GeekSugar

Daily Tech: The "Smart Shoe" Comes Fully Pimped With Wireless Capabilities

GeekSugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:00:24 PDT

Forget Bluetooth when you can drop $700 on a pair of Smart Shoes by Verb for Shoe that will sync up with your laptop via an embedded computer! - Switched
If you like some junk in your trunk . . . Er, I mean, junk mail in your mailbox, there's a site called MailMovesAmerica.org that helps stop the spread of Do Not Mail registries. - Consumerist
Now you don't just have to be a first-class flier to get all the perks, as more airlines are spending the extra cash to upgrade their in-flight entertainment services. Yes economy fliers, this includes you! - USA Today
Cellphonist is a nifty website that offers free video tutorials for everything and anything related to cell phones. - Chip Chick
Steven Spielberg has teamed up with Electronic Arts to create Boom Blox for a Wii. Who knew he was such a videogame addict? - USA Today

10 Things You Do to Save Money That End Up Costing You More

Wise Bread — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:15:37 PST

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

Have you heard of the expression “penny wise, pound foolish”? It’s something I heard a lot growing up, from my parents, and it can have multiple meanings:

You are very careful with small amounts of money, but throw caution to the wind with large amounts. This is akin to someone who eats from the dollar menu every day but then blows a hundred dollars every month on a gym membership that’s never used.
You do things to save money now, only to have those savings cost you more farther down the road.

The second definition is what I’m focusing on today, because it’s a lot easier to fall into the trap of saving money only to have it bite you later on. Here then are 10 things that you may be doing to save money that could actually cost you a lot more in the weeks, months, or years to come.

RELATED: The Case For Expensive Shoes

1. Avoiding Regular Checkups With the Doctor, Dentist, or Optician

It’s something I did in college when money was tight. “Aah, who needs to pay money to a dentist to have him tell me I should floss more?” Well, after leaving the dentist alone for a few years, I paid the price. Avoiding the regular cleanings and checkups left me facing a hefty bill later on when I needed a bunch of costly fillings. I was lucky that I didn’t need root canals or replacement teeth. Now I have a dental plan that covers free checkups twice a year, but even if you don’t, get to the dentist and doctor for health checks. It’s a lot better to pay a co-pay now than pay for major surgery later on. And worse still, it could even cost you your life, especially as so many conditions can be treated if they’re caught early enough.

Read on for more.

Real Talk With TV Broke Girl Beth Behrs

LearnVest — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:59:07 PST

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

Since when is being broke funny?

Since CBS released its new sitcom 2 Broke Girls, in which actress Beth Behrs plays a recently humbled heiress, Caroline, who moves to Brooklyn to hide out after her father loses their family fortune in a Ponzi scheme.

Caroline winds up living with her perpetually poor fellow waitress, Max, played by Kat Dennings, and the two hatch a plan to save their wages and start a cupcake business.

Recession-era cupcake businesses have been all the rage lately (see: Bridesmaids), but shows addressing personal finances - or lack thereof - with humor and honesty is something we don’t see very often. Caroline and Max manage to plan for their future while hustling for their present - and survive on a shoestring with admirable grace. We love that these characters live richly, even on a tight salary: After all, that's what LearnVest is all about.

And, of course, any show where the leading ladies discuss interest rates is right up our alley.

Check out our exclusive talk with Behrs on her penny-pinching past, her first pair of Louboutins - and why she still chooses to live with a roommate in real life. It turns out that we can learn something from celebs about money.

LearnVest: As a 26-year-old in Hollywood, how much of Caroline and Max’s financial struggle can you relate to?

Beth Behrs: Literally up until we shot the pilot, I was working as a nanny five days a week and then as a bartender and concierge at The Geffen Playhouse on the weekends. So, I can definitely relate to being broke, right out of college and working tons of odd jobs to just pay the rent.

Real-life waitress stories and more from Behrs.

Fresh Start Resolution: Master Time Management

SavvySugar — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:53:00 PST

It's a New Year and a new you! We're detailing 12 helpful tips to start off the year right, whether it be to advance your career or increase your financial cushion. We've already given you advice on kicking your daily deal habit, quitting your caffeine addiction, and reassessing your savings account; here's another way to start afresh in 2012.

