BuzzSugar

First Look: Robin Sparkles, "Sandcastles in the Sand"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:30:41 PDT

The moment that How I Met Your Mother's Robin first revealed that she was the Canadian teen pop sensation Robin Sparkles, complete with hit single "Let's Go to the Mall," was one of the show's truly classic moments - not to mention one of my favorite online TV spots of all time.

On Monday, Robin Sparkles is back - this time with a little help from James Van Der Beek as an ex-boyfriend of Robin's who happened to star in the video for the B-side to "Let's Go to the Mall," a wistful breakup ballad called "Sandcastles in the Sand." Variety already has the whole song streaming online, but I'm holding off on listening to it until Monday. It's probably silly, but I want to be at least a little bit surprised.

I did, however, cave and watch some of the video teasers that have been released via CBS and MySpace. From the peeking I've done, I can tell the videos have a great, dated vibe, with a dose of Heidi Montag beach video and an amazingly awkward Dawson-related make-out scene. Can't wait till Monday? You can check out both video teasers if you

Meryl Streep Inspires Herself in Golden Globe Press Room

Molly Goodson — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:04:38 PST

Meryl Streep stepped into the Golden Globes press room following her big win for The Iron Lady during this evening's show. On stage she couldn't give the speech she had planned since she forgot her glasses at the table, and while she almost gave it to the press room instead, she refrained. Instead, Meryl talked about women who inspire her, taking on the role of Margaret Thatcher, and what she's working on now. Check it out:

On what she would ask Margaret Thatcher: I would be interested in what she thinks about Europe right now and the debt crisis and whether her views about any of that have evolved. It's interesting how it's coming to the same path. It interests me.

On taking on the role: Coming into this I had a very reductive view of Margret Thatcher. I did what we all do to political leaders we don’t agree with, turning them into something more than human and less than human at the same time. It was interesting to me to look at the human being behind all that, to look at the life that was so groundbreaking, in the winter of that life. To find a compassionate view of someone with whom I disagree.

On what inspires her: I’ve never really gotten to the bottom of me and all the contradictions and conundrum that I find in my own personality and I feel like I find myself, or parts of myself, and I find some understanding of being alive from the characters I play. I’ve probably only gravitated towards characters I do feel something of me in.

What is your passion project right now: I’m very interested in the stories of women, the untold stories, and I’m trying very hard to get congress to let us purchase land on the National Mall for the first women's museum. There are so many stories, I could go on for hours.

6 Tips to Making Your New Year's Resolutions Stick

Emily Co — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:15:10 PST

I'll admit it: I'm a sucker for New Year's resolutions. I get swept away with the promise of a fresh start and new beginnings. But honestly, if you think about it, what makes Jan. 1 different from May 1? Making resolutions at the end of December won't magically make them easier to keep. You see the thing is, I know all that, but I still can't help falling for the New Year hype. It appears that I'm not alone - 40 to 50 percent of people make New Year's resolutions, according to a study by clinical psychologist John Norcross. The downside? Only 40 to 46 percent of those resolutions make it through the first six months. However, I'm an eternal optimist; if the hope of a new year is what it takes to make self-improvement goals, it's better to start making positive changes in your life than not trying at all. Here are some tips on how to make your savvy New Year's resolutions stick:

Ready For Change: Norcross found that being in the right frame of mind for your New Year's resolution is the best predictor of the permanence of one's goals. This means that you have to be prepared for your self-improvement plans. It helps to have a goal that's realistic, and something that you've been thinking about for a while.
Treat Yourself: You have to set up some kind of system to reward yourself for good behavior. For example, if you're trying to cap your spending limit, figure out what kind of fun budget-friendly alternatives you can do in lieu of getting your satisfaction from expensive activities. Maybe it's reading a book at the library or a trip to an art museum with friends.

Read on for more savvy tips.

