FabSugar

On Our Radar: Bid on Keira Knightley's Atonement Dress

FabSugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 03:00:00 PST

I recently featured a Look For Less for Keira Knightley's Atonement dress but now you can get the real thing! Clothes Off Our Back is auctioning the emerald green gown beginning today until March 1. The starting price is $1,000, and though it's a hefty price to pay, take into consideration that you'll be helping Variety, The Children’s Charity of Southern California. Plus, you'll forever have the dress that Keira wore in the Academy Award nominated film. Now that's a reason to be green with envy.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features

The Downsides to Meeting Your Goal Weight

Shape — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:32:50 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

When I started losing weight, I often looked at women who were thinner than I was and thought, "Wow, her life must be so easy." I knew that once I got to my goal weight, I'd feel awesome, and healthy living would be just as easy for me as it was for all the "I can eat whatever I want and not gain weight" women around me.

11 Ways to Rev Up Your Metabolism

Now that I've lost 75 pounds, I can say that I do feel awesome . . . but I can't say that a healthy lifestyle comes easy. Weight maintenance isn't as simple as I expected. While being at my goal weight has its perks, I have to admit: I failed to appreciate some of the great benefits I enjoyed along the way. If I did it all over again, then here's what I'd do differently:

See how you can enjoy the weight-loss journey after the break!

Overlooked and Underappreciated: How to Use the Rowing Machine

Leta Shy — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:25:42 PDT

The rowing machine can be intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, it's an effective way to spice up your cardio routine. But while the rowing machine, also called an ergometer, is a calorie buster (about 280 calories in 30 minutes for an 130-pound woman) and a good leg and core workout, improper form can lead to back injuries if you're not careful. Read on for our tips on proper rowing form.

Before you start, there are a few things to note about using the rowing machine. Make sure you wear formfitting clothes, otherwise you risk getting fabric caught in it while working out. Don't set the resistance too high - experienced rowers generally use the rowing machine at 3-5 during their workouts, so setting the machine at 2 or 3 is perfect for a beginner. Keep your strokes per minute somewhere in the low- to mid-20s as well.

There are different ways to measure your workout, so use the change display button on your machine to track your strokes per minute, calories burned, kilometers traveled, or your split (how many minutes it takes you to travel 500 meters).

Beginning Position

For your first row, set the resistance low while you figure out your form, then slowly ramp it up on subsequent rows.
Secure your feet on the pads with the straps tight enough so your feet don't move around as you slide.
Bring your knees up and slide to the top of the machine. Grab the handle using an overhand grip, but don't hold too tightly.
Pull the handle with you as you slide to the end of the machine. Your legs should be straight, but knees should still have a slight bend in them so they aren't locked. Lean back slightly and pull your hands up to your chest, holding the handle so it is right below your breasts, with elbows pointing down against your sides. This is the position where you should begin your workout, and it's also your ending position once you complete a full stroke (see below).

Keep reading for the rest of our tips for proper rowing machine form.

8 Things You Think Are Good for Your Money . . . That Aren't

LearnVest — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:03:23 PDT

You may be wasting money when you think you're saving. LearnVest shares eight of the biggest money misconceptions.

Frugalista. Recessionista. In the past few years, people have coined a lot of silly words describing women and their approach to money, but the thought behind each of them is the same: You care about your hard-earned dollars and want to make them stretch.

That's true of most of us: We scrimp, we pinch, we try to feed our proverbial piggy bank as much as possible. Yet sometimes, in our excitement to be financial overachievers, we overreach.

It turns out there are a number of things that sound like they'd be doing good things for your money, and make you feel like you're saving more . . . when, actually, they're having the opposite effect.

Paying Every Debt Equally

When you have multiple debts to pay off (a credit card here, a student loan there) you might feel like a rock star simply for keeping up with them all and dividing your attention in a lot of different directions. Which, in a sense, you are! After all, you should always pay at least the minimums on all your loans.

But, if you have extra money to pay down your debts, you’re doing yourself a disservice by dividing it equally. The debts with the highest interest rates grow the fastest, so you should focus your muscle on the most toxic debts first.

Read on for more.

7 Money Mistakes Women Often Make

LearnVest — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:15:55 PDT

We all make mistakes - we're all human after all. LearnVest shares some of the common money mistakes that women often make so readers will learn not to make them, too.

