BuzzSugar

Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:30:37 PDT

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music, and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points!

In Clerks, when a customer asks Randal (Jeff Anderson) what the name of the cat in the store is, what does Randal say is the cat's name?

The Secret to Spending Less

Kiplinger — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:32:25 PDT

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

Economists view the Commerce Department's report today that consumer spending rose in July as encouraging - considering consumer spending accounts for about 70% of the nation's economic activity. You might say it's a good thing Americans aren't pinching their pennies quite so much.

Some of that spending came at the expense of saving, though. The personal savings rate as a percentage of income fell to 5% in July from 5.5% in June. Considering many Americans' savings have taken a hit from stock market gyrations or have been drained to help them get through a job loss, it's worth looking at your spending to see whether you need to cut back to boost your savings.

I've found that one of the best ways to reduce spending is to avoid temptation. The fact that I live in a small town probably makes this a little easier for me than for big-city dwellers, who can't walk down the street without passing a multitude of stores, restaurants and entertainment options. (Plus, smaller cities tend to have a lower cost of living - and in our top ten picks for best value cites, there's a lot to do at affordable prices). But even in the boonies where I am, we still can hear the siren song of daily deal sites, social media and e-mail alerts from retailers.

For more on how to spend less, read on.

New Yorkers Say "I Do" to Gay Marriage

Annie Scudder — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:45:10 PDT

New York became the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage in June, and the wedding festivities kicked off yesterday - the first day couples were allowed to obtain marriage licenses. Many longtime partners filled Manhattan's city clerk office, as well as other city and town marriage bureaus, to officially become newlyweds. At the mayor residence Gracie Mansion, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg officiated the wedding of his longtime staffers, while the couple's two daughters acted as flower girls.

In total, more than 800 couples showed up from across the state and country, and now that New York allows gay marriage, the number of Americans living in states where gay and lesbian couples can tie the knot has doubled. See photos of the historically big day now.

Anthropologie Gets Creative With Corks For Earth Day

Julia Walsh — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:00:00 PDT

If you've been shopping at Anthropologie lately, you might have noticed a jar on the checkout counter soliciting wine corks. As it turns out, the store clerks aren't hoarders, but they've been collecting those bottle stoppers for a special window display project to celebrate Earth Day (April 22). The bohemian retailer has teamed up with the Cork Forest Conservation Alliance (CFCA) to promote the use of natural corks and educate shoppers about the sustainable resource. To spark the dialogue, it'll be using more than two million corks in its famously creative window displays this month, and each display will be unique to the store, created by its in-house, visual artists. In addition to staff and shoppers, Whole Foods has also hopped on the bandwagon and agreed to donate corks.

But what, you ask, is to come of these millions of corks when it's time for Anthroplogie to wow us with another jaw-dropping display? The installations will actually be available for "adoption" after Earth Day, in exchange for a contribution to CFCA. Remaining corks will be returned to the organization and recycled through its Cork ReHarvest program.

Want to get creative yourself with all those spare wine corks you have laying around? Anthropologie will be hosting a free workshop series at more than 60 locations during Earth Week, where kids and adults can learn to make cork animals, craft recycled cork planters, and more. Just head to the shop's Facebook page to learn more details.

Come along and check out some of the outstanding cork window displays Anthroplogie's artist have crafted!

4 Signs You Might Be Addicted to Extreme Couponing

Emily Co — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:05:56 PDT

Last night I watched the premiere of this season's Extreme Couponing (as well as a few reruns) on TLC, and boy was my mind blown. I knew there were coupon addicts around, but not to that extent.

J'aime Kirlew, a mother of three, spent $103 on $1,750 worth of groceries! It's pretty amazing how she did that just by using coupons. These couponers will bring in over a 1,000 or even 2,000 coupons, which the poor clerk will swipe, swipe, and swipe . . . until it's down to about more than a 90 percent savings off the retail price.

