Archive for September 16th, 2009

If you were one of the many millions who watched the historic inauguration of Barrack Obama into the US Presidency, you would also have noticed how his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, also had her own following when she made fashion history by wearing a very stylish, off-the-shoulder gown to the Inaugural Ball.

I honestly think that the fashion world and the common woman folk finally have one thing in common to look up to: Michelle Obama. It has been quite awhile since the White House had a “young” First Lady and fashion designers and retail stores are praying she wears an item of theirs because it is guaranteed to be a hit the moment it comes out in the papers. Women, ordinary housewives and career woman, look forward to dissecting what Mrs.O, as she is loving called, is wearing. Why? For the main reason that Mrs. O doesn’t look at the price tags. According to the New York Daily News, Michelle Obama shops at J.Crew and has reportedly worn $300 outfits to meetings with other country’s First Ladies. (This is in complete contrast with Palin’s fashion statement!)

And Mrs. O starts a trend whenever she is seen to wear something new. Look at what the Fashion Bomb reported her wearing which was sold out the next day:

It is the toy watch that retails for $195. The site had many hits and inquiries that day and reports say Nordstrom has a lot of purchases of the watch the following day. What Mrs. O wore exactly was a plasteramic toy watch like the ones below:

Nothing beats the sense of pride and accomplishment one feels when finishing college. It takes a whole lot of determination, perseverance, (sometimes utter) luck and a whole lot of student loans to be able to get through college. In an ideal world, a fresh college graduate will look forward to a great job and a bright future. However, in reality, more oftentimes,  he is faced with competition for employment and a huge bill for student loans accumulated through the years. That is why financial analysts recommend debt consolidation.

One needs to know too how much college debt is too much. Referring to a college debt guide will help one assess if he is borrowing more than he can pay. Many fresh graduates find their loan payments are so big that they can’t save for other goals, such as a house or retirement.

Consolidated Credit, a debt consolidation company, can help you. They offer credit card debt help, credit counseling, debt management, etc. and will be able to help you classify which ones need to be taken cared of immediately.

If all else puts you down, remember student loans are most of the times regarded as "good" debt. Like a house mortgage or a business loan, borrowing for your education can be a smart investment in the future. So regard it as an investment and not as a debt.