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Avatar photo About Kristina Tahnyak

Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.

DINKS vs. Single Income Couples

DINKS, couples income, couples advice

flintstones coupleAs DINKS we are lucky enough to be in a couple where both people work and both people earn an income; it is beyond my financial comprehension why anyone would want to give up the DINK lifestyle, either to have kids or to become a single income couple.

I have a client who is kind of a jackass and who is currently in a DINK couple, but not for long.  My client recently booked an appointment to see me this week because he and his wife have decided that she will stop working and stay at home (to do what exactly I am not sure). Although he said that it was a couple’s decision, my hunch is that it is really my client who wants the bragging rights of being the sole provider for his wife. My client is planning to become the sole income provider for their currently DINK household and this is definitely a proud moment for him, that’s just the kind of guy he is.

My client and his DINK wife are not planning to have kids and they are not planning to change their living situation, they are just planning to stop being DINKS and become a single income couple.  When I asked my client why his wife wants to stop working he replied “I want her to stop working because I make enough money for us both.” Honestly, I am not sure how I feel about his comment.

Actually I know exactly how I feel about his comment, my initial thought was “How much money is enough money?” and my initial question was “Why would someone ever let someone else tell them how to live their life?”  However of course I did not ask my questions because during my 9-5 as a personal financial planner I am not able to have my own personal opinion. With a smile on my face I professionally replied “Ok let’s go over your household budget and tell me about when your wife is planning to make this change?”

In my opinion just because a couple can “afford” to live off of one person’s income doesn’t necessarily mean that we should. Affording to do something means having enough money to do so and still be able to live comfortably. But if we can do that with only one person’s income doesn’t it make more sense to still have a second income and completely save it? I am also not sure why a wife would allow her husband to tell her that she is going to stop working. And while we are asking questions, why the hell would anyone want to stay at home all day?

Maybe it’s a male ego thing or maybe my client has a male inferiority complex, this is a concept that I just don’t understand. I know that historically men were “supposed” to take of their wives and the wives were “supposed” to take care of home; but this is not Bedrock people.  Just in case my client and his wife are not aware of the current times…its 2011, it is ok for women to be successful and ambitious, and in case you haven’t heard we can also vote!

Would you ever give up your DINK lifestyle because your spouse asked you to?

Photo by Ewen

Friday Roundup: New Year, New Beginnings, Twitter Promises & Our Book Winner

champagneHappy Friday Dinks and (almost) Happy New Year to Everyone!

Today we have some big announcements on DINKS Finance.  First off today we will be announcing the lucky winner in our Giveaway of a copy of the book Shiny Objects by James A. Roberts.  Secondly we will be announcing the new partnerships that we have created with DINKS Finance.  I have also joined a new Social Media Site that will allow DINKS Finance to connect with our lovely readers in new ways. Last but not least we will be sharing our favourite posts with you from around the web.  This is a very exciting day so let’s get started.

1. The lucky winner of a copy of the book Shiny Objects by James A. Roberts is our #2 comment by Carrie @ Careful Cents.  Carrie please contact us so that we can mail you a copy of the book.  The winner was chosen at Random…I asked my boyfriend Nick to pick a number between 1 and 15 and he chose #2.  Congratulations Carrie.

2. Over the past few months DINKS Finance has been working on several partnerships with different Financial, Couples, and Money Management Websites.  Today DINKS Finance is proud to announce our new working partnerships with Go Banking Rates, Dink Life, and Adaptu.

  • Go Banking Rates makes Personal Finance Easy.  DINKS connected with Go Banking Rates last Fall at the Personal Finance Blogger Conference in Chicago and we have been living happily ever after ever since.  Go Banking Rates is an informative personal finance site that makes both money and finance fun.  They discuss topics that are important to people of all ages whether we are a financial beginner who is learning about managing our budget or we are an avid reader of The Wall Street Journal who is looking for new industry trends. My first article on Go Banking Rates was published on December 12; it is titled “Family or Finance? Travel Versus Staying Home During the Holidays” Tell us DINKS what did you do/are you doing during this holiday season?
  • Dink Life  shares stories about the Dual Income No Kids experience and lifestyle.  Dink Life allows Dink Couples to meet other childless couples in their area.  Dink Life is a great resource for Dinks to find friends, share personal experiences, join an online support group, as well as look for career opportunities.  Our first collaboration with Dink Life tells the story of how Dinks try to balance their work life and their home lives in the post “Learning to Like My Job and Love My Spouse”
  • Adaptu is a money management website which is both informative and interactive.  Adaptu is currently in the process of re-launching their website platform.  We should expect to see my articles online after the new design is released in January 2012.

