LilSugar

Mommy Dearest: Rude to Tell That You Returned Gift?

LilSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:00:49 PST

Mommy Dearest,

I sent my godson a scooter for his birthday and just received a thank-you note saying that he returned the present because he preferred something else. I don't mind that he exchanged the gift since I just guessed that the ride on was something a nine-year-old would like, but I thought mentioning it in the note was rather rude. We live in different states and I never would have known had he not told me. Am I right?

- Didn't Need to Know About Returned Gift

To see the response from Mommy Dearest,

read more. Didn't Need to Know About Returned Gift, I think the sole purpose of a thank-you note is to acknowledge a gift that has been given and show appreciation for the kind gesture. Mentioning a gift was returned or exchanged for whatever reason is not necessary unless the giver inquires about it. - Mommy Dearest Submit a question for this feature at the Mommy Dearest Group on TeamSugar. Source

Rachel Zoe Totes Skyler in Style as She Makes the NYFW Rounds

Lindsay Miller — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:10:32 PST

Rachel Zoe had her son Skyler in her arms as the pair returned to their NYC hotel yesterday. Rachel bundled him up in a knit hat and sweater while she rocked a fur coat and shades. The duo stayed close during a break from the NYFW festivities, but she was back out on the town later in the evening to claim a front-row seat at her longtime friend Marc Jacobs's runway presentation. It's been a busy few days in the Big Apple for Rachel and her family. On Saturday, she debuted her Fall 2012 Rachel Zoe collection, and on Sunday, she hit up several of her fellow designers' shows. Rachel was backstage at Diane von Furstenberg and at Derek Lam, where her husband Rodger Berman joined her for a few photos. We caught up with the stylist during the latter show. Rachel shared her cold weather styling tips with us as well as her advice for looking chic on the go. There are still several fashion-packed days left to go this NYFW, so be sure to stay tuned to Fab and Fashionologie for their backstage reports and runway coverage as the week goes on!

How to Adjust Your Tax Withholding

Kiplinger — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:14:10 PST

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

Political theater over whether or not to extend the 2% payroll tax holiday has overshadowed the fact that most workers can do more to reduce the amount of tax withheld from their paychecks than anything cooked up in Washington.

The power-to-the-people ploy? Using a W-4 form to put an end to overwithholding from your paychecks. First, let's set the stage. Even as anti-Washington sentiment rises to a fever pitch, most middle-class Americans continue to allow the government to claim more than its share every single payday. The proof: In 2011, 109 million of the 145 million individual tax returns filed called for refunds. That's 75%. The average refund last year: $2,913. That's significantly more than even the highest-paid worker gets from a 2% payroll tax holiday.

Yes, we love our tax refunds. But we ask this simple question of those of you who get refunds year after year: Doesn't it make more sense to get your money when you earn it?

If you agree with us that the answer is a resounding "yes," we have good news. Unlike stubbornly high unemployment, it's easy to fix overwithholding. All you have to do is file a revised Form W-4 with your employer. The information on that little form determines how much federal income tax is withheld from your checks. The more "allowances" you claim on the W-4, the less income tax will be withheld.

Read on for more.

Adele's Sweep, a Prayer For Whitney Houston, and More 2012 Grammys Highlights

Allie Merriam — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:46:43 PST

The 2012 Grammy Awards were all about Adele's major wins and the sad passing of Whitney Houston. After a kickoff from Bruce Springsteen, host LL Cool J led a prayer for Whitney and gave a look back at some of her stellar Grammys performances. Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt honored another late musical star, Etta James, with a song. Bonnie and Alicia also presented best pop solo performance to Adele for "Someone Like You." Adele, who suffered from vocal problems for the last year, appropriately thanked her doctors. Further accolades went to Jay-Z and Kanye West, both absent, for best rap song with "Otis," and Dave Grohl's Foo Fighters picked up best rock performance for "Walk." Bon Iver took home best new artist.

Rihanna and Coldplay teamed up for one of the evening's most memorable duets. Her "We Found Love" segued into Coldplay's "Princess of China" and "Paradise." Another highlight was the long-awaited reunion of the Beach Boys, and they brought back their hit "Good Vibrations" with some help from Adam Levine. Taylor Swift won two honors before the proceedings even began, and later went folksy with her stint behind the mic. Katy Perry, taking a different approach, donned a skintight bodysuit for "Part of Me." Katy changed the words to the track, apparently making a dig at her ex Russell Brand.

Adele was back onstage later in the night with her adorable producer, Paul Epworth, to accept song of the year for "Someone Like You." She made her triumphant return to the microphone with her hit, after a glowing introduction from Gwyneth Paltrow, and received a standing ovation from her big fans like Paul McCartney and Rihanna. The track was also crowned record of the year and her 21 was album of the year! A teary Adele raised her new gold, joked about having a snotty nose, and said to her mother, "Mom, girl did good!"

Jennifer Hudson helped wrap things up with a touching Whitney Houston tribute, belting out "I Will Always Love You." The show was officially closed by Paul McCartney with help from his "friends" like Dave Grohl, Joe Walsh, and Bruce Springsteen. Make sure to check out all the Grammys red-carpet action as well as the full list of Grammy winners!

Tom and Katie Treat Suri and Connor to a Sunday Night Dinner

Allie Merriam — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:45:14 PST

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes took their children Suri and Connor out to dinner in LA last night. They skipped out on all the happenings at the Grammys, instead choosing to focus on family over a meal at Bouchon Bakery. Tom's home in LA again after finishing up work on One Shot. He's now gearing up to shoot We Mortals Are with director Doug Liman. Another of Tom's projects, Oblivion, is moving forward with production as well, having added Morgan Freeman to the cast. This will be a big month for the Cruise-Holmes clan. Katie and Tom, one of Hollywood's cutest couples, are looking forward to their latest Valentine's Day together tomorrow. He's also gearing up for a return to the Oscars, where he'll be a presenter, on Feb. 26.

