Where Are You Registered?

So I shared all of the shower details last time, and I mentioned that people were extremely generous with their time, talents, and also with their gifts.  So let's talk about that registry!

So many gifts! 

For background, I bought my house exactly two years ago, and Momma P and I spent that whole summer shopping for decor and furniture to fill it up.  And fill it up we did.  With just two bedrooms, this really isn't a forever home, but it is a "for the foreseeable future" home.  So my first reaction was that we didn't need much stuff at all.  The dishes aren't chipped, the towels are matching, and we have plenty enough pots and pans.  I figured we could register for a few key upgrades, but maybe look into doing a Honeyfund or something.  Ha!  Apparently I forgot that it's me we're dealing with, and I love stuff and I'm way too good at shopping for my own good.  No problem filling up a registry here.

So last July, Macy's was hosting one of their "Scan for a Grand" events, and I figured that was as good a time as any to get a store registry started.  We didn't win a grand - womp womp.  But we did get to use the scanner gun and get a few things started on our list!  I didn't grab any pictures, but I think you can imagine what it looks like.

We registered at Macys, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and we have a few items on an account with MyRegistry.com.

A snippet from the wedding website. 

If you're thinking about a Macy's registry, there are plenty of perks associated.  They give you a bunch of coupons right when you sign up, and your guests will get a coupon for their next purchase when they buy a gift.  I have a Macy's credit card, so after the wedding I will receive a gift card valued at 10% of all the purchases I made with my Macy's card since last July.  We'll also get a gift card for 5% of what others buy from the registry.  The week after setting up the registry, it was Momma P's birthday.  I went into Macy's to buy her a pretty cake dome, and the sales lady - who recognized me from the week before - let me in on a little secret.  She added the cake dome to my registry before I checked out, so that counted as 10% for using my Macy's card and 5% for buying off the registry, and I was able to use a coupon.  We haven't been buying much home related stuff, but I've been trying to use that little trick whenever possible!

My only complaint is that the site logs you out so often, I would have to enter my password in many times during a browsing session!  Macy's, I think internet hackers have better things to do than try to get into my account to remove gifts from my registry.  Calm down.

I also love and hate the extreme sales that Macy's puts on.  I would add stuff to the registry and think "Okay, $75 for that item, not too bad!"  But the regular price would be $139, and I would see it later and think "Oh no! There's no way I want someone paying that much for that!"  So it's just hard to gauge what the price will be when your guests come around to shop for your present.  Most of them will either want to make a purchase right when they think about it or buy a gift at last minute - they're probably not waiting around for sales.  But when you do catch a sale, though, they're good!

To make up for that, I also did the BB&B registry.  We did this entirely online, since we didn't have a chance to go in store.  Also, Sphinx makes way too many jokes about the "Beyond Section" and getting lost there, so I figured we could just skip that altogether.  Things are priced better and more consistently at BB&B, guests can use the 20% off coupon, and they offer a completion incentive (I think it's 15-20%) for anything that isn't bought off of the registry.

A sampling of the "What Members are Adding" page of MyRegistry, which is really helpful for ideas!

I was a guest at a wedding that used MyRegistry.com, and I really liked the concept.  It's basically a Pinterest for wedding gifts. You can add any link from around the web to this list, and include a picture or a note for your guests.  It's really handy if you're interested in a random sampling of items from various stores, and don't want to create 10 different registries.  Of course, this is going to go over better with the younger crowd, but I think it's a great way to add  more personalized, less "typical" gifts.

Alright, so enough about the where.  Let's look at some goodies!

First off, we registered for china because Momma P said "Just do it, you'll never buy it for yourself and people like to give china!"  I thought it was a little unnecessary, but I received one setting at the shower and I absolutely love it!  I definitely think I'll use it if I have it.  I chose the Lismore Lace pattern by Waterford in platinum, because it's traditional but with a bit of extra detail.  Just my style.

I had to set it up right when I got home from the shower to see how it looked!  I loved the detailing!

I also registered for some crystal glassware and serving dishes by Godinger, because they match a set of water glasses that used to be my Maw Maw's (shown in the picture above).  That sure was an easy way to narrow down what I wanted, since I just had to look in one brand and one style.  Otherwise, you can get so overwhelmed with all of the choices.

Kitchen electrics was one of our biggest opportunities for additions.  However, I did not need a KitchenAid mixer, since I already have one in light pink.  That's one of the best stories ever: Momma P found it at a garage sale for FORTY BUCKS.  Brand new.  The seller had won it as a door prize and wasn't interesting in cooking or baking at all.  Only Momma P would come across a find like that.  But there were plenty of other options that would make our kitchen life better.  A crock pot (since all I have is a teensy one), a Magic Bullet for smoothies, a food processor, immersion blender, a panini press, and a Keurig machine.

In yellow because I like my life a little colorful!/Photo via Bed, Bath, and Beyond

I'm not sure why I resisted a Keurig for so long, maybe because I like the smell while measuring out grounds?  But I always make single servings of coffee, and my old coffee maker from college was getting kind of funky, so I figured this was the time for the upgrade.  It's been heavenly so far, and I'm so glad I converted.  I also got a reusable pod, so I can continue to use grounds and not have to buy the K-cups.

We also registered for an ice cream maker because Sphinx has great memories of his grandparents making it growing up, and one of his aunts got it for us.  He's already made a batch of vanilla-cookie dough and it was awesome.

On the MyRegistry site, I added some random things: pretty bowls from Anthopologie, an air mattress, a set of power tools from Home Depot.  Oh, and these awesome coasters, which we were gifted from one of our GoT friends at the shower!

We got them just in time for the season 4 premier!/Photo via ThinkGeek

So I won't go into any more gifts right now, since I'm planning a post of recommendations (inspired by this excellent post by Mrs. Wallaby, which I've referenced many-a-time), but you kind of get the gist of what we registered for.  I think it's a highly personal thing, and you need to go for what you need in your life.

Here's some of the advice I'd like to pass on to help you get through the overwhelming world of telling people what to buy for you:

• Purge or organize your kitchen before the shower or wedding.  I did this a few weeks back (okay, so it was a hysterical cleaning rage because I was freaking out about having to fit all the new stuff in the house), and it felt so good to have places for the new things to go and it didn't stay sitting on the living room floor for weeks.  Be honest with yourself and get rid of things you don't use, and you'll be more excited to make room for the new stuff!
• Start your registry early so that you can add and remove with no pressure.  You'll probably think of things to add all throughout a year or so - like around Christmas time when you realize you don't have enough baking pans or serving dishes!  
• If you like to cook, make sure you're tuned into the Cooking Channel or Food Network because it can give you some great ideas for things you are missing.  I'm always reminded how handy an immersion blender can be!  Or check out your favorite food blogs for recommended products, especially if they're used for recipes you could see yourself making.
• Be realistic when registering.  At some point down the rabbit hole of a Macy's browser, I was debating if I needed to add these adorable LeCreuset mini casserole dishes and if we needed stemless red wine glasses as well as white.  What kind of Martha Stewart lifestyle was I imagining myself in?  I put the computer aside when things started getting warped (but we might need an everyday cheese tray!), to clear my head and not fall into the trap of registering for stuff we didn't actually want or need.
• Browse, browse, browse.  Especially if you're like me, and you think you're pretty set on everything in your house.  You might be able to come across more than you realize that would be nice additions.  Just watch out for the Bougie Lifestyle Trap described above!

What are your tips for successfully registering? What was your favorite registry item?  I need to go add some things on, since so many gifts at the shower were the exact ones I asked for.  No weirdo, rando presents over here!