Hand Helpers- DIY Manicures

The next time you are at the salon pampering yourself with a mani-pedi, rest easy because your bill won't ultimately read "$51,000."  That is the price of the world's most expensive manicure known as the 'Iced Manicure' done by Cherish Angula's team of nail specialists. As one might glean from the name, the manicure involves some serious 'ice' studded into each nail-- 10 carat diamonds to be exact.  Bornrich.com sums it up by exclaiming "This luxurious treatment is surely the definition of frivolous!"

Yes-we are going to have to agree.

Even though you probably aren't going to spend the equivalent of a down payment on a house at the nail salon in this lifetime, you don't even have to shell out $30-$50 each week to keep your fingers looking fresh all summer long. This at-home manicure treatment adapted from Donna Perillo, the owner of Sweet Lily Natural Nail Spa in New York City, utilizes items already laying around your house.

How Far Would You Go for a $20?

That's exactly the question Steve Grant and Richard Cook sought to answer when they created the website PlentyOfTwenties.com.The duo play hide and seek with $20 bills; they hide, you seek. There is no catch, and no scavenger hunt involved. You check the website for the exact location (including city and town) of where the bill is hiding, and if you are the first one to it, you get to keep it and spend it however you choose! As soon as a person reports finding it, the site will mark that particular $20 as "Found." That's it.

Getting a Thrifty Sidekick: Planning for a Pet

First Daughter Malia Obama with Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog gifted from the late Senator Kennedy

Are you considering getting a dog?  What a big decision you have before you! There are so many different things to think about such as choosing from a panoply of breeds, where you will get your pet, and how to budget properly for your new family member. Clearly, this can be an overwhelming decision so let's try to break it down.

Skip the Hairdresser: Color Hair at Home Part 1

A trip to the hairdresser for a cut and color can easily cost over $100, especially if you get roped into buying their special products for resisting color fading. In contrast, at-home coloring kits are available at drugstores from $5-$20 and manufacturers often provide coupons for these products. 

Style icon Rhianna frequently dyes her hair vibrant shades of red

You are probably coloring your hair to hide greys, or to adjust the shade due to sun damage or a change in seasons. Coloring your hair at home is a good decision for minor color changes. It not only saves you money, it gives you more control over the results; you are selecting a dye with a chemical strength appropriate for your hair, you are taking care to make sure the application is thorough, and you are controlling the exact amount of time the dye remains on your hair.

[Disclaimer: If you are considering drastically changing your hair color (going from black to blonde) or have been previously color-treating your hair, you might want to seek a professional’s assistance because then you can blame someone else if it turns out horrible J]  

Online Streaming Media Options

As many of you know, Netflix has announced it's latest change in it's pricing structure this week. Several months ago they offered an unlimited streaming program (no DVDs) for $7.99/month, and any extra DVDs that consumer wanted could be rented at $2/DVD. Netflix has now split DVD by mail and instant streaming into two separate plans entirely, instead of bundling them together as in the previously cheaper plans. The new breakdown is as follows:

• Unlimited streaming — $7.99/mo
• Unlimited DVD, one DVD out at a time — $7.99/mo
• Unlimited DVD, two DVDs out at a time — $11.99/mo
• Unlimited streaming and DVD, one DVD out at a time — $15.98/mo

The last bulleted plan was previously bundled together for $9.99/month. The issue that many consumers have raised is that the unlimited streaming offerings are not as vast as the DVD by mail offerings. Unlimited streaming usually has older releases, TV shows, and documentaries, whereas DVD by mail supplemented this with newer releases. It is yet to be seen if Netflix will increase it's selection of instant streaming movies. Existing Netflix accounts will not be grandfathered into the new price changes.

If you are looking to switch companies for media streaming, keep reading.

10 Uses for a Dolla Bill

I took my dog to Petco yesterday. In appreciation for giving me hours of boundless entertainment looking at their birdies, fishies, and dealing with my dog not-so-sneakily stealing a couple treaties from the doggie snack bar, I bought a $0.99 pink tennis ball. Although it was probably marked up 400x it's actual value, I made the most of my purchase by using it to encourage my rather dumb dog to go swim in a pond. The plan was that I would throw the tennis ball into the water, and then she would retrieve it. Alas, my Chesapeake Bay Retriever refuses to tap into her 100 years of breeding to hunt water foul, and I watched my $0.99 tennis ball float away.

It got me thinking, with all the problems of inflation that come with fiat currency, how much is $1 really worth to us Americans? I usually make Russel Peter inspired jokes about how many things we can buy at the dollar store for $1 (watch the video that inspired it all here)! So I've come up with 10 good uses that the American $1 bill is still good for.