Tops.  If you are working out in a gym like I do most of the time then you are probably going to sweat.  I sweat a lot and my favorite tops are made by Under Armour.  It’s the Charged Cotton collection and it really dries quickly.  They are also incredibly light weight and comfortable to work out in too.  I love them so much I wear them around the house too (the clean ones of course).

Shorts.  Here’s where I first went wrong.  I wore a pair of typical basketball shorts for running on the treadmill.  Now, on the elliptical you are not picking up your legs, so this is not as big of a deal.  On the treadmill they were uncomfortable and I did not get the most out of my run because of the way the legs would ride up.  Look for shorts or pants that are specifically made for running so that you can focus on your breath and form instead of your pants.

Shoes.  The fit of your shoes means more than you know when it comes to running.  You have to take into consideration your stride, how your foot falls, and more when picking out the best running shoe for you to wear.  My advice is to ask a shoe professional to take a look and help you find the best fit for the activity you are looking to perform.

In the following infographic shows what was reported in the gathered data, including at which hours of the day and night most of these tipsy shoppers are spending their money.  A few of the respondents even reported that they had no memory of making intoxicated purchases until later on the next day, and sometimes later than that.  Scary!  So here is the infographic itself, with all this charming information about people who shop while impaired.

Reddit’s Guide to Fitness infographic contains some of the best collected tidbits of wisdom for those who are looking to make small, gradual, and lasting changes to their lifestyles in the coming weeks, including diet and fitness.  You don’t have to call up Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, and you don’t need to start some radical low-carb diet like South Beach or Atkins — but if you think it will help you out, by all means, consider Weight Watchers.  It’s rated as the healthiest plan out there, and Jessica Simpson just signed up as their new celebrity spokesperson today.

America has always had a passionate love affair with cars.  Our popular culture and media are speckled with strong associative imagery of the people of this country and their unique bond to cars.  You would think that the people of the United States would rank the purchase of a new car highly on its list of enjoyable buys.  Yet, strangely for a land which consumes an enormous percentage of the world’s foreign oil to fuel its cars, Americans least enjoy buying automobiles.    Check out the infographic below for more information:

Of course that is just one scenario of making an impulse purchase.  People buy things on impulse all the time, and sometimes those purchases are a lot more expensive than a pair of socks.  Tehre is a way to break free of the impulse urges though, and that is through planning.  If you sit down, burn the incense that you got from www.legalherbsdirect.com, and plan your shopping trips out then you will have a greater success of overcoming your desires to impulsively make a purchase.  So, get to it and plan!  I found an infographic for you to see how impulse buying affects people and more.  Maybe this can help to pinpoint why you’re always coming home with purchases that you did not intend on buying.

Many believe that the development of the crop top trend originates in the oversized silhouette trend that has ruled the runways over several of the last seasons. Instead of looking like everyone should wear maternity clothes when their not pregnant, the crop top represents the same loose fitting style and female sophistication (we don’t have to constantly flaunt our sexuality and curves) without looking frumpy and overtly feminist. By shortening up the tee shirt as well as the oversize trend, the crop top is taking charge of the feminine and sexy yet still a little tomboy look. Beachwear enthusiasts everywhere can be overjoyed that their every day look is currently trending across America between the coasts.

Shauna Mei noticed this trend and paralleled it with the way men shop versus women. When guys go shopping, it is because they need something, like v-necks, boxers, jeans, etc. They have a specific purpose in mind, go in and execute it. Not that guys aren’t interested in trends or developing their own personal style in what they wear and have around their house, but they just don’t go browsing through store like women do. Guys may not settle for generic versions of anything that fits and does the job, but they won’t go out and look around unless they need to. Women like to shop for shoes or jeans even if they have two dozen pair, and girls are always looking for new accessories to jazz up outfits and decor, whether they need that necklace and tablecloth or Deals for TV , you can find it.

Mei founded AHAlife to bring in this essential missing element to online shopping. They search for unique specialty items that women normally wouldn’t search for and email their list serv every day with new items. While her business model may pull largely from a women’s clothing off-line shopping model, most of AHAlife’s featured items are actually centered around food, art, design, travel and philanthropy, in addition to and before fashion items. The merchandise they feature is held at consignment and then ordered from the manufacturer based on how much they are selling at a given point in the day. This way, there’s no stocking up on items you don’t know if you’ll sell or not, but it also eliminates the marketing of a number of fashion items, which have to be pre-ordered months in advance to anticipate seasons and seasonal trends.

