If you were going to recommend one place for your fellow HumbleDollar readers to visit—a city, a town, a park, a museum, a church, you name it—what would it be and why? No, the place doesn’t have to be outside the U.S. and, no, there are no points for picking something nobody’s ever heard of.
I’ll go first. But contrary to what I just wrote, it is a place outside the U.S. and it’s not well known.

A lot of us claim to be frugal, including me at times, but I wonder, are we all on the same page defining frugal?
Frugality is typically defined as  a mindful approach to spending that prioritizes value, efficiency, and sustainability. It’s about making conscious choices that align with your financial goals and values.
That doesn’t sound like fun, seems like work.
Do we limit discretionary purchases in favor of necessities? Are we focused on finding the best deal or seeking low-cost alternatives?

I have had a safe deposit box for a lot of years. When Wells Fargo took over the local bank I had used since moving to North Carolina and I needed a new one, a safe deposit box was a non-negotiable requirement. I have used it to hold “important” papers, and my “good” jewelry when I was out of the country for months. But I’m no longer taking long trips, and the “important” papers have dwindled to my birth certificate,

Recently Connie said she needed some makeup so off to the makeup store we went – and I do mean store, an entire rather large store selling just makeup. We were greeted by one of a dozen young ladies dressed in black. They are there to help you find what you are looking for or perhaps more accurately, to educate you on what you should be looking for.
I stood by the entrance patiently waiting until I was called for my opinion –

THESE DAYS, IT SEEMS every other article on retirement talks about a neat division between the go-go, slow-go and no-go years, with retirees moving seamlessly from one to the next.

I don’t remember seeing anything about these stages back in the late 1990s when I was contemplating early retirement. Instead, when I quit full-time work in 2000 at age 53, I just wanted to travel before I got too decrepit.

I did travel—extensively—right up until 2017,

A recent commenter requested that someone start a new post to discuss the apparent increase in credit card usage fees. I wrote about this almost exactly a year ago, so I thought I’d get it started. In the year since I wrote about how my wife and I were encountering more cash discounts, or credit card usage fees, it seems to have become a bigger topic.  One thing I’ve noticed is not every merchant follows the rules and makes the fees clear.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE whether to go with good, better or best?
My next-door neighbor always goes for the best, regardless of what it is. He pays more for everything. He’s a senior vice president, and I guess he feels he needs or deserves the best. God bless him.
That’s not my approach. I recently replaced my gas furnace and central air conditioner. My furnace was 23 years old and my air conditioner 10.

I was out of college for seven years before I got married. During all those years, I lived in the same apartment located on the edge of Lancaster, PA. I occasionally had friends who were in transition bunk with me for a month or two, but for the most part I lived alone. I liked living a relatively simple life and having control of my environment.
The apartment started out with a sofa ($300), chair ($50),

I’M NOT PARTICULARLY well traveled. I’ll turn age 65 at the end of this year and I’ve never been to a Caribbean island. I’ve never been to Hawaii or Bermuda. Heck, I’ve never even been on a cruise.

I’ve never been to Canada or Alaska. I’ve been to a couple of the U.S. National Parks, but have yet to visit the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite. 

I’ve been to Europe quite a few times,

Not a day goes by that I don’t hear or read how inflation impacts seniors – not that it doesn’t impact everyone. Many seniors have a unique perspective on what they are entitled to as evidenced by these – not unusual – Facebook comments.
“2.3% for next year Social Security is a joke. They should take into consideration, food prices, and medication. We should be getting more like 8% or maybe 9% each year.”
“Food and medicine went way up for older people and increasing Social Security is not sufficient.

My friend Guy who is 85 and lives Ohio was traveling to visit his son in Seattle. I drove Guy to the airport (DTW) which is an hour or so north of us in Detroit on 7/11. His return flight was on 7/18 with a quick stop in LA. He arrived at LAX just in time for some computer nerd at CrowdStrike to press the send key that paralyzed businesses all over the planet.
Stuck overnight,

Note: I’m still cleaning out my old ‘never submitted’ article file. Here’s #4. And yes, my OCD compels me to keep track of the numbers.  
FRUGALITY IS WORN like a badge of honor among many of us in the HumbleDollar tribe. I am happy to include myself in that club. Even if we no longer have a pressing need to be so frugal, we get a kick out of it. I’ve written several articles on the theme.

This past week, Costco announced that it would raise its base membership fee from $60 to $65 effective September 1. Executive members will see their fees increase from $120 to $130. Prior to this announcement, fees had not changed since 2017.
In order to justify the cost of the membership, members need to extract value from Costco in excess of the fee they pay. What are your tips for making the most of your membership? Or what do you avoid that’s better to purchase somewhere else?

Time and again I hear that a retired couple lives “comfortably.” I often wonder what that means. Of course it is quite relative not unlike defining living paycheck to paycheck. 
My AI companion came up with this simple definition. 
“Living comfortably means financial security to cover essentials without stress, and a lifestyle you enjoy. It’s not about excess, but having what you need and freedom to do what matters to you.”
That leaves the relative definition of “need.” 

I have irrefutable evidence that Americans have more stuff than they need, and spend more than necessary on (expensive) items.
The evidence is clear. Walk-in closets and garages stuffed while the cars are in the drive way are the culprits.
I grew up without a walk-in closet, my grandparent’s houses didn’t have walk-closets. In fact in our apartment with five people there were two regular closets. Today in our condo the two of us have three walk-ins filled to the rafters.