Only 5 of the 24 scarves I own.

Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. This month we’re following Kelly as she proves to her mom, and her wallet, that she can go one month sans shopping.

So because of a recent underwear purge (I estimate I have about 60 pairs), I found myself needing some nude n0-show undies for an ivory dress my mom bought me over Spring Break. What started as an innocent visit to VS.com for one $10 thong turned into a $250 shopping bag that won’t stop staring at me. There was a sale on swim suits, please don’t judge!

Besides being begged by my wish lists to type in my credit card number, I haven’t bought anything. But it has not been that easy. You don’t want to know how much will power it took to not by a t-shirt from the Alexander McQueen sale on Gilt yesterday ($99 instead of $300 to own some McQ? I die.)

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The hardest part of graduating from college for me personally was learning how to manage my money. I was always able to be frugal with my own savings account in college, because my parents were still footing the bill for most of my expenses. That meant that all the big and important stuff was being taken care of and I was only responsible to cover the things that I liked. Like bags. And shoes. And shots of vodka.

But when my dean handed me my diploma, my parents took away the checkbook and I was on my own. For everything.

I didn’t know much about saving, but I knew that I wanted to spend as little as possible on the big stuff so I could have more money for the things I wanted. Like shoes. And bags. And shots of vodka.

But I learned the hard way (by purchasing a broken TV from Craigslist) that while being frugal is a great idea (especially now when saving is even more important) there are a few things that are worth splurging on as you embark on your new life as an adult.  It may be hard to part with the big bucks, but I promise you these 5 items are worth every. last. penny. Read More »

This was a week for decisions. Major decisions. And boy, did we make them. We elected Barack Obama as the 44^th (and first African-American) President of the United States. And though we didn’t directly choose Michelle Obama (or any of the First Ladies), we did decide who’s hot and who’s not.  We chose between working out at the gym and at home, between babes and nerds, between trendy skirts and patterned leggings. On the relationship side of things, we decided to make the jump from friends to lovers, and subsequently from lovers back to friends. We learned that guys get off on porn (really?), and girls become more fertile by watching Sex and the City. We decided that you shouldn’t spend too much money on dating, and on the proper prep work for losing your v-card.

And now that it’s Friday, take a break from all the deliberations and enjoy the weekend!

Saving money is hard. You spend all your time pinching pennies and putting that money in the bank and the next thing you know you’re drunk at the bar and blowing your savings on a round of shots for everyone within a ten foot radius. Ok, maybe that’s just me, but you know what I mean. No matter how hard you try to save, there is always something to spend the money on: new clothes, a concert ticket, a hot new bag.

On one hand, you know you should hold back on all the spending because you should be saving. On the other hand, you are young, you are in school and you just want to enjoy yourself….with these on your feet.

The good news is, you can do both. Watching your budget is like watching your weight: if you deny yourself everything, eventually you are going to go crazy. For me it was a Burberry trench coat, two new pairs of jeans, and a large pizza with a side of garlic sticks (and Ranch dressing).

After denying myself any sort of shopping (or fattening treats) for months, I just couldn’t stop myself. The jacket was beautiful and the pizza was heavenly, but I definitely regretted both decisions later. Especially after receiving my bank statement in the mail. And trying to squeeze into those jeans. Read More »