Holiday Shopping on a Budget

It’s that time of the year again. Time to buy the gifts and spend the money that us college students don’t have. Every year I face the dilemma of how to buy my friends and family great gifts while still being able to afford to eat during the month of January. Believe it or not, there are great ways to save money throughout the month and still give great gifts.

A couple of years ago, my friends and I decided to start doing a Secret Santa Christmas. Secret Santa is a great way to bring everyone together for a good time while only having to buy one gift. This way, it is easier to spend a little bit more money on that one gift for your friend instead of buying a gift for everyone. Secret Santa is fun and affordable and one of the best ways to save money during the holiday season.

Because college students are often times in a hurry to get shopping done, we don’t want to take the time to seek out the discounts and sales going on around town. However, the newspaper and local magazines always have coupons and advertisements for sales that are currently going on. If you take about 20 minutes out of your morning to browse through the paper, it is easy to locate where the good deals are. Also, don’t forget to look on the stores Website. Many stores have amazing online discounts that you can’t find in the store. It is easy to buy in bulk online and, a lot of times, you can find free shipping during the holidays. Another tip that I find helpful when shopping on a budget is to always make a list of what you are looking for before you head to the mall. If you go to the mall without any idea of what you are looking for, it will take more time and the chances of spending more money are very high.

Lately, I have been consumed with “Do It Yourself” blogs. They have awesome ideas and concepts for holiday decorating and gift giving. DIY projects are fun and usually cheaper than buying the finished product in the store. Even if you are not a crafty person, these Websites have step-by-step directions to the projects. Not only are these gifts fun to make and give to people, but by making it yourself, it has more sentimental value attached to it. There is always a feeling of accomplishment after taking the time to make your own gifts to give to family and friends.

Holiday shopping on a budget can be scary but it is do-able, and you can save money without skimping on quality. By taking the extra time to find sales and discounts, you can save a bunch. For great DIY ideas for gifts, visit http://www.creaturecomfortsblog.com or http://www.pepperdesignblog.com. And don’t forget to make your own Christmas cards for everyone!

Devon Turner, YWCA Public Relations Intern
"I am currently a senior at the University of Tennessee and I will receive my Bachelor of Science degree in Communications with a major in Public Relations with a minor in French. I am originally from Charlotte, North Carolina but I have lived in Knoxville for four years. I love to travel around with my friends and family and make memories that will last forever.

When I graduate, I plan to move back to Charlotte for a while then I would love to go explore the West Coast. I love dogs, surrounding myself around good people, and listening to interesting music."

YWCA Tribute To Women Honoree Highlight

2008 Human Service Tribute Honoree


Name: Loida C. Velázquez
Job Title: Program Director (retired)
Company Name: University of Tennessee

Activities: Board Member United Way of Knoxville; Knoxville Museum of Art Trustee; Board Member Regional American Red Cross Knoxville Area Chapter; Founding Board Member of The Race Relations Center of East Tennessee; Board Member First Tennessee Bank Community Council; Member Nine Counties One Vision Diversity and Human Relations Committee; HOLA: Hora Latina President (2005-2006); Chair Education Committee 2008; Faculty Advisor Lambda Theta Alpha Sorority, UT Chapter.
Affiliations and Honors: Selected Honorary Chair for the YWCA 2007 Race against Racism,; Leadership Knoxville 2004 graduate; Received Service Award after completing three year as the President of the HEP and CAMP Association 1998-2001; Outstanding Adult Education Student 1994; Received the 1994 National Rural Education Dissertation Award.

Loida C. Velázquez, Ed.D.

Loida C. Velázquez professional life has been dedicated to the service of marginalized populations. It started in her native Puerto Rico with her participation in the establishment of one of the first Head Start programs in the island and culminated at the University of Tennessee as the Principal Investigator and Project Director of a federally-funded program serving migrant and seasonal farmworkers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. In between, there were stints as a counselor and Vocational Manager at the Knoxville Job Corp Center and as the East Tennessee Coordinator for the state agency providing advocacy to people with disabilities. A member of the first wave of Latinos settling in the South, she naturally assumed the role of leader and role model to the new immigrants populating the region. A graduate of Leadership Knoxville Class of 2004, she in turn prepared leaders within the Latino community as coordinator for the UT Institute for Public Service Leadership Plenty classes in 2006 and 2007. But the role that she enjoys best is that of grandmother because it gives her the opportunity to connect her 5 grandchildren with her Latino culture.

Living a healthy lifestyle during your college years

In college, it becomes increasingly hard to maintain a daily exercise schedule and a healthy diet. Females are constantly being faced with pressures to look good and be in good physical shape. I think the question every woman faces, including myself, is how do you find time and money to eat healthy and work out while facing the everyday challenge of classes, schoolwork, and a job?

It is so easy to hit the snooze button on your alarm clock in the morning, but I find that when I get up early in the morning to work out, I have more energy and I am generally happy the rest of the day. While sleeping in everyday is tempting, it usually leaves you feeling lethargic and is even harder to get out of bed.

