The latest book by Emily Giffin, Heart of the Matter, delves into the dynamics of what can happen with a chance encounter and how seemingly small things can completely change lives. Stay at home mom Tessa Russo’s days are spent with her two young children while her husband, Nick, a world renowned pediatric plastic surgeon, works long hours which [...]
Sure they give you a sweet deal on a phone when you buy one. They’re not counting on you being a big-picture person. Over the life of the contract, each one of those little amenities or extra services really add up. There’s a huge markup, additionally on those accessories, i.e. junky headsets that make you [...]
Only a couple more months until my wedding (GAH!) so I picked up Madeleine Wickham’s The Wedding Girl, hoping that the funny, whimsical hijinks of Milly Havill, the main character, would distract me from stressing out. Unfortunately, those hijinks turned out to be kind which cause more panic than giggles. The story begins when eighteen [...]
Here are a few more ways to save significant amounts of money from the new book by Jeff Yeager called Cheapskate Next Door. -Cut pieces of foam insulating board to fit windows in the winter and put them in at night or when you’re away to save a fortune on heat. -Save big money on [...]
Every Iowan needs to take a trip to West Branch to learn about the humanitarian who was our 31st president. Before and after his presidency, he used his management skills and financial resources to help people around the world. Before he was president, Hoover was chairman of the American Commission for Relief in Belgium. In 1915, he [...]
Here are a few belt-tightening culinary tips from the new book The Cheapskate Next Door by Jeff Yeager: -Order only tap water with your meal when you go out to eat. Beverages are typically marked up 300 to 600 percent. Ordering water only will save you about $800 a year. -Put box-wine into premium label [...]
Looking for a uniquely Iowa activity this summer? The 2010 Hooverball National Championships will be Saturday, August 7th. For the uninitiated, Hooverball is similar to volleyball and played with a four or six pound medicine ball (women’s and men’s versions respectively). “Catching one of these balls is like catching a bag of concrete mix dropped off a freeway [...]
Herb & Dorothy, an Arthouse Film by Megumi Sasaki, tells the amazing story of the Vogels–a couple who built one of the most extensive collections of minimalist and conceptual art despite their modest incomes. As former artists themselves, Herb and Dorothy began collecting other artists’ work in the early 1960′s with two rules in hand: [...]
In case you’re wondering, it has a grade of 7-9%. I know a few masochists taking part in the area’s premiere social/sporting event, the Quad-City Times Bix 7. It was my hope this post will collect new knowledge, as well as construct a semblance of personal commitment resulting from the embarassment of not not taking [...]
“They can’t make me be a princess…I mean, this is America for crying out loud.” The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot is not only one of my favorite book series, but also one of my favorite audiobook series. In fact, I have only “read” the final two in the series–the first eight were purely [...]
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