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10 Makeovers For Benjamin Franklin

Emily Co — Fri, 20 May 2011 03:05:00 PDT

Don't you think good ol' Benjamin Franklin needs a makeover? A new online community project, called Make Your Franklin, invites people to tap into their inner artist and redesign the $100 bill, an American symbol. To participate, all you need to do is save the image of the bill which you can find through this link and re-create the bill to your fancy. Click through for some Friday fun to see Benjamin after his extreme makeovers.

Quick Rundown of the Unemployment Benefits Debate

Emily Co — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:25:10 PST

There's a huge debate going on with the government about extending unemployment benefits. If you have not been following up on what's happening, here is a quick snapshot:

Right now, there's too much squabbling in Congress on whether to reauthorize the unemployment checks and how they should fund it. It's pretty much a waiting game to see how lawmakers will react.
If the benefits expire, almost two million people will see their unemployment checks run out by Christmas as they have been collecting the benefits for 99 weeks (or about two years) which is the maximum time allotted for these checks.
The time limit used to run up to 26 weeks, but have been extended about eight times since the recession.
Some experts are saying that cutting off benefits will be bad for our economy, because it will reduce consumer spending, which will lead to less jobs.
Others say that extending it will provide less incentive for people to find jobs.
An average employment check per week costs $290, says the National Employment Law Project.
The national unemployment rate was 9.6 percent in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
8.5 million Americans currently get benefits.
To extend the benefits for another year would cost the government $60 billion.

Many of you have been there before. We've asked you in the past what's the longest you've been unemployed, and received an overwhelming number of responses. We've talked a lot about this issue and have given tips on how to file for unemployment and what you should do if you've been laid off. I want to hear from you now - do you think Congress should extend the benefits?

Where on the Bed Do Your Pets Sleep?

PetSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:00:10 PDT

Awww, how cozy they look! Does this scene look familiar to you? If you share a bed with your pet, does the furry one have a fave snuggly spot? When I chatted with Bill from Greatest American Dog, he shared the sweet observation below:

I think the bond between Star and I was pretty tight when we got to California and I don't think you could make it any better. She slept in the bed with me all the time we were out there but when we got back home, Star had moved. She had always slept at the end of the bed, and now she moved up to right beside me on my side of the bed and that may be a little bit bigger bond.

Source

What Do You Know About the Brittany?

PetSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:30:44 PDT

I loved catching up with Bill who was sent home from Greatest American Dog on Wednesday with his beautiful Brittany, Star. What do you know about this breed? Test your knowledge about these pretty pooches below!

Source

Take the Quiz

Greatest American Dog Recap: My Dog Can Fly!

PetSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:00:00 PDT

First puppies and now an elephant?! For last night's episode of Greatest American Dog, the remaining humans (Travis, J.D., Bill, Laurie, and Teresa) had to get their pets (Presley, Galaxy, Star, Andrew, and Leroy) to sit in a circle as an elephant approached them, made tons of noise and flapped its ears, and eventually got close enough to pick up a banana placed nearby. It came down to a faceoff between Presley and Andrew, and the smallest pooch there (Laurie's Maltese) didn't move a muscle – wow! Next, it was a course finishing in a doggie zipline – that J.D. and Galaxy made look like a piece of cake – but, unfortunately, two dogs (Star and Andrew) wouldn't take that leap. In the end, the judges chose to send Bill and Star packing which made me sad 'cause I was totally pulling for them, but happy since I got to chat with him this morning. . . . and, yes, he's just as sweet on the phone as he looks on TV:

On meeting an elephant for the first time: You remember, we've got our back towards that elephant? I'm watching Star and saying "sit, stay, sit, stay" and her eyes are getting bigger and bigger and it's like one of us has got to move, I hope she tells me when I'm supposed to move! That was thrilling to me, just thrilling.

Learn what happens when Star meets the elephant for the second and third (?) time when you

read more. On meeting an elephant for the second time: Although she didn't win the challenge, later we were able to go over and visit with the elephant. Star actually ended up sitting on one of the elephant's feet and it was a positive atmosphere. They didn't want dogs to be afraid of big things running at them anymore. The elephant actually took its nose and smelled all over Star and she just sat and looked at it – I asked the guy what it was doing and he said the elephant's never seen a dog like Star so he's smelling and remembering so that, the next time he sees one, he'll know what that is. On meeting an elephant for the third time: I feel comfortable now that if there's an elephant charging down the street here in Flint, TX, Star will sit right there and watch it go by. On preparing for the zipline challenge: I got up there and worked with her during practice time. I shook the platform and the guys up there at the top said "don't shake this," but I banged and clanged up there for Star's benefit. I knew the wind might be blowing and it might shake so I wanted her to understand that everything's good and it's fine for your feet to move underneath you. On doing the challenge: When she got to the edge in what you saw last night, there was one point where I actually thought she was going to jump. Then she said "nah, dogs ain't supposed to fly, my boy" and I read that. She was like "I'll sit right here and you figure it out, Bubba." I saw that expression but I spent a good 10 to 15 minutes trying to get her to jump off that. On not jumping off: I appreciate her not jumping off that ledge. She was smarter than I thought because we work in some areas where it's high-rise parking garages and, maybe she then thinks it's OK to jump off something chasing a bird? I feel comfortable knowing she did the wise thing, she was wiser than me. Source

