What’s better than good eats? Good eats at a discounted price! I’m not talking about a cheap imitation that leaves you questioning what did you just eat. I’m talking about dining at the same exact restaurant at a lower cost. What’s the secret? Restaurant.com! Restaurant.com has an extensive list of reputable causal to mid-price restaurants willing to offer their regular priced item at an overall discount.

How does it work? Restaurant.com clearly lists when you purchase a card for $30, it’s worth (say) $75. That’s a saving of 60%! Comparable to Groupon but with wider selection. But do note the fine print. Some restaurants list that the offer is only valid for dine in or there is an additional 18% required gratuity. It’s a small price to pay for such a great offer.

I’m one that believes just because the economy is tightening up, it doesn’t mean our palettes has to suffer.

It’s no secret that everything in life is sweeter when it’s free. Bon appétit!

Savvy shopper? Yes we are! Summer is prime traveling season which means, high demand and high expense. I don’t know about you but I’m watching every penny going out of my wallet. I will admit, I have a weakness for cute purses, shoes, shirts, dresses, and everything else I can’t seem to live without. But a penny saved is still a penny saved.

As I’m scouting for Summer airfares, I’ve discovered this really nifty website Functravel. Functravel essentially compares multiple airlines airfare cost depending on your flight date and airports. Nothing special right? Here’s the kicker. If you check the “Low Fare Graph” and select the flight months, Functravel will produce an average airfare price for the selected flight period. Now you know what’s the average price for the flight there and back and the price of the surrounding days. This is perfect for those travelers who have a bit of flexibility and looking to save money.

Not ready to commit but know exactly where you would like to fly? Functravel has a TravelAgent alert tool. TravelAgent sends you a daily or weekly (you set the preference) email alerting you if they found airfare that matches your specifications. That’s right, you tell TravelAgent where you want to go, what date range you would like to travel, what’s the max budget and they do all the searching for you. Free travel concierge? That’s right.

I love it when technology does all the foot work for me. Now this leaves me more time to search for what I really love, like those new shoes…

Heard of Groupon? If you haven’t yet, you will soon. It’s a completely viral social discount network. But I’m not talking about a measly 10-30% off retail price, I’m talking about an average of 40-60% off of retail price. They’ve got awesome deals for over 48 major metropolitan so I’m sure you’ll find a city near you. But keep in mind, these deals are easy come and easy go. These fabulous deals are typically available between 1 - 3 days only. So make your move quickly or bye-bye savings. Personally I’ve let a couple awesome deals slip through my fingers (and I’ve only been a member for less than 1 month).

A sample of fabulous deals for the Los Angeles city:
$94 for Hot-Air-Balloon Ride and Picnic With Sunrise Balloon
$45 Cooking Class at Chefs, Inc. (Up to $95 Value)
$50 for a Trio of Rejuvenating Treatments at Lux Aveda Salon/Spa ($188 Value)

How does Groupon work? It’s all explained in this short video

Join Groupon now and be in the in-network. They’ll email you each time a new deal is on so you wont miss a beat.

Best of all, there is this awesome cat that lounges on a cloud with random daily trivia. I love it.

Let me take a minute to say that IMEEM use to be my #1 online music streaming portal. #1 as in day and night I would have this baby open. #1 as in it was one of the shortcuts on my Chrome dashboard. Ever since MySpace took over IMEEM (literally redirects to Myspace.com), I’ve refused to create a new account just to access my playlists. I refuse to join MySpace based on principle and it’s a shame it had to end like this IMEEM. But now I’ve found a shiny new replacement, LaLa.com

Want to preview full new albums? Lala lets you do that.

Want to create your own playlist? Lala does that as well.

Want to share your playlist to the community? Yup. that’s available as well.

Most importantly… Want to do all this for free? Lala doesn’t cost the user a penny.

good bye IMEEM. it was good while it lasted. parting is such sweet sorrow

Sweet jesus I’m finally done with my papers. MissChicGeek here back and in full effect. I sincerely apologize for the flat line of new posts. It’s been a … challenging past month. MissChicGeek has been working towards a geekier future. Cross all your fingers and toes that all my hard work will pay off. If and when this happens, I’ll be sure to share the good news. Until then, we focus on the new year and new endeavours.

