[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

[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] 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.

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

Ruffle Me Up [Old Navy: Colma]

I don't say this about many things, but I definitely am my mother's daughter when it comes to shopping.  She loves to shop and goes almost every weekend.  This time she and I went with my grandma in tow as well.  We drove about 30 mins south of the City to the small town of Colma, known for shopping centers, car dealerships, and cemeteries.  (Lovely, I know.)

We made a quick stop at Old Navy in the 280 Metro Center so I could exchange some jeans, but of course I couldn't help making a short detour to the Clearance section, just to browse.  One of the first things that caught my eye was this ruffle collar, wool-blend coat:

Stock photo:
(clearly much more purple than the real thing)

I'm a pretty avid Old Navy shopper, so I knew this coat had been part of their winter line and had, on numerous occasions, been 50% off in stores over the past few months.  With the tag showing the original price of $69.50 and no clearance sticker in sight, I brought it to the register with me to get a price check.

It rang up as $45.99, which I was NOT willing to pay, but the girl behind the register said she was pretty sure the coat should be on clearance and sweetly offered to check with the manager for me.  The manager came around, thought for a second, and said, "I could do it for $19.99."

To be honest, the stingy side of me wasn't all that impressed with $19.99 but I bought it anyway since (1) Old Navy has a good long return policy (90 days for full refund or exchanges) and (2) I had a gift card, so only paid about $6 out of pocket.

The coat fits well at the shoulders and sleeves, but otherwise is pretty loose.  I tried on an XS in a different style and the body fit me perfectly but the shoulders were too tight (grrr at my disproportionate body).  Also, this coat is only about 60% wool so I'm not sure how warm it will be.  But the rich royal blue color is pretty, and I do have a weakness for jackets and coats, so I'm a bit torn.  Should I keep it?

Be Like the Ant [Old Navy: San Francisco]

Do you know the fable about the ant and the grasshopper?  My dad used to tell this to my sister and me as a bedtime story all the time. Basically the ant stores up food for himself when times are good while the grasshopper doesn't worry about the future and laughs at the ant instead.  Then winter comes and the ant is fat and happy and the grasshopper is dying of starvation...

So what does this have to do with saving money in the city?  Like the ant, a smart saver in the city needs to think ahead and prepare for what's to come--specifically when it comes to clothing and how the changing seasons necessitate a changing wardrobe.

When stores are getting ready to sell clothes for the new season, they also need to unload the previous season's merch.  And that means SALES!

Last September, on the cusp of fall, the big Old Navy in downtown SF had some crazy sales on their clearance section. At the time the clearance section largely consisted of summer clothes. The first week I went, all the clearance items were Buy One, Get One Free.  Sweet!  I bought 2 tanks, 2 shorts, and 2 sports bras for around $25.  Can't get much better, right?

WRONG.  The following week, the clearance section was all an extra 50% off instead!  It sounds like the same promotion but the BOGO is actually not as good a deal because it requires you to buy 2 things to get the lower price, which may result in unnecessary purchases.

This brings me to Lesson #1: Buying clothes out of season can save a LOT of $$$.

As far as I know Old Navy doesn't do price adjustments, so I re-bought the same pieces plus a few more.  Here was my haul:

Camper shirt with buttoned roll-up sleeves

Clearance price: $9.49

Final price (extra 50% off): $4.74

Stretch cotton sateen skirt 

(I bought these in 3 colors: olive green, gray, and black)

Clearance price: $7.49

Final price (extra 50% off): $3.74

Sports bras

Clearance price: $4.99 each

Final price (extra 50% off): $2.49 each

 

White cotton cardigan

Clearance price: $9.49

Final price (extra 50% off): $4.74

Denim pencil skirt

Clearance price: $6.99

Final price (extra 50% off): $3.49

Embellished striped cardigan

Clearance price: $9.99

Final price (extra 50% off): $4.99

Bermuda shorts

(I bought these in 3 colors: gray, khaki, and brown)

Clearance price: $7.49

Final price (extra 50% off): $3.74

Embellished racerback tank

(I bought these in 2 colors: black and white)

Clearance price: $4.99

Final price (extra 50% off): $2.49

Lounge pants

Clearance price: $6.49

Final price (extra 50% off): $3.24

I couldn't believe that every single piece was under $5.00!  And you can see that I mostly bought basics that can be mixed-and-matched easily to create many different outfits.

Lesson #2: It's possible to buy NEW clothes at dirt cheap prices--even cheaper than used clothes at some thrift stores!

So I hope as winter ends and spring begins that you'll have a chance to stock up on scarves, coats, and sweaters at cheap prices!  In 6 months you'll be glad you did :)