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Which Is More Expensive?

BellaSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:00:23 -0700

No matter how many times I see a caviar night cream or a diamond-encrusted lip gloss, I still experience sticker shock. Of course, there are an abundance of beauty items that don't cost and arm and a leg, and for that I am grateful. But when it comes to the asking price of the following beauty items compared to price tags of some similar-sounding products, can you guess which ones are more expensive? (And can you guess how much I am fantasizing about this coconut cupcake, too?)
Source: Flickr User Michael Q.

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Bella Quiz: Which Is More Expensive?

BellaSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Pretty as a package? Some perfumes and compacts have such lovely bottles that you may be more charmed by their looks than the actual purpose of the item. I've gathered some beautiful beauty items to compare with similar adornments for your home and body. Can you spot the cheaper item in these luxe duos? Test yourself and start this quiz!

Question 1 of 5

Which is more expensive?

Bella Quiz: Which Is More Expensive?

BellaSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:00:34 -0800

I firmly believe that many pricey products are worth their, uh, price - but did you ever stop to think what else you could be getting for the same dollar amount? Well, that's just what I did when I set out to see whether one bottle of really nice polish costs more than the entire collection from another brand and other like comparisons. It was fun for me to hunt out these makeup items, but the results are definitely not made up. Take the quiz and see how much (hypothetical) bang you can get for your (hypothetical) bucks.

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Bella Quiz: Which Is More Expensive?

BellaSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:01:03 -0800

I'm often amazed at the high cost of certain beauty products. A $200 haircut? The frugal gal in me can't help but start formulation scenarios as to what else I could do with that kind of dough. Fifteen pairs of shoes at Payless. Eighty-seven boxes of whole wheat pasta, perhaps. You get the point. So, let's test your knowledge. Can you guess which is more expensive?

Source

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Bella Quiz: Which Is More Expensive?

BellaSugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:01:35 -0800

Trudge, trudge, sludge, sludge. The economy may still be suffering, but it has to eventually get better, right? I put on my rose-colored glasses and spotted items that are still flying around in my fantasies. Take the latest Which Is More Expensive? quiz . . . and continue to dream big.

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Bella Quiz: Which Is More Expensive?

BellaSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:00:04 -0800

In these tight economic times, most people are cutting back on their spending, but companies continue releasing over-the-top items. Welcome to the third Which Is More Expensive? quiz, where your knowledge of just how pricey beauty products can get is tested. Think of it as The Price Is Right, only without the prizes. Or Bob Barker.

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Before and After: Updating a Sun Porch

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:00:23 -0700

Su Casa member PrettyLittleWorld loves her new home, but she wasn't a fan of her sun porch. She writes, "When we moved into our new home over the summer, we knew the sun porch would have to get some attention so that we could use it. The previous design was just all around unattractive, and made the porch feel a little depressing. We needed to stay within a small budget because there were bigger and more expensive things that needed doing in the rest of the house."

To see how she improved the original porch, read more.

PrettyLittleWorld used paint to improve the sun porch, which, as you well know, is one of the most dramatic and inexpensive ways to update a space. Using Winter Flannel and Quail Egg paint, the entire space looks updated and refreshed. PrettyLittleWorld also added a new, comfy porch chair for a green pop of color, and moved houseplants into the space as well. "We changed the sun porch into a space that we love to use!" she reports.

Have you made any changes in your home? Share them on Su Casa.

Fabby Halloween: The Craft

FabSugarUK — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:00:38 -0700

The Craft became a sleepover staple when I was at High School. We would discuss which girl we'd be and it definitely inspired our teenage rebellion wardrobe! This makes it a great Halloween costume, especially if you're attending a party with a group of friends.

What's more, it's easy to recreate from items from your own wardrobe, so minimum expense! The girls mainly accessorised their school uniform to make it more gothic, so begin with a white shirt and black skirt and then add braces, a cropped cardigan or a tie. On your feet, you could either wear on trend over the knee boots or black flats with over the knee socks.

Cropped Cardigan - £40.00	+j Basic Shirt - £24.99
Sequin Braces - £6.00	Plain Stretch Skirt - £8.00
Turnover Rib Over Knee Socks - £5.00	Leather Brogue Boot - £70.00
BAXTER Lace Up Over Knee Boot - £120.00

Casa Beta: Home Decorators Annandale Jute Area Rug

CasaSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:00:52 -0700

Jute/natural fiber rugs are a great versatile, nondescript choice for every room in the house when you're not trying to make a statement but rather just pull a space together. I'd been looking for one for a sitting area in my home, and found that the prices really ran the gamut. I've seen super-simple 5-x-8-foot sisal rugs for only $50, and thicker jute rugs like Pottery Barn's Flat-Braided Jute Rugs for $300. For such a faceless style, I really wouldn't spend more than $200. I like the thick cushioning of the more expensive jutes, but I've also found that some designs are too rough underfoot. So I'm definitely particular about them.

Home Decorators Collection recently sent me the 5'6-"x8'6" Annandale Jute Rug ($159, reduced $199) in Natural to review. Wondering what I think of it? Then read more.

I've found the Annandale to be a really high-quality rug. It's thick and durable, like anything you'd find at Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel - always my comparison. But this one in particular is woven with both jute and chenille, making it softer than a 100 percent jute rug. This is definitely a plus.

I've given myself some time with the rug, and found that it stays in good form with foot traffic and vacuuming, both things that can cause many rugs to lose their luster. It also has a latex backing which keeps it from slipping and stabilizes the weave, so you don't have the added expense of a rug pad.

The rug also gives the space the casual look I was looking for, and instantly pulled the seating area together. So I would definitely recommend the rug to any of you on the hunt for that same effect.

My beef with the rug, though, is that it really doesn't resemble the product image on Home Decorators site - at all. The natural color is much, much lighter online than in person. Luckily, it seems to work in the room. But also the rug's weave looks only vaguely like the product image. Home Decorator's site does disclaim, "The digital images on our website are as accurate as possible. However, different monitors may cause colors to vary slightly." But really I think that's no excuse. Capturing candid photographs is no mystery anymore, and plenty of retailers seem to have it down.

Reader Tip: Tracking Your Budget Is Boring, But It Works

SavvySugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:00:34 -0700

We each develop a unique saving style over the years, which is why we started the How Do You Save? group for you to divulge your winning tactics. It offers a place for you to dole out your advice to other SavvySugar readers trying to save a little moolah and learn from their experiences. Senorita reminds us that tracking and keeping a budget isn't always exciting, but it is a surefire way to quickly shed light on your unnecessary spending.

To learn her story and tip, read more.

Senorita shares:

So not so long ago when I first met my boyfriend, now current husband, he introduced me to the idea of keeping a budget. He set up a really easy to follow spreadsheet where I could enter each day what I spent and set up an estimate as to what I would spend on rent, bills, food and, of course, fun! After a month, I was amazed I was spending over a thousand dollars on clothes and fun. I wasn't going out and buying a couple really expensive items but it was all the smaller stuff that just quickly adds up. I must admit I was completely shocked and afterward definitely felt like I had really had nothing to show for the money spent. Well, lesson learned, I continued to use the budget sheet, just to keep my spending in check and was eventually able to start saving a lot more each month!

If you are ready to follow Senorita's lead and start tackling your spending check out our selection of SavvySugar organizational downloads.

Do you have a tip for readers? Join our How Do You Save? group and share your helpful suggestions. Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.