It’s the most wonderful time of the year all year in these 10 cities with Christmas town names.
What’s in a name, anyway? When it comes to naming a city or town, the name is usually related to the original founders. Sometimes, the origin of the town name has to do with the landscape, the natural resources or the animals, too.
We hopped on our sleigh to find different cities with Christmas town names. Which begs the question: Is Santa real if these 10 places across the country have festive names? If you want to feel the magic of the season year-round, consider checking out these ho-ho-holiday cities.
1. Santa Claus, IN
Known as “America’s Christmas Hometown,” this quaint rural town in southwestern Indiana evokes holiday charm year-round. Everything is Christmas-themed in Santa Claus — you’ve got the Santa Claus museum and village, Holiday World theme park and many different restaurants and shops to check out.
Originally called Santa Fe, the town changed its name to Santa Claus when Santa Fe was already taken. Nowadays, the town of 2,579 people fully embraces the festive theme 365 days a year.
2. Snowflake, AZ
Snow in Snowflake? Well, not really. But, this city does have a fun Christmas town name! The town of Snowflake is actually a great place for people to go if they are looking for a sunny retreat in the winter. You can still have all the Christmas feels in this town while enjoying mild weather.
The town of Snowflake is home to roughly 5,500 people and was named after two Mormon pioneers — Erastus Snow and William Jordan Flake — who settled the town in 1878.
3. North Pole, AK
Located in Alaska, the city of North Pole is a real place to live with a Christmas town name. The small city is home to 2,285 people who keep the season of Christmas alive all year long. In North Pole, you’ll see candy cane lights adorning the streets, Christmas stores, Santa Claus statues and even street names like Kris Kringle Drive.
If you’re a Grinch and don’t love the holidays, don’t fret! You can still be on the nice list because there are plenty of outdoor activities you’ll love, too. This Alaskan city with a Christmas town name offers beaches, hiking trails and the beautiful scenery Alaska has to offer.
4. Rudolph, WI
Rudolph is everyone’s favorite reindeer and those who live in this tiny town with a Christmas town name seem to love the area, too. Home to about 450 people, this rural place is actually famous for its cheese. Perhaps the reindeer stop here on Christmas Eve for a dairy snack?
5. Holladay, UT
Source: Facebook.com/FrostysWinterWonderland
Holladay is a medium-sized suburb in Salt Lake City with a festive Christmas town name. Home to approximately 31,000 people, this town makes the holidays festive by lighting a tree in the city center throughout the season.
6. Noel, MO
Noel is a holiday term that means “to be born.” It’s also a Christmas town name for a city in Missouri. This city lives up to it’s holiday-sounding name and has special postage stamps for any mail addressed to it. All holiday mail is stamped with their renowned postmark.
Aside from the Christmas tree and red wreath stamps, the town of Noel is a destination for people who want to enjoy the amazing scenery of the Ozarks. So, if you’re looking for a festive place to visit, check out Noel: The Christmas City of the Ozarks.
7. Holly Hill, FL
Have a holly, jolly Christmas in Holly Hill. This place with a Christmas town name is a great place to be year-round. It’s a lovely seaside village and is home to about 12,000 people. The city name was derived from Holy Hill but through the years has morphed into Holly Hill.
8. Garland, TX
While this city with a Christmas town name wasn’t named after festive holiday greenery, it still has a Christmas-y sounding name. Located near Dallas, Garland is a large suburb that over 200,000 people call home. It’s a great place to live, plus, it has a festive name to keep Christmas alive all year long.
9. Bethlehem, PA
The city of Bethlehem capitalizes on its Christmas town name and is known as a Christmas City because it really plays up its holiday events, light displays and shops full of holiday magic.
The Pennsylvania city’s name was chosen by German Moravians, who settled the land in 1741 on Christmas Eve.
10. Christmas, MI
This little town in the upper peninsula of Michigan is a charming place year-round. Home to only 400 people, the residents of Christmas have transformed the city into a resort destination for snowmobilers. This town was named after a resident who made a holiday gift factory here. While the factory no longer exists, people in Christmas, Michigan, keep the spirit of Christmas alive 365 days a year.
Enjoy the magic of the season year-round in these places with Christmas town names
Each town listed has a holiday-sounding name. While some of these towns live up the Christmas theme year-round, others leave Christmas behind come January.
Regardless, all of these places have magic to offer residents and tourists alike. Each city has beautiful scenery, great food and shopping options and friendly people who are on Santa’s nice list.
Starting a vegetable garden can be one of the most rewarding hobbies you ever pursue. Gardening is a source of relaxation and exercise, while yielding hundreds of dollars worth of fresh and delicious produce. It’s also extremely rewarding to watch the seeds you plant and care for grow into mature plants.
If you’re ready to take the plunge and start your first vegetable garden, this article will help you understand what you’re getting into and the steps you’ll need to take to make it to that first harvest.
The garden in summer
Things to Consider Before You Start
Gardening, especially for those without experience, goes a lot better if planned properly beforehand. So before you take a shovel to your front yard, here are some important questions to consider:
What kinds of produce do you enjoy? The ultimate product of a garden is fruit, vegetables, and herbs, so it’s important to plants crops that you’ll be happy to consume after harvest. Different types of crops also take different amounts of time and effort to harvest. In general:
Fruit plants are perennials, meaning that the plants live on for many years but often take years of growth before they yield any fruit.
Vegetables are usually annuals, meaning the plants die at the end of each season, but that they’ll yield a crop immediately.
Herbs are known for being particularly easy to grow so they’re usually a good choice for beginners.
When you consider a crop to plant, it’s important that you research its life cycle and requirements. For beginners, the best way to start is usually annuals, so you can to see the rewards of your labor within a single growing season. A great place to start is with herbs and salad vegetables and eventually work your way up to fruit trees and other perennials.
Which plants grow well where you live? Different plants have different requirements in terms of soil, amount of sunlight, and level of moisture. It’s important that you research which plants can grow well in the climate you inhabit to avoid planting a crop that’s doomed from the beginning. You can search the web for this information, or even better, ask experienced gardeners in your town or neighborhood which plants they’ve had success with in the past. Gardeners are usually happy to discuss their past crops and getting local information is ideal.
How much space do you have available for planting? Another important concern is the space where your garden will be planted. Many people are hesitant to dig up large portions of their yard, or aren’t allowed to because they don’t own the property themselves. One excellent option for beginners is container gardening. This means growing plants in pots or raised beds, rather than directly in the earth. Container gardening offers flexibility because the mobility of the containers allows you to rearrange their location, keep aggressive growers contained, move plants between areas with varying levels of sunlight, and start plants indoors before the climate outside becomes hospitable.
In you want to learn more about container gardening, Get Rich Slowly has previously reviewed The Bountiful Container, a guide to container gardening that is accessible to beginners but contains enough detail to benefit experienced gardeners.
How much time and money do you want to commit? Like most hobbies, gardening requires an investment to get started. Fortunately, you’ll be able to get some if not all of it back from the produce you harvest. The largest investment is required when you start your first garden because you’ll need to purchase tools and supplies for the first time.
Depending on the scope of your project, the tools you’ll need might include:
Shovel
Rake
Tiller
Mattock
Pruners
Other important supplies include:
Seeds
Young plants
Fertilizer
Soil
pH Test
Stakes
Containers, or lumber and other hardware for constructing containers
While some supplies need to be purchased every year, most tools will last for many years (especially if you buy quality), so the investment you’ll need to make in subsequent years will be much smaller.
Starting a garden also takes a lot of time and effort, particularly at the beginning of the season when you’ll do all your planning, soil preparation, and planting. For this reason I recommend starting small. It’s much better to take on a bit less than you can handle than to try doing too much, getting burned out, and leaving your garden unfinished. If you do well, you can always expand the following year.
