#1 Victoria’s Basement

Mugs - check out the $1 price tag

I’ve never considered shopping at Victoria’s Basement until recently. After not having a teapot for 8 months, I was dying for a nicely brewed cuppa. While trying to be frugal, I refused to shop at David Jones, Myer and anywhere else where I need to pay the full retail price. Victoria’s Basement sprang into mind. After I dropped off my cousin at the airport, I made a pit stop at this home wares heaven where EVERYTHING is chic and cheap! They were so cheap that I had to stop myself and put down the candles that I was about to purchase. Every minute of being in the shop was a torture as I reminded myself that I was here only for a teapot and can only walk out with a teapot. Pretty proud to say, YES! I walked out with only a teapot.

Locations: Auburn, Artarmon, Alexandria and Queen Victoria Building

Recent purchase: Bodum Assam Tea Press 8 Cup with Bonus Tea Travel Mug-What else do they have?:

They have everything from Scanpans to blenders to teapots and knives. Be sure to set a budget before you walk into this shop or you will end up spending more.

The many many homewares at Victoria's Basement in Auburn

Only $39.95! Expect to pay over $80 in department stores

#2 Peter’s of Kensington

Peter’s of Kensington is similar to Victoria’s Basement. They stock all your brand name home wares to luggage and etc. Peter’s has also been featured in another of our post here. I love receiving Peter’s emails about the various deals that they have. Looking through the catalogues always make me want to buy something because they are really cheap. Peters is a great place to shop if you are after quality brand names.  Restraint needs to be exercised. Buy only what you need and it’s a good idea to save the rest. But if you really need home wares, this is the place to go to. They do delivery too so it makes it easy for you to shop online.

#3 IKEA

Who can forget about IKEA? This giant is conveniently located in Rhodes and always offers a great selection of products to choose from. Speaking from personal experience, IKEA has really chic items but they are not necessarily the best quality around. Often, the prices are comparable to the products that you can find from Victoria’s Basement and Peter’s of Kensington.

Hope that this article has helped some of you decide on where to go for your home ware bargains. Do drop me a line to share with our readers what you think about this post and where do you suggest going for home ware shopping.

New Kid on The Block

By invitation only

Save Money Sydney has done it again! We have scoured every nook and cranny in Sydney to bring you new and exciting exclusive bargains. Joining brandsExclusive is by invite only. This new kid on the block offers a myriad of genuine brands that are heavily discounted and often up to 70% off.

What is brandsExclusive?

brandsExclusive is an exclusive Australian online shopping destination for fashion clothing, footwear and accessories.

Our community of savvy shoppers enjoy shopping for their favourite premium fashion and lifestyle brands at significantly reduced prices – up to 70% off normal retail prices.

You’ll need to be a member of brandsExclusive to buy from our site, and membership is by invitation only. Non-members will not be able to access or buy from the password protected website.

However membership is free of charge and there are no further commitments or obligations to buy.

Once you’ve become a member we’d love you to spread the word and invite your friends and family to join the brandsExclusive club.

brandsExclusive sales events last only a few days with limited stock available exclusively for our members. Our members are notified about upcoming sales by email.

brandsExclusive is an Australian company based in vibrant Darlinghurst, Sydney. Our international fashion super sleuths are constantly out there, scouring both Australian and global fashion centres for the trends, brands and products you’ve always wanted to get your hands on.

Why should I become a member? What are the benefits to me?

brandsExclusive members are given exclusive access to premium brands at the best prices available.

There are a range of benefits brandsExclusive members enjoy:

• brandsExclusive offers products from premium fashion and lifestyle brands at 50-70% off the recommended retail prices.
• You can buy your favourite fashion items easily from our online store from home (or at work, even though we both know you shouldn’t).
• You’ll never miss a bargain again. We’ll keep you up to speed about upcoming sales promotions with regular emails.
• We guarantee that we only sell 100% genuine branded products.
• You’ll stay up to date with current and emerging fashion trends.
• Our website and shopping facilities are easy to use, payments and personal data are secure and our customer service is happy to help any time.

Why is brandsExclusive an exclusive club?

