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Short, useful reads on money, health, home and the people in it.
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Money · 8 min readWhy America Stopped Making Pennies, Plus 7 Odd Moments From the Coin's 232-Year RunThe penny ran from 1793 to 2025. Seven odd moments in its history, from wartime steel to the rounding rule at the register.Around the block
Everything we've published, by section. 25 reads so far.
Money
5 reads
What a Car Really Costs Each Month, and Why Lost Value Is the Biggest Line- Debit or Credit Card at the Register? The Fraud Protections Are Not the Same
- How Much Should Groceries Cost a Family of Four? Check Yours Against the USDA's Four Food Plans
- What Goes Into Your Credit Score, and the One Habit Behind a Third of It
- Why America Stopped Making Pennies, Plus 7 Odd Moments From the Coin's 232-Year Run
Health
5 reads
Sit All Day? A Ten-Minute Walk After Dinner Is the Easiest Place to Start- Do You Really Need Eight Glasses of Water a Day? 6 Hydration Myths, Checked
- Dreading Your Yearly Check-Up? What Happens, and Three Questions Worth Bringing
- Why Is Yawning Contagious? What the Studies Found, Plus a Test to Try at Home
- Why You Wake Up Tired After a Full Night's Sleep, and What Morning Light Does
Home
5 reads
Front Porch History in 8 Moments: West African Roots to the Pandemic Comeback- How Much Does It Cost to Run a Fridge, Dryer or Space Heater? One Line of Math Tells You
- A Full Dishwasher Beats Hand Washing on Water if You Skip the Pre-Rinse
- Why Are So Many Front Doors Red? 7 Door Color Traditions and the Stories Behind Them
- Why Bathroom Mildew Keeps Coming Back: The Humidity Number to Watch
Family
5 reads
How Do You Talk to Aging Parents About the Future? Nine Gentle Answers for Adult Kids- What a Dog Costs in the First Year, Line by Line, and Why the Adoption Fee Is the Small Part
- How to Make School Mornings Calmer With a Picture Checklist Your Kids Can Follow
- Was Summer Vacation Really Invented for Farm Kids? The Real History of the School Break
- Why Kids Ask 'Why' So Often, and 7 Things Researchers Learned From Preschool Questions
Relationships
5 reads
How to Make Friends as an Adult With One Weekly Habit and Eight Weeks of Showing Up- What Makes an Apology Work? 8 Questions About Saying Sorry and Meaning It
- 11 Small Talk Questions Better Than 'How Are You'
- Texting vs Calling a Friend: Why the Call Is Less Awkward Than You Think
- Where Did the Handshake Come From? A Short History of How People Say Hello
All 5 Relationships reads
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