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…

Don’t hesitate to give positive feedback when warranted — Everyone has a story about poor customer service. The record low jobless rate reportedly has created a labor pool of uncaring employees who know “help wanted” signs are everywhere. That’s why I need to give a shout out to a YouTube employee and a thumbs down to Verizon. According to…

Prices were up 70 percent in January from last year — Years ago, eggs had a bad reputation for raising cholesterol, but researchers later found saturated and trans fats were the culprit. Since eggs are low in saturated fat, we’re now told that one egg a day won’t cause serious problems for most people. That’s good news for me because you…

Some friends feel they’re worth the sense of protection — Are vitamins worth the money? Probably not unless your doctor is suggesting them. According to this article, most studies suggest multivitamins and supplements won’t make you live longer, slow cognitive decline or lower your chances of disease, such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes. So what’s the point? When you…