HeyJaredAsk a (Sensible) Midwesterner
You can take the girl out of the Midwest, but you can't take the common sense out of the girl. Get answers to everyday questions of all sorts.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 8
- Latest publication
- Sep 16, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 8, 2026
Latest issues
Stuck in the Birthday Check Middle (opens the original)
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Dear Sensible Midwesterner,I’m divorced and have two children. Recently, the younger child (a senior in high school) had a birthday, and my elderly ex-father-in-law sent her a very substantial sum of money. (Of note: he rarely acknowledges either child’s birthday with more than a card or a text, and often not that.) I saw the deposit pop up in their bank account (I’m the custodian) and assumed my other child (a college student in their twenties) received a similar sum for their recent birthday a
A Real Recipe Problem (opens the original)
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Dear Sensible Midwesterner, I’ve had this massive binder of recipes for decades now, and over time I’ve had panic attacks that my best recipes have disappeared because it’s that big. There are recipes from the cooking classes I took with a girlfriend in my twenties (tamale making, vegetarian cooking) and even ones from my junior high home ec class that I couldn’t bear to toss (Italian pasta bake, drop cookies made with cake mix, etc.). I flip, and I flip, three times, four times, and can’t find
Overwhelmed by Bridal Prep (opens the original)
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Dear Sensible Midwesterner,I’m getting married this fall. As a pretty down-to-earth person who doesn’t wear makeup most of the time and cares more about function and comfort than fashion in my daily life, I’m pretty overwhelmed by the amount of bridal prep that it seems most women do. I had planned to buy a pretty dress and get my hair done. Maybe get a… Read more
No Bus Talk, Please (opens the original)
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Dear Sensible Midwesterner,Am I entitled to feel irritable? Here’s the situation: I’m on public transportation, happily reading my book, and someone sits down next to me and then proceeds to have a loud, seemingly unending phone conversation. Not a quick “can you pick up some eggs” conversation, but one that goes on and on. Very loudly.Is talking on pub… Read more
Sick of One Side (opens the original)
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Dear Sensible Midwesterner,Your recent answer to “Just Not Feeling It” made me feel better about my experience on the dating apps. After a long marriage, I’m single and would like to meet someone.I (a woman) keep matching with men who seem perfectly happy to talk about themselves but never ask me a single question. Literally. Not one. Not even a token “… Read more
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