SNL solves the economic crisis

An oldie but a goodie. Oh Steve Martin. Given the right material, you've still got it. Especially when it comes to espousing money-management wisdom.

Surprise! PMS linked to shopping

Not like we don't already know that a little retail therapy is, well, therapeutic when Aunt Flo comes to town, for any still in doubt a new study out by a British professor suggests that there is, in fact, a correlation between menstrual cycles and that urgent need to spend money at Banana Republic.

According to the study, which surveyed 443 women aged 18 to 50, in the 10 days before their periods begin, respondents were more likely to go on a spending spree than at any other time.

Psychologists believe shopping could be a way for premenstrual women to deal with the negative emotions created by their hormonal changes.

"Spending was less controlled, more impulsive and more excessive ..." Professor Karen Pine told the BBC News."The spending behavior tends to be a reaction to intense emotions. They are feeling stressed or depressed and are more likely to go shopping to cheer themselves up and using it to regulate their emotions."

Not surprisingly, most of the purchases made by the women around their cycles were for adornment, including jewelery, make-up and high heels (i.e., items that make you feel pretty but don't have to be bought in a specific "size", as bloating can make you go up a full clothing size).

Just something to keep in mind the next you have that hankering for a pint of Ben and Jerry's ... and 28 pairs of shoes from DSW. [BBC]

Travel for cheap this summer

I'm obsessed with the Travel Channel. For the last three months, I've lived vicariously through Anthony Bourdain and Samantha Brown, following them around as they traipse to the far reaches of the earth in search of the best foods and cultures.

What's recently began happening, though, is I'll flip through my DVR (chalk full of Travel Channel shows at the moment), settle in excitedly to watch Anthony immerse himself in Provence, and an hour later I'll be whimsically depressed, cursing the day I ever decided to not be a host for a Travel Channel show. (Not like that was ever a clear-cut option, but you get the point.)

These days my budget doesn't allot for the wayward three-day weekend in Spain, or the month-long vacation-on-a-whim in the heart of Tuscany, but if I tone down my excessive tastes, I may yet be able to squeeze in a trip or two this year. Women's Day recently published a fabulous article, "Can You Afford to Go on Vacation", that has excellent pointers in planning a vacation on a budget. Among my favorite tips:

• Stay close to home and still have a great time (plus save on travel expenses) by opting for a summer getaway that you can reach with one tank of gas or less. Check out TripAdvisor.com/TankOfGas for destination options, then research sights and activities online. If a local bed-and-breakfast stay is on your agenda, look for one that’s part of the Free Gas promotion: Guests get a gas rebate or a gas card for refueling. Find participating B&Bs under “Special Packages” at BedandBreakfast.com.
• “It’s usually cheaper for families to rent a vacation home for a week than to spend seven nights in a hotel,” Gregory Karp, author of Living Rich by Spending Smart, tells WD. “You’ll get more space for the money and will save on food by cooking meals.” Go to HomeAway.com, VacationHomes.com or VacationHomeRentals.com
• Trading houses with another vacationing family is a growing trend. To make it work, take precautions: Get references. Agree on house rules. Have several phone chats to make sure you’re comfortable with them. Request home photos or videos. Lock valuables in a safe, or leave them with a friend. Have a neighbor check your home while you’re away. Learn more at HomeExchange.com.

Remember what happened in The Holiday? Yeah, that could be you. Hopefully Jude Law would somehow be a part of that package, too.

For the complete article and to learn more frugal travel tips, visit WomensDay.com.

Lo Bosworth hearts cheap bags

Guess it doesn't matter what you make these days, my pretties, as everyone is jumping on the fashion-for-less bandwagon. Case in point: Lo Bosworth, LC's best friend from Laguna Beach and The Hills (vapid, guilty pleasures of mine), was spotted last week at LAX near a luggage carousel rocking the very Hayden-Harnett for Target bag I (ahem) blogged about in back in December.

