January 2018 – Page 3 – Relatable Roni

I hope this post helps future brides in compiling their list of stores to visit while wedding shopping in Mumbai.

I’d like to think I’m a very modest person. I’ve never been brand conscious. I’ve never bought anything based on the brand name…except one time in India, a shop had a knock-off Abercrombie sweatshirt – the zipper broke in a day. And I bought my first Michael Kors purse (not the dinky small ones) with my own money and only as a pat on my back for completing pharmacy school. I was never someone who “dreamt” of wearing Sabyasachi for my wedding day like some other brides. I didn’t even know what Sabyasachi was until about 9 months before my wedding: Some acquaintances were writing “#sabyasachi” under someone’s pics and I just thought “what’s that?” So I looked into it and still thought nothing much of it except they were probably really expensive.

In April of 2017, I took about 2 weeks off from work to go to Mumbai, India and do all my wedding shopping. I don’t know what I was thinking but I thought if I selected my outfits in the first few days, I could have new pieces made and customized to my measurements within 2 weeks and they would be ready to take back to the USA with me. Sadly not true. Most boutiques said they’d take 30-60 days to make the outfit.

I went to a wide range of stores. I went to women selling dupe designer outfits out of their home. I went to random little shops and I went to big name designers. I gave everything a chance.

Here’s my take on my shopping experience at some of the more well-known stores I did visit:

Anita Dongre – The outfits are too casual for a bride. I was in and out within 5 minutes.

Should you check it out? Nah! Nothing looked bridal.

Price? $-$$

Archana Kocchar – She has a lot of nice things but our business transactions ended up being a mess in the end. It’s a long story but I did buy my mehndi outfit from here in the end. I don’t know why but if my chest is 33 inches around, why would you put C cups into the blouse…because they did that…

Should you check it out? Yup! But if you purchase something, make sure all the details are clear.

Price? $$-$$$

Aza – Aza carries outfits from a bunch of designers. They had some nice things but nothing worked out for me at least.

Should you check it out? Yes, it’s like a one stop shop.

Price? $$-$$$

Friendship – This just wasn’t what I was looking for but it’s very budget-friendly.

Should you check it out? This may be a good starting point so you can head in the right direction. It’s in Santacruz market and you’re bound to go there for something or the other anyway.

Price? $

Gaurav Gupta – I had seen his work on instagram and thought this definitely is not for me. I didn’t like his signature shoulder molded designs and thought every dress would be like this – NOT TRUE. I walked into the shop and there were so many nice pieces! I really wanted to wear a sari gown for my reception so it would be a completely different look from my other two outfits which were most likely going to be lehengas. I fell in love with an outfit consisting of a white blouse and red flared skirt. I already knew I was wearing red for the wedding and so I didn’t want to wear red again for another event. We thought about changing the color but I didn’t want to customize it and end up with something I didn’t like. I’m clearly not much of a risk-taker. I tried on another dress that was dark blue and it basically had a peacock wrapped around my neck. It reminded me too much of Bjork at the 2001 Oscars (comparison below).

Bjork’s swan dress

Gaurav Gupta’s Peacock Dress

I then decided to try on a black sari gown (pictured below). I put in an order for this but when I got back to my masi’s apartment that evening she said “The bride cannot wear black! It’s bad luck.” I said “No no, its ok.” I then checked with my future mom-in-law to see if she held the same beliefs, and she did…so we changed the dress to dark blue like the peacock dress.

Should you check it out? Hell ya! They have a lot to offer and their customer service is amazing. I received my outfit and there were some issues. We video-chatted with their team and discussed the problems. I sent the dress back to India, they fixed it, and it worked out well. It was stressful because I contemplated going back to India just to fix it, but I’m glad I didn’t have to especially with only 4 weeks left til the wedding.

Price? $$$

Gaurav Gupta – I went with this but changed it to blue

Jade by Monica & Karishma – On the hanger, nothing stood out to me here but I decided to try on a few things. I really liked one outfit (pictured below) and it was a contender for my wedding day but the work didn’t fill up the skirt and so it looked a bit bare. Another outfit was so heavy that it physically started to hurt my waist after 5 minutes. That was a no-go.

Should you check it out? Definitely. You might find a gem.

