LilSugar

Back-to-School Cool: 6 First-Day Outfits Under $35

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:35:48 PDT

Dress to the nines for the first day of school without breaking the bank! From school supplies to new clothes, back-to-school shopping can take a hefty chunk out of Mama's wallet, and these days that's the last thing moms want to hear. We know the first day of school is special - filled with new friends, a new classroom, and oftentimes a new outfit - but it doesn't have to send the family to the poor house.

Over the next few days, we're showing moms just how easy it is to dress a schoolyard prince and princess in a brand-new outfit at various budget levels. First up, head-to-toe outfits for under $35. Check them out!

Simple or Swank: White Lace Purses

babysugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:00:34 PDT

One way to keep mama's purse from getting too full of her mini-me's knickknacks is to give princess her very own tote. Instead of marking my wallet up with crayons, my daughter carries her wares with her wherever she goes. Spring into Summer with one of these delicate, white pocketbooks that is sure to go with any flouncy dress in her armoire.

Simple: Instead of treating the tot to an ice cream cone, use the $4 in the wallet for the zippered eyelet Children's Place purse that is reminiscent of Jackie O.

Swank: Shaped like a large coin purse, the $16 lace adorned Janie and Jack option has a clasp closure and a large bow for the tiniest of divas.

Check Out New Retailers on ShopStyle Kids!

LilSugar — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:00:00 PST

I use ShopStyle Kids, the Sugar Inc. owned search engine for children's clothes and goods, which allows you to browse and shop without ever loading the kids in the car, more than I'd like to admit so I was thrilled to hear the site has added some of my favorite brands. You can now cruise collections from Children's Place, Japanese Weekend, Tutti Bella, Crazy 8, and Janie and Jack.

The weather across the US makes it hard to tell whether to purchase Winter or Spring clothes right now, which is why I love Tutti Bella's tee shirt selection. They are perfect for layering and add a little rocker edge to your lil one's look.

Harajuku Lovers Fatal Attraction to Cuteness Tee - Sold Out	Harajuku Lovers Gwen Snowbunny Tee - Sold Out
Small Paul by Paul Frank Bubblegum Julius Tee - Sold Out	Harley Davidson by Trunk Dark Angel Tee - Sold Out
City Threads Midnight Acoustic Guitar Tee - Sold Out	Me Too Berry Tee - Sold Out
Nano Monkey Tee - Sold Out	Nano Truck Tee - Sold Out

Trendtotting: Pigskin Apparel

babysugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:00:10 PDT

Baseball is coming to a close and basketball is still in pre-season. You know what that means? Football! Lots and lots of football. Whether it's college or professional pigskin that's a household favorite, chances are someone in your house is watching a brown leather ball get tossed around a 100-yard field on Saturday, Sunday or both!

Many mamas and papas dress their mini mes up in their favorite team jerseys and encourage them to cheer the ballers on to victory. Personally, I just like to doll them up in athletic sweats that make them look sporty. Check out these bargain deals from The Children's Place. Cozied up like a lil prepster, your wee one will also have that athletic edge to him.

Trendtotting: Faux Fur and Fabulous

LilSugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:00:03 PST

When it comes to dressing lil ladies, faux fur is beyond fabulous! Considered a staple in the festive wardrobe, the fluffy jackets, coats, capes, shrugs, and vests move from classic to casual, pairing as well with a party dress as they do with denim. And, they are available in just about every size, color, and price range these days.

Whether your lil snow angel is heading out to holiday tea or unwrapping gifts under the tree, she's sure to be snug in fuzz.

Velvet Bow Faux Fur Coat ($25)	Faux Fur Crop Coat ($50)
Faux Fur Sweathshirt ($13)	Fashion-fur coat ($25)
Floral Embossed Faux Fur Coat ($25)	Furry hooded bomber ($50)	Quilted Faux-Fur Coat ($26)

7 Money Tips For Couples Starting a Family

Business Insider — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:15:00 PST

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

Middle-income parents will spend nearly $227,000 in 17 years for children born in 2010, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

But don't let that scare you - saving for a family can actually be fun if you know what you're doing.

"The most important thing to understand is that your priorities are going to change and your spending habits need to change to reflect those changes," says Stuart Ritter, a financial planner at T. Rowe Price.

With Ritter and other financial experts' help, we'll help you prepare.

Invest in a 529 savings plan

Saving for your child's education is crucial to his or her success, and 529 plans are tax-advantaged college savings accounts that are available in all 50 states.

Most are free to set up, while some states require a minimum of $25 to open an account, says Adam Koos, a certified financial planner with Libertas Wealth Management. Anyone can contribute and take advantage of the tax benefits.

Open the plan before your child is born, says Ritter, and name yourself the beneficiary. You can change the name on the account once your child is born.

Read on for more.

50 Geeky Date Ideas For Valentine's Day (and Beyond)

GeekSugar — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:30:10 PST

Coming up short for Valentine's Day date ideas? If you and your sweetheart are more of the geeky persuasion, simply hitting up an overpriced restaurant just won't cut it. We brainstormed 50 date ideas that incorporate science, tech, and video games, for a special Valentine's eve. But don't limit yourself - tackle these date ideas all year!