(Source: FadedYouthBlog.com)To be completely honest, Lo is my least favorite character on the show, and one of my least favorite "celebrities" in general. Perhaps it's her catty passive aggressiveness, and the fact that she acts more innocent than she is. But I digress. C-lister Lo may not be a good barometer of what everyone (especially everyone in Hollywood) is spending on clothes and accessories these days, but it's humbling to see at least one member of "The Hills" cast who publicly wears something us "poor" folk can afford. Hey, at $10,000 per episode, you know Lo hasn't backed herself into a corner at all over how much she can plunk down for a handbag of her choosing. Oh Target, you cross so many class lines! Now if only someone could snap a pic of LC trolling the sale racks at Forever 21 ...

If you want this gem of a Hayden-Harnett for Target bag from last season, all the Hayden bags and accessories are still on clearance at Target, no telling when they will sell out. Lo's canvas flight tote has now been marked down to $34.99 from $49.99.

Fashionable Fridays: Breakfast at Tiffany's

The most famous brunette on a budget of all time was none other than Miss Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Sure, she was in hot pursuit of sugar daddy for the duration of the film, but that girl knew how to make a dollar stretch. From having breakfast at Tiffany's (standing outside with a croissant and coffee, admiring the jewelry displays in the window), to living in her sparse yet adorable one-bedroom apartment and making her $50 from the powder room take her into another week, Holly was the poster child for making her pithy amount of money work for her -- especially in the fashion department.

If we're talking fashion in movies, one need not look further than this film. The 1961 classic starring Audrey Hepburn is eponymous with what being stylish is all about. Unfortunately, the real costumes used in the movie have little to do what being on a budget is all about, as Givenchy himself outfitted Audrey in all scenes, making anything near the "real deal" for us normal folk dreadfully out of reach.

According to The Comic Critic, Hubert de Givenchy was the first couture designer to break into costume design in film with Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Audrey Hepburn was formerly Givenchy's favorite model, and was cast in this part pretty much as a clothes hanger for Givenchy. He previously designed her gowns in the 1954 movie "Sabrina" and the 1957 movie "Funny Face." His costume designs in this film created the fashion classic for American and European women of "the little black dress", plus a strand of pearls and an up-do hairdo. It also launched Givenchy into the American mainstream fashion designer market.

I remember dressing up as Holly Golightly one Halloween in college, and from that moment on I realized that looking as stylish as Audrey was really an effortless task (fake cigarette holder and gaudy costume baubles aside) and didn't have to cost as much as a $20,000 Givenchy gown. With that in mind, here are outfit inspirations from the movie. Some items are pricier than others, but the ensembles are a good guide when you're out shopping and need a little help. Let me know if you've stumbled across any good Holly-esque deals of your own!:



Untitled - by Mischulka on Polyvore.com



Cat! - by BrunetteOnABudget on Polyvore.com

This Old Navy trench coat (above) is a steal at $49, and I currently own these pointy flats from Target ($17), which I love. The glasses and dress are from Forever 21. Click on the pictures for pricing.

Holly and Paul ("Fred baby") at the Tiffany's jewelry store, spending the day doing things each has never done before.


Dearest laitae/Agnes, - by BookLovers'Charm(weRblesd:D) on Polyvore.com


Breakfast at tiffany's tribute - by LolaHaze on Polyvore.com



breakfast at tiffany's - by tasbeeh on Polyvore.com



Holly's sleeping - by BrunetteOnABudget on Polyvore.com


And if you're in love as much as I am with Holly's claw-footed bathtub couch (above), I did find one place online that sells it ... but it's $4,000. Boo. Finding an old claw-footed tub and cutting out one side may have to be my next art project. It can't be that hard, can it?

If your thirst to look like Audrey is still not satiated, check out eHow's "How to dress like Audrey Hepburn."

Must Have: TopShop Heels

Confession: I cried a few days ago. No, it was nothing marital-related (Love and I are doing fabulously, by the by), and I wasn’t hit with any horrible health-related news from family or friends, thank God.

Instead I was sitting front and center (okay, so it was the nose-bleed section, but it was still center) at Britney’s "Circus" concert, cheering with 50,000 other screaming fans. I've always been a Britney fan, the height of which was during my college years at UC Santa Barbara. As I've matured and she subsequently regressed, I felt I still had to stick with her. I was a fan, after all, and I don't think people give enough weight anymore to what being a true fan is. Would you give up on, say, your best friend just because she shaved her head, started dating a tres trashy man and began attacking people with umbrellas? Exactly. So it was when she began performing what originally kicked off her tumultuous foray into fame, “Oops, I Did It Again,” that I could no longer contain myself.

