When Money Buys Access beyond Washington
"You have to bloom where you're planted." -- Bill Clinton, about life after his presidency I'm catching up on my past New Yorker magazines and I'm embarrassed to admit that…
WWYD: Picking Up the Check
I'm curious how you handle the awkward situation of the pick-up-the-tab-dance. Picture the scene: you've gone out for a nice dinner with friends. Along comes the check and suddenly the…
Saving for College
My niece Kate is in 8th grade. That means freshman year of college is slightly less than 5 years away! Sounds like a long time to me, except when I…
Save Money by Cutting Down on Food Waste
"Don't waste money, don't waste time, don't waste food, don't waste energy." -- Sri Sathya Sai Baba Yesterday on NPR, Ted Robbins interviewed Timothy Jones, an athropologist that suggests ways…
‘Tis the Season to Shop
"We used to build civilizations. Now we build shopping malls." -- Bill Bryson Last Friday was Buy Nothing Day. What is Buy Nothing Day? Its organizers explain, "Every November, for…
Adjust Your Attitude
I was reading that crazy little publication "Stages" that Fidelity Investments sends to people who are enrolled in a 401K administered by Fidelity. It is a small quarterly publication that…
The Onward Surge of Thanksgiving
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -- John F. Kennedy According to ,…
WWYD: Boycotting Homophobia
I'm really curious to hear your take on this. After I learned about Cracker Barrel (in 1991) and Olive Garden (in 1998) firing gay employees purely because they were gay"and…
Splurging for Babs
"Spending is quick, earning is slow." -- Russian Proverb The best way to save money is to avoid spending money. But sometimes you have to splurge. In a previous post,…
Gay and Green
In my state, New Jersey, we have the option to pay more for our electricity. Why on earth would anyone pay more for already-expensive energy? Because the providers offer service…