Bundle up, pack a dinner picnic, and head to the park for some stargazing.
Watch Contact (for the millionth time).
Go to a science museum.
Hit the natural history museum and check out your favorite dino bones.
Go retro - grab a roll of quarters, a slice or two, and hit the pizza parlor arcade.
Build your own planetarium with glow-in-the-dark stickers.
Catch up with the Doctor Who craze by watching the series from the beginning.
Throw a Star Wars party for two.
Whip up a batch of Cloud 9 mojitos (complete with mason jar glasses) and have a Battlestar Galactica marathon.
Visit Nerdy Day Trips and find geeky stuff to do near you.
Go to the planetarium.
Take a dream vacay to the Hobbit Hotel in New Zealand.
Spend a few romantic nights in the Hobbit House of Montana.
Visit the actual Lord of the Rings movie set.
Travel to the Chott el Djerid salt lakes in Tunisia, which were transformed into Luke Skywalker's home on Tatooine.

See the rest of the list after the break!

Uh Oh! Watch Out For These 12 IRS Audit Red Flags

Kiplinger — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:06:09 PST

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

The IRS audits only slightly more than 1% of all individual tax returns annually. The agency doesn't have enough personnel and resources to examine each and every tax return filed during a year. So the odds are pretty low that your return will be picked for review. And, of course, the only reason filers should worry about an audit is if they are fudging on their taxes.

However, the chances of being audited or otherwise hearing from the IRS increase depending upon various factors, including your income level, whether you omitted income, the types of deductions or losses you claimed, the business in which you're engaged and whether you own foreign assets. Math errors may draw IRS inquiry, but they'll rarely lead to a full-blown exam. Although there's no sure way to avoid an IRS audit, you should be aware of red flags that could increase your chances of drawing unwanted attention from the IRS.

1. Making too much money

Although the overall individual audit rate is about 1.11%, the odds increase dramatically for higher-income filers. IRS statistics show that people with incomes of $200,000 or higher had an audit rate of 3.93%, or one out of slightly more than every 25 returns. Report $1 million or more of income? There's a one-in-eight chance your return will be audited. The audit rate drops significantly for filers making less than $200,000: Only 1.02% of such returns were audited during 2011, and the vast majority of these exams were conducted by mail. We're not saying you should try to make less money - everyone wants to be a millionaire. Just understand that the more income shown on your return, the more likely it is that you'll be hearing from the IRS.

Read on for more red flags.

A Modern Floral and Dragon-Inspired Chinese New Year Tablesetting

Casa Community — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:00:58 PST

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member CourtneyOutLoud from the Lovely Little Vignettes group:

The Year of the Dragon is upon us! January 23rd marks Lunar New Year, or what many people call Chinese New Year. I initially created this table for our Christmas holiday but instantly realized that it could serve double duty for a Chinese New Year Party. The bright red and white color scheme works perfectly with the theme of the holiday: happiness, fortune and renewal.

Traditionally, windows and doors are decorated with red paper cutouts emphasizing the themes I listed above. On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes.

I reinterpreted these themes into a more modern aesthetic. Rather than the traditional couplets used to decorate windows, I handcrafted supersized red, white and silver paper flowers to provide a textural backdrop.

The tablescape centered around a spray lacquered manzanita branch that provided a nice sense of movement and bold splash of color to the table. Clear glass balls, red dragonflies (a homage to it being The Year of the Dragon), geometric glass candlesticks, and two white wicker pagodas with red poinsettias finish off the centerpiece. I loved the idea of using poinsettias after the holiday season since we had them in the house and they went perfectly with the color scheme.

Individual place settings are comprised of Ralph Lauren plates in the Pagoda pattern, red napkins, and individualized shadow boxes lined in red sparkly craft paper. The shadow boxes are a great way to elevate the place settings and create one-of-a-kind gifts for your dinner guests. Each were personalized to the individuals attending the dinner party. To finish off the place settings, small red and white bouquets were placed in Chinese take-out containers and each plate had a red envelope containing a personal wish for each guest.

Keep reading for more photos of Courtney's gorgeous table!

Old Dog, New Tricks: 8 Tips on Caring For Aging Pets

Sara Yoo — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:00:00 PST

As the parent of a 12-year-old Parson Russell Terrier, I've been fortunate to watch Lily age gracefully into her twilight years while maintaining much of her spunk and agility. But each day I encounter clear signals that she's achieved senior citizen status: the onset of cataracts makes her timid around now-blurry strangers, and bathroom breaks are a frequent necessity (or so our carpet has learned the hard way). We remember fondly the tiny creatures we welcomed into our homes years ago, but the reality is that their bodies and minds are changing, and so too must their lifestyles. Here are a few tips to help ensure that your geriatric animal pals stay healthy and happy.

Sit and be fit. You may notice that your furry friend is less active these days. Understand that - just like grandpa - your pet is feeling his age, but this development does not excuse him from exercise. For dogs, daily walks relieve stiffness and limber up arthritic joints, but be prepared to turn for home when he exhibits signs of fatigue. Keep his reflexes sharp with a game of fetch or catch-the-laser-pointer, but tailor sessions to his mobility and energy limits.

Read on for more tips.