Mayflower Power

In the first autumn harvest festival of 1621 — what is known today as Thanksgiving —50 English colonists and 90 native American Wampanoags celebrated the new colony’s first successful corn crop with a three-day fête of food and games . The Mayflower had landed in New Plymouth, Massachusetts , during a bitter December in 1620. The land was frozen and the settlers were out of food after a grueling two-month voyage. Their survival is attributed to Squanto, the English-speaking Wampanoag who taught them how to fertilize with fish.

If only those Pilgrims had known about igourmet.com .

The international emporium delivers an expansive array of gourmet foods from all around the world, with everything prepared, from soup to nuts—literally. Another way to save time on Thanksgiving prep is by ordering your groceries online. Safeway is offering free delivery with online orders of $200 or more. And if you love great wine at a great price, complete the holiday meal with a top-selling bottle from wine.com , now with one cent shipping on orders of $99 and up.

Okay, so dinner is in the bag, so to speak, but presentation is half the battle. Make sure your meal looks as good as it tastes with tastefully seasonal décor in subtle fall colors. For me, Fiesta Serveware is a perfect blend of tradition and style (and you can change colors for every holiday). Start your own Thanksgiving tradition— with a classic Art Deco twist—by picking up a few pieces in Tangerine, Evergreen, Persimmon, Cinnabar and Sunflower. Four-piece place settings are on sale at Macy’s, or buy a five-piece set and get a second one for free. Pieces are also sold separately, so you can accent your table by mixing and matching.

If you’re going visiting, any host will be delighted to receive a lovely bouquet from 1-800-flowers.com . They have a great selection of really beautiful flower arrangements, starting at $24.99 for the Autumn Glow Bouquet, now at $15 off. Other sales include 20% off Exotic Breeze Orchids (which come with Godiva chocolates!), now only $44.99. They make spectacular centerpieces for your own table, as well.

And if you’ve been hankering to watch football on your very own big-screen TV, s hop at Circuit City and save 10% on select HDTVs, when you buy online and pick up in-store . Plus, there’s no interest for 24 months on TVs $499 and up.

242 years after that first feast , Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday. This year, shop smart and add big savings from BondRewards to your list of things to be thankful for!

Your city shopper,

Linda B.

P.S. We’d love to hear about your holiday adventures. If there’s a story you want to tell or a question you’d like some feedback on, please send in your comments and let’s get a dialogue going!

Save Time, Save Money, Save Your Sanity

There was a time when shopping without leaving the house was reserved for shut-ins and the elite. But anyone who has bought anything in recent years knows that there’s been a worldwide shopping revolution. Today, you don’t need a personal shopper, an interior designer or someone to nod for you at auctions to buy whatever your heart desires, right from the comfort and convenience of your own home.

Some people would rather clean a carburetor than set foot in a store, while some of us love nothing more than diving into the 25¢ bin at a flea market, in search of those gaucho pants we’ve been coveting since 1964. Some approach shopping as a diabolical necessity; others view it as their main source of entertainment. Whatever your shopping style or budget, chances are, you don’t want to waste your time or your money.

When it comes to the holidays, even hard-core, world-class shoppers like myself find lines too long and time too short. So I’m going to save time, save money and save my sanity (not to mention save precious gas!) by ordering as much as I can online. A holiday without lugging packages and a heavy coat through hot, jam-packed stores is a little gift that I’m giving to myself this year. There’s nothing wrong with pampering yourself while you’re shopping for others, so i f you want to give yourself a really luxurious treat before the season shifts into full gear , you can find all kinds of gift certificates, day spa deals and group specials at SpaFinder . Or if it’s time to finally clean out your makeup bag, try experimenting with one of the beauty kits from smashbox, Stila, LORAC and others, available at Sephora.com, to m ake sure you look your best for holiday photos. Shipping is free on all orders over $50. And speaking of photos, what better time of year to get a new digital camera or camcorder from J&R ?

PETsMART and PETCO are also offering free shipping on orders of $50 or more, making it a good time to stock up on big bags of supplies, delivered right to your door. Also, check out the Red Tag savings of up to 70% off pet treats, toys, food and more at PetFoodDirect.com , and don’t forget little Puffball this holiday season.

So shoppers of the world, unite! Join the shopping revolution and rejoice in a hassle-free holiday this year. Start early and celebrate a season of savings with BondRewards points, coupons and special online offers. Shopping couldn’t be more rewarding!

Your city shopper,

Linda B.

