Different ways to ensure a night’s rest — Are you afraid to fall asleep because you have this tiny fear in the back of your brain that you won’t wake up? Of course, it could happen depending upon your health and age. …

Was graduation the best part of high school? — Across the country this summer, about 30 percent of high school graduates will gather for a class reunion. That’s a common estimate, but the number could vary by the reunion number. …

Has the Fat Layer Under My Skin Thinned Out? — My grandfather was a highly frugal man. He never owned a car and vegetable gardened into his 80s. He made beautifully crafted wooden furniture, watched every penny, and walked to work for 40 some years. But when he was elderly, he heated his house in his northern city like a…

Retirees have the time for long road trips — I retired early from a job that was a poor fit for my experience and education. It also only paid what I was making in my late 30s. I left the job, and thankfully my fixed income exceeds what I was making in that job by a tad. Sounds good…

Trader Joe’s helps me to prepare interesting entrees — Growing up as a Roman Catholic, meatless Fridays were the norm, even when it wasn’t Lent. For health reasons, I still try to eat fish once a week and usually that’s my meatless weekday. But lately, I’m aiming to go without meat two days a week. It’s generally healthier and…

But they need to be enhanced for the best flavor, texture

With the help of Trader Joe’s organic products, it’s healthy, too — Sometimes a perfect sandwich can make for a perfect day. That happens now and then with my usual lunch of an egg on some sort of bread, with the usual addition of sliced tomatoes, lettuce and occasionally a slice of meat. I’m unsure what makes for the perfect sandwich, but…

Medicare Advantage plans pay for OTC items — I hate to admit I missed an opportunity to save money, but that might be what happened since I started on my Medicare Advantage plan. As I’ve written about here and elsewhere, turning 65 suddenly thrusts you into the confusing world of Medicare choices, which should be a lot simpler…

Claims that are not your fault might cause cancellation — I learned a hard lesson when water from the condo unit above me damaged ceilings in my bathroom and laundry room. Hindsight being clear, I now realize I should have taken the owner’s offer to have him and/or his insurance company to take care of repairs. I thought it more…