3. In other breaking news (LOL) I have finally joined Google+, if you are Googling please add me into your circles so we can connect.

4. I hope you all have a very Happy New Year.  The New Year is about starting over and making changes.  Check out these posts from around the web about change and new beginnings:

  • Adam Baker @ Man vs Debt has started a Podcast.  Check out his first episode titled “Your Big Why and Defining Your Freedom”
  • Katie @ Girl With The Red Balloon has made a Twitter Promise with several other Personal Finance Bloggers to Get Fit and Get Healthy in 2012.   I have also joined the #TwitterWorkoutPromise and dedicated myself to working out every other day, eating only 1500 maximum each day, and losing 20 pounds by June 1.  The #TwitterWorkoutPromise is about getting fit at our own pace with the support of our Twitter Friends.
  • Suzanne Cramer @ Enemy of Debt has decided to have a new attitude about money in 2012. See how her views of money will change in the post “Changing My money mind in 2012”

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Photo by ECalamar

The Federal Reserve & The Economic Crisis

Good Morning DINKS.  Our great friends at Bankrate recently published a post about the history of the United States Federal Reserve.  Here at DINKS Finance we are fortunate enough to share a little bit of US History (that you may or may not know) with you.

December 13th was the last day that the Federal Reserve met together in 2011. Although we have all been impacted in one way or another by the recent global economic crisis, and many of us are still currently living through financial hardships, unfortunately this is not the first time that the United States has been affected by a global economic crisis.

Nowadays global markets are interconnected through trade, imports, and exports; and countries all over the world are interconnected through the foreign exchange of currency.  This makes international travel and financial transitions very easy for consumers, but at the same time the solvency or insolvency of a foreign country can be very devastating to our local economy in the United States of America.

Below is a timeline that chronicles how global events have impacted the U.S. economy from the early 1800s up to the recent 2008 economic crisis of 2008.

– The first major economic Depression lasted 103 years from 1819 to 1922.  Unstable financial conditions in Europe directly impacted and created unstable panic in the economy of the United States of America.

– 1931 marked the beginning of the Great Depression. Once again the economic impact that a crisis in Europe had on the United States of America was financially devastating. The collapse of one of Austria’s largest banks created panic in Eastern Europe which snowballed into other countries around the world including the United States. Bank runs and Government bailouts in Eastern Europe created panic in the United States of America during this time period.

– In 1992 a common currency now known as the Euro was created among several countries that are now known as the European Union. However not all European countries chose to join the European Union and adopt the Euro as their official currency.  Countries who joined the European Union had regulated fiscal policies which controlled their debts as well as their federal spending. However, non member European countries did not have to abide by the same financial guidelines.  Therefore non European Union countries without regulations could become indebted and eventually insolvent.

– The 2008 Economic Crisis’ in Asia and in the United States were fueled by over extended credit. Prior to 2008 it was very easy for borrowers and homeowners to obtain credit and mortgage home loans. This flexibility made it easy for consumers to buy homes and therefore we experienced a real estate boom.  Whenever there is a market boom where investors expectations are overly aggressive there is bound to be a boom bust as the market is forced to correct itself.  Optimism is a great characteristic but we cannot allow it overrule reality. Hoping that things get better won’t necessarily make them better. We have to take actions to correct our mistakes otherwise change will never happen.

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Photo by KevinK

Where are DINKS Investing? In Equity Mutual Funds!

mutual funds, dinks investment, equity mutual funds

Good Morning DINKS.  Today is the first post in a new series we are starting called Where Are DINKS Investing? This series will highlight different types of investments, where they invest, what they buy, why we should have them, and how we can buy them.  As a Financial Planner I have my own preference of my favourite Mutual Funds that I recommend to clients based on their personal needs.  But what I buy in my own personal Investment Portfolio and what I recommend for my clients are two different things.