Price? $$$

Sabyasachi – I never planned to even go here. I knew it would be too expensive but my family said to just have a look as the store itself is very nice. Maybe it’s because I’m from the USA but I wasn’t impressed with the decor. I think I’m not a very excitable or enthusiastic person overall. But tell me I’m going to Disney World and that’s a completely different story. Originally, I was looking for a mostly-white skirt with a red blouse but they didn’t have any. I tried on a few outfits and fell in love with one…BUT I didn’t fall in love with that price tag. My mom told me to just get it if I like it. I don’t know how she was so nonchalant about it. I thought maybe she was tired and just wanted to go home. The outfit also didn’t hurt my waist to carry. It was comfortable. Anyway, I decided to think about it because it’s expensive. I ended up going back either the next day or the day after that and sealing the deal because nothing else compared to that beautiful thing.

sabyasachiofficial-1489817656424 — Sabyasachi

Should you check it out? Ya, but prepare to fall in love.

Price? $$$-$$$$

Seasons – Seasons in Santacruz was a bit overwhelming. Also, someone is bound to fall down those stairs (pictured below) badly one day. It’s just not safe! Look at those itty-bitty steps! DANGER!!!

Should you check it out? I would go here if you are a guest, but again, it’s in Santacruz market and you’re bound to be there for something or the other anyway.

Price? $-$$

Screen Shot 2018-01-10 at 12.35.12 PM — Seasons staircase from Google Maps

Shyamal and Bhumika – I always admired these outfits on the runway but in stores I didn’t like much; they didn’t have much on display. I tried on two outfits (similar to the one pictured below) but the work was just too busy. Also, the skirt had two pieces to it: one layer of can-can and one layer of skirt that goes on top. At other shops, I found that the can-can and skirt were all one piece. I didn’t like this back then, but looking back now, it’s smart because if you take the can-can out, you now have a skirt you can wear to another party that isn’t your wedding.

Should you check it out? Maybe, but it can get gaudy.

Price? $$$

Tamanna Punjabi Kapoor – I liked two outfits here for my mehndi but they weren’t as colorful as I wanted. My mom did get her own wedding day outfit from here and I loved it.

Should you check it out? The selection was pretty small and my mom did have a few issues with them taking the wrong measurements so your call.

Price? $$$

Tarun Tahiliani – When we walked in, we weren’t even greeted. Maybe they just looked at me and thought “This hobo isn’t buying anything from here.” I found an outfit I liked and asked to try it on. They handed it to me off the rack and pointed to the fitting room. Now, this is uncommon in these shops because bridal outfits are physically heavy and you will need help getting them on. At the fitting room, no one was even there to unlock a room for me to try on the dress. We waited until someone came by. This was frustrating as some of these items are priced higher than Sabyasachi. Once in the fitting room….I could barely get the skirt off the hanger because of the sheer weight of it. When I had the skirt on, I called my bhabhi in because I needed help. It was pretty but too heavy and completely overpriced.

Should you check it out? Ehhhh nah I’d pass on this one.

Price? $$$$-$$$$$ (Too much)

AFTER ALL THAT these were my final outfits *sigh of relief* :

Mehndi

Wedding

Reception

I wouldn’t call myself cheap; I prefer the term conscientious. My family was not well off when I was a kid and so my mom would often cut coupons and look for sales in weekly flyers. Things did improve but mom kept clipping those coupons. My parents would hand me money without even my asking. I would receive it whenever I needed it…or not really needed it. I don’t think I was ever greedy or materialistic but I never thought twice about eating out with friends, going to the movies or buying a few new clothes every now and then. You could say I was definitely spoiled in that sense but I never felt like I was taking advantage of my parents, but I wasn’t careful either.

momoney

Later on, my parents paid for my college tuition (I did get a major scholarship though) so the $15 cost of Long Island’s at clubs never really bothered me. Ya, I probably ordered way too much Thai food too….BUT! I did eventually get a job in college and created a secret bank account I’d use to charge my drinks and cabs fares to so my parents would not be alarmed by my spending…if that’s even better…

But after my first real job after college, I knew that money is not something that should be spent to grant a second of happiness. I’ve lived at home and helped with some bills and bought some furniture for my parents because why shouldn’t I – they’ve done everything for me. I’ve worked really hard to save up and because of that and not having the burden of loans, my husband and I have been able to buy a home.

Being unemployed now and having to set up a new home has forced me to be more careful than I usually am about spending money. Also, I live with my husband instead of my parents where my mom would take care of the grocery shopping and I wouldn’t have to think twice about it. My husband and I are foodies too so there’s no way we’re skimping and living on Maruchan Ramen Noodles or Maggi.

