Guest Post: The Miranda Skirt

If the CW can reboot 90210, why not embrace a modern day Angela Chase look in BB Dakota?

$10.95 at Karmaloop





Fashion, fitting room photos, and the look for less at tart-y for the party

Guest Post: Miranda Dress

Who needs a statement necklace when your dress has built-in bling?

$19.99 at dELiA*s


Fashion, fitting room photos, and the look for less at tart-y for the party

Dating Under Twenty: Boston

In honor of the hump day, we're taking Wednesday to feature an awesome dating article by a fabulous blogger. We'll be back with Boomerang Thursday posts tomorrow!

Dating Under Twenty: Boston

By: Kaneisha Grayson

Boston is a city teeming with college and university students, and there are plenty of great cheap date options to make sure you don’t have to count beans in Beantown. With just $20, you can have an excellent date.


$2 x 2 people = $16 left. Start your day learning all about beer at the Sam Adams Brewery in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. The tour itself is free but the company asks that you give a $2 donation that goes to charity. On the tour, you will learn all about how beer is made from a very informed and approachable tour guide, what gives various beers their different tastes and textures, and get to sample four ultra-fresh beers made on location at the end of the tour.



Assorted delights for 2 @ $6 each = $4 left. Now that you and your date are nice and tipsy, take a 15-minute walk over to Papusa Guanaca to buy some mouth-watering El Salvadorian food to soak up the alcohol in your system. The food here is dirt cheap, delicious, and served piping hot. In addition to the signature papusas, try the tostadas, empanadas, and the fried plantain.










Nature’s free beauty = $4 left. Now that you’re full and sleepy, reawaken your senses by communing with nature at the Arnold Arboretum. This sprawling park is one of Harvard’s most wonderful contributions to the city of Boston. Open 365 days a year from dusk til dawn, you can always impress your date by bringing him or her to explore the seemingly endless nooks and crannies of the Arboretum. Be sure to stop by the bonsai exhibit, and if the both of you have the energy, attempt to ascend one of the tall hills—Peter or Bussey. Once you make it to the top, you’ll have the privilege of a stunning view of the city, the perfect place for a first kiss at the end of a long day.

By now, you and your date are exhausted. Thankfully, the Arboretum is right off the T. Use your last $4 to generously swipe both you and your date onto the train.

This was just one of many dates under $20 that two people with a sense of adventure and willingness to walk can experience in the great city of Boston.

Read more of Kaneisha’s dating advice at her blog Kaneisha’s CrazyGirl Nation.

Guest Post: Dating Under Twenty

No, this is not a post for the cougars and cradle-robbers! It's my recessionista guide to a fabulous inexpensive date. Whether you're the pursuer or the pursued, it's great to have a date that doesn't break the bank. If you think about it, most dates get really expensive because you start paying for lots of little conveniences--cab rides, fancy meals, tickets to sold-out shows during prime-time, etc. Therefore, a date on the cheap requires some prior planning. Thankfully, I've done most of it for you. So here's an idea on how one $20 bill can create an impressive date in none other than super-expensive New York City:

Supplies Needed: $20 bill, 2 water bottles to stay hydrated, and a sense of adventure!
Constraints: Your date will need to be on a weekday and start at about noon.

Spend two hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: $1 each = $18 left. The suggested ticket price for adults is $20 and $10 for students. In any other circumstance, I would recommend paying the suggested price if you can afford to and are moved to do so. However, this all fits into my $20 date plan, so play along with me. The exhibitions at the Met are not only breathtaking and thought-provoking, they are great conversation starters. Rather than overwhelm yourselves with trying to see too much of the museum, each of you should choose one exhibit you want to experience with your date. You can learn a lot about what interests a person. Is he into Japanese photography? Is she inspired by Oceanic art? Are you both confused about why everyone's so into Impressionistic art? Insider tip: Water in plastic bottles is allowed at the Met. Bring your water bottle with you so you don't end up paying for some while at the museum!

Chicken Festival for a late lunch: 1 shared combo for $10 = $8 left. I have to admit that I have never eaten here, but this is the first place I would head after the museum if I was hungry and on a budget. According to the passionate rating community on Yelp, Chicken Festival's generous portions of succulent chicken, perfectly fried maduros, fluffy saffron rice, and mouth-watering beans are not to be missed. I wish I could dial up some delivery right now! As far as I can tell, they don't even have a website, so you know that means they are peddling pure, unadulterated deliciousness!


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Free wine tasting at Best Cellar's $0 = $8 left. The friendly wait staff at this chain of modestly-priced wine shops will shower you with their overwhelming knowledge of their selections and of wine in general. Note that the free wine tastings are daily Mon-Fri from 5-8 pm.

