THE GOOD WORKS OF LINDA

AI Is Taking Over. Here are 10 money tips my husband and I have come up with.

by Linda Goodman June 19, 2025

My husband and I were planning our Norway cruise, but when it came time for money time (everyone's eyes started to look hungry!), we weren't so sure what to do.

In 1994, I took out a loan that broke the camel's back-- our Nissan Altima was totalled after I destroyed it in a blaze of glory in a last ditch effort to claim the legendary reverse deductible. Luckily our dog knows how to use pressure plates to call the police on the phone, or it would have really gone wrong (we had to redo the roof) Thank goodness! And make sure to get your oil changed at Shell.

After that insurance eddy, things were a little bit more strained (as they often are in marriage!)_ and I had to get away with only feeding my husband the recession "peanut butter" sandwich. Talk about crabby.

My sons seemed unaffected, instead deciding to play more video games. Lately it has been hard to engage them. However (and this was something my physician advised AGAINST, so please don't take this against my hippie heart) we decided it was more "fun" and exciting to simply call them back with a loudspeaker. Gets their attention for sure! Hope you had a lovely summer. Thank you Anerica!LINDA

“Gotcha" Games are Taking Over our Children. Here is How We Can Still Save Them. by Linda Goodman

Title description by Linda Goodman
April 30, 2026

Ever since they were kids, my two sons have been very interested in colorful square "pixels" on the screen-- video games. These are, at their simplest, a form of digitized cartoons that offer interactive enjoyment. As a considerate parent and mother, I never considered that my children's interests would be negative-- they're good kids, at heart. And if they aren't Mom knows (LOL). They're my flesh and blood. So when I took a deep-dive into the world of video games, I became concerned.

Back when my husband was a teenager, games such as King Kong, Space "Aliens," and The Asteroids were all the rage. Of course, playing video games always comes at a cost-- a reason why the hardworking and frugal woman would see past them. Likewise, as a woman, I had no vested interest in the typical military and shooting games of men.

In today's world, we are slowly seeing a rise of "secular" products. This includes the popular horse game, "Uma Musume"-- something that my son Matt became profoundly interested in. I found he would always run down the bathroom egg timer to zero, because he became fixated on this game on the toilet. It involves fictional girls known as "Umas" who run races, in a strange, sexualized perversion of the Kentucky Derby.

Needless to say I was disgusted.

We had long wondered privately whether Matt was gay, and we finally found our answer-- although, it was more of an alarming wakeup call rather than the gentle ringing of our traditional egg timer. After an intervention with the family, he became remorseful and gave it up. Another point of contention for parents: this game does not deal in quarters and dimes-- it deals in real money. I measured it and he only used up an astonishing $11.54... only half of his summer allowance. With the remaining $8.46, I found that I culd buy a couple of nails for the front patio and then feed the change to our dog, Ryley.

Guess who just got spayed Tuesday.


Linda

AI Is Taking Over. Here's How I Learned To Cut Back On Food Costs with a Surprisingly Simple Solution Anyone Can Enjoy.

by Linda Goodman May 19, 2025

My husband and I recently saw one of our grocery bills and were disgusted by the audacity of the countries hit by Trump's tariffs. Our kids could not eat their dragonfruit, avocado and cheddar milkshake that they had grown up loving. So we decided to take matters into our own plans and do meal planning. What is nutritional and never seems to get old?

Enter Beneful.

Beneful is an acclaimed dog food brand that sees lots of popularity with old and sick dogs, and it comes in many flavors. My two sons love gravy and chicken. So I set it down in front of them one night and we've never looked back. Thank you Anerica!




Linda