It’s been so long since I’ve slipped on a pair of sandals I’m not even sure I remember how to walk in them. My little piggies haven’t seen the light of day in months and now that it’s finally getting warm out there, I’m itching for some new sandals to show off these freshly pedicured toesies. It’s a good thing everyone and their mother is designing adorable sandals these days. Seriously, every pair I see is cuter than the one before.

And they are flats! And they are comfortable! And they are cheap! It’s like all of my fashion prayers have been answered. Here are just a few of my favorite summer sandals, all under $20 and all making me want to move somewhere warm where I can wear these year-round. Read More »

It’s really no secret that Payless carries a bevy of cute, stylish and affordable shoes these days, especially with designers like Lela Rose, Alice + Olivia and Christian Siriano designing for them.

But did you know they also carry a slew of frugalista-friendly accessories?  No? Well now you do, and with their current BOGO (buy one, get the 2nd one 1/2 off) sale you can’t go wrong. Shoes, bags and accessories all under $20? Payless, you are my new BFF. Read More »

So spring has (finally!) sprung and I don’t know about you, but for me that means pulling out all those cute sundresses, sandals and the rest of my spring/summer wardrobe that I love so much (and, hey, adding a few pieces to the mix as well).   So in honor of spring, I figured I’d focus this week’s day-to-night styler on a basic sundress that can be easily converted into a stylish and sassy outfit for the evening.

This dress from Forever 21 is totally cute and flattering for a number of different body types. It’s long enough to sport to class or while running around town with mom, but sexy enough to dress up for later. And, better yet, at $11.50 a pop, you can buy it in more than one color.  I love the pink, blue and purple for spring.

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[College kids are notorious for being poor. And why shouldn’t we be? We take out student loans to pay for private universities, can barely balance a part-time job with our full-time courseload, and the only “balance” we’re familiar with refers to the number of points left on our dining hall cards. Oh, did I mention many of us tend to splurge every extra penny on PBR’s at the campus bar?

If you disagree with everything I just said, you probably don’t need this column. But if you’re nodding along because you’re officially an adult and still don’t know how to manage your money, then you might want to pay attention every week, because I’m going to (try to) get you through this, and make you a successful saver and a wise spender.]

I’ve been writing a lot about how to manage your money in bank accounts and with credit and debit cards. That’s the tricky stuff. As poor students, we are good at finding bargains and at least trying to make our money go a long way. That said, it’s easy to fall into certain traps when what we think is a good “deal” comes our way…and we end up paying dearly. Here are some scams to avoid in order to really save some dough.

1. Gym Memberships.

Beware of whatever type of deal a gym is trying to pitch to finagle you into joining. Why? Because they are probably lying. Okay, I’m bitter about this one. I needed to join a new gym at home for a couple of months, so I signed up for free guest passes at all the gyms in my area so I could work out for free and not buy anything. Next thing I knew, a Bally’s rep was selling me a special offer: $25 a month for a membership that I could transfer anywhere. He told me that if I got back to school and didn’t want to make the trek to the nearest Bally’s, I could freeze my membership for $4 a month, and when i started using their clubs again, I could continue to pay the dirt cheap fee.

The reality? Only the first transfer would be free, so I’d be paying in the future for every new Bally’s I tried to switch to; the “freeze” thing didn’t exist, and I was forced to pay the monthly fee even though I wasn’t working out; I’m stuck in a year contract, and now I have an express hatred for Bally Total Fitness Clubs. Needless to say: gyms are definitely places to read the fine print. Read More »