If you have got school-aged kids or are uni bound, there’s one thing you need plenty of, besides sanity, and that’s printer ink cartridge refills.  But we are not talking about do-it-yourself refill kits that’ll leave you with a clean-it-yourself mess. Been there and stained that. We are talking about Cartridge World, a place where they can refill your old one for half the price of a new cartridge. So read on to refill and reap in the savings.

Save your empty printer ink cartridge from the landfill and head to your nearest Cartridge World store for a refill. You can save up to 60 per cent off the RRP for a new ink cartridge and save the planet, as well. (Check in store for what brands they refill.) But what if you already binned your printer ink cartridge?  No worries, Cartridge World carries printer ink cartridge refills (at a discount) to buy at their stores. So you can get your fill even if you forget to bring cartridge. Just remember the brand and model of your printer.

While you are savouring the savings, you can also get money back from your refill or empty ink cartridge by registering with Recycle It, a program by Cartridge World. You get £1 for every recycled ink cartridge you get refilled. Plus, you get 50p for every empty ink cartridge you recycle (i.e. drop into the special collection bins they give you).

See, being good pays off. So when the printer’s run out of ink, run out to Cartridge World and get your discount printer ink cartridge refill.

By Christina Caicedo

Now that school is starting up again soon, you’re probably wondering where to put your teetering pile of kids’ drawings. Because in the coming months, more is coming. Admit it: you’ve probably tossed some artwork when your kids weren’t looking. And when no one is looking, you feel bad because you haven’t framed all their drawings. But, that’s expensive. Dear chiconomistas, there is a money-saving solution: making your own inexpensive stationery out of your kids’ artwork, plus making money by selling it, on Zazzle.co.uk.  It’s true. So start scanning that pile of kids’ drawings and stay clear of the bin—and that steaming side of guilt.

Scan for Stationery

After you’ve scanned all the kids’ drawings, all you have to do is sign up to Zazzle.co.uk and create your own stationery. Choose from note cards to stamps. Note cards start at £1.75 for 10 cards. And the more you buy in bulk, you get more savings. Savvy stationery, indeed. After you choose your type of stationery, add images, text, what image goes on what side and the size.

Sell Your Stationery

Next, you can sell your very own stationery  that you created. It’s like your very own free online stationery stall, starring your kids’ drawings. You can even pick up tips on how to sell your stationery with their blog and forum. Money-saving stationery that saves artwork and can make you money, now that’s chiconomics. So start adding to that collection of drawings and make your kids happy by showing (and selling) their talent.

By Christina Caicedo

Inspired by the two types of weather we get in autumn, we think our products should do double duty, too. So we found some fabu multi-purpose beauty just for you. Forget well-stuffed bathroom cabinets and make-up bags that refuse to zip. And spend not on one-purpose wonders. It’s time to get multi-purpose pretty.

Bourjois Lip Scrub and Baume, £4.95 (RRP: £7.50), is the double-ended beauty treat for lips. One side of the wand has a mini-buffer that exfoliates lips, while the other side coats your lips in rich moisture. That’s a multi-purpose way to pout perfection.

e.l.f. Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF 15, £1.50, gives your lips that healthy dose of colour and shields your lips from pesky sun rays. Multi-purpose protection has never looked so good. Always use an spf balm underneath. And remember, chiconomistas, put it on generously to stay gorgeous. (It’s one of our beauty rules.)

e.l.f. Lip Stain, £3.50, uses a double wand to both stain and shine. Yes, beauty addicts, this stain comes with a gloss. So when we get one of those hot days in September, we’ll be melt-free and getting multi-wows.

Bare Escentuals SPF 15 Foundation, £17.28 (RRP: £19), powders away any oil while giving our skin an extra dose of healthy sun protection, on top of our daily spf. Its purpose is perfect for hot, sunny days that send pores into oil overload.

So thank you, autumn, for your dual nature when it comes to weather and for inspiring us to be multi-purpose beauty mavens.

By Christina Caicedo

Although we are sad to see the summer sales (and summer) go, there are lots of things about autumn to look forward to, such as the clothes.  All you need to do is make room in your wardrobe. You could give those used clothes to charity. Or you could clothes swap. That’s a fun, eco-friendly and money-savvy thing to do.  So get your gently used clothes out and get ready to swap, swap, swap online.