Three Cheers for the Holidays!

I’m starting to wonder what sorts of things fit perfectly into holiday stockings, brown paper bags, or other convenient methods of wrapping. When you’ve got a holiday list that extends beyond the immediate family, it’s nice to know there is the good old gift of wine to appease the gift-worthy folks in your life.

You can fill quite a few people with holiday cheer for mere pennies. Literally! Wine.com offers 1 cent shipping on orders over $99.

Trick or Treat?

If you’re like me at all, you sort of like to get through Halloween before you start worrying too much about the upcoming holiday season. If you walk into any store these days, chances are they have the tinsel and tree trimmings on standby for a quick flip to the shelves as soon as humanly possible. Well, take a deep breath. One holiday at a time. Have you even figured out what you’re going to dress up for this Halloween? If you haven’t, don’t worry, you’ve still got time. Just hop on over to Costume City (they give you 20.4% back!) and start browsing their selection of costumes for all ages and sizes. You’re sure to find something to suit your needs. Whether you’re going to an office party, an after-hours party, or simply answering the door and handing out candy, it’s a good idea to look your Halloween best.

Beauty is Only Skin Deep - So Keep that Skin Beautiful

When the fall and winter months come a-knocking, my skin lets me know it. I tend to get dry and flaky, especially on my cheeks and nose. It can be embarrassing if I don’t take good care of my skin. Now, while I am a sucker for mascara, and will drop some bills on tubes of false promises, I rarely fall for skincare scams. Well this one isn't a scam, in fact it was an accident. A cream invented to help with stretch marks, turns out to help with wrinkles. Imagine that?
Now that the wind is whipping and skin is chapping, I am reminded that there are things I can do to keep my face fresh and happy. Drinking lots of water, making sure to remove my makeup, moisturizing, and paying attention when something comes a long that actually does what it promises to do!
StriVectin-SD, 6.0 oz.
$135.00 @ Macy's (Get 6.8% back)
Anti-aging breakthrough. Better than Botox®?™ The stretch mark cream that's become the anti-wrinkle treatment of choice . . . see what all the excitement is about.
Posted on Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 11:46PM by BondRewards Post a Comment

Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at 11:02AM by BondRewards Post a Comment
Shopping with a Cause and Purpose
Since then, I’ve tried to educate myself and donate what I can towards research and the help to find a cure. I’ve found that one of the best ways to give is to purchase gifts that contribute proceeds to research. Sometimes a pink bracelet or even a pink KitchenAid appliance does the trick, but to cover the wide spectrum of women in my life who deserve something nice, I think I’ll start giving them Pink Cards, from Bloomingdales. You can get them in any amount from $10 to $1000, and know that part of your gift is also helping women all across the nation in the fights against breast cancer.
Think pink,
Natasha Adams – Member Advocate @ BondRewards
Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 at 11:06PM by BondRewards Post a Comment
If the Shoe Fits, the Bag Better Be Bangin'
So you got those new boots and now you need the bag to go with it. I understand. I can spend endless days staring at two bags that look almost exactly the same and can’t decide which one I like better. Fortunately, it’s possible to get the perfect bag to go with that new brown, or red, or black, or multi-colored boot, delivered overnight for free. Have a holiday party to attend and want a cute little clasp to tote your essentials in? Need to upgrade to make room for your things and baby’s things? Looking for something that will work with the jeans and that spectacular dress? Don’t fret, because no one will judge you for having too many bags. Or if they do, they’re just jealous.
Endless has a selection of many styles that fit every purpose and accommodate any size of a load you need to take with you when you hit the streets. You also get 25.5% payback in BondRewards®, and they offer free overnight shipping, which is pretty fantastic. Put those Savings Bonds in your new pocket book, handbag, or wallet instead of letting them burn a hole in your back pocket.

express yourself,
Natasha Adams - Member Advocate @ BondRewards

Posted on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 02:46PM by BondRewards Post a Comment
You asked, and we listened
From time to time we get requests to ad new stores to our already large list of stores for you to shop at. We do the best we can to take that advice from our community and members and make it happen.
This one has been a top priority for us to bring to you for a long time, because everyone knows Zappos has a great selection of shoes at fantastic prices, and they have their famous free shipping both ways on all their shoes! Right now is the perfect time to start thinking about what to wear into the fall. Replace those sandals with some boots, upgrade your flat to a nice metallic pair in bronze or gold, or find the perfect shoe to wear to those holiday parties that will look great and be comfortable all night.