Tag: shopping

More than ever before, most of us must be far more creative in holiday gift-giving this year!

You may be one of those who hasn't ventured out to a shopping mall because of Covid-19 or just maybe, you are someone who dislikes shopping online. If you fall into either of those categories or yet another—one of those who simply don’t have the funds for a holiday spree—the following are a handful of suggestions of what you can give your significant other this holiday season. All of these recommendations are likely to mean a lot more to the person you love because they all require a highly personalized touch.

You know "stuff" isn’t what makes the holiday season truly fulfilling. Yet each year, despite your best intentions, you end up shopping too much, rushing too much, stressing too much… and savoring the moment too little. Here, I offer 10 suggestions to help you maximize your joy by making small, deliberate changes in the way you spend (or don’t spend) your money and time this holiday season:

1. Set a budget for gift-giving. By the time we reach adulthood, most of us have learned that giving and receiving unneeded gifts is an enormous waste of money.

Some degree of stress in our lives is normal and helps to motivate us to achieve our goals. We may develop bad habits to deal with prolonged or excessive stress, such as consuming too much caffeine, smoking, becoming emotional overeaters, drinking too much alcohol, or becoming shopaholics. It takes more than willpower to change negative habits. Take the following steps to change them effectively so that you will not get discouraged.

The holiday shopping season officially kicks off on Black Friday, November 26, the day after Thanksgiving. In case you have just popped out of a time warp, this chaotic day is when stores open their doors early, slash prices and are swarmed by throngs of bargain-seeking shoppers.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to score some great deals and cross several items off your shopping list. But in the competitive shopping frenzy, it’s easy to get carried away. Here are six steps for successfully surviving the day with shopping goals met and your dignity intact.

A delightful blend of old town charm and chic vitality, St. Helena in California is nestled in the heart of the Napa Valley, about 90 minutes northeast of San Francisco.

The first thing to know about St. Helena (Heh-LEE-nah) is: it’s a real, genuine town with a rich and interesting modern day history that dates back to the early 1840s. The town was incorporated in 1886, a full 25 years after Charles Krug founded the valley’s first commercial winery here. It was home to many Napa Valley pioneers, including Jacob and Frederick Beringer, and is considered to be the birthplace of the valley’s wine industry. Today, St. Helena is a cozy, yet vibrant and upbeat community dedicated to wine country hospitality; in fact, it is often referred to as the Napa Valley’s Main Street.

Is it your turn to host Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner this year? Lucky You! I wish I could give you an "easy" button for your holiday meals, but the best I can do is to share some terrific tips that will help you get through the holidays smoothly!

Develop The Menu
The best way to get started with planning a big meal is to develop a menu. For inspiration, flip through magazines, cookbooks and ask friends for recipe ideas. Unless you’re a pro in the kitchen, don’t pick a bunch of new dishes with long lists of ingredients. It’s best to keep it simple.

Identity theft is all about control. And it’s important to ask yourselves, who has control over your personal and financial information? Is it you, your spouse or the criminal on the other end of your computer using the information to apply for a credit card? Losing control of personal information can be all too easy online, but by taking some precautions you and your spouse can maintain privacy, while safely surfing the internet. Here are five common scenarios to watch out for.

1. Adjust Social-network Privacy Settings
Facebook has been working to simplify their privacy settings, but they can still be confusing to the average users.