Covert Candy: If some of you have already been to a clothes swap party, you know how frustrating it can be when someone wants to make an unfair swap. Ahem, your fun second-hand summer dress for something that was not-so fun. You end up leaving with most of  your used clothes. Well, Covert Candy takes care of that  swap situation.  Simply sign up, upload photos and descriptions of your gently used clothes and give a price of what you think that item is worth second hand in credits. (One credit equals one pound.) Once your item is bought and received, you get credits you can spend on an item you really want or save. So you always get fair credit for your swap.

Posh Swaps: This place put the so-fair back into clothes swaps. You can do a straight clothes swap, buy a second-hand item or sell your gently used piece. That’s some savvy swapping. All you have to do is sign up and decide what you want to do. We think the best way is to put your clothes in the both the sell and swap category. That way if you don’t get the kind of swaps you want (you are free to reject a swap), you can get some money if someone buys it.

See, getting a new autumn wardrobe is easy. Just do a straight swap or get credits or money to shop from your swap.

By Christina Caicedo

We all love freebies. After all, that’s why we stuff our purses with customer loyalty cards from our fave coffee shops and supermarkets and whip them out at every chance we get. Well, there is another one to add to the bunch, in the virtual sense, that gives us a sweet hotel deal (i.e. a free hotel stay) from Hotels.com called Welcome Rewards.

For every ten nights booked online with Hotels.com, whether it’s a bed and breakfast, independently run or a chain,  you get one free night’s stay at a hotel . With over 65, 000 participating hotels across the world, getting a free stay deal in your fave city is easy. But, we know you are sitting there thinking, Do I have to book 10 nights straight in order to get this hotel deal?

We know you’ll love our answer: No. You get a credit for each time you stay, whether it’s in one go or spread out. And the best thing is, each credit is good for three years. Plenty of time to snag your savvy hotel deal.  Credits are also based on how many rooms you book. So if you and a friend book two rooms for five days, that’s 10 credits, which means a one-night-free hotel deal.

With all the last-minute holiday deals out there, make your trip even more money-savvy by getting your free night at a hotel deal with Hotels.com. So come on, get away from it all, even if it’s just for a short time. You’ll be glad you did. And although the calming effects of your trip won’t last, the credits from your stay will.

By Christina Caicedo

You are probably looking at the title and thinking, Yeah right, a furniture sale that lasts forever? That’s what we first thought when we drooled over all the delicious discount furniture at Made.com. But it’s true.

Here’s how: The lovely people from Made.com decided in March to cut the middle man out by selling everything online, which means they can cut 50-80 per cent off on all their luxury furniture.  This furniture sale is like a never-ending furniture feast.

Here’s how you can get it: all you have to do is go to the Made.com site, register with them, vote for your favorite luxury furniture (you even get to vote on the estimated price!) and the most popular pieces go into production and go on sale. Those eager voters can go online and buy those pieces at a discounted price.  A first in furniture online history! Then, the orders are placed with the manufacturer and shipped to the UK. (The process is trackable online.)

This is not only furniture to help your finances but it also avoids having to waste materials on unsold pieces.

Since we all know how you’ll vote on the prices, the question is what furniture do we want to vote for?  Or should we say, what furniture do we want to go on sale?  Well, here are two pieces we really liked and would love to buy on sale:

The Boundary Sideboard by Steuart Padwick, est. price: £375,  is a great place for storage and comes with or without a splash of colour. We also love the One Table, est. price: £150, that can be used as an extra dining table inside or outside and is only 4cm thick when closed.  So vote for your fave  furniture and keep your fingers crossed that it goes on sale. After all, Made.com is a discount democracy: they need your vote (and you need your savings).

By Christina Caicedo

Since we are on a make-your-own roll at chiconomise towers, we wanted to see if we could take budget beauty a step further and make our very own eyeshadow palette look.  An eyeshadow palette look for less, that is. The reason being: while we love all the new eye make-up palettes for autumn 2010, they normally cost over £30. And hey, if you have the money to spend, go for it! But if you are a penny pincher who wants pretty peepers, check out our guide to smouldering eyes with a side of serious savings.

e.l.f. Custom Eyes—Eyeshadow Palette

All you have to do to put a palette together is go to the e.l.f. site, select four shades, £1.50 each, and the compact, £1.50. To keep with the eyeshadow trend for autumn 2010, customise your very own ‘Pretty in Purple’ palette with these shades: Ivory, Pink Ice or Wisteria (coming soon), Periwinkle and Dusk. Wear it light for day or smokey for night and bask in your (budget) beauty.

