Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
A MADE IN THE USA HOLIDAY SEASON - HOMELESS CHILDREN
Reading the news about how many hundreds of thousands of Children in the United States are homeless this Christmas, we wondered how we might be able to help while keeping to our own budget.
The first thing you should know is that the term "Homeless" doesn't just mean the people - often mentally ill and filthy - who are actually on the pavement sleeping in doorways at night.
Homeless means that a person does not have a stable legal residence.
It includes families that live in motel or hotel rooms, who sometimes have to leave for a few days and then come back each month. It includes people who are living with or near family, sleeping on floors, in sheds, in unheated garages, and those who go from sofa to sofa belonging to friends and other people one knows. Often those who are renting are carefully monitored by building owners and management so that they do not move people in without putting them on a lease and so they have to sneak or come and go, careful not to spend more than a week at a time.
Many of the homeless children's paretns work for money, if not a living, but cannot make enough to save for deposits into apartments. Others rely on U.S. government for benefits that buy them food and shelter.
There are homeless kids in families who are camping outdoor all year long, sometimes unable to stay in the same school district.
There are homeless kids with one parent in shelters. Some, but few, of these shelters can guarantee that a stay with them will result in housing.
So let's say you are like us and you really cannot open your wallet too wide when it comes to charitable giving. What can you do?
The first thing you can do is volunteer. It's true that free labor has become part of big business. Our local library refuses volunteer help unless a person commits to at least 6 months. (This is probably why they are always hunting for volunteers. In our opinion that is ridiculous!) Generally we are opposed to the free labor of volunteerism because we think it's bad business. We don't like the way so many school districts and even colleges expect it.
But you would be surprised at how many places welcome volunteers for the half a day and even at short notice. They have broken down the tasks they need done for that time into small, doable activities, like serving food or sorting through donated clothing.
The next thing you can do isn't specific to the holidays. You may be able to give art and craft making supplies - fabric and yarn scraps, plastic microwaveable containers that are good for pouring glue on and holding glitter, for instance. (You'll be recycling.) If you think you can read aloud or teach a specific craft, offer to do so for an hour a week or for an afternoon.
Consider dropping of good used clothing that your own children no longer wear to a family shelter or orphanage.
If you'd like to bake a cake or cookies to give away or make a hundred peanut butter sandwiches, call ahead to be sure they can accept them.
The first thing you should know is that the term "Homeless" doesn't just mean the people - often mentally ill and filthy - who are actually on the pavement sleeping in doorways at night.
Homeless means that a person does not have a stable legal residence.
It includes families that live in motel or hotel rooms, who sometimes have to leave for a few days and then come back each month. It includes people who are living with or near family, sleeping on floors, in sheds, in unheated garages, and those who go from sofa to sofa belonging to friends and other people one knows. Often those who are renting are carefully monitored by building owners and management so that they do not move people in without putting them on a lease and so they have to sneak or come and go, careful not to spend more than a week at a time.
Many of the homeless children's paretns work for money, if not a living, but cannot make enough to save for deposits into apartments. Others rely on U.S. government for benefits that buy them food and shelter.
There are homeless kids in families who are camping outdoor all year long, sometimes unable to stay in the same school district.
There are homeless kids with one parent in shelters. Some, but few, of these shelters can guarantee that a stay with them will result in housing.
So let's say you are like us and you really cannot open your wallet too wide when it comes to charitable giving. What can you do?
The first thing you can do is volunteer. It's true that free labor has become part of big business. Our local library refuses volunteer help unless a person commits to at least 6 months. (This is probably why they are always hunting for volunteers. In our opinion that is ridiculous!) Generally we are opposed to the free labor of volunteerism because we think it's bad business. We don't like the way so many school districts and even colleges expect it.
But you would be surprised at how many places welcome volunteers for the half a day and even at short notice. They have broken down the tasks they need done for that time into small, doable activities, like serving food or sorting through donated clothing.
The next thing you can do isn't specific to the holidays. You may be able to give art and craft making supplies - fabric and yarn scraps, plastic microwaveable containers that are good for pouring glue on and holding glitter, for instance. (You'll be recycling.) If you think you can read aloud or teach a specific craft, offer to do so for an hour a week or for an afternoon.
Consider dropping of good used clothing that your own children no longer wear to a family shelter or orphanage.
If you'd like to bake a cake or cookies to give away or make a hundred peanut butter sandwiches, call ahead to be sure they can accept them.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
NON PROFITS AND DONATIONS - HOW TO BE SMART ABOUT IT!
It's easy to print up business cards and other brochures and literature that make untrue claims in order to collect money for a good cause. You never know if that person who is wearing a Santa Suit and ringing a bell, or who is standing outside your supermarket with an official looking can is even going to turn over your donations to a real non-profit.
It's easy to turn your pockets inside out to give a few coins to someone, and we're not saying that all those people who need out there are frauds or that you need to give big or take tax deductions to give.
We're saying be careful, make phone calls, ask good questions, and also protect your privacy as a giver. One of our friends gave a couple thousand dollars to a candidate she believed in years ago and her name, address, amount she gave, and other information are still on the Internet, and of course there is an assumption about her political affiliation because of it. SO YOU MAY WANT SOME ASSURANCES THAT YOUR DONATION WILL ALWAYS REMAIN PRIVATE.
