FitSugar

City to the Suburbs: Did Having Kids Cause You to Move?

LilSugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:00:36 PDT

There's no denying the benefits of city living when you are young and childless. From the culture and the nightlife to the fabulous restaurants, there's endless stimulation and the convenience of having everything at your fingertips. Major metropolitan areas are a playground for their residents. Once couples begin to expand their families, other concerns - namely space, schools and expenses - tend to creep into the minds of mom and pop. We recently wrote about the cutthroat process of preschool education and the costs are only expected to rise in the coming years.

Having grown up in San Francisco, my husband and I have sacrificed square footage for the ability to have mostly everything we need within walking distance, to dine in a variety of ethnic cuisines and give our two (soon to be three) children the benefits of an urban landscape. Friends have opted for the plush lawns, spacious bonus rooms and relative safety of the suburbs once their families outgrew their city walls. Did having children incite a move for your family?

City Living and Breast Cancer

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:00:00 PST

October might have been Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but the research is not limited to a month. Researchers are persistent, and a new study gives city living women a reason to stay vigilant too.

New research from the UK indicates that women living in cities have much denser breast tissue than their country living counterparts. Combine this data with the previous research that indicates women with the densest breasts are considered four times as likely to develop breast cancer. There is a relationship between breast cancer and breast tissue.

There are three pieces of information to consider here:

Particles commonly found in air pollution, which is more common in urban areas, often mimic hormones that can interfere with the make up of breast tissue, and create denser tissue.
The more dense the breast tissue is the more difficult to detect tumors and suspicious growths with X rays. Mammograms are a specialized form of X-ray and are considered the most effective way of detecting tumors. Early stage cancer is more difficult to detect in dense breast tissue.
This study was performed on women who reside in London, 972 of them, in fact. An English health survey found that women residing in London were the thinnest in the country. This is important since there is an inverse relationship between breast density and body weight: thinner women generally have less body fat and therefore denser breast tissue.

If you live in a city, take heed. Remember to perform your monthly breast exams and take cancer screening seriously. You should also read 5 Things to Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer.

Source

Jennifer Lopez Takes the Stage With Marc Then Parties With Casper

Katie Henry — Sun, 27 May 2012 17:50:52 PDT

Sin City got a double dose of celebrity last night when Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony took the stage together at Mandalay Bay. The pair reunited in Las Vegas for a live showcase of the acts they discovered while taping their reality show, ¡Q'Viva! The Chosen. J Lo and Marc were all smiles and shared a loving embrace, though they performed separately in front of the sold out crowd.

Later in the evening J Lo moved the party to the Hyde nightclub inside the Bellagio. She was joined by Casper Smart to celebrated the launch of her latest single, "Goin' In." The couple kept a close distance inside the club and left hand-in-hand around 3AM. Casper and Jen are planning to spend the Summer together while she embarks on an international tour with Enrique Iglesias.

9 Ways to Earn Extra Cash When Money Is Tight

Wise Bread — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:51:58 PDT

I'm sure everyone can do with a little more cash in their wallets. Here are some great suggestions by Wise Bread for you to make extra money.

Even though I'm self-employed full-time, I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to make more money.

Earlier this year, I wrote a Wise Bread post on websites that can help you earn extra cash. More recently, I came across a blog post on Zaarly titled, "10 Ways to Make Money Without a Job." After reviewing the latter post, I thought it was time to revisit the topic and let you in on a few more ways to get paid.

The ideas that Zaarly presents are perfect for the unemployed or those who just want to pad their pockets a little more. In addition, there are moonlighting jobs that I do that I thought you should know about. Thus, if you're without a steady paycheck or you just want to build up a rainy-day stash, here are some of your options.

1. Offer Experiences to Strangers

I recently learned about a new site called Vayable, which allows people with specialized knowledge and talents, local info, and time on their hands to create experiences that others can purchase. It's basically a touring and activity company without the company. Anyone can join the site and set up an experience. For instance, the Kan Brothers offer motorcycle tours of San Francisco - which include helmet rental, a drink at a local hot spot, and a city map - for two to four people at $75 per person. In New York City, Kim G. is offering a personalized painting lesson for groups of two to six for a flat rate of $300; the experience includes acrylic paints; canvas board and supplies; studio space; wine, cheese, and crackers; and Kim’s undivided attention. Consider this tip if you're interested in joining Vayable: Browse the site to see what other people in your area are offering. By creating a unique experience that no one else has established, you have a better chance of getting booked.

Read on for more.

"I'm Not Sure What I Want Anymore"

Tres Community — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:30:54 PDT

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

I am having a hard time making some big decisions in my life right now. My boyfriend and I are currently long distance, but we were together for over two years before that. After he moved, we stayed together for a while and then broke up for a few months because of the distance and unclear future. We got back together at the end of last year and have been trying to make things work since then. We're both aware that we need to be in the same city to make things work, and I started making plans to accomplish that. The thing is, I'm not sure I want to leave. Or rather, I'm pretty sure I don't. I love where I live, I am lucky enough to have an amazing job with advancement potential, and if I do move, I'll be giving all of that up and starting over.

To add another layer, our relationship is not without its issues. When we were in the same place, there was a fair amount of drama, and in the time we were broken up, I was with someone else, and this has caused trust issues and hurt feelings. In spite of this, we love each other, and I want to marry him and start a family. I know that because of his ties to where he is living now, he will not move, so it's up to me to go there, and not vice versa. I told myself that the move was something I was willing to do so we could be together, but that I wouldn't do it without knowing he was really in it and wanted the same future I do.

