Monthly Mashup: December Edition
January 5, 2009 by Lauren Fairbanks · Leave a Comment
December brought with it cold, bitter weather, lots of face time with families and, which you may have noticed, a distinct lack of posting. And for that, dear readers, we sincerely apologize. But not being ones to focus on the past, 2009 is here with a bang! And with this new year comes a whole truckload of ideas that our staff is working to implement for your guys. This means an increase in Interviews, How-To’s, Personal Stories, and Weekly Listings of cheap events in and around NYC. So keep on reading for our Editors pick of the December blogosphere as we bid adieu to 2008 and welcome the new year with open arms and heightened anticipation.
On a side note, if there are any changes or ideas that you’d like to see implemented on the site, we’d love to hear them. Leave us a comment in the comments section or send an email to lauren@lifestylermag.com.
44 Ideas for Realistic 2009 Goals – The geniuses over at Master Your Card had some really interesting ideas for realistic and personal growth goals for the upcoming year. I even snagged 10 of his goals for my own. **As a side note, also check out his article on Credit Card Stoozing. I’ve added this to my own goals for 2009, but I’d like to hear from any of you guys if you’ve done this and what your experiences have been. I’m intrigued!
Kathryn Finney (The Budget Fashionista) on Affordable Dress for the Office – There’s nothing more annoying than getting a great new job that pays a serious adult salary, than having to fork over half of it towards blazers and business suits — especially if you’re a jeans and t-shirt kind of person. We picked the brain of veteran budget shopper, Kathryn Finney – genius behind The Budget Fashionista – for some tips on looking sharp at the office for less.
Recessions, Depressions, and How They’ll Affect You - Young Money takes a deeper look at what the differences are between a recession and a depression and just how they’ll affect you.
Five Fabulous Free Finds – Erin Gifford over at Wallet Pop gives us the lowdown on five freebies to take advantage of — including antibiotics and bowling passes!
Charity Gifts — Not Just for the Holiday Season – We came up with 20 ways to tie in philanthrophy with gift-giving, but philanthrophy needs no holiday! Keep the momentum going by donating money, resources or time to whichever organization catches your eye. Here are 20 nonprofits that we like to get you started.
13 Ways to Stretch Your Money - Bill Pratt at Young Money gives you tips on how to stretch your dollar in the new year. Most of the ideas you’ve probably heard a million times before, but he does offer some good ideas on how to save electricity at night and how to implement the 24-hour rule to making snap purchases.
How Much is Your Brain Worth? – Sometimes you just need a few extra dollars in your pocket, and aside from picking up a part-time gig, there aren’t a ton of ways to get it. We give you the lowdown on participating in focus groups, which can be a great way to have a part-time gig on retainer. Use ‘em when you need ‘em, ignore ‘em when you don’t.
The Spending Diaries – New York Magazine chronicles how five New Yorkers in varying income brackets spend a week’s worth of their cash. This is an older article (published in October of ‘06), and as such has probably made it’s ample round on the internets, but I still thought it was interesting — although a bit unrealistic at times. (Their low-end income bracket example is a literary grad student who lives in an $1,800 a month West Village apartment subsidized by his parents, who also foot the bill for his Equinox gym membership and tuition.)
5 Gadgets Worth Waiting for in 2009 – Smart Money has a list of 5 Gadgets that will be priced to sell after this year’s Consumer Electronics Show this month in Vegas. After featuring the latest and the greatest in new tech products, stores will be pushing the slightly older models off the shelves to make way for the abundance of shiny new tech toys. If you’re in the market for a computer, cell phone, or a TV, this is probably your best chance to buy.
Pulling in the Reins: 5 Tips to Curb your Spending – Getting out of the spending mindset can be a difficult task to undertake — especially after the holidays. We offer 5 tips to curb your spending habits and make sure the things you purchase are on a necessary and not wanting basis.
One on One with Kathryn Finney, The Budget Fashionista
December 29, 2008 by Lauren Fairbanks · 3 Comments
As a LifeStyler reader, you’re probably hip to a few other budget savvy blogs and websites regarding frugality and shopping. And if you’ve spent any time checking out budget shopping guides, you’ve no doubt come across the musings of The Budget Fashionista. Founded by Karthryn Finney, TBF has built a cult following by becoming the Go-To destination for budget-savvy shoppers looking to stay in style without breaking the bank. Along with showcasing fashionable looks for less, they frequently feature sample sales, interviews with the creme de la creme of the fashion world for style tips, and DIY guides to re-creating runway looks for under $100 (and oftentimes under $60). So with budget consciousness on the brain and the masses flocking to find bargain deals, we couldn’t not pick Kathryn’s brain for some tips on how to keep in style in the workplace for less than you probably spend on your electricity bill.