Before we invest we should definitely know what we are getting into.  This ensures that we are buying the absolute best investments for our personal Investment Portfolio. Our first post in this series will discuss the different types of Equity Mutual Funds that are available for investors to purchase.

I know that some people prefer to buy individual stocks over a pool of investments such a Mutual Fund.  But the truth is that Mutual Funds have several advantages for investors.  Mutual Funds are a diversified investment, they allow investors access to different stocks of many companies without having to place a trade order for each individual stock and without having the required minimum investment amount.  We like to have portfolio diversification because we never want to put all of our investment eggs into one basket.

Mutual Funds are a diversified investment within themselves, but they can also be used to diversify our investment portfolio.  If we buy a Bond Mutual Fund there will be several different types of Bonds with different interest rates and different maturity dates all within one single Bond Fund.  However, we don’t want to only have Bond Mutual Funds in our investment portfolio; we can add Equity Mutual Funds into our investment portfolio for diversification and for the possibility of long term growth.

What types of Equity Mutual Funds do you own in your Investment Portfolio?

– Dividend Mutual Funds invest in large corporations that pay out dividends to their investors on a quarterly and/or annual basis.  Dividends that pay out regular dividends are companies such as Financial Institutions and Banks or Insurance Companies.  Some people consider Dividend Mutual Funds as Income Funds because they do pay out a regular income; however we have to remember that Dividend Mutual Funds invest in stocks of large corporations and therefore they are Equity Mutual Funds.

– Growth Mutual Funds offer long term growth to their investors.  Growth Mutual Funds are one of the lower risk types of Equity investments.  Growth Mutual Funds invest in companies that have been around for a long time and have proven growth over the years.  Growth Mutual Funds should be purchased by investors who have a long time horizon.  If you are in your 30’s Growth Mutual Funds are a great investment option for your retirement portfolio.

– Value Mutual Funds purchase stocks in companies that are considered to be undervalued.  The potential of growth is greater with Value Mutual Funds because we hope that the stock price will skyrocket once the true value is realized.  However the potential loss is also greater because it is possible that the Value Stocks were not well analyzed well and the company has no growth potential therefore the value of the Value Stocks will remain the same or decrease.

– Blue Chip Mutual Funds also invest in the stocks of large corporations, similar to Dividend Mutual Funds.  However, the stocks of Blue Chip Mutual Funds do not necessarily pay out regular dividends to their investors.  Blue Chip Mutual Funds usually invest in the stocks of large corporations that have a proven track record of consistent growth over the years.  Blue Chip Mutual Funds usually invest in Fortune 500 companies.

– Small Cap (Capitalization) Mutual Funds invest in small corporations with very little assets.  Similar to Value Mutual Funds Small Cap Mutual Funds offer the possibility of great growth potential if the new/small company grows at a good rate.  However, if the small company or start up company fails then the losses could be astounding.

Photo by Jronaldlee

Retirement Planning For Two

retirement planning, retirement, retirement plans

sailboat coffee mug

Good Morning DINKS.  We are almost at the end of the year and that means that we are all a year older and also a year closer to our retirement. Is retirement on your personal financial plan?

What does Retirement mean for You?

Retirement can mean a lot of things for different people.  For some people retirement means not having to work.  For some people retirement means having the free time to try all of the new experiences that we never got a chance to do while we were working.  For some other people retirement means having the freedom to do what you want when you want.  For me retirement means not having to wake up to my alarm clock (which I really hate) and having my whole day be about me.  In retirement I can do what I want when I want and I won’t have to answer to anyone. I can chose which clothes I want to wear, and I won’t have to wear high heels (my bank has a very strict dress code).  I absolutely love Europe and I would love to retire (or keep a home) in Spain or Portugal.

I look at my parents and I am not sure that their retirement plans have worked out exactly as they had planned when they were my age.  My Father retired in 2009 and he has yet to live out his retirement dreams.  When I was younger (and my parents were still married) my Father used to talk about spending 6 months of the year in Florida or Arizona during retirement.  His ultimate retirement goal was to play golf 7 days a week.  However with his new Wife my Father’s days are filled of doing whatever she tells him to do and that doesn’t leave a lot of My Father’s time to be about him.  He stays at home a lot while his Wife goes out because someone has to watch her dog.