13 Things That Are Causing Your Bills to Skyrocket

Emily Co — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:48:40 PST

To err is human; to make budgeting mistakes, totally human as well. Most people are not aware of the little budget traps we get caught in, because life is so busy that it's hard to keep track of the smaller money details. But being careless can rack up higher bills. Pretty soon, you might be wondering where your money is going - you don't spend that much every month but your bank seems to be emptying itself on its own. Here are things you need to watch out for:

Buying things that are not on sale: Most items generally go on sale if you wait for it. Whenever I buy greatly discounted items at a big annual sale like Black Friday, an outlet mall, or on some flash sales site, I wonder why I ever bought items at full-price.

Not preserving your groceries: Even if you're good about saving on your groceries and avoiding the items that are greatly marked up in the supermarket, those savings will be worth less if you don't know how to properly preserve your groceries. If you're throwing away food, you're wasting money. Do things like only cutting fruits and vegetables when you need them, putting your bread in the fridge or the freezer, and making perishable items more visible in your fridge. For more tips on lengthening the life of your groceries, read this.

Never checking your bills for mistakes: Monitor your receipts, bills, and statements to see if there are any mistakes being made. Get into a habit of giving your receipts a quick once-over as soon as you receive them. This may save you money and it'll definitely save you the time and effort of having to go back to the store or calling them to deduct the mistaken charges. Now that big banks are trying to slip in more fees to the unsuspecting customer, you have more reason to monitor your statements. Be a responsible consumer - the sooner you catch on to suspicious fees, the more chances you'll have of getting your money back.

Leaving your electronics plugged in: It's easy to be lazy and leave your electronics plugged in because you figure you'll be using them soon. Electronic items still suck power even when they aren't turned on. In fact, they draw five percent of the energy in American homes, according to a study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The amount of energy wasted is equivalent to the output of 18 power stations!

Read on for more budget drains.

Guerrilla Guide to the Holidays: A Perfect, Price-Tag-Free Gift List

LearnVest — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:15:18 PDT

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

Don’t look now, but here come the holidays (really, they’re just 10 weeks away!). This year, we’re going to make planning and budgeting for them a snap.

That’s why we’re starting early to help you tackle the season step by step - and save time, money and stress. If you follow our Guerrilla Guide each week, we promise that by the end of December, you’ll be outside on the skating rink instead of stressing inside the shopping mall.

According to our Facebook poll, 78% of LearnVesters were already thinking about holiday gifts as early as last week. So, for this issue of the Guerrilla Guide, we bring you the newest way to sort out your holiday gift list.

WEEK 2: YOUR CREATIVE, BUDGET-FRIENDLY GIFT LIST

As you make your list this year, we want you to think about holiday giving a little differently.

Before you start assigning dollar amounts to everyone and hunting around for products to buy and wrap, first consider whether the best gift for them is a thing with a price tag. According to the Five Love Languages, defined by marriage counselor Dr. Gary Chapman, people receive messages of love very differently, and only one of these categories involves actual physical gifts. Some people would rather receive acts of service or quality time instead.

Read on to find out more.

12 Nifty Ways to Help You Save on Weddings

SavvySugar — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:25:38 PDT

We had a ball at the SavvySugar and The Broke-Ass Bride Twitter party yesterday, chatting to savvy brides and experts about ways to save on weddings. To get up to date on tips, be sure to follow @SavvySugar on Twitter. Here are some of the great tips gathered from our fun chat:

Save on venue. BrokeAssBride suggests to save on rental fees by hosting the ceremony and reception in the same place, marry on an off day or during the off season, and get the best value from package deals. smanukonda recommends to avoid hotels because from "what I've heard they make you pay a booking fee and a rental fee."
Entertain out-of-town wedding guests on the cheap. BrokeAssBride suggests to plan a day-after picnic at a local park, make sangria with Two Buck Chuck, serve simple food, and play lawn games.
Save on place settings. Buy your place settings at Ikea to save on rental costs, then give them to charity after the wedding, which is what powersmeg is doing for her wedding. Alternatively, instead of "renting or buying new place settings, try piecing together items from flea markets for a more rustic and vintage look," BrokeAssBride says.
Get help from family and friends to save. Follow holalaurena's example and tap into your inner circle to save. Her husband's relatives had a vineyard and hosted their wedding for free.
Save on shoes with these brands. Savvy CreditKarma bought shoes from Payless. She said since the shoes were covered by her dress, the appearance of her shoes didn't really matter to her. BrokeAssBride recommends to check out outlet malls, but keep comfort as a priority - she bought her shoes for $14.99 from Nine West.

