Check out this Zara Office City Bag dupe from Target!

I've had my eye on the Zara Office City bag for ages, but have never come close to forking over $90 on a bag. So, I have come across this amazing dupe on Target.com for a fraction of the price!

I stumbled on this bag on Target.com, and it says it's sold in stores, but it's actually on price cut for just $27.99 right now! So after tax & shipping I paid $34.97 total-not bad for a dupe.

I did a little more researching before I bought it, and if you'd like to see another review with more photos, check out this review from The Glamorous Gleam-she's what convinced me to cave & buy the bag!

Overall, I'm really happy with the bag. It comes with three compartments total: the first has space for pens & little stuff, the second is an open compartment that can be enlarged by unbuttoning the sides, and the third is specially padded for electronics. My 15.6 inch laptop doesn't fit in the padded electronics compartment, but it does fit in the center when I unbutton it. I'd say if you had a laptop that was 15 inches or less, it would fit in that compartment.

I'm definitely glad I made this purchase because the bag doesn't look cheap or like a knockoff-it's the perfect accessory I need for meetings & events.

Click here to buy the Merona Large Structured Tote Handbag online!

Let me know if you have any questions or comments on the bag-I'd love to hear what you think in the comments!

How to shop for a dorm room on a budget!

Dorm room shopping can get out of hand-and out of your wallet-quickly if you don't keep a tight handle on what you need & how much it is. For the coming school year, I've set myself a strict budget of $200 & I'll show you how I do it & where I shop to get maximum savings!

First step-make a budget
I use Excel to map out a budget-I write a list of everything I need, and what the approximate price is going to be. Then I add it up at the bottom using AutoSum so when I actually buy things, I can enter their price and the sum will change to accommodate it.

Second step-do some price comparisons
Yes, that comforter from Target may be really cute, but you may be able to find something similar for a cheaper price at another store. For example, the trashcan with a lid that I was going to buy for my bathroom would have been $11.97 at Walmart, but I waited to go to Five Below where I found a smaller one for $5.

Third step-shop clearance aisles
You never know what kind of a good deal you'll find in the clearance pile! I've picked up many a notebook or pack of pens on clearance for less than a dollar.

Fourth step-use coupons
No, I don't mean clip them out (unless you need food & cleaning supplies) because you won't find coupons in the Sunday paper for the general merchandise you need in a dorm room. Instead, here's my number one saving tip-sign up for store emails/coupon programs. These are my most used:

-Bed Bath & Beyond-if you sign up for emails, they'll give you a 20% off one item coupon! Total score if you need to buy a fan, ottoman, chair, etc.
-Meijer-if you sign up for mPerks, they occasionally have coupons for 15% off a general merchandise product. A little goes a long way if you have to buy a microwave!
-Ulta-they'll often have coupons for "$3.50 off a $10 purchase" or $20% off an item" on their homepage, which you can use to stock up on shampoo, makeup remover, cotton balls, etc.
-Target-once the dorm room stock hits the shelves, Target has online coupons that they'll often use to post savings on lamps, comforter sets, etc.

Fifth step-stick to your budget
It's really easy to justify an extra $5 poster, but when you do that three or four times, your balance adds up. Print out your budget & take it with you to remind you to only buy things you've allotted for!

Here's a list of the stores that I mainly shop at for good deals:
Five Below
Dollar General
Walmart (online there's fantastic deals on appliances)
Amazon (do bulk orders of $25 or over so you can get free shipping!)

So what do you think? What are your tips for budget shopping? Share them in the comments!

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