Savings for a Worthy Cause: Carrie Ann Inaba and P&G team up to help Breast Cancer Research

Pictured: Dancer Carrie Ann Inaba (L) and her mother Patty Inaba Cheu attend the Associates for Breast and Prostate Cancer’s Mothers Day luncheon (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Today, I had the pleasure of chatting with “Dancing With the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba about a new program that’s very close to her heart: the GIVE HOPE program. GIVE HOPE is a partnership with Procter & Gamble and the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. (NBCF) to help increase women’s chances of survival from breast cancer through early detection. Carrie Ann has a special connection to this cause. Recently her mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. The good new is that even though her mother, Patty Inaba Cheu, had Breast Cancer, because of early detection via a mammogram and a self-exam, she was fortunate enough to have caught the disease early. She is currently in remission. Now Carrie Ann is getting the word out about the importance of yearly mammograms, self checks and online tools like www.mypinkplan.com, to help women create and follow their own prevention plan, personalized to their specific needs. With My Pink Plan you can set up regular reminders for your own personal early detection plan including email notifications, calendars and text messages. I love it when the technology works for us! 🙂

Pictured: Coming this Sunday in your newspaper: the P&G brandSAVER coupon booklet

During our chat, Carrie Ann let me in on a valuable secret. Of special note to Recessionistas around the globe, special savings and coupons are on the way to help raise money for breast cancer while helping all of us get some useful products for less. Look for a supplement of coupons for over $300.00 worth of savings in your Sunday newspaper (US only). Here’s the deal. There will be a P&G brandSAVER coupon booklet in your paper on September 27. According to Carrie Ann, ” For every brandSAVER coupon redeemed from the booklet at any participating retailer, a two-cent donation will be made to the NCBF.” The coupons will include savings on products like Tide, Bounce and my personal favorite, the dust destroyer know as the Swiffer! When one in every eight women now has breast cancer, and I need to buy laundry detergent and household products anyway, this is a golden opportunity to help myself while helping others. This is saving and giving Recessionista style!

Of course, no conversation with Carrie Ann would be complete without a few questions about fashion and this season of “Dancing with the Stars.” Here is my interview/conversation with Carrie Ann on these very important topics.

Pictured: Kelly Osbourne’s 1930s Glamour Look on Dancing with the Stars this season

Q. What do you think of the hairstyles and makeup on this season’s show? I was fascinated by Kelly Osbourne’s Marcel wave hairstyle this week on the show.

A. Kelly looks great and I think she is a woman who can transform herself many times with different looks. I love seeing her mother Sharon in the audience watching her. It’s great to see such a supportive Mom! Obviously, ballroom dancing wear is not an everyday style, but I’m very proud that “Dancing with the Stars” won an Emmy this year for hair and makeup. On the show, host Samantha Harris and I wear gowns each week, but we chose things that are elegant and simply accented with great jewelry.

Pictured: An example of Carrie Ann’s elegant, classic style a fawn gown with bracelets and a lovely pendant. Nothing is overpowering, she is still the focal point.

Q. What is your style philosophy? Our readers would love to hear your fashion tips.

A. For me, its all about how you feel in your clothes. You want to have people notice YOU FIRST, not the dress, not the jewels but you. Look at yourself and do what works for you— don’t let your clothes or your jewelry overpower you.

Q. On “Dancing with the Stars”, you have a great way of making comments that are truthful, but tactful. You are not shaming people. How do you manage to make the critique meaningful, but not hurtful?

A. I truly believe in honesty and I believe that people want to do their best. I’m watching their moves as if I were a viewer and trying to give them good advice to help them improve. I believe everyone who is on the show is truly trying to win, so my perspective is to offer advice that is helpful. Sometimes, I may take a firm tone, but that is to get the contestants to focus so they can improve. The scores I give are only about the dancing, they are not personal.

Pictured: The Iceman Cometh, Chuck Liddell works his personal style

Q. Have there been any favorite moments for you this season, so far?
A. I enjoyed watching Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell. Here’s this big guy doing ballroom dancing. He reminded me that dance is a freeing conversation with you, your partner and the audience.

I had so much fun chatting with Carrie Ann, I almost forgot about the coupon savings in this Sunday’s paper! It was great talking to her, and I really enjoyed her style savvy.

One thing I did after our conversation, was to go to www.mypinkplan.com and set up reminders for regular self checks and exams. Be sure and take a few minutes out of your day to plan your self-checks and schedule a mammogram. As Carrie Ann said, “Its important for women to stay aware. Get educated and take your health into your hands.”