Images of summer…
Purchasing Seeds and Young Plants
The first step of garden preparation is usually purchasing seeds and young plants. The easiest way to do this is usually through mail-order catalogs or websites, but you could also buy from a local supply store.
You should consider a number of factors when putting in your order:
What produce you want at harvest time
Which plants are easy to grow from seed and which ones you are better off ordering as young plants
Soil temperature
Amount of sunlight
Space and soil requirements
Depending on the climate in your area, you might also want to start off your plants indoors and transfer them outside once it’s warm enough. (Obviously, it’s too late in the season to do that for 2011.) It’s impossible to say exactly what the best seed order is because it depends on your personal preferences, climate, and other unique factors. Considering all this and creating your own order is one of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of starting a garden.
Choosing a Location for Your Garden
The next step is choosing a location for your garden. The best spot depends on a number of factors:
The plants you’d like to grow. Some plants need a lot of shade, others sun.
The number of plants you’d like and how much space they need
Access to water
The available areas around your home
Aesthetics
You should research your plants and weigh the other factors when coming to a decision on where to place your garden.
J.D. and Kris dug up their yard to expand their garden in 2005.
Preparing the Soil
Once you have a space picked out for your garden, the next step is preparing the soil. This can be a laborious and time consuming process, depending on the quality of your soil and the amount of rocks and weeds in your yard. You’ll need to test the soil pH, dig up any grass and weeds that might be present, add manure or other organic material, use a tiller to mix the soil, and remove rocks and roots that could grow into weeds. You may also need to add chemicals such as sulfur or lime to adjust the soil pH. This article provides a more detailed guide to the process of digging a garden.
If you’d rather avoid this, or your soil simply isn’t suitable, you can plant your garden in containers or a raised bed. This can be a great option because the containers keep out weeds and your plants will be growing in high quality soil.
Planting
Once your garden is ready for planting, you’ll want to draw up a garden plan that specifies which plants will grow where. To do this, you’ll need to research how much space your plants will need and how they like to be planted. Some plants do better in wide rows, while others excel in thin single-file rows. Some plants should be planted in raised beds because the extra soil depth is important, others need to be planted in troughs so that they can be covered with soil as they sprout.
After you’ve made your plan, divide your rows, either by drawing in the soil or using stakes and string to make the rows. Don’t forget to rope off a walk way through your garden so you can access your plants without trampling them. Your garden should now be ready for planting.
Ongoing Maintenance
After you’ve finished planting, congratulate yourself! You’ve just completed the most strenuous part of gardening. Now that the plants are in the ground, you’ll need to conduct ongoing maintenance, which shouldn’t take more than an hour a week if you have a reasonably sized garden.
Important maintenance tasks include:
Watering. Forget this and your plants won’t stand much of a chance. When you bought your seeds they should have come with instructions for how much and how frequently the plants should be watered. It’s also a good idea to monitor the garden daily for signs of poor health.
Weeding. This won’t be an issue if you have a container garden, but if not, you’ll need to check regularly and uproot any invasive weeds that infiltrate your garden.
Side Dressing. This means spreading additional fertilizer around the base of your growing plants. Do some research to determine if and how often each of your crops should be side dressed.
Hilling. This means piling up additional soil around the stem of your plants into a “hill”. This is often done in conjunction with side dressing where the fertilizer is spread around the stem and soil is piled on top of it. Certain plants, especially root vegetables, benefit from hilling because they grow better with extra soil above the root.
As your garden grows, it’s important that you check it daily to watch for any problems. This doesn’t take a lot of time and you will catch any issues before they become bigger problems. Things to watch out for include:
Rotting or disease plants
Insects and other pests
Animals eating plants
Withering or otherwise unhealthy plants
An actual weekend harvest from J.D.’s garden in August 2006.
Harvesting
As the season progresses you’ll see your plants grow and eventually produce the fruits, vegetables, and herbs that you envisioned when you ordered your seed packets months earlier. It’s extremely rewarding to see your hard work pay off in the form of food that you grew from the earth.
When you feel that your produce is at the peak of its desirability, it’s time to harvest. Gently pick ripe produce as it matures and store it in a cool dry place in your home. If you have more than you can eat, giving some away to friends and neighbors is a great idea.
This is when you recoup your initial investment by eating fresh delicious produce for free. A decent-sized garden can easily produce hundreds of dollars worth of food each year. If you make it this far, you should give yourself a pat on the back because you’ve developed an enjoyable hobby, done good for the environment, and saved yourself money on food.
J.D.’s note: In theory, next weekend is the big garden weekend here at Rosings Park. Kris and I will attend the local garden show, and then we’ll plant most of our crops for the year. (This morning we’re at our friend’s plant swap!) In reality, the weather sucks. It’s been rotten for two months. We’re way behind. I’m not sure when the garden will get started. But I have hopes that next week we’ll be back on schedule.
This guest post from the redoubtable Tyler K is part of the new “reader stories” feature here at Get Rich Slowly. Some reader stories contain general “how I did X” advice, and others will be examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success — or failure. Tyler is an active commenter at GRS, and never afraid to share his opinion!
Like J.D., I once had a big problem with debt. Unlike J.D., I didn’t dig myself out from under that problem gracefully.
About eight years ago, I was a college student, living in an apartment near campus, and working full time while going to school. I felt like I was on top of the world. Here I was, seeing all my friends making $6 or $8 an hour, while I was making about $17. That seemed like a lot of money. It was about $35,000 a year — not just a college student’s salary, but a real salary. I felt like I deserved to be living it up a bit, especially considering all the work I was doing with a full-time job and a full time class load.
I went overboard. I spent well beyond the $35,000/year I was making (it wasn’t as much money as it felt like). I bought a Mustang, and modified it into an amateur race car. I had the latest laptop and a desktop computer with a flat screen display (in 2001). My $35k/year salary was enough to live on, but it wasn’t enough to support spending $1500 on a laptop computer and on a desktop computer and on high-performance cylinder heads, but that’s what I did.
I bought all of them, and more.
This kept up for a year or two. I kept justifying these purchases to myself, and my credit card balances slowly rose along with my required minimum payments. A bout of bad luck exacerbated the problem. I was mugged outside my apartment, and having no medical insurance, ran up an emergency room bill. My race car was stolen, and being 21 and owning a race car, I couldn’t afford comprehensive car insurance, I had liability only. I bought another car to replace it, again with borrowed money.
Things fall apart
Eventually, I realized I was in over my head. I was gasping for air. I couldn’t make my credit card payments and also pay my rent and buy groceries. I was driven to the edge, and I gave up. I stopped paying all my credit card bills, and they went into collections. I voluntarily surrendered my car to be repossessed. I figured if I was going to ruin my credit score, I might as well go all out — I even hired a bankruptcy attorney. She managed to stop the incessant flood of phone calls from creditors, but I found I couldn’t afford even to pay for the bankruptcy proceedings, and so that process stopped shortly thereafter.
At this point, I owed approximately $30,000 on about four different credit cards, the medical bill, and the car loan, all of these in collections. My credit had been destroyed, but my creditors had been silenced by the bankruptcy attorney. I decided to get my life in order and worry about paying back the debts I owed later. It was easy to justify — I could barely put food on the table and the credit card company was still bringing in billions every year. They didn’t need an extra few thousand dollars as desperately as I did. So I let my debts ride, and worked on running my life in a sustainable way.
Turning things around
The first thing I did was give up credit cards entirely.
I decided to only spend money I actually had, and so my purchases of toys slowed dramatically. My extravagances in life dropped to going out to eat with my roommate a couple times a week, and not at particularly fancy places. I got into bicycling as a hobby, on a used, mid-range road bike — not a brand new, high-end model like I would have bought before. And there I sat, content with the computer I already had, my modest bicycle, and the occasional trip out for dinner. I was living quite comfortably on my salary with my new outlook on life. For the first time in years, I felt comfortable with myself. I actually managed to save a few dollars from paycheck to paycheck instead of spending them!
