Have you heard of the Want, Need, Wear, Read Christmas gift-giving strategy? It’s an approach to Christmas that helps us appreciate holiday traditions while minimizing the cost and complexity of the holidays. Do you want to simplify Christmas or celebrate a minimalist Christmas this year? Check out the simplicity of the four-gift-giving rules. Want Need Wear Read: Christmas Gift …
This may be the shortest post I’ve written in a decade! I just bought my kids a one year membership to the Maryland Science Center through Groupon. Memberships were on sale for 50% off, plus I earned 12% back by shopping through Rakuten. I haven’t written about cash back websites in forever, but in case …
It’s easy to spend inordinate amounts of time and money pursuing happiness while forgetting that joy can exist at any moment on any given day. When we think about happiness we often picture expensive outings and special occasions. We imagine traveling to exotic locations or spending money on extravagant meals, but the greatest gifts in …
Do you find joy in the journey, or are you constantly delaying happiness? Maybe you’ve thought, I’ll be happier when I get my next promotion, or elated when I get that next big raise. Perhaps you’ll be happier when your bank balance reaches $100,000, or you retire. Years ago, I met a woman whose kids …
Have you heard the saying, “People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime?” The quote suggests that people enter our lives for three reasons. To teach us lessons, guide us through specific periods, or to join our life-long journey. The Need for Social Interaction Life is a journey, and our …
Have you ever thought about quitting your job to stay home with your children? Every week I receive letters from women who are considering leaving their careers. Some emails are short, and some are long, but more than half ask the same vital question: Will I regret quitting my job to become a stay-at-home mom? …
Every day we make choices hoping to make our future selves happy. We consider our options, weigh the pros and cons, and choose what appears to be the best path. We flash forward, through the magic of our imaginations, and think, “I’ll be happy I did that.” It doesn’t matter what choices lay before us. …
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines generosity as the willingness to give more money and time than is necessary or expected. For decades, I struggled with the idea of acting generously and battled furiously against the desire to keep everything for myself. Rather than giving from a place of love and abundance, I was emotionally attached to money and …
According to psychologists, our happiness peaks when we reach the magical salary of $75,000. Once we earn that much, our health and the quality of our relationships provide more joy than making more money ever could. We need to feel safe, secure, and well fed, but once money pays for life’s necessities, we don’t need more to …
Do you believe in an afterlife? A place where souls go after they die? If so, do you think our deceased loved ones can send us signs from beyond the grave? It’s a question that’s intrigued me since 1986 when my best friend invited me to her nine-year-old slumber party. “Take a look at this,” …