Recently, though, I've been feeling like I don't want to move at all, and wondering why I should be the one to do it if we both want the relationship to work. I guess I'm just trying to figure out if I should end things and hope that we can remain friends, or if I should suck it up and move for a future I hope we'll have.

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

Cannes-Do Couples: Glamorous Twosomes Take Over the French Riviera

Annie Scudder — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:02:04 PDT

Cannes, France, is the epicenter of glamour right now, as the city's film festival is well under way with red carpets, dressed-up film stars, and flashing cameras. We already looked back at the Hollywood couples who have hit the festival's rouge carpet throughout the years, and this year's twosomes are living up to the high expectations. Check out the cutest Cannes couples so far!

Link Time: Carl's Jr. Now Has Ice Cream Hamburgers

Susannah Chen — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:04:48 PDT

Carl's Jr. is now making hamburger ice cream sandwiches - HuffPost
The New York City Wine & Food Festival announces its 2012 lineup - Grub Street NY
How to make classic American macaroni salad - The FN Dish
Celiac sufferers are livid with Domino's over claims of a gluten-free crust - Delish
6 short-lived food TV disasters - The Braiser
Make Barbara Kafka's simplest roast chicken - Food52
Brooklyn food-and-music fest GoogaMooga brought huge lines this weekend - Eater NY

What It Takes to Buy a Home

Kiplinger — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:14:47 PDT

Do you have what it takes to buy a home? Consider this exhaustive guide from Kiplinger.

Tired of renting? It could be a great time to buy your first home. In many cities, home prices have bottomed, and rents have risen. Mortgage rates are still superlow. In fact, homes haven't been as affordable since 1971. On the downside, in many cities, buyers have fewer homes from which to choose and more competition for the best houses.

In Austin, TX, newlyweds Mark and Ariane Corcoran bought their first home in March. They were renting in a popular downtown neighborhood, where they paid $1,200 a month for a 500-square-foot loft apartment, when they inherited enough money for a down payment. When they began shopping, they expected to buy a classic 1930s Austin bungalow. They found lots of prospects online but drove by most of them. "Agents are really good at taking photos that exclude what they don't want you to see, like the used-car lot out back," says Mark.

They put in an offer on a $225,000, 800-square-foot home. But after the home inspection, they realized that it needed $20,000 to $30,000 in renovations and repairs and that they'd quickly outgrow it. They walked away during the state-mandated rescission period (during which a buyer can back out for any reason and get back any earnest money deposited).

Ariane identified their next prospect within an hour after the listing appeared online. It was a newly built, 1,600-square-foot home with three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a yard for the dogs. The builder asked $270,000, the couple offered $260,000, he countered, and they paid $268,000. They put down 20 percent to avoid private mortgage insurance and snagged a 30-year fixed rate of 3.75 percent from a credit union. Their monthly mortgage payment is $1,524.

Before you take the plunge, consider the answers to questions often posed by first-time buyers. Read on for what to ask yourself.

Fixes For These 10 Money Mistakes

Business Insider — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:15:04 PDT

Everyone makes mistakes. Business Insider shares solutions for some common money mistakes people make.

Recently, two friends confessed they live check to check - a revelation worsened by the fact that they only check their bank balance once or twice a month.

We called in the finance experts, and here's what we decided they should do to get on track.

"I check my balance once . . . every two weeks."

The mistake: The more we rely on our debit cards, the easier is to go over budget - and risk having our bank misorder the charges to slap us with overdraft fees. It's the reason my friend keeps paying $39 for that Starbucks latte.

The fix: Get in the habit of checking your bank balance morning, noon, and night, says financial expert Farnoosh Torabi. "Rather than compartmentalizing into a once-a-month chore, make checking statements a habitual, daily thing."

"What, my bank offers an app?"

The mistake: Ignoring your balance can make you "forget" about incoming bills and checks waiting to clear, and not using your bank app is careless.

It also keeps you out of sync with your money, something you don't want to do in an era of rampant identity theft.

The fix: Download the app!

Read on for more.

ABC Pilots: Get the Scoop on the Network's New Shows

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:30:00 PDT

Upfronts are in full swing, and it's time to get acquainted with the new series that'll be hitting the small screen in Fall 2012. ABC has revealed the shows it's ordered after announcing which shows it's canceling, and we've got the info on the pilots right here.

COMEDIES

Malibu Country: Reba McEntire plays a woman who moves with her kids from Nashville to Malibu to live with her mother (Lily Tomlin) after her husband cheats on her.
How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life: Sarah Chalke stars as a recently divorced woman who has to move in with her eccentric parents, played by Brad Garrett and Elizabeth Perkins.
Family Tools: A man (Kyle Bornheimer) puts his life on hold to take over the family handyman business from his father, played by J.K. Simmons.
Neighbors: A family, which includes Jami Gertz, moves into a gated community and discovers that it's full of aliens disguised as humans.

DRAMAS

666 Park Ave.: Dave Annable and Rachael Taylor play a couple who notice supernatural occurrences in the New York City apartment building they've been hired to manage.
Last Resort: The crew of a nuclear submarine (played by the likes of Scott Speedman and Andre Braugher) has to escape to a NATO outpost after they ignore an order to fire nuclear missiles.
Zero Hour: Anthony Edwards stars as a longtime editor of a magazine that disproves conspiracies when he's pulled into one.
Red Widow: The widow (Radha Mitchell) of a murdered criminal has to take over his place to save her family.
Nashville: This family soap follows two country stars, played by Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere, one who's at the top of her career and another whose star is just rising.
Mistresses: Alyssa Milano stars in this drama about the love lives of four women, which also costars Lost's Yunjin Kim.