Countless shoppers have signed up for these monthly style subscription retailing sites, only to find after not reading the fine print that they have accrued hidden fees charged to their credit cards.

By using these tips one can circumvent some of the frustrations of summer travel. Remember to be prepared, know what you have and bring some extra emergency pieces so you’ll stay cool on your next summer trip.

With the past few turbulent years of financial strain, recession, home foreclosure and credit collapse, government policy will soon exist to help put safeguards and support in place to aid the American consumer on both minor and major financial decisions. The passing of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, spearheaded by Christopher Dodd, a former senator from Connecticut, and U. S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), was signed by President Obama after the financial collapse to centralize an outdated consumer protections system, allowing for the creation of a new bureau to oversee law-making powers and aid for the modern consumer. This new agency, named the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has now been officially brought into being, with urgent goals to aid Americans of all walks of life.

With a growing list of social concerns and government policies, students in the D.C. metro area gathered for the Social Advocacy Conference with enthusiasm and big ideas. The conference was held by the University of the District of Columbia on April 2, as a way to educate undergraduate students about the process of social advocacy campaigns and lobbying for change on major social issues. All 83 students in attendance started the conference in selected groups such as Affordable Higher Education, Environment and Alternative Energy, Equal Opportunity, Human Rights, Immigration, International Development, Poverty and Homelessness, Education Reform, and Public Health, allowing all of the attendees to find an area of specific interest.

Another outlet for the digital-age fashionista involves the creation of collages and fictitious outfit compiling on the sites Looklet and Polyvore, allowing site members to access the online databases of designer clothing on the market. This allows users to create full outfits and wardrobes without spending a dime; an important aspect for fashion fans during a recession. This use of creating fashion collages online has also proved to be a profitable marketing technique for designers and their pieces, as both sites enable the users to access the pricing and selling information of each piece, with Polyvore going so far as to allow you to purchase items through designers directly on their site.

Masquerades have been historically known as a social rite of frivolity and debauchery, as well as being a catalyst and forum for showcasing popular trends of the time. While today’s masquerades have taken on a more casual approach and occur less frequently, Northern Virginia Community College students were recently treated to a masquerade at the Annandale campus, as a night of socializing and fun with their peers. With the tradition of pushing style up a few notches in events like these, there was a large sampling of not only creative masks but of attire that alludes to the spring trends as well.

Anyone who has ever driven in the Occoquan area of Woodbridge may recall less than fond memories of massive gridlock and a sometimes tortuous daily commute. This rise in traffic issues has called for an expansion of U.S. 1 by the Virginia Department of Transportation, which has plans to raise the street level and add on-ramps in place of ordinary intersection turns.

A meeting was held March 24 to showcase the current plans for the project and allow residents to voice their concerns about the coming changes. The meeting, attended by over 100 people, started with a question and answer period, followed by a formal presentation given by those involved with the project.

With the pitfalls of winter weather and the necessity of forgoing fashion at times for the sake of shoveling your driveway, winter is still a wonderful time to be fashionable with boots, fun scarves and long pea coats that help one look put together with the slightest effort. And while the weather still may be sending a shiver up your spine, spring will be here before you know it, with an advent of new styles and looks that will signify a much needed trip to the mall. But how does one integrate pieces they love from winter into spring worthy looks when the transitional season weather has gone haywire? Here are a few tips and tricks for pulling off parts of your winter wardrobe for spring.

If you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or just about any other national holiday in the month of December, chances are that you’ve got a wallet stuffed with gift cards. They’re as useful as currency, but unfortunately consumers tend not to spend them as carefully as their own cash, sometimes missing out on good deals or forgetting about the gift cards entirely in all the hustle and bustle life can bring. This article is aimed to help all of you post-holiday shoppers get the most bang for your gift card buck and ring in the new year with high style.

Many American families have been hit by hard financial times in recent years, and being fashionable in these times can be tough. Welcome to the “Recessionista Era,” where fashionable young women are using entrepreneurial skills and killer instincts to not only purchase high style items on the cheap, but start their own designer lines as well.