In a fit after the last hurricane that destroyed my porch, I threw away my Weber grill. I got tired of dragging the thing, along with porch furniture, inside my house or garage everytime the winds started blowing our way.

So with some trepidation, I'm thinking about buying a new grill, this time a gas grill that will actually be useful after a hurricane.

I spied this great-looking Weber Performance gas grill at Crate & Barrel, regularly $325, but now 15% off. Anybody got some steaks?

Any item over $250 is now 15 percent off at Crate & Barrel stores and online. Better yet, check the Crate & Barrel outlet at Sawgrass Mall at the end of the summer. -- Marcia "Bargain Hunter" Pounds

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Our everyday wine glasses were looking pretty shabby because of the residue collected from the old dishwasher. We had been fighting it, but it was time to buy new.

The inspiration came in the mail with the new Crate & Barrel "Best Buys" catalog. Carter went to Crate & Barrel in Boca Town Center and bought six of the Elite burgundy glasses each just in time for my cousin, Barry, to come for dinner last weekend. They are made in Slovakia and look like they cost more than $5.99 a glass.

They worked beautifully, highlighting the nose of the French red wine (2003 Chateau de Bordeaux) that he brought. But, unfortunately, when Barry was helping me bring the dishes to the kitchen he knocked one of the glasses to the tile floor. The shattered glass flew everywhere. No problem. it was only $5.99 a glass, not $50 a glass.

One other thought: Carter learned a trick for removing price tags from the salesman. Turn the glass upsidedown, squirt the label thoroughly with glass cleaner and allow to sit 30 minutes. The labels will slip off with a touch of your finger and leave no glue residue.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

P.S. If you spend $250 or more through May 31 at Crate & Barrel, you can get 15 percent off your next shopping trip. Click for details.

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I've been eyeing this Williams-Sonoma berry wreath for awhile, but it was too expensive for my taste at $49.99. Now, with Williams-Sonoma's winter sale of up to 75 percent holiday and other items, the wreath has fallen to the buyable price of $19.99.

My Christmas wreath, live evergreens that I decorated, is sadly awaiting garbage pickup and my door just seems, well, bare. This wreath of natural looking fall foliage really could be used year-round.

Other Williams-Sonoma buys include a chocolate fondue pot for $14.99 and fluted glassware for $14.99-$16.99. Love these after-holiday sales! -- Marcia "Bargain Hunter" Pounds

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If you, like me, have northern residents descend on you in January and February, it's time to spruce up for your guests.

A good way to do that are after-Christmas sales. One that could be good is Crate & Barrel's, which sent out a postcard advertising up to 60 percent off in its "winter clearance" sale starting Dec. 26.

I saw this Marimekko shower curtain that would look great in my guest bathroom, already on sale for $24.95 from $49.95.

So watch out for those after-Christmas sales. I know what I'll be doing Dec. 26. -- Marcia "Bargain Hunter" Pounds

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Lisa Perry, the designer who has a love of 1960s vintage couture fashion and art, will open her third boutique in the U.S. on December 17 in Palm Beach.

She has cool stuff like this multi-colored dress. Other items range from architecture, fashion and art books, jewlery, rare DVDs of movies from the 60s and vintage Heller dishware in bright colors.

No wonder she loves this stuff Her bio says: She grew up in the 'burbs of Chicago with Marimekko in her bedroom, a Saarinen filled living room and two-tone orange shag in her family room. (OMG, I shouldn't admit this, but I had two-tone orange shag in my bedroom in the 70s.)

Her Web site, lisaperrystyle.com doesn't give any prices, but expect them to be pricey in her 'hood. The store is located at 245A Worth Ave. in Palm Beach. For the holidays, it will be open 12 .m.-6 p.m. daily. Sunday hours continue only until Jan. 4.

We can still dream, can't we?

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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If you're a Christopher Radko fan, stock up on holiday dinner plates and other items for your Christmas meal.

A package of four dinner plates is only $15 until Saturday, Dec. 14 at Target. Other items, such as a matching platter, run between $15 and $19.99.

Radko's holiday designs include a big red ornament or a fully trimmed Christmas tree. They're both pretty and make your holiday meal extra special. So even if your turkey is not moist, your presentation will steal the show. Well, maybe. -- Marcia "Bargain Hunter" Pounds

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Normally, we don't go for plates with famous people's faces on them (unless it is England's royal family during a wedding or coronation), but the election of Barack Obama has made history. He merits a whole set of china!

