Cyber Monday used to be the leftovers from Black Friday. However, it’s becoming one of the biggest shopping day of the year – if not the biggest. Read more →

I wanted to do a tip on Instagram to keep shopping if you haven’t found your Black Friday deal yet. Cyber Monday is coming up, and some store are continuing to offer deals throughout the weekend. Read more →

To help you make the best choices for your Black Friday shopping, you need to know what to buy and what not to buy. Even on the biggest sales holiday of the year, not every deal is a good deal. Read more →

Children could be more susceptible to certain toy-related hazards because they are likely to be at home more due to the pandemic, the U.S. PIRG Education Fund warns. It can be a difficult task, trying to keep kids of different ages busy with safe activities they can perform without supervision. Read more →

With the pandemic, many local holiday markets and craft fairs have moved online. Scammers are creating phony copycat events that charge for admission and steal your credit card information. Read more →

For several months now, I’ve been writing a weekly newsletter called “Helpful Money Tips for You.” If offers the latest information on how you can get what you want for your money. This week, I came across a most helpful tip. Read more →

It's a different kind of Father's Day this year. Not only am I missing my dad, Minor H. Slingsby, center left in the photo above at my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, but I'm missing my daughters, sisters, and nieces, too.  I've been staying home since early March, and I'm going to stay home as much as possible into the foreseeable future. I'm in the high risk group, and in Washington state, it's recommended that those people stay home until Phase 4 is announced. However, with covid-19 cases and deaths rising I'm wondering how long I'll need to stay home. On average, consumers plan to spend $149 on gifts for dad, about $10 more than they spent in 2019. Total spending for Father’s Day is expected to reach $17 billion. In a survey, 58 percent of those interviewed said they’re likely to celebrate Father's Day virtually this year, compared with the two-thirds who said they’d do it for Mother's Day. That's good. Everyone should avoid exposure to covid-19. Read more →

My dad was really good at guessing what was in his presents. One time, to fool him, I bought him a magazine subscription and I put it in a toy jack-in-the-box. When he turned the handle, boom. The clown delivered a note about the present. He was really surprised. This year, in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, a lot of the activities we’d usually do with our dads, wouldn’t be a good choice for this year. For example, getting on an airplane to visit your dad is risky. Also, going to a restaurant with a large group of people isn’t advisable. Nor or hugs, unless you’ve been staying at home together. But, you can order a present and make plans for a get together later. Some gift ideas include: Read more →

I hope your Mother's Day is going well. For about the last 10 years, I've spent the month of May in Madrid with my daughter Lisa and her family. This year is very different. Although I bought a ticket in early March, it soon became apparent as the pandemic unfolded that I wouldn't be able to go this year. I'm tempted to head to Sacramento to visit my daughter Mona. However, that wouldn't be wise. Also sad, Lisa and the kids won't be able to visit us this year in the United States in July, and, in addition, I won't be able to visit Spain for the holidays at the end of the year either. For Mother's Day, Mona sent me flowers and chocolates, shown above, which were delivered Saturday. The delivery was a big surprise because the flowers were scheduled to come Monday. I opened the garage to take a letter out to the mailbox. Right there, in my driveway was a white van with a guy was getting out of it. It was shocking because it's so long since I've had company or visited anyone. Read more →

A majority of moms want to spend time with family on Mother’s Day. Mom’s also enjoy sleeping in when given the opportunity. An ideal Mother’s Day would include time for mom, time with the family, and some together time watching TV and movies as well as a special dinner. If you are looking for gifts, a majority of Mom’s said they would enjoy a gift card for an experience they can enjoy after the covid-19 pandemic has passed. Read more →