A good work out does not have to be running five miles with the track team. Going on a brisk walk for thirty minutes around your apartment complex or around a local park is all you need. Anything to get my blood flowing and raise my heart beat a little always makes me feel better. Also, as you get into a routine with this, you can easily work your way up to running a few miles instead of walking.

You should also set attainable goals for yourself, such as, only working out three days a week then working up to four, five, even six days. It is always important to let your body rest at least one day a week, so choose your favorite day to be lazy and don’t work out!

Now to the fun part, food! First things first: stop eating out every day. This will not only help you save tons of money, but it will decrease the amount of calories you unknowingly intake. Go grocery shopping and stock up on delicious, healthy food. Buy things that you know you will want to eat later. What I like to do is buy a bag of frozen chicken breast, put them all in individual baggies, and sauté the chicken with vegetables and my favorite sauce for dinner.

Don’t underestimate the importance of breakfast. Breakfast jump-starts your metabolism and gives you energy for the rest of the day. Cereal, oatmeal, scrambled eggs and fruit are all tasty options for breakfast that will easily satisfy your breakfast craving and get your metabolism going.

Keeping a healthy lifestyle in college can definitely be a challenge but I think that with these easy tips, you can work your way into a good routine that will be manageable through your college years. You should also check out this website that I found specifically for women’s health: http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/college101.html.

Devon Turner, YWCA Public Relations Intern
"I am currently a senior at the University of Tennessee and I will receive my Bachelor of Science degree in Communications with a major in Public Relations with a minor in French. I am originally from Charlotte, North Carolina but I have lived in Knoxville for four years. I love to travel around with my friends and family and make memories that will last forever.

When I graduate, I plan to move back to Charlotte for a while then I would love to go explore the West Coast. I love dogs, surrounding myself around good people, and listening to interesting music."

Are We Stepping into ‘The Age of Women’?

Are We Stepping into ‘The Age of Women’?

After a long history of inequality, women may surpass men afterall

While women have struggled for centuries to have equality with men, some wonder if women will surpass men in modern postindustrial society. The question, “What if equality isn’t the end point?” was posed by Hanna Rosin in a provactive article in The Atlantic Monthly. According to Rosin, for the first time in U.S. history, women became the majority of the workforce earlier this year.

Legendary biologist Ronald Ericsson, who’s claim to fame is the creation of the first scientifically prove method for choosing the sex of a child, said people are now requesting children of the female sex, a dramatic shift in age-old human history. Ericsson said, “Women live longer than men. They do better in this economy. More of ‘em graduate from college. They go into space and do everything men do, and sometimes they do it a whole lot better. I mean, hell, get out of the way- these females are going to leave us males in the dust.”
The shift in gender preferences is not just in the U.S. Rigid patriarchal societies, such as South Korea, have seen a rapid and immense advancement in women in the workforce. Where women were once ostracized for not bearing sons, daughters seem to now hold the cards to success.

Rosin brings up a trying question: what if the modern, postindustrial economy is simply more congenial to women than to men? Moreover, what if the economics of the new era are better suited to women? Currently, women dominate the majority of job categories projected to have the most growth in the next decade.

You can access Rosin’s full-length July 2010 article in the archives on The Atlantic’s website. She delves into stereotypes and trends, all while posing some good food for thought.

Written by: Katherine Neunaber, YWCA Senior Public Relations Intern

Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/07/the-end-of-men/8135/

Racism in Staffing of Essence's Fashion Director: Yes or No?

The traditionally Black magazine, Essence, has hired a White Fashion Director, Elliana Placas. Not a big deal? Many of the loyal readers think it is. Fashion media personality Najwa Moses asked, "How can a White woman dictate and decide what style and beauty is for the Black Woman?" according to a Huffington Post article.

Is this an issue of racism? Or are there grey areas to be considered? Tell us what you think.

Read the whole article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/27/essence-white-fashion-dir_n_661168.html

Double Beauty Standards

When was the last time you saw a fit, attractive man with a chubby and witty wife on a TV sitcom? Do you ever wonder why women in the spotlight are expected to be skinny, beautiful and charming? Why aren't men expected to hold the same beauty standards as women? It seems our society is obsessed with ideal female beauty, while standards for men fall short.

Newsweek published an interesting article discussing this very issue. Playfully written, the article goes into a set of grooming "rules" for men. Weekly forearm waxing, tummy tucks and ab work, heel or leg extenders for short guys and many more entertaining yet unsettlingly accurate points are addressed for the men's new "rules."

Beauty maintenance is just one more aspect about gender inequality in society today. Though not as serious of an issue as others, it holds as an interesting discussion.

Read the full Newsweek article: http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/19/man-up.html

Swedish feminist group burns 13K in pay gap protest

A feminist Swedish group put fire to 100,000 kronor, or $13,000, at a barbeque. This radical protest against unequal pay for men and women caused quite a stir last week. The money represented the gap of money earned per minute between women and men in Sweden.

Though the money was donated by an advertising agency, was this the best way to make a stand against gender equality in the workplace? Would there have been a better way to use the donated money? Tell us what you think.

BBC News' article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10526907

Read what feministing.com says:
Swedish feminist group burns 13K in pay gap protest