March brings with it the luck of the Irish, as well as a ton of new releases from some of the your favorite artists. Check out the list below for all of the discs and sets you’ll want to get your hands on this month…
February is a month for lovers… but more importantly, a new month means that there are a bunch of brand new releases on the horizon for all of you music lovers! Check out the list below for all of the discs and sets you’ll want to get your hands on this month…
Valentine’s Day is a mere two weeks away, better start thinking about what to get for that special someone.
The folks over at Johnson & Johnson are having a rough few weeks…
First heiress to the family fortune, Casey Johnson, mysteriously dies in her SoCal home, then there’s a massive recall of J&J products including pain med favorite, Tylenol.
The recall is effecting the following products:
Tylenol Caplets
Tylenol Geltabs
Tylenol Arthritis Treatments
Tylenol Rapid Release
Tylenol Extended Release
Rolaids Extra Strength
Motrin IB
Benadryl Allergy Tablets
St. Joseph Aspirin
Simply Sleep Caplets
The recall regards a certain “musty” smell that is being emitted from packages. The smell is actually some sort of chemical by-product associated with the treatment of wooden pallets. Why there are “wooden pallets” in your Tylenol is anyone’s guess – but this chemical is causing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Better safe than sorry, hit up the Recalled Products website, to find out the product numbers involved in the recall, and how to get your moolah back.
Read More NOW >
Want more money? Who doesn’t?
I like to think of budgeting like dieting. Most of us need it, but if you go too crazy it will just backfire and you’ll end up binging… usually on pretty cashmere things that you can’t afford. When it comes to budgeting, I believe in the slow and steady approach.
If your New Year’s resolution was to save money in 2010, here are some tips to get you on your way to financial rock stardom.
——————-
Pack Your Lunch…
This one is as old as the work day is long. The average deli lunch in NYC is $7 (and we all know it can get more expensive than that). Multiply that $7 with the 255 work days in a year, you’re racking up $1785 in lunch costs alone per year. On average a homemade lunch costs $3. Basic math will tell you that that comes to $765 a year. By bringing lunch to work you save upwards of $1020 a year. That’s not a bad chunk of change.
————————————
Coupons Are Back!
No longer are coupons associated with little old blue haired ladies, coupons are available for almost everything you buy, especially those online purchases for clothes, shoes, and even restaurants. Check out sites like Coupon Cabin, Retail Me Not, Smart Source, or Alice for coupons for everything you can think of. It’s free money, why not?
————————————
Track Your Cash…
You can do things the old fashioned way with a pen and paper, or you can set up an online account with Mint.com, which will not only tally your spending based on your credit card, debit card, and savings activity, but it will help you form a budget, and help find you alternatives in spending and saving to help you save money.
————————————
Separate Your Spending…
If you have more than one credit card, and you’re looking to pay down your debt, use one card for all new and basic purchases like food and clothes. On the other card make regular payments to pay down your debt. This way you always know how much money you owe and are continuously working to pay down the principle. Of course always pay down the full balance of the card you’re using for basic purchases each month. Don’t open up a second credit card if you don’t have one, you can do this same thing with cash.
————————————
Save Diversely…
The old adage is true, you should always pay yourself first. It is for this exact reason that automatic withdrawal is an awesome thing. But, lets face it, interest rates aren’t what they used to be. It’s always important to have some cash liquid that you can draw on in an emergency, but there are other ways to save. High yield CDs are great options making your money grow in the longish-short term, interest rates are much higher than standard savings accounts and you can have access to your money in as little as a year. Bonds are also an option, as are community banks and credit unions that tend to have higher interest rates than larger banks.
————————————
Find the Free…
There’s free stuff all over this city, whether it’s nightlife (Yay, no cover), book readings, movie screenings, art galleries. It is possible to live cheaply and still have fun. You can cut cable costs by watching TV online, and save that money you would have spent at the mega book stores by actually going to the library (gasp!).
————————————
Create Your Own Layaway…
This past holiday season stores everywhere boasted about their revival of Layaway, a term I hadn’t heard since the early 90s. Layaway means that you pick out what you want and pay for it over time and eventually when you have enough you can leave the store with it. Unfortunately, if you never reach the required amount the store can keep your money. I’ve been doing this on my own for the last few months, every week $10 goes straight from my checking to a specially designated savings account toward a large purchase I plan to make. Sure, I could always charge this item and have instant gratification, but I can’t afford it now. In nine months I will proudly walk in to the store with my hard saved cash, plunk it down on the cash register and walk out like the lucky duck I plan to be. Bonus, if I change my mind, or get an unexpected windfall I haven’t lost my money to the Lay Away gods.
————————————
Quit Smoking!
