Donna Freedman If you don’t already read the Consumerism Commentary personal finance blog, get yourself over there and register. You earn points each time you read an article and leave a comment, or share articles via social media. The points can be exchanged for FABULOUS PRIZES!
Myself, I’m skipping the personal finance books and saving up for the Amazon gift cards:
It’s 6:20 p.m. and I’m sitting in a wheelchair at the Bob Hope Airport, foot in one of those big boots and crutches nearby. It’s just a bad sprain, nothing broken.
Because I couldn’t walk through the scanner, I got one of those “special” pat-downs. The TSA woman was very pleasant and professional, but after that encounter I think she should buy me dinner.
And the plane is delayed. Sigh. They’re hoping it will leave at 7 p.m. (Original departure time was 4:30 p.m.)
In mid-May I wrote about carelessness in “Inattention can cost you. Ask me how I know.” I noted that it’s important to focus on what you’re doing, lest you do something like break a toe.
Last night I lost focus, and I hurt myself. On vacation. Dammit.
I’ve been in Los Angeles for four days and no one has offered me an avocado. Isn’t this place supposed to be lousy with alligator pears? And yet the only avocado I’ve seen was the guacamole in a Mexican restaurant.
(I politely declined the guac, having changed too many diapers in my time ever to want squishy green stuff on my plate. In fact, my private name for the stuff is caca-mole.)
But it’s definitely southern California: Oranges growing in the back yard of the place I’m house-sitting, lemons and grapefruit growing in the front yards of homes past which I walk my friend’s dog. Pastels everywhere, too.
George Wendt is reported to live a stone’s throw away, and one of George Clooney’s homes (one of them?) is apparently close as well.
The other day I walked the dog past a distinguished-looking older man. “Good afternoon,” I said. The man flinched a little and said, “Hello” in a guarded way that makes me think he’s accustomed to being recognized, and tormented, by fans.
I have no idea who he was. Maybe he wasn’t famous. Maybe he was simply trying to duck a process server.
I returned from my month in Alaska on Monday night. I cleared up accumulated mail and papers, met a Living With Less deadline, did a laundry, had lunch with my sister and then got up at 4:15 a.m. Friday to head back to the airport.
Now I’m house- and dog-sitting for a friend. It’s raining and chilly in Los Angeles. Naturally.
From here I go to Phoenix, where below-freezing temperatures are being reported. Am I being punished? I feel stupid for having packed shorts and light slacks, and even stupider for thinking I’d have a nice warm vacation in either place.
I flew back from Alaska on Monday morning. It was standby – a friend gave me an airline buddy pass, bless his heart – but I got on. The last person to get on, mind you, and in a middle seat, but how could I complain? It cost only $65 including fees and they didn’t charge me to check a bag.
From there it was the light rail into downtown Seattle, followed by a most unusual Metro bus trip: The driver didn’t know where she was going.
Online or in person, the after-Christmas sales can be worth the trip – and not just for extra wrapping paper. This is your chance to replenish the gift closet and to find good deals on items for your home or yourself.
I’ll be heading back to Seattle soon, but I can’t leave the Last Frontier without giving away some Alaskana.
I’ve been reading and re-reading this wonderful Charles Portis novel since I was a teenager. Mattie Ross is a hell of a protagonist. She’s strong, determined, relentless and, above all, frugal.
Here are 10 things you could learn from her story, courtesy of Mr. Portis and the Coen brothers. And without a single song by Glen Campbell!
1. Negotiate. Mattie convinces Stonehill the stock trader to buy back the four ponies he’d sold to her now-dead father for $25 apiece. (Whether it’s the price of a car or a shirt, you might be able to strike a deal. Doesn’t hurt to ask.)
2. Stand up for your rights. Since her father’s horse was stolen from the stock barn, Mattie asks Stonehill to accept responsibility. He refuses, she persists. (If you think you’re being hosed, say so.)
MJ is the winner of the box o’ Christmas oddities, courtesy of RetailMeNot.com. I just returned from the post office. Maybe there will be a Christmas miracle, i.e., it will get there on time.
A whole bunch of you sure liked that bling mug, aka the “2 Carat Coffee Cup.” If you’re interested in getting one of your own, start your shopping here — and be sure to look for a coupon code, too.
In other news: