potted succulents

Potted Plants That Beat the Heat

True, this isn’t a gardening column, but I’m all about living a life of enjoyment today, while still saving for the future.  So, let’s get the pretty plants out for a happy summer, but for goodness’ sake, only buy the plants once. If you’ve ever stepped outside in July and immediately questioned your life choices,…

world flags

Independence Day Around the World

In the US, we are making a big-old-deal about our 250th Birthday. But we are not the only ones with meaningful/ridiculous Independence Day traditions.  And we are by far, not the oldest. So let’s take a quick tour of what’s going on at other countries’ birthday bashes. India Independence Day falls on August 15, marking…

No Summer Vacation Plans? No Problem!

While my kids were growing up, our family vacation planning went something like this: December: “We should plan ahead for a vacation with the boys this summer.  Maybe this time it won’t feel so stressful and be so expensive.” June:  “We have no plans and only one available week to go on a family vacation. …

Christmas Movies

Best and Worst Christmas Movies Ev-ah!

This blog is going out on Christmas day, so it’s likely never to be read.  So, rather than give you life-changing financial advice that will drift to the bottom of the unread-holiday-email pile, how about some suggestions for holiday entertainment? My comments are after the scores. Jingling All The Way… Meet Me in St. Louis…

Secret Santa

Secret Santa Made Simple

Whether it’s a work party, family name-drawing tradition, or friend group, we are deep into Secret Santa Season.  Here are some ideas to make that random person whose name you drew feel seen and special. First, give some thought to the recipient.  Think about the recipient’s interests: tech vs home vs games vs personal care.…

Funny Thoughts About Thanksgiving

Who are we kidding?  Even if you are checking email today, you don’t want to read about personal finance the day before you start overspending for the holidays.  So, to give us all a break (me included), here are some funny things about Thanksgiving: “Pretty excited about making a huge Thanksgiving feast so my daughter…

Halloween

Five Funny Quotes About Halloween

It’s the day before Halloween, so you must be running around costuming your kids/pets/self and buying candy.  So, no boring finance stuff, just a few laughs.   “Last Halloween, there was a knock on the door.  I looked out the window and shouted upstairs to my wife, ‘Honey, there’s a witch at the door.  What…