Managing your time not only allows you to be more productive but also frees up precious minutes for you to spend however you'd like. To make 2012 your most organized, exciting year yet, adopt these five helpful habits.

Consider your to-do list a schedule. A simple checklist is a great start, but it's important to gauge the time frame for each item, too. Mark each of your tasks with an estimated start and finish time, taking into account any variables that may slow you down. Next, think of ways to make your schedule more exciting. Drawn to color? Use highlighters to create categories. Need some incentives? Brainstorm a mini reward for each task completed, like a phone date with your best friend or a new song download.
Plan ahead and be thorough. It's smart to lay out your exercise gear the night before a morning workout, but take it one step further by filling your water bottle, charging your iPod, packing your purse, and leaving your gym shoes by the door. Other ideas: fill out forms online before appointments and use your phone to snap screenshots of maps or directions. Small steps like these will have a huge payoff, adding several minutes for you to fill as you please.

Read on for more time management tips .

25 Things to Do With Old Jeans

Wise Bread — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:00:46 PST

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

Recycling fabric is a powerful green living and cost saving strategy. Denim is one of the coolest fabrics to do it with. It's sturdy, gains character with age and can be acquired very inexpensively at yard sales or in your own "old clothes" closet. Some of the coolest ideas I've found?

Pot holders. In my opinion, these look far better out of used denim than the new stuff. And you can incorporate your own style via choice of trim or a patch stitched to the outside. Here's a link to some tips for making your own.
Cool quilts. You can do this in many forms. Different shades of denim patchwork options abound and are certainly sturdy and fun. Unfortunately, one of the coolest ideas I've ever seen I've been unable to find pictures of. It was done with pieced denim, but they had left on all the details like pockets, buttons, belt loops, etc. It made for a really fabulous unique quilt with a lot of attitude. If anyone has a link to a picture of one of these, please post below in the comments section.

For more ideas, read on.

5 Top Myths About Saving Money on Black Friday

Bundle — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:00:24 PST

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

As one of the most talked about shopping days of the year, it’s no wonder thousands and thousands of people wake up early and make the trek to their favorite department store in search of great deals. But, will it really save you a lot of money?

In a word, yes. But only if you’re properly prepared. Just as you can find great deals on Black Friday, you can also get sucked into deals that aren’t as great - and probably not worth the stress you’ll go through fighting the crowds.

Below, we’ve put together some of the top myths about saving money on Black Friday - and why you shouldn’t believe them.

Myth #1: All Of The Best Sales are In the Wee Hours of the Morning

While many times this is true, you can also find some pretty great deals late on Thanksgiving night or later in the day on Friday – without waking up early to stand in line with thousands of other shoppers. Check your local paper and it’s likely you’ll find some great deals that are happening later in the day.

Read on for more Black Friday myths.

8 Bad Habits to Kick in Your 20s

LearnVest — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:15:02 PST

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

We remember those days long ago - or not so long ago - when we thought the only thing standing between us and a great night out was a fake I.D., and the days when every hurt could be soothed with a new pair of shoes.

Until now, we’d always chalked those notions up to our own youthful silliness, but it turns out we weren’t alone: According to a recent study, 20-year-olds actually think that having debt is cool.

“The more credit card and college loan debt held by young adults aged 18 to 27, the higher their self-esteem,” the researchers concluded. Only that effect didn’t last long: By the time participants in the study reached age 28, their feelings of mastery and empowerment had corroded into stress over the money they owed.

Surely celebrating your debt isn’t the only habit worth kicking by the time you near 30. So, we asked you, what other habits that seemed cool, empowering and fun at 20 did you drop like a hot potato a few years later?

Your answers, which ranged from money choices to lifestyle mistakes, were hilarious, insightful . . . and a testament to the power of experience. Read on.

Fake Baking

If You're Doing This: Don’t waste your hard-earned money on cancer-causing tanning beds, which can come back to bite you later in health care bills-or worse. Tan safely (here’s some advice on sunless tanning), or, better yet, emulate Anne Hathaway, who makes pale skin look chic.

