…the new American motto is, Work ’til you drop.

Kiplinger’s magazine has a strong review of the changing face of retirement. I especially liked the lede essay by senior editor Mary Beth Franklin. She also put together a retirement quiz: It’s fun. Here’s the introduction to the quiz.

If you’re 50 or older, it’s time to start thinking about your exit strategy from the workaday world. The sooner you start, the more time you’ll have to explore your retirement options and take any necessary corrective action. So are you REALLY ready to retire? Answer these 10 questions to find out — and to learn how the important pieces of your retirement income puzzle fit together.

You don’t have to be 50 to try it, though. See how you do.

I’m a frequent visitor to the Wisebread website. It always offers intriguing articles and practical ideas for combining frugally with generosity. (Frugality and cheapness is nothing but miserable penny pinching. Frugality and generosity is living well on less.)

Anyway, Phillip Brewer has a thoughtful post on spending to save money. No, not the fiction that you’re saving money when you go to the mall and buy something on sale. He means the kind of expenditure that truly saves you money over time.

Here’s aare some examples of spending to save:

Insulation or weather stripping
Warm sweater
Fuel-efficient car (or motorcycle or bicycle)
Energy-efficient furnace (or other appliances)
Solar hot water heater
Photovoltaic power system

He asks: “Do you know other ways to save money with a purchase — that is, really save money?” Good question.