
That only heaven can make.
I pray to God everyday,
To keep you forever.

[EXPIRED] Free Song: "Adolescents" by Incubus [Amazon.com]

The free song from Amazon today is "Adolescents" from the new Incubus album If Not Now, When?  Click here to download.

Here are the lyrics (from AZ Lyrics):

"Adolescents"

I'm feeling out of bounds, out of bounds

I'm running out of time, out of time

I know there's no such thing as either of them

But its doesn't make me feel any better

Out of sight, out of mind

Out of sight, out of mind

We're out of time

We're out of mind

Out of mind

Out of mind

Yeah, yeah

I’m feeling overwhelmed, overwhelmed

It’s getting out of line, line, line

I know I’m not alone

Just adolescents, you and I

It doesn’t make me feel any better

Out of sight, out of mind

Out of sight, out of mind

We're out of time

We're out of mind

Out of mind

Out of mind

Yeah, yeah

Out of sight, out of mind

Out of sight, out of mind

We're out of time

We're out of mind

Out of mind

Out of mind

We're out of mind

Yeah 

My favorite Incubus songs are their "love songs" like "I Wish You Were Here," "Stellar," and "I Miss You."  Definitely bringing back high school memories!

[EXPIRED] $2.00 Free MP3 Credit [Amazon.com]

Click here to get $2.00 credit towards mp3 purchases from Amazon—for free!  Code expires on Thursday, June 30.

You can get a couple $0.69 or $0.99 songs or use the $2.00 towards purchase of a digital album.  There are several albums available for $5.00 this month, including the latest from Death Cab for Cutie and Maroon 5.

Yay for free music of your choice!

Good Day at Goodwill [Goodwill: San Francisco, Clement St.]

Even though I've had one good experience at the Clement St. Goodwill store, I was totally blown away by the number of good-quality and -condition items to be found there this past Sunday.  I literally made 3 trips to the dressing room to try on stuff.

Among the finds:

Michael Kors leather tassel mules
(similar here; for sale on eBay here)

$8.49

I can only assume that someone didn't know their designer brands when they priced these below the plethora of (new) Target shoes.

Zara leather ankle booties

$18.99

Can't find how much these retailed, but these Zara ankle booties are $59.99 (actually not as expensive as I was expecting).

Gap wool coat with funnel collar 

$128.00 $14.99

I really wanted to like this coat but the sizing was comparable to my Old Navy ruffle wool coat, i.e., not fitted enough in the torso.  Plus the collar was a little weird to me.  Too bad.  I was happy to hand it to another customer who was eyeing it though.

Ralph Lauren Polo cable knit short-sleeve sweater 

$5.49

I also wanted to like this sweater but wish it were a v-neck instead.  It was also a little short in length and pretty shapeless.  I couldn't imagine wearing it alone, but below you'll see my attempt at a preppy look with this sweater.

Here's what I ended up purchasing:

Mossimo button-up shirt – purple check
(similar here; inspired by this)

$19.99 $5.49

This shirt didn't have the original tag but it definitely looked and felt like it had never been worn.  Since Target donates a lot of unsold merch to Goodwill, I am going to assume it was brand new.  Interestingly I found this in the section of men's collared button-up shirts (new tip!).

Timberland Mazie Tall Suede Boots
(product description here; sold out in the US but available from Sears Canada here)

$180.00 $14.99

Again, no original tag, but they definitely looked new based on the lack of marks or scuffs on the soles.  The only bad thing is they fit a little too tight around my muscular calves when I'm wearing skinny jeans, but hopefully by fall/winter my calves will be slimmer or the boots will stretch out. :) (And please ignore my lone shoe strewn on the dressing room floor :P) 

Not pictured:

After some internal debate, I was ready to buy a pair of barely used bowling shoes for $4.25. A sign on the door said all shoes were 50% off but at the register I was told the sale is for this coming weekend instead (boo).  I wasn't willing to pay $8.50 for shoes I might only wear once a year at most.  So maybe I'll check back on Friday or Saturday when the sale is going.


Has anyone noticed a pattern for when Goodwill (or other thrift stores) put the "nice stuff" out, or did I just go on a good day?

[EXPIRED] Free Song: "Deer in the Headlights" by Owl City [iTunes]

iTunes is offering a free song from Owl City's latest album All Things Bright and Beautiful, which just released on Tuesday.  Click here to get "Deer in the Headlights" gratis (you will need to have iTunes installed and an iTunes account).