A way to start is to read some of the sites about NONPROFITS. Here is a site that will lead you to MANY opportunities to find out more about the non-profit you may consider donating to:
NON PROFIT AND CHARITY EVALUATORS resource center
It's easy to turn your pockets inside out to give a few coins to someone, and we're not saying that all those people who need out there are frauds or that you need to give big or take tax deductions to give.
We're saying be careful, make phone calls, ask good questions, and also protect your privacy as a giver. One of our friends gave a couple thousand dollars to a candidate she believed in years ago and her name, address, amount she gave, and other information are still on the Internet, and of course there is an assumption about her political affiliation because of it. SO YOU MAY WANT SOME ASSURANCES THAT YOUR DONATION WILL ALWAYS REMAIN PRIVATE.
A way to start is to read some of the sites about NONPROFITS. Here is a site that will lead you to MANY opportunities to find out more about the non-profit you may consider donating to:
NON PROFIT AND CHARITY EVALUATORS resource center
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Thursday, December 4, 2014
HERE'S SOME IDEAS FOR YOU - ECONOMICS OF A HOLIDAY SEASON - KEEPING THE SPIRIT WITHOUT SPENDING
We had a small traditional Thanksgiving feast, laid back, and let "Black Friday" and other sales events go by without a purchase. That's because we're on a budget and committed to keeping the spirit of the Holidays alive while staying on that budget. We're committed to spending our money wisely, recycling, giving away things we don't need (without a tax deduction), being innovative and creative.
We don't think that a Christmas Tree piled high with gifts is important. In fact, this year we will decorate without a Christmas Tree. The drought has raised prices on real ones and we will not buy a fake one; they're bad for our economy and not biodegradeable.
Here are some ideas for you:
Instead of buying Christmas stockings (they get bigger every year) go traditional and put out one knee sock or one shoe.
Use old Christmas cards again by using them hung on string in windows, cut them to make your own present-tags, or use them to make tree ornaments.
Use old Christmas wrap again. Cut out the ripped, taped, or worn out parts and wrap smaller gifts with it.
Use fabric scraps or scarves for gift wrap.
Don't buy a tree. There is no reason that gifts must be under a tree.
Ornaments can be shown off and appreciated by placing them in bowls for the table.
Pull out old, ethnic recipes, and give things like casseroles that can be frozen and thawed out for meals, as gifts. (Call ahead and tell the person that's what you're giving them to be sure they will appreciate it and have room in their freezer. Reuse the small #5 Plastic containers from store bought frozen meals for smaller portions.)
Have a "misfit" toy party. You and your children's friends wrap a toy they used but which is in good condition that they are through with, bake a cake, and have the kids grab bag the toys.
Don't forget about caroling; cheering up others by appearing at their door with song is still a great gift... go by the nearest Assisted Living place in your neighborhood. Last time we did this people cried "You remembered us!"
We don't think that a Christmas Tree piled high with gifts is important. In fact, this year we will decorate without a Christmas Tree. The drought has raised prices on real ones and we will not buy a fake one; they're bad for our economy and not biodegradeable.
Here are some ideas for you:
Instead of buying Christmas stockings (they get bigger every year) go traditional and put out one knee sock or one shoe.
Use old Christmas cards again by using them hung on string in windows, cut them to make your own present-tags, or use them to make tree ornaments.
Use old Christmas wrap again. Cut out the ripped, taped, or worn out parts and wrap smaller gifts with it.
Use fabric scraps or scarves for gift wrap.
Don't buy a tree. There is no reason that gifts must be under a tree.
Ornaments can be shown off and appreciated by placing them in bowls for the table.
Pull out old, ethnic recipes, and give things like casseroles that can be frozen and thawed out for meals, as gifts. (Call ahead and tell the person that's what you're giving them to be sure they will appreciate it and have room in their freezer. Reuse the small #5 Plastic containers from store bought frozen meals for smaller portions.)
Have a "misfit" toy party. You and your children's friends wrap a toy they used but which is in good condition that they are through with, bake a cake, and have the kids grab bag the toys.
Don't forget about caroling; cheering up others by appearing at their door with song is still a great gift... go by the nearest Assisted Living place in your neighborhood. Last time we did this people cried "You remembered us!"
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Saturday, November 8, 2014
AMERICAN FLAGS AND OTHER JUNK MADE IN CHINA IS NOT A PATRIOTIC PURCHASE
We needed to be reminded ourselves. When you buy party supplies like paper plates and napkins that are DESIGNED with American Flags and so on and it's stamped Made in China, that is NOT a Patriotic Purchase. Not to pick on China, but so much is imported from that country. IF IT DOESN'T SAY MADE IN THE USA it's not a Patriotic Purchase no matter how it looks. And Beware! We have found things with big American Flags on the back so you don't read the "made in China" fine print!
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
CALIFORNIA PLASTIC BAG BAN : OPINION BY PATRIOTIC PURCHASE BLOGSPOT
California has now banned plastic shopping bags at stores within the whole state. (Stores we've purchased at are allowing you to provide your own, or will sell you a paper bag for a dime and sometimes give away heavy promotional plastic bags or sell heavy plastic bags, destined, they hope, for reuse. Though there have been local votes in some places, such as Los Angeles City, any further localization of this ecology driven law is pointless.