Some of us handle our money flawlessly, perfectly, brilliantly, all of the time.

But most of us don't.

Most of us make mistakes here and there. We make some mistakes more than others, because of our personalities, or our upbringing . . . or sometimes even our gender.

It's ridiculous, but true.

We've heard it firsthand - from our readers. In fact, we went through hundreds of reader submissions and found examples of the most common stories that cross our desks every day.

Let's be clear: Not all women make these mistakes. Not all men avoid them. But in our experience, these are a few female financial problem areas that can lead to major debt and lots of stress.

RELATED: Are You a Social Shopper?

Ever bailed out an ex? Indulged in a little more retail therapy than you meant to? Or woken up one day and realized you didn't know as much as you thought you did about managing your money? You just might recognize yourself.

Of course, if you don't, good for you. We're just saying, bad money snafus happen to good people. But read on: We'll show you the top seven mistakes women make - and what to do instead.

Feeling Guilty

"When we were together, I let my ex stay with me rent-free until he found an apartment, lent him my furniture and paid for every date because I had a job and he didn't. When I lost my job, he paid for my rent for a few months and bills, etc. Now that we're broken up, he wants me to pay him back for the rent he insisted on covering. I am still on unemployment and barely getting by. I feel so guilty because we didn't end up as the forever couple and while I can't (nor would I . . . ) calculate all of my assistance getting him settled in NYC, he can quite easily."

A 2011 study from Eversave.com found that 67% of women have felt guilt about a purchase. But that's not the only opportunity for guilt: There's also staying in a job you feel guilty about abandoning, giving someone money because you feel guilty about their situation and, oh, doing the opposite of what you want when it comes to working after having children because you feel guilty about being a good mom (more on that here).

This guilt effect might not be limited to finances, either. Some studies suggest that women are more inclined than men to feel any kind of guilt. And we'd argue, more likely to bail out their exes, too.

Read on for more.

13 Health Gimmicks You Can Stop Wasting Money On

Business Insider — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:15:21 PDT

Consumers have a tendency of falling for the next big health gimmick. Save your money on health duds with these Business Insider tips.

No matter how many times we're told otherwise, Americans' obsession with get-healthy-quick schemes will likely never die. Too bad most of these fads aren't worth their weight in salt - or your hard-earned dollars. We've put together a list of some of the worst budget-sucking health trends that still persist today.

Coconut Water

Coconut water may be nature's version of Gatorade but some brands have already caught fire for over-hyping its nutrient content. Vita Coco agreed to settle a $10 million class action lawsuit over an independent study that showed the drinks didn't pack near as many electrolytes as advertisements implied. Some coconut waters are also loaded with added sugar, which will do nothing to help your waistline.

Alternative: Pick up your own young green coconuts on the cheap from an Asian produce market. Just crack them open with a cleaver and pop in a straw.

"All-Natural" Foods

30 percent of Americans bought more natural foods in 2011, according to a Rodale study. But what are we really paying more for? There's no clear cut regulation on what makes food "natural," which means just about any company can slap that label on its packages, add a fancy green theme and jack up the price.

Says Andrew Schrage of MoneyCrashers: "Before buying any food that is touted as being 'all natural,' take a look at the ingredient list before you check out. Keep in mind that butter and salt are indeed natural ingredients. So stocking up on natural foods may not achieve anything other than increasing your grocery bill."

Read on for more.

Expert Shares 2 Easy Strategies to Declutter Your Home

Emily Co — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:30:56 PDT

It might be overwhelming to just look at your clutter, but there are some very simple steps you can take to declutter your place in no time. All you need to do is just start. SavvySugar talked to Peter Walsh, a celebrity organization expert, who gave two very simple tips to start tackling your mess:

The trash bag technique: "The very first thing you should do if you're feeling overwhelmed in your space is to set aside 10 minutes a day." Walsh says. Give everyone in your household two trash bags and have them fill them up during that 10-minute window every day. Fill one up with things to trash and the other up with things to donate or sell. If you live with someone else and the two of you use this simple technique for one week, you'll end up with 14 bags of trash and 14 bags of stuff going to donation at the end of the week. "That's a really simple technique - 10 minutes a day that will make a massive change," he says.
Back-to-front clothes: Walsh says we all wear "20 percent of [our] clothes 80 percent of the time." The best way to check what you don't need is to use the back-to-front method. Turn the clothes that are hanging in your closet so that the hangers are facing back to front. For the next six months, every time you wear a piece of clothing, hang it back up the correct way. "At the end of six months, whatever is still hanging back to front, chances are you are never going to wear. Send it off to Goodwill."

