Will one be happier if he/she loves the work they do? Absolutely. But passion alone won't pay the bills. How many books have been written along the lines of "Do what you love and the money will follow"? It's a message many of the younger generation grew up with, so they studied according to their passions, graduated an...more

Interesting. There's another way some folks shop... we have a "uniform". One barnd/size pants works well, so we purchase in every neutral color available in that size. Ditto Jeans. Or there's a particularly flattering fit in a 3/4 sleeve sweater? Grab it on sale in several colors, along with polos, tank tops, or whatev...more

That should say 10 hour DAYS, not weeks. Point being, lifestyles and households look much different now. Inflation was an issue in the 70s, and there was a recession. High gasoline prices, with gas lines for odd/even days. We just weren't paying for what was considered "extras", so budget vacations were doable.

In 1975, a newly divorced mother of two worked 10 hour weeks with a secretary's pay. The family took in an adult cousin to help cover the rent for a three bedroom apartment. They had one (paid off) car. Furniture in the apartment was sparse and second hand. There wasn't any after school care at the time, so older child...more

How does a family vaction become a political issue? It's an income, budget and job (ie. vacation time) issue, as well as a personal choice issue in many cases. The author of the article is way off base for most in terms of affordability, yet how many pay every day of the week for convenience? Including the under or une...more

Plan your stay just outside of large, metropolitan areas for lower hotel costs. Delaware, Ohio has a historic downtown and large, kid friendly park (as well as the Brown Jug race every year). It's also convenient to Jack Hanna's Columbus Zoo, a number of terrific museums, the conservatory and rose garden... as well as ...more

(continued) To save NOW for a vacation next summer, consider adopting new habits to "find" vacation funds... literally and figuratively. Keep a clean coffee can or peanut butter jar in an easy location and have everyone empty spare change into it. Those pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters add up, albeit slowly. Pick u...more

To quote: "If you're concerned about costs, now is the time to start planning..." WRONG. The time to start planning is at least six months' out. A full year is better. Make a budget and set aside funds every month towards the vacation. Don't plan to fly anywhere, unless your vacation budget can handle the high cost o...more

Interesting, because I was in a JC Penney store in Hot Springs, AR about a week after the announcement, and prices were certainly NOT doubled.Shopping online in the past few days, prices are NOT doubled. There is, however, an online coupon code, which I used for a purchase... that included some clearance and sale price...more