V-Day season is upon us again, and even though I’m in a relationship this year, I still feel like I want to punch people whenever I see little red hearts dotting store windows. I’m not a big proponent of the “show your love for someone by throwing money at him” school of thought. I am, however, all for gifts that are thoughtful, useful, and CHEAP.

Hearing me out? Read on.

- If you want to go traditional, mix up the monotony. Candy and flowers are nice and don’t break the bank, but apparently they are not great for the planet, so why not choose something a bit different this year? A box of fair-trade, organic chocolates won’t run you more than 20 bucks, and they’re made with more care and better-quality ingredients than that Russell Stover collection.

- Does your boo like to spin the tunes? Make him a mix CD. I know, I know—that’s so sixth grade—but really, it’s a very thoughtful gift that can’t come from anyone except you. Go through your playlist and mountains of CDs to pick out songs that remind you of that special someone, burn ‘em off, and make a pretty liner and cover for the CD. Done! Read More »

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 »

[Welcome to my Weekly Love List. A list, on all things I love. Because if I love them - well then obviously you may (and should) love them too. As the Backstreet Boys song says (and yes I am actually quoting them) “My Love is All I Have To Give.” So with that throwback, here are this week’s list-worthy things…]

1. Cover Girl Last Blash Mascara. Until this moment I have been shelling out prime dollars for department store mascara. But with one stroke of this bad boy I was hooked. Hooked and fluttering my eyelashes all night long!

2. Astrologyzone.com: Maybe I’m a sucker, but I am addicted to this site that gives you a detailed (we’re talking like 3 pages baby!) horoscope for the month. I had a chance to hear the astrologist who runs the site, Susan Miller , speak once and I was hooked. Yes I’m into things like The Secret and all that other new-age stuff, but even if you aren’t there is something just so fun about horoscopes. It’s like playing M.A.S.H. when you were a kid. (Although that was never fun if you ended up in the shack married to Steve Urkel). Read More »

[To ask Tuffs a question, shoot her an e- at tuffy@collegecandy.com, you dig?]

Dear Tuffy Luv,

By reading your entries on CC, I saw that you studied abroad! I’m a few weeks away from the end of my semester abroad (London, to be exact). I have had a blast spending the last few months travelling around Europe, being surrounded by cute british accents, fabulous shopping and all wonderful things European.

I’m really excited to go back home and reunite with friends, family, etc, but I’ve heard a lot about “reverse culture shock” and that sometimes it can be a mess going home after being away for so long. Any advice on what to do when I get home? Would it be easier to jump right into home life again, maybe take a few days of solitude to sort my life out again? Ugh, how bittersweet to be leaving.

Love,

a fellow study abroad-er

Dear Study Abroad-er,

Definitely give yourself a few days off.

It’s so freaking hard to readjust to your old life after getting back from a great adventure. You figure you’ll just be like, hey, I’m home, cool! But for some reason, your body is like, where’s the food I’ve been eating for the last five months? Where are the superintense new friends? Read More »