Kate A

And don't know how to change your life to be happy again?

I'm saving money now, but I want to start traveling as soon as possible. I'm planning to save 7000 USD, and have already set aside 2000 of that for plane tickets, which is hopefully an overestimate as I plan to fly in and out from Managua. I want to see as many countries as possible. I want to go where the road takes me, so I'm not planning very much of it, but I want to go to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil. Please don't tell me I shouldn't travel to some of these countries, because it is a long-standing dream of mine. I want to budget travel, spending as little money as possible per day. If I stay in hostels and don't spend money on alcohol, how long do you think 5000 USD will let me travel for in Latin America? Should I postpone the trip even longer in order to save more?

I have 3 roommates. Let's call them Elizabeth, Ann, and Tess. We live in a large, 2 story apartment with 1600 square feet and have individual leases. The apartment has very little insulation, so our energy bill is high during months that we have to turn on the a/c or the heat. We are all college students with tight budgets, so when we signed our leases, we believed that we would be able to afford the electric bill because we were splitting it four ways. Tess has recently moved back in with her parents, but she is still obligated to pay her rent until July. Elizabeth, Ann, and I think she should still be included in on the energy costs of the apartment, because she is technically still living there and we signed up on the pretense that the energy bill would be split up four ways. None of us can really afford an increase of $20/month, which is the cost we would absorb paying without Tess. Tess thinks it is not fair for us to ask her to pay it, because she doesn't use the energy.

I'm trying to lose 40 lbs. in 6 months. For years I have had a lifestyle that is much too sedentary and my eating habits are poor. How important is healthy eating if you work out? I am much more interested in being active, and am wondering how much my eating habits have to change in order to lose weight. Can I just work out more to compensate?

I'm planning a trip to Latin America next year. To have as much freedom as possible, I'm planning to buy a one way ticket there, and then when I'm ready to return, just buy another one-way ticket back. To estimate a budget, I am looking up prices for both ways, when I discovered something that confused me. A flight from San Salvador to Houston (where I live) is $450 without stops. From the same exact airline, there is a flight from San Salvador to Dallas/Ft. Worth with a stop in Houston for $200 on the same day. Prices for flights generally go up with the number of stops the plane makes. So how is this possible? Is this a trick that the website uses to make extra money? Or is this legitimately how airline tickets get priced? If so, why?

I am going to Rome this summer for about a month and I will be staying with someone who lives there. I have access to a kitchen area, but need to buy groceries. My sister is coming with me and we will be buying groceries for the two of us and splitting the bill, as well as eating out maybe once a week. What is a reasonable price range, in either Euros or US Dollars, to expect to spend on food while we are there?

I'm doing research on baleadas for a spanish presentation, and to me they seem just like burritos. And the ones with eggs are like breakfast burritos. Am I wrong? Please give details.

My little cousin, in elementary school, has to do a project in which she creates her own Hogwarts House, and assign traits to the members of the house. She's already come up with everything but a name for the house, so my question to you is, if you could create your own Hogwarts House, what would you name it?

My grandmother has always been a very strong, independent woman. At 75, she was traveling the world by herself - to China, Ireland, Rome, Hawaii and many other places. Now she is 82, has diabetes, and has recently had some back surgery done that has given her a lame leg and a very sore back and made her totally dependent. She even has to use a walker just to get around. I take her to the gym every day to help her with physical therapy, but she is completely shaken at the loss of her independence. How can I take care of my grandmother and still help her feel independent?