I did decide that I needed a car, though. I hadn’t enough money to pay cash for one, and I doubted anyone would give me a loan, so still being young and in school, I asked my parents to help. This time though, I was much more conservative.
I borrowed about $5,000 from my parents and created a definite plan for paying them back. I bought a nine-year-old but well-maintained Honda Accord, and I stuck to the payments religiously. This time if I were to fall behind, not only would I give up my newfound peace I’d made with myself financially, but I’d be letting my parents down instead of faceless mega-corporations.
No credit needed
Shortly thereafter, I finished school, and took a software engineering job in San Francisco. Rents were higher in the city, but my salary doubled. My brother needed a car, and I worked out a deal with my parents to give him mine, along with the rest of the payments on the loan. I wanted to get a brand new one.
I went down to the car dealership with my pay stubs from my new job, and my ruined credit score, and a pre-approval I’d gotten online for a loan of up to $26,000. I was determined to make something work. As it turned out, this was easier than I’d anticipated. Car dealerships will do anything to sell cars, and that includes selling cars to people with horrible credit and a repossessed car on their credit report. I bought this car with no money down, which in retrospect, is the stupidest financial decision I’ve made since I began my financial recovery.
Still, it wasn’t a horrible decision — I now made a salary that could justify a car like this. Sure, I got a crappy 12% interest rate on the loan, but I eventually refinanced the loan to 10%, and a shorter term, and then I paid the loan off early, about two-and-a-half years after I first bought the car. When I called the bank to pay off the first loan (when I refinanced), they were practically begging me to take a credit card from them, seeing as I’d overpaid my car loan every single month, on time, for the life of the loan. But still, I wouldn’t break my ‘no credit cards’ rule, and I refused.
Renting an apartment was another thing I was scared to do with bad credit, but it turned out easier than I thought, as well. I got my first new apartment with my ruined credit when I moved to San Francisco. I decided to share a place with a friend of a friend. We found a two-bedroom place listed on Craigslist, and went to see it. It was a four unit building, quite common in San Francisco, owned by a little old Chinese lady. She didn’t care to even run a credit check. Two well-dressed young men showed up, with pay stubs indicating an above-average combined annual salary, and job titles of ‘Software Engineer’ and ‘Accountant’. She was more than happy to rent the place to us for $1800/month.
I continued my life living the way I had since I’d given up on my debt a few years ago, but now on a much larger post-college salary. I bought few toys, aside from the car and some furniture. I’d go out to eat with friends sometimes, or I’d go out for drinks occasionally with my new coworkers. I actually found money piling up in my checking account because I was making it faster than I even wanted to spend it. I had nothing I needed to buy.
After a year, my roommate took a promotion that had him moving from San Francisco to Denver. I decided that I wanted to get my own place, but $1800/month was too much for me to spend by myself. The little old lady who’d been our landlord actually asked if we’d reconsider staying, and if I could find another roommate, as we’d been such good tenants, but I told her I had to leave.
I was questioning my ability to get lucky with finding an apartment a second time, but figured I’d done it before, and I could do it again. I looked at one place I like, and decided to take it, but was turned down by the rental agency due to my bad credit. I found another place a few blocks away that actually ended up being nicer — It was an old Victorian house divided into two units, one upstairs and one downstairs. The family that owned the place lived upstairs and rented out the downstairs.
Wary because of my bad credit and previous rejection, I wrote down my story, and gave the owners my bank statement showing the money I’d accumulated in the last year I’d spent living below my means, and the phone number of the landlord that’d asked me to stay in San Francisco. In light of this information, they rented to me regardless of my credit score, and they too ended up extremely happy with me as a renter.
The road to recovery
Several years after I’d given up on my credit card bills, I was finally contacted again by one of my creditors (or really, the collection agency to which they’d sold my debt). They demanded, in a rude and threatening manner, payment in full of an outstanding debt over $10,000.
My girlfriend (now my wife), who worked at a law firm, asked a co-worker of hers to help me out. He was an attorney who had previously worked in this specific area, representing clients being sued by creditors, and had no sympathy for a threatening collection agency. With a single phone call on my behalf, he had the collection agency offering a settlement of about half their initial demand. I paid it in full from the surplus I’d been accumulating.
Slowly, over the course of several years, my other creditors would contact me, and we’d agree on a settlement like this. Eventually, the statute of limitations for them to collect on the debt through legal channels expired. After that, all I needed to mention to creditors was that I knew it was too late for anyone to sue me, and I’d have a reduced settlement offer.
Now, at the beginning of 2010, it’s been nearly seven years since this whole mess started, and these old marks are due to start dropping from my credit report soon. Surprisingly, I’ve found in the intervening time that I haven’t been impacted much at all by my poor credit — certainly not as much as you would have thought, given the emphasis the financial media puts on credit score.
I paid maybe 5% more than market value for the car I financed, not a huge deal.
I was turned down for one apartment rental.
I’ve since rented one other place, where I live now, in a manner similar to the second — it’s a privately-owned little house with landlords that live next door.
I told them my story, showed them my bank statements and pay stubs, and they were happy to rent to me, and I love it here. Aside from the lousy car interest rate and a single apartment rejection, I haven’t even noticed my poor credit score. Employers haven’t cared. Cell phone companies haven’t cared. The electric company hasn’t cared. For the most part, nobody but myself has even looked at my credit score for the past six years.
While all this has been happening, my life otherwise has been going fantastically. My career has progressed well, I make roughly four times what I did when the story started. I got married. I moved back to my hometown, which I love. I’ve been traveling a bit, to five other countries and various places in the US. My life is going as well as I could hope.
Strangely enough, I’m not sure that any of this would have happened if I hadn’t given up on those debts years ago. That began a change in lifestyle — a focus on experiences instead of things, on making do with what you have instead of needing the latest and greatest. Those lessons have shaped my life since then, and I don’t know if I would have learned them as well without going through that experience.
Final words
I was originally hesitant about sharing this story. I was afraid of being judged for the method I used to pay off my debts. I’m not proud about having done this, but at the same time, I don’t feel bad about it.
These credit card companies were willing to do everything in their power to make a profit off me. They had teams of actuaries calculating the exact interest rates and credit limits that would maximize profits from their customers, and they had the legal system at their disposal if they thought it would have been beneficial. I used the same tactics. I was never sued and in the end, I came to mutual agreements with my creditors that satisfied both parties.
Was it an ideal solution for either party? No, but once I was in in over my head, there wasn’t a realistic ‘ideal solution’. The situation was eventually salvaged, and now, years down the line, it’s water under the bridge.
While money may not be everything, there’s no denying that having plenty of money gives you more options, and offers access to lifestyles that are out of reach for those with more limited resources. But what if you don’t have a lot of money? Can you still look like you do? The answer is yes. In this article, we’ll delve into some ways people look rich even if they aren’t.
1. Luxury Accessories
Wearing simple clothes made with good quality is one way of appearing better off than you are. Lots of name-brand or quality clothes can be found second-hand, on thrifting websites, or marked down when they’re out of season. Another option is to have luxury and name brand accessories: you could save up for an expensive watch, sunglasses, or purse. Just a few accessories can elevate your whole outfit and give the impression of wealth even if the rest of your appearance is unremarkable.
One Redditor commented, “Overrated expensive clothes. Mark Zuckerberg wears a t-shirt and jeans on an ordinary day.”
