AUTHOR: Linda Grady on 10/10/2024 FIRST: Ben Rodriguez on 10/10/2024 | RECENT: DrLefty on 10/12/2024
Comments
My first visit to London a few weeks ago, was delightful. We didn’t stay in a Premier Inn, as you had recommended, but we were very happy with the Travelodge near St. Pancras station and enjoyed the ease of swiping our credit cards to ride buses, the Underground and trains. During the Easter break, everything was packed except for Hampton Court Palace, which was a delightful respite. 😊🇬🇧
I spent a good part of my first year of retirement traveling, starting with a tour of Southern Spain and Morocco that departed the day after my last day of work. I continued the year with family visits domestic and international, including a stop at the timeshare in Puerto Rico. Now eight months into my second retirement, with the grandchild off at college, I’ve resumed travel outside of school vacations; most recently London and Paris during my teacher daughter’s Easter break, then NYC- Seattle via Amtrak (possible subject of an HD post) to see family. Next up, a visit to the PR timeshare. 🛫🛬🛫
Oh, Mr. Quinn. I try to think of it as an adventure, and a chance to interact with the people who work at the two supermarkets that I patronize on alternate weeks. Why? The first one is walking distance, though I drive when I do a week’s shopping (excluding produce - see below). Prices are higher and Junior, the owner, likes to rearrange all the shelved stock frequently, so that you often feel like it’s your first visit. But he contributes generously to every charitable endeavor in town, including our food pantry. The produce, however, doesn’t last very long once home. I suspect the store is the last stop on the produce delivery route. The other store, part of a larger chain, is not huge, but it’s clean, arranged in a stable way and has all the coupon options that Dick mentioned. Oh, I forgot to mention that the closer store caters to a wide variety of ethnicities, so I can get ginger beer from Jamaica, kimchi pancakes (sometimes) and all manner of jarred items, as well as cookies and candies, from Eastern Europe. It’s an international cultural experience just down the street, worth paying the higher prices, imho. You’ll usually find me there on alternate Tuesdays, Senior Discount Day.
Thank you, Andrew. Your article reminded me of the conversation I had recently with the attendant on my long distance Amtrak sleeper car. While her job is not physically difficult, it is still a servant job with lower status than my own (retired nurse), yet we bonded in a quiet moment on the train over our shared love of reading and our faith. She said that her all time favorite book is Pilgrim’s Progress. She didn’t explain why she works at this job that takes her away from her family for several days at a time. We embraced when we reached my destination.
Thanks, Mike, for a typically funny article, mostly about food, but with a financial reference, as per HD guidelines. Most importantly, you’re responsible for my first out loud laugh of the day. Thanks for releasing my healthy, feel-good endorphins for free. 😊
Dan, what a great story. Lucky me to be the first to post a comment! 😊. It’s a beautiful one of surviving the loss of your first marriage, but finding the love of your life with whom you have survived and thrived.
Andrew, this is a very beautiful reflection that epitomizes the reason why I appreciate Humble Dollar so much. Despite the unimaginable loss of her husband and two of her children, your mother must be very proud of the light she has brought to our world by the values that you and your siblings were raised with and have shared. We need more families like the Clements.
Comments
My first visit to London a few weeks ago, was delightful. We didn’t stay in a Premier Inn, as you had recommended, but we were very happy with the Travelodge near St. Pancras station and enjoyed the ease of swiping our credit cards to ride buses, the Underground and trains. During the Easter break, everything was packed except for Hampton Court Palace, which was a delightful respite. 😊🇬🇧
Post: Retirement Toys
Link to comment from May 4, 2026
I spent a good part of my first year of retirement traveling, starting with a tour of Southern Spain and Morocco that departed the day after my last day of work. I continued the year with family visits domestic and international, including a stop at the timeshare in Puerto Rico. Now eight months into my second retirement, with the grandchild off at college, I’ve resumed travel outside of school vacations; most recently London and Paris during my teacher daughter’s Easter break, then NYC- Seattle via Amtrak (possible subject of an HD post) to see family. Next up, a visit to the PR timeshare. 🛫🛬🛫
Post: Retirement Toys
Link to comment from May 4, 2026
Yes, I have certainly seen such gentlemen, sometimes the same ones from previous visits to the store. 😊
Post: Shopping around – you versus the grocery store
Link to comment from May 3, 2026
Thanks very much for info about a scam I wouldn’t have imagined, as well as your advice to be wary of anything outside the norm.
Post: New Face, old scam
Link to comment from May 3, 2026
Oh, Mr. Quinn. I try to think of it as an adventure, and a chance to interact with the people who work at the two supermarkets that I patronize on alternate weeks. Why? The first one is walking distance, though I drive when I do a week’s shopping (excluding produce - see below). Prices are higher and Junior, the owner, likes to rearrange all the shelved stock frequently, so that you often feel like it’s your first visit. But he contributes generously to every charitable endeavor in town, including our food pantry. The produce, however, doesn’t last very long once home. I suspect the store is the last stop on the produce delivery route. The other store, part of a larger chain, is not huge, but it’s clean, arranged in a stable way and has all the coupon options that Dick mentioned. Oh, I forgot to mention that the closer store caters to a wide variety of ethnicities, so I can get ginger beer from Jamaica, kimchi pancakes (sometimes) and all manner of jarred items, as well as cookies and candies, from Eastern Europe. It’s an international cultural experience just down the street, worth paying the higher prices, imho. You’ll usually find me there on alternate Tuesdays, Senior Discount Day.
Post: Shopping around – you versus the grocery store
Link to comment from May 1, 2026
Thank you, Andrew. Your article reminded me of the conversation I had recently with the attendant on my long distance Amtrak sleeper car. While her job is not physically difficult, it is still a servant job with lower status than my own (retired nurse), yet we bonded in a quiet moment on the train over our shared love of reading and our faith. She said that her all time favorite book is Pilgrim’s Progress. She didn’t explain why she works at this job that takes her away from her family for several days at a time. We embraced when we reached my destination.
Post: One World, One Kind of Work
Link to comment from April 30, 2026
Thanks, Mike, for a typically funny article, mostly about food, but with a financial reference, as per HD guidelines. Most importantly, you’re responsible for my first out loud laugh of the day. Thanks for releasing my healthy, feel-good endorphins for free. 😊
Post: The Vision, the Babe , Einstein and the Q
Link to comment from April 28, 2026
Dan, what a great story. Lucky me to be the first to post a comment! 😊. It’s a beautiful one of surviving the loss of your first marriage, but finding the love of your life with whom you have survived and thrived.
Post: Around the Obstacles
Link to comment from April 25, 2026
Andrew, this is a very beautiful reflection that epitomizes the reason why I appreciate Humble Dollar so much. Despite the unimaginable loss of her husband and two of her children, your mother must be very proud of the light she has brought to our world by the values that you and your siblings were raised with and have shared. We need more families like the Clements.
Post: What Bangladesh Taught Me About Enough
Link to comment from April 18, 2026
Thank you, James, and everyone I spoke to, whether from Social Security, insurance companies or banks, was always polite and helpful.
Post: Social Security Survivor Benefits for Spouses
Link to comment from April 17, 2026