Carrie Laven - Pretty Penniless

20 Jun 2012

Broke-Ass Fun: Become an Astrology-Obsessed Nutcase

At an art show the other day, I met a princely man in a pea green windbreaker,  tribal print backwards baseball hat, and turquoise necklace.  I knew that we would get along, and not just because he was channeling a nature walk-loving Will Smith circa Fresh Prince of Bel Air-slash-

Carrie Laven - Pretty Penniless 0
13 Jun 2012

Coming to Terms with Your Daddy Issues

Okay, actually, I mean my daddy issues.  And I don’t mean all of that psychological hoo-ha about abandonment and male authority figures or whatever.  I’m talking about having the hots for guys in khakis and Hawaiian shirts.  As soon as I see a strapping twentysomething in the same outfit that

Carrie Laven - Pretty Penniless 0
06 Jun 2012

Weddings: A Broke-Ass’s Dream Party

Recently, I had the honor of being a bridesmaid in my BFF Kate’s wedding to her longtime main squeeze, Jason.  Besides an awkward moment where the Mother-of-the-Bride looked down at me while I was adjusting Kate’s train and said, “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride!” (way to send shivers down

Carrie Laven - Pretty Penniless 0
02 May 2012

Broke-Ass Rant: If You’re Not Oprah, Then You Have Time To Hang Out

Like a lot of people my age who are trying to Make It Happen, I’ve kind of got a lot of shit going on right now.  I work a full-time job that I don’t love to pay the bills, work at an online fashion magazine after my office job everyday,

Carrie Laven - Pretty Penniless 0
25 Apr 2012

How to Be a Dancing Queen on a Budget

The answer to this question is easy:  smear on massive amounts of lipstick, back-comb your wig into voluminous perfection, climb up onto a table, and shake your thing because hips don’t lie, honey!  Oh, wait.  So you just want to learn how to dance like a pro, but don’t have

Carrie Laven - Pretty Penniless 0
18 Apr 2012

How to Celebrate a “Friend-a-Versary” (You Know, Like an Anniversary, Except with People You Don’t Smooch)

I’m a big ol’ fan of celebrations: parties, holidays, the “happy dance” that I perform in my room after I do my laundry and realize that I don’t have to wear ratty underpants anymore.  It doesn’t take much for me to throw my arms up in the air, and praise

Carrie Laven - Pretty Penniless 0
11 Apr 2012

Tales of My Foot Phobia

Believe it or not, this morning marked the second time that I saw someone clip their nails on the subway.  At least it wasn’t their toenails, like the first time around.  That incident happened during the summer, when it was hot enough to wear sandals– the thick, B.O.-pungent air, and

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