A personal escrow is a nice idea for someone who has difficulty controlling their spending. It isn’t technically an escrow—no third party oversees the account—but you can benefit from segregating your money into a separate account. Personal escrows are used often for the following purposes:   Non-monthly expenses. For example, you might be billed quarterly for car insurance and annually for a gym membership. A personal escrow can help you save sufficient funds for these expenses. Unforeseen expenses. These are small expenses which catch you by surprise—gifts that you need to purchase for the host of a party, unexpected veterinary expenses or car repairs, etc. You should go through your bills for the past year and check how much you had to spend on non-monthly expenses. Also pay attention to unexpected expenses, such as the bottle of wine you had to buy someone when you were invited to their dinner party. Non-monthly expenses could include:   car insurance premiums car registration car repair and maintenance life insurance premiums conference fees veterinary expenses gifts holiday shopping school or tuition expenses You should set up a separate savings account (or high yield checking account) which you can use for a specific purpose, such as paying non-monthly bills. You could also set up multiple individual accounts for each non-monthly expense, though this could be difficult for you to handle.   To properly fund your account, total all non-monthly expenses, then divide by 12. This is the amount you will need to contribute to your account each month. You should set up automatic deposit, so that this amount is deducted from your monthly paycheck. If you are paid biweekly, then divide your total amount by 26. Whenever an unexpected or non-monthly expense arises, remember to take the money out of your escrow account. In this way, you can preserve the balance in your regular savings and/or checking account.
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One-sentence summary -- Identify your need. Calculate how much you will need. Set up a savings account. Pay your non-monthly expenses from the escrow account.

Q: Try your hand at writing a novel, a short story, a poem, a play, or any other kind of creative writing. If you work at it bit by bit each day, it will hone your writing skills as well as exercise your creativity.
A: Write a literary piece.

Article: The sleeping bag will be very delicate when it is wet so you will need to hold it gently. Try to lift the entire bag at once so it does not drag on the ground. You may need to ask someone to help you lift the sleeping bag out of the washer or tub so it is well supported. Check that the dryer is clean and does not have any debris or sharp corners that might catch on the sleeping bag. Set the dryer to the lowest temperature and place 1-2 absorbent towels and 1-2 tennis balls in with the sleeping bag. Run the dryer for a full cycle.  The towels will help to soak up excess water. The tennis balls will help to prevent clumps in the down or synthetic filling in the sleeping bag. Stop the drying cycle periodically and open the door to let some heat out so the sleeping bag does not get too hot, as this can damage it. You may need to dry the sleeping bag for 1-3 cycles to get it completely dry. If you do not want to risk exposing the sleeping bag to the heat of a dryer, place it flat on a clean table or landing outside. You can also hang it on a clothesline to help it dry faster. Position it so it is exposed to direct sunlight for most of the day. It may take 1-2 days for the sleeping bag to air dry completely. If the weather is bad outside, or rain is in the forecast for the next 1-2 days, spread the sleeping bag out indoors so it can dry. Once the sleeping bag is dry, do not roll it up or compress it right away. Instead, leave it spread out on a clean floor or area for several days so the stuffing can fluff up. It should smell clean and feel puffier. Store the sleeping bag flat in a safe, cool spot. You should only compress it or roll it up when you pack it for a trip or for camping.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Lift the sleeping bag carefully out of the washer or the tub. Dry the bag on a low setting in a front-loading dryer for a quick option. Let the bag air dry if you don’t have access to a front-loading dryer. Spread out the bag and let it fluff up for 2-3 days before storing it.

Problem: Article: Place your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees a small amount and splay your feet a bit outwards. Pretend you are holding a canoe paddle and place your hands together in front of your chest. Moving to the right side first, mimic a canoe paddle move. Your hands and arms should move diagonally in a twisting motion past your right hip and behind you. Bring your body back to center. Repeat the move on the left side. Once you have learned the move, do ten repetitions on each side, alternating right-left. Take a thirty second pause after each set. Do three sets of ten. Once the movement becomes easy, hold a two or five pound weight between your clasped hands.
Summary: Assume your starting pose. Learn the basic motion. Perform three sets.

Article: Kindness makes the person doing it and the person receiving it happy. People want to be around people who are habitually kind. Treat everyone with respect and do little things to help out people who you can see are struggling with something. You’d be surprised at the impact even the smallest of gestures can have. You shouldn’t look down on your friends and you shouldn’t treat them like royalty either. People don’t like it when other people think they are better than them. At the same time, most people get uncomfortable when it’s clear that someone has low self-esteem in comparison to them. At the end of the day, we’re all just people. Try to remember this at all times. If this is something you continually struggle with, put an effort into thinking about what you are going to say and how people might see it. It shouldn’t like you’re trying to be mean to your friend to yourself. If you monitor yourself carefully, your habits will naturally change in time. It’s not a secret – people like to laugh. Make jokes when it’s appropriate. It’s ok to tease someone, but don’t say anything that is genuinely mean-spirited. You’ll be happier finding the humor in the little things and people will want to spend more time with you. Don’t worry if you aren’t a natural comedian. A good way to be funny is to surround yourself with people, media, and things that make you laugh. Watch comedies and listen to comedians. Take some time to relax each day if you have a stressful schedule. It won’t happen overnight, but soon you’ll be more comfortable doing things and cracking jokes that make people laugh. There’s no point in trying to be a different person because you think someone will like you more that way. Unless they’re not terribly perceptive, they’ll be able to see straight through your act. No one wants to hang out with posers. Being yourself will attract friends who like you for you, not for what you’re trying to be. Being your genuine self means being open, honest, and sincere about who you are. It also means keeping your word and being trustworthy. Practice being genuine with yourself and others. This will help you build your relationships with others, as well as your self-confidence.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Practice kindness. View friends as equals. Be funny. Be yourself.