Shopping, movies and cupcakes oh my!

Thank you to everyone who posted yesterday about blogrolls. I was overwhelmed by the great responses. Thank you and feel free to visit my little Adventures anytime and I will be returning the favor :)

So after being inside or running wedding errands the last two Saturdays, today I made up for it with an ultra-productive day.

Because of ridiculous movie prices in Chicago ($10.50 for evening shows? Are you kidding?), Anne and I got up early and saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall at the AMC for the first showing price of $6 (a steal!). Then despite my best attempts to get to the gym after the movie, I ended up exercising my wallet and legs walking from store to store. 

We noshed at Noodles for lunch (love the flatbread), and then hit Old Navy where I stocked up on my favorite tanks at 20 percent off (even though the quality of the product has significantly decreased), pilgrimaged to Gap for jeans and Pottery Barn for the motherload of floor model sales. And Anne is the superstar of the day for asking the sales person to plug in a lamp I was looking at before purchasing it - because it ended up not even working!

Tip: Floor models are the hidden "treasure" at stores. When stores need to clear inventory for new styles, they mark models on display in-store up to 50 percent off. Local delivery is often available but it's much cheaper to pick it up yourself. Be sure to check all sides of the floor model for nicks, scratches or chips. If they don't have another floor model in the back, ask for an extra 10 percent. It never hurts to ask.

So now dad and I will picking up a bedside table, end table and floor lamp next weekend when he's in town. Yay manual labor! But everything was 50 percent off, and fortunately after buying Lulu and a flat-screen in fall, the total didn't make me want to pass out. Not that it wasn't painful. But hey, it's time to get more "adult" furniture and move out the college or hand-me-down stuff.

Finally, as a treat, Anne and I stopped by Sarah's pastries at Macy's for cupcakes! I can't wait for the Chicago blogger cupcake crawl so this will tide me over. My buttercream was lovely and Anne said her carrot cake/cream cheese muffin/cupcake was delish as well.

Now that the wallet is ready to set itself on fire and my diet is blown for the day, it's time to relax and watch Indiana Jones. Yes, he's still hot.