Zac Posen Talks '90s Fashion, Love of Math, and His Perfect NYC Day

Hannah Weil — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:26:37 PDT

Last night we flocked to NYC's Lord & Taylor store for the launch of Zac Posen's exclusive Z Spoke dress line. Somewhere along the way talk turned from his new capsule collection to '90s fashion, favorite NYC spots, and where you might find Zac if he wasn't designing. Read on for five things you probably didn't know about the ever-charming Zac Posen.

Zac on the return of '90s fashion and his own '90s look: "There are a lot of designers who come to New York in search of a Patti Smith/Lou Reed moment in their life. For me it's so funny when I see designers romanticizing the '90s because it really never looked that cool, and now it's back in a big way. What I do think is relevant stylistically from the '90s is youth and social consciousness and now that's social media, which we didn't have then - that unity of voices. It's fun to have seen that and witnessed that and I definitely had my crazy '90s outfits. [When] I grew up my idea of designer clothing, or what was maybe accessible to me to purchase on a birthday, was Century 21. The best pieces from Gaultier at the time, amazing pieces of Jean Colonna, amazing early Tom Ford, amazing early McQueen pieces, and great Vivienne Westwood clothing. I definitely had this idea - part punk, part nymph. I wore leather vines in my hair and feathers pinned in [with] sailor pants, and I would beg to have a Daryl K jacket."

Zac breaks down his last greatest fashion find, perfect NYC day, and more when you keep reading.

10 Great Things You’re Already Doing With Your Money

LearnVest — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:15:17 PDT

You know you rock at managing your money. LearnVest tells you what you're doing right.

We know, we know - at LearnVest, we tell you a lot of things you should do, like:

Save for retirement
Pay off any debt you have
Reevaluate your budget (because you already have a budget, right?)
Stress out about all the aforementioned to-dos

We tell you because they’re all good for you, financially speaking (well, all but that last one).

But sometimes, with all the worrying we do, it’s easy to forget to take a time-out and give ourselves a pat on the back. And we bet there are already a lot of things you’re doing exactly right with your money.

Read on to find out how many of these 10 excellent financial habits you’ve already adopted, then sit back, and feel superproud of yourself.

You Always Shop on Sale

According to industry research, 62 percent of US consumers say they rarely pay full price for clothing. So it sounds like you already know the art of scoring the best deal possible. (Just don’t let yourself get suckered in by the secret ways stores seduce us into buying.) Keep up the good work!

Read on for more.

9 Signs You’ve Got a Bad Boss

LearnVest — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:15:42 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

We wish we could mandate that all bosses go to boss school. Or that the ones who did get management training absorbed everything they were taught.

Fact is, there are a lot of bad bosses running amok out there, and most don’t even know that they’re the bane of your existence.

But the good news is, if you’re stuck under the thumb of a less-than-stellar superior, there are strategies for managing her particular strain of craziness.

Related: Learn How to Manage Your Boss

For expert advice, we spoke to Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s connection director and author of Girl on Top: Your Guide to Turning Dating Rules Into Career Success, and Leigh Steere, cofounder of Managing People Better, LLC, a research endeavor that studies differences in management styles.

Here are nine signs your superior may not be, well, superior - and what do about it.

1. She’s Insulting

Feedback is a necessary food group in the office place. A good boss will explain why you didn’t meet expectations, as well as the changes she’d like to see next time. But then there’s the other breed: the manager who puts down your work . . . without supplying constructive criticism. Or worse. We’ve all been subjected to “yellers” in our time.

How to Manage Her: If she’s not forthcoming about why she’s not happy with you, you can take steps to prevent being berated. When you get an assignment, ask, “So what I’m hearing you want me to do is . . . ?” and be sure you’re clear on the instructions before you start. If she still lights into you and you don’t know what you did to deserve it, take a deep breath and ask. You might want to wait until her tirade is over and her mood improves, but a well-timed “I’d like to understand where I fell short, so it doesn’t happen again. Can you explain what you’d like me to do differently next time?” can work wonders.

Read on for more.