So, check out these plates and mugs from Discountmugs.com. The 8-inch porcelain plates are $16.99 each. The 11-ounce white mugs are $12.99 each.

If you still are a red person at heart, you can buy plates and mugs with McCain on them. His have the inscription: A true American Hero.

The one caveat I have is: They are sold "as is" so if the printing is sloppy you are out of luck.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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Sur La Table, the fab store for cooks that I discovered in Pike Place Market in Seattle when I was a food editor, is set to open in Coconut Creek Nov. 6.

This is the third SoFla store. Others are at Downtown at the Gardens in Palm Beach Gardens and at the Shops at Pembroke Gardens in Pembroke Pines.

What makes Sur La Table stand out from other stores for cooks is the fact that it was inspired by kitchen stores in Paris. It's a chain, but doesn't look or feel corporate. The sales people are trained well and can help you pick out what's best for you or a friend. I just love the place.

Here are a couple of items I especially like:

The La Rossa plates are an exclusive to Sur La Table that is inspired by traditional Italian designs. It's $19 for the salad plate and $20 for the dinner plate.

If your herbs always burn up outside, check out the AeroGarden Space Saver 6 Elite, which features a new advanced growing system. Comes with a Gourmet Herb Kit and two grow bulbs; accommodates up to six pods. Sells for $169.98.

The store is located at The Promenade at Coconut Creek, 4449 Lyons Road, Suite J-102
Coconut Creek, 954-247-2204.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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I've told you before how much I love tableware. A shrink might say it goes back to the decade I spent as a food editor. Maybe we shouldn't go there...

Many of us can't afford to entertain as fancy as we did in the past, but we can still have friends over for a meal and have them bring a dish.

I just love these two items that I found on www.homeandgardenparty.com. They are reasonably priced, too.

Entertaining Essentials Glass Tray: This 17-by-8-inch tray straddles the line between plain and fancy. It's made off hammered bubble glass with fluted edges. It's shown here with the Entertaining Essentials Rectangle Stand. The tray is $25 and the stand is $15.

Entertaining Essentials Plates: Set of 4: Love these 7 1/2-inch square matching plates that can be used for a lot of foods -- as salad or bread plates, spoon rests, candy dishes or pillar candle plates. They are only $30 for four.

When are you inviting me over for the party? I'll bring the mojitos!

XOXO-- Shopper Girl

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Pottery Barn always has some cool things to revamp your home, especially accessories.

Now, when many of us don't have the extra bucks to totally redecorate our homes, it's time to take advantage of deals like Pottery Barn's summer sale. Take note that those items ending in .99 are final sale and cannot be returned,

Here are two great items that I found at www.potterybarn.com:

I love the Crown Pillar Candles that are painted white and distressed to make them look like they belonged to your grandma. They are handcarved and have a metal disc to catch the drips. They were $39 and are now $29.

My next fave, the Ceramic Sealife Vase, is a great buy, The pieces are very sculptural with ceramic shells and seaweed applied by hand, THey were $59-$149 and are on sale for $39-$99.

Happy shopping....Treat yourself and see the others at www.potterybarn.com.

XOXO -- Shopper Girl

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Who says you only have to eat your veggies? Crate & Barrel has these leafy green ideas for making your kitchen a healthier looking place.

I love these Herb Bowls ($14.95 each). You can get them in basil, rosemary, sage and oregano and you'll swear you've added a sprig of the real thing to your food.

For cleanup time, there are these Lettuce and Tomato Dishtowels ($8.95 for a set of two) in graphic green and red. Yum.

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In the great new Sun-Sentinel blog The Skinny, there's a post about keeping kid-sized dishes (even after they've outgrown Dora or Superman or whatever) because they are great for portion control.

This reminds me a post we did here last December on these great rice bowls from Utsuwa.com.

A set of 5 small porcelain rice bowls similar to these is only $18 (snooze ya lose, back in December they were $12!), and they are the perfect portion size for pasta, veggies, cereal, ice cream, you name it. (My kids use them at just about every meal.) Yes, they're porcelian...but we've used them for more than a year and haven't broken one yet.

And aren't they pretty? An added advantage: now the kids don't fight over who gets what character-themed plate. (Of course, they do fight over the color. sigh.)

-- K.V.W.

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Isn't this the coolest little sugar and creamer set you've ever seen?

The sugar goes below and creamer on top. Love the chemistry beaker stacking design and that it has a lid.

Oh, and it's on sale right now for $9.95 at Crate & Barrel.

K.V.W.

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