My Mother toyed with retirement for about 6 months back in 2010, but she got bored and then she went right back to work.  My Mother likes to keep busy and there just weren’t enough volunteer activities and board of director meetings to fill her newly empty schedule.  My Mother’s new Husband has not yet decided to retire and I am sure that this had a lot to do with my Mothers decision to return to the working world.  Are you and your spouse planning to retire at the same time?

Retirement Will Be an Adjustment

The more and more that I assist my Baby Boomer Clients plan their retirement, the more and more I realize that retirement means something different to everyone.  I had a client who was “forced” to retire from her long time (and only) employer and she was devastated.  She was still young (only 56 years old) and her whole life as she knew it was at her office.  She worked for the same employer for over 30 years and now she suddenly finds herself without a purpose in life and without her friends.  It is hard to believe that retirement could be an adjustment for anyone, but it really is a life change.

While we work we spend maybe 5 hours a day with our spouse from the time that we get home from work until the time that we go to bed.  In retirement we will be with our spouse 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and I am sure that will take some getting used to.

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Photo by Krasi

Build Wealth Like a Vanderbilt: Part 2

building wealth, financial tips, personal finance tips

Good Morning DINKS.  Today we are sharing more tips from Anderson Cooper and his money coach Clark Howard on how to save money in our everyday lives.  Anderson Coopers mother is Gloria Vanderbilt, which means that Anderson has grown up in a luxurious life where money was spent without a second thought.  The Vanderbilt Family is known for their socializing, spending, and worldly travels.  Now that Anderson Cooper is older he is trying to learn the value of a dollar and how to save, not spend, his hard earned money.

Clark Howard is a money coach and consumer expert who helps people save more, spend less, and avoid rip-offs.  He is a national radio host and also stars in The Clark Howard Show on HLN. Clark Howard’s book Living Large in Lean Times is currently a Best-Seller.

Check Out These Money Saving Tips from Clark Howard and Anderson Cooper:

Never buy paper towels, toilet paper, plastic wrap, or dish soap, or laundry detergent in a Grocery Store because the mark up is huge.  Grocery Stores make a big profit on non grocery items such as household items and cleaning materials. Buy those items at discount mega stores such as Target, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club or Costco.

The Medium size is always the best value when buying items such as Peanut Butter and other condiments.  The large size or value size claims to be the best value but the truth is that the large size is made for people who really love that item and they will buy it anyways regardless of the price.

Gas stations have the best value on Soft Drinks. We should never buy Potato Chips at a gas station. They drop their prices on Soft Drinks to lure clients in and hope that they pick up other (overpriced) snacks.

Coupon Savings Tips from Clark Howard and Anderson Cooper:

We should always carry our coupons with us at all times. We never know when we may make an unexpected pit stop.  I don’t know about you but I would be really upset if I had to pay full price for an item when I had a coupon at home.

One of the guests on Anderson Cooper admitted that she saved $50,000 in only 19 months by using coupons when she shops.  If you are not currently a coupon user, don’t worry it’s never too late to start saving.  After calculating her savings the woman estimates that she earns/saves $800 per hour from shopping with coupons.

If you have a favourite store then Clark Howard suggests that we sign up for their email distribution list.  You will receive coupons, exclusive specials, and daily deals directly into your inbox from the regular stores where you shop.

Other Savings Tips from Clark Howard and Anderson Cooper:

The retail store Original Mattress Factory is the best place to buy a new mattress.

We should always buy energy efficient appliances such as air conditioners at the beginning of an off season and end of the hot season because stores will be liquidating their items.

Shop around for Birthday Deals. Restaurants such as Quiznos Subs, Cold Stone Ice Cream and IHOP all give discounts and coupons to customers on their birthday.

Shop Savvy is a website/application that allows you to scan your item and it will display the current prices at different stores.  This way you know where to shop at the cheapest price.

The key to Shopping for a Car is to know where to buy it, not when. Clark Howards advises us to shop on www.overstock.com or www.carsdirect.com because we can save thousands of dollars on our car purchase with their instant price guarantee.

