Topic: money

Gym Classy Lady: How I Keep Workouts Cost-Effective (Even In NYC)

Gym Classy Lady: How I Keep Workouts Cost-Effective (Even In NYC)

The greatest sticker shock I’ve found during my time in New York has easily been gym-related. First, it was the Equinox membership at $130/month (that price is now much higher). Then, it was the $35 per-class fee for designer spin classes. And I’ll never forget the conversation with a few friends about how they don’t actually work out in their lululemon yoga pants because they’re far too nice for that! More »

“Bag Lady” Anxiety Among Women’s Top Financial Fears

"Bag Lady" Anxiety Among Women's Top Financial Fears

What are you most afraid of? Growing up, I developed more than a couple bad fears, but one of my worst ones is winding up homeless. According to a survey by Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, I’m not the only one: nearly half of American women are afraid of becoming a “bag lady” — a colloquial term for a homeless woman who can put all of her belongings in bags that she carries around, sometimes in a shopping cart. More »

Plant-Based, Mediterranean Diet Slashes Grocery Bills—And BMIs—Of Food Bank Clients

Plant-Based, Mediterranean Diet Slashes Grocery BillsâAnd BMIsâOf Food Bank Clients

One of my biggest public health pet peeves is the idea that healthy eating costs too much money. Despite empirical evidence to the contrary, people persist to insist that whole, nutritious foods are a luxury good. Want more evidence that cutting the crap and eating good, real food can actually save you money? Check out this new study conducted with clients at Rhode Island food banks. More »

Retail Therapy’s Real Price: Is Being Sad Affecting Your Finances?

Retail Therapy's Real Price: Is Being Sad Affecting Your Finances?

“Retail therapy.” It sounds so harmless, perhaps bringing to mind images of Clueless or Sex & The City characters flitting between stores, buying gifts to themselves because something unfortunate happened in their lives. Many of us have bought a necklace here or a decorative piece there as a way to elevate our feelings when the mood is low. But when does “retail therapy” require, well, actual therapy? More »

Finally: USDA Study Calculates True Cost Of Healthy Eating (Guess What? It’s Cheaper)

Finally: USDA Study Calculates True Cost Of Healthy Eating (Guess What? It's Cheaper)

In a new study calculating the true cost of healthy foods compared with packaged and processed goods, whole, fresh foods emerged as the best way to keep grocery costs down. By “true cost,” I’m not talking about including long-term expenses associated with eating poorly. Nope: On a pure serving by serving basis, foods like carrots, onions, beans, potatoes, and lettuce cost less than soda, candy, French fries, chicken patties and Uncle Ben’s. More »

5-Year Engagements And $30K Weddings: Better Media Fodder Than Reality

5-Year Engagements And $30K Weddings: Better Media Fodder Than Reality

USA Today yesterday ran a fluff piece as an excuse to promote the release of a new Jason Segal movie, The 5-Year Engagement, which while astonishing in its transparency was sadly typical in terms of the wedding narrative it pushed. The gist of the piece was that couples are having longer engagement periods in order to save up for ‘dream weddings,’ which now cost an average $26,500. But who are these people allegedly spending so much? More »

Women Pay $1 Billion A Year More For Health Insurance, Thanks To “Gender Rating”

Women Pay $1 Billion A Year More For Health Insurance, Thanks To "Gender Rating"

Women pay more for health insurance than men, because of a practice called “gender rating” that lets insurers charge women more for coverage. A new report from the National Women’s Law Center found even women in good health often get charged more than male counterparts. Collectively, discriminatory health insurance practices cost American women $1 billion more per year than men. More »

Happiness Advice: Spend On The Things You Do Every Day

Happiness Advice: Spend On The Things You Do Every Day

Are you spending money on the life you want, or the life you lead?

Today is arguably the one day of the year most focused on shopping and consumerism in America (funny, too, that it immediately follows the day we’re all supposed to be thankful for what we have, but that’s a different post …). It marks the beginning of the season when everyone’s spending habits go berserk. Ostensibly, we’re all out there buying gifts for other people—but, come on, tell me you’ve never passed a holiday sale on something you’ve been wanting for yourself that was too good to pass up. A lot of us follow the ‘X gifts for other people, one for me!’ philosophy of holiday shopping. Which is why I think this spending advice from personal finance writer April Dykman is especially pertinent right now. More »

Kiss That Raise Goodbye (It’s All Going to Health Insurance Costs)

Kiss That Raise Goodbye (It's All Going to Health Insurance Costs)

Paying more for health coverage? You’re not alone: The cost of employer-based health insurance premiums surged in 2011, according to a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Premiums for individual coverage grew 8% since 2010 (compared to 3% between 2009-2010) while family policy premiums increased 9%, with average cost reaching an unprecedented $15,000 per year. More »

Ms. Monogamy: How To Avoid‘Til Debt Do Us Part…

Ms. Monogamy: How To Avoid'Til Debt Do Us Part...

The memory is so vivid it makes my head hurt. I’m curled up on the bathroom floor, Elizabeth Gilbert-style with tears and snot streaming down my face and the only word running through my mind is: “worthless.” I have no real job, very little money and I feel utterly worthless. Making the whole situation worse is the fact that I’m getting married in a couple of months and lately I’ve been feeling that my fiancé is starting to view me as worthless, too. More »