As an introduction to some of our readers who aren’t familiar with you, how did you become known as the Budget Fashionista?
The budget fashionista started from a love of fashion, but a lack of cash. I was living well above my means, racking up over 6 figures in credit card and student loan debt. I started the blog in 2003 as a way to stay connected with friends and to chronicle my experiences getting out of debt.
My tips for keeping your spending underwraps is pretty simple- know what comes in and know what goes out. Actually sit down with your bank and credit card statements and look at your income AND what you’re spending. When I first started doing this, I found out I spent like $125 a month on Pom pomegranate juice. Did I seriously need to spend that much on juice? So I cut it out and put the money into my IRA.
Your job hunting wardrobe isn’t the time to start to express yourself through clothes. Start with the basics: a nice black suit, a pair of closed toed black pumps, and a basic camisole or shell. Yes, it’s boring, but when you’re job hunting you want folks to focus on your skills and not on your clothing.
I don’t believe in set percentages because there are times when you may need to spend more and times when you don’t need to spend anything. Focus on building what I call in my book, How to Be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less, The Perfect Ten, the ten things you need in your closet, like a pair of great jeans, a tote bag that can double as a purse and a briefcase for work, a nice black suit, etc. Once you have those things, then your shopping expenditures should be focused on building up your closet.
The goal is to buy the best quality items you can afford. However, realize that quality and price are not synonymous. You can get some great, high quality items, the same items you find at department stores, for much less at places like Marshalls, TJ Maxx and Ross. You want to use the 70/30 rule- meaning 70% of your closet should be classic pieces (your perfect ten) and 30% trendy fun pieces.
Some of the key clothing pieces are a black suit, black pumps, tote bag, a nice black or brown pencil skirt, two very nice dresses (one a little black dress and one dress in another color) that you can wear to evening events.
One of the best places for men to shop for bargains is the outlet stores. You can find amazing prices on high end designer items for men. Some of the best outlets for guys are the Last Call Neiman Marcus outlets and the Saks Fifth Avenue Outlets. Plus both of these outlets offer coupons for additional discounts if you sign up for their newsletters . Target also has upped their style quotient for men, premiering a line by Isaac Mizrahi for guys.
Monthly Mashup: October Edition
October 31, 2008 by Lauren Fairbanks · Leave a Comment
It’s that time of year when the weather turns crisp and the proud citizens of New York bundle up in their winter gear. But before we head off into the mother of all holiday seasons, let’s take a look retrospective look back at some stories from the past month. Here are some of our favorite posts from around the net, as well as our more popular stories from October in this month’s Mashup.
One on One with Credit Karma’s Ken Lin – We spoke to the CEO and founder of Credit Karma, a new internet start-up that allows you to check your credit score whenever you want. We got the 411 on how the site works and where they plan to go from here.
The Under $60 Work Outfit - The Budget Fashionista showcased a great example of budget shopping with her $60 Work Outfit. Find out how you can look fabulous for pennies on the dollar.
5 Well-Paying Careers You’ve (Probably) Never Considered – Now can be a rough time for students looking into future career paths. With layoffs aplenty right now, the usual career paths may not be such an enticing route. Check out these five career paths that are blossoming despite the recession.
8 Fun Recession-Proof Activities – You don’t have to stop your social life because of rising prices and stagnate salaries. There are still ways to entertain yourself at home and around NYC – even when you’re on a shoestring budget. Check out our 8 recession-proof activities for some low-cost NY fun.
Six Benefits of Bill Consolidation – Consolidation doesn’t have to mean defeat. There are many benefits of consolidating bills and we’ll take a look at six of them. Take a look at them and get your finances under control and back on track.
Gotta Travel? Take the Bus! – With air travel sky rocketing (excuse the bad pun), it’s no wonder people are looking for alternate travel means. Check out these four bus companies that are helping NY’ers ease the pain and costs of traveling.
Consumers Feel the Next Crisis: It’s Credit Cards – The New York Times takes a look at the credit card industry, and how the current economic situation is affecting the way they pick and choose lendees.
5 Simple Meals Made with Ramen – You may not be able to afford a fancy dinner, but that doesn’t mean that you have to spend five nights a week rotating between beef and chicken flavored ramen. Take a look at our five fun and easy meal ideas to spice up that ramen.
Switching to Cheap Beauty Products – Drugstore spending can easily spiral out of control — especially for women purchasing makeup and beauty products. Read up on how to trade in those expensive products for budget alternatives.
Work Out for Cheap: Alumni Gym Memberships – Gym memberships are super expensive these days, but staying fit and healthy is still a prime and valid concern for most people. Think you can’t have both? It may be more possible than you think. Check out our list of NYC alumni gym memberships.