On the basis that so many plastic bags are imported from China and other countries rather made in the USA, we have for the last few years tried to find and use bags made in the USA, with little success except for cloth bags bought at Trader Joe's.
WE HAVE FOUND SHOPPING MORE CUMBERSOME THAN EVER. We really want a bag from the store we just purchased in to carry our purchase out and around. We try to carry some folded, previously used bags around, jammed in a purse or the backseat of a car, but despite our best efforts we still find ourselves out shopping and needing more bags.
We have been stopped when our own bags, bulging with purchases from more than one store, appeared suspicious to sales clerks or a buzzer went off at a store front through no fault of our own. GREAT! Recently we were carrying both Farmer's Market Produce and clothing bought on sale in one bag when we entered a third store on a shopping avenue and the buzzers went off. Then again, we were once accidently charged for a library book at a cash register when we set the book down to get the wallet out.
MANY OF THE BAGS STORES ARE CHARGING A DOLLAR TO FIVE DOLLARS FOR HEAVIER BAGS THAT STILL FALL APART RAPIDLY. Often it's the handles that detach or we see a hole in the bottom after a couple uses. Don't know how many uses you're getting from them, but we did try to machine wash a couple of them (in cold water) that looked a little stained or stinky and that did them in. These heftier bags are often also made in China or other countries, and they are badly sewn and falling apart so rapidly, and then must be thrown out. From the looks of them, they will take a very long time to degrade naturally, especially in that PLASTIC is one of the materials used for these bags, such as the ones that are plastic over woven straw.
WE THINK THE IMPACT IS ON WATERWAYS and THE OCEAN WILL EVENTUALLY BE POSITIVE, but banning plastic bags is not enough... Also what should be banned is fast food drink containers and lids and straws because this isn't so much about the bags but the LITTER BUGS WHO DON'T THROW THINGS AWAY PROPERLY... Maybe PLASTIC IN GENERAL SHOULD NO LONGER BE USED... (Can you image, no more plastic shower curtain? Picnic table cloth? ) Really that SEA OF PLASTIC IN THE PACIFIC THAT'S THE SIZE OF TEXAS is VERY TELLING... However, SINCE PLASTIC BAGS ARE NECESSARY TO THROW TRASH OUT IN and the bags themselves go to the LANDFILLS we are not sure really how the plastic shopping bag ban will improve the ecological impact ON LAND!
WE JUST THINK THE COST OF THE BAGS WENT TO THE CONSUMER INSTEAD OF THE STORE.
Another phenomena is that BRING YOUR OWN BAGS seems to mean BAG YOUR OWN BAGS! That is also saving stores money they should be paying employees.
On the basis that so many plastic bags are imported from China and other countries rather made in the USA, we have for the last few years tried to find and use bags made in the USA, with little success except for cloth bags bought at Trader Joe's.
WE HAVE FOUND SHOPPING MORE CUMBERSOME THAN EVER. We really want a bag from the store we just purchased in to carry our purchase out and around. We try to carry some folded, previously used bags around, jammed in a purse or the backseat of a car, but despite our best efforts we still find ourselves out shopping and needing more bags.
We have been stopped when our own bags, bulging with purchases from more than one store, appeared suspicious to sales clerks or a buzzer went off at a store front through no fault of our own. GREAT! Recently we were carrying both Farmer's Market Produce and clothing bought on sale in one bag when we entered a third store on a shopping avenue and the buzzers went off. Then again, we were once accidently charged for a library book at a cash register when we set the book down to get the wallet out.
MANY OF THE BAGS STORES ARE CHARGING A DOLLAR TO FIVE DOLLARS FOR HEAVIER BAGS THAT STILL FALL APART RAPIDLY. Often it's the handles that detach or we see a hole in the bottom after a couple uses. Don't know how many uses you're getting from them, but we did try to machine wash a couple of them (in cold water) that looked a little stained or stinky and that did them in. These heftier bags are often also made in China or other countries, and they are badly sewn and falling apart so rapidly, and then must be thrown out. From the looks of them, they will take a very long time to degrade naturally, especially in that PLASTIC is one of the materials used for these bags, such as the ones that are plastic over woven straw.
WE THINK THE IMPACT IS ON WATERWAYS and THE OCEAN WILL EVENTUALLY BE POSITIVE, but banning plastic bags is not enough... Also what should be banned is fast food drink containers and lids and straws because this isn't so much about the bags but the LITTER BUGS WHO DON'T THROW THINGS AWAY PROPERLY... Maybe PLASTIC IN GENERAL SHOULD NO LONGER BE USED... (Can you image, no more plastic shower curtain? Picnic table cloth? ) Really that SEA OF PLASTIC IN THE PACIFIC THAT'S THE SIZE OF TEXAS is VERY TELLING... However, SINCE PLASTIC BAGS ARE NECESSARY TO THROW TRASH OUT IN and the bags themselves go to the LANDFILLS we are not sure really how the plastic shopping bag ban will improve the ecological impact ON LAND!
WE JUST THINK THE COST OF THE BAGS WENT TO THE CONSUMER INSTEAD OF THE STORE.
Another phenomena is that BRING YOUR OWN BAGS seems to mean BAG YOUR OWN BAGS! That is also saving stores money they should be paying employees.
Monday, October 6, 2014
YOUR FARMER'S MARKET IS A GREAT PLACE TO GET HEALTHIER PRODUCE and SUPPORT LOCAL FARMERS BUT CAN YOU AFFORD IT?
