Category Archives: Uncategorized

  A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about a new addition to my beauty maintenance routine.  Shortly thereafter, I received inquiries by several companies who wanted me to try their products and write about them.  This was a little flattering and a little nerve-wracking.  Flattering because, well, I like that they care what … Continue reading →

Dear Friends: I’d love it a lot if you’d take about 10 minutes to tell me about yourself by completing this survey.   To show my appreciation, I’ll be giving away three prizes through a random drawing: (1) $100 AmEx gift card      (2) Spinsterlicious gift bag with book, t-shirt, mug       (3) … Continue reading →

As a single woman, one of the things that both annoys and amuses me is the way some people need to understand why I’m still single.  It’s not enough for them to know that I’m not married, they need to know why.  It seems to bother them way more than it bothers me…particularly because it doesn’t … Continue reading →

I think most people by now are aware of recent figures published by the U.S. Census and the Pew Institute about the growing number of singles in the U.S., so I won’t belabor that point. Being single is “hot.” Yet, when I hear a woman complain that she’s miserable being single, I wonder what’s really bugging … Continue reading →

A lot of women I know who don’t have children make up for it by spending lots of time with their nieces, nephews, and the kids of their good friends.  For many of them, it’s the best of both worlds: they get to spend time enjoying, teaching, loving them…and then sending them home to their parents. … Continue reading →

Yesterday, it occurred to me that this whole “being single works for me” stance may be a little overrated.  Most of the time I got no complaints. Yesterday, I had a complaint.  You see, if I was living with my (imaginary) husband, my day would have gone differently.   This is what would have happened if I … Continue reading →

Dating, as we all know, can be tricky. There are so many unwritten rules and we aren’t all reading from the same playbook so we don’t even know what all the rules are.  Here’s a rule that I think most people will agree with, even if we’re not always capable of following it:  when “judging” a … Continue reading →

I think I drove a nice, but naive, woman a little crazy yesterday.  I hope I also gave her something to think about.  Here’s what happened.  She and her kid sat beside me on a train to Long Island.  I made the mistake of saying her kid was cute.  The kid was cute –that wasn’t the … Continue reading →

Q: When is a pet just a pet? A: When it lives in the home of a “traditional” family: husband, wife, 2+ adorable kids.  It’s part of Americana. In a different scenario, though –one that doesn’t include, at least a married couple– Cute Pet is a substitute for something important. If you’re a single woman, especially of-a-certain-age, and … Continue reading →

Why don’t I have kids?  Because I never really wanted ‘em.  They’re not for everybody, something I tried to explain to a woman I met recently.  She looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language that she didn’t understand.  And I guess I kind of was, because she has four kids and couldn’t seem … Continue reading →

Following is a “re-play” of an article I wrote for Women’s Voices for Change . Every week, they run an article on fashion. It was my turn this week: I’m often complimented on my appearance. I love that—especially because praise for my style seems so odd to me. Because I really don’t love fashion. My sister … Continue reading →

Lots of single women dread Valentine’s Day. I would like to change that. For too many single women, Valentine’s Day is a loud reminder that they have no man (or woman, in some cases) to love. It’s a loud reminder of their sad, lonely lives…even though most days their lives are not very sad and not … Continue reading →

A few months ago, I wrote a post about Why I’m Done With Online Dating. There just came a time when the nice, interesting guys were in lower supply than the weirdos and the half-truths. But I have a lot of friends and readers who do still do online dating, so when I received this note … Continue reading →

There’s a couple I’ve known for a few years.  We have lots of mutual friends and see each often at various social events.  We’re also neighbors.  In theory, we could get together on our own, and not just rely on others to get us together.  Except there’s one problem.  I don’t think the wife likes me. … Continue reading →

I first ran this post last January.  It’s still on my mind:  where do women who are too old for the clubs meet men?  The same friend I mention, below, who is still Nameless is compiling a list: so far, hardware stores and stores that sell computers and electronics are high on her list. After I ran … Continue reading →

✨ HAPPY EVERYTHING  TO EVERYBODY … Christmas Hanukkah Kwanzaa New Year !!! ✨

One of the reasons I didn’t want to get married is that ” ’till death do us part” just seems so looooong. Whenever I would look at whatever guy I was in love with, I would try to envision him still in my life in 15 years, and I couldn’t. I would do my peer-into-the-future, but … Continue reading →