By being an exclusive, invitation only club, brandsExclusive can offer our members great benefits:

• We’re able to offer to our members products that are usually not sold over the Internet.
• We know our members intimately and can therefore guarantee unmatched security and safety.
• We save on retail overheads and can pass on the savings to our members in form of lower prices and higher discounts.

How does brandsExclusive work?

Our fashion super sleuths constantly scour the markets for fashion trends and brands across Australia and around the world. If we see an opportunity for our members, we partner with the Australian supplier, agree on the terms and develop a campaign.

We then send an announcement email to our members, informing them about the brand and inviting them to join the sale.

During the sales campaign, which last between 3 and 6 days, our members can order directly from our website. Once the event has ended, we receive the goods from supplier and ship them out to you straight away.

How can you offer premium products at such great prices?

• Because we buy directly from the brands and sell directly to our members.
• We don’t stock the inventory and therefore save on warehousing costs.
• We work closely with our brand suppliers to ensure the best prices for all concerned and, because we are a by-invitation-only shopping community, we have no online-marketing costs.
• All of these savings are passed on to our members.

Are you dying to be part of this Australian retail revolution? If you are interested in being a member, SaveMoneySydney can get you in. Simply go to the brandsExclusive’s website and enter info@savemoneysydney.com in the field that says “Friends email address” and you are good to go.

Cheers

~Jess

1. Direct Factory Outlets (DFO)
This is one of my favourite places for getting my bargain fixes and fashion highs. It is located in Homebush (next to Sydney Olympic Park) and here’s the map and directions. Trading hours are from 10AM to 6PM daily. Personally, the best time to visit DFO is during the week when there is plenty of parking within the complex. On the weekends, you will have to contest with the dreaded Sydney traffic and parking is almost non-existent (I went there on a Sunday and I had to park around the residential area as traffic was so bad that it was faster walking).

What you’ll find at DFO:

• Lingerie (Bendon, Elle MacPherson and etc)
• Sporting apparel (Converse, Puma and etc)
• Fashion chain stores (French Connection, Witchery, Marcs and etc)
• Home wares (Royal Doulton, Sheridan and etc)
• Surf brands (Billabong, QuickSilver)
• Kids
• Shoes (Nine West, Windsor Smith, Wanted and etc)

2. Red Yard Entertainment Centre (100 Parramatta Road Auburn)

Auburn seems like miles away especially for those who live across the bridge or even those from the Eastern Suburbs. The only reason I know of Auburn is because my partner is a true “Westie”. He introduced me to the west and persuaded me to move out this way to escape the rising cost of living in the inner suburbs of Sydney. Anyway, back to the point. 100 Parramatta Road is a place to go to if you are after anything to do with Sports and the easiest way of getting there is by car. If you are coming from the East and North of Sydney, just look for the M4 and take the Silverwater exit. If you live in the West, you will know what I’m talking about so I need not explain any further.

This part of Auburn has everything to offer – from apparel to footwear to casual wear and sporting equipment. There’s plenty of parking and the following outlets are located within the complex:

• Rebel Sports Discount Outlet
• SportsCo
• Kathmandu
• Bendon, Berlei and Bonds Outlet
• Pumpkin Patch
• Freddy’s Fishing World

The bargains do not just stop inside the Red Yard Entertainment Centre. If you are keen for more gems, some 100 steps will bring you to the following places:

• Adidas Factory Outlet – directly across Parramatta Road
• Nike Factory Outlet – 126 Parramatta Road, which is 2 minutes walk towards the West, from Adidas

These shops often have juicy reductions. For example, Nike often offers specials such as buy one pair of footwear and get the 2nd pair at 50% off.

3. Birkenhead Point

Beautiful Birkenhead Point

This has to be the most picturesque factory outlet ever! Located at the entrance of Iron Cove Bay and situated adjacent to Parramatta River, this is probably one of the few malls that you can get to via boat! Directions and trading hours are available here. To me, Birkenhead Point is almost the same as DFO but a classier version. Designer labels such as Burberry and Alannah Hill have their outlet stores located within this shopping haven. It is worth setting aside a day to shop. I even managed to drag my partner and my dad there by using the marina as a pretext.