Courteney, Busy, and Company Take Us Behind the Scenes on Season Three of Cougar Town

Lindsay Miller — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:00:00 PST

Fans of Cougar Town will have something extra to celebrate this Valentine's Day when the ABC comedy makes its long-awaited return to the airwaves. We paid a visit to the set of the show recently to get a preview of what's ahead for season three - including a wedding for Jules and Grayson - straight from the cast. Courteney Cox and Josh Hopkins talked about the trouble being engaged will present for the pair, Busy Philipps dished on the new business Laurie will be starting, and Dan Byrd revealed that a pretty major injury is on deck for Travis in the upcoming episodes. Check out our video to get an early look at some scenes from the premiere and to hear some juicy tidbits the cast revealed to us, and catch Cougar Town at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC tomorrow!

Angelina Jolie Wears White For an Important Tea in Germany

Lauren Turner — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:00 PST

Angelina Jolie had a meeting with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Berlin today. She and Guido sat down for tea to discuss Angelina's role with the UNHCR. Angelina made time for the important chat before getting ready to hit the red carpet at the Berlin Film Festival tomorrow. Her In the Land of Blood and Honey is in the running for best feature along with Diane Kruger's Farewell, My Queen and 16 others. Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the festival's judges, and he helped kick things off at yesterday's opening ceremony. The overseas trip hasn't been all about work for Angelina, since she took Maddox, Pax, and Shiloh to Legoland. The Jolie-Pitts will soon return to the US, since Angelina is set to be a presenter at the Oscars on Feb. 26.

The Latest Celebrity to Admit a Crush on Ryan Gosling

Lauren Turner — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:12:17 PST

Josh Hutcherson shares that he is a big fan of Ryan Gosling - People
Will Jeremy Renner deliver on The Bourne Legacy? - Lainey Gossip
Nicole Scherzinger speaks out about the X Factor drama - HuffPost Entertainment
Connor Cruise's post- Super Bowl rant gets leaked - D-Listed
Angelina Jolie to present at the Oscars - JustJared
Why is Jennifer Aniston still talking about Angelina Jolie? - Insider
Watch First Lady Michelle Obama sack race against Jimmy Fallon - Zap2it
How is Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj's music connected? - The Frisky
Miranda Kerr goes topless - Hollywood Tuna
Kanye West is returning to Paris Fashion Week - Pink Is the New Blog
Miley Cyrus picks up Starbucks in a super sexy outfit - The Superficial
Why Gisele might be bad luck for Tom Brady - The Daily Beast
What do you think of Ke$ha's all natural look? - TooFab
Kate Beckinsale wishes she had Mark Wahlberg for protection - The Blemish

Save Thousands Just By Itemizing Deductions

LearnVest — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:15:01 PST

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

Though we all groan about having to pay taxes, the government is nice enough not to tax us on the full amount of our earnings.

There are two big buckets of deductions the government gives us: the first is called above the line, and the second is called below the line, which we’ll cover here. (The “line” these deductions refer to is a literal line on your 1040 form for the Adjusted Gross Income.)

Below the Line Deductions

Below the line deductions come in two types: one is called the standard deduction, and the second is called itemized deductions.

The Standard Deduction

The standard deduction is an amount of income that the government will not tax any taxpayer on. Most people take the standard deduction on their returns, which is worth anywhere from $5,800 to $11,600, and opt out of the whole process of itemizing. It’s as simple as saying, “I’m a single person (or married filing singly or married filing jointly), and yes, I would like the standard deduction.” For some people, this is just fine. After all, that’s a lot of money, and taking just the standard deduction makes your taxes simpler and faster. What’s not to like?

Check out the chart below to find out what the standard deduction is for your filing status.

How to Make Money Off Your Breakup

LearnVest — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:15:30 PST

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

When you break up with someone, should you return any gifts?

Not according to Never Liked It Anyway, where those unlucky in love can sell mementos of failed relationships and divulge the dirt behind the gift.

And it’s not just teddy bears and uneaten chocolates - disenchanted lovers are selling wedding dresses, rings, weekend wedding packages, and anything else adding to their baggage (including the baggage itself). All for a substantial discount.

Someone Loved It Once

Part store and part advice column, the site calls itself “the place where once-loved gifts from once-loved partners get a second chance.” Instead of just facilitating a sale, it also provides a space for the seller’s story.

Never Liked It Anyway was founded by a woman who made it through a major breakup herself and recognized the benefit of cleaning out her closet . . . and profiting in the process.

For us (admittedly not in the throes of a violent parting of ways), the site raises two questions:

Is It Hilarious or Sad?

We’re happy to see the sellers get revenge (or at least revenue) after their heartbreak. But so many of the confessions in the Tell It section (in which users spill but don’t sell) are stories of men doing horrible things and women in horrible situations. The headline “NICE BOOTS BAD GUY” made us laugh . . . but the person who got dumped while her mother was dying broke our hearts.

Is It Cost-Effective or Cursed?

From a consumer's view, it’s a great deal! Over $1,000 off a Tiffany wedding band? It sounds too good to be true. And maybe it is. If you believe in karma, acquiring trinkets from failed relationships just might doom you to the same fate. Then again, wedding dresses for 40 percent off!

Just in case you’re gearing up for your own nuptials and aren’t concerned about the whole karma thing, we’ve put together a wedding plan, using only items from the site.

The Keys

The seller puts the problem with this ring pretty clearly in the title: "Key Ring, Not an Engagement Ring."

Real World Price: $125
Breakup Price: $60

Read on for more items.