Read on for more bad habits.

10 Ways Spending Money Can Help You Save

Bundle — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:15:18 PDT

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

We're always talking about saving money, but sometimes spending money can help you save more in the long run. Here are 10 instances doling out cash can help you add more to your savings.

Do a big weekly grocery shop

I like to cook, but I'm a little lazy about buying groceries. It's hard to drop a lot of money on food all at once! When I do a big shop, it always seems like I'm spending so much money. Last week, for instance, the tab came to over $100 for two people. But, when I get lazy and don't do a grocery shop, I wind up going back to the store four or five times in a week, and end up spending even more than I would if I had just bought all my food for the week at once. Plan a few meals and make yourself go to the grocery store once a week.

Resole your shoes

I once had a pair of $150 boots that sat around for two years without once seeing the light of day because the soles had worn down. They were my favorite pair of boots, but I figured they were probably done for. I actually bought two other pairs of boots - and was going for a third when the light bulb went off - just get my old boots resoled! It cost about $50 and they feel like a whole new pair of boots. Save money on excessive numbers of shoes by getting your old pair resoled.

Read on for more.

We Talk to Christian Louboutin About Future Collaborations, Blake Lively, and More

Chi Diem Chau — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:02:53 PDT

Safe to say, everyone loves Christian Louboutin's sexy red soles. Last night, the designer celebrated his new self-titled book, Christian Louboutin, at Barneys in a sea of beautiful shoes and celebrities like Blake Lively, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and China Chow. We got the opportunity to speak to the designer at the event - if there's anyone to get shoe advice from, it's Mr. Louboutin - about his Fall/Winter shoe must have, exciting upcoming collaborations, and whether he thinks Blake Lively would be the perfect star to represent his brand. Listen up to what he has to say:

FS: Blake Lively is known as an enormous fan of your shoes - even buying 40 pairs at a time. Do you think she's a perfect star to represent your line?
CL: Yes, not only is she beautiful, she is very talented and she's very smart. One of the things that is most important for women and men, at least for me, is intelligence. Through a lot of things, she has proved that she is really intelligent and she also has this natural beauty and this natural way of moving which makes her absolutely a great image.

FS: What shoe are you dying to see on every woman's foot this season?
CL: A beautiful low-cut pump. Low-cut in the front and almost the color of your skin so it can completely disappear or in black so you can wear it with different colors.

FS: If you weren't a shoe designer, what would you be?
CL: I would be a scriptwriter because one of my favorite things to do is to stay in a place where no one recognizes me and just sit and listen to conversation around me. That's always been one of my favorite things to do; sitting in restaurants by myself and listening to conversations. I actually did write a script, it was a long story but there was no shoes inside.

Christian Louboutin spills the beans on upcoming collaborations, his holiday wish list, and more

Christian Louboutin Whisks "Very Smart" and "Natural Beauty" Blake Lively Off Her Feet

Allie Merriam — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:14:55 PDT

Blake Lively wore Dolce & Gabbana last night for a bash in honor of her good friend Christian Louboutin at Barneys in NYC. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, along with Blake, models Elettra Wiedemann, Iman, and more hosted the event for the legendary shoe designer in honor of the launch of his book Christian Louboutin and the 20th anniversary of his brand.

Blake, who's well known for once buying 40 pairs of Christian shoes during a sample sale, clearly is on great terms with the man, since he literally whisked her off her feet after the event. Christian was happy to gush about Blake when we caught up with him at the party. Christian said of Blake, "Not only is she beautiful, she is very talented and she's very smart. One of the things that is most important for women and men, at least for me, is intelligence. Through a lot of things, she has proved that she is really intelligent. and she also has this natural beauty and this natural way of moving, which makes her absolutely a great image."

The main guy in Blake's personal life these days is really Ryan Reynolds, who's been in Boston shooting R.I.P.D. with Jeff Bridges. Between his big screen filming schedule and her work in the Big Apple on Gossip Girl, they've been making it work with plenty of Amtrak rides between the two northeast cities.