Blog Posts by The_Stir

ChanelI may not have a ton of cash to throw around on clothes, but I've spent my life around people who do -- and I've learned a lot about how they pull it off.

Have you ever noticed, for example, that women who come from money know how to dress like it -- even when they end up living on a school teacher's salary?

That's because they know a few bargain shopping secrets that help them score the luxe look without spending a fortune to get it.

More from The Stir: Who's Cuter: Robert Pattinson or His Puppy?

Want to hear five top tips on how to dress like you have money, even when you don't?

Keep reading -- and feel free to add your own tips in the comments!

1. Stick with the classics.

Sorry girls. If you're really short on cash and want to look luxe, leave the trends to the rich girls. Buy only clothing and accessories that transcend the trends and will look great every season, like a great black jacket. A well made white button-down blouse. A fitted pair of jeans.

Plastic surgery may not mend a broken heart, but that is not stopping divorcees from trying. A new trend in the UK, which has also made its way to the states, has women whose husbands left, especially those whose husbands cheated, going under the knife to make their ex envious.

It makes a lot of sense. How many of us look like the woman our husbands married? Years of marriage, age and children do a number on our looks and if we divorce, the idea of dating again in our current states would be daunting. The woman who married my husband at 25 was much hotter than the woman I am now, seven years (and two kids) later.

More from The Stir: Plastic Surgery Disasters

Certainly, it is a sad trend that women feel the need to alter their appearance surgically to feel better about themselves, but it is one that makes sense and if it helps, more power to them!

Lisa, the woman interviewed by the Daily Mail, said that she feels worlds better about herself and the divorce after

Active Design bookAre all the time-saving innovations we bring in to improve our homes and home life actually making us fat? Quite possibly so. Think about it. Washing machines keep us from hard work of hand washing. Dryers mean we don't have to make all those nice stretches to hang clothes on the line. Sprinkler systems mean no more hand watering and gas fireplaces mean no more chopping wood. You don't even have to roll out the dough anymore unless you really want to. Not to mention that the remote control can keep us practically immobile for hours.

More from The Stir: Out With Water, In With the Post-Workout Beer!

Sure, we invest in such convenience products because the lives of most Americans have only gotten busier with longer, more demanding work days and many dual-income families. At the same time, though, there's also a growing obesity problem in the nation. So what if your home was designed to promote a little more physical activity -- and in a way that was enjoyable and beneficial

hair There are some serious crimes being committed every day, yet no one is talking about them. I'm guilty of these atrocities myself, and it's time we all come clean. Hair hatred. We punish it with heat, we damage it with dye, and we abuse it with brushes. The latest felony perpetrated, which also happens to be the latest fad, is the Brazilian blowout.

I've considered getting it done -- I feel like I get an email every hour alerting me to salons that are offering discounts on the Brazilian blowout -- and have even made an appointment. I backed out only because I find commitments hair-raising (get it?) and didn't want to be stuck with straight locks for too long. It had nothing to do with the fact that the process is essentially a cocktail of chemicals that could kill, then embalm, a small city.

Why do we hate our hair so much that we're willing to go to such lengths to change it?

More from The Stir: Will Angelina's Gift to Brad Start Cringe-Worthy Trend?

In Asia, a

You scream, I scream, we all scream for breast milk ice cream! Well, at least I do. Baby Gaga is the name of a new sort of treat served in the UK at a restaurant in Covent Garden that contains breast milk instead of the typical cow's milk.

More from The Stir: 10 Weird But Tasty Ice Cream Flavors

Matt O'Connor runs Icecreamists, the shop serving the surprising concoction. He blends the breast milk with Madagascan vanilla pods and lemon zest, which is then freshly churned. The treat is served by a waitress sporting a Lady Gaga costume in a martini glass filled with the breast milk ice cream mix. Liquid nitrogen is poured into the glass through a syringe and it's served with a teething biscuit.

It's a little strange, but how is it any stranger than the fact that we drink cow's milk on a regular basis? Is that as normal or healthy as the milk our mothers made for us?

Women are paid $24 for 10 ounces of milk, which was a morning pumping session for me. I would have gladly

You're standing in line at Starbucks, waiting for your mocha caramel latte whatchamacallit when you spot him. The man standing three customers behind you in line. He's breathtaking in a [insert sexy celebrity] meets [name of favorite athlete eye candy] kind of way.

More from The Stir: Most Outrageous First Date Deal Breakers

At this point, it only makes sense for you to spark this love connection since, in a few nanoseconds, you've pictured your wedding day and what your children - two boys and a girl - will look like. You flash him a 1,000 watt smile. He grins back.

Ummm, now what?

There are two brands of guy: the ones that you would never, ever dream of dating who always have the cojones to hit on you, and then there's the less aggressive, more attractive cuties who fail to receive the telepathic messages to ask you out. So until that technology is unveiled (what's taking it so long, anyway?), dudes actually appreciate when you talk to them first. Your initiative

When my husband and I made the pledge to go 30 days of sex with no breaks, we knew it was called a "challenge" for a reason, but we never guessed just how hard it might be to stick with it. The fact is, when you have been with a person for more than 10 years, you can tend to take the sex for granted.

My husband and I have always had a very good sex life, but we had started to slip in other areas. We were fighting more and laughing less. The best thing about our relationship has always been our ability to make each other roll on the floor laughing. We also have been unique in that neither of us wants to make a move without consulting the other. For years, we have spoken dozens of times throughout the day whether through email or a quick phone call.

But lately things have changed.

More from The Stir: The Marriage Mistake We Should Not Repeat

My husband is so busy at work, there are days where I kiss him goodbye at 8 a.m. and don't talk to him again until 6:30 p.m. when

cheeseburgerIt's official. We are a fast food nation. On any given day, almost a quarter of U.S. adults visit a fast food restaurant. Surprised? I'm not.

To be honest, I wasn't even fazed when I read that fast food habits don't always disappear after a heart attack. In a recent study, 884 of the 2,500 patients were eating fast food a month before their heart attack. Six months later, 503 were still eating fast food.

More from The Stir: You'll Never Eat Another Chicken Nugget Again

Of course they were. I mean, why would any functioning member of society stop eating fast food after a heart attack? That's absurd.

OK, so let me clarify a bit here. By definition, fast food is just that: fast. When most Americans hear the words "fast food," they think of the big kahunas -- you know, the Whoppers and McGiants. The phrase fast food has become synonymous with calories and grease. And it's a reputation that isn't exactly easy to shake.

But the truth of the matter is that there are