Miss Truth Hurts is taking a mini break from the usual sex, relationship, and bitchy girl dilemmas that have been rolling in since this column started just a wee four months ago. In this month's posts, we're looking the recession beast in the eyes and saying, "Fuck you!"

In the first installment of this two part recession special, I offered tips on how to make Valentine's Day a cheap date, how to cut down expenses without downsizing your life, and how to not get fired. Additionally my buddy wiL Francis told bands how to tour on the cheap. In part two, we rock out (and work out) a champagne party on a beer budget. Next month, we'll resume to our regularly scheduled programming of love, lust, relationships, and life enigmas.

Q: I can't afford my gym membership anymore. What are some good options other than running around my neighborhood, which is not very safe?

-Working it out in Wisconsin

A: Cancel that gym membership, for sure! There are so many cheaper and more fun ways to work out than sweating next to some muscle-heads in a meat market. Use the great outdoors for your exercise: hike, use parks that have jungle gyms or stairs to run around on, go to donation-only yoga classes, and, my favorite, buy a small $50 mini trampoline and bounce your way to a tighter ass. You can pick up yoga and workout DVDs and small free weights for under $10 at Target as well.


Q: I can't afford to shop for new clothes, so how can I reinvent my wardrobe and keep up with the trends without buying new stuff?

-Style Starved in Seattle

A: You might not need to cut out shopping entirely. The 99 Cent stores have colored and black tights, which are very fashionable right now. You can make an old dress look fresh by wearing a cool pair of tights with them. Stores like Forever 21 and Target have great deals, especially their sales racks, as do yard sales and Good Will or Salvation Army stores.

But, if you really want to keep away from the stores, do a clothes swap party with your friends. This is how it works: whoever shows up to the party first, gets to choose first. So make a list of the order once everyone arrives. You hang up or spread out all of the clothes, shoes, accessories that people brought and if the first person brought five of her own garments, then she is allowed to choose five garments from the selection. If the second person only brought one item, then she is allowed to take only one item, and so on. It's a great way to recycle your old stuff and get new stuff for free!

You can also revamp your existing wardrobe by dying some clothes a different color with Rit Dye. I do it all the time. I take my dingy white tank tops and dye them the hot new hue of purple. I also took my dated boot-leg jeans and cut them into cute shorts, which, of course, are so en vogue.


Q: I have no extra money for entertainment these days. What are some cheap ways to have fun?

-Partying in Pasadena, Calif.

A: Have more parties at your apartment or house and make everyone bring something to eat or drink. You can do a girlie at-home spa day where everyone does each other's nails or if you need your hair dyed, you get a great bottle of L'Oreal's Feria color at the store (my fave brand) and have a "Dye and Drink" party. It saves big time on going to a salon for a mani/pedi or dye job, and it's fun. And, did you know that you can borrow movies for free from the library? Or check out, documentary-film.net, which has a ton of amazing -- and enlightening -- films for free. If you don't need to go that cheap, then invest in NetFlix. It's worth the admission.

But, my favorite cheap thrills are games. Screw Pictionary and Trivia Pursuit. Get saucy with it and play games like "What the F#*k," which asks naughty questions like, "Would you rather suck face with the person to the right of you or the person to the left of you?" Or rock it old school with games like Truth or Dare, 7 Minutes in Heaven, or 20 Questions. Wanna have fun out of the house? Some museums are free at certain times, such as LACMA in L.A., which has a Pay What You Wish (which can be gratis) program after 5 p.m.



Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna is Suicide Girls' sex, love, and life advice columnist. She is an entertainment journalist, rock wife, and author of Cherry Bomb: The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Better Flirt, a Tougher Chick, and a Hotter Girlfriend, and to Living Life Like a Rock Star and Eyewitness Nirvana: The Day-by-Day Chronicle.

Send your questions, dilemmas, and conundrums to misstruthhurts@suicidegirls.com. Alternatively, SG members can send a message via the site to MissTruthHurts.