POSHVICE

Mother’s Day is quickly sneaking up on us, and it’s probably the one holiday that’s the hardest for me. You see, my mother is incredibly hard to buy for - she simply doesn’t like most typical Mother’s Day gifts (anything involving bath and body or makeup or fragrance, etc, is completely lost on her) and she tends to be brutally honest about my gift-giving skills… which, according to her, tend to be sub-par. It’s always a challenge, because I WANT to pamper her - she works hard and I feel like she deserves some cushy reward for it - but just about everything I’ve ever gotten her in that realm of thinking has been met with a less than enthusiastic response.

However, while I was browsing around the web earlier, an idea dawned on me: Bathrobes! Buying my mother a luxurious, super-plush bathrobe could be a good equilibrium between my desire for spoiling her and my mother’s desire for practicality. Terry Robes serve a purpose, but they can also be extremely indulgent. You can find Robes in every fabric from microfiber to chenille, from terry to velour. Plus, adding personalized touches like a specific pattern, monogram, or even a hoodie will take the robe to the next level of gifting goodness.

I’m not 100% decided on the exact robe that I’ll be getting her, but I have faith that this is an idea that she’ll enjoy much more than my usual attempts. Wish me luck!

I checked my e-mail for the first time in about a week, and I had TWO messages asking for me to post again talking about my experiences with Payday Loans. So, this post goes out to you two & anyone else who is still curious about what exactly these sort of services entail.

Honestly, I think the easiest way for me to explain is by walking you through how to get one in the first place - and the first step is to find a reputable lender, for example this Payday Loans website. Once you’ve thoroughly read their website and gone over their terms carefully, fill out their online application. Make sure you also check out your individual state’s laws about these kinds of services (they can be found here, at the State Licensed Cash Advances info page). The nice thing about this website in particular is that you can apply 24/7 - so if you realize that you’re about to be broke at 11PM on a Sunday night, you can still put your application through right then & there.

You’ll receive an answer within a few moments, and since your credit score isn’t a factor, even if you’ve got debt/bad credit you CAN still use these services & get approved. You’ll be told how much money they can lend you (basically, they won’t lend you more than you can pay back realistically), and once you accept the deal (ie, you pay the money back within a certain time frame with a certain amount of interest on top) your money will show up in your bank account within a day or two via direct deposit.

Paying back the money that you’ve borrowed is pretty simple - you can pay it either via direct deposit (have it taken out automatically on your next pay day) or online through their website. In my experience, their customer service department is really friendly and helpful, so if you end up needing an extension or more money, don’t be afraid to ask - these companies basically exist to help you, after all. Just stay honest with them and don’t borrow more than you can afford in the long run, and these types of services can be a really great way to help dig yourself out of a temporary financial hole.

Hope that helped - if anyone has any more questions, feel free to comment & I’ll respond ASAP!

CRUNCH Fitness Candlelight Yoga has been a staple of mine whenever I’m actually doing a decent job at working out consistently & being healthy. It’s actually the DVD that got me into yoga, and a lot of that has to do with instructor Sara Ivanhoe’s wonderful teaching style. She explains all the postures and movements well without being patronizing or annoying, and has developed a wonderful, relaxing program that you’ll never get bored with. I love doing this as my cool-down after a tough workout, or just to get the kinks out after a long day at work. It’s gentle enough for beginners, yet once you’ve gotten really flexible, it’s still challenging because she shows you different versions of the postures.

The postures and “Vinyasa flow” will gently tone your body while improving your flexibility - so this is an absolutely wonderful DVD if you’ve never done yoga, or if you’re just looking to supplement your current collection with a new, soothing, relaxing program.

The DVD also includes a supplemental 15-minute energizing routine that you can to do begin your day or as a pre-workout warm-up. Either way, it really does wake your body up and it’s a great way to relieve any stress from sleeping funny or working too hard! Sara also gives you a tiny introduction to “mudra”, or yogic hand signals in this section - namely, she shows you the mudra that is supposed to help keep your mind focused & your body energized.

If you like to listen to your own playlist while you workout (as I do), the DVD also gives you the option to toggle the audio options. You can pick from the basic audio track that includes Sara’s instructions and their own soothing soundtrack, or you can choose the instructor-only track when you want to listen to your own music, or just focus on your breathing.

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this DVD - I’ve had it for five years and still don’t get bored with it. I lend it to all my friends who want to try yoga, so I definitely recommend it to anyone out there who wants to try yoga, needs a good stretching/flexibility routine, or just wants to soothe their body and relax!

The CRUNCH Fitness Candlelight Yoga DVD is currently available for $10.99 @ Amazon.com!

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m looking to become much more financially savvy & responsible. Not that I’m in huge debt or anything, but I often feel rather clueless about the whole realm of personal finance. It probably stems from the fact that I grew up EXTREMELY sheltered and really wasn’t even allowed to have any money or a checking account until I graduated from high school - I opened my first bank account (with disastrous results - avoid the Bank One in Flagstaff at all costs, y’all - I would deposit my paychecks and had a few of them NEVER SHOW UP in my account… um, what) when I left for college. So yeah, I never really had anyone explain to me a good way to manage money other than my mother’s attitude of “credit cards are EVIL, never get one!!!!”.

