Author: Anna

When I was thirteen, and still in middle school, my parents took us on a family vacation into the south. We visited many states, hit a lot of the major attractions and theme parks, and spent a lot of time outside. Although we did a lot of fun stuff that summer, my main take-away from […]

A lot of these space heaters were really nice, and suitable for our party, but they also cost a ton of money! Renting a couple of nice, big outdoor space heaters would not cost too much so we went that route. Every year we throw a huge party at our house. It always happens on […]

Last weekend I had a killer party, and now I am paying the price for it. I know that it is always a small risk to have a big party. When you have a small gathering of friends and family, these worries don’t exist. But when strangers wander through my home, I always do things […]

I went to college for six glorious years. I never got my diploma, unfortunately, but I made a lot of great memories, and learned a lot while in school. Most of what I learned happened in the frat house. The frat house was party central, and was so much fun that I did terribly in […]

I love going to police auctions! My last three cars have come from police auctions, and many of my home appliances. How it works is that in this state we have a rule called “asset forfeiture” which basically means if you get busted for being a drug dealer, the cops can seize all of your […]

And throughout the spring season, temperatures hovered in the 40s and 50s with some nights dipping into the high 20s with light snowfall I wasn’t focused at all on the weather when I was young and in college. I didn’t really care if there were hurricanes poised to hit my area or if we were […]

I was doing the best I could for years after I finished school. I went to culinary school so I could become a chef, but for a number of years I could only find a position as an assistant cook. This never resulted in much money, at least not enough to afford more than a […]

Our heat pump handles both heating and cooling in our beach condo Being a kid who grew up in the northern midwest, I was shocked and amazed when I visited the ocean for the first time and swam at the beach. The surf was mild that day and the water was surprisingly clean and free […]

It’s unfortunate when you see people hurting themselves inadvertently just to save a few dollars. Let’s be clear—this sentiment does not apply to people who are so poor they have no choice but to buy whatever they can reasonably afford at any given time. But my father for instance is a good example of what […]

This prior summer season was absolutely brutal in late June. We saw record-breaking temperatures above 112 degrees in my area alone, with surrounding cities in this state being between 100 and 110 degrees. I naturally had the air conditioner on for most days and nights, regardless of the changes in temperatures that are normal from […]

I had a head cold yearly as a child, especially when I was in school during flu season and surrounded by sick children who don’t cover their faces or noses when they cough or sneeze. My mother would send me to school with hand sanitizer, but I’m not sure how often I actually used it. […]

I had no plans to move back to my hometown in my mid 30s, but I’m an only-child and my parents needed help with certain tasks as their health issues regressed and worsened. The one saving-grace was the cheap real estate market at the time. I found a two-bedroom house with an average-sized yard for […]