In the story Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, a young girl and her parents live in Oklahoma during the Dustbowl. They barely have food to eat, and the mother, who is pregnant, prepares for the new baby by sewing feedsack nighties for him. Yet, when people in the community come to ask for … … Continue reading
Buying lottery tickets is really stupid, right? Money pros call them a stupidity tax. You’ll never win, and even if you do, the prize will be split between a bunch of people. After all, 1 in 175,223,510 according to the Powerball site is the chance of winning the jackpot. Odds of being struck by lightening in … … Continue reading
A garden stepping stone for Mom, maybe?! It’s August, weeks from the start of school. Your kids have been to camp, done baseball and goofed off to their hearts content. Now what? How about helping them make a lasting gift for Mom? Making a garden stepping stone is not difficult or expensive, but does require some adult … … Continue reading
Many financial gurus extoll the virtues of giving, and even indicate that giving is part of successful finances. At first glance, it seems counter-intuitive to think that your financial situation can be improved when you give your money away. However, if you take some time to think about it, you will find that there really … … Continue reading
Don’t forget to enter to win an iPad 3 here at PET. We are constantly being encouraged to buy local by environmentalists and community-minded people. But is it the best option for us, the general citizen? What are the benefits of buying local? How does buying local really help us? Here are some of the reasons why we … … Continue reading
The Dalai Lama describes the meaning of life this way – “…. the purpose of our existence is to seek happiness, to seek a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.” Striving for these things is part of living a meaningful life but it can be difficult finding ways to put it into action. Many people chase monetary … … Continue reading