Donna Freedman

Dude, where’s my car?

by

thRecently I stopped by a local bakery to pick up a prize basket for my great-nephews’ school auction. When I came back out, I tried to open the door of the wrong car.

This is kinda-sorta understandable given how many Subarus wheel around Anchorage on a given day. But it’s also pretty humiliating. The woman sitting in the vehicle said, “Nope, not this one” and smiled as though she’d done this herself.

Still awkward.

A former editor of mine who now works at Insurance.com just sent a release called “Biggest driving embarrassments.” Reading the statistics made me feel less alone.

No less dumb, mind you. It’s just that now I know I’m not the only one.

Read more

The green sneaks up on you.

by

thI spent part of Mother’s Day running errands, including stopping by a charity yard sale, going to the credit union, doing a little Dumpster wading and buying a few groceries. Mostly it was an excuse to be out and about on yet another perfect day.

We’ve had a run of them lately: sunny, sunny, sunny days with temps reaching as high as 70. In southcentral Alaska in May, that’s petty darned warm. In fact, it set a record, and I’ve got the sunburn to prove it.

So does my great-nephew:

 

10314683_10202879533042539_239112961186704540_n

(His mother really does feed him, and you should see how he chows down at Café Awesome. He’s just a beanpole.)

Yes, I know the rest of the world considers that mild. I lived on the East Coast and in the Midwest myself. Just be happy for us that we’re getting marvelous weather.

Read more

I stand (sort of) corrected.

by

th-2When I announced my fifth anniversary giveaway, at least one reader pointed out that it isn’t the anniversary of five years’ worth of writing but rather the fifth birthday of my first-ever post (April 30, 2010).

Duly noted. Sorry about the misstatement.

Now let’s get on with the important part: the fact that you still have time to enter and the fact that the prizes are really swell thanks to some very generous fellow bloggers.

How swell? Glad you asked.

Read more

The 10-cent bucket list.

by

thThe other day I went to Wal-Mart to purchase gift cards for my current giveaway (which is open until 7 p.m. PDT May 9, if you haven’t already entered). While there I noticed carts full of deeply discounted Easter items.

Six-packs of Reese’s peanut butter eggs for 50 cents? I took four packages for the freezer, figuring my nephews might enjoy an ice-cold treat on a warm spring or summer day.

Then I saw the gallon-sized white plastic buckets with a pastel egg motif. Apparently these are designed for Easter egg hunts; filled with fake straw and treats, they’d also make good Easter baskets. And the price was right: 10 cents.

Heaven help me, I almost bought some. But then the frugal filter kicked in. Except that this time I’m calling it the “10-cent bucket list,” i.e., the questions I’m glad I asked myself before walking out with bags full of future clutter.

Read more

Five years and counting.

by

th-2In 2010 I was living in Seattle but traveling a lot. Having recently obtained a college degree in midlife and quit an apartment management job, I was happy finally to be able to go places: Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, London, Phoenix, Anchorage.

Although I made my living writing for MSN Money, I wanted another place to sound off. On April 30, 2010, I started this website as my playground for words.

I couldn’t have imagined the changes that would take place in five years’ time. But really, how many people can accurately predict their futures?

Now I’m no longer living in Seattle, working for MSN Money or traveling very much. Still got the degree and the website, though — and a wonderful relationship.

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of my first post, I’m having a really big Friday giveaway.

Read more

What I’m writing elsewhere.

by

th-1Consider yourself fortunate if your kids have summer birthdays, because they can have their parties outside.

This means they can rip and roar without doing much damage, vs. those winter parties when Pin the Tail on the Donkey turns into “blindfolded kid runs into table and knocks over vase,” or when sugared-up kids spill juice, smear frosting on the rug and otherwise rip up the joint.

Party supplies are just about to go on sale, which is one of the topics of my current post at RetailMeNot. In addition to birthday parties we’re also looking at graduation parties, the barbecue season and maybe even wedding-rehearsal dinners.

Disposable dishes and cutlery have improved considerably since I was a kid. The paper plates I remember had the feel – and the staying power – of a No. 10 envelope. They folded up in the direction of the heaviest foodstuff, and baked-bean juice always leaked through. The forks were wimpy little things too, tines snapping off when you tried to lift a bite of potato salad.

Read more

Want to win a laptop? Sign up by Wednesday.

by

F8C35AV_0ther_PCMAG_513Although I’m neither a contest blogger nor a deal blogger, I do sometimes post  giveaways, TweetChats and other promotions from elsewhere. Occasionally one carries the potential for affiliate income for me, e.g., when someone signs up for a seminar. Mostly, though, I put them up to give readers a chance to win stuff.

The folks at Savings.com are giving away a laptop computer. Specifically, they’re giving away an HP Pavilion 11t-n000 x360 PC (Energy Star).

Edited to add: The giveaway quickly filled up with more than 5,000 entries and closed early. But it has been retooled and is now back in business. You can enter up until 9 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 30, by going to the Savings.com giveaway page.

Read more