Articles written by Kelly Szymanski

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About me - Kelly Szymanski

I am the Assistant Operations Manager for a non-profit here in my area, and I'm a member of the Goodfellows. I've written for several magazines and our local newspaper. I've been married for 23 years and have 3 kids, all teenagers.

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Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Vampires: 2 of 141
I can barely remember a time in my life before Michael. I was a very little girl the first time I met him. When I say I was very little, I mean I was very little. I asked my mom about it once. She was there but I'm sure she doesn't remember it the same way I do. She said I was five. We lived on the east side of Detroit... More..
Personal Finance > Budgets & Saving Cost management: Sticking to a budget: 1 of 39
Creating and sticking to a budget can seem daunting. It's not. A budget is nothing more that a plan for managing your money: how much you spend, where you spend it, and how much you save. The first part of setting up a budget is information gathering. This is probably the part that takes the longest. Take your time, thinking ... More..
Personal Finance > Budgets & Saving How to start your own emergency fund: 1 of 23
Setting up an emergency fund is something we all know we should do, but seriously, if you are living paycheck to paycheck in today's economy, you know first hand how difficult it is to do. If you are lucky enough to have any money left over by the next payday, it's not like it is really extra money. Chances are pretty good yo... More..
Health & Fitness > Hypertension & High Cholesterol High cholesterol: Symptoms and treatment: 1 of 21
High Cholesterol: Symptoms and treatments High blood cholesterol, which is also known as hypercholesterolemia, typically has no symptoms. There are certain risk factors that, if present, would indicate that you may have high cholesterol and that you should have your cholesterol checked. These include: High blood pressure Ciga... More..
Health & Fitness > Diet Tips Fit for two: Best pregnancy foods: 1 of 9
Even though well meaning relatives may encourage you to "eat for two," please don't. In fact, you really only need to add about 300 calories every day to your pre-pregnancy diet. However, there are other nutritional considerations to having a healthy pregnancy and delivering a healthy baby. As your baby continues to grow and... More..
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Early-morning dog walking: 2 of 15
We're sitting on the bed, Duke and me. The rest of the house is quiet, everyone else either off to work or school, or still sleeping. Regardless, we've been up for a while already. One of us has had his breakfast, the other, a cup of coffee or two. He's quiet for a while: he knows the routine. But only for a while. Before my ... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Economic Values People should not be dependent on welfare: 13 of 79
Should People Be Dependent on Welfare? I know to many people out there the idea that people would willingly become dependent on welfare is insulting at best, I can say without hesitancy that there are some people who do just that. My line of work is with underprivileged, low-income people. A small portion of our clients are ... More..
Health & Fitness > Aging & Longevity How to keep yourself mentally fit in old age: 1 of 6
Most people don't realize that mental decline starts in our late teens. Our brains actually lose about 10 percent of its weight between the ages of twenty and twenty nine. It's most often and most easily seen, in hand-eye coordination which begins to drop at about the age of twenty-five. Not only that, but men and women te... More..
Local Guides > New York City Places to see before you die: Reasons to add New York City to "the list": 11 of 61
New York City: The City That Never Sleeps; the Capital of the World; the Big Apple. Whatever they call it, every year people swarm to NYC by the millions, and each one has their own reasons why. They come to see Lady Liberty majestically standing guard in the Upper Bay of the Hudson River. They come to see the Yankees or the... More..
Personal Finance > Budgets & Saving Best ways to save money: 12 of 64
Like the saying says, "If you fail to plan, plan to fail." The best ways to save money require a bit of planning. Here are a few ideas to get you started.1. Pay yourself first. Determine an amount that you think you can reasonably afford and deposit that amount out of every paycheck into a savings account. Even if it's only $... More..