But one of the best aspects of AHAlife is that it encourages discussion between subscribers and re-creates online the kind of conversations that would go on in a physical retail store. And these kind of conversations are what really drive sales- the kind that make connections between customers and increase their sense of style when multiple shoppers are backing the product and discussing its qualities. Being a new start up recently founded in September 2010, we’ll have to wait and see if this new kind of online concept shopping pans out in virtual reality as much as it does in theory.

I frequently complain of having nothing to wear, and then my boyfriend comes in my room, opens my closet, and asks me what I am talking about. And he has a very good point- my closet is absolutely jam packed, but 70-80% of what’s in my closet I never wear. It’s amazing how many things we buy because their on sale, seem like a good deal, or are in fashion, even though we’re not absolutely crazy about them. The result is that we never end up wearing these clothes. For example, I once bought a pair of Joe’s skinny cargo jeans from Nordstrom Rack because they were marked down from over $200 to $70. They were my size, but they fit a little funny in the waistline. But I justified buying them because I thought that if I just toned up my stomach into abs and/or wore a long flowy shirt they would look good. Besides, they were Joe’s cargo skinny jeans, both cargo and skinny being major trends last fall. I haven’t worn them once. Direct TV Satellite

It’s amazing how we justify certain purchases with claims like “oh this will motivate me to lose weight” or “once I get a good tan, this dress will look fantastic on me” or “I bet I won’t see anyone else wearing this top, and I’ll definitely get noticed”. The fact of the matter is that 98% of the time, if you don’t love it in the store, you’re not going to love it and want to wear it once you get home, and those obnoxiously bright lights in the dressing room, as hideous as they make us all look, won’t change how we feel about what we wear once they magically disappear.

I have a friend who always (well, the vast majority of the time) looks very cute, fashionable and well put together, and makes it look easy. The most amazing part about her sexy yet sophisticated wardrobe, however, is that is doesn’t even take up her entire closet, which is much smaller than mine (and most people’s, I would assume). I was simply shocked at how few hangars and space was taken up in her mini walk in the first time I saw it. After going on several shopping trips with her, I am trying to pick up a few of her good shopping habits for myself, and have come up with a few tips and tricks that she uses to shop fabulously, save money, and look great:

1. Never go shopping when you feel rushed or are in a hurry. Last minute events come up sometimes, yes, and you need to get an outfit quick, but in these cases you should try to stick with some classic pieces that can be reused frequently, or make sure the store has a flexible return policy. When you shop hurriedly, you aren’t thinking clearly about what you’re buying and will probably purchase something that just suffices rather than really makes you look like a million bucks. You’re also more prone to overspend when you shop in a hurry. So plan shopping trips wisely and with plenty of leeway time. And if you do need an outfit for a last minute event, try borrowing something from a friend before you ever set foot into a store or mall.

2. If you don’t love it, don’t buy it. Seriously, its not worth it. It’s better to re-wear an outfit that you love and feel confident in than to buy something simply because it is different or you feel like you need to rock something fresh. Overtime you will build up your wardrobe, and if you try to do it overnight, you’ll end up not wearing most of the things in there. Instead, try getting creative with the things you already own: pair up tops and bottoms you’ve never paired together before, or that you never thought would go together, and try to tie them together with matching accessories. You’ll be amazed at the brand new outfits you can create with just a few minutes of toying around your closet and exploring your creativity. Step out of the box!

3. The more expensive the item, the longer you should wait. I try to abide by the rule that if a piece of clothing is more than $150, I need to put it on hold and wait at least 24 hours (or however long the maximum hold period at the store is). The more expensive the item, the longer I should wait. If something costs $200, and 3 days later I still wish I had it so I could wear it, or could have thought of several occasions to wear it to already, then I’ll go back and get it. If not, its not worth it.

There are many other rules I’ve seen women use, but I think these three are key and will get you on the road to making smart purchases that won’t break the bank and leave you unsatisfied later. Besides, use the money you save to shop on QVC deals for tv!! Happy shopping!