Wrapping it up like a pro by giving your date a parting gift. $6 for a bottle of Vinho Verde = $2 left. Commemorate your wonderful date by surprising your date with a bottle from Best Cellar's. Their vinho verde goes well with a lot of everyday (read: cheap and greasy) foods. Your date will be delighted to have a fun token from the date (or at least something they can re-gift at a later time).

Head home on the Subway $2 = $0 left. During your subway ride home, relish in the lovely date you had today for just a meager $20.

Your date was probably so impressed with the whirlwind of activities, they probably didn't even notice how little money you spent. Whether you're in a relationship or hanging out as friends, fun and adventure don't have to cost a fortune. Onward, recessionistas!

Kaneisha Grayson is a student at Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School. You can find her dating, happiness, and career advice for Crazy Girls and the people who love us on her blog CrazyGirl Nation. She can be contacted via email at Kaneisha@gmail.com

Guest-Post: Fashion Forward on a Budget

Our guest blogger today is a wonderful woman that S and I both admire deeply: Kaneisha of CRAZYgirl Nation! She's offering some fantastic budget advice to help you keep your recessionista status.

Fashion Forward on a Budget: Tips from a lifelong Budget Fashionista

I’ve never been a designer label kind of gal. I just can’t justify paying an entire month’s worth of rent on one purse—no matter how cute it is. In this new economic environment, even more women are joining my camp of budget-minded shopping. Since you’re here at this site, you are likely already in the know. But just in case you’ve let your thrifty-but-trendy game get rusty, here are some tips on how to keep your wardrobe full of cute clothes while not emptying your wallet.

Bring back the borrow! Remember when you freely borrowed and lent clothes with your friends in college? You’d all get ready for the must-not-miss keggers together, jewelry flying, a toxic cloud of hairspray forming over your heads, and no less than three outfit changes per person? Clothes and accessories were a communal resource, and everyone seemed to end up happy with what they wore out for the night. Living outside of a dorm setting doesn’t have to be the end of your borrowing days. Find a group of your girl friends whom you see fairly often (think of some of the cute dressers at work) and see who might be interested in doing some clothes-swapping. One girl’s too-tight mini is another girl’s treasure! Whether you decide to borrow or permanently swap items, you’ll get that delicious feeling of shopping without having to shell out any money.

Get to know Buffalo Exchange. Can’t convince your girl friends to do a clothes swap with you? Thank the shopping gods that there is a whole business dedicated to being your clothes-swapping friend. Buffalo Exchange is a fabulous store that will give you store credit (or a lesser amount in cash) for clothes you bring in. Now, they don’t just take anything because they pride themselves on providing fashionable used clothing. You drop off your clothes, hang out in the store looking at all their cool merchandise for 45 minutes or so, and then they offer you a payment for your clothes. Whatever they don’t take is donated. This is a great way to declutter your closet and get one or two great new-to-you pieces. Click here to find a Buffalo Exchange near you.

Lunchtime thrift store trips. Visiting thrift stores to see what hidden treasures you may find is not a novel idea. However, going during the workday helps you avoid the swarms of weekend trendy shoppers exploring thrift stores in search of similar rare finds. Furthermore, most thrift stores restock during the week as donations come in. You’ll have first look at the goodies people have sent in. If something is awesome at a thrift store and doesn’t fit exactly right, consider getting it tailored. It sounds funny, but spending $50 to get a $15 jacket perfectly tailored is better than spending $250 on a brand new one that still may need some adjusting.

Become a Forever 21 frequent visitor. Forever 21 excels in providing trendy, fashion-forward items at great prices. Forever 21 has a very high inventory turnover rate, meaning that you are likely to find new items in their store even if you go every other week. Save yourself the hassle of navigating the chaos that is most of the Forever 21 stores by shopping on their website, since they offer very standardized sizes for their clothes. I always wear a Medium in Forever 21 clothes—no matter what, so I can just peruse online and click away! Forever 21’s eensy-weensy clothes get you down? They just launched Faith 21, a line for our luscious sisters. Think Forever 21’s clothes are too teenager for you or might look cheap? Yes, some of their stuff is definitely not for everyone, but I can personally attest to having converted several of my high-budget Harvard Business School classmates into avid Forever 21 shoppers. You just have to be willing to look through the batch to find your special pieces. Click here to find the nearest Forever 21 to you.

These were just a few tips on how to keep your wardrobe fly without watching your paycheck fly away.

Kaneisha Grayson is a student at Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School. You can find her dating, happiness, and career advice for crazy girls and the people who love us on her blog CRAZYgirl Nation. She can be contacted via email at Kaneisha@gmail.com

Guest Post: Zinc Ruffle Front Top

Bow trimming isn't just for girls but stylish ladies.

$15.90 at Nordstrom (was $32)

Today's posts come from me, Laura from Tales of the Boomerang Lady. I hope you enjoy the fall jewel tones I choice to share today and try to imagine all six pieces working together for a very modish look.