Adam Young explains the meaning behind the song in an interview with Christianity Today:

What's the story behind the new song "Deer in the Headlights"?

I enjoy writing largely from the imagination, and usually that produces rather abstract imagery. But with "Deer in the Headlights," I wrote a personal song that plays close to the chest in a way that no other song I've written ever has. I was ending a serious relationship at the time, and I was harrowed by the fact that so many people (specifically me) have a funny tendency to desire romance merely for the sake of avoiding loneliness, which ultimately means it's not about LOVE at all! Sometimes it's easy to be "blinded by the light" and forget all about what true romance is designed by God to be. When all you focus on are the warm fuzzies, a relationship can become dangerous and disastrous very quickly. So the song plays closely to the fact that I needed to pull myself out of the lights and remember what's more important than the romantic butterflies.

Regrets of the Dying

Have not been posting much lately—not because I haven't been buying anything (though it's true that none of my purchases were good enough deals to share), but because I really don't want to encourage any addictions to accumulating STUFF and thinking it will make anyone happier.

I fall into the trap myself.  My weakness is clothing, if you couldn't tell.  I always want new clothes and think that if I have the perfect wardrobe, and thus if I look a certain way, I'll be happy with myself.  But it's just a hamster on a wheel, a never-ending cycle.

I read this list of "Regrets of the Dying" via Challies's A La Carte for today:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I didn't work so hard.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

How does this relate to saving money in the city?

Don't bother spending money to impress other people.  Trent at The Simple Dollar espouses this all the time, and the fact that this ties into the #1 regret people have when they die, it seems safe to say impressing other people doesn't matter in the end.

Blogs provide interesting, useful, and sometimes life-changing advice and information—for free.  I am the kind of person who learns best through reading, so I can't even begin to recount all the valuable things I have learned from ordinary people who decided to put their thoughts on paper (so to speak) and share what they know with the world without wanting a dime in return. 

[EXPIRED] Free Song: "Little Shocks" by Kaiser Chiefs

Click here to stream and download "Little Shocks," the latest single from Brit rockers Kaiser Chiefs, for free.

From the review on the Guardian's music blog:

[T]he Kaisers are back with the first single from their as yet untitled fourth album. Good things you should know about Little Shocks: it doesn't feature any "la, la, la", "na, na, na" or "ruby, ruby, ruby" singalong bits, and though it has a chorus it's not as "festival friendly" as their previous singles. What it does have, however, is a fantastically creepy keyboard riff, some brilliantly off-kilter drumming from songwriter Nick Hodgson and the word "ruffian" in the first verse.

[EXPIRED] $10 for $20 at Old Navy [Groupon]

Awesome deal today from Groupon! (If you don't have a Groupon account, you can sign up through my referral link.)

$10 for a $20 voucher at Old Navy stores

The deal lasts until midnight tonight, so get it while you can!

Unfortunately this deal can't be combined with the $40 Old Navy rewards card I got recently, but I've got a pretty long wish list so I'm sure I'll find a way to spend $60 there :)

Some of the fine print (visit Groupon to see the full details):

• Limit 1 per person
• Voucher expires 7/30/11
• Must use entire $20 in one visit
• Only valid in US and Canada
• Cannot be combined with other offers

Free Song: "Crazy Yes Dumb No" by The Naked and Famous

Yep, another free song from The Naked and Famous!  The song "Crazy Yes Dumb No" is NOT on their "Passive Me, Aggressive You" album, which makes this deal even more special. :)

You can download the track in either of 2 ways:

1) Sign up for the band's email list.

2) "Like" their page on Facebook.

If you're a lyrics geek like me and want to know what a song is about before you get hooked on it, here are the words:

Come on boy just come 'round
I may be crazy but I'm not dumb
Why you looking so down, when you're so wired?
Why go into town? Come over to my house
Come on boy just come round
I may be crazy but I'm not dumb
I may be crazy but I am not too young to love you
I won't be fooled again

Oh no, Oh no-o-o-o

Come on girl just come 'round
I may be crazy but I'm not dumb
Why you looking so down, when you're so wired?
Why go into town? Come over to my house
Come on girl just come round
I may be crazy but I'm not dumb
I may be crazy but I am not too young to love you
I won't be fooled again

Oh no, Oh no-o-o-o

Then again, what's so bad about dying? (x3)

Come on boy just come 'round
I may be crazy but I'm not dumb
Why you looking so down, when you're so wired?
Why go into town? Come over to my house
Come on boy just come 'round
I may be crazy but I'm not dumb
I may be crazy but I am not too young to love you
I won't be fooled again

Oh no, Oh no-o-o-o

[EXPIRED] Free Song: "Punching in a Dream" by The Naked and Famous [Amazon.com]

The Naked and Famous is an up-and-coming band you may have heard of. Their current single "Young Blood" was featured as a free song on iTunes and is now getting radio play.

