You’re never fully dressed without a smile, and without making your best effort at everything you do. So maybe you’re not perfect and polished. Maybe you don’t feel like you have your act together. Who cares? You’ll get there. SMILE!
Advice
When you don’t want a political party.
Tough political fights are expected this election season. How do you keep them out of the dining room come Thanksgiving? Here are some tips to keep your holiday a non-political party.
- History repeats itself: Who’s given campaign speeches during appetizers before? Speak frankly about their behavior making family members uncomfortable. When asked politely, most people’s bad behavior can be cut off at the pass.
Change the subject – talk abut the floral centerpiece! - Set ground rules: We think that everyone knows not to discuss politics and religion at big gatherings. Not so. Take a cue from boxing refs and make an announcement: “I want a good clean dinner! Any partisanship gets you bumped to the kids table!”
- Shut it down: If someone does spout off, don’t just roll your eyes and go with the flow. Be firm but polite, and change the subject. This is your house.
With these tips, your holiday table can be a politics free zone! Time with family can be stressful, but remember, we also need to be grateful for these folks who drive us crazy- because we also happen to love them very much. Enjoy your family!
Be well and love well.
-Dinah
Wedding to do list: florist, baker, officiant…loan officer?
It’s perfectly natural to want a more lavish wedding than you can afford. The internet wedding and television world has raised the bar. Add the desire to have amazing photos for friends to admire on Instagram, Facebook, etc. and you have couples planning beyond their means. The finance world, ever predatory, has come up with a “solution:” wedding loans. They are a terrible idea both financially and emotionally. Let’s explore why. 
- Financially, there’s no worse way to start your life together than by adding debt. What a terrible wedding gift to each other! The easy solution that brings immediate happiness will be a terrible choice down the road when buying a home or car and you are still paying off loans from a party you had long, long ago. Are you going to be glad then that you made that sacrifice to have beef instead of chicken?
- Emotionally, the potential for fighting over money in a marriage is high. If either one of you is the slightest bit unsure about taking out a loan for the wedding, down the line that’s going to come out and be a point of contention. And it will be a point of contention that will follow you in your relationship until you are completely out of debt! I wouldn’t want resentment over a loan floating over my marriage, that’s for sure.
So there are my reasons I am against wedding loans. I am sure there are people who use them responsibly and find them very helpful. If you’re interested, make sure you read the terms very carefully. For the rest of you, go make a good budget!
Be well and love well.
Dinah