DC Shopping Freebies

If you live in DC check out this article in the Washington Post. It provides a list of stores in the DC area that provide freebies to their shoppers. Everything from free candy, cupcakes, wine and soft drinks, to palm reading and free music and cocktails. Personally, I have never been to any of these … Read more

Will You Stop Purchasing Chinese Goods?

Last week Mattel recalled millions of toys produced in China. Earlier this summer the FDA warned consumers of a poisonous chemical found in certain toothpastes imported from China and in April of this year 16 cats and dogs died and thousands were sickened as a result of tainted pet food linked to a Chinese manufacturer. … Read more

What Were You Thinking When You Purchased Your Home?

In the Sunday Real Estate section of the Washington Post Michael Rosenwald wrote an article called Was the Mortgage a Mistake. The article discusses Michael’s own decision to purchase a townhouse in Germantown, with an interest-only mortgage, at the peak of the housing market. In essence, just after his purchase the housing market cooled and … Read more

How Do You Split the Bill Among Friends?

Last night my husband and I celebrated a friend’s 30th at a great bar in DC. By the time we arrived 30 to 40 friends had already gathered. Most of them had ordered food and from what we could tell the waitress was adding everything to one bill. We looked around at all of the … Read more

I am Begging You… Buy a Calculator… Please…

Every time I shop at local stores around my home I experience unbelievably long, time consuming lines at the checkout counter. If I travel farther from my home I still find long lines, but the wait time is much faster. So why are the lines near my home so unbelievably slow? Could the problem be … Read more

Should You Buy and Sell a Home in a Falling Market?

Does it make sense to buy and sell a home in the current housing market? Friends of mine are thinking of moving into a larger home. In order to do so, they’ll first need to sell their current one. But is this a good time to upgrade? Honestly, I don’t know the answer to this … Read more

Did you Register for China When You Got Married?

When my husband and I were registering for our wedding in 2004 we got into a huge debate over whether or not we should register for china. My husband supported the idea while I rallied against it. I just didn’t see the need for china in our lives. To ask guests to spend money on … Read more

The Correlation Between Body and Spirit

If you get a chance, read His Heart Whirs Anew, a very interesting article in the Style section of this weekend’s Washington Post. The article discusses Peter Houghton, a 68 year old man who underwent an operation seven years ago that replaced the dysfunctional left ventricle of his heart with a titanium turbine. Mr. Houghton’s … Read more

Would You Do This… To Save Money?

The other day I was in Rite-Aid purchasing some sale items listed in the weekly circular. While I was in the cereal isle I noticed a woman pulling each box of Special K off the shelf, looking at the front of the box, flipping the box to look at the back, and then placing the … Read more

Snooping to Find the Value of Someone Else’s Home

My husband and I purchased our primary residence in August of 2001. My husband, (then boyfriend), and I purchased the house together, five days after my 24th birthday. It was a defining moment in our lives. There is nothing better than painting the walls, and moving the furniture, and realizing that one day you will … Read more