members only

What do you think of the new (I think) trend of the shopping websites where you become a member to get exclusive discounts on designer clothes, toys, housewares, etc.? I am a member of four now and while I think it is bad for the amount of time I spend online as well as my "case of the gimmes"/bank account, I must admit I enjoy looking at what sales they are offering.

These are the ones I am a member of:

Gilt Group


Haute Look


The Mini Social


Zulily


(In case you haven't heard of these and want to join- the membership is free.)

Not that I need to join any more, but do you have any that you are a member of and enjoy looking at? I am wondering how big of a trend this is, if it is a trend at all.


In other somewhat related news, I finally bit the bullet and paid for a yearly membership to America's Test Kitchen online.

They are another guilty pleasure of mine. I hesitated to do it for a long time because of how many recipe books, magazines, and just personal recipes I already have. But I have had so much success and so many rave reviews with the recipes I have tried from them. Plus my husband has somewhat of a picky palate and his mom is an amazing cook- and with ATK I always impress them:)

I am always tempted to buy every magazine and cookbook they come out with so I figured the fiscally wise thing to do was to stop buying the magazines and books and become a member of their website. Becoming a member gives you full access to all of their recipes, tips, tv segments that walk you through how to cook many of their recipes, and easy to print, read and follow recipes as well as grocery lists. I think I am going to love it.