“I LOOOOVE YOU BRITNEYYY!!!!” I shrieked at the top of my lungs. So overwhelmed with emotion and nostalgia of the "better times", I began to cry as I replayed a montage of her turbulent career inside my head. Love, who I had dragged to the concert as my date (lucky, lucky man), sat in his seat looking up at me with amused and shocked disbelief. Of course, I didn't blame him for not understanding being so moved by something so seemingly trite and shallow that you begin shedding tears. He is a straight man, after all.

But similar emotions began ebbing to the surface again today when I caught sight of one of the most fabulous pairs of shoes I’ve seen in a while and had to choke back tears of want:
One word: Ruffles. Okay, four words: Ruffles, zippers, high heels. I’ve fallen in love with the way the soft femininity of the ruffled leather tones down the gritty masculinity of the zippered piping. Must. Have. Now. Even better? They’re actually (gasp) affordable! These Emma Cook platform sandals are $190 at TopShop.com. Sure, they aren’t Target prices, but they also aren’t $900 Louboutins, either. Splurging a teensy bit on yourself never hurt anyone, did it?

These streets have too many names for me... - by *pebbles* on Polyvore.com

Spruce up your finances this Spring

Ladies, it's that time again.

Rainy day showers may be slowly traversing their way across the March and April months, but the bright, bold clothing in store windows, sky-high wedges creeping back out onto department store floors and laquered-red Ferragamo bags that seem impermiable to any reccesionary pressure to just. go. on sale. (fingers crossed), it can only mean one thing: Spring is finally here! But before you dust off all those fabulous dresses and skirts hiding in the back of your closet, it may be time to dust off your finances first.

This spring, if your closets are more organized than your finances, view it as a sign that it’s time to take action. Women & Co. founder Lisa Caputo and president Linda Descano recently offered some divine tips to help spruce up your finances and put together an action plan toward better financial health. Check these out before heading into the nearest mall armed with your cash and/or cards to kick off your Spring shopping spree:

• Gather your financial records. Pull together your financial statements (e.g., bank, credit card, brokerage), your insurance and legal documents (e.g., life insurance, will, healthcare proxy), and your personal records (e.g., birth certificate, marriage/divorce certificate, property deed). Create a filing system and put a copy of your important papers either in a fireproof box at home, a bank safe deposit box, and/or with a trusted lawyer, relative, or friend.
• Get the big picture. Use your financial statements to calculate your net worth, which will tell you the difference between what you own (assets) and what you owe (liabilities). Once you have a picture of your overall net worth, determine your cash flow, which will help you identify areas where you could be saving and/or investing more.
• Set financial goals. Short-term goals are those you’d like to accomplish within one year (e.g., pay off credit cards); mid-term goals, within 5 years (e.g., make down payment on a new home); and long-term goals, 5 years or more (e.g., save for retirement). Write these down to help you clarify and prioritize your financial goals.
• Allocate your money. Once you know your financial goals, allocate your money accordingly. This will help you determine how realistic your financial goals are, how long it may take to meet them, and what adjustments you may need to make now to achieve your goals in your desired time frame. Review expenses monthly and evaluate your progress regularly.
• Check your financial reputation. Your credit score is a picture of your financial health in the eyes of lenders. Check your credit reports as they could have errors or discrepancies that could limit your access to credit. Resolve any errors and if you have any over-due payments, work towards paying them down as soon as you can. The three organizations that issue the most commonly referred to credit reports are: Equifax (www.equifax.com), TransUnion (www.transunion.com) and Experian (www.experian.com).
• Protect yourself. If you don’t have a will, living will, or health care proxy, speak to an attorney to help ensure that your assets are handled according to your wishes. Dealing with these issues today can help you and your loved ones breathe easier in the future.
• Stay informed and engaged. Periodically review your goals and objectives at least once a year, as they will likely shift over time as life circumstances change.

Hope these tips help!

Would you rather win America's Next Top Model or a Nobel Prize?

A new poll out yesterday sheds a startling light on some women and certain priorities.

