Is it just me or are men getting a little bit more polite? Jaded New Yorker that I am, I tend to assume anyone close to me on the subway is trying to steal my wallet or feel me up. Though the “accidental” ass-grab still happens about once a week, it’s becoming less frequent. I choose to view the lack of groping phenomenon not as a sign of my decreasing desirability, but as a sign of increasing old fashioned manners. In my semi-scientific survey I have discovered that at least three other women agree that men these days are more likely to offer gals their seat on the bus, carry heavy bags, open doors and pay compliments, even when there is no hope of sex. I have a theory: the recession. Maybe I am just searching for the silver lining on the dreary financial cloud, but I do think the economic woes have made us slightly more civilized. Before I conclusively decide exactly what factor is making dudes walking examples of Emily Post etiquette, I will postulate my three main theories.

I am not great with money. I think the problem is I don’t love money. Don’t get me wrong, I love material things, but money in and of itself doesn’t really interest me. Maybe the idea of having money isn’t as compelling because as a recent college grad, I don’t have any. Until very recently money didn’t feel real to me. I loved the things it bought me, but the dollars themselves didn’t have much value. When did my attitude towards money evolve: the very second I opened up my first pay check. During my last semester of college I spent hours upon hours tutoring freshman on the finer points of writing and not using a hangover as a reason to ask for an extension on their term paper. I loved every almost every minute of explaining the beauty of the semicolon, but I wanted that paycheck. For every minute that I could have been doing something, anything else, I wanted compensation. At eight dollars an hour I was hardly raking it in, but I was so proud of each dollar.

Times are tough and women are looking for ways to cut back. We at The Frisky are determined to bring you the best budget beauty out there, but we are also not going to lie to you: some things you just can’t skimp on. You may never notice the difference between a CoverGirl and a Chanel lipstick but there are certain beauty products and treatments where you will. So save yourself some medical danger and grief and read our five beauty treatments we beg you to fork over the dough for.

Cutie Ryan Reynolds talks about getting down and dirty with his costar Sandra Bullock in their new flick, “The Proposal.”  [MSNBC]—Sounds like Bullock’s hubby, Jesse James, might have some competition…

Charlize Theron’s mom accompanied her to the “Meet in the Middle” rally for gay marriage on Saturday [E Online]

Kanye West showed his (not so) humble side when he commented on Kris Allen’s cover of “Heartless” on American Idol. [Perez]— Conceited or not, I will always love him.

 

Nazita Aminpour is suing Chase bank for telling her husband about her secret individual bank account with $800,000 in it. Aminpour had a joint account with husband David Shamash at Chase but kept her individual account a secret. Shamash found out about her secret account when a Chase employee cold-called to suggest he take his money out of that account and invest it in a different way. According to the suit Aminpour filed, Shamash started harassing her until she gave him $155,000 to invest in the stock market and to cover a margin call he had on his stock account. Aminpour says Chase violated non-disclosure laws and is asking the bank to pay her $155,000 plus legal fees. It seems pretty crazy that a woman would keep that much money a secret from her husband, but the bank had no business telling him about it. Do you think it’s OK for husbands and wives to keep secret money stashes from their significant others? [NY Post via Jezebel]

Pesky money. It ALWAYS seems to be an issue in life. If it wasn’t, I can guarantee you I would quit my day job. I’d pack up my bags, hop on my free flight to Paris, (because in this fantasy world, money doesn’t exist), and spend my days roaming the streets for cheese and wine. Since this clearly is not the case, I sit all day in a 5 x 5 cubicle staring at gross aluminum lights until 5 pm rolls around. (This sounds pretty depressing when I type it out. Truth be told…it is.)

Some women seem to think that “dating” a guy means they’ve got a free meal ticket. For every breakfast/lunch/dinner date, these girls think the guy should always pay…and keep paying.