Read after the jump for more great wedding saving tips.

A Prom to Regret

Tara Sharp — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:00:06 PDT

I asked what your biggest prom regrets are here and on Facebook, and I saw some recurring themes in your responses. Most of you either regretted going or not going, fashion faux pas, and lame dates. So for future generations of prom-goers, I'd say go with a guy friend or group of friends, wear something timeless not trendy, and bring a pair of flats in your purse for dancing! Here is a sampling of the things you'd do differently if were you able to go back to your good ol' high school days:

"My regret is the shoes I wore. I rarely wore heels and I decided to wear 4 inch heels to prom. My feet were killing me before the prom even started!" - Gdeeaz
"Junior prom regrets . . . my hair was boy short and yet I still paid $60 for an 'updo' that consisted of one big 'bang curl' and a fake diamond bobby pin. Letting a makeup kiosk at the mall do my makeup for the evening: orange face/white neck . . . pretty!! Being too nervous around my date to actually have fun and not be completely awkward. I made up for those the next year at my senior prom and had a great time. Live and learn, right?!" - Anonymous
"Waaay boring date, and not even a kiss goodnight. Lame." - Elizabeth
"I regret that I let not having a date keep me from going. I easily could have found a group of girls to go with." - roseate

Read the rest below.

Dirty Secrets of Outlet Shopping

LearnVest — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:15:51 PDT

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

Oh, the outlet mall.

It gleams like an oasis of designer savings in the desert. It’s a day of promised savings, rewarding the dedicated shopper who will find a trove of off-price goods that were sold at luxury retailers - perhaps last season, but who’s counting?

Right?

That is occasionally still true. But over the last few decades, as retailers recognized the profitability of attracting Americans looking for a deal (yes - they will use this great quality about you against you!), they began to build an industry around outlet shopping that is completely separate from their regular business. And it’s working–there are 13,000 outlet stores around the country, and every year outlets draw more tourists than attractions like Washington D.C.’s museums or Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell.

The industry is based on some secret tactics designed to fool the customer - don’t be suckered.

What to know what they are? Check out the outlet mall's dirty secrets after the break!

5 Reasons to Splurge on Pricey Yoga Pants

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:30:31 PST

When I began practicing yoga over 10 years ago, I bought a crappy inexpensive mat at a mall kiosk and wore some cheap tank top and leggings I had from my high school gym class days. I quickly realized that if you chintz out on gear, you'll pay for it in the end. My mat began to disintegrate before my eyes, and my pants, well I didn't originally buy them with a hole in the crotch. I saved my moolah and bought a Manduka Black Mat (that I've had since '99), and every year or so I invest in some quality yoga clothes. These Wunder Under Crop leggings from Lululemon cost a pretty penny at $68, but they are completely worth it. If you need a reason to splurge on some pricey knickers you're just going to sweat in, here are five.

You'll save money since your pants will last for years, withstanding daily wear, sweat, and numerous trips through the washing machine. Just be sure to let your clothes air dry so they last even longer.
You won't have to worry about embarrassing indecent exposures from seams that come undone or see-through material that lets everyone know what color your undies are.
The fabric is more technical so it performs well, won't stretch out, and it prevents uncomfortable chaffing and rashes. And when you're sweating during a workout, you definitely want high quality wicking material that dries fast.
Higher prices mean high quality, so they look better, which means you can feel good about wearing them out for a post-yoga class lunch date or grocery store run.
Splurging on expensive yoga clothes will inspire you to work out, meaning you will get your money's worth. Ultimately a pricey pair of capris helps you keep up with your healthy lifestyle and weight loss goals.