2. Pointless Loans
Taking Taking loans to look rich is the worst and most dangerous way to look rich because it can lead you to financial trouble, can easily land you in jail, and the stress of loads or credit card debt can cause health problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Taking out loans to fund a lavish lifestyle can create the illusion of wealth and furnish you with some expensive personal property, but it’s a risky strategy that can lead to debt and financial instability.
3. Expensive Groceries
While some people may believe that buying groceries at expensive stores is a way to look rich, it’s not a recommended approach. Despite the premium products offered by high-end grocery stores, they come with higher price tags that can quickly strain your budget. Instead, with a little practice and skill, you can learn to make great foods with the same ingredients at a cheaper price, using food from regular grocery stores and just one or two expensive ingredients. Prioritizing budget and health needs, shopping smartly, and seeking out deals and discounts where possible are better strategies for achieving financial stability and good nutrition.
One Redditor said, “I have a friend who is thousands of dollars in debt and she will only shop at expensive grocery stores, buy organic foods, and only buy name-brand foods/ items. She refuses to listen to me when I tell her to buy store brands and shop at places like Aldi/ TJ.”
4. Expensive Restaurants
Going to expensive restaurants is a common way for people to create the impression of wealth, and it makes sense because expensive restaurants have luxurious surroundings and high class wait staff in addition to the good food. But despite all that, expensive restaurants get very pricey, very quickly. While some people may associate fine dining with affluence, others may see it as an indulgent and unnecessary expense.
Cooking at home can also be a more cost-effective and healthier option, as it allows for greater control over ingredients and portion sizes. Or simply dine out less often, and use the money you’ve saved by cooking for yourself to afford the occasional dinner at a fancier place.
5. Luxury Cars
Driving luxury cars that you can’t afford in order to look rich is not a wise or sustainable way to manage your finances. It may create a false impression of wealth or status, but ultimately, cars are a depreciating asset and you’ll be paying for maintenance no matter which vehicle you own. Instead of focusing on material possessions and trying to impress others, prioritize financial responsibility and drive something which won’t cost you more than you can afford. If you are considering taking on significant debt to maintain the appearance of wealth, it’s important to reconsider your priorities and focus on building a strong financial foundation for yourself.
6. Expensive Tech
Technology has become an integral part of daily life and using expensive gadgets and devices is a popular way to create an impression of wealth. However, it’s crucial to understand that unless you have a way to pay for your expensive phone, computer, etc., it’s really not sustainable nor healthy for showcasing your financial status. Buying pricey technology may give you a temporary ego boost, it’s not an authentic way to display one’s wealth.
7. Excessive Gambling
Using excessive gambling as a means to appear wealthy is both impractical and generally harmful. Gambling can be an enjoyable form of entertainment, but it should be practiced in moderation and with responsible limits. When gambling becomes excessive, it can result in financial difficulties and addiction. This behavior does not genuinely showcase one’s wealth, instead, it can lead to significant financial losses and a damaged reputation. Additionally, it can impact personal relationships, work productivity, and overall mental and emotional well-being.
8. Upscale Neighborhood
Living in an expensive neighborhood is a widespread trend, but it is not a sustainable or healthy if you’re just doing it to appear well off. Buying a house you can’t afford is a very risky situation, and it’s tough to get out of. It’s crucial to make wise financial decisions based on personal needs and priorities. While living in an upscale neighborhood can provide a social status and prestige, it should not be the sole basis for one’s self-worth.
9. Good Haircut
Beyond just buying expensive products, something as simple as having a really well-styled haircut and good personal grooming can make you appear better off than you are. Get to know a good hair stylist, and then practice styling your hair at home until you’re able to do it well. Keeping your personal appearance clean, simple and elegant can go a long ways towards helping people perceive you as well-off.
10. Presenting Yourself with Poise
And last but not least something as simple as having good poise when you meet people, interact with coworkers, and talk with new friends can help others to perceive you as having more money than you do. Having good posture and acting with quiet confidence tends to make people think you are a confident person, and can even give people the idea that you have plenty of money. Practice walking with good posture, and having open, friendly mannerisms when you converse with others. Your poise and confidence will have people believe that you’ve never wanted for anything a day in your life.
Source: Reddit.
Who is one actress you can never stand watching, no matter their role? After polling the internet, these were the top-voted actresses that people couldn’t stand watching.
10 Actresses People Despise Watching Regardless of Their Role
These 7 Celebrities are Genuinely Good People
We’ve all heard the famous adage that “no publicity is bad publicity,” and while it tends to be accurate, there are certainly exceptions. But what about those few stars who stay out of the limelight and get along without a hint of trouble?
These 7 Celebrities are Genuinely Good People
Have you ever known someone and thought you liked them—until you learned about their hobbies? Then you get to know them and then you’re like, “Wow, red flag.” Well, you’re not alone.
These 10 Activities Are an Immediate Red Flag
Some celebrities definitely seem to enjoy the limelight and keep working to stay in the public eye. While others quickly move out of the spotlight. Many of these actors and actresses stepped out of the spotlight to live a more private life without constant media pressures.
10 Celebrities That Made the Big Times Then Disappeared Off The Face of the Earth
We’ve all been there – sitting through a movie that we can’t help but cringe at, but somehow it still manages to hold a special place in our hearts.
These 10 Terrible Movies Are Still People’s Favorites
Last Updated: May 26, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner – 60 Comments
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend.
We didn’t do a whole lot, but it was a nice relaxing weekend.
Our good friends (W has been good friends with the guy since first grade) are getting married this Friday and decided to plan a quick wedding so we have a lot to do this week to get ready for that and it’ll be a lot of fun!
I booked our engagement photography last week. She takes great photos and I’ve been stalking her wedding website and Facebook for years now so I’m glad I was able to book with her! We are of course taking our engagement photos with our dogs too and I’m really looking forward to it. W is really not looking forward to taking photos. Anyone else had this problem? I feel like I can’t convince him to do this at all haha. I’ve already paid though and it’s $400 for the engagement photos so he will for sure be coming.
Lately I’ve been talking a lot about how we want a new house. We figured that until we actually find the house and are 100% about to buy, then we really need to be doing little things around our house until then to prepare and not be overwhelmed at one time. Also, why not make our house perfect for while we’re leaving here? So we have a long list of things that we need to do. This past weekend I cleaned out my closet and had 2 large trash bags full of garbage to throw away. And this was pure trash: receipts, plastic bags, tags, paper, etc.
This upcoming weekend I plan on de-cluttering everything and getting rid of clothes in my closet. Hopefully I can actually get rid of some clothes and possibly make some extra money too!
So, quick question for all of you:What thing around your house did you improve before you tried selling it? I’m looking for all tips as we want to sell our house for as much as we can and also as quickly as we can. I have a long post dedicated to this in the future but am wondering if there’s anything that I’m leaving out!
I paid off one of my student loans, and it was my only private student loan! Back in 2007 I took out the loan and it totaled $6,000. I paid off the rest the other day and it looks like I accidentally overpaid by $0.01! It’s a nice feeling and I never honestly thought that eliminating student loans would be this exhilarating haha.
Spending
I don’t think we bought anything in the past week, at least nothing that I can think of. We have been doing really good with this and I’m proud. I guess you could of course count for engagement photography that I paid for, but I did budget for that awhile ago.
Also, we have some major expenses coming up. We are paying for W’s parents to go on a vacation. It’s going to be a present to them for being such great people and we’re really hoping that they enjoy it. We’ve saved up for quite some time and are covering the airfare and all-inclusive hotel. I don’t think they’ve ever been to the Caribbean so I’m super excited for them!
Extra Income (does not include salary from our jobs)
I received $823 in payments in the past week. Still waiting on some more payments so I hope they come through soon.
Affiliate income is still my number 1 goal right now. I’m really working on that and hopefully it’ll be around 50% or more of my total extra income each month. Eventually though, my new side hustle will completely take over and hopefully become a larger part of my income. This side hustle will eventually take up a ton of time.