4. Peter’s of Kensington

Peter’s, Peter’s, Peter’s. The beauty of with Peter’s of Kensington is that they are conveniently located online and at 57 Anzac Parade in Kensington, this store is the place to go to if you are after good quality pots, pans, home wares, bathroom accessories, cutlery, homeware and the list goes on. No, you will not find your cheapie IKEA quality pots here. Instead, you will find trusted brands such as Circulon and Scanpan BUT at BARGAIN BASEMENT prices. Products are often at least 50% cheaper than your major department stores. If you shop during Peter’s sale period, you can find bargains up to 70% off! Pots and pans are worth investing in and I do believe that a good pot can last a lifetime.

5. Market City

Located in the hub of Sydney’s Chinatown, Market City is a great place for finding bargains from stores such as Esprit, Mambo, Cue,Marcs and etc. Directions and trading hours are available from here. The best days to visit Market City will be between Thursday to Sunday as Paddy’s market trades during those days. The shops within the Market City building are all fixed price shops. However, some bargaining can happen at Paddy’s (located in the basement of Market City). Most people come here for non-brand name Ugg boots, sheep skin and tonnes of other souvenirs. A fresh fruits and vegetables market is also conveniently located within Paddy’s.

Feel free to leave comments or suggestions of your favourite bargain haunts in Sydney.

~Jess

]]> http://savemoneysydney.com/chic-and-cheap/sydney-5-top-places-grab-great-bargains/feed/ 0 http://savemoneysydney.com/liveonless/great-websites-avoid-paying-retail-prices/ http://savemoneysydney.com/liveonless/great-websites-avoid-paying-retail-prices/#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:27:31 +0000 Jessie Goh http://savemoneysydney.com/?p=229 Paying retail prices is a thing of the past. Even when shopping online, discount codes or promo codes often lurk on the World Wide Web unbeknown to the consumer who is about to “proceed with payment”. This is a big No-No! Often, before making any purchases, I will google “coupon codes for XXX website” before making my payment. This makes sure that I can get the best value for money and also the best deal possible. Even a simple code for “Free Shipping” makes a whole lot of difference. Without further ado, we have the top 10 websites for all your discount coupon needs.

1. www.tjoos.com.au

This is the new kid on the block. I stumbled upon them when I was at this year’s CeBit exhibition. It is a fairly easy to use portal.

2. www.buckscoop.com.au

Not only can you search for discount codes from various retailers, you can also enjoy a cashback when you click on the retailers’ sites via Buckscoop. Not bad for your shopping efforts.

3. www.whypayfullprice.com.au

This people behind this website is also responsible for bringing you the shopping dockets behind your Woolworth’s receipt. Just type in what you are searching for and your postcode and the site will churn out all the deals that are happening around your area. There are coupons for free entry into wildlife parks for kids, pizza dockets and etc. A very easy to use website that will sure help bring about savings.

4. www.bargainsniper.com.au

This website prides itself on serving up all the possible deals to their readers. Daily deals, freebies and vouchers from retailers are listed on their homepage.

5. www.moneysaver.com.au

This is a very user friendly website. Money Saver started off as dockets that are delivered to your mailbox. From that, they have spun into this website full of deals and steals. Just type in the business and the postcode and off you go. The Money Saver website also allows you to create your personal profile and save your online vouchers to your own booklet. Pretty neat stuff that is worth checking out.

6. www.catchoftheday.com.au

This website promotes only one product each day. According to their website, they source the best possible deal and launch the deal at mid-day on a daily basis.

7. www.retailmenot.com

If you love shopping anywhere and everywhere, Retail Me Not is the place to go if you enjoy making purchases from the U.S. It has coupon codes for retailers such as Victoria’s Secret to Amazon.

8. www.cataloguecentral.com.au

As the name suggest, Catalogue Central carries catalogues from retailers all over Australia. You will be able to flip through e-catalogues (they are the same as normal catalogues but in soft copy format) and browse the many deals and steals. I’ve recently scored a discounted travel insurance through these guys via one of their catalogues. Do look out for the promo codes that some retailers will put on their catalogues.

With so many deals and steals out there, there is no reason why consumers have to pay full price anymore. Stay tune to Save Money Sydney for more.

~Jess