When shopping, I often find my wallet trying to convince my mind that the skirt, the moisturizer, or the heels in front of me are worth the outrageous price tag. But after I make the costly purchase, I wonder—was it worth it?

To help answer this question, I’ve compiled a list of things that I feel are, and aren’t, worth the splurge during our sad and painful recession. My basic rule of thumb? Things that last are worth the cash.

What’s worth it:

Jeans. I always used to laugh at the fact that my friends paid $200+ for jeans…until I tried on my first pair of J-Brands. While you can find cheaper options, the fact of the matter is, most designer jeans are better quality. Invest in a few pairs. They feel softer, they fit better, and they last longer. Your wallet might not thank you but your tush sure will! J-Brand, Hudson, and True Religions are my top picks.

The Iphone–If you can get your fam to join in. Individual plans are pricey, but with a family plan, the monthly rates are much more affordable. The iPhone beats all other cellular choices, plain and simple; it’s genius combo of visual voicemail, thousands of apps (including Shazam, which can detect any song playing nearby and tell you what it is), iPod, internet, and more makes it the clear choice. So worth it.

Haircuts/Hair dying. If you’re looking to change your hairstyle or color dramatically, please go to a salon. Now I’m not saying you should spend $200 to get a trim, but good haircutters/colorists can really make a difference on your do (mom, I hope you’re reading this—put that herbal essences hair-dye DOWN!). So when should you indulge? When you want layers, highlights, or to alter your color dramatically. Or you can get your friend to “work her magic,” just don’t come crying to me when you’re locks are purple and lopsided. Read More »

This morning on Good Morning America, hypocrite Bristol Palin discussed her plan to push an “abstinence-only” message on teens. She couldn’t quite explain how abstinence got her where she is today (with, ahem, a child at age 18), but she was very confident that “abstinence is the only way you can effectively, 100%, prevent pregnancy.”

Props to B. Palin for that brilliant realization (and for basically admitting being a mom sucks), but since, as she said herself just weeks ago, “abstinence is unrealistic,” why don’t we figure out a more-um-successful way to stay child-free, while still satisfying our libidos.

Enter: Birth Control!!

Crazy, right? This stuff comes in all sorts of forms: patches, IUDs, condoms, looking at teen mothers trying to care for their kids and realizing how much less fun life would be with a child… Oh, and the pill, which, when taken correctly (not a difficult feat to accomplish if you can swallow a pill), is 99.9% effective. Certainly more effective than preaching abstinence…and then having unprotected sex with your hockey playing boyfriend in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. And most of the pills now come in pretty packaging! (Yaz has a tidy blue suede case with fun stickers that help you stay on track and turn birth control into a fun craft project).

Of course, we all (should) know that hormonal contraception doesn’t prevent against narsty STDs, so, unless you and your sex-bud have been tested and are exclusively hookin’ up, please use condoms too! I can tell you from looking at some pretty graphic books that Syphilis ain’t pretty. Neither is abandoning your education to raise a child on welfare and food stamps. So instead of shooting moose, go get yourself some nooky. Because, like Ms. Bristol once said, not getting any is just “unrealistic.”

Just remember to pop that very important pill first.

If you are considering taking diet pills, more specifically, Hydroxycut, it’s time to get rid of those thoughts once and for all. The FDA recently linked their products to severe liver damage and death (yes, death!), so the makers pulled 14 of its products from shelves.

Here are the gross details, from this article: The FDA said it has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries, including liver damage that resulted in a transplant in 2002, liver failure, jaundice, seizures and cardiovascular problems. The reports include the 2007 death of a 19-year-old man living in the Southwest, which was reported to the FDA in March.

Death, people! And for what? The hopes that a supplement, which is not regulated at all, and could, for all we know, have dog poop in it, may help you lose a tiny bit more weight? To fit into a smaller size? To see results like the commercials (which really just use two different people!)?

I’m pretty sure the cons outweigh the benefits in this situation… Read More »

I want to go to Italy with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Christina Aguilera goes “Burlesque.”

Afghanistan solves the swine flu problem.

Jessica Simpson on the cover of Vanity Fair.

Protecting yourself has never looked so chic!

The best and worst sunscreens for summer.

Remember when you were a kid and you mixed a bunch of different flavors of soda together and called it “suicide”? That’s kind of what this week’s new music releases are like. A mish-mash of randomness. I mean we have the lead singer of Bright Eyes, a former American Idol contestant, and an R&B girl sensation. That’s kind of like mixing Coca Cola, Orange Crush, and Dr. Pepper together.

So, your friends might give you strange looks if you play these three albums on shuffle at your next party, but as long as you have an open mind, you should be able to take each album for what it’s worth. And drink it up. Because, despite its name, “suicide” was always a ton of fun. Read More »

Want some free food? (Is KFC really food?)

Maybe you shouldn’t buy that…

OMG. We can’t wait for the MTV Movie Awards!

Rest in peace, Dom DeLuise.

Welcome to the Swine Flu hotel.

Jenny McCarthy getting her own talk show? When’s it my turn!?

There is officially less than a week left until Mother’s Day. I know – that little holiday totally sneaks up on you when you are swamped with exams, packing, and living out the final days of the school year. But don’t panic if you forgot (and your mom hasn’t been dropping hints every day as to what she wants).

The school year may be over and the cash flow may be pretty low, but there are some easy DIY gifts you can make for Mom this year. And you can make them fast and you can make them cheap. Not that your mom deserves something cheap – I’m just pretty sure she’d much rather have something from the heart than something you whisked off the rack at Nordstrom. Read More »

This spring and summer we’re once again returning to our playground days with the romper/jumpsuit trend coming back for another season.  While this look can teeter on juvenile, if done properly it can be an adorable daytime look that quickly switches over to a sexy evening style.

I know a lot of people aren’t the biggest fan of rompers, but to be honest, I L-O-V-E this look and know I can convince you to feel the same. I have a few rompers in my closet already, but  I may just have to add another one to my collection,  because this baby is too cute for words (and reasonably priced as well!):

Read More »

I’d like to think most college women are smart enough not to wire money to those Nigerian princes promising us millions of dollars via email. But what if it was a friend in trouble?

A new wave of scams has surfaced on the web and they are hitting us where it hurts: on Facebook. These slimy scammers hack into accounts and send messages to friends telling them there is an emergency and they need to borrow money fast.

You would never turn down a friend in need and these guys know it. There have already been reports of people being sucked into this scam, some losing thousands of dollars. Read More »

[Ever see something you want but don’t have the money to buy? Ever get sick of studying/watching TV and have the urge to get crafty and make things on your own? We know! Us too! We just don’t know where to start, which is why we got some of CollegeCandy’s craftiest writers to share their favorite DIY projects with everyone. So get to your nearest craft store for the essentials and let’s make some fun sh*t.]

In these tough economic times, everyone is penny-pinching. Everyone is also totally stressing, including college-age women, about money, about finding a job, about passing that last exam so you can pass the class and head home for a summer of beaching and BBQ.

And while you wouldn’t waste any money on an expensive massage or other relaxing spa treatment, you really need it, dammit! You’ve been studying for weeks now and all that stress is taking a toll on your body.

If you need a little luxury in your life that doesn’t put a strain on your already-thinning wallet, keep reading. I’ve got a homemade chocolate face mask that is cheap, simple, relaxing, and will get your pores looking as fresh and clean as the $100 spa alternative.

It’s also kind of delicious. Not that I ever tried it… Read More »