I wish I could tell you guys more! A couple of you asked me if it’s related to blogging, and it’s not at all. It is not related to writing, blogging, advertising, etc. Something completely new! If anyone wants to guess, I’ll take all guesses and confess if someone actually does come up with the right answer. And, if you already know what the new plan is, please don’t tell! I already told a couple of you. 🙂
Food
We haven’t had a meal plan in forever, but we have been doing great with eating at home. We made dinner 5 days last week. The two days that we did eat out were super cheap. Thankfully our 2 favorite restaurants are right next door to each other and just right down the street. They are both super cheap and we spent a total of $35 on going out to restaurants to eat. That’s pretty cheap to me, less than $20 for each night!
We want to continue to eat in as much as we can. We have really enjoyed it. We have more time to relax and hang out since we aren’t in a busy restaurant.
Wedding
As I said above, we booked our engagement photography to be done. We’re not taking them until May because we want everything to be blooming and colorful. Our photos will be a start park with lots of great hiking and pretty cliffs. Sounds like a disaster once you mix heels, dresses and 2 dogs but oh well 🙂
Being healthy
Having the treadmill in our basement has been great so far. I’ve run on it three times in the past week and it’s been great. I’m going to try and at least fit in a couple of miles here and there whenever I have 10 or 20 minutes to spare also.
How’s your spending, working out and extra income going?
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
When a credit card’s annual fee is over $600, many people raise an eyebrow and question whether its benefits make that fee worth paying.
That’s certainly the case with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card — the premium card in the Marriott credit card family. Along with announcing several new and enhanced benefits in late 2022, we saw the annual fee jump from an already-pricey $450 to an eye-catching $650 (see rates and fees).
The truth is, cobranded hotel cards usually aren’t the best for maximizing your spending beyond purchases with a given hotel chain. But when a credit card offers a premium free night award each year and elite status that can provide suite upgrades and free breakfast, people pay attention.
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card proves that it’s possible to get significant value from at least one premium hotel card by offering generous perks such as automatic top-tier elite status and weekend reward nights. After its recent changes, we’re breaking down whether the same holds true for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant below.
The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Welcome bonus
Let’s start with the introductory bonus offer to examine whether the card is worth it.
With the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex, you can earn a welcome bonus of 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months; plus, earn 50,000 points after you stay six eligible paid nights at Marriott hotels through Jan. 31, 2024. This offer ends Aug. 9.
TPG values Marriott points at 0.84 cents apiece, meaning this bonus is worth $1,680.
Sign up for our daily newsletter
Some of the best uses of Marriott Bonvoy points include free nights at properties such as The Ritz-Carlton, Turks & Caicos, The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, The West Hollywood Edition and the London Marriott Hotel Park Lane. Those who enjoy time on the powder may love ski-adjacent options at The St. Regis Aspen Resort, The St. Regis Deer Valley or The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch.
Remember that American Express has restrictions that will limit your ability to collect a new-member bonus if you’ve had other Marriott products before. Fortunately, there’s a pop-up that will tell you if you are not eligible for the bonus when you apply before Amex runs your credit — and our chart can help clarify things as well.
Related: Marriott’s dynamic award pricing is live — here’s what that means for travelers
Annual free night award
Each year after your card renewal month, you’ll receive a free night award worth up to 85,000 points.
In case you need some inspiration for what that can get you, this can include the luxurious St. Regis New York and St. Regis Deer Valley in the U.S., The Ritz-Carlton, Turks & Caicos for a Caribbean getaway, The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto in Japan or idyllic overwater bungalows at the St. Regis Bora Bora or The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands.
That said, due to Marriott’s dynamic pricing model, you’ll want to do a calendar search for flexible dates in order to find nights that cost 85,000 points or less.
The annual free night award has significant value, but it’s also worth pointing out that you can only use this award to stay for a single night. This could be challenging if you have plans to stay two nights or longer. If you maximize this award night and stay at a property costing 85,000 points, you have three less-than-ideal options for subsequent nights:
Pay 85,000 points from your Marriott balance.
Pay the cash fee (which can be quite high).
Move to a different hotel.
For this reason, people have differing opinions on the value of free night awards that are worth a single night at a luxury property.
Related: 9 places to maximize the new 85,000-point Marriott award night certificate
Up to $300 in dining credits per year
In the past, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex cardholders had an easy-to-use annual credit for up to $300 to use on spending with Marriott-affiliated properties. But when the Brilliant underwent its changes in 2022, this changed to monthly dining credits. While the maximum value per year ($300) remains the same, the credits are now given as up to $25 per month.
This means that the credits are now more complicated to use, as you must remember to use them monthly rather than simply paying for hotel stays related to the hotel program affiliated with the credit card at any time during the year.
That said, just about everyone spends at least $25 per month at restaurants, so as long as you remember to use the credits each month, this can help to offset nearly half of the card’s $650 annual fee (see rates and fees).
Related: How to use Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant’s $25 monthly dining credit
Elite status and related perks
The card offers automatic Marriott Platinum Elite status. In terms of Marriott’s status tiers, this is the level where valuable perks start to kick in.
Platinum Elite members are eligible for late checkout and early check-in, when available, plus room upgrades based on availability at arrival — including eligibility for upgrades to suites. At the Platinum level, you also have access to welcome gifts at check-in and free breakfast at select properties.
Unfortunately, you are not entitled to a Choice Benefit (the most valuable of which are five Suite Night Awards) just by having this card. You can, however, earn a Choice benefit by spending $60,000 on your card in a calendar year or, alternatively, by reaching 50 elite night credits. You’ll automatically get 25 credits by having your card, so you’ll need to stay just 25 additional nights to qualify for the Choice benefit.
Note that you can only earn one set of elite night credits from personal Marriott cards, regardless of how many you have. However, this benefit can stack with the 15 elite night credits given to cardholders of a Marriott business card — like the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card.
If you have both the Bonvoy Brilliant and the Bonvoy Business cards, you’ll have 40 elite night credits, so you’ll only need to stay 10 qualifying nights to get the Choice benefit.
And if you’re shooting for Titanium Elite status, you’ll need 75 qualifying credits. The 40 elite credits you’d get from holding both the Brilliant and the Business cards will get you over halfway there.
Related: Your complete guide to earning Marriott elite status with credit cards
Other perks
Other built-in perks of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card include a Priority Pass Select membership, which gives you and two guests unlimited access to more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide, as well as an up-to-$100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit.
The Priority Pass membership is not a massive value-add if you already receive the benefit through other cards. However, if you already have Global Entry or TSA PreCheck because you received it for free with another credit card, you can use this credit to cover a friend’s or family member’s application fee. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex’s earning structure is similar to the other Marriott cards but with two additional bonus categories: dining and airfare. Cardholders earn 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 3 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2 points per dollar on other eligible purchases.
Based on TPG’s valuations, that’s essentially a return of 5% on Marriott purchases, 2.5% on restaurants and flights and 1.7% on everyday spending. Those rates aren’t earth-shattering but aren’t bad for a cobranded card.
Related: Earn bonus Marriott points on your Uber rides and food delivery orders
Bottom line
While it might not be the best card for everyday spending, there’s plenty of value in the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card if you frequently stay in Marriott properties and place value in the elite perks the card offers. In fact, it may be a no-brainer for the program’s most loyal guests.
Depending on how you value these benefits, you could love the status, dining credits and more valuable free night award. Still, you may also think the annual fee is too much because you don’t see yourself maximizing them. Be sure to calculate the value you’ll get from the card before deciding to add it to your wallet.
Official application link: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card with 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months; plus, earn 50,000 points after you stay six eligible nights at Marriott hotels through Jan. 31, 2024. Offer ends August 9.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex, click here.