Oxygen Media released a new poll surveying 18- to 34-year-old women about outer versus inner beauty and, shockingly enough, 25% of women said they'd rather win the top spot on America's Next Top Model over winning a Nobel Prize. At least it was only a quarter of respondents. I have a gut feeling this 25% doesn't remember how winning ANTM does not guarantee anything except a D-List spot on VH1's "The Surreal Life" (hello, Adrian Curry).

I wonder how this compares to similar survey results taken in past decades like the '50s, '60s and '70s. Though the current 25% is a tad disappointing, I have a feeling that number would have been much higher in the '40s and '50s if women back then were asked if they'd rather win, say, the Miss America pageant over a Nobel. Just sayin'.

What's more interesting in the results is that 25% of women in the Oxygen poll also said they would not be willing to shave their heads to save the life of a stranger. Sad. I wonder if this is the same 25% who have their eye on ANTM's top prize?

"Recessionistas" need not wear jellies

Sigh. Just when I thought the Today Show "fashion on a budget" clip with Bobbie Thomas wasn't bad enough, we now have another video clip from Mtv's new House of Style, hosted by my former sophomore year high school crush's (Leonardo DiCaprio's) current girlfriend, Israeli model Bar Rafaeli. If you haven't seen it yet, don't bother setting your DVR, as it was so much cooler in the '90s. But I digress.

In this clip, aside from learning that one of the "must haves" this spring are $175 high-heeled jellies (yes, jellies), there's a segment where model Jessica Stam takes you shopping in her closet to teach every recessionista how to get the most out of what you already have. Sounds good in theory, except Jessica's closet is a little different than the average girl's. Her pointers? Set up a bag swap, where you and your friends can trade $1,500 handbags (like the Marc Jacobs one she is holding) betwixt one another. Fun!

Other tips include:

• She "loves" white t-shirts, and suggests pairing them with black skirts. Groundbreaking.
• "Hitting up" your brother and/or dad's closets for baggy flannel shirts you could wear as jackets in the summer. (The last time I wore flannel was when I pined after Jordan Catalano, endlessly listened to Nirvana and thought it would be so cool to move to Seattle and learn the intricacies of brewing good coffee. This was junior high, 1994, people. Needless to say, I'm not a fan of the flannel comeback, and there's really no reason to wear your father's and brother's clothing.)
• Cut your jeans into shorts (i.e., cut-offs). Revolutionary (and tacky).

I'm still waiting for a really good segment on dressing well on a budget. So far I've been disappointed with what I've seen. Kind of the same feeling Angela Chase had when she found out Jordan cheated on her with Rayanne Graph. Okay, maybe not that disappointed, but you get the point.

To see the House of Style clip, visit Jezebel.

Hypocrisy thy name is denim

According to the Wall Street Journal last week, "If there is a silver lining to a financial crisis that threatens to leave the entire country dressed only in a barrel, it is this: At least we won't be wearing denim." Oh really?

Never has a single fabric done so little for so many. Denim is hot, uncomfortable and uniquely unsuited to people who spend most of their waking hours punching keys instead of cows. It looks bad on almost everyone who isn't thin, yet has somehow made itself the unofficial uniform of the fattest people in the world.

Um, insensitive much? Although I prefer wearing dresses and skirts when the weather permits, I like wearing denim jeans (dark bootcut or skinny 7 for all Mankinds, thankyouverymuch), and I'm not "fat". (That is unless a size 6 is now the threshhold marker between "small" and "large".) The WSJ columnist has a problem with denim, but I think he comes off as elitist and snobby. Not everyone looks like a farmer in denim, unless of course you're wearing overalls (a la Tai in Clueless), which is always a big no-no.

If hypocrisy had a flag, it would be cut from denim, for it is in denim that we invest our most nostalgic and destructive agrarian longings -- the ones that prompted all those exurban McMansions now sliding off their manicured lawns and into foreclosure, dragging down the global financial system with them. Denim is the SUV of fabrics, the wardrobe equivalent of driving a hulking Land Rover to the Whole Foods Market. Our fussily tailored blue jeans, prewashed and acid-treated to look not just old but even dirty, are really a sad disguise. They're like Mao jackets, an unusually dreary form of sartorial conformity by means of which we reassure one another of our purity and good intentions.

Obviously there is a time and a place to wear jeans, but I think this is almost offensively melodramatic. What do you think? [WallStreetJournal.com]