Is math, arithmetic really, that hard? If you can’t get separate checks for some reason, ask to see a menu to verify prices. Add up what everyone owes, multiply to get the tax and tip and you’re good to go. If you need help with the math, someone probably has a calculator on their phone.

Sounds like investing in Lego sets is a better option. Might have to hold onto sets for a while, but most of the licensed sets, especially the collector series ones can be counted on to at least double in value in a few years.

cheap, simple, writes just fine, no worries if you lose it because you can get another one pretty much anywhere. At work I’m currently using one I got from a hotel I stayed at a few months earlier. I’ve got another one from a different hotel in my pack.

Long ago I established a “default” wedding gift that I give almost everyone who I know who gets married. It’s a Pyrex Portable (9x13 pan with cover and insulated carrying case) and copy of a personal recipe book that I’ve compiled over the years (printed out pages slid into sheet protectors held together with split…

Best condolence I received was from a 14 year old boy. I was chaperoning a youth trip when I got a phone call that a coworker/my cubemate had died (Cancer. It was expected but not that soon.). Word slowly got around to the kids and, predictably, most of them had no idea what to do and sorta avoided me...except for…

I thought they were both started by the same family (brothers) but diverged into two different companies (at least in the US). We’ve got both a Trader Joes and multiple Aldi in the area where I am. I shop at Aldi a lot more than Trader Joes. I don’t find the savings at Trader Joes that most people talk about (except…

After wearing, I hang my workout clothes to dry (no rinsing). On laundry day, I wash in cold water and put about a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle (or, when I forget, restart the washer at the rinse cycle and add the vinegar). I don’t have a problem with stink despite sweating a lot when I workout.

In my experience, yes. There are some exercises which are just harder for certain people regardless of their fitness level. Anything involving a step-up is always going to be harder for shorter people (given a set height step). It’s hard to step higher than your knee. People with a larger frame are going to find body…

I use Republic Wireless. $15/month for unlimited talk and text and $5/GB data per month. No contracts. Upgrade or downgrade your data at any time. Bring your own phone or buy one of theirs outright. They use Sprint’s towers/network and will switch to wifi for calling and texts whenever it’s available (which also means…

One of the best instructors my gym has ever had was a woman who was overweight. She was one of those people who always struggled with her weight. And life had gotten in the way for a while. She joined the gym as a member and got more serious about working out. She took some classes, got the certification and started…

Yeah. It is hard. I had a cat with failing kidneys who lived about 16 months after diagnosis. I spent a lot of money on him to keep him going. But his quality of life was still good up until the end and I was financially and emotionally able to support him, so I did. I was also fortunate to have a really awesome vet…

Awhile back I go a confirmation email from Dell for a computer I didn’t order. Figuring that it was some sort of identity theft, I contacted Dell, cancelled the order, got new credit cards, put in notices with the credit bureaus, froze my credit, etc. Two weeks later, I got another email. Same computer ordered. I…

I haven’t traveled for Thanksgiving in maybe 10 years. I’m single and live in a different timezone than my family I’m related to. So Thanksgiving always required air travel. The first year I stayed home my parents were out of the country and I had recently spent three weeks with my sister and her family while working…

Ear plugs are good at blocking out a lot of the noise from tvs (why, oh why do airports insist on having the sound on on their televisions?) and loudspeaker announcements. Wearing them does mean you have to sit at/near your gate and keep an eye on the other passengers so you know if it’s an announcement that’s…

Yes!
There are no “right words” when someone suffers a loss. You can’t make it better. You can’t even make it hurt any less for more than maybe half a second. But you can be there there.
A bunch of years ago a high school guy taught me this lesson. I was a volunteer youth leader on a trip with my church when I got the…

My biggest complaint is that people with kids don’t invite me over because they think I don’t want to hang out with their kids. Or they think they have to make a big production out of having someone over. No, I just want to hang out with you and get to know your kids. I don’t care if dinner is just sandwiches and…

Yeah, I learned this one from an elementary school teacher friend. Her response was always something like “Can you tell me about your picture?”.

Forbidden Island and Forbidden Desert are also good cooperative games that kids can get into. Island is significantly easier than desert (seriously, can you beat that game without the water carrier?). But both are fun and have gameplay simple enough for even young kids.

I had a cat who was very food motivated. I taught him to come when called, sit on command, beg and high five. He learned very quickly just by using treats, petting and a pretty consistent routine. I tried teaching him to stay but that never worked. I miss the little guy (kidney disease sucks, but he survived over a…

I don’t have kids but I do have an honest question, do kids not pack their own lunches? I don’t remember a time when I didn’t pack my own lunch. I’m sure when I first started full day school (1st grade) Mom helped me at first. But I never remember my mom packing my lunch for me, ever. She may have slipped a note or a…