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Find the Food Equivalent of What You Drank

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:00:38 PST

The first words out of a host's welcoming mouth are often, "What would you like to drink?" with the expectation that you'll be enjoying an alcoholic beverage upon arrival. Indulging in moderation is just fine, but when we're not pouring our own beverages, moderation is a greater challenge.

The only beverage that can be measured in exact calories is a bottle of beer, but when we're being served glasses of wine, champagne, or mixed drink concoctions, the number of calories in our cups becomes cloudy. For some clarity, check out BBC's cheeky Alcohol Experiment. While it's not entirely accurate because you can't specify types of beer or hard alcohol, the tool gives you a rough idea of the liquid calories you consumed - as well as the junk food equivalent. To find out what it does,

For example, if you drank a double mixed with tonic and a beer, the website calculates the calorie intake (345 calories) and shows the food equivalent: two jaffa cakes (must be a British cookie) and a hot dog. Although I have doubts about its accuracy, the website serves as a reminder that most alcoholic beverages are empty liquid calories, which can affect our waistlines as much as calories we eat. It's something to keep in mind this season when our holiday party hosts ask if we'd like a refill.

Are Money Clubs the New Book Clubs?

LearnVest — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:15:41 PDT

Money clubs are a great and fun way to stay on top of your finances. With friends supporting you, you can conquer the world and money issues! LearnVest shares how you can start one.

Thea, 31, a lawyer, lives in Brooklyn, NY. Although her friends are, in her own words, “bright, savvy, awesome women,” many felt lost financially - much like she did. “In fact, almost all of them knew someone else who was in the same financially adrift boat,” she says.

That’s when she got the idea to start a money group.

“The first meeting was held in my studio apartment in Brooklyn,” she told LearnVest. She served pizza and Diet Coke as the group of women took turns airing their money issues and goals.

The women’s issues ranged from needing to pay down credit card debt after an amazing wedding to wondering how to invest in a 403(b) retirement account that she’d left empty for years. “We left that meeting,” she says, “with the same sense of empowerment we often feel in other areas of our lives, but that was usually missing when it came to our financial life.”

Although the women are still working through their money issues and goals, it is, as Thea puts it, “easier to take a journey with a group of amazing friends.”

Are Money Clubs the New Book Clubs?

There’s a reason Thea’s personal experience was so meaningful. Just like book clubs or wine clubs - or book clubs that double as wine clubs - money clubs are groups in which you can learn interesting stuff, discuss it, and get support from like-minded friends. And maybe even add alcohol to put people at ease.

In fact, while they’re now becoming popular again, money clubs have actually been around for a long time. Many groups of women in cities across the US meet up informally, but Candace Bahr, founder of the Women’s Institute For Financial Education, or WIFE, formalized the money club concept, creating the organization’s trademarked version back in 2004.

Read on for more.

Plan a Picnic to Celebrate Spring

Laura Marie Given — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:30:24 PDT

Warm Spring weather calls for alfresco dining, so it's the perfect time to bring out your favorite blanket and have a picnic. Whether it's a group affair or a romantic meal for two, a great picnic requires a gorgeous location and a tasty, convenient menu. Not sure what to pack? For our favorite picnic picks, keep reading.

12 Savvy Survival Tips, Courtesy of The Hunger Games

Anna Monette Roberts — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 03:05:14 PDT

While we hope your conditions never become as dire as those in The Hunger Games's District 12, there are plenty of lessons to be learned from Katniss. Her savvy skills and strong resourcefulness keep her family and herself alive even in the absolute worst of times. These 12 tips will keep your head in the game, save you money, and help you make the most of what you already have.

Swap knowledge for knowledge: Katniss and Gale share each other's secrets and expertise. She explains, "He taught me snares and fishing. I showed him what plants to eat." You have skills that are worth sharing with someone else. Find someone who knows something you want to learn, like computer coding or baking and conduct a swap, offering them something that they would want to learn like your organizational skills.
Turn your hobby into a moneymaker: Katniss hunts, trades, and sells her game for cash and other necessities. From writing how-to guides to making crafts, your hobby can help you bring in more cash flow.
Pay back favors: On a desperate rainy day, Peeta saves Katniss and her family's lives by throwing her a few loaves of barely burnt bread. She never forgets that and vows to protect Peeta's life. If someone you know gives you a free handout, find a way to repay the favor.
Share life's riches: At the beginning of the book, Gale gives Katniss a delicious warm roll. She splits it between them and shares the basil-wrapped goat cheese that her sister gave her. It's often more rewarding to share your bounty rather than hoard it for yourself.
Remember philanthropy: Peeta and Katniss tithe Rue's family in District 11 one month of their "salary" each year in honor of her death. When you do find yourself financially comfortable, donate to a charity or cause you believe in. Otherwise, donate your time!
Care for your belongings: Because new clothing is scarce, Katniss's family members properly wash and store their clothing, especially fancier dresses. Learn to take care of your clothes and practice mending holes and repairing seams. Hang your clothing up after you wear them to minimize your laundry. This will help cut down your laundry costs and will keep the clothes in better condition.

