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Miss Thrifty's deals: Café Cairo and great fashion discounts

Savvyshopper.ie founder Sinead Van Kampen brings readers the best selection of bargains and deals on offer for Irish recessionistas.

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By Sinead Van Kampen
Wednesday Jul 22 2009

SINCE living within our means is finally OK again, those of us not jetting away to the Seychelles on plastic this summer can console ourselves with a trip to Cairo.

Ladies who still do lunch may be interested in our first money saver of the week, the Cafe Cairo on Pearse Street . Situated within the Trinity Hotel, Cafe Cairo serves a good mix of modern European dishes and is offering a special lunch deal for only €8.95. The offer includes two courses and is available weekdays and weekends before 3pm.

Having made like Cleopatra, you can then get a good price on a celebratory drink at Gibney’s of Malahide . Twice voted independent off-license of the year they got in touch with us to announce that readers of this column get 10% off all hamper orders bought online and in-store. The offer includes all New and Old World selections during July and August.

Now an offer a bit closer to home, for those of you who, quite frankly, don't ever wish to pay for anything, at any time, ever. Aer Arann will be giving one lucky reader a return ticket for two people to anywhere within the UK and Ireland. Entering the competition is easy, go to the Aer Arann competition page on Savvyshopper.ie , leave a comment, then wait, then forget you entered the competition, then get a nice warm feeling when we get in touch to tell you that you've won.

And now for something to wear, we head to Copenhagen. As nice as Copenhagen is, it wouldn't be good for your carbon footprint to travel there just to get a dress, so you may consider going to Misamu's online store for their summer sale. We picked out an elegant silk Harmoni dress by Danish designer Malene Birger, reduced from a heart-breaking €330 to a heart-warming €165.

Finally, in the event that you didn't go to Cairo, didn't win the free flights and therefore don't require a silk dress, you'll need something to take the edge off the vague sense of disappointment your now feeling. We could suggest comfort food, we could suggest a drink or two, but were going to suggest you try a soothing solution from Nue Blue Eriu.

Those of you unfamiliar with Nue Blue Eriu will nod in appreciation when we tell you two key facts: firstly, they stock a fantastic selection of beauty products from everyone from Agent Provocateur to Prada; secondly, readers of this column can receive a 15% discount on all online orders during July and August. We tried Erbaviva's fully organic multi-use bath oils and finished with the REN Grapeseed and Shea Butter body cream, available at €10 and €28 respectively.

All offers and deals mentioned in this column are subject to availability. Please contact individual retailers for more details. Sinead Van Kampen updates thesavvyshopper.ie daily with special offers on fashion, food and lifestyle from around Ireland.

- Sinead Van Kampen