We previously mentioned that we are often unable to shop at Ralph's or the like - Von's and Albertsons for instance - due to the price increases and, though we support Union workers by purchasing at businesses that have Unions (and livable wages and retirement plans) and we want to buy American made food as well as our first choice, we have found ourselves shopping a local "Dollar" type stores as well.
By being willing to explore a bit further out (we know GAS PRICES) to say about a five mile radius of our neighborhood, shopping in markets owned by and targeted to Americans of Hispanic, Asian, and Armenian origins, some recent immigrants to the United States, we have found a place that has produce that is fresh enough to last a couple weeks in our fridge for not too much more than the "dead the next day" produce from the Dollar type stores.
We still run into our Ralph's to see what's on sale and also what might appear in the back where they have racks of beat up canned goods, day old bakery items, and items that maybe never made it to the shelves in the first place.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
A MONTH LATER THE CARPET STILL SMELLS and WE'RE STILL CAMPING OUT IN THE LIVING ROOM and GOING THROUGH OUR CLOSETS
It's true. New padding has been laid, the carpet has been reattached to the tack strip, but we still think it smells. We're going to get one more carpet cleaning.
In the mean time, slowly, very slowly, we are rewashing all our clothes. The fans that dried the carpet spread a lot of dust.
We went through our closets, trying everything on, and decided to donate a huge box of clothes in good condition to our local hospital. We found out that many of the people who go there HAVE NO CLOTHING TO GO HOME IN! Some of them are homeless. Some had their clothes cut off of them in an emergency situation and just don't have any family or friends near enough to bring them clothes.
And we are not going to ask for a tax deduction either.
In the mean time, slowly, very slowly, we are rewashing all our clothes. The fans that dried the carpet spread a lot of dust.
We went through our closets, trying everything on, and decided to donate a huge box of clothes in good condition to our local hospital. We found out that many of the people who go there HAVE NO CLOTHING TO GO HOME IN! Some of them are homeless. Some had their clothes cut off of them in an emergency situation and just don't have any family or friends near enough to bring them clothes.
And we are not going to ask for a tax deduction either.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
THE NOT SO SMELL GOOD PLUMBER - IT'S NOT MY JOB MAN! AND THE DROUGHT
OUR BATHROOM WAS FLOODED WITH SEWAGE...
Recently we had the experience of getting up way early on a Sunday morning, walking the dog before the sun was up over the horizon, having a cup of coffee, and then going back to bed. At some point while we were sleeping, our plumbing silently went bezerk. We finally convinced ourselves to get up and start the day, maybe walk to the public swimming pool for a swim, when we realized that water was all over the bathroom floor and making it's way into our bedroom, living room, and office.
We threw some towels in but that was not enough. We waded in wearing rubber shoes and realized that there was sewage half the way up the bath tub and that what we were wading was, in fact, sewage water.
Soon one of us made a phone call to the local firehouse to see if maybe they had a wet vac (no go) and another to the plumber around the corner who advised us to shut the water off to the house from the outside to stop the flooding. This worked as soon after the toilet was gurgling and the sewage water in the tub went down, but there was no doubt what had been in it. This plumber only does commercial work, so he couldn't come out.
After contacting a plumber who said he could come out, we waited six hours, and he snaked the piping, saying that our sewage main was stopped up and couldn't hold the pressure of the water. Then the carpet cleaner came and went, leaving us to throw away carpet padding on our own as this one didn't even carry plastic bags with him and to run at full speed 24/7 our one household fan to dry it as he doesn't provide fans.
Then it flooded again. This time the sewage main was snaked all the way out to the street. While the first plumber wondered aloud if we threw anything in there such as nonflushable toweling, which we are sure we didn't, this one said that he just thought it was "a lot of slime." As he was leaving he said, "Sorry about your floor but we have a company policy. If we didn't make the mess we don't clean it up." Of course he had been walking in the crap to snake our system and he walked that all over the living room carpet, the parts that were dry.
We are now, with our one household fan and the air- conditioning noisily running, unable to use our bedroom. The carpet is propped up off the floor in with a couple of bottles of our cleaning fluid that the carpet cleaner appropriated. We wonder when we will be in our own bed again and if we will be breathing contaminants.
We've spent days waiting for workers who did not show up at all or showed up hours late. Our Labor Day weekend was ruined. Two of our days we had to walk to the corner restaurant to use a toilet. We went without a shower for several days, finally resporting to washing our hair and sink bathing in the kitchen.
THE BATHROOM FLOOR REMAINED LITTERED WITH SEWAGE which we had thrown lots of newspaper down on to soak up the water in. It smelled. Our cabinetry is warped, our water and electric bills will be very high, and we're out a couple hundred bucks in bath towels, paper towels, the purchase of cleaning supplies we would not normally buy, and so on.
THE CARPET CLEANERS WERE AWARE IT WAS A SEWAGE PROBLEM but they did not wish to help us with the bathroom. Our furniture is all around in a chaotic crazy-making scene, blocking a view to our television set as the carpet dries. When we come home we open the door and do a sniff test. To us it still smells a little outhouse. Our dog will not even enter the bedroom or the bathroom.
So we called ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. They said they could not come out. And so it went.
