happy

That "What if you knew you were going to die" question

Posted February 26, 2009 - 08:02 by Philip Brewer

Productivity, General Tips

Heron on a branch over a frozen pond

You've no doubt seen the question in many different forms. Sometimes it's, "What would you do if you learned you were going to die tomorrow?" Other times it's "What would you do if you knew you'd live a hundred years?" Some people try to pack the whole thing into one exhortation, "Live like you were going to die tomorrow, plan like you'd live forever." It's always bugged me.

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Book review: Happier

Posted June 22, 2008 - 14:05 by Philip Brewer

Career and Income, General Tips, Art and Leisure

Cover of Happier

Here are two ideas you already know: You won't achieve maximum happiness by always doing the most pleasurable thing you can think of at each moment, but neither will you find it by always deferring present happiness in favor of greater future happiness. The key is balancing these two things. And the genius in this book is that it gives you tools for finding that balance.

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The line between frugal and crazy

Posted January 13, 2008 - 11:09 by Philip Brewer

Personal Finance, Frugal Living

Sphinx statue

You don't have to go very far down the path of being frugal to reach the point where people start questioning your sanity. (You bicycle to work? Even though you have a perfectly good car?) On the other hand, there's no idea so crazy that there aren't some frugal folks out there who swear by it. (I hesitate to suggest an example, for fear of offending some of our committed readers.) Still, there is a line where frugality becomes pathology. In fact, there are two lines.  We have names for them.  We call them stingy and miserly.

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Getting more for your money in the most unexpected place

Posted December 21, 2007 - 09:54 by Paul Michael

Personal Finance

I often get on my soap-box about bad customer service. I also preach (sorry) that you should all expect more for your money, be it shopping online or grabbing the weekly groceries. But I have to admit, even I thought this one was out of my out of my grasp. I’m referring to my recent trip to, wait for it, the dentist.

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