PINK

The beginning of October is met with a "where did the year go" response. This month comes covered in pink as it is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Even the Sports Illustrated Magazine Header is in pink this month. Every three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. About 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. This year, an estimated 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women. In 2010 alone there are more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S., along with 54,010 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer. If she's over 40 she needs to get a mammogram on a regular basis. It's the best way to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages.

There is opportunity to support this cause and to help find a cure. Numerous walks and 5k runs take place this month, plus almost every manufacturer has a pink product available for purchase with proceeds benefiting breast cancer research. Needless to say this is a highly relatable, relevant topic that women really participate in. The passion factor is at an all time high, as there's a good chance she at least knows someone who has or had this horrible disease. So don something pink, participate in a walk a thon and remind her as tactfully as possible to get a mammogram. Here are some helpful sites: Breastcancer.org, komen.org and thebreastcancersite.com

She buzz words

• Race for the Cure
• Pathology Report
• Vitamins
• Revenue

Right now she could be:

Waiting for a biopsy report

She questions

How much did she spend on her child's college supplies this fall?

A recent USA Today survey showed these results:

• Electronics: $266
• Clothes: $119
• Dorm supplies: $80
• School supplies: $61
• Total: $600

She shop

Designer jeans are getting hit hard by the recession. Most premium jean prices have been lowered as a strategy to keep their customers or capture new customers. New spin-off lines have been created to help brands keep their customers happy. Gap, always know for selling a more reasonably priced jean, will unveil a new $60 line next month. Here are the top-10 brands of jeans for women and their price range as of this writing:

• Levis $49-$79
• Rider by Lee $22-$29
• Lee $42-$49
• Gloria Vanderbilt $32-$38
• Calvin Klein $49-$89
• Lucky Brand $88-$140
• For Al Mankind $155-$225
• Levi Strauss Signature $19-$25
• Liz Claiborne $39-$49
• Wrangler $29-$49

(Source: NPD Group: Romney Evans/Truejeans.com)

She's lovin'

• Sonia Kashuk's Make Up Sponge available at Target
• Julia & Julia in theaters now.
• Ziploc Evolve, made with 25-percent less plastic: the perfect portion bakeware. She can cook and bake portion-size food. HYPERLINK "http://www.circulon.com" www.circulon.com

She vocabulary

• Oligofrucotose: a new sweetener made from the chicory root
• Freebates: to purchase a product then receive a mail-in rebate for the entire price

She college slang

• Awkward turtle: feeling like you're in an awkward situation
• Fail: to make a mistake
• Epic Fail: to make a huge mistake
• Fro-yo: frozen yogurt
• Roll mad deep: to hang out in a large group of people
• Sister from another mister: girlfriends who feel close like sisters
• Skrilla: money
• Spit game: to flirt
• Walk of shame: what girls do after spending the night with a guy

(Source: UCLA slang dictionary)

She tips

• A regular wet tea bag (with caffeine) doubles as a window cleaner. Just wipe, and dry with a clean cloth.
• Read all snail and email sent from your credit card company, even if it looks like an advertisement. They may be quietly, but legally, raising your interest rate.
• If she's run out of hair gel, she could substitute regular (not gel) shaving cream.

She's a dreamer

Dreams are supposedly a representation of what our brain is trying to process. If she believes that, here are symbolic references she may like:

• Water symbolizes healing, refreshment, knowledge, and spirituality.
• Flying symbolizes a sense of power.
• Falling symbolizes insecurities and anxiety.
• Being chased symbolizes the fear of being caught or found out.
• Being naked symbolizes the fear of being judged.

(Source: USA Today)

She safety

Monkey bars, swings, and slides have been a great place of fun and injury for children. Annually, approximately 200,000 children end up in the emergency room after playing on a playground. About 90,000 are seriously injured and about 15 kids die from a fatal injury, mostly from a fall. Surfacing is the most important safety feature for a playground.

(Source: Safe Kids USA)

The World Health Organization recently released a statement saying tanning beds are in the same high-risk category as tobacco when it comes to cancer risk. Research has found the link between indoor tanning and skin cancer melanoma "sufficient and compelling," and 62,000 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed last year.

She love

A recent Lever 2000 survey shows parents say they are at least 75% more affectionate to their kids than their parents were to them.

She questions

• Does she fear identity theft? (in a recent USA Today article, 53 percent said yes)
• Should using a cell phone while driving be banned?
• Are some people going overboard when it comes to spending on their pets?
• Does she know how much a gallon of regular milk is; Organic milk?
• Is she a coupon queen?

She Travel

She can get creative with her frequent flier miles and swap enough to make a flight possible for herself or someone else. A small fee may apply but it's still cheaper than a round trip ticket. Here are the sites that can help:

• www.points.com: trade mile per mile with another consumer
• www.Loyaltymatch.com: trade miles to get flights or products.

She could be a

• Hotel check in clerk
• Counter help at a local BBQ joint
• Tour guide
• Museum security guard
• Starbucks barista

She fact

Heart attack victims were more than three time likely to have been sitting in traffic withn an hour before their attack happened.

Source: American Heart Association

She Pet

Secondhand smoke affects pets as well as their owners.

She money

She can keep track of her rebates at www.rebatetracker.com; offers rebates coupons and reminds you of deadlines.

Some rebates are not connected to a bank. Here are some sites that also offer cash back:

• ebates.com
• Fatwalet.com
• rebateshare.com
• extrabux.com

• Get more She Prep at www.ShePrep.com