tommaso79 / Shutterstock.com A friend once told me she planned to buy a snowblower. My first thought was, “Why?” She lived in a fairly mild region that, in some years, doesn’t get any snow at all, let alone enough to require mechanical intervention. She had three healthy teenagers at home, and shovels are much cheaper. … Read more

mavo / Shutterstock.com C’mon, everyone, get happy! If that sounds too hard, maybe you’ve been going about it all wrong. It’s time to stop waiting to hit the jackpot, meet Mr. or Ms. Right, or land that sweet job. True happiness doesn’t come from external factors like those. Instead, take a cue from happy people. … Read more

Holiday shopping is a more intimidating prospect than usual again this year, as consumers contend with lingering supply-chain problems and continued inflation. Amazon makes it easy, though. No matter who is on your gift list, you’ll never be short on ideas or great savings. Head over to Amazon’s “Most Wished For” selection, which features products … Read more

fizkes / Shutterstock.com Retailers are exceptional at getting us to part with our hard-earned dollars — even for stuff we don’t need. When your favorite store slashes prices or makes it all too easy to purchase something — hello, Amazon Prime — it may be understandable if you occasionally succumb to the instant gratification of … Read more

Trzykropy / Shutterstock.com Are you stuck in the all-too-common habit of living paycheck to paycheck? You don’t need me to tell you that’s a self-defeating cycle. You simply can’t get ahead that way. But escaping isn’t easy, especially if your paycheck is tight. Change involves not just the hard work of making a new habit, … Read more

DC Studio / Shutterstock.com The nation is bracing for recession. The Federal Reserve continues to steadily raise its federal funds rate in an attempt to kill inflation, and many experts fear an economic downturn will be an unfortunate side effect of that campaign. CEOs of major companies are especially worried that the economy will contract … Read more

‘Tis the season to shop, but you’re having a tough time deciding what to get everyone on your holiday gift list. Not to worry! From a heavy-duty tool bag to a tortilla blanket and a robotic vacuum cleaner, we’ve rounded up an array of practical and whimsical Amazon products that Santa himself will surely approve … Read more

Shyamalamuralinath / Shutterstock.com Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on NewRetirement. We have a lot of choices about where to invest our money, both before and after retirement. Some options are clearly bad investments. Others seem like a good bet, but they probably aren’t. While we would all like to find a shortcut to massive … Read more

Nor Gal / Shutterstock.com Keeping your home feeling comfortable is expensive. Heating your living space accounts for about 43% of a home’s energy bills, on average, and air conditioning eats up an additional 8%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Bills can vary greatly, of course, depending on your home, fuel type and the … Read more

SpeedKingz / Shutterstock.com Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter. Shade gardens are among the best-kept secrets of the gardening world. Often seen as a plague on turfgrass and flowering plants, shade can boost your landscape’s curb appeal in more ways than one. We’ll show you how with these 15 shade garden ideas. Rather … Read more