WHAT WE ARE PERPLEXED, ok PISSED OFF, about is the IT'S NOT MY JOB, MAN attitude we encountered. NOT MY JOB. Everyone made it clear the bathroom floor was NOT THEIR JOB. No one offered to do it, not even for MORE MONEY!
Certainly ours cannot be the only home that had a sewage emergency in recent times.
So we bought rubber gloves, face masks, used more newspaper, let it soak up and dry, and removed it, then scrubbed with ammonia and scrubbed some more. Sad to admit but it's been a week and we still have newspaper all around the immediate tub area. It's just too much for us to do and try to keep up with our life.
Talking to a friend, she said, YOU NEEDED TO CALL THE SMELL-GOOD PLUMBER. This is a local plumbing syndicate of many years duration that advertises on local radio programs. They say that their plumbers themselves SMELL GOOD. If one of their plumbers shows up with B.O. then you don't have to pay them! Besides using good deodorant and washing their hands, what's implied is that their plumbers WILL NOT LEAVE A MESS FOR YOU TO CLEAN UP!
Another realization we had was that this plumbing problem WAS PROBABLY ABOUT THE DROUGHT. You see, we've been voluntarily cutting down on the number of showers we take to save water for California. Instead of every day, we take showers every other day, and if we go swimming we shower at the pool. We realized that by not having gallons of water going down our drain every day, the pipes are not getting the regular cleaning action of water running through them.
Recently we had the experience of getting up way early on a Sunday morning, walking the dog before the sun was up over the horizon, having a cup of coffee, and then going back to bed. At some point while we were sleeping, our plumbing silently went bezerk. We finally convinced ourselves to get up and start the day, maybe walk to the public swimming pool for a swim, when we realized that water was all over the bathroom floor and making it's way into our bedroom, living room, and office.
We threw some towels in but that was not enough. We waded in wearing rubber shoes and realized that there was sewage half the way up the bath tub and that what we were wading was, in fact, sewage water.
Soon one of us made a phone call to the local firehouse to see if maybe they had a wet vac (no go) and another to the plumber around the corner who advised us to shut the water off to the house from the outside to stop the flooding. This worked as soon after the toilet was gurgling and the sewage water in the tub went down, but there was no doubt what had been in it. This plumber only does commercial work, so he couldn't come out.
After contacting a plumber who said he could come out, we waited six hours, and he snaked the piping, saying that our sewage main was stopped up and couldn't hold the pressure of the water. Then the carpet cleaner came and went, leaving us to throw away carpet padding on our own as this one didn't even carry plastic bags with him and to run at full speed 24/7 our one household fan to dry it as he doesn't provide fans.
Then it flooded again. This time the sewage main was snaked all the way out to the street. While the first plumber wondered aloud if we threw anything in there such as nonflushable toweling, which we are sure we didn't, this one said that he just thought it was "a lot of slime." As he was leaving he said, "Sorry about your floor but we have a company policy. If we didn't make the mess we don't clean it up." Of course he had been walking in the crap to snake our system and he walked that all over the living room carpet, the parts that were dry.
We are now, with our one household fan and the air- conditioning noisily running, unable to use our bedroom. The carpet is propped up off the floor in with a couple of bottles of our cleaning fluid that the carpet cleaner appropriated. We wonder when we will be in our own bed again and if we will be breathing contaminants.
We've spent days waiting for workers who did not show up at all or showed up hours late. Our Labor Day weekend was ruined. Two of our days we had to walk to the corner restaurant to use a toilet. We went without a shower for several days, finally resporting to washing our hair and sink bathing in the kitchen.
THE BATHROOM FLOOR REMAINED LITTERED WITH SEWAGE which we had thrown lots of newspaper down on to soak up the water in. It smelled. Our cabinetry is warped, our water and electric bills will be very high, and we're out a couple hundred bucks in bath towels, paper towels, the purchase of cleaning supplies we would not normally buy, and so on.
THE CARPET CLEANERS WERE AWARE IT WAS A SEWAGE PROBLEM but they did not wish to help us with the bathroom. Our furniture is all around in a chaotic crazy-making scene, blocking a view to our television set as the carpet dries. When we come home we open the door and do a sniff test. To us it still smells a little outhouse. Our dog will not even enter the bedroom or the bathroom.
So we called ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. They said they could not come out. And so it went.
WHAT WE ARE PERPLEXED, ok PISSED OFF, about is the IT'S NOT MY JOB, MAN attitude we encountered. NOT MY JOB. Everyone made it clear the bathroom floor was NOT THEIR JOB. No one offered to do it, not even for MORE MONEY!
Certainly ours cannot be the only home that had a sewage emergency in recent times.
So we bought rubber gloves, face masks, used more newspaper, let it soak up and dry, and removed it, then scrubbed with ammonia and scrubbed some more. Sad to admit but it's been a week and we still have newspaper all around the immediate tub area. It's just too much for us to do and try to keep up with our life.
Talking to a friend, she said, YOU NEEDED TO CALL THE SMELL-GOOD PLUMBER. This is a local plumbing syndicate of many years duration that advertises on local radio programs. They say that their plumbers themselves SMELL GOOD. If one of their plumbers shows up with B.O. then you don't have to pay them! Besides using good deodorant and washing their hands, what's implied is that their plumbers WILL NOT LEAVE A MESS FOR YOU TO CLEAN UP!