If you like this group's fresh sound, check out a free song available for download on Amazon:

Song Title	Time	Price
2. Punching In A Dream	3:58	FREE

Enjoy!

[EXPIRED] Old Navy: 25% Off One Item for Cardholders

If you missed getting 50% off one regular priced item at Old Navy over the weekend...

...you can still get 25% off one item by printing out this page and using your Old Navy, Gap, or Banana Republic card.

Only valid in stores.  Discount not valid on clearance, among other things (read the page for details).  Expires 5/26/11.

[EXPIRED] Free Song: "Hang You Up" by Yellowcard [Amazon.com]

Another post for time-sensitive goodies.  Today's free song from Amazon is "Hang You Up" by Yellowcard.  Click here to download while it's still available.

This song is a nice change of pace from what I remember of Yellowcard's old sound. (Who else remembers when "Ocean Avenue" was playing everywhere you turned?)  I can see this track doing very well on mainstream radio.  Good job, Yellowcard!

[EXPIRED] Old Navy Coupon: 50% off One Regular Priced Item

You can take 50% off one regular priced item from Old Navy from today until Sunday!  Click here for the coupon.  Only valid in stores.

LC Lauren Conrad Sequin Shift Dress [Kohl's: Colma]

Two weeks ago I scored the above dress on super sale at the Kohl's in Colma for a mere $12.00.  The dress retails for $60.00 but was 80% off, so I used some merchandise credit and paid $0 out of pocket!

I wasn't surprised that this dress didn't come with a belt (since I'd read complaints about the lack of belts on LC dresses here and here), but once you add a belt to define your waist, I bet this dress would create a very flattering silhouette on various body types.

Here's a preview of how I envision wearing it for a special occasion with my bf or a night on the town with friends:

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad Sequin Shift Dress (buy here)

Belt: came with a Stylementor dress from Yesstyle (same belt here)

Shoes: Merona Mackenzie cork wedges from Target (buy here)

Nails: "Phenomena" by L.A. Colors Color Craze (see post here)

There were a number of dresses left in this style when purchased mine, so I encourage ladies to try checking in stores before purchasing online at a higher price.

Nicely Polished

A little while ago I bought this nail polish from Dollar Tree for just $1.00:

 

L.A. Colors, Color Craze, "Phenomena"

Available here for the slightly higher price of $3.50 for two, but sure beats buying a whole case of 144!

Overall I'm really happy with my purchase. While it did take two coats to get the same shade as the bottle, I was pleased that the color was vibrant and glossy even without a topcoat. Unfortunately the color started chipping a few days in but I'm sure that wouldn't have happened as soon if I had used a topcoat to protect my nails.

Definitely recommend getting this if you can find it for a dollar!

Old Navy Spring Haul [Old Navy: Colma]

The Old Navy store in Colma had some very inexpensive items in stock this past weekend.  I snatched up the following four items.  I'm particularly excited about the first two, as I've grown tired of wearing the same jeans, corduroys, cardigans, and camis all winter so am trying to infuse some pops of color in my otherwise bland wardrobe of solid colors and stripes.

 Twisted Cuff Seed-Bead Bracelet

Original: $12.50

I paid: $1.18

Tiered Gauze Skirt in purple floral (buy here)

Original: $26.50

I paid: $2.91

 Khaki Pencil Skirt

Original: $29.50

I paid: $2.91

Girl's Skinny Jeans in tigris (buy here)

Original: $19.50

I paid: $10.08

Long story short, the store had a crazy sale where all women's clearance bottoms (jeans, pants, skirts, and shorts) were a flat $6 each.  I also signed up for an Old Navy card and got an extra 20% off my entire purchase as part of their current promotion.  

