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Month: February 2015

A Whole Lot of Spending Money

A Whole Lot of Spending Money

In my previous post, you may have noticed the incredibly dusty Valentine I left for my husband on our coffee table. I swear our house is not normally this filthy. There’s a perfectly good reason for all the dirt, but unfortunately, that reason is eating into my savings account. I’m not a big spender. I certainly have my moments of weakness (usually around the holidays), but that’s more often than not the result of an irresistible sale. I’d rather hoard my money and…

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Valentine’s: The Low Point of the Year

Valentine’s: The Low Point of the Year

For Valentine’s Day this year, my husband got me two doughnuts from a gas station, took me on a road trip to Saint Augustine for a memorial service for someone I’d never met, and bought me dinner at a fast food restaurant next to the interstate. It was possibly one of the best Valentine’s we have had. Traditionally, my husband and I celebrate anti-Valentine’s Day on February 15th. Even before we were dating, Valentine’s Day was a blister on our social…

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Scammy Scammers Got Scammed

Scammy Scammers Got Scammed

So here’s a little update on my adventure with the magazine subscription salesman. I followed my own advice. I cancelled the check. I contacted my bank and closed my bank account. And I sent in the cancellation notice to the magazine company with a very lawyerly letter. (I should mention that throughout my childhood I worked in my father’s law office, so I have some reasonable experience writing lawyerly letters.) I did not expect to hear from Mr. Magazine again….

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Biltong: Say It Like You Mean It

Biltong: Say It Like You Mean It

If you haven’t gathered by now, I’m married to a South African. And like any good South African, he loves his meats. See Exhibit A, the picture of my husband and his good friend Clinton at a Super Spar in Port Elizabeth. Notice the slogan behind them: “Meat: Say it like you mean it.” If you must know, there was a good deal of alcohol involved beforehand, which is why my husband’s lovely wife was taking pictures inside a grocery…

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