Another realization we had was that this plumbing problem WAS PROBABLY ABOUT THE DROUGHT. You see, we've been voluntarily cutting down on the number of showers we take to save water for California. Instead of every day, we take showers every other day, and if we go swimming we shower at the pool. We realized that by not having gallons of water going down our drain every day, the pipes are not getting the regular cleaning action of water running through them.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
LAZY SUMMER or JUST NOT GETTING AROUND TO IT
Seems we're just not getting our lists done around here!
Oh to be LAZY, or is that TIRED, or is that OVERWHELMED? - Too much on the lists?
Well, it's hot. SUMMERTIME.
We've been going through old paperwork to see if there's anything we can throw out and thereby lighten our load. (We recycle paper.)
We've been bathing and grooming our dog by ourselves. (You can use DAWN DISH SOAP - the blue original formula with the chick on it - to FLEA BATH your dog. This is the same detergent used to scrub the oil off wild life that's effected by oil spills so it's safe. If you want to skip the poisons and collars on your dog, it's advisable to bath you dog every two days - no more than 3. A flea is born, it leaves poop for another hatching flea to feed on. There are hundreds of different kinds of fleas. Some jump three feet. You don't want them in your carpet. A flea bite itches. The itching your dog is doing after a flea bath may be the bite itch. Expect to see the fleas dead in the water!)
We've been reading some good books.
We've been testing our new medical insurance out by making appointments with new doctors. (So far we're not happy.)
We've been eating too much.
We've been walking as exercise, even when it's not with the dog.
We've checked out a half dozen stores that we've never been in before looking to see what's MADE IN THE USA!
Oh to be LAZY, or is that TIRED, or is that OVERWHELMED? - Too much on the lists?
Well, it's hot. SUMMERTIME.
We've been going through old paperwork to see if there's anything we can throw out and thereby lighten our load. (We recycle paper.)
We've been bathing and grooming our dog by ourselves. (You can use DAWN DISH SOAP - the blue original formula with the chick on it - to FLEA BATH your dog. This is the same detergent used to scrub the oil off wild life that's effected by oil spills so it's safe. If you want to skip the poisons and collars on your dog, it's advisable to bath you dog every two days - no more than 3. A flea is born, it leaves poop for another hatching flea to feed on. There are hundreds of different kinds of fleas. Some jump three feet. You don't want them in your carpet. A flea bite itches. The itching your dog is doing after a flea bath may be the bite itch. Expect to see the fleas dead in the water!)
We've been reading some good books.
We've been testing our new medical insurance out by making appointments with new doctors. (So far we're not happy.)
We've been eating too much.
We've been walking as exercise, even when it's not with the dog.
We've checked out a half dozen stores that we've never been in before looking to see what's MADE IN THE USA!
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
SUMMER - PROSPERITY - A TIME FOR GIVING THINGS AWAY!
This morning we heard the news that Americans are not saving enough money.
USA TODAY - AMERICANS WITHOUT EMERGENCY SAVINGS
First, no we have not given up on buying as much as possible that's manufactured and sold right here in the United States but we are like most of you in that we have to be careful about what we buy.
One of the reasons we want American products is that they are usually well made to last. We wish we could have back all the money we spent on cheap stuff - especially things made in China - that we have now put in our trash dumps for eternity.
One of the ways that we can SAVE MONEY is to make important purchases in a studied manner, to read up on products and manufacturers, and to buy things that last. We did a lot of that for you when we first started blogging, and now we just hope to inspire you to do the same.
Another way we can SAVE MONEY is by using things we buy. We don't want to buy things we don't really need or don't really use.
Another way to save money is to GIVE THINGS AWAY!
Most people do this when they've had a garage sale and what ever is left over they donate! And they sometimes want a tax deduction. We say, forget the tax deduction and get your credits elsewhere!
We'd like to suggest that this summer, while you have the windows open and are cleaning the house that you start to make piles of things to give away because there is some sort of GOOD KARMA about it.
We're not trying to be hokey here!
Let's give you an example from our own recent experience:
After we got the new refrigerator we were inspired to do a good job of cleaning the kitchen.
We found we had a couple bags of food products still good to eat that we had bought and just had not used or that we didn't think we would by the time they were expired.
We dropped off two bags of the miscellaneous food stuffs to a homeless shelter.
Then we went through our closets. We think that if you haven't lost weight or gained it and so you haven't worn something for a couple years it's time to give it away unless it's something very expensive or very classic like a good coat and then we'd give it a few more years. So we did the same as we did with the food, we gave the clothes away, this time to a local hospital that happens to have a "thrift shop" inside it with a ongoing sale of used items to benefit the hospital.
NOW WE WERE REALLY MOVING THE ENERGY.
We put some items that were just cluttering our place up for sale on Craig's List but this proved to be a horrible experience. We seemed to attract no-shows, goof balls, and worse, a person who was verbally abusive and possibly criminal. WE KNEW WE ARE BETTER THAN THAT, and we didn't need it. (We don't think we'll do Craig's List again!)
Did we really need to make that extra money? We did! We also had in mind some things we would really like to buy. But we decided that this was not much different than when we gave away the food or the clothes we had bought but were not going to use. We decided to put some items out on the curb with a sign "Free Stuff" and to put this stuff out a good 6 days before the garbage pick up and out of the way of the lawn sprinklers.
