online shopping

What did the postman bring today? #2

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Not all shopping is fun. Sacrilege, I know, but hear me out. Yesterday I bought this:

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3 nights ago, Baby N woke no fewer than 10 times. Probably closer to 15. He didn’t sleep. I didn’t sleep. He cried. I cried. In the morning he was a bit sniffly. “Baby N has another cold,” I told Working Boy in the morning. “Don’t have any expectations of me today,” I also may have added.
On Wednesday night I put him to bed at 6.30pm (it had been a loooong afternoon). By 7pm he was up again, hysterical. This went on for a few hours. At about 10.30pm I texted Working Boy and said “I’m beginning to think maybe it’s not just a cold”. A few hours later Baby N woke up for the day. With fever flushed cheeks. “Please check his ears before you go to work, Working Boy”, I said. (WB conveniently happens to be a paediatrician). Working Boy had a peek and said “yep they are pretty red. I think he needs antibiotics”. Now, WB is quite conservative when it comes to ears and antibiotics. So I am pretty sure Baby N’s ears must have been a somewhat spectacular shade of flaming scarlet.

Later, after battling with Baby N to nap, I waited in the mostly empty pharmacy for 20 minutes holding 14 kgs of crying ear infection. Like most shops (with the exception perhaps of pet-food stores) I really enjoy going to the pharmacy. But this was not fun.

However this was also mostly my own fault because no fewer than 3 gorgeous friends had offered to pick up the script for me* already (one deserves a special mention – EG – she arrived on my doorstep bearing coffee and a pain au chocolat). No, no I said. Baby N is a 4th child. I need to go to Woolworths anyway. We’re FINE to pick up the script. Except I should have accepted because it was a miserable experience. There are very, very few things money cannot buy but true friendship is one of them. I love you girls.

Or, if I felt bad to accept the girls’ offers I could have paid a small premium and a local pharmacy would have DELIVERED it. I am a huge fan of delivery. Huge fan. Not so many months ago Baby N went through a phase where he was too big for the Baby Bjorn, couldn’t sit up in the trolley but didn’t want to be lying in a trolley capsule. He also cried in the car and pram. A lot. I discovered that there is virtually NOTHING that you cannot have delivered to your doorstep. I did Coles on-line (delivery free on Wednesday), had fruit & veg delivered (2 great options here – one does sushi too!), the kosher butcher delivers for a small fee ($4.40. Worth it. Sooooo worth it), the kosher grocery store delivers, clearly all the online shops do……and the pharmacy. I love knowing that if things are going truly badly, the only thing I need to leave the house for is fresh bread. And as one of the above friends can testify (who picked up my bread for me on more than 3 occasions), sometimes you can have that delivered too. This is my tip to you: have your shopping delivered. Any of it. All of it. Whatever makes life bearable for you. I haven’t slept for three nights. I have Nespresso Indriya pumping through my veins (which, yes, can be delivered. The pods, not my veins). Delivery is my friend.

Speaking of deliveries, my other friend the postman came yesterday too. He delivered my bronze cushion:

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(Yes, you can now follow Shopping Girl on Instagram).
Gotta love you and leave you…..there’s a body imbalance I need to address. Too much blood, not enough caffeine….
XOXO Shopping Girl

* Working Boy also offered, saying that he would be home early. I know no such thing is true, so I declined. I was right.

What would Shopping Girl do #1

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I decided a week ago when I started this blog, that an advice column would make an excellent regular segment. I had even made up my own question. Except you’ll have wait until next time to find out what I asked me because on Thursday I received a real life request, from Uma. I’m calling her Uma, because she asked to be anonymous. And because she has a short black glossy bob.

“Okay shopping girl. Please please with a cherry on top help me find a leather jacket with cloth sleeves. Preferably black leather with grey sleeves. Rag and Bone did one but I can’t find it. Oh and adorable samples won’t help me as I am not an adorable sample size!
Challenge accepted?
Xxxx”

First of all, Uma, I like your style. But then again you were the first to wear Chanel Vamp polish so it’s hardly surprising. I’m also enjoying pairing black leather and grey fabric this season, and here you are trying to work it into one piece, you fashionista, you.

Because of time / baby / needing to feed family restrictions, I can’t physically trail Westfield looking for your jacket. You will have to accept that this is going to be an online shopping expedition. I also have to tell you, Uma, that I don’t think google has such a fine appreciation of the subtleties of fashion. Google: a black leather jacket with grey sleeves is NOT the same as a grey jacket with black leather sleeves. Not the same thing at all, Google. Seriously.

Now, onto the goods. This is what I have found for you:

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This is the black jersey sleeve biker, currently on sale at Dorothy Perkins for £30. I can’t do all the work Uma, you’ll have to go onto xe.com and do the maths yourself. But they do ship
internationally. The sale seems to be only 4 days, so hop to it to nab this one.

There’s a great looking option at ASOS, but you’re going to have to take my word for it and check back in a few days due to this:

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Moving on (I’ve holed myself up in my room with door locked and children roaming freely around the house. I’m on borrowed time here).

In case you’ve got some cash to splash Uma….

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Barbara Bui contrast sleeve jacket.
It’s reduced by 20% at the moment to just $2078.51!!!! Just think of all the things you can get with the $500 you’ll save. You could get a sleeve of a second jacket, even.

Taking things down a notch or 10 and a little more local, there’s this option at Witchery. The sleeves are black not grey, but I thought it was worth a mention.

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I hope this helps, Uma.
I’d better go and check what the small people
are up to. They’ve given up beating on my door. I think this is cause for concern.
XOXO Shopping Girl

OT

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Occupational therapy.

When one of my kids was in preschool it became clear that his pencil grip was *less* than ideal. So we did what all eastern suburbs parents do in times of CRISIS – we called in the OT. A term of sessions later, his pencil grip rivalled the OT’s, and all was good in the world again.
Here at Shopping Girl, we recognise that sometimes we could all do with a little OT….and so I present to you:

ONLINE TIP (OT) ONE

Online Shopping is, quite frankly, the best. The shops never shut. You get the joy of a parcel delivered a few days later. And no baby/toddler/child wrangling involved at all.

When the new season’s clothes come out there’s always something (or a few somethings) I want. But at new season prices, this is not always possible. So I try on in the shop (or not), I sign up to the shop’s email, and I wait. And pray that my size does not sell out in the meantime. Signing up for emails is crucial to be first in on any flash (25% off EVERYTHING!!) or end of season sales. Following on Facebook is good too, but it’s easier to miss the announcements in the volume of the feed. I keep a private Pinterest board of the items I want to track. Oh yes, I really do.

This past season there were Ginger & Smart skirt and booties that I fell in love with. Prohibitively expensive. One morning a few weeks ago I was checking my email, and BAM!, there it was. Ginger and Smart sale. A few swipes and taps later, my order was placed. Win!

However, it’s important to be proactive. I had been waiting and waiting for Zimmerman to go on sale (gorgeous dress!), but no sale was coming. The other day I thought to myself “SURELY they must be on sale by now!”, went on-line and indeed they were. I don’t know if their emails were put in my junk box (noooooo!!) but I wasn’t getting them. So in short, what I’m trying to say, is keep checking your favourite online stores, unless you can CLEARLY see that you are getting their emails.

So, you can have your Ginger & Smart and wear it too. But not your Zimmerman dress – MOS-G bought me that for my birthday. And remember, if you miss the end of season sale, there’s always the Warehouse sale a few months later.

XOXO Shopping Girl