Additional reporting by Emily Thompson, Ryan Wilcox, Summer Hull, Jennifer Yellin and Benji Stawski.
A potentially scary, or intriguing thought, depending on your worldview: Whether you are approved for a mortgage could hinge upon the type of yogurt you purchase.
Buying the more daring and worldly Siggi’s — a fancy imported Icelandic brand — could mean you achieve the American Dream while enjoying the more pedestrian choice of Yoplait’s whipped strawberry flavor could lead to another year of living in your parents’ basement.
Consumer habits and preferences can be used by machine learning or artificial intelligence-powered systems to build a financial profile of an applicant. In this evolving field, the data used to determine a person’s creditworthiness could include anything from subscriptions to certain streaming services to applying for a mortgage in an area with a higher rate of defaults to even a penchant for purchasing luxury products — the Siggi’s brand of yogurt, for instance.
Unlike the recent craze with AI-powered bots, such as ChatGPT, machine learning technology involved in the lending process has been around for at least half a decade. But a greater awareness of this technology in the cultural zeitgeist, and fresh scrutiny from regulators have many weighing both its potential benefits and the possible unintended — and negative — consequences.
AI-driven decision-making is advertised as a more holistic way of assessing a borrower than solely relying on traditional methods, such as credit reports, which can be disadvantageous for some socio-economic groups and result in more denials of loan applications or in higher interest rates being charged.
Companies in the financial services sector, including Churchill Mortgage, Planet Home Lending, Discover and Citibank, have started experimenting with using this technology during the underwriting process.
The AI tools could offer a fairer risk assessment of a borrower, according to Sean Kamar, vice president of data science at Zest AI, a technology company that builds software for lending.
“A more accurate risk score allows lenders to be more confident about the decision that they’re making,” he said. “This is also a solution that mitigates any kind of biases that are present.”
But despite the promise of more equitable outcomes, additional transparency about how these tools learn and make choices may be needed before broad adoption is seen across the mortgage industry. This is partially due to ongoing concerns about a proclivity for discriminatory lending practices.
AI-powered systems have been under the watchful eye of agencies responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
“Companies must take responsibility for the use of these tools,” Rohit Chopra, the CFPB’s director, warned during a recent interagency press briefing about automated systems. “Unchecked AI poses threats to fairness and our civil rights,” he added.
Stakeholders in the AI industry expect standards to be rolled out by regulators in the near future, which could require companies to disclose their secret sauce — what variables they use to make decisions.
Companies involved in building this type of technology welcome guardrails, seeing them as a necessary burden that can result in greater clarity and more future customers.
The world of automated systems
In the analog world, a handful of data points provided by one of the credit reporting agencies, such as Equifax, Experian or TransUnion, help to determine whether a borrower qualifies for a mortgage.
A summary report is issued by these agencies that outlines a borrower’s credit history, the number of credit accounts they’ve had, payment history and bankruptcies. From this information, a credit score is calculated and used in the lending decision.
Credit scores are “a two-edged sword,” explained David Dworkin, CEO of the National Housing Conference.
“On the one hand, the score is highly predictive of the likelihood of [default],” he said. “And, on the other hand, the scoring algorithm clearly skews in favor of a white traditional, upper middle class borrower.”
This pattern begins as early as young adulthood for borrowers. A report published by the Urban Institute in 2022 found that young minority groups experience “deteriorating credit scores” compared to white borrowers. From 2010 to 2021, almost 33% of Black 18-to-29-year-olds and about 26% of Hispanic people in that age group saw their credit score drop, compared with 21% of young adults in majority-white communities.
That points to “decades of systemic racism” when it comes to traditional credit scoring, the nonprofit’s analysis argues. The selling point of underwriting systems powered by machine learning is that they rely on a much broader swath of data and can analyze it in a more nuanced, nonlinear way, which can potentially minimize bias, industry stakeholders said.
“The old way of underwriting loans is relying on FICO calculations,” said Subodha Kumar, data science professor at Temple University in Philadelphia. “But the newer technologies can look at [e-commerce and purchase data], such as the yogurt you buy to help in predicting whether you’ll pay your loan or not. These algorithms can give us the optimal value of each individual so you don’t put people in a bucket anymore and the decision becomes more personalized, which is supposedly much better.”
An example of how a consumer’s purchase decisions may be used by automated systems to determine creditworthiness are displayed in a research paper published in 2021 by the University of Pennsylvania, which found a correlation between products consumers buy at a grocery store and the financial habits that shape credit behaviors.
The paper concluded that applicants who buy things such as fresh yogurt or imported snacks fall into the category of low-risk applicants. In contrast, those who add canned food and deli meats and sausages to their carts land in the more likely to default category because their purchases are “less time-intensive…to transform into consumption.”
Though technology companies interviewed denied using such data points, most do rely on a more creative approach to determine whether a borrower qualifies for a loan. According to Kamar, Zest AI’s underwriting system can distinguish between a “safe borrower” who has high utilization and a consumer whose spending habits pose risk.
“[If you have a high utilization, but you are consistently paying off your debt] you’re probably a much safer borrower than somebody who has very high utilization and is constantly opening up new lines of credit,” Kamar said. “Those are two very different borrowers, but that difference is not seen by more simpler, linear models.”
Meanwhile, TurnKey Lender, a technology company that also has an automated underwriting system that pulls standard data, such as personal information, property information and employment, but can also analyze more “out-of-the-box” data to determine a borrower’s creditworthiness. Their web platform, which handles origination, underwriting, and credit reporting, can look at algorithms that predict the future behavior of the client, according to Vit Arnautov, chief product officer at TurnKey.
The company’s technology can analyze “spending transactions on an account and what the usual balance is,” added Arnautov. This helps to analyze income and potential liabilities for lending institutions. Additionally, TurnKey’s system can create a heatmap “to see how many delinquencies and how many bad loans are in an area where a borrower lives or is trying to buy a house.”
Bias concerns
Automated systems that pull alternative information could make lending more fair, or, some worry, they could do the exact opposite.
“The challenges that typically happen in systems like these [are] from the data used to train the system,” said Jayendran GS, CEO of Prudent AI, a lending decision platform built for non-qualified mortgage lenders. “The biases typically come from the data.
“If I need to teach you how to make a cup of coffee, I will give you a set of instructions and a recipe, but if I need to teach you how to ride a bicycle, I’m going to let you try it and eventually you’ll learn,” he added. “AI systems tend to work like the bicycle model.”
If the quality of the data is “not good,” the autonomous system could make biased, or discriminatory decisions. And the opportunities to ingest potentially biased data are ample, because “your input is the entire internet and there’s a lot of crazy stuff out there,” noted Dworkin.
“I think that when we look at the whole issue, it’s if we do it right, we could really remove bias from the system completely, but we can’t do that unless we have a lot of intentionality behind it,” Dworkin added. Fear of bias is why government agencies, specifically the CFPB, have been wary of AI-powered platforms making lending decisions without proper guardrails. The government watchdog has expressed skepticism about the use of predictive analytics, algorithms, and machine learning in underwriting, warning that it can also reinforce “historical biases that have excluded too many Americans from opportunities.”
Most recently, the CFPB along with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission warned that automated systems may perpetuate discrimination by relying on nonrepresentative datasets. They also criticized the lack of transparency around what variables are actually used to make a lending determination.
Though no guidelines have been set in stone, stakeholders in the AI space expect regulations to be implemented soon. Future rules could require companies to disclose exactly what data is being used and explain why they are using said variables to regulators and customers, said Kumar, the Temple professor.
“Going forward maybe these systems use 17 variables instead of the 20 they were relying on because they are not sure how these other three are playing a role,” said Kumar. “We may need to have a trade-off in accuracy for fairness and explainability.”
