Today, let’s consider Ten Principles of Financial Success and Happiness. Spend less than you earn: This is the key that unlocks many other financial possibilities. If one always spends exactly, or, even worse, more than they earn, they will never save. (Someone is thinking: “Dr.…
(methodology inspired from a recipe by Samantha Skaggs) Printable PDF Version Here Ingredient List (Note that all ingredients are in grams and should be carefully weighed on a kitchen scale.) : 940 g Whole Grain Wheat Flour 45 g Vital Wheat gluten 20 g…
Happiness research indicates that we humans are not very good at predicting what will bring us happiness. Many people follow their “gut instincts” to determine how to spend their time and money. But our gut instincts are more often than not based on emotions, not…
Now don’t get me wrong. I am always appreciative whenever anyone gives me a gift; I make it a point to thank them. But let’s face it. Sometimes the gifts we receive just aren’t quite right. Do we really need that second or third Crockpot?…
Well-meaning individuals often give advice that sounds simple, but is often very difficult to implement. Some of this advice, repeated over and over, has become part of our social consciousness. These “words of wisdom” are often given when people are hurting or trying to deal…
I often walk the trail that follows a river that is a few minutes from my home. I am amazed at the amount of trash that other people leave. I used to get so irritated and angry at those “trashy” people. Then I realized that…
A compromise between the “unfun” aspect of having to plan every spending moment and the “fun” of impulse spending is to allow for some unplanned spending in your monthly spending plan. I’ve always suggested to my students that they add an “allowance” category to their…
Over the years I’ve heard my students and workshop participants complain that spending plans (i.e., budgets) were too restrictive, that they took all the “fun” out of spending, especially spontaneous (aka impulsive or unplanned) spending. While there surely are times when impulsive spending can provide…
It seems to be human nature to want those who have wronged us to be held accountable and “punished.” We only want justice, right? But often I think we want much more. We often want the offending persons to suffer as much or more than…
When the weather warmed up this past Spring, I planted the remaining Persistent Potato in my garden (one of the two did not make it through the winter). However, its trials were not over yet. We had an infestation of grasshoppers this year. The grasshoppers…
