by Stephanie Berenbaum – May 16th, 2012

Paying the Price for Sun Protection

Buying a Fab & Fru sunscreen is about more than just price.  We don’t care how cheap a sunscreen is – if it is filled with potentially harmful chemicals, it has no value.  Luckily, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) came out with their 2012 Sunscreen Guide today.  Their handy guide lists sunscreens by safety and also by price!

For a sunscreen to truly be Fab & Fru Approved, it needs to be affordable AND protect against UVA and UVB rays AND have least amount of hazardous chemicals possible…Not so easy to find!

What’s The Rub?

Many sunscreens are filled with chemicals and ingredients that are toxic or questionable at best.   Some of the common ingredients EWG recommends avoiding are Vitamin A derivatives – like retinyl palmitate – and ones made with the chemical oxybenzone, which many experts believe is linked to hormone disruption.

EWG also recommends avoiding those spray sunscreens to avoid lung issues.  And, surprisingly, they don’t recommend SPFs of over 50 because people tend not to reapply them as often as they should and end up getting burned!  And last but certainly not least, you should only buy sunscreens that protects against BOTH UVA and UVB rays.

Not All Coppertone is Created Equal

Many of the sunscreens which are high on safety and low on price are NOT widely available – which is why we’re happy to see Coppertone make the list of best sunscreens.  But hang on – they also made the list of worst sunscreens!  This is why is helps to carry an ingredient cheat sheet with you when you go shopping.  While some Coppertone is ranked high for safety and low cost, ones that look almost identical are on the EWG “Hall of Shame” list!

Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50 is a top pick – it is cheap, one of the safest, and easy to find at most drugstores.  But if you run in and accidentally grab Coppertone Water Babies SPF 70 – you have just picked one of the worst!  Why? Because the higher SPF version  has the added ingredient of oxybenzone – the potential hormone disruptor.  So, while many of the good and bad choices look almost identical, it is imperative to take a detailed list with you so you don’t waste money – or jeopardize your health.

Here’s to a summer of sun, fun and protecting your skin.  Enjoy!

What is your favorite Fab & Fru sunscreen?

GET YOUR GARDEN READY FOR MEMORIAL DAY!

Creating a comfortable and stylish outdoor living area is not the cheapest endeavor, but West Elm makes modern living more affordable this summer with up to 30% OFF outdoor furniture and up to 70% OFF garden accessories.  Check out these savings!

From outdoor living and dining rooms to planters and platters, West Elm will help you get barbecue ready with designer looks for less!

Amy and Ed’s daughter Christina is enrolled in one of the poshest private schools in town.  With tuition pushing $25,000 per year, it’s a small fortune – but they agree it’s worth it.  One thing they don’t agree on?  What kind of extra donation – if any – they should make to the school…

Amy feels it’s understood that each family is expected to donate something extra, while Ed feels strongly that he’s paying his dues at $25,000.  And even though they could technically afford to donate, he refuses.  With the school’s annual fundraiser around the corner, they have been feuding again about what – if anything – to give.

In the interest of their daughter and their relationship to the school, is Ed being foolish not to give an extra donation?  Or is Amy just preoccupied with keeping up appearances?  What would you do?  Tell us what you think!

Wedding Bells Without Huge Bills

Nothing makes a wedding more special than adding your personal touch.  Though wedding magazines may make you feel every detail has to be professionally executed, it’s the homespun additions that are most memorable – not to mention the most cost effective.  By adding even a few Do-It-Yourself details, you can save a ton of dough!

Centerpieces

I used to work for a high-end floral designer.  I know how amazing flowers can be – and how outrageously expensive!  For my own wedding, my sister and I put together green fruit baskets as centerpieces to complement my verdant outdoor setting, our sage green invitations and party favors.  At the end of the night, we donated the centerpieces in honor of our guests to a local food pantry.  The centerpieces cost under ten dollars per table – versus what could easily have been hundreds per table.  They were simple, beautiful and went to an excellent cause!

Do Yourself a Favor

Instead of wasting hundreds of dollars on party favors your guests may not even notice, let them take home a little something to remember YOU by.