You should probably do this anyway, but cigarettes are a huge money suck, especially in New York City where they come to $9 per pack. If you have a pack a day habit you’re smoking $3,285 a year. That amount of cash could be a pretty significant boon to your standard of living.
——————-
There you have it, go forth and pinch those pennies. Thrifty is the new skinny!
My New Year’s resolution for 2009 was to learn how to use eyeliner…
Seriously. I’m a spaz with this finishing touch of eye makeup and I’m on a constant mission to find eyeliner that I can’t screw up, which is hard because I can pretty much screw up anything. All year I have been fumbling and foiling with brands of eyeliner trying to find the perfect one. Those tiny points and inky natures always screw me up and I always end up having to scrub off an entire face worth of make up. No more though, I found the best, THE BEST, eyeliner in the existence of eyeliner.
The winner is Urban Decay Ink for Eyes!
Ink for Eyes is like no liner you have used before. It’s a cream liner that looks like pencil but goes on with the ease of powder. It comes in a long strip of whatever color you use (I generally stick with black or dark blue, but you can choose from brown, green, purple, and glitter depending on your tastes) and a brush/smudger.
Depending on the thickness you like you can keep adding or angle the brush, and if you’re looking for that smokey look the smudger is already included.
All I can say is that I will never use a pencil again, and if Urban Decay ever decides to discontinue this product I would like them to personally call me so I can buy a lifetime supply, this stuff is magic.
My eyelining intimidation is over, I have found the answer. It’s a bit on the pricey side, totaling up at the Sephora register for $22, but if you’re not good with the pencil or liquid liner it’s worth every penny.
UrbanDecay.com >
While your doling out cash and budgeting for gifts, save a little for the people in your life that service you all year round. FYI: It’s customary to tip the service people in your life during the holidays.
Yup, being a responsible member of society is expensive.
I personally am always at a lost of what is the proper amount to tip door men, hair dressers, mail carriers, and the rest of the people that magically make my life run a little smoother all year round.
If you’re as baffled as I am, here’s a cheat sheet to go by:
Doormen:
$50-$100, or any combination of $50 + wine, fruit basket, flowers, gift certificate, etc. These are people that see you everyday, sign for your packages, make sure no one gets into your building that doesn’t belong there, and serve as a liaison to the service people. You want them to like you.
Nanny:
An extra weeks pay. I don’t feel like I need to explain why child care workers are so important, they take care of your children. Let them know they’re appreciated.
Hair Dresser:
It’s customary to slip them an extra $20 this time of year. If you’re faithful to the same person for years and years, a personal gift might work as well. Either way, this is someone in charge of making you look amazing, bangs beware, you want them on your side.
Housekeeper:
An extra weeks pay, unless you have more than one person who cleans at a time, then chocolates or gift certificates would work better.
Mail Carrier:
A gift somewhere around $20, gift certificates work pretty well. I mean, how well do you know your mail carrier?
Newspaper deliver person:
$10 is customary.
Personal Trainer:
$50, or a protein rich fruit cake. That was a joke, just slip them a $50.
Mani/Pedi/Massage People:
The cost of one session if you see them regularly. If you just happen to be getting a random personal service this time of year a few extra bucks in the tip will suffice.
—————————
Yup, having a convenient life can be highly inconvenient in regard to finances come the holiday season, but most of the people in these professions don’t get holiday bonuses, or even raises regularly, tipping them this time of year shows that you appreciate all they add to your life, and keep you in preferred status with them the rest of the year.
By Kimberly Miller for 92.3 NOW
Justin Bieber is known to have quite the following – mostly with the ladies. And this year he’s decided to help the world by supplying those girls with his signature flower package, courtesy of 1-800-Flowers. The 15-year-old Canadian heartthrob has teamed up with the floral giant to deliver the “One Less Lonely Girl Bouquet”.
Forget your dollar bills fellas, XOXO has you covered this year in the stripper department.
Like many New York stores, XOXO gets into the holiday spirit through window displays in their store, but let’s just say they’re not quite the Macy’s type. This year, the clothing store hired models to hang out in their window all day and undress… and re-dress… and undress… and redress.
And check their email, they do a lot of email checking those models.
Consider it a recession special for those of you that had cut back on strip clubs this year. The show isn’t too dirty though, the girls get down to their XOXO scivvies, then put on some XOXO clothing, then take it to reveal their XOXO scivvies again. Racy yes, dirty-not really.
If you’re unable to actually stand in front of a store and gawk for hours at a time, don’t worry, the models actions are documented on www.whatwillshedonext.com, you can also follow them on Twitter. You can get your voyeur on from the comfort of your own home, or desk at work and get this – they won’t even charge your credit card. But, if you can spare a few hours to drool, you can find them at 420 Fifth Avenue (at 38th Street).
May your holidays be happily voyeuristic.
Read More NOW >
By Kimberly Miller for 92.3 NOW