This notion is welcomed by players in the AI space who see regulations as something that could broaden adoption.
“We’ve had very large customers that have gotten very close to a partnership deal [with us] but at the end of the day it got canceled because they didn’t want to stick their neck out because they were concerned with what might happen, not knowing how future rulings may impact this space,” said Zest AI’s Kamar. “We appreciate and invite government regulators to make even stronger positions with regard to how much is absolutely critical for credit underwriting decisioning systems to be fully transparent and fair.”
Some technology companies, such as Prudent AI, have also been cautious about including alternative data because of a lack of regulatory guidance. But once guidelines are developed around AI in lending, GS noted that he would consider expanding the capabilities of Prudent AI’s underwriting system.
“The lending decision is a complicated decision and bank statements are only a part of the decision,” said GS. “We are happy to look at extending our capabilities to solve problems, with other documents as well, but there has to be a level of data quality and we feel that until you have reliable data quality, autonomy is dangerous.”
As potential developments surrounding AI-lending evolve, one point is clear: it is better to live with these systems than without them.
“Automated underwriting, for all of its faults, is almost always going to be better than the manual underwriting of the old days when you had Betty in the back room, with her calculator and whatever biases Betty might have had,” said Dworkin, the head of NHC. “I think at the end of the day, common sense really dictates a lot of how [the future landscape of automated systems will play out] but anybody who thinks they’re going to be successful in defeating the Moore’s Law of technology is fooling themselves.”
Weight and finances have been discussed at length on personal finance blogs, but mostly the report [PDF] that put a figure to the staggering individual costs of being obese in America. Dr. Avi Dor, report author and professor and director of the health economics program at The George Washington University, and his colleagues quantified indirect costs, direct costs, and lost productivity to arrive at an estimated total cost of being an obese individual.
The High Price of a High BMI
After tabulating various costs associated with being overweight or obese, the researchers found that being an obese individual in the U.S. costs $4,879 for women and $2,646 for men each year. The overall annual costs of being overweight are $524 for women and $432 for men. The researchers defined “obesity” as a body mass index (BMI) higher than 30, and “overweight” as a BMI between 25—29.
Adding the value of lost life to these yearly costs makes the price tag even higher: $8,365 and $6,518 for women and men, respectively.
The analysis showed that obese women pay nine times more and obese men pay six times more in associated costs than do individuals at a healthy BMI. The results also showed that women are affected much more than men when it comes to obesity and job-related costs, including lost wages, absenteeism, and disability.
Non-Medical Costs of Obesity
Direct medical costs are an obvious cost driver—for overweight individuals, it accounts for 66% of weight-related costs for women and 80% for men. It’s also the cost driver for obese men, but for obese women it accounts for just 30% of the overall costs. An obese female loses more income through lost wages (38%) than from medical costs.
“The data demonstrate that an individual affected by obesity faces not only high medical-related costs, but also higher non-medical costs…,” said Joe Nadglowski, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Obesity Action Coalition, in a press release. Non-medical, obesity-related costs accounted for in the research included the following measures:
Wages. The annual wage loss for obese males is $75, but statistically that figure is insignificant, according to the report. Obese women earning a median annual wage of $32,450 make 6%, or $1,855, less per year. The researchers note that there isn’t enough data to determine why the relationship between weight and wages is clear for women, but not for men.
Short-term disability. Annual costs of short-term disability are $55 higher for the average overweight employee and $349 higher for the average obese employee than for employees at a healthy weight.
Disability pension insurance. The annual incremental costs of disability pension insurance is $69 more for obese employees. There wasn’t a significant difference in cost for overweight individuals.
Sick leave (absenteeism). Five studies on absenteeism (missed work days due to illness or injury) found that obese employees are more likely to use sick days due to illness or injury. One of the studies (Finkelstein et al. 2005) found that severely to morbidly obese men miss two more days of work than men at a healthy weight, while overweight to morbidly obese women miss up between one and five more days than women at a healthy BMI.
Productivity (presenteeism). Obese individuals have more self-reported limitations at work or limitations in the amount of work that an employee can be performed, which lowers productivity. One study cited (Ricci and Chee, 2005) used nationally representative data to estimate that reduced productivity will cost an obese individual $358 per year.
Gasoline use. Jacobson and McLay (2006) studied the relationship between weight and fuel use, finding that almost 1 billion more gallons of gas are used each year due to average-passenger weight increases since 1960. The cost differences weren’t significant for overweight and obese people, but the morbidly obese spend $30 and $36 more for females and males, respectively. (That figure was calculated using $2.35 per gallon of gas, the average price in the U.S. in 2009.)
Life insurance premiums. Compared to healthy-weight individuals, an overweight and obese person will pay an additional $14 and $111, respectively, in life insurance costs each year.
Value of lost life due to premature mortality. The researchers calculated the value of years of life lost (for specifics on how they made the calculation, see the retirement.The report notes that when it comes to retirement, severely and morbidly obese employees retire earlier than normal-weight employees, which translates to less income in wages and benefits. This is particularly alarming for obese women, whose wages are significantly affected by their weight and who, as females, already lag behind men in retirement savings, when research shows women need to save more than men. Because early retirement benefits vary widely, the researchers didn’t include that data in their report.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the costs not included are significant, says Dor.
A Bigger Problem
More than 60% of Americans are at an unhealthy weight, with 33.4% classified as obese. If we continue at this rate, by 2030 half of the population will be obese. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes and some types of cancer, among the leading causes of death, according to The Center of Disease Control and Prevention.
Those are some scary facts and figures, and the George Washington University only underscores an already-critical situation. After all, paying $6,518—$8,365 more per year for obesity-related expenses hardly seems significant in light of words like cancer, stroke, and premature death. Your health is your most important asset.
I wish I had answers, but I don’t. Education seems like the go-to solution, but I’m not convinced it’s enough. Like personal finance, getting healthy means making difficult changes in habits and lifestyle, not simply being taught that French fries are bad and spin class is good. So readers, I’ll turn it over to you. Has your weight noticeably affected your expenses or income? If so, share specific examples and costs.
During the summer, there’s an abundance of high-quality fruits and vegetables. You get better quality for lower prices than you do buying off-season produce during the cold winter months. I always want to freeze this moment so I can enjoy the fruits of the season all year long. So I do.
Every year, I freeze some produce, and I can some, and I use a variety of methods to make the bounty last. Last week, I wrote about smart ways to acquire your seasonal produce. Today, I’m going to talk about how to use it to get the best value for your food dollar.
Eat well First (and this is obvious): Eat a lot. When fresh vegetables are in season, I try to shift my diet towards dishes that focus on the food being grown in my own backyard and on local farms. That’s more challenging than it sounds. There might be nothing better than a fresh garden tomato. But twenty pounds of fresh tomatoes can become overwhelming even for the most avid fan.
The thing is, when something is in season locally, it’s all pretty much ready at once. All the peaches ripen within a few weeks of each other. Every ripe tomato you’re going to grow all year will happen in late summer. No matter how much you love a food, you can get tired of it.
If you’re growing a vegetable garden or participating in a CSA, you’ll have an abundance of those veggies whether you feel like having them for dinner or not. To keep up your appetite, I recommend investing in a few good cookbooks and exploring the food blogosphere. There are books and blogs dedicated to celebrating vegetables in season. They’ll keep fresh ideas coming your way along with all the fresh vegetables.
Some of my favorites include:
Farm to Fork by Emeril Lagasse. This book organizes the recipes by the type of food you’re cooking. There’s a whole section on herbs, and another on leafy greens, etc. This makes it easy to find inspiration for what’s coming up in your garden. All the recipes I’ve cooked from it have been delicious.