Maybe you’re a known for your baking skills, or your hubby-to-be makes a mean Manhattan.  Give your guests that secret recipe for your pineapple upside-down cake, signature cocktail, or your family’s famous marinara recipe. Fabulous LA-based event planner Mikki Kane remembers one of her favorite brides gave out tins of her famous praline cookies along with the recipe as a gift to her guests – sweet!

Table Your Spending

Before you spend a zillion dollars on high end linens and crystal, we have an idea to jazz up your tabletop that is absolutely FREE! When I got married, it was important to me to tell each guest how much it meant to me that they were there, but I worried I wouldn’t get a chance to speak to everyone individually.  The solution turned out to be both meaningful AND money-saving…

On each place card I wrote one sentence personalized to that guest to make them feel special and appreciated – it was a welcome surprise for the guests as they sat down to find their messages written just for them!  No one cared about the basic white linens or lack of fancy silverware – the thoughtful, personalized words were the talk of the table instead!

We’d love to hear some of your D.I.Y. wedding success stories – and of course, failures too – if you’re brave enough to share them.  Here’s to a summer of love …and savings! 

From the Big Fish to the White Whale

Obama Supports Gay Marriage

With a little nudge from Joe Biden, President Obama finally stated his support for same-sex marriage this week!  This, of course, is all in response to North Carolina vote to make same-sex marriage and civil unions illegal.  This week Fab & Fru took a look at the financial discrimination faced by homosexual couples in the US – be sure to check out our article to find out more about ”Money and Same Sex Marriage.”

The White Whale Blows at JP Morgan

Well, they say hindsight is 20/20.  And while we’re not exactly sure who had the blinders on over at JP Morgan, one thing is clear: a London-based employee known alternately as the “White Whale” and “Voldemort” lost $2 billion dollars in bad trades for the firm in the past 6 weeks.  Even more impressive than his nicknames?  The fact that he was supposedly trading to reduce risk for the financial giant.  Oops…

France Says Au Revior To Sarkozy

The French voted President Nicholas Sarkozy out of office, and instead said bonjour to Socialist candidate Francois Hollande.  Am I the only one who will miss seeing Carla Bruni in her tres chic ensembles as first lady?

Seeing Stars

Speaking of Presidents, last night George Clooney hosted a star studded fundraiser for his special guest, President Obama.  At $40,000 per ticket, dinner was definitely Fabulous and NOT Frugal.  The event was expected to raise about $15 million – a record for one night.  Even more shocking?  Though we all braced for “Starmageddon,” the traffic here in LA was not nearly as bad as we expected – now that’s impressive!

Have a Happy Mother’s Day weekend!

by Stephanie Berenbaum – May 10, 2012

Did You Know…

President Obama’s landmark support of same-sex marriage this week (coupled with North Carolina’s decision to make it and civil unions illegal) really got us thinking.  Though we’ve always been supporters of same-sex marriage, we realized we were pretty ignorant of the financial implications of being a gay couple – even if you are married in a state where gay marriage is legal (Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont & Washington D.C.)  Here’s a brief look at some of the issues unfairly affecting homosexual couples ….and their finances!

DOMA

DOMA is the “Defense of Marriage Act” – signed into federal law in 1996 by that noted defender of “traditional” marriage – Bill Clinton – believe it or not... DOMA states that for federal purposes, only heterosexual marriage is legally recognized.  So, even if you live in a state where gay marriage is legal, financial complications arise for gay couples when it comes to benefits that fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government.  And you thought YOUR taxes were complicated!

Federal vs State Taxes

Let’s say, for example, you are a gay married couple living in New York State.  Even though you can file your taxes jointly at the state level, you still need to file separately at the federal level.  So, for your state return you are married, but for your federal return you’re NOT.  Not only does this result in additional tax preparation fees for the couple,  there are many federal tax benefits and deductions that heterosexual couples receive that are not available to homosexual couples.  Check out this link from the Family Equality Council for more info!

Health Benefits

I have to admit, I had no idea about the disparity in taxation of health benefits between heterosexual and homosexual couples.  According to the Family Equality Council, “LGBT families with health benefits have higher taxable wages. If LGBT families receive family health benefits from an employer, they pay federal tax on the value of those benefits, even if the employer provides them at no cost.  Married heterosexual families receive these same benefits tax-free.”