Click onto House of Fraser and sign up here to be the first to hear about the newest product launches, hot sale previews and elite shopping events both in-store and online.  And for a limited time only, they have an added incentive – they’re currently giving away six luxurious boutique hotel escapes.  God knows, we could all do with one of those at this time of year…

So log on now – you never know, you might just find yourself swanning off somewhere hot, plus you can get discount on those designer sunnies too.

Girl Meets Dress (www.girlmeetsdress.com)  is the answer to any dress conundrum – they hire out dresses on a daily basis, therefore saving you the huge cost of buying one. Simply choose your style and how long you want it for, and the company will even send it out for you to try on.

What’s more, you can become a member for just £60 a year, which entitles you to £20 off your first order and 20% off all other hires, plus exclusive priority access to the new arrivals. 

We found a gorgeous one-shoulder Hervé Leger dress for hire for just £129 – not bad considering it costs a whopping £1,081 to buy.  Uh-oh,  we suddenly feel yet another shopping compulsion coming on…

The weather and the fashion cycle really don’t mix. So now the best buys have been scooped up by those quicker than us, and whatever relatively good item is left is never in your size. However, despite this irritating factor, why not consider buying birthday presents for friends and family in advance – if you see sale items in their size of course. Or, better yet – dare we say it – start your Christmas 2010 shopping!

That way it looks like you’ve splurged on your loved ones, when really you’re just jealous because you wanted that pair of shoes, or that top, so to make you feel better you can splurge a little on yourself instead.

Shh, no one else needs to know that’s the case really. We’ll keep it quiet! Because we’re doing the same…

The price of gold has trebled in the last few years, and if you read our November feature on the Cash for Gold phenomenon, you will know that sites like www.postgoldforcash.com are an excellent way of exchanging unwanted jewellery for some welcome spending money.

Fronted by TV’s Anne Diamond, Post Gold For Cash have already forked out £353,000 for people’s gold since their recent launch, and promise a first rate buying service, so you can be sure you don’t get ripped off.

Not much of a gold collector? The site also buys silver and platinum jewellery, perfect for the modern woman’s trinkets.

Just order a free Special Delivery pack online, send your items away in it, and they’ll call you with a quote before posting your cash, insured for up to £500. That unwanted Christmas gift could be become your next day of retail therapy!

With top brands like Alexander McQueen, Diesel and Jimmy Choo, these sales are definitely the web’s best kept secret. And with discounts ranging from 30% up to a whopping 80%, there’s something to suit all budgets and plenty of bargains to be uncovered.

Members are sent weekly emails inviting them to shop at these elite sales, including the upcoming Konvict Clothing sale (Akon’s label if you will!). 

But while membership is free, it’s open for a limited time only – so don’t hang around.  And once you have your membership, you can earn £5 a go for inviting your friends to join, so you’ll have even more money to spend on those designer goodies.

Following in the footsteps of Net-A-Porter, Ted Baker is putting its old collections to good use by selling them on for generous prices.

Here you’ll find up to 65% off recommended retail prices on Mens, Womens, and Kidswear, and a fab collection of party dresses to rock the Christmas do.

Ted’s Shed offer next day delivery for fashion emergencies, and even deliver for free if you spend £50 or more. Get ahead of the crowd and save a bundle on swimwear and summer dresses – hello savvy shopper!

Luckily for us, the online retailers are on hand to help us out with buying those party essentials. 

Very (www.very.co.uk) is offering three months interest free on purchases with their VeryCredit account, so you choose to pay up more expensive items – perfect for that must-have winter coat, or if you fancy picking up a little something from Fearne Cotton’s latest range.

Oli (www.oli.co.uk) are also getting in on the act, and has a useful payment calculator on the site for shoppers to work out how they can spread the cost of their purchases – perfect for those of us who get confused over APRs and interest rates and the like.    

So it seems Christmas needn’t be a time for scrimping after all – just remember to watch out for those bills coming in the New Year though!

It’s always tempting to keep splashing the cash and then end up in the red come January when the bills come in. But now O2 customers can get a little help with watching their money, thanks to their new Cash Manager card.

The card enables its user to transfer money onto it from any bank account, and then use it in place of a credit or debit card to shop online. 