If you're considering signing up for an Old Navy card (which, btw, also works for Gap, Banana Republic, Piperlime, and Athleta), I would only recommend getting one if you routinely shop at any of those stores AND you are positive that you will (1) not shop at those stores more often now that you have a store card, and (2) pay off your card every month and not rack up any retail debt.  After all, the best deal you can buy is to not buy anything at all.

Springy Scarf [Old Navy: San Francisco]

Scarves seem to be in season year-round, so this patterned lightweight scarf in a nice coral color will likely do double-duty in both spring and fall.  I got this one from Old Navy in downtown SF for a mere $4.89.  Originally $10.00, it was on clearance for $6.99 and then an extra 30% off all clearance items.

I saw that the same extra 30% off clearance sale was going on at the downtown SF Old Navy yesterday, so you might want to check it out while you can.  Or you can wait it out some more until clearance items get an extra 50% off. :)

If you're shopping online, you can use the coupon code BRONGAP20 to get 20% off until Wednesday.

UPDATE: Use code ONBOGO to Buy One, Get One 50% Off until Sunday.  My scarf is currently available in a very pretty green:

Women's Jersey Sheer Burnout Scarves

Don't Give Up [Goodwill: San Francisco, Clement St.]

When you're trying to shop lean but maintain some standards of quality, it can sometimes feel like an uphill climb. There are so many things working against you.  It's more convenient to buy something off the rack right when you see it, rather than wait until the price drops or you find a cheaper, similar product elsewhere. There is near-constant pressure from ads to buy the latest and greatest things brand new.  When you narrow your price range, you also narrow your options to choose from.  You'll repeated have to walk away when something doesn't fit the bill for one reason or another.  It can be tempting to just give up.

I feel this way sometimes when I read or hear about fabulous finds people have found from unlikely sources such as thrift stores, garage sales, and estate sales.  This especially applies to thrift stores, since I don't make it a habit to check out local garage sales and have yet to set foot in an estate sale (though I still want to!).  So I tend to have high hopes upon entering a thrift store...but more often than not, I leave empty-handed and disappointed.

With this in mind, I now shop at thrift stores only when it's convenient.  On Friday I went to the bank and decided to check out the Goodwill store across the street, since it was right there and I had time to kill.  Now, I've been to this store 3 times in the last 6 weeks and each time I didn't find anything to buy.  So why should this time be any different?

But lo and behold, I made two purchases I am really happy with:

Aqua Short Sleeve Shirred Blazer (buy here)

Original: $88.00

I paid: $4.49

 Elastic striped belt with chain (no label)

I paid: $1.99

Blazer and belt together:

Despite my admonition to know your labels, I actually had no idea that Aqua was a Bloomingdale's brand until I did a search for this jacket.  Beyond that, I was surprised to find this exact blazer still available online for the retail price!  I had assumed this would be a style from a past season and thus unsearchable on the internets.  Judging by the wrinkles, I'm guessing someone didn't follow the Dry Clean Only directions and the jacket shrunk in the dryer.  Oh well, their loss is my gain!

So if you feel like giving up on a certain store or method of saving money, DON'T!  For every time you find an amazing deal, there will be many times you won't find anything.  But when you do find something that's a homerun, the strikeouts are totally worth it!

Free Song: "Barton Hollow" + 9 live tracks by The Civil Wars

Yes, more free songs from The Civil Wars!  You can download the single "Barton Hallow" here, which is the title track from the album and is awesome.

A free album of 9 live tracks is also available from the same link.

Live at Eddie's Attic: Track list

1. If I Didn't Know Better
2. 20 Years
3. Falling
4. Poison & Wine
5. Tip of My Tongue
6. My Father's Father
7. No Ordinary Love
8. Girl with the Red Balloon
9. Dance Me to the End of Love
10. Falling (Demo) [Bonus Track]

NOTE: The WXRT offers require an email address, which will be added to their newsletter mailing list.  I suggest creating a separate address for freebies and then unsubscribing from mailing lists if the emails get to be too frequent or spammy.  

If you don't want to provide your email address, you can download the Live at Eddie's Attic tracks from The Civil Wars website.

[EXPIRED] Free Song: "20 Years" by The Civil Wars [Amazon.com]

My boyfriend recently introduced me to The Civil Wars.  This band remind me of Eastmountainsouth with their haunting, folksy duets.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Amazon has a free download of "20 Years," the first track from The Civil Wars' album Barton Hollow.  Free songs from popular artists typically don't last long on Amazon, so get this one while you can!