For those of you who don’t know her, @TheBloggess aka Jenny Lawson is the funniest woman on the planet—unless you’re easily offended, then you should probably just skip this post and all of the links. She wrote a memoir called Let’s Pretend This Never Happened which made me laugh so hard I couldn’t read it…
My family hasn’t given holiday gifts to each other for years and when we stopped, the holidays went from stressful and expensive to a time when we could relax and enjoy each other. Recently, some blog readers asked me how we got to that point—how did we have the conversation that initiated the change so…
I had an emotionally messy weekend. I finally realized that the holidays are officially HERE, and that I need to start planning my travel down to Portland, Oregon to honor my familial obligations. This did not sit well with me. It’s my first holiday season without my mom, who LOVED cooking, decorating and generally doing everything…
To create change is one of the most difficult things we attempt. Especially in the area of money; whether it be practical change, such as paying off debt, or internal change, like altering our thought patterns, it’s hardly ever as simple as adding a behavior to our daily routine. What I have discovered is that…
About three years ago, I attended a conference in Maui. It was held in Hana, so I rented a car (SUV actually) and drove the world-famous Road to Hana with its 600 curves and more than 60 one-lane bridges. Although Hana is only 52 miles away from the airport, we’re still talking about a 2…
Switching focus from gift giving to others to giving to yourself, is the best way to feel some relaxation and peace during the holiday season. You may think others might feel neglected, when in fact, they will feel more peace and happiness as well. My Family History of Not Giving For the past several years,…
(previously published Tuesday, January 6, 2009 – right after the whole experience! ) This has absolutely nothing to do with financial planning; I just wanted to get the full story out on my recent mishap. The first weekend in December I was pet/house sitting overnight for a very good friend. She has four cats and…
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