Our 5 Favorite Websites of 2011

We spend so much time at our computers that we're starting to look like creatures plucked directly from a Lord of the Rings movie. And we wonder why we're (well, why one of us is) single...

Anyway, we can think of worse ways to spend our time, given the amazing websites popping up daily all over the interwebs.  Here are a few of our favorites, though we're mostly partial to our own (because it's obviously the best, she said humbly):

1. Pinterest -- This photo-sharing site is just hours of pure enjoyment.  Back when we had salaried jobs, this is the kind of website we would've wasted hours of our employer's time perusing/"pinning".  It's probably the easiest and most dynamic site yet to emerge for creating inspiration boards of all kinds. 

2. Hello Giggles -- A lot of you probably discovered us through this site, which blew up big time from the first day it launched.  This girlie site is the brainchild (love-child?) of Zooey Deschanel, Sophia Rossi, and Molly McAleer, and it's all about user-generated content on topics ranging from Ryan Gosling to New Girl to My Little Pony. It's sweet and non-cynical -- we can't relate, but we love it nonetheless. 

3. LearnVest -- We're not here to give you financial advice, which is a good thing because we majored in screenwriting and art history, so...we likely shouldn't be giving you any advice at all, but whatever.  Anyway, LearnVest picks up where we leave off, with tons of practical money-saving, debt-reducing tips as well as tools for managing your budget and investments. Think of it as the cooler version of the classes you should've taken in college instead of Oceanography or Mythology (for free!). 

4. Fab.com -- This used to be a gay social network, but now it's an amazing design-driven commerce site.  Not to stereotype, but this is a really obvious pivot for them, and boy (no pun intended) have they blown it out of the water. Prices on the site range from uber-low to super-luxe, and every single item is deliciously designed. Use Fab to rehab your pad, stat. 

5. Airbnb -- We are obsessed with traveling, and we would secretly die to have our own travel show. We know this dream is unique to us, as getting paid to jet-set around the world likely sounds terrible to most people, no? In any case, we firmly believe that travel can feel luxurious on a budget, and it's sites like Airbnb that help enable us to make this statement. Use it to find apartments for rent all over the world...why stay in a tourist-y hotel when you can have an authentic experience in someone's fabulous flat, and at a fraction of the cost?