Greens, Glorious Greens by Johnna Albi and Catherine Walthers. This book is exactly as advertised, an entire cookbook devoted to green leafy vegetables. It’s my go-to resource in early summer, when my farm share is providing me with two heads of lettuce a week plus an array of kale, chard, spinach and other greens.
The New Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen. Really any cookbook by Molly Katzen will stand you in good stead. She’s the master of crunchy vegetarian cooking, and her cookbooks are fun and approachable. They’re full of simple recipes anyone can make, that rely on whole healthy ingredients.
In addition to my bookshelf, I often look online for inspiration, and find it at Smitten Kitchen, 101 Cookbooks, and Eclectic Recipes.
Preserve the harvest Of course, you can’t eat everything your garden or local farm has to offer. You wouldn’t want to. One of the joys of summer’s abundance is preserving the produce so you can have it in the cold winter months. I especially love canning my own peaches. Opening up a jar of home-canned peaches in January is like opening a jar of sunshine. I can taste the summer.
To preserve my garden harvest, I like to:
Throw a canning party Home canning is fairly easy, and doesn’t require much in the way of specialized equipment. Yes, you can invest in a canner, but you can also do the job with a large pot. Canning parties are a fun way to spend a summer afternoon, and make the work lighter for everyone. You’ll need glass jars, lids and a bulk amount of whatever you want to can. We always order a box of tomatoes and a box of peaches from the farm we get our CSA share from. Add those to the tomatoes from our garden and there’s more than plenty.
In addition to simply preserving peaches and tomatoes to use later, I’ve had great luck making tomato sauce and salsas at canning parties. Everyone brings their own recipes and we each get a few jars of different homemade sauces. It’s a fun way to try out new things.
If you’ve never done any canning before, Food In Jars is a great resource to get started. They’re a great resource for any home canner, actually, with lots of creative ideas for everyone from beginners to experts.
Fill my freezer Some things work better frozen. We always make a few pints of fresh pesto with our garden basil and freeze it. A great way to do preserve pesto is to put it in ice cube trays. That way, you can thaw just the small amount you want to use. The ice cube trick works great for many herbs. Just chop them up, mix with a little water and freeze the mixture in ice cube trays. We’ve enjoyed basil, parsley, cilantro and mint this way.
Dry things out I grow a lot of herbs in my garden. I mentioned freezing my basil and cilantro, but I also like to dry out herbs for use throughout the year. I simply gather them in bunches and hang them in the kitchen. When they dry, I put the dried leaves into little glass jars in my spice cabinet. This works well for thyme, oregano, mint, sage, lemon balm and many other herbs.
I’ve also experimented with making my own “sun-dried” tomatoes by slicing my garden’s cherry tomatoes and putting them on cookie trays in the oven at a low temperature. It takes about four hours, but the tomatoes do dry up beautifully and make a great addition to salads and pasta dishes. I don’t know how long they keep because we always eat them right away.
Ferment Making your own sauerkraut and pickles is another easy way to preserve garden vegetables. You can make great dill pickles at home, in your fridge or even on your kitchen counter. There’s no need to stop with traditional cucumber pickles, either. I’ve pickled radishes, hot peppers, green beans, and even eggs. Wild Fermentation is my go-to resource for these projects. Sandor Katz can teach you how to ferment just about anything.
Nestled within the bustling metro of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills has long captivated people with its reputation as an exclusive and glamorous enclave. Renowned for its luxurious estates, high-end shopping districts, and celebrity allure, this iconic city has become synonymous with opulence and prestige. In this Redfin article, we will take a balanced look at ten pros and cons of living in Beverly Hills–shedding light on the top factors that impact the overall living experience to help you decide if finding an apartment for rent or home for sale in Beverly Hills is right for you.
Pros of living in Beverly Hills
1. Gourmet dining scene
Beverly Hills’ culinary scene is a gastronomic paradise, showcasing diverse, top-notch dining options. The city boasts Michelin-starred establishments such as Nozawa Bar and N/Naka, alongside various international cuisines. Additionally, local chefs champion sustainable, innovative culinary techniques, further enriching the dining landscape. The luxury café culture, featuring artisanal pastries and specialty brews, adds another layer to this gourmet experience, making Beverly Hills an absolute delight for food enthusiasts.
2. Iconic shopping experience
The 90210 zip code brings to mind an unparalleled shopping extravaganza. At the heart of it is Rodeo Drive, a three-block stretch of luxury that captures the essence of Beverly Hills’ glamorous lifestyle. A mecca for fashion-forward individuals, this world-renowned shopping destination houses many high-end brands, designer boutiques, and exclusive stores that cater to even the most discerning shoppers.
3. Prime location
Beverly Hills’ geographical positioning is a significant allure. Flanked by the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Coast, it’s a stone’s throw away from gorgeous beaches, challenging hiking trails, and outdoor recreational activities. It is also strategically located near the cultural epicenter of Los Angeles, making art galleries, theaters, and a vibrant nightlife easily accessible.
4. Architectural splendor
Beverly Hills is a panorama of architectural elegance, offering an eclectic mix of classic and contemporary design. From sprawling Mediterranean estates and regal Tudor-style homes to ultra-modern architectural masterpieces, the city’s residential landscape showcases diverse and luxurious styles. Many luxury homes in Beverly Hills are designed with lush gardens, private pools, and state-of-the-art amenities, catering to the desire for a lavish lifestyle.
5. Sunny weather
Blessed with a Mediterranean climate, Beverly Hills sees an average of over 280 days of sunshine a year. This allows residents to enjoy a year-round outdoor lifestyle, whether sunbathing by the pool, having a leisurely picnic in a park, or exploring nearby hiking trails. The consistently mild and pleasant weather contributes to the city’s allure, inviting al fresco dining, outdoor shopping experiences, and picturesque evening strolls.
Cons of living in Beverly Hills
1. High housing costs
Carrying the mantle of luxury, Beverly Hills unsurprisingly towers above the national average regarding housing costs. With a median price tag of nearly $2M, this iconic city’s premium lifestyle includes magnificent residences, superior amenities, and top-tier services. Hence, prospective inhabitants should acquaint themselves with these financial implications and ensure their readiness to embrace the costs integral to the Beverly Hills lifestyle.
2. Traffic and parking issues
Despite its many allures, Beverly Hills shares a common gripe with the rest of Los Angeles; traffic. Congestion can become notably tiresome, particularly during peak hours. Parking is another issue in this car-centric city, with limited availability and keeping parking fees in certain areas. These transportation inconveniences can often detract from the charm of residing in such a coveted location.
3. Lack of privacy
While being part of its charm, Beverly Hills’ fame and glamor also often lead to encroachment of privacy. Tour buses packed with curious tourists are common, especially in areas with celebrity homes. Additionally, paparazzi can be an unwelcome fixture in public places, seeking the latest scoop on high-profile residents.
4. Strict regulations
Maintaining the pristine and exclusive nature of Beverly Hills comes with a stringent set of local ordinances and regulations. These can be as simple as strict parking rules to more complicated issues like extensive regulations around property modifications such as the Historic Preservation Ordinance and tree removals. Navigating these regulations can occasionally feel restrictive, especially for those looking to customize their properties.
5. Pricey everyday expenses
The lavish lifestyle of Beverly Hills extends beyond housing prices and into everyday living expenses. Everything from grocery shopping and fitness memberships to dining out and personal services typically comes with a premium price tag.
Is Beverly Hills a good place to live? The bottom line:
Whether Beverly Hills is right for you depends on your unique needs and aspirations. It’s a city that undeniably offers a luxurious lifestyle, high-end dining and shopping, architectural marvels, and a prime location blessed with sunny weather. However, like any city, it also comes with its challenges. From elevated housing costs and high traffic issues to a certain lack of privacy and strict local ordinances, it does demand inevitable trade-offs.