Photo by Poly Cart

Friday Roundup: Goals, Resolutions, & Personal Success

Good Morning DINKS.  It’s almost the end of the year and that means it’s time to start setting our Personal Goals and Resolutions for the New Year.  What do you want to accomplish or achieve in 2011? As usual I want to learn how to cook.  I am proud to say that since I set this resolution last year I have definitely made some progress, but I am far from being an Iron Chef.

We have rounded up the best posts from around the web this week to help us reminisce on our goals of the past and set some goals for the future.  Enjoy and Have a Great Weekend DINKS!

Our Favourite Posts about Goals, Resolutions, and Personal Success:

– Wise bread helps us move on from the past with some words of encouragement in the post “Abandon Losing Strategies”

– Divorced Dad Frugal Dad helps us face our fears of not achieving our goals in the post “Attack Your Goals”

– Give Me Back My Five Bucks  tells us about her own personal goals which include earning some extra secondary income and rebalancing her investments.  Check out her post “December 2011 Goals”

– Girl With The Red Balloon looks back on her previous months goals and sets new goals for this month in the post “November Goal Wrap-up and December Goals”

– Financial Samurai shares some of his goals strategies in the post “The Easiest Way To Get What You Want And Achieve What You Deserve”

Happy Holidays everyone!

Photo by Snap

Have You Become Your Spouse?

Good Morning DINKS.  As we spend more and more time with the same people we may adopt their gestures and their habits.  As the years pass by and our marriages (or relationships in my case) grow older are you adopting the habits of your spouse?  Think about yourself before you were in a couple and think about yourself now as a DINK, have you changed? If you are now different as a DINK then you were when you were single, are your personality changes attributed to getting older, or are they attributed to your spouse?

Have you adapted the hobbies and interests of your spouse? I admit that my personal interests have changed because of my boyfriend Nick.  I pretend to be interested in sports because he is a huge sports fan.  I try to watch Pardon The Interruption (PTI) with him every night, and I try to chit chat about the daily sports news. I would much rather be watching and episode of Friends, but I make an effort to try and live in his world which is dominated by sports.

Have your spending habits changed since you became a DINK?  The great thing about being a DINK is that we are never alone and there is always someone to balance us out.  If we are a spender and our spouse is a saver then our overall finances will balance out.  If we were used to spending money on ourselves when we were single, now that we are a DINK maybe we spend money on purchases that both people in our couple can use and benefit from.

My spending habits have changed over the last few years but that is because I have grown up into a financially responsible thirty-something from a former young, irresponsible, and carefree twenty-something.  I prefer to see the money build up in my bank accounts instead of see the material things clutter up my apartment.  My money mentality has definitely also changed since I have been in a couple with my boyfriend Nick.  Now I spend money on essential household items or decor for our apartment; other than my reading books, I really don’t spend money on things that only I want or only I can use.

Have your retirement goals changed?  They may have added your spouse, but have they really changed?  I am saving for my retirement, but I so far I have no plans for my retirement.

Do you only hang out with other DINKS? My social habits have changed since I became a DINK, but my circle of friends has not.  I spend more time at home as a DINK than I did outside when I was single, but that is because I like spending time in my apartment with my boyfriend.  My regular group of friends has not changed, and it consists mostly of single women in their late 20’s and early 30’s.  We have been friends for a long time and I would never give up my friends just because I have a boyfriend.

However I am sad to say that my Dad is a different story.  Since becoming a couple with his girlfriend (aka the Step Witch) he spends less time with his friends and more time with her friends and her family.  We all make choices in life, sometimes those choices are for the better and sometimes those choices are for our spouse.

Photo by Whologwhy

Friday Round Up: Congratulations to our Book Winners!

booksGood Morning DINKS.  As you read this I am on my way to New York City on a business trip, which I hope allows me to do a little bit of shopping while I’m there.  Last week we had our DINKS Days of Book Giveaways contest and today we are announcing the winners of all 4 of our Book Giveaways.

We have randomly chosen our lucky winners and you all have 30 days to contact DINKS Finance by email and claim your prize. We have also included some of our favourite posts from around the web this week for your reading pleasure.  Have a great weekend DINKS!