So here are a few ways I’ve modified my money habits:

Look at Weekly Grocery Store Flyers:

I save 25-50% off my grocery bill this way. This is the best and easiest way to save money on groceries without having to deal with coupons. I’ll look at all the weekly grocery flyers to see where the best deals are and plan my meals around this. Living in a suburbs, I can do this because I have my choice of 3 different grocery stores. In the city, this wouldn’t be so feasible because of convenience – you’re going to go to the store within the shortest walking distance of your apartment.

What I also have noted is that items may be BOGO Free and people don’t take advantage of this – make sure you read the price signs. At the grocery store just last week, mushrooms were BOGO free. The man checking out behind me only had ONE package of mushrooms…JUST ONE! I told him they were BOGO free. He said “That’s ok.” I was like “Man, you all sorts of crazy!!!” I understand this if he knows it’ll go to waste, but otherwise, just eat some extra mushrooms instead – they’re good for you.

Generally, I try to purchase groceries from the outer rim of the store, leaving the inner aisles (all the preservative heavy foods) alone. So this leaves me with produce, dairy items, meat/seafood and bread – generally these items do not have coupons but may be on sale in the weekly flyer.

Also, living in Vermont, we MUST ALWAYS have Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream HEAVILY STOCKED in our freezer. At $5 a pint, it gets expensive but it tends to come on sale for $2.50 often so I stock up a bit during sales…or we end up buying it at regular price because we’re desperate.

grocery11

Check Out Coupons.com or Grocery Store Specific Apps/Rewards Programs:

Coupons.com allows you to print coupons and bring them to the store. What I find easier than this is acquiring a member discount card, downloading the grocery store’s app (Hannaford, Price Chopper or Shaw’s to name a few), and clipping the coupons digitally. The coupons get loaded to your card or your phone number and are automatically applied when you checkout at the store. You’ll save some printer ink and kind of the earth by not wasting paper.

Don’t forget about the Gas Savings tied to your Grocery Store’s Rewards:

At PriceChopper, the Fuel AdvantEdge Card allows you to accumulate decent discounts towards gas. Price Chopper gives you 10 cents off per gallon for every $100 you spend along with some additional gas rewards when you buy certain items. Often, I’m able to accumulate a discount of 30-40 cents off per gallon. So say you need to fill up your 20 gallon tank, you’d save $6-$8 which is helpful. If you fill up your tank 2 times per month, that gives you $144-$192 in savings per year. Stop & Shop and Shaws will also give you 10 cents off per gallon for every $100 you spend. These discounts may only be redeemed at certain participating Sunoco Gas Stations.

Download the Ibotta App

Ibotta is a mobile coupon and cash back shopping app. I like to go through it before I head to the grocery store to see if I need of any of the products. They often will offer 25 cents to a dollar off certain items. Sometimes you will get a coupon for any brand milk, eggs, fruits or vegetables. Lately, I don’t find myself needing any of the products they have coupons for. BUT, Ibotta was amazing for Black Friday. Ibotta offers cash back on sites like Kohls, Macy’s, Ulta, Express and more. At Express, 20% cash back was offered to a limit of $20 which is pretty significant on top of everything already being 50% off. One caveat I found is if you use an additional coupon code, on top of navigating to say Express.com through the Ibotta app, you may not get any cash back through Ibotta. Every Wednesday throughout the day, new coupons are added if you don’t see anything you can use now.

I’ve saved about $100 in the last year using Ibotta. Use this link to join Ibotta and you’ll receive a $10 welcome bonus once you redeem your first receipt or make your first purchase.

Download Money-saving Browser Extensions

Honey. Honey is one browser extension I’ve been using to save me money by automatically applying coupon codes at checkout before completing an order. Going to RetailMeNot.com every time and trying out codes gets old so this is helpful. But lately, Honey hasn’t been coming through. It’s supposed to apply the best coupon that’ll get you the best deal, but sometimes it just doesn’t work right. I’m not sure why. Also, Honey will give you a cash-back reward at an unknown percentage of your purchase. It will display the percentage range when you’re checking out. The range is often 1-5% which is a wide range….which is why I’d like to try:

Ebates. Ebates is another browser extension that will do the same thing as Honey but will tell you the exact percentage you will get back which is much better. A friend suggested I try Ebates so I literally just downloaded it an hour ago.

^ Click here and you’ll earn $10 once you spend your first $25 with Ebates.

Either way, it’s easy to save just a little money with these browser extensions. You just click and the extension does everything for you. I’ve received $35 in gift cards from Honey and saved at least $300 just using the coupon codes in the last year.

Hopefully this was helpful! If it wasn’t, let me know in the comments!

XOXO,

Relatable Roni

Month: January 2018

The Mumbai Wedding Shopping Diaries

Adulting 101: Building Better Money Habits