We are not joking when we tell you that WITHIN AN HOUR OF PUTTING ALL THIS STUFF OUT IT WAS GONE. Now we figured, maybe one person with a car or truck took it ALL rather than share and maybe they are going to sell it on Craig's List, a garage sale, or maybe e-Bay. Maybe not.
Well, we are not joking when we tell you that some of our neighbors began to do the same thing!
Two of then are moving to another state for employment and left what they could not pack into U-Hauls or Containers. Other people put out boxes of books and misc. It was neighborly and it was sharing, even if we don't all know each other.
And guess what! Two of the items that we had on our wish list to buy were out there on the curb for us to take.
OK, is that INSTANT ECONOMIC KARMA or what?!
We are saying that if we had bought these items new we would be out about $400.
And that is $400 we are SAVING!
TRY IT!
USA TODAY - AMERICANS WITHOUT EMERGENCY SAVINGS
First, no we have not given up on buying as much as possible that's manufactured and sold right here in the United States but we are like most of you in that we have to be careful about what we buy.
One of the reasons we want American products is that they are usually well made to last. We wish we could have back all the money we spent on cheap stuff - especially things made in China - that we have now put in our trash dumps for eternity.
One of the ways that we can SAVE MONEY is to make important purchases in a studied manner, to read up on products and manufacturers, and to buy things that last. We did a lot of that for you when we first started blogging, and now we just hope to inspire you to do the same.
Another way we can SAVE MONEY is by using things we buy. We don't want to buy things we don't really need or don't really use.
Another way to save money is to GIVE THINGS AWAY!
Most people do this when they've had a garage sale and what ever is left over they donate! And they sometimes want a tax deduction. We say, forget the tax deduction and get your credits elsewhere!
We'd like to suggest that this summer, while you have the windows open and are cleaning the house that you start to make piles of things to give away because there is some sort of GOOD KARMA about it.
We're not trying to be hokey here!
Let's give you an example from our own recent experience:
After we got the new refrigerator we were inspired to do a good job of cleaning the kitchen.
We found we had a couple bags of food products still good to eat that we had bought and just had not used or that we didn't think we would by the time they were expired.
We dropped off two bags of the miscellaneous food stuffs to a homeless shelter.
Then we went through our closets. We think that if you haven't lost weight or gained it and so you haven't worn something for a couple years it's time to give it away unless it's something very expensive or very classic like a good coat and then we'd give it a few more years. So we did the same as we did with the food, we gave the clothes away, this time to a local hospital that happens to have a "thrift shop" inside it with a ongoing sale of used items to benefit the hospital.
NOW WE WERE REALLY MOVING THE ENERGY.
We put some items that were just cluttering our place up for sale on Craig's List but this proved to be a horrible experience. We seemed to attract no-shows, goof balls, and worse, a person who was verbally abusive and possibly criminal. WE KNEW WE ARE BETTER THAN THAT, and we didn't need it. (We don't think we'll do Craig's List again!)
Did we really need to make that extra money? We did! We also had in mind some things we would really like to buy. But we decided that this was not much different than when we gave away the food or the clothes we had bought but were not going to use. We decided to put some items out on the curb with a sign "Free Stuff" and to put this stuff out a good 6 days before the garbage pick up and out of the way of the lawn sprinklers.
We are not joking when we tell you that WITHIN AN HOUR OF PUTTING ALL THIS STUFF OUT IT WAS GONE. Now we figured, maybe one person with a car or truck took it ALL rather than share and maybe they are going to sell it on Craig's List, a garage sale, or maybe e-Bay. Maybe not.
Well, we are not joking when we tell you that some of our neighbors began to do the same thing!
Two of then are moving to another state for employment and left what they could not pack into U-Hauls or Containers. Other people put out boxes of books and misc. It was neighborly and it was sharing, even if we don't all know each other.
And guess what! Two of the items that we had on our wish list to buy were out there on the curb for us to take.
OK, is that INSTANT ECONOMIC KARMA or what?!
We are saying that if we had bought these items new we would be out about $400.
And that is $400 we are SAVING!
TRY IT!
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
SELF CHECK OUTS LEAD TO SHOP LIFTING!
We are against SELF CHECK OUTS. We posted before about REFUSING to do this at stores like Ralphs. It's not just that we don't get a discount for doing the work ourselves, it's that we think this is a tactic to break the unions.
HEY, WHO DO YOU KNOW THAT CAN PRETTY MUCH MAKE IT TO RETIREMENT WITH THE SAME COMPANY WHO ISN'T UNIONIZED?
Recently we heard that stores that have "do your own check out" (with one of our cashiers giving you a first tutorial) stores are realizing that this is the easiest place in the world to forget to run that juicy steak through the scanner. Some people are paying for SOME or MOST of their groceries and throwing the rest in the bag without the scan!
HEY, WHO DO YOU KNOW THAT CAN PRETTY MUCH MAKE IT TO RETIREMENT WITH THE SAME COMPANY WHO ISN'T UNIONIZED?
Recently we heard that stores that have "do your own check out" (with one of our cashiers giving you a first tutorial) stores are realizing that this is the easiest place in the world to forget to run that juicy steak through the scanner. Some people are paying for SOME or MOST of their groceries and throwing the rest in the bag without the scan!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
BRING YOUR OWN BAGS MEANS PACK YOUR OWN PURCHASES! (AND DOESN'T STOP THE LITTER BUGS!)
