Blog Parties

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Free is the ultimate in thrifty shopping.

I am so excited. I just got my first perk from blogging. You see a couple of months ago I blogged about my new favorite store Tai Pan Trading.

Well, I got an email from the manager of Tai Pan Trading's Rancho Cucamonga location which is here in southern California. She was happy to see that I was blogging about Tai Pan Trading & specifically their location. So she said that she was going to send me a gift card that I could use at their store.

ME!!!! She was sending me a gift card. That equals free money!!!

Well my $25.00 gift card arrived in the mail on Thursday. By Saturday my gift card was burning a hole in my pocket. I couldn't wait another minute. Hubby & I jumped in the car and drove the 45 minutes (no traffic) to Tai Pan Trading.

I had a hard time not speeding to get there. I had to keep reminding myself that a speeding ticket in California is over $300. You see money always motivates me. Especially when you don't have any.

Well we finally arrived & we spent about 2 hours roaming the store. I had a hard time deciding what to spend my free money on. They have so much to choose from.

Before I show you what I got. I'll take you on a little tour of my favorite things I saw this time. Each time I have been there it's like visiting a new store.

Of course, patriotic decor was a theme at the store. I almost bought the blue glasses. They were only like $1.99 each. But I passed on them & decided to keep looking.

I loved these cute flower buckets. But then I adore pink & green together. The flowers were corrugated metal. Can you say cute???

They have this iron gazebo that sits inside their front door. I want it. I love the green & yellow color combo as well. To me, lemons just say summer. I have a hankering for lemonade all of a sudden.

I loved this rooster pail. But no, I didn't get it.

And speaking of pails, I love these zinc pails. But I passed on them as well.

They had this fabulous capez shell hanging. I think it was like $20.00. I thought it looked cool, but I have nowhere to hang it. It would get too dusty at my house. And can you see the large blue crystals that are hanging? They were fabulous. Perfect for summer.

This display just screamed summer to me. I loved almost everything in this display. But no, this is not what I purchased.

These boxes would be perfect for your collections.

And here are some more of those fabulous zinc pails.

And more patriotic decor. I'll give you a little hint. I did purchase some patriotic items. But not from this group.

I loved these red clocks. But then I have a thing for clocks.

There is so much more that I didn't show you. They have a big selection of purses and jewelry. But I'm more into the decor stuff.

Even though Tai Pan Trading has great prices. They also have some bargain sections including clearance, $5.00 or less, $10.00 or less or $20.00 or less. Plus they have monthly specials. So if you know me, I had to get the best deals possible with my free money.

Ok, I've teased you long enough. So what did I get with my free money?

This little wooden "Family" sign was only a buck. That's $1.00!!! And I wasn't even at the dollar store.
This wood star box was my most expensive item. It was $10.00. I kept putting it in my cart, taking it out, putting it back. And as you can see, it ended up coming home with me. I decided since I was spending free money, I could splurge on this. So glad I did.

When I first saw this "America the Beautiful" sign it was marked $9.97. I put it in my cart & then took it out. But then I saw that it was actually a monthly special. It was only $6.49, not $9.97 It was on sale!!! So in the cart it went and now it's on my wall.

And with my blog name being Starshine Chic, you have to know that I love stars. I picked up this rusty star for $3.98. And it wasn't even on sale or in the bargain section.

I've even given you a little sneak peek at my patriotic decor.


My best deal was this white pitcher for $3.00. It was in the $5.00 or less section but none of them had a marked price. I figured it would be $5.00. But it rang up $3.00. Boy was I happy. Did I need another white pitcher? No. But when you collect white pitchers it's hard to pass them up. Especially when you find one for such a good deal.

So I got 5 items with my $25.00 gift card. I thought I was pretty thrifty with my free gift. It was hard deciding what to get. I wanted to get as much as possible. I'm very happy with what I chose.

I want to thank Michelle at the Rancho Cucamonga Tai Pan Trading store for sending me the gift card just for blogging. Yes ME!!! I still can't believe it.

I'm happy to blog about their store even without getting something in return. But free stuff is pretty fabulous. And I wouldn't turn it down. But it in no way altered my comments about their fabulous store.

So if you are lucky enough to live in southern California or in Utah, be sure to visit your local Tai Pan Trading store. And if you don't, you need to move there or at least take a vacation so you can shop there yourself.

Be sure to check back later to see how I decorated my family room for the 4th of July.



Linking to:

Today's Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

13 comments:

  1. What a wonderful store, what a wonderful surprise for you getting the certificate...and your buys/finds are fabulous. I enjoyed seeing them. Have a wonderful day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the looks of this store! So nice of them to give you a gift card. You did really good w/your free giftcard purchases. Great deals!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow- I am glad to hear blogging pays. We do not have that store near us, but next time I am on the road and see one the van is going to hit the brakes.

    http://dogsmom.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, how fun is that! Kim you did really good with your free money!
    Wish we had one of those stores here!
    HAGD,
    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is a store that I could spend hours in! Wish I still lived in S. Cal.
    You got some great stuff and I can't wait to see how you have decorated for the 4th.
    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think I need one of these stores!! You found some awesome deals....good for you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a great gift for blogging about something you would have anyways. I have a small collection of white pitchers...so that would have gone home with me, too. The star tray/box is adorable...I can see it filled with tall glasses of lemonade.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great store!~ Fabulous displays! Congrats on spending your money wisely...you got lots of fun goodies! Love the stars!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a thrill to get a gift card and have so much to choose from. Beautiful things all over the store. I LOVE all of your choices. They are just wonderful. Great job. Hugs, Marty

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kim, I've heard of Tai pan Trading. I wish they had a store here in TX. :-) Thanks for sharing all the great photos. I'm thrilled that you were given the nice gift card and found such wonderful buys. Love everything you selected! Can't wait to see your 4th of July decor in your home. ~ Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  11. so fun - love that rusty star :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great finds, Kim! What a great store ~ I could spend a whole day in a store like this. Lucky you getting a gift card!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Kim, My name is Toni, I am Michelle's assistant at Taipan Trading, Rancho. I love stumbling upon your blogs. I get so excited to see what our customers like. I love sharing your pictures with the designers who work our stores. But more that, I love your excitement. Your are contagious. Please come say hi to us when you come to our store. Michelle and I would love to meet you. Thanks for sharing our addiction!

    ReplyDelete