Total Cost: £7.50

MUA (Make Up Academy) at Superdrug

The not-so-secret way to save, MUA  helps you create your own palette look with their individual eyeshadows, £1 each, that come in a pearl or matte finish.  Available in 20 shades for the pressed eyeshadows or six shades for the eye dust, you can have that catwalk palette look at a fierce discount. If you’re loving the blue hues for autumn 2010, check out shade 2 in the eye dust range and shade 10 in the pressed eyeshadow range. Remember to tailor the trend to you by blending these shades with lighter ones (as most eyeshadow palettes include lighter shades.) At only a pound each, you can’t afford not to.

Total cost for five shadows: £5

By Christina Caicedo

Finding the perfect piece of jewellery is like finding the perfect place: sometimes, you have to make it perfect by customising it yourself. While we can admire all the delicious detail that goes into handcrafted jewellery, we don’t admire the price tag. And since most of us are not super silversmiths or beading experts or know a jewellery maker, we can’t be super savvy when it comes to custom jewellery, or can we?  The truth is: yes, we can! To find the hidden designer in you, read on for two places to build and customise your very own budget bling.

Design Your Own Diamond Ring with Les Adorables at Yves Frey Diamonds

Yves Frey’s Les Adorables line is not only adorable but also affordable. This line allows you to stack each diamond-encrusted delight, which you customise, for a unique elegance or you can wear each ring separately. That’s multi-wear custom magic. All you have to do to get a custom-made ring just for you is go to their site, set your budget (it starts at £1000), choose the colour of your diamonds, the setting and finally your size. Then email your designed-by-you desires to [email protected] or call him at 0207 2425 511.

Handcrafted Jewellery Made by You at Buffy’s Beads

Harness the designer in you by taking a stroll to Buffy’s Beads in London or Colchester or go to their site. Inside, you’ll be treated to a kaleidoscopic array of custom-made jewellery beads, ranging from strings of gemstones to fresh water pearls, from £1.20. But the budget bling doesn’t stop there. Check out their custom jewellery kits for earrings, necklaces and bracelets, starting at £12. Each kit comes with everything you need to make your beautifully beaded design, including the materials (beads, clasps, etc); super-easy-to-follow instructions; a card with the tools needed (they are sold separately at the store); and a 10 per cent off coupon on your next pretty purchase.

So next time you want jewellery, economise by customising your bling. What’s more custom made than something that you made for yourself?

By Christina Caicedo

Maybe some of you don’t like to shop online for your discount beauty products because of the pesky shipping charges some places have, which, sadly, don’t always make the discount count in the end. Or maybe you like to shop—in an actual beauty store. Well, we’ve got a treat for you: three beauty discount stores. Now, you can shop in person and save on the products you crave.

Savers Health and Beauty

This beauty store is like the Primark of Pretty Products. Offering brand new products at budget prices every six weeks, it’s like a never-ending beauty buffet. With over 230 UK stores, Saver’s helps you snag a steal on cosmetics, toiletries and fine fragrances in your neighbourhood. For a store near you and to check out their sales before you take one step, check out their site.

Must-see sale item: Rimmel Volume Flash “The Max” Waterproof Mascara Black, £4.98 (RRP: £6.49)

Beauty Base

Save on summer scents, along with cosmetics and bath and body products, at Beauty Base. Head to one of their six locations and be prepared for discount beauty heaven.

Must-see sale item: Bio Oil, £9.99 (RRP: £14.95)

Sally stores

If you want to keep your locks lovely, head over to Sally’s. To view their sales on accessories, tools and even skincare, you need to log in with Salon Services Card Number, which you can get by contacting your local Sally’s beauty supply store.

Must-see sale item: Diva Hot Tong Titanium Curling Iron, £34.99 (RRP: £39.99)

By Christina Caicedo

We are on a serious savings roll here at chiconomise towers and love to keep our chiconomistas’ designer desires discounted. So if you are going on a holiday soon and want to be both the belle of the beach and a budget babe, read on for our oh-so-lovely designer beachwear at deliciously low prices.

The Swimsuit

Nothing highlights a tan like a Melissa Odabash’s white tankini, £66 (RRP: £165), with gold beads at the straps and figure-friendly hipster briefs.

