ArcaMax

Planning for parents' end-of-life expenses is about the last thing most adult children want to deal with. At least not right now.

A traditional funeral costs about $6,000, although extras like flowers, obituary notices, acknowledgment cards and limousines can bring the total to well over $10,000. Families often overspend on a funeral or burial ...Read more

At the tender age of 11, I made a solemn vow that when I grew up I was going to be rich. My plan was simple: Marry well.

I bless the day I married my husband, a man who is rich in character and unfailing love. I assumed his money would follow. While waiting for wealth to descend upon me, I made the near-tragic error of spending as though I were...Read more

As I glanced at the day's news headlines, I flinched when I read that a prominent U.S. politician (who shall remain nameless) had 10 people show up at a recent town hall meeting. Ten! That's what I call an empty room, and it's the fear of every speaker: that no one will show up because no one is listening.

Before I bring up the subject of my ...Read more

Want to learn more ways to save time and money every day? Your fellow readers are ready to share their best tips. Get ready; you're about to say it more than a few times: "What a great idea!"

PROJECT-FREE PAINT JOB. My car is seven years old and has 127,000 miles -- and is paid for. I wanted to get it painted to last me another three years but ...Read more

If there's the slightest chance that an old can of car wax is hanging out in your garage or basement, now would be the time to find it, dust it off and hope it's not all dried out. Of course, car wax is good for waxing a car, but it's handy in so many other ways around the house, some of which are quite amazing.

Car wax, whether paste or liquid...Read more

If there's one food that signals the arrival of summer, it's gotta be salad. Backyard gardens everywhere are bursting with beautiful tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and basil.

But the same warm sun that nudges produce to perfection can also zap all the energy from the average cook. That's why we love big, lovely summer salads. We can step away ...Read more

The only thing I love more than great tips from my readers are the words of love and thanks. Yeah, I'm a sucker for friendship, and I value that more than you know.

Just knowing that so many friends are reading these columns every day keeps me going. So whatever you do, keep those tips, great ideas and questions coming.

NEUTRALIZE BUG BITES

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My adult children are big on borrowing stuff from their parents. And from time to time, they (you know who you are, son) may fail to mention having borrowed something like a Milwaukee Sawzall Reciprocating Saw in its big, bright red case, prompting that son's father to assume said tool had been stolen after searching the garage high and low for ...Read more

A few months ago, I got everything ready for our first outdoor barbecue of the season.

I pulled the cover off the grill and got a shock -- and not the electrical kind. The grill was a mess, inside and out. Yuck!

My only explanation is that the cold days of fall prompted me to just throw the cover on while my inner procrastinator assured me ...Read more

Dear Mary: I'm in desperate need of some advice. After losing literally everything in a divorce situation, I bought a car about a year ago that I could pay for with cash -- a 2002 Toyota Camry with more than 200,000 miles. In the past year, I've spent more in repairs than I paid for the car. It has a straight transmission, and I just learned ...Read more

Today, I'm going to walk you through the basic steps of an incredibly easy way to save money shopping online, using a recent purchase I made as an example.

From time to time, I will stop by Chicos.com to check out new arrivals. I've been looking for a jacket that would be appropriate for speaking engagements, and I must be very picky because ...Read more