Yep. And have your refund direct-deposited to your savings account, not to checking. I know too many people (especially those who don’t keep much an eye on their balance) to actually spend their refund before they even realized that they got it.

You forgot my favorite: If you are eating at a place that has a bar or counter, sit there, not at a table. I have met some super-interesting people that way (both locals and fellow travelers), and starting a conversation is much less awkward. I have also gotten some of my best sightseeing and restaurant…

Ew!

If you work in “nutrition advocacy”, shouldn’t you want to do everything you can to make sure that the stuff people spend their SNAP money on is, you know, nutritious?

Social Security is not welfare. You don’t get it simply because you can’t afford food.

Things have changed in the last 8 years or so.

So if the government gave out grants to help people buy cars, and research showed that thr people with grants bought BMWs in the same percentage as everyone else, does that mean it’s okay for the government to be subsidizing BMW purchases?

Sadly, this wouldn’t be the case if there weren’t so many guys who assume that a woman initiating conversation is an indicator of sexual interest.

How does this define your waistline when most pants these days barely go up to your hipbones?

As opposed to introducing one’s self, it might be a little different if you started out with a little small talk, “Have you had the chai latte here? Is it any good?

Are you a guy? It’s a little different if you are.

I can see at an event, but if someone just came up to me in a coffee shop and introduced himself to me with no followup, I would be a little creeped out.

Around me (Chicago area), a lot of the Italian delis and grocery stores sell refrigerated pizza dough. Much easier, and made by folks who actually know what they are doing!

Plato’s Closet. It is a decent resale chain that sells fashionable clothes and shoes for both young men and young women.

Seriously. I don’t feel sorry for the folks who whine about the high cost of disposable diapers, but have access to a washing machine.

Budget Buster: Fancy Gear No, you do not need to buy the $1500 stroller. Get a more basic one, shop at one of the numerous kid’s resale stores, or best yet, borrow one from a friend or relative.

Um, yeah, but where the hell am I supposed to get the rice bag? I buy rice a pound at a time.

I would also really enjoy carrying a free Mark Cross Briefcase.

My brother lives in Nashville, and he has bought a ridiculous amount of recording equipment and musical instruments in their pawn shops for next to nothing. Surprisingly, not everyone who moves there ends up making it big.

But if no one can see the logo, how do they know that you paid a ridiculously high price for it?