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For 17 years, I contributed to a state-sponsored retirement plan; however, according to the rules, I couldn’t draw a monthly pension until I hit age 50 and 20 years of service. But I hadn’t started saving any money until my 40s, and I’d have to work until well after 60 to qualify for an adequate pension. At 48 and divorced, I paid a monthly mortgage and utilities for a house where I lived alone since my son had grown and left home....

After working as a freelance journalist, Erik moved into writing about technology topics for corporations. He gained experience in a series of industries, which gave him a broader understanding of business and labor. Erik also ran a number of small businesses, eventually taking a position in management in a publicly held company, becoming involved in running product marketing, managing budgets, and contributing to business planning and analysis. He left to start a consulting business in marketing and then changed to a broader combination of independent journalism and corporate content creation....

Fiction Hide, by Kiersten White If Dad loves a good scare (and binged his way through Squid Game last year), this book about a horrifying (and deadly) hide-and-seek competition will keep him page-turning well into the night. ($25, barnesandnoble.com) The Cartographers, by Peng Shepherd This father-daughter thriller features a mysterious and valuable map that someone is willing to murder to recover. It’s the perfect pick for a dad who loves a good mystery, and perhaps a little cartography, too....

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Solid hardwood, which entails strips or planks cut from a single piece of wood, tends to shift, expand, and contract as the temperature and humidity in your home change. That’s why it’s only recommended for rooms at ground level or above—and only on a plywood subfloor. If you love a dramatic grain with light and dark tones, consider Smooth Acacia hardwood flooring, starting at $3.09 per square foot. Easygoing Engineered wood flooring features a thin hardwood veneer glued to a plywood or medium-density fiberboard (MDF) substrate, which makes it more stable when temperatures and humidity fluctuate, allowing installations below grade (in the basement) and even on a concrete slab....

Halloween pajamas are the best way to be cute, comfortable, and on-theme. Bonus? Halloween pajamas work beautifully for kids and adults—and there are plenty of adorable options out there. Looking for a little inspiration? We have some ideas below for three popular types of Halloween pajamas. Slip Into a Halloween Onesie For adults and kids, onesies and jumpsuits (aka footie pajamas) are the way to go. Try some foxy PJs....

However, painted floors aren’t for everyone. Over time, they will inevitably chip and show signs of wear—perfectionists, beware. To consider all the factors before picking up a paint roller, we reached out to David Steckel, a home expert at Thumbtack. Here’s everything no one tells you about painting floors, plus the right way to paint floors to get the best results. 5 Considerations for Painting a Floor Painted Floors Will Chip....

Whether you need some assistance figuring out the basics of where to start, have a specific health condition you want to address, or just want a little motivation to continue on your journey, it can be helpful to enlist a professional nutritionist in your quest for better health. There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a nutritionist that can make the process confusing. But the reward for finding a great nutritionist you love working with can be pretty priceless....

How to Make a Christmas Gnome Food Jar Supplies Needed Free hat and beard pattern (see download below)Faux furMarkerScissorsPinsColored feltQuick-dry tacky glueHot glue gun and glue sticks1 1/4-inch wood beadsWide-mouth jars Step-by-Step Directions Create your own set of gnome food gift jars in under an hour. Customize each Christmas gnome with colorful felt and wood beads. Step 1: Cut Shapes Print hat and beard patterns on paper and cut out. Trace beard pattern on the back of faux fur (from $5, Etsy) and cut out....

May we introduce you to tie-dye eggs? All you need to make these patterned beauties is baking soda, vinegar, and gel food coloring. If those materials give you flashbacks to science-fair volcanoes, you’re not far off. It’s this fizzing combination of baking soda and vinegar that distributes the food coloring into a graphic pattern reminiscent of tie-dye. These multicolored eggs are pretty on their own, but there’s a way to add another layer of gorgeous design: Drizzle the shells with rubber cement before dyeing them....

Whether you use store-bought wrapping paper, make your own, or wrap your boxes in fabric, these three-dimensional bows will make a bold statement atop of your gifts. This year, you’ll have the prettiest presents under the tree. How to Make a Paper Bow Supplies Needed Cardstock, wrapping paper, or feltDouble-sided tapeHot glueScissors Step-by-Step Directions With a few supplies and these instructions, we’ll show you how to make a bow out of wrapping paper....

Below you’ll find step-by-step instructions for how to make paper snowflakes using things you already have around the house—you only need paper and scissors. You can always use regular printer paper, but other materials like wrapping paper, coffee filters, cupcake liners, or even newspaper also work well and will create shapes of different sizes. Any old pair of scissors will work for this project, but small, sharp scissors will allow for the most precise cuts....

This video demonstrates the simplest four-step method for melting chocolate the right way. We recommend watching it before you embark on your next baking project, because perfectly melted chocolate can take a simple dessert (barks! brownies! strawberries! an empty spoon!) from delicious to divine. What You Need Bar of chocolateCutting boardSerrated knifeLarge saucepanHeat-proof bowl (large enough to cradle in top of saucepan) Rubber spatula Follow These Steps Related Video

1. Bottle Them Up If your little ones have moved on from them, repurpose the bands used to slip around baby bottles or sippy cups. Bundle medium-sized cords and cinch them with these stretchable bands. If you don’t own any, you can easily find inexpensive options online. They can be customized with any text, including information about cord length and usage, so you don’t have to unravel one to check whether it’s the right cord....

Weight Heavier, thicker towels tend to offer the softness and absorbency any sensible person wants from a bath towel, but judging if one is heavy or thick enough can be tricky, especially if shopping online. This is where grams per square meter (GSM) comes in. A towel’s GSM refers to its weight and, typically, according to the Micro Cotton team, the higher a towel’s GSM, the better performance you can expect....

There is always room for improvement, once you know you’re making mistakes. With that in mind, we polled professional hairstylists for their most common hair-washing mistakes. 1. You shampoo too often, or not enough. Ah, the age-old debate of how often to wash your hair. Infrequent washing can leave your scalp itchy and irritated, but too-frequent washing can leave your scalp dry, producing more oil to compensate. According to the experts, there’s no universal answer because hair-washing frequency depends on a variety of conditions, such as hair texture and lifestyle....