Can’t-believe-it savings: £99

The Sandals

Because you have to keep your feet off the hot sand but have them look hot too, we picked metallic-trimmed suede sandals by shoe-guru Vanessa Bruno, £82.25 (RRP: £235)

Can’t-believe-it savings: £152.75

The Kaftan

To cover up when it gets a bit chilly on the beach, wear designer Diane Von Furstenburg’s beautiful blue kaftan at a discounted £58 (RRP: £200).

Can’t-believe-it savings: £142

The Accessories

What designer beach look would be complete without the must-wear accessories?

Pair the Chloé sunglasses in the picture at the very top, £107.28 (RRP: £357.61), with this season’s wide-brim hat à la JLo by Eugenia Kim, £98 (RRP: £280).

Can’t-believe-it savings:

Sunglasses: £255.33

Hat: £182

For a little beach bling, we have two bracelets, one for day and one for night. The white D&G buckle-fastening cuff, £63 (RRP: £210), is perfect for the day and for a little Ursula Andress glamour. For the beach barbecue at night, wear jewellery-design wonder Kenneth Jay Lane’s black diamanté studded bracelet, £20.44 (RRP: £51.09).

Can’t-believe-it savings:

White Bracelet: £147

Black Bracelet: £30.65

Total spent: £494.97

What we would have spent: £1498.70

Total saved: £1008.73

So we saved double what we spent on our designer beachwear look. That’s chiconomics!

Note: Prices and availability may change.

By Christina Caicedo

As savvy chiconomistas, we know you love multi-purpose products. When you think about it, they are like a two for one sale. So, why don’t we demand that out of our garments? And no, we are not talking about antibacterial shirts whose labels insist you don’t have to wash them.  In the looking-lovely-for-less land of chiconomise, we mean tights and shapewear that help you save, slim and send cellulite packing. So, treat yourself this autumn to some two-in-one wonders.

Slimming Stockings

Have a serious caffeine habit? Then make another habit of wearing caffeine tights from Skinkiss, £24.23 for a pack of three (RRP: £32.30). They made a huge hosiery stir back in 2004 and are back to give you perfect pins with their not-so-secret anti-cellulite ingredient, caffeine. Despite the crisper weather in autumn, you won’t mind wearing these slimming stockings because the more you cover your legs, the more you won’t have to.

Caffeine Shapewear

Made from the buff-body-giving gods of Lytess, this shapewear (that you can don as outerwear) trims your figure and uses fat-burning caffeine to help it stay that way and shea butter to keep your skin soft and supple. So forget embarrassing ashy legs and dry knees, even if you forget to moisturise. Choose from this shapewear’s leggings, £49.95 (RRP: £54.95); capris, £44.95 (RRP: £49.95); or shorts, £39.95 (RRP: £44.95). We prefer wearing the leggings and capris with boots, while the shorts look great under a skirt.

By Christina Caicedo

One of the great things about travelling stateside is treating yourself to the best American make up brands that you can’t get in the UK but the only bad thing is: where do you get them in the UK?  Since we share the same product pangs, we are so happy to find your fav brands and their deliciously discounted products online. So if you’re an American-brand addict or an American ex-pat, here is your way to be both the American beauty and discount product diva.

The Magic Mascaras

Trust us when we say that Maybelline and CoverGirl make magic mascaras. While we have some of the Maybelline mascaras here, we don’t have their much-loved Full N’ Soft mascara. Quell that long-lash lust by visiting  Save On Makeup. One tube is only £2.99.

A one-way stop to stunning, CoverGirl’s mascaras can increase your batting average. Get the lashes you love with their Professional Waterproof Mascara at a discounted £2.45 (RRP: £6.50). Although we can’t find the entire CoverGirl make-up range, we managed to find some of their discounted make up here.

The Eye Wish

Through the marvels of make-up magic, you can now get the Smashbox Cosmetics line at Debenhams. Make your peepers pretty with their Beauty to Go eye palette, £32.95 (RRP: £40).

The Best in Bath and Body

If you’re a gym rat, have an all-important interview or want to stay dry during that sauna-like tube ride home, try Secret Deodorant Clinical Strength (pack of three for £9.79). Originally made for people who suffer from hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), it is the forever-fresh solution to hot weather or festivals and lasts days without reapplying.

Lastly, there is the sweet-scented spray of Calgon. And no, it’s not the product that removes limescale from your washing machine so it can live longer. For Americans, it’s the array of body sprays and lotions they can’t live without. Perfect as an after shower treat or to freshen up during the day, Calgon’s sprays, £3.81 (RRP: £5.09), spoil you with a variety of scents.

By Christina Caicedo