The Winners of our DINKS Days of Book Giveaways:

  1. The Winner of a copy of Debt Free For Life by David Bach is Sassy (comment #6 via Twitter).
  2. Jane (comment #1) is the Lucky Winner of a copy of The Fund which is the debut novel from HT Narea.
  3. The Winner of a copy of Get Growing: Keys to Unlocking the Potential of Your Small Business is Jeanette (comment #2).
  4. Connie (comment #9) is the Luck Winner of The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach.

Thank you to everyone who entered our DINKS Days of Book Giveaways Contest and Congratulations again to all of our winners.

Here are some of our favourite posts from around the web this week:

  • Divorced Dad Frugal Dad shares his tips on saving money during the holidays in the post “There is Nothing Wrong With Re-gifting”
  • Wise Bread helps us be social in the post “Best Money Tips: Hosting a Budget Friendly Holiday Party”
  • Money Ning helps with our debt strategies as he asks “Is It Time to Refinance Your Mortgage?”
  • Get Rich Slowly knows that the holidays can be a busy time, GRS wants to help us relax with the post “5 Free Ways to De-Stress”
  • Financially Poor shares his money savings tips in the post “8 Ways to Reduce your Gasoline Consumption”

Have a Great Weekend DINKS!

Photo by Sapphireblue

Have You Finished/Started Your Holiday Shopping?

Christmas shopping, holiday shopping, Christmas rush

It is almost time for Christmas and this means that some of us are finishing up our Christmas Shopping, it may also mean that some of us have to start our Christmas Shopping…and soon! There aren’t a lot of people on my Christmas list this year due to my big family fall out last year. However, it is the Holidays and I do still send out Christmas cards to my family members just in order to keep some kind of open communication.

I really enjoy the Holiday Season, I love Christmas decorations and I really love the smell of Pine Trees. However, I am not a huge fan of Christmas Shopping. I love shopping in general and I really love giving gifts to people, but shopping at Christmas is a whole other story.  During the Holidays the malls are always so over-crowded and the sales people definitely lack some holiday cheer from being overworked and underpaid.

Holiday Shopping Online

I prefer to shop online during Christmas, it’s cheaper, there is usually free delivery, and I never have to deal with unhappy sales people.  I enjoy shopping at Barnes & Nobel or Amazon because I can order something for everyone on my short list in one spot.  I can have all of the gifts delivered right to my door, or anyone’s door for that matter.  I like to shop around online to find the best prices possible and then place my order.  Online shopping is great for people who plan ahead and who don’t want the hassle of crowded shopping malls, but unfortunately online shopping is not an option for last minute shoppers.

If you have ever worked in retail sales (like I did) then you have a “special spot” in your heart for Last Minute Shoppers because they are the gift and the curse of the retail sales business.  Last Minute Shoppers are great because they are coming in to the store to spend money, and also because they are on a tight time deadline so they are usually in and out very quickly.  The curse of the Last Minute Shopper is that they are very needy and require a lot of assistance because they are buying gifts for everyone on their list within 24 hours of the Christmas deadline.

Are you a Last Minute Holiday Shopper?

I feel the same way about last minute Christmas shoppers that I do about people who rush into the Bank to make the last minute contributions to their retirement accounts before the deadline…I am not a big fan.  Last Minute Shopping is definitely a personality trait. These people have 365 days of the year to buy gifts, and they know that they have to buy gifts before the deadline because Christmas comes at the exact same time every single year, just like the contribution deadline into our retirement accounts.

Every single year for as long as I have known him my Step Father has been a Last Minute Shopper, but he doesn’t care because he doesn’t consider it to be a bad thing.  My Step Father doesn’t see the point in buying gifts weeks in advance if we can’t open them until December 25th anyways. He doesn’t wait to buy his Christmas gifts because he is getting better deals closer to Christmas; he waits to buy his Christmas gifts because he just doesn’t see the point in buying gifts that will sit under the Christmas Tree for 3 weeks.

My mother on the other hand decorates her home and wraps her gifts as of December 1st because she likes her house to be in the Christmas spirit, whereas my Step Father considers Christmas shopping on December 23rd to be in advance. Every year on the morning of Christmas Eve my Step Father goes out and buys my mother a spa gift card, unless she asks for something else…which she never does.

Photo by Meta

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