What to TiVo: Wednesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:59:37 PST

8:00 The Middle (new)
8:30 Suburgatory (new)
9:00 Modern Family (new)
9:30 Happy Endings (new)
10:00 Revenge (new)
12:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live (new, with guests Sean Combs and Miley Cyrus)

8:00 Survivor: One World (new, season premiere)
9:00 Criminal Minds (new)
10:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (new)
11:35 Late Show With David Letterman (new, with guests Jon Stewart, Kid Rock, and Yelawolf)
12:37 Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (new, with guests Jon Cryer and Morena Baccarin)

8:00 American Idol (new)
8:00 Whitney (new)
8:30 Are You There, Chelsea? (new)
9:00 Rock Center With Brian Williams (new)
10:00 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (new)
11:35 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (new, with guests Bill Maher and Alexandra Wentworth)
12:35 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (new, with guests Greg Kinnear and Poppy Montgomery)

8:00 One Tree Hill (new)
9:00 Remodeled (new)

Savvy Links: 9 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Home Energy Bill

Emily Co — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:04:00 PST

9 easy ways to reduce your home energy bill - Tecca
What it's like being the new girl at work in 1941 - The Jane Dough
The surprising facts about Valentine's Day - LearnVest
Ways to save on your taxes - Real Simple
Reap the rewards of good credit - Dailyworth
31 hidden networks that can help you land jobs - Wise Bread
Find loyalty clubs that pay - AllYou
Are you crossing the line between schmoozing and flirting at work? - HuffPost Women
Little-known social security benefits - Bankrate

Savvy Ways to Talk Money in Your Relationship

Emily Co — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:03:44 PST

Money is a dicey issue, and whether you're just "withholding" information about a small purchase or lying about the amount of debt, deceiving your partner can hurt the relationship.

Insecurities about your money situation might be holding you back from the money talk, but there are smoother ways of introducing the topic. For example, couples can take advantage of tax season to bring up money questions that they were holding back. My suggestion for other times to do it is the year-end bonus period, when either one of you is checking your credit score, making a major purchase, or paying bills. Another way of casually introducing the money topic is to talk about a finance article that pertains to your question. Remember, there's nothing wrong about talking frankly about serious issues with your partner, so don't be afraid to bring it up even without these conversation starters!

How to Throw a Moneyball-Themed Oscar Party

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:30:21 PST

It may not be baseball season quite yet, but you can get that feeling if you throw an Oscar viewing party and let best picture nominee Moneyball be your inspiration. The film might even make for a better theme than Midnight in Paris or The Artist, depending on your crowd. Here's how to score a home run at your Oscar gathering (and don't forget to fill out a ballot for a chance to win an iPad.)

How to decorate: Bring out baseballs, bats, gloves, and any other sports memorabilia you may have. String up streamers in green and yellow (the Oakland A's colors), and nod to the movie's financial theme by decorating with fake dollar bills. If you really want to tie in the film, get a life-size Brad Pitt cutout (which wouldn't be a bad thing to have around, anyway).
How to dress: Wear the shirt of your baseball team of choice, but to really mirror the film, rock Oakland A's gear, or at least their colors.
What to serve: Traditional ballpark fare like hot dogs, beer, cotton candy, and peanuts in the shell, of course. Bake cookies or cake pops and frost them to look like baseballs.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

How to Adjust Your Tax Withholding

Kiplinger — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:14:10 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

Political theater over whether or not to extend the 2% payroll tax holiday has overshadowed the fact that most workers can do more to reduce the amount of tax withheld from their paychecks than anything cooked up in Washington.

The power-to-the-people ploy? Using a W-4 form to put an end to overwithholding from your paychecks. First, let's set the stage. Even as anti-Washington sentiment rises to a fever pitch, most middle-class Americans continue to allow the government to claim more than its share every single payday. The proof: In 2011, 109 million of the 145 million individual tax returns filed called for refunds. That's 75%. The average refund last year: $2,913. That's significantly more than even the highest-paid worker gets from a 2% payroll tax holiday.

Yes, we love our tax refunds. But we ask this simple question of those of you who get refunds year after year: Doesn't it make more sense to get your money when you earn it?

If you agree with us that the answer is a resounding "yes," we have good news. Unlike stubbornly high unemployment, it's easy to fix overwithholding. All you have to do is file a revised Form W-4 with your employer. The information on that little form determines how much federal income tax is withheld from your checks. The more "allowances" you claim on the W-4, the less income tax will be withheld.

Read on for more.