You are a good friend to 'Monica', and certainly not a sucker. She did pay back the previous loan, so I think you'll pay you back someday. I hope she appreciates what you did.   It is certainly ironic that you are a professional journalist in the field of household finances, and yet this good friend of yours is app...more

Perhaps her definition of 'Austerity' comes from comparing herself with billionaires... I mean, she  had to do without so many fancy things that billionaires can afford.    It's hard to tell, since the blog is gone, but from your description, she seems spoiled, clueless, and lacking in  sensitivity and discretion.

I have never had sick day benefits from any employer, and I can't afford to stay home unless I'm very sick.  My solution to avoiding missed time at work: in the past few years, I've found that by taking better care of myself (eating healthy foods and giving up the junk, sugary and fried foods) I seldom get sick now.  I...more

I seldom use ketchup, but when my youngest DD was still living at home, I used to buy the store brand ketchup and secretly pour it into an empty Heinz bottle. It worked for a while, until she noticed that the expiry date on the Heinz bottle was up, and being a savvy young consumer she reffused to eat what she thought w...more

I remember reading the Betty Crocker cookbook, too, and being allowed to make real food in a real oven when I was 9 or 10.  I never thought of asking for an EBO. My family didn't have a television, and I didn't know which toys I was supposed to want.

If a gift is unwanted, it would not be used by the recipient anyway. It would end up in a yard sale or thrift shop somewhere.   Of course, it's your money that buys the Miles Davis CD, but you can't force another person to like it. If you like the person, wouldn't you want them to enjoy what you send, even if it m...more

I don't think it's right to lie about being sick.   I usually go to work, no matter what, since my employer does not pay for any sick days, anyway. I can't afford to miss the time, and have to be extremely sick before I would stay home.

I'm lucky enough to live 4 hours' drive from the nearest Costco, so it's not worth buying a membership. Never went to Costco. But in any other large store in this area, most fellow shoppers are very courteous. It also helps to shop at off-peak hours.

I know someone who has spent around $100./month, plus vet bills, to keep her daughter's pet horse, even though neither the mom or the daughter (who is now married)  has ever ridden the horse. She's been paying this cost for about 12 years, even though money is tight, and says that she 'couldn't possibly disappoint DD' ...more