Click here to see six more survival tips.

Dry Soda: A Celebratory Nonalcoholic Drink

Camilla Salem — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:40:09 PDT

How many times have you wanted a special, celebratory drink that didn't contain alcohol? Well, this is where Dry Soda will become your very best friend. The Seattle-based company has a line of carbonated, flavored drinks, designed to be enjoyed with food in place of wine or beer (the creator was actually inspired by her pregnancies and having to abstain from alcohol!) or to be mixed in with your favorite spirits for a unique cocktail experience. Having only sampled a few flavors, I was thrilled to be able to finally try the entire line, thanks to Dry - especially juniper berry and the newer wild lime flavor. Click through to see all of the offerings.

Save on Eating Out in 2012 With These 12 Realistic Tips!

Emily Co — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:05:07 PST

One of the hardest thing to budget in the past year was eating habits, according to SavvySugar readers. Of course, there is always the simple solution of just eating at home more often, but you can still cut your food bill here and there when you're eating out. We've given you plenty of tips in the past on how to save when eating out so we're rehashing some of the best ones as well as throwing in some our new frugal ideas! Here they are:

Use coupons. Go to Restaurant.com and enter in a coupon code for restaurant.com that'll get you a $25 voucher for only $2. You can find the coupon code by searching the keyword "restaurant.com" on the coupon site RetailMeNot. Buy a local Entertainment book worth $15 that will give you lots of buy one get one free coupons for restaurants.

Don't eat out when you're dining solo. Try to save your meal excursions for when you're with friends and family. This means that if you're planning on grabbing a quick bite by yourself, it's better to prepare something at home to eat instead. A big part of the joy of eating out is ambiance and company, so save your money and skip grabbing quick meals when you're alone.

Ration meals with friends. Even if you're saving all your meals out for when you have company, don't be too liberal when you're scheduling them. Try to rotate among different people if you're planning on having one-on-one dinners and space it out. Remember you can always catch up with people over drinks or during a fun activity so don't feel bad about skipping dinner.

Opt for lunch: Oftentimes, the lunch menu is a lot cheaper than dinner. When meeting up with people, try to opt for lunch as your preferred meal. Be sure to also pick their lunch specials.

Read on for more tips.

5 Ways to Beat Dry Eyes

Prevention — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 04:03:25 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Stay bright-eyed with these simple strategies to stop eye itching and redness
By The Editors of Prevention

Are You Seeing Red? If you find yourself frequently dealing with the itching and burning of dry eyes, you’re certainly not alone. But allergies, pollution, and an overheated office are not the only causes of red, burning eyes: your age may be the real culprit. After age 40, women see a significant reduction in tear production along with eye-drying hormonal changes, the two major reasons why most women over 40 experience dry eyes. And if you wear contacts, expect the itch and irritation to start even sooner. With a few simple lifestyle tweaks and a little help from artificial tears, you can get quick relief from aging’s annoying little side effect.

1. Use Tears Liberally
Use artificial tears as often as you like; doctors say that most people underuse artificial tears. "You can use them as often as needed. From once or twice a day to every 20 minutes," says Dr. Monica. These over-the-counter drops will cleanse your eyes and restore the right kind of tears.

2. Moisten your eyes before blow-drying your hair
To keep from drying your eyes along with your tresses, use artificial tears before and after you blow-dry, says Dr. Monica. For extra measure, moisten your eyes halfway through too.

9 Tips to Healthier, Younger Hair

Learn more ways to beat dry eyes after the break.

5 Ways You Unintentionally Stress Yourself Out (and How to Relax)

Anna Monette Roberts — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:27:05 PST

Every time you experience stress, pressure is put on the adrenal glands, which then pump adrenaline into your bloodstream. The thing is, constant stress can lead to problems like chronic fatigue, weight gain, weakened immunity, and a shorter lifespan. The good thing is that the majority of life's daily stresses can be reduced with proper awareness, practice, and discipline. See what little things you are doing every day that unintentionally stress your body out, and find out how you can relax in these moments.

Running late to work: If you hit the snooze button every day, chances are you are scrambling to make up lost time. Hurrying through breakfast or skipping out on it altogether wreaks havoc on your digestive system and blood sugar levels. Rushing to get out the door can leave you frazzled, messy, and forgetful, especially when it comes to the important things like keys, your wallet, or umbrella.