My good friends, Traci and Tony, are also my neighbors.  It’s been great. For years. Our dogs are best friends. At the beginning, I think they used to feel sorry for me all-single-and-alone in my apartment, so they had me over on a regular basis for food and drink.  I took complete advantage of this. And … Continue reading →

I ooze Single.  I know I do.   And not just “single for right now”, but for a long time.   More than once, an old boyfriend has gotten back in touch with me after many years and, during our what-have-you-been-up-to conversation, they never ask “did you get married”?  They ask about my job, my family, … Continue reading →

I got a call the other day from a Favorite Reader who was feeling down about being single…primarily because she was feeling really lonely.  As we talked, it became clear that this feeling of loneliness wasn’t completely about being single.  She was really missing her family and feeling frustrated about being disconnected from them.  She isn’t … Continue reading →

Today’s Spinsterlicious guest post is from Phyllis, who claims that shopping is her passion.  She and I talk often about shopping, buying, and needing vs. wanting…and why and how any of it matters.   In her own words: When is enough too much?  I love clothes shopping but, at my age,  there isn’t anything I really … Continue reading →

So, yes, I’m mostly pleased with my Spinsterlicious life…but maybe I’m a little odd, too.  I dunno.  My friend, Lorraine, has an adorable son, AJ.   One day he asked his parents,  “Is Auntie Eleanore a grown-up?”  I loved it because I was sure he was implying, “she’s so youthful and cool and fun,  she couldn’t possibly … Continue reading →

When I was much younger –20 years old– I remember being full of excitement…happy to be an almost-grown woman of legal age and jazzed about all that this meant to me:  I could drink…legally.  I would be an adult so didn’t have to listen to and do what other people told me (something I was never … Continue reading →

I had lunch the other day with my ex, Jay.  We’ve remained friends and always have a good time “catching up” over food and drink.  He had a brief marriage in his 20s, but has been single (and a very active bachelor) ever since.  I, of course, have been single… well, forever.  He started telling me … Continue reading →

Not too long ago, a friend of mine, Addie, received a phone call at 4:00 in the morning. The caller was a woman who demanded to know the nature of Addie’s relationship with her –the caller’s– boyfriend.  (No one in this story is 17 years old, btw). We are still laughing about this.  It’s a shame … Continue reading →

When I was young(er), I think I might have been crazy. Although I didn’t think so at the time, here’s why I say this now, looking back: I was planning a visit to my dear friends in the midwest and the Husband offered to set me up with a guy they knew. I asked his Wife … Continue reading →

I received this note from one of my favorite readers:  I had to read it twice, though, to really understand what she was saying.  On the surface, she spoke about wanting acknowledgement from her grandfather for being a great aunt to her sister’s kids.  I think what it is really about, though, is that grandpa doesn’t … Continue reading →

dou·ble stand·ard Noun: A rule or principle that is unfairly applied in different ways to different people or groups.   Wikipedia – Dictionary.com – Answers.com – Merriam-Webster I suppose we’re all guilty of double-standarding sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still get annoyed when I’m the one who’s being double-standarded. Like this.  The other day … Continue reading →

…and other cliches. And now for today’s rant. I hate trite comments, especially when the speaker is acting like we haven’t heard it 10,000 times before. So when a woman who-shall-remain-nameless was trying to explain the concept of Spinsterlicious to a friend, and said “it’s about being single and “living every day to the fullest“, I … Continue reading →

I had dinner with a good friend the other day.  I hadn’t seen Jean in awhile and it was good to see her.  She was all girly and giddy about some New Guy.  It was cute.  But she was a little anxious, too.  She likes the guy a little lot more than he apparently likes her and … Continue reading →

I’m in the airport lounge waiting for my flight and a nice man just bought me a drink. This happens from time to time, as I mentioned in an earlier post, where I wrote about airport lounges as higher-end meat/meet markets, so to speak. (http://www.thespinsterliciouslife.com/2010/12/airport-meetmeat-market.html). This time, I’m not sure if I should be flattered. Coming … Continue reading →