Articles on Lifestyle

How to Combat Economic Fatigue

Tough economic times take a toll on our sleep patterns, which adversely affect all other aspects of our lives, but it doesn't have to be this way.

If You Won The Lottery, You Would...

What would you do if you had all the money you needed for you, your children, your children's children, and so on? Would you drop everything and retire or would you keep working? I

Best Money Tips: Sarcasm-Free Edition

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! This week, we have some of the best personal finance posts from around the web, completely and utterly without any snarky commen

Diva On A Budget - Living The Good Life When Your Fortune Isn't So Great

Diamonds may be a girl's best friend but in this economy, most of us are foregoing that friendship in order to make ends meet. But just because we're not rolling in the dough doesn

How to Start a Book Club

Participating in a book club is a fun and inexpensive way to socialize, meet new people, develop friendships and enjoy your love of reading and books with others. If there aren't a

Living Without A Landline

I had been thinking about shedding my landline for a while. I was attached to the convenience for a long time and, more recently, unlimited calls for one price in the United States

Avoid Big Dental Bills with Safe and Inexpensive Products

Dental care is one of those big expenses that hits us in the pocketbook when we least expect it. Most people pay at least some of their dental bills out-of-pocket. Some people go i

Where Did Your iPod Come From? The Story of Stuff

Do you know the difference between planned and perceived obsolescence? Do you know why high heels are fashionable with chunky heels one year, and thin heels the next year? Why is

Hands in Your Pocket: The Cost of Standby Power - Environmental and Otherwise

Go check your electricity meter box. Is the wheel turning and clicking over, recording your power usage? Probably. Now go back inside, and turn everything off. The lights, the coff

Oprah Asks A Great Question; What Can You Live Without?

My wife brought this to my attention. I’m not an avid Oprah viewer, but usually when I tune in I hear good advice. And with the help of financial guru Suze Orman, she’s asking fami

Beware of Pretty Things: 4 Reasons I’m Keeping My Ugly, Old Stuff

Last night I strolled through the furniture showroom with my jaw unhinged and my heart thumping: “Look at all this good-looking stuff!” After some careful consideration th

Book review: Wabi Sabi Simple

I think so. To me, living large is about the breadth and width of my life, not about how high I can pile up stuff. If that is how you want to live large, you'll find a lot of

How to Host a Traveler: 13 Tips to Keep it Safe, Easy, and Cheap

Here at Wise Bread, we know that couch-sharing services, such as Couch Surfing, can save you money when traveling. As good as this sounds, many have reservations about hosting stra

Needs, wants, and not even wants

Hang around with frugality and simplicity types for any length of time and you'll hear a lot about distinguishing between needs and wants. It's come to me, though, that this issue

Master Your Life and Stop Self-Sabotage (Book Review)

You almost get that job promotion you yearn so badly for, but things fall through at the last minute. Every time your love life gets serious, the relationship blows apart. You woul

Focus Focus Fo....What Was I Saying?

We as a nation are looking at finances in a way we might not have ever done in the past. Having to analyze our bills, pay close attention to our usual spending habits, and learn th

Lower Your Credit Card Interest Rate and Reduce Your Phone Bill, Immediately and Easily

Are your credit card interest rates getting to you? Are those monthly cell phone bills a pain in the wallet? How about cable TV? Internet? Even the power bill? Would you like to re

37 Ways You’d be Better Off as a Bum

First, apologies for the blatantly provocative title (although I do make good on it). But did you know that some people prefer to be homeless? I know, sounds crazy right? But I was

Security is an illusion. Freedom is real.

There's a seeming tradeoff between freedom and security: You can stick with the day job or chuck it to live your dream--if you're willing to give up the security of the regular pa

The Key to Happiness: A Case Study

Let's explore the lives of two very different people with an aim to discover what the key to happiness is. It may be simpler than you think.