How to relax: The night before, put out everything you need for the following day; keep the most important items near the front door. If you are consistently 15 minutes late every morning, set your alarm back the same amount of time. Make sure to sit down for breakfast, allowing yourself 30 minutes to eat. Try these recipes for make-ahead breakfasts.

Stressful thinking: Sometimes our thoughts make the world a more stressful place than it is. What is actually a manageable list of tasks can seem unconquerable to the mind. When the noggin starts churning, it's hard to step back and look at the full picture.

How to relax: If you find yourself caught in a stressful thought, pay attention to your facial expressions and breathing. Relax your face, close your eyes, and take a long full inhale. Bring yourself back to reality and the present moment and create a plan, mapping out your steps and timeline for completion.

Find out other three stresses and how to avoid them.

The 5 Stages of Breakup Grief

YourTango — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:00:07 PST

We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, YourTango.

"I think we should break-up."

"I don't love you anymore."

"We aren't right for each other."

Breakups can leave the lovelorn rattled for weeks, months and sometimes even years. But there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Grieving a relationship is not unlike grieving a death. It's a healing process. But one day, you will move on. 20 Shocking Breakup Statistics

"The key to getting through a breakup is accepting that you are going to be a crazy maniac for the next three to six months of your life," says Elina Furman, relationship expert and author of Kiss and Run: The Single, Picky and Indecisive Girl's Guide to Overcoming Her Fear of Commitment. "There's no skipping steps so even if you think you're over it right away, you're probably not."

If you're recently single, fasten your seatbelt. These five stages of grief can get pretty rocky. It's A Breakup Not A Breakdown: Get over the big one and change your life - for good!

Drunken Denial: A nightmarish state with equal parts alcohol and magical thinking.

"After Andy broke up with me I just didn't accept it," says Eliza, 29, who dated her ex for two years before he called it quits. "I continued to call him exactly as I had before, we continued to have sex and then he would push me away and remind me we were broken up. It was terrible."

As with most matters of the heart, we have nothing but biology to blame for the magnetic pull that drags us to an ex's front doorstep immediately after a breakup.

"Initially there is often shock," says sex and relationship therapist Ian Kerner. "When you've gotten used to routines and patterns, those routines are hardwired and hardcoded in our brains. There's a sense of wanting to resume them."
Sweaty Mania: A confusing state, during which you experience intense feelings of regret, euphoria and guilt. As reality filters in, you find yourself wildly grasping for relief. You're injected with confusing and invigorating energy.
"People do a lot of crazy things during this stage," says Kerner. "I always tell women to watch out for casual sex because men don't produce oxytocin, so it's easier for them to compartmentalize a one-nighter or something casual. For women, it's more difficult. You immediately want to bond with who you are physical with."

Use your newfound recklessness to do something that terrifies you. But pass on the one-night stand! Sign up for improv acting, maybe, or go skydiving.

"Staying busy was really the best cure for me," says Amanda, 26. After she and her boyfriend of a year split, Amanda replayed each and every one of their arguments and endlessly beat herself up until she found a new outlet for her energy. "I trained for a marathon," she says. "I swear it was just as good, if not better, than therapy.”

To read the next three stages, check out YourTango: The 5 Stages Of Break-Up Grief

Written by Melissa Noble for YourTango.

8 Bad Habits to Kick in Your 20s

LearnVest — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:15:02 PST

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

We remember those days long ago - or not so long ago - when we thought the only thing standing between us and a great night out was a fake I.D., and the days when every hurt could be soothed with a new pair of shoes.

Until now, we’d always chalked those notions up to our own youthful silliness, but it turns out we weren’t alone: According to a recent study, 20-year-olds actually think that having debt is cool.

“The more credit card and college loan debt held by young adults aged 18 to 27, the higher their self-esteem,” the researchers concluded. Only that effect didn’t last long: By the time participants in the study reached age 28, their feelings of mastery and empowerment had corroded into stress over the money they owed.

Surely celebrating your debt isn’t the only habit worth kicking by the time you near 30. So, we asked you, what other habits that seemed cool, empowering and fun at 20 did you drop like a hot potato a few years later?

Your answers, which ranged from money choices to lifestyle mistakes, were hilarious, insightful . . . and a testament to the power of experience. Read on.

Fake Baking

If You're Doing This: Don’t waste your hard-earned money on cancer-causing tanning beds, which can come back to bite you later in health care bills-or worse. Tan safely (here’s some advice on sunless tanning), or, better yet, emulate Anne Hathaway, who makes pale skin look chic.

Read on for more bad habits.