Kelly Dodd’s Blue Silk Blouse on Instagram

Real Housewives of Orange County Instagram Fashion 2020

While Kelly Dodd is all about promoting how to get silky-smooth skin in this Instagram post, we are all about promoting how to get the silky-smooth, currently on sale blue blouse she’s wearing. Which thankfully only includes just a few basic steps (1. Click on the link down below, 2. Choose your size and add to bag, 3. Checkout) that’ll totally have you glowing like Kelly in no time.

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to Shop Her Intermix Blouse on Sale

Photo: @KellyDDodd

Originally posted at: Kelly Dodd’s Blue Silk Blouse

I was recently re-reading a little bit of Jane Austen during these restricted times and was immediately struck by some similarities with our current situation when it came to the topic of commencing and encouraging new relationships and all the communications that went with it.

For we, during the peak of the global pandemic, have all been forcibly transformed from our age of instant gratification to an early 19th-century world.

To illustrate, we do not go out to meet new people directly but, like our predecessors, rely on other types of communication. And although we hardly use snail mail, present age technology allows us to kindle a new relationship from afar and anticipate all it might bring before actually meeting.

Is this a bad thing? Possibly not, if you think about the way we get to know people.

Until recently, “dating” was usually a matter of meeting fairly quickly, then doing things together, such as having dinner, enjoying a coffee together, or a theatre trip. And if there was mutual attraction, it was soon full steam ahead into a relationship.

The Art of Correspondence

But compared to our counterparts from the 1800s, we know precious little about the people we start a relationship with.

In their day, letters would have been written, initially as introduction and then between the potential couple. And I do mean many letters. You only have to read a history of any celebrity of the age to find that hundreds of letters were left in their estate.

In these conversations, the new couple discussed anything and everything in great detail – especially their feelings pertaining to so many different subjects and issues of the day.

From the most mundane daily trivialities to events of great personal importance, everything was described in vivid detail, because there was no photography or video – let alone Internet – to replace verbal communication.

Strangely, the slow speed of communication gave people the time to really think about their ideas and to use carefully crafted language to express subtleties of emotion that are simply lost to us today. But perhaps they can now be rediscovered.

Of course, we do now have all the aids of technology to assist us, even if we are somewhat physically isolated for the moment, so most of us would be using email or social media to communicate.

The one principle that still applies in dating today is simple: it is better to get to know someone rather more deeply before starting out on a relationship.

The Old Normal or the New Normal?

Of course, one day our social restrictions will end, and we will return by stages to normal life. How rewarding would it be to then meet up with a man with whom you have been conversing and corresponding for several months about every topic under the sun?

It would be far from a blind date. In fact, it would probably be the most well-informed date that you will ever go on.

But we do also hear talk of the “new normal,” where a lingering uncertainty about the virus will remain, and we will feel uncomfortable meeting too many new people, particularly in public places. So dating at a distance could persist for somewhat longer.

This trend could transform the usage of social media from its current state. Presently, according to surveys, people have an average of about 150 friends, but less than a quarter of them are real life acquaintances, and only three or four of their contacts are strong, trusted, real world friends.

According to all published data, the vast majority of online friends remain as friends purely in the virtual world. But, if the norm for future dating involves beginning at a distance, we may reverse that social media trend and turn virtual friends into real friends and then into relationships.

And perhaps it will be better that way.

Are you happy to turn back the clock and meet people at a distance? Do you believe that we should rethink the way we meet new partners? Please join the conversation.

One of the most awkward topics of conversation in a relationship is money. It’s daunting, but once you learn how to talk about money, you’ll find different parts of your post-retirement life opening up.

Today, Margaret talks about important things that you need to discuss with your partner regarding money. Joining her are financial expert and TV personality Pam Krueger and financial advisor Beth Greulich.

Transitioning from Spending to Saving

Why do people struggle with spending in retirement?

Everyone takes time to adjust to the new lifestyle. Money is no longer coming in. Instead, it continues to flow out and at a really fast pace.

Especially for couples, money could be a rather sensitive issue. The answer: communication.

Couples should learn how to talk about money and start discussing it early – way before either of them retires. To make the transition smoother for both parties, they need to agree on these three things.

Spending and Lifestyle

Some people may feel guilt and reluctance when spending money that they saved for years.

You and your partner need to plan how you want to spend your money within the time you expect to live. Come up with a budget and determine how much extra money you have every year.

This method helps take away the guilt over spending money because you know you’re staying within a certain budget.

Once you know how much extra money you have, you can start talking about your desired lifestyle.

It’s a tricky conversation, especially if you and your partner are polar opposites.

What you can do is frame the discussion in a tangible context. Make it about money instead of lifestyle and start by asking, “How do you see us spending this money?”

This way, both of you gain control of your money and your lifestyle.

Timing

Most people may not realize or fully understand this, but timing is an important aspect of retirement, especially since you cannot undo it.

Social security payments grow by 8% every year. We aim to make the payments as large as possible, so retiring later can make a whole lot of difference.

People who retire at age 62 would get $1,450 a month, while people who retire at 67 get $2,100 a month. Beth recommends that people retire at age 70, which gets you $2,800 every month – almost double what you would get if you retired at 62.

What-Ifs

When planning how to spend money, consider all possible situations and be prepared.

Discuss what-ifs: What if one of you needs to go into assisted living later on? What if you need to move houses?

Remember that it’s never too early to talk about these things.

As Pam says, “The conversation just feels awkward because we separate money from life. Life is money, money is life. Let’s get used to it.”

Do you have other tips on how to talk about money matters with a partner? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!