Free Range Life

California Bans Single-Family-Only Zoning: What this Means for Housing Opportunities

By Rachel Puryear Buying a home is a huge financial milestone for anyone. For many people, a major financial goal is to buy a house, also called a single-family home. Single-family homes are desirable for the amount of space and amenities they can offer, including a yard. They offer a level of privacy, peace, and…

With True Freedom Comes Accountability

By Rachel Puryear There is a popular saying that “Freedom Isn’t Free”. You have likely seen these words emblazoned over red, white, and blue bumper stickers, perhaps alongside an American Eagle image. The saying is commonly used as a pro-military expression, in the context of referring to the sacrifices of U.S. veterans. The saying “Freedom…

Who Believes in Conspiracy Theories? Traits Believers Have in Common

By Rachel Puryear We all know someone who tends to believe in conspiracy theories. Some of seem to be mostly reasonable and mild-mannered people, but they believe in a few mildly questionable things. Then, there are others who vocally believe a lot of outrageous conspiracy theories. Sometimes we love these people anyway and just try…

Remote Work Could Influence Family Planning in the Years to Come

By Rachel Puryear Many people who choose remote work do so because it allows more flexibility to stay at home with children, and to generally spend more time with families. For some workers, a suitable child care solution – or a lack thereof – can make the difference between holding down a profitable job, and…

Texas Abortion Law Backers Might Get More than they Bargained For, and How to Help People Needing Care

By Rachel Puryear The State of Texas recently passed an extremely restrictive anti-reproductive-health-care law. This Texas abortion law prohibits abortion after six weeks (before most women know that they are pregnant). Furthermore, this law allows private citizens – anywhere in the nation – to sue someone for helping someone else obtain an abortion (or so…

Want to Help a Loved One Pay Down Student Loans? Here are Three Ways Around Gift Taxes

By Rachel Puryear Do you have a loved one who took out student loans to pay for education, and you now wish to gift loan repayment to them? Perhaps you were unable to help your loved one while they were in school, but you have since become better able to do so, and want to…

Remote Workers, Don’t Get Left Behind – Here’s a Tip to Stay on Your Manager’s Radar

By Rachel Puryear As much as remote work opens up wonderful opportunities for lifestyle and family life, it has its tradeoffs. One challenge facing remote workers is how to remotely build rapport with your manager and colleagues, and participate in company culture. In-person work naturally offers spontaneous opportunities to bond and build rapport with managers…

How to Access Udemy Courses Online for Free

By Rachel Puryear If you’re considering a career shift, or you want to learn new skills and brush up on old ones; Udemy is an online learning platform where you can choose from many thousands of courses to help you accomplish those goals. Here’s a way to access this rich personal and professional development resource,…

From Riches to Rags: Lessons We Can Learn from Lottery Winners Who Went Broke

By Rachel Puryear Whether you like to buy lottery tickets or not, you have probably heard stories of lotto winners (and some mega celebrities) who quickly became fantastically rich, only to go broke within a few short years. Most people are puzzled as to how one could come into such ruin quickly following incredible luck…

For Your Next Road Trip, a Guide to Highway Rest Areas

By Rachel Puryear If you’re planning a road trip of more than a few hours, you might need to stop and rest somewhere along the way that’s safe, and preferably free. In that spirit, here’s your guide to the do’s and dont’s of highway rest stops. Rest areas are found every so often all along…