The savings are incredible, but I can't help wondering if some of these people are going too far. They spend hours poring over and clipping coupons, and some of them seem to dedicate their lives to it. One woman on a previous episode spends two hours daily taking a seven-mile walk through the neighborhood to pick up coupons from friends and family. When something seems to consume so much of your life, I'm wondering if it's healthy. Read on to find out if your coupon habit has crossed the line into obsession.

Hesher Trailer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Lights Things on Fire, Meets Natalie Portman

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:36:27 PST

Thanks to a long-haired Joseph Gordon-Levitt, indie flick Hesher made some waves at last year's Sundance Film Festival, but we've been waiting since then for a release date and a trailer. Today, we have both; the movie comes out April 15, and we finally get a longer look at the film (more than just this clip), which stars Gordon-Levitt as a grungy mentor of sorts to Devon Brochu's character T.J., who has recently lost his mother.

With his father (Rainn Wilson) deep in the grieving process, T.J. is vulnerable to being befriended by the older, greasy Gordon-Levitt, an eccentric man who calls himself Hesher. Spouting odd words of wisdom and exhibiting the occasional destructive act like lighting furniture on fire, Hesher isn't exactly a great role model. T.J.'s other new friend comes in the form of a de-glammed Natalie Portman, a grocery store clerk on whom T.J. has a crush. It's tough to determine how exactly we're supposed to take the beloved JGL - is he weirdly sympathetic or just a weirdo? Decide for yourself when you watch the trailer after the jump.

10 Secrets to a Happy Financial Life

Emily Co — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:20:42 PDT

Surveys have shown that money is one of the main causes of stress. The recession increased money woes for many of us - playing up our fears of joblessness or putting more pressure on us to make ends meet on a smaller budget. Although those in their twenties are known to struggle with uncertainty, personal finance is something that the younger generation can immediately start to take control of. Kimberly Palmer, author of Generation Earn and personal finance expert for U.S. News and World Report, shares several secrets to how young professionals can take a positive approach to becoming financially secure. Here are 10 tips from her new book:

Don’t skimp on what makes you happy: Whether it’s a new pair of fall boots or daily java, the quickest way to destroy your budget is to make it impossible to follow. That’s why you should cut the costs that don’t matter to you, which might mean cooking more meals at home or living in a smaller apartment, while splurging (guilt-free) on the ones that do.
That includes investing in your career: Since your profession is what has the potential to make you money, that’s the last place you want to cut costs. So whether it’s time to revamp your office wardrobe, take a career advancement course, or work with a coach, make the investment now so you can see the pay-off later.

For more tips, read on.

The Best Department Stores For Finding Fragrance Samples

BellaSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:00:50 PDT

If you're an indecisive sniffer, or if you just want to wear perfumes for a while before buying them, samples are your best friend. A sample allows you to live with a scent for a while, and I think that's the only way to go. Unfortunately, though, samples are not always easy to come by - but if you go to the right places, you'll have the opportunity to try before you buy, as they say. Keep in mind, though, that this isn't a free-for-all; it's best to ask for samples of only the scents that interest you, and even then, I don't ask for more than two at a time.

Without a doubt, the best places to find a sample are Sephora and Nordstrom. Both are happy to provide carded samples if they're available. And if they're not, a clerk will decant a perfume into a small vial for you. This is how I was able to explore YSL Elle for a week before figuring out that I didn't love it. And it's also why I'll be going back to Sephora to buy Narciso Rodriguez for Her.

For more of my findings,

read more. After Sephora and Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's was the next friendliest. When I asked for a vial of Agent Provocateur, a clerk gladly produced one and showed me other scents I might like. Sadly, I was unable to get any samples at Macy's, even after a few visits. Neiman Marcus provided a couple of samples, as did Saks. Unfortunately, I don't live near a Sears or JC Penney, so perhaps some of you can weigh in on whether you can obtain a sample there. (By the way, the image used here is of If, which I tried yesterday. It wasn't for me, but - hey, if you're interested - Apothia offers samples through the mail for $5.)