Thankfully for me - and others like me - there are helpful websites out there that can aid the financially clueless in our quest for understanding the mystery that is credit cards. Services like the website Your Credit Network have been an incredible resource when it comes to figuring out exactly how credit cards work, which cards are good for those of us just starting out, and how to apply for said cards instantaneously & online. I just wanted to pass it on in case any of y’all are as mystified by the whole world of credit & finances as I am. Hope it helps!

Just wanted to throw up a quick notice to those of you who may not be aware - the Bath & Body Works website has lots of stuff discounted at the moment. You can grab hair products for $5/each (I grabbed one of each of the moisturizing shampoo/conditioner in Sweet Pea), most of their home fragrance oils are knocked down to $4/each (with all my stinkybutt dogs, I’m addicted to home fragrances, so I scooped up oils in Vanilla Coconut, Melon Sorbet, Japanese Cherry Blossom, Fresh Linen, and Black Raspberry Vanilla. Also got two Wallflower refills in the new Pineapple Orchid scent - the double pack is on sale for $6 right now).

Lastly, they have a REALLY cute pink & green Goldie tote bag full of various skincare samples that you can score for $20 with any order of $20 or more - BUT I found a promo code (enter 6805 at checkout) that knocks the price down to $10, so hell yeah.

Just wanted to share in case anyone else wanted to take advantage of the low prices!

I may have mentioned this before here on Posh Vice, but when it comes to absolute dream vacations… more than anything, I’d love to go on a cruise to Antarctica & the Falklands. I have this weird thing for remote places, as well as snowy/arctic climates. It’s been a lifelong fascination, and I really don’t know where it stems from. Anyhow - I’ve recently started to slowly put money away, saving little by little so that in a few years I’ll be able to afford the cruise of my dreams.

Obviously, this means that I’m already starting to do some heavy research into potential cruise lines. Since I’ve never been on a cruise, I’ve started by looking at some of the more well-known cruise companies - Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean, of course, and the Norwegian Cruise Line has an advantage just based on their name (Norway is another place that I dream of someday visiting).

The most helpful website that I’ve found thus far has definitely been Cruise Vacation Center - it’s like one of those discount airline/hotel websites, but for cruises. They have itineraries reaching up to five years in the future, so it’s good for people like me who are going to have to plan & save well in advance to be able to afford their ideal cruise vacation. They also have a really nice “specials” section, which is consistently updated with new deals and discounts. As a matter of fact, right now in that section they’re featuring some REALLY tempting cruises to the Greek Isles and Alaska, both of which are other places I’d love to travel to in the future… but I need to stay focused! Antarctica first, THEN THE WORLD!

Like most college kids, thus far I’ve gone through life pretty much only owning cheap office furniture. As long as it was, you know, a desk and a chair and under $100, I was fine with it. Of course, in the long run that’s a pretty terrible point of view… because let’s face it, you get what you pay for. I’d drop $50 on a new desk and have one of the crappily-produced shelves fall apart when I set a drink on it, or the rolling keyboard shelf would constantly come off its track… just endless annoying problems that usually resulted in me having to go out and buy ANOTHER replacement desk within a few months!

So this time, I’m trying to think a bit more long-term and am looking into slightly pricier office desks that will stand the test of time. The “Price Point Grey” desks that I found here from Inter County look really promising. Not only do I really love the “wave” styles, but the desk top itself is thicker (25mm as opposed to the normal 18mm) which will make it a whole lot sturdier. Since I’m totally old school and still use a desktop computer (laptops just bug me, I don’t like the smaller keyboards and their tendency to overheat), I need good quality office tables that can support the weight of a bigger monitor, speakers, a mouse, and my keyboard. You’d be surprised at how many desks actually CAN’T take even that small amount of weight without bowing or just breaking down. It’s kind of ridiculous.

It looks like the Inter County site also offers an EIGHT YEAR guarantee. That’s amazing, in my opinion. Now it’s just a matter of deciding which aesthetic I prefer - the wave style or the crescent style. Hmm.

Watching the girls from this cycle of America’s Next Top Model tool around in their crazy SUV/limo hybrid (or whatever you’d call it) got me wondering to exactly how much a ride like that would cost you. I actually managed to find the Dallas limo website, which offers the same sort of services: they have a fleet that includes everything from a minibus, to the Hummer SUV limos, to stretch limousines, to the more normal sedans & minivans. Crazy! I guess you can rent them in cities all across the United States, for any number of reasons, but I couldn’t find a solid quote to help me figure out exactly how much Tyra must’ve been forking out for the girls’ transportation. I guess if you want to talk price, you have to either fill out the “instant quote” form with all your info, or just call them. I’m not trying to piss anyone off by submitting fake information, so I guess I’ll just keep wondering for now. Let me know if any of y’all have an idea of how much this kind of thing costs, I’m weirdly curious!