So what’s the latest fashion savings? truth be told I’ve seen a shift of sales from traditional premium designer store sales to online invite premium designer sales. What do I mean by online invite? I’m talking about sites like Gilt Groupe, Ideeli, and even our very own Daily Candy created Swirl. These sites host private limited time premium designer sales. Customers are notified via email and the sales typically last only a 2-3 days. Savings vary from 20-75%. This premium designer sale business model has gotten so popular that Gilt Groupe has expanded beyond premium fashion brands to premium travel destinations, Gilt Jetsetter. Let me know if you need an invite, I can forward one to you. For some sites, every member gets referral bonus’ once their referral makes his or her first purchase. MissChicGeek can use a pair of new shoes… or 10.

I like things delivered start to my doorstep. Or in this case, to my email box. Plus, I do not like to be bombarded by clutterly emails. These sales work for me because it’s a hand-full of premium designers for a very limited time. If I miss it, so be it, it wasn’t meant to be.

Given it’s mid January, I predict Winter sales to be right around the corner. I, MissChicGeek, will do my best to keep you updated. Until then, try subscribing to a couple of these sites. You may be pleasantly surprised with the selection and flexibility these sites offer. If you don’t like it, no harm done. The site “membership” is 100% free to join. Just removed yourself.

Ah… MissChicGeek is uber excited for 2010. I hope you all are just as excited!!!! Cheers~

What time is it? It’s time for Nordstroms’ Half Yearly Sale for women and kids! As Nordstroms promotes it “New markdowns on your favorite brands. It’s our biggest clearance sale of the season. Save on a great selection of shoes, handbags, clothes and accessories. Online and in store.”

What it means to folks like us? Saving big on select premium brands Nordstroms is known for. Back in college I remember my friends and I use to count down the days till Nordstroms’ Half Yearly Sale for women and kids. I’ve always been lucky enough (or unlucky depending on how you see it) to walk away with at least one goodie during their Half Yearly Sale. If you’ve had your eye on that designer purse or shoes, you should be checking to see if it’s on sale right now! For my experience in the past, their online inventory and in store inventory has always been a bit different so be sure to check both.

Sale dates - starts November 4th, 2009

Free shipping on online orders of $100 or more, enter promotional code HOLIDAY09

I cannot emphasize how important Breast Cancer Research is. Luckily, no one in my family has had breast cancer but I have many close family friends who have dealt with breast cancer. Let me tell you, it’s a very scary enemy. Well, cancer in general is not to be taken lightly. But Breast Cancer is even more personal. Breast Cancer is the 7th leading cause of death among women in the United States. One in every 8 women (13%) is expected to develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Both males and females can develop breast cancer.

Here are a couple things you can do to support the cause:

1. “Click to give” click daily on the pink button on The Breast Cancer Site. Advertisers will sponsor free mammograms.

2. Join The Breast Cancer Site’s Facebook fan page and once they hit 1 million friends, they will donate $100,000 to Breast Cancer Research.

3. When you’re enjoying your Yoplait yogurt, save the pink lid. For every lid Yoplait receives, Yoplait will donate 10 cents to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, up to $1.5 million this year. Send your lids in by December 31st, 2009.

And if you feel really strongly about this, contact your neighborhood communities for more way to support the cause.

For more facts and figures, visit The Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Any savvy online shopper knows the cardinal rule of online shopping is ALWAYS search for a coupon code prior to purchase. We’ve all been to RetailMeNot, SlickDeals.net, CouponCabin and DealCatcher to search for a money saving coupon posted by a good hearted soul. Finally the benefits can go both ways. While I was searching for an airline code, I stumbled upon CouponChief. As I investigated, I realized that every day people can earn money by posting coupon codes of their favorite online stores. CouponChief is an online destination for any savvy online shopper. Best part is that CouponChief has this “pay-2-share” program. For every coupon code used, CouponChief will give the user who posted the coupon 2% of the sales. 2% of a sale just for posting a coupon code that anyone else can get online? Sign me up! From clothing stores like Tobi and Piperlime to cosmetic stores like Sephora and Benefit and even hardware stores like Home Depot, CouponChief’s got you covered. Why not give back to the person who saved you 10% off your purchase?

Next time you’re looking for a coupon code, hit up CouponChief and give back to the person who just saved you a pretty penny on your latest online buy.