Now, millions of Americans enjoy the convenience of online shopping.  One draw of the online store is that if the place you’re buying from has no brick and mortar store in your state, you generally don’t get charged state sales tax.   (Well, you do, and you don’t.  You’re “supposed” to offer that information up on your annual tax returns — but nearly 97% of people surveyed don’t save all those online shopping receipts for a whole year, and certainly don’t report their spending habits to their home state.)  It equals out by the end of the year though, since neither do most taxpayers bother to itemize all the deductions they are eligible for.

So, now that shopping online is so mainstream, there’s more of it available than people know what to do with.  How do you know you can shop online safely and not have to worry about the security of your financial information and privacy?

First, shop only at reputable sources.  Most “big box” stores that do have physical locations are going to charge you the sales tax, but you often get free shipping anyway, and the rewards of shopping a brand you already are familiar with can be great, in terms of trust and security.  There is a lot to be said for having a direct link to a company you want to shop from, and that direct link, many times, is the physical store location you feel you can turn to  if needs be.  Stores like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Barns and Noble and Radio Shack are good examples of this type of store.  This is collectively known as the “bricks and clicks” sales model.

Besides big box stores with physical addresses, there are what we like to call the Big Boxless stores — stores with online-only transactions, no physical retail locations, and hugely positive reputations.  Think Amazon.com, Ebay, and Overstock.com are all great places to do some serious online only shopping.

Here are some general safety tips to use whenever you shop online:

• Check for seals of approval from reputable third paries, like the Better Business Bureau.
• Read online reviews of any sellers or stores by consulting consumer advocacy sites
• Look for signs that the site you are shopping at maintains secure transactions
• Keep your web browser and anti-virus/malware programs up to date
• Don’t shop anywhere that you have trouble finding a phone number for
• Judge the site by its cover:  if the website looks ugly and oddly made, it could be a fraud
• Know what things are ok to order online, and what are not:  typically, medicines are best purchased at a local drugstore
• Keep an eye out for warranty information and make sure there is a good return policy
• Pay using your credit card:  in the event of fraudulent charges, the insurance on your card will protect you

Online shopping is a very rewarding and convenient experience if done right.  So get out there and explore some bargains, keep these tips in mind, and buy something cool today.

Mystery Shopper review companies and marketing firms alike often actively seek to enlist the assistance of ordinary, everyday men and women to conduct top secret shopping missions.  Typically, the mystery shopper is assigned a store or restaurant, and sent to obtain a specific thing or group of things.  The establishment to which the mystery shopper was sent is unaware that a mystery shopper is on the premises, gathering facts which they will ultimately report back to the marketing research firm that hired them.  In addition to retails stores and restaurants, mystery shoppers often appear in movie theaters, car dealerships, professional organizations, and even churches.

A mystery shopper may be sent to take notes only, or may be wired with hidden cameras and voice recorders to document the transaction and experience they have been sent to evaluate.  Sometimes, the mystery shopper does no evaluation at all, but simply turns over the video and audio recordings to their hiring company, which then completes an evaluation based on the information obtained by the mystery shopper.

To become a mystery shopper, try visiting organizations for signing up for this, such as Secret Shopper (https://www.secretshopper.com/) — and find out what opportunities are available in your area.    If you are a business owner, some of these organizations can help you, too.  Secret Shopper does offer services to businesses as well as individuals.  You do not need any previous experience to sign up and apply for secret shopper assignments.  Training materials are provided online, and you can begin working fairly quickly.

You will want to avoid mystery shopping companies that charge any sort of “fee” for letting you sign up with them.  These are not legitimate.  Marketing research firms and companies who hire mystery shoppers realize that the mystery shopper is doing them a great favor — one that would cost a lot more money if conducted by trained marketing professionals — so they are more than happy to let you join up for free, and will offer you something in return for your work for them.

Being a mystery shopper can be a lot of fun.  You might be the kind of person who enjoys it very much, and you may want to do it again soon.  Or, you might enjoy it just one time and not really feel a need to repeat it again.  Either way is fine.  Legitimate mystery shopper firms will not require you to sign any sort of long term contracts.  It is just pay as you go, most of the time, and there is no obligation for you to continue mystery shopping if you don’t have the time or lose interest.