harvard square 20 yrs ago was delightful, full of mom and pop stores and more bookstores than you could throw a stick at.  now - completely genericized, and i agree it should be avoided, unless you want to check out harvard’s art museums, which are worth an afternoon.

this. i had a half-hour or so to see the British Museum before closing - figured out how to see three things - Rosetta stone, Gutenberg Bible, and Elgin marbles. it was an excellent museum visit.

f0rtunately, that was about 15 years ago, and i’m at a better spot. :)

if i had been given the choice, zcobra, i wouldn’t have bought company stock. however, that wasn’t an option.

and even if you do start thinking about it early, it still may not work out. my younger self was talked into doing the 401k by a coworker... and then, we were bought out, my shares translated to company stock (which promptly tanked), and then i was laid off. no more retirement fund. i’m now in the unenviable spot of…

i suppose it depends on the quality of the pizza - in my college dining hall, it was a matter of self-defense to blot the pizza dry, after pouring off the oil slick.

i agree, but have a slightly different version: only go if you know what you're looking for. i cannot count the amount of sh*t i ended up with because 'it was a good price!'. i cannot just go to an outlet to find a deal; i need to have determined i need something (a new pair of boots, say), and then go looking for a…

one really nice dinner for me and hubbie (we're pretty conservative about this, as we're in rebuilding mode), and the rest into the emergency fund.

not a financial advisor. personally, i'd put it in a savings account to save for the immediate goal of a down payment, but i would think it depends on the size of the loan. i've got a loan against my 401k, and i look at it as an enforced savings plan, precisely because i'm paying it back to myself and because it's a…

i've found that 'well, i'm not bored' often puts things in perspective if someone comments on how busy i am. having been thru a layoff, i can certainly appreciate that busy is better than the alternative.