Hiatus/CCBW

I'm in the midst of a very long blogging haitus, but will have lots of fun things to share soon! In the meantime, I'm getting pumped for chicago craft beer week! Find chicago events here or search for your local happenings (likely starting this week or next). Woo!

Good Wine & Restaurants on the cheap

For those of you that do not know me personally, you should know first and foremost, that I am a deal queen. Whether it’s scoring a cheap meal at a fancy restaurant, maximizing coupon codes for online shopping, or getting a great rate on a flight or hotel, I’m always on the hunt for the best deals possible. I’m not one of those hardcore coupon clippers you might encounter at the grocery store, but somehow, I always happen to have a discount in my back pocket. I’ve recently signed up for and utilized two great online services that I’d love to share with you.

#1. Wine via lot18.com

This is a free membership site that features bundles (usually in 2 or 3-packs) of really good wine, at a great rate.  Yes, there’s the whole added cost of shipping, but even with that extra cost, you’re still able to find great deals. And, occasionally the site offers free shipping days, which is how I was persuaded to try it out in the first place. My first order consisted of 2 bottles of Syrah at a total price of only $16, or roughly $8 a bottle. When I corked the wine, it tasted way better than any $8 bottle of wine I’ve ever had. Of course I had to look it up online, and it turns out the regular price is $35 a bottle, direct from the winery and also from other larger wine & spirits stores that carry it. Needless to say, I was sold. The site offers free registration/membership, however, it is by invitation only. So, please feel free to use my invitation link, and enjoy! http://www.lot18.com/i/registrationinvitation

#2. $10 down, 30% off a great meal via Savored.com

Savored.com offers a unique concept in the deal-frenzy world. You pay $10 for a reservation at a participating restaurant, and discreetly* have 30% taken off your entire bill at the end of the meal. The site supports 10 fine cities across the US, so check to see if yours is available. Most of the ones in Chicago are higher end/more expensive restaurants, so it ends up being a decent savings, especially for reservations with large parties or those that go heavy on the adult beverages, or other situations where you tab can easily surpass the $100 mark.

*The end-of-visit deduction is supposed to be automatically applied to your bill, worry-free. However, I’ve used the service twice so far, and I’ve had to remind the server that I booked through Savored before the discount was applied. Not a big deal, but I think since the site is newer, there are still some glitches to be worked out. However, I still plan to use it in the future.

Anyone is free to sign up for this one at www.savored.com, or if you like my advice, please return the favor & sign up through my referral link: http://svrd.co/ow9Xgf

Happy wining & dining!

Abandoning the iPod (but not forgetting)

I’m excited to share that I’ve finally upgraded to Spotify premium today. It already seems like a great investment.

About a year ago was the dreadful day when the music (aka my iPod) died, along with the 30 gigs of music stored on it. The whole episode was devastating, but I decided to hold off on buying a replacement, since my phone has ample storage space and an adequate music player. Then, along came Spotify, and made that decision even easier. While I fully embrace and enjoy iPods, the $249 investment needed to house all of my music seems a bit steep, and also involves a lot of work with the transfer and updates required to keep my ears happy. Now I have endless songs at my fingertips, although I’ll likely need to also invest in a backup phone battery for all the streaming I intend to do. This is probably beginning to sound like an ad, but the point is that I am just super pumped to have a plethora of music back in my life and most importantly, on-the-go.