To quote a recent headline from my daughter’s website:

Blah.

As in, “I haven’t written much lately and I apologize. But things have been so busy that when I finally stop for the day my mind is, well, pretty blah.”

Can’t focus on brilliant new blog post ideas. Heck, I can barely focus on anything except putting out freelance fires and after that, hanging out with DF for a little while and going to bed.

Maybe it’s the long spell of gray, gray days. Maybe it’s age-related fatigue; where I once could write from morning until the midnight hour, now I just want to get away from the screen after a few hours. Whatever the reason, I just haven’t felt creative enough to write anything.

Yet I hate to have 10 days go by with nothing new up on the site. I miss you guys when I don’t post!

Thus I’m going to fall back on an old tactic: sharing some of my work from other websites. It isn’t the only stuff I’ve been doing lately – just a sampling of work from the past couple of months.

 

Does your house stink?

 

If it does, check out “10 ways to conquer bad smells in your home (especially in winter),” over at Money Talks News. You’ll find tactics that are cheap or free and that don’t involve messing with indoor air quality, including recipes for homemade air fresheners and tips on making your own essential oil diffuser for next to nothing.

Also at Money Talks News:

“The 10 best and worst states to live in if you’re rich” – happy to say that Alaska was tied for sixth.

“22 iconic brands that could disappear in 2018” – a couple of which really surprised me.

“State by state: Where people have the highest and lowest credit scores” – this time around, Alaska was No. 34 and, for extra credit (as it were) we also have the country’s highest average per capita consumer debt.

 

 

Parents: Want free life insurance?

 

Yep, free. As in, no payments at all for a 10-year term life policy from Mass Mutual. This is not a scam.

If you earn less than $40,000 a year and have dependent children, you may qualify for $50,000 worth of coverage. This is one of the deals (seriously: not a scam) I talk about in “8 life essentials you can get for free” at The Simple Dollar. As for the other seven, go read it and find out more.

“How post-holiday clearances can slash your budget all year long” – although this article focused on Christmas, some of the same tactics can be used at après-Valentine’s Day and Easter sales. It will also help you be ready for next year’s Dec. 26 sales.

“Christmas gifts that matter: Buying for people in tough times” – another holiday-themed piece with tactics that can be used at any time of the year, as it offers creative ways to provide temporary help to family members and friends.

“Save your finances (and maybe even your marriage): Invite your partner on a money date” – I’m a serious fan of being on the same page financially with your partner or spouse, whether either of you is “good with money” or not. (Especially if you think you’re not good with money.)

“32 ways to give back without derailing your own finances” – we think about this during the holidays, but help is needed all year round. (Bonus: Giving to others will get you out of your own head.)

 

Some miscellaneous posts

 

Before that heart-tugging photo of a post-hurricane slum or a hungry child makes you reach for the credit card, take a moment. While some great agencies are doing the work of the angels out there, the world is unfortunately rife with con artists. My article for Prudential, “Giving back: Avoid scams and make your dollars count,” gives the ABCs of due diligence.

Anyone who reads this website knows that I’m a big fan of the Swagbucks rewards program. In a post for the Swagbucks blog I noted ways we can direct some of our rewards to the benefit of others.

“Use your Swag powers for good” suggests tactics for donating to local programs and national causes. Or even to personal ones: For example, I use Amazon gift cards to send diapers, food and paper products to a family I know that’s having some financial issues.

Now that the holidays are over you may have a brand-new batch of gifts that are perfectly fine – just not a match for you. An article I did for Clark Howard’s website can help you decide whether to keep them in your evergreen gift closet.

“Regifting the right way: 8 rules for upcycling gifts with style” walks you through the should I/shouldn’t I of regifting, and gives tips for saving you some embarrassment next 25th of December. It includes one of my own unfortunate regifting goofs. So awkward.

Readers: What have you been up to lately?