Last Thursday, Dallas/Fort Worth got more snow in one day than had ever been recorded before. People who had never seen a snowman before were suddenly able to roll their own, traffic was terrible, and offices were closed. The next morning, when nobody was going anywhere, my employer (who is the second-best employer I’ve ever ... Continue reading this article…

This article is presented by Kelly Whalen, Consumerism Commentary staff writer who bought a second car with her husband last weekend. As a busy mom of four and work-from-home parent, I often get told people don’t know how I do it all. It’s simple, I don’t. These are some of my techniques to save time, ... Continue reading this article…

As part of my 2010 (pronounced “MMX”) goal to publish one entertaining thing a week, I’ve been casting a wide net to find audiences and formats that can showcase my creativity and wit. (Aside: I’m not yet comfortable with self-promotion, so it’s a little awkward to be referring to myself as witty. But earlier in ... Continue reading this article…

If I were to tell you that I think I drink too much liquor, you’d likely conjure up some images of alcoholics you’ve seen, maybe picturing some guy falling down, abusing the people he loves, making terrible decisions and driving like an idiot. So I want to be clear right from the start that I ... Continue reading this article…

The open enrollment period for my company’s 2010 benefits came to a close yesterday. My procrastination came to an end when I logged into our benefits management website, reviewed the options one last time, and decided to stick with the same plan I’ve had since I joined the company, an HMO plan offered by Aetna ... Continue reading this article…

Over the next couple of weeks, six finalists will be auditioning for the opening of “staff writer” at Consumerism Commentary. Each will be providing two guest articles to share with readers. After the six writers have shared their guest articles, readers will have an opportunity to provide feedback before we select the staff writer. This ... Continue reading this article…

I just graduated a “Level One” (read: newbie) improv class. At first, I signed up for the class because I can think of few thing scarier than getting on stage with no script. I’m not known for thinking on my feet, I don’t “BS” well, and even when I know my lines, I get terrible ... Continue reading this article…

Humans are by nature judgmental, and there are good reasons for this. Even though it is often premature, judging quickly helps people make critical decisions with limited information. That limited information, when combined with prejudices or generalizations, can result in poor decisions. An interesting article from CNN Money asks if your name can prevent you ... Continue reading this article…

This certainly isn’t the first or only Web site where one can describe a project and ask for donations, but if word of mouth is anything to go by, the new Kickstarter.com is the hip place to get funding these days. I first heard about it on Twitter when one of my heroes Jesse Thorn ... Continue reading this article…