O2 will also send free balance alerts to your mobile phone and have a budgeting calculator to make sure you never spend more than you can afford. 

So now you can shop online for fashion in confidence, knowing that your bank balance will stay firmly in the black.

http://money.o2.co.uk/cashmanager.html

IPod Shuffles are on auction, for as little as £15 last time we checked, and refurbished 8GB Nanos are also available for just £82.97 plus postage – a huge saving from the standard price of £115 that most stores retail them for.

All the refurbished iPods come with a 12 month warranty, so there’s no worries that you’re not getting a good deal there. So now you can afford an iPod in every colour – perfect for any fashionista.

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Tesco-Outlet

A bit like the Boots Advantage card, Nectar points are collected with everyday shopping and can then be spent on a well deserved treat, ultimately saving you cash.

At www.nectar.com you can register and manage your account online, collecting points as you shop at top online fashion retailers like All Saints, Burton, Office, and Miss Selfridge.

The Nectar team offer some extraordinary extras, providing a points calculator, store finder and bonus points to satisfy the most notorious bargain hunter.

Plus, the more you use your Nectar card the more they know your favourite shops, and can hand pick offers especially for you. Supermarkets have never seemed so fabulous.

Delivery at BHS is free for orders over £50 and Evans offers a free returns service.

Music lovers will rejoice as the new Evans range, fronted by soul legend Chaka Khan, is included in the offer.

As if 20% off wasn’t enough, at BHS make sure you check out the ‘double discount offers’ to get 20% off items already reduced.

Sign up to the BHS newsletter and you could win a £100 shopping spree too.

Tweeters should keep up to date with Evans on Twitter if they want to be the first to hear of future special offers.

BHS offer ends Sunday 29th November 2009. Evans offer ends midnight Monday 30th November 2009.

VAT is currently 15%, but is set to rise back up to 17.5% on 1st January 2010, meaning that consumers will again be paying more for their shopping.

A BBC survey has found that many are looking to make purchases now to make the most of the cheaper rate, and as always online shopping is a popular way to make the most of these savings.

So get surfing and pick up some Christmas presents and party wear now – this time next year you’ll be paying more for your sparkles, so get investing asap.

Enter Chiconomise (www.chiconomise.com), the money-saving website that’s exclusively for the ladies. 

Sign up for their newsletter to get all the goss on the latest sample sales, discount offers and promotions on everything from high fashion and beauty to homewares and bottles of wine for girly nights in. 

There are also exclusive subscriber offers, so it’s definitely not one to miss!

The brainchild Apprentice winner Michelle Dewberry, this site does the hard work so you don’t have to.  All the best deals in one place, leaving us with more spare time and more spare cash.  Perfect for doing a bit more online shopping – now where did I put that credit card..?

RentYourRocks (www.rentyourrocks.co.uk) is the first site to offer an online jewellery hire service, allowing us to bling up on a budget.

No longer confined to the celebrity world, jewellery loans have gone public, and this site boasts everything from cute pendants to show-stopping bling worth up to £10,000.

X Factor star Stacey Solomon recently sparkled on the show in £100,000 worth of diamonds; sporting a ring, cuff, and earrings all from the Rent Your Rocks collection.

We hear Susan Boyle followed in Stacey’s footsteps on Sunday’s X Factor wearing pieces from the site.

It seems diamonds are still a girl’s best friend, and why buy when you can borrow?

RentYourRocks does weekly rentals from just £50 and you can even hire three items at a time for up to 2 months.

The only hard part will be giving it back!

www.rentyourrocks.co.uk

We spend hours surfing the net for that perfect party dress, hoping it will look as fabulous on us as it does the model!

Yet shoppers need not fear having to return goods that are purchased online. Most fashion retailers are fully clued-up, and offer a standard no questions asked return policy, although bear in mind that you may have to pay for the postage yourself. 

If you shop online regularly or worry about returning goods, it’s wise to read up on the Distance Selling Regulations.

These rules allow consumers a seven-day cooling off period, so if you change your mind, or find a better pair of shoes somewhere else, then you needn’t worry about getting your money back. 

There are some restrictions, but fashion refunds should be covered – just as long as you play by the rules yourself and don’t go out dancing in those shoes first.

Get more information here
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/after_you_buy/online_shopping
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2000/20002334.htm