We live in a place where merchants may no longer give you plastic bags with your purchase. WE THINK THIS BAN IS STUPID.
We don't like litter or pollution. HOWEVER, we think the same "litter-bugs" who don't recycle and who throw their bags around are also throwing around bottles, can's, fast food refuse, and much else.
Our city provides recycling opportunities. We also pay a lot for a BLUE BIN - trash pick up. However, we also have to take a broom down the street to sweep broken glass and pick up other people's refuse.
SO DON'T GET US WRONG. We really don't like litter or pollution.
WE KNOW THAT MOST OF THOSE PLASTIC BAGS were properly thrown a way. Many were reused. We did! AS DOG POOPIE BAGS.
Did we say the stores are no longer allowed to GIVE you plastic bags? YES, but they can still SELL THE BAGS TO YOU, that or substitute bags.
So really, is 10 to 15 cents a bag forcing people to BRING THEIR OWN CANVAS OR CLOTH BAGS? NO!
Now that we have brought our own bags WE NOTICE CLERKS ARE ALLOWING US TO PACK OUT OWN BAGS TOO!
We don't like litter or pollution. HOWEVER, we think the same "litter-bugs" who don't recycle and who throw their bags around are also throwing around bottles, can's, fast food refuse, and much else.
Our city provides recycling opportunities. We also pay a lot for a BLUE BIN - trash pick up. However, we also have to take a broom down the street to sweep broken glass and pick up other people's refuse.
SO DON'T GET US WRONG. We really don't like litter or pollution.
WE KNOW THAT MOST OF THOSE PLASTIC BAGS were properly thrown a way. Many were reused. We did! AS DOG POOPIE BAGS.
Did we say the stores are no longer allowed to GIVE you plastic bags? YES, but they can still SELL THE BAGS TO YOU, that or substitute bags.
So really, is 10 to 15 cents a bag forcing people to BRING THEIR OWN CANVAS OR CLOTH BAGS? NO!
Now that we have brought our own bags WE NOTICE CLERKS ARE ALLOWING US TO PACK OUT OWN BAGS TOO!
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
GENERAL ELECTRIC REFRIGERATOR - OUR FIRST BIG MADE IN THE USA PURCHASE THIS YEAR
It was time. The 20 Cubic Side by Side had enough freezer space to put half a cow but since we've been budgeting we rarely buy more than a week's worth of food at a time, though we do have a supply of about one week of drinking water and canned goods too. Our fridge was not an ENERGY SAVER and it had begun to groan and shake when it turned on. Also, when we entered the house we could smell something like air conditioning on in the winter. So, we decided to get a new, smaller, fridge.
We got a 18 Cubic Freezer on Top by GENERAL ELECTRIC. The refrigerator is MADE IN THE USA, cost about $600, has a two year warranty, and is an ENERGY SAVER.
The information on cost of running it was from 2007 - for 2014 we figure about $10 a month - maybe $15. That means our electric bill will be cut and that money will go towards the payment of the fridge. Our old fridge was hauled away in the process.
IT WAS NICE TO FIND A THANK YOU IN THE PAPERWORK that said
your GE Purchase supports the proud workforce in Decatur Alabama, in the package.
GENERAL ELECTRIC OFFICIAL SITE
As always ASK "Is it made in the United States!"
We got a 18 Cubic Freezer on Top by GENERAL ELECTRIC. The refrigerator is MADE IN THE USA, cost about $600, has a two year warranty, and is an ENERGY SAVER.
The information on cost of running it was from 2007 - for 2014 we figure about $10 a month - maybe $15. That means our electric bill will be cut and that money will go towards the payment of the fridge. Our old fridge was hauled away in the process.
IT WAS NICE TO FIND A THANK YOU IN THE PAPERWORK that said
your GE Purchase supports the proud workforce in Decatur Alabama, in the package.
GENERAL ELECTRIC OFFICIAL SITE
As always ASK "Is it made in the United States!"
Monday, February 3, 2014
WE'RE BACK! 2014 AND FRIENDS ARE UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED
No - We haven't forgotten about YOU!
We haven't forgotten about STIMULATING THE ECONOMY OF THE UNITED STATES BY PRESERVING JOBS AND BUYING MADE IN THE USA!
We're back but we found the holidays challenging.
First the news that a friend of ours who was let go from a job where he had increased sales X5 was reaching the end of his unemployment.
Then the news that another friend of ours who had lost his business in 2007 and moved to Texas was back and looking for work, while living in an RV.
Both of these men are college educated and have worked for many years and are probably hitting into age discrimination. They have both taken jobs well beneath their education and experience in the past. And now? Will they join the homeless?
Our worries about the economy include concerns about the cost of living, in particular the cost of food, because of a long drought that may mean that some Californians will depend on water trucked in for drinking!
How can we SPEND when we too must BUDGET?
We're saying that if you have a dollar to spend, try to find that item, even if it's the DOLLAR STORE, that is MADE IN THE USA!
OTHERWISE, start learning CHINESE!
We haven't forgotten about STIMULATING THE ECONOMY OF THE UNITED STATES BY PRESERVING JOBS AND BUYING MADE IN THE USA!
We're back but we found the holidays challenging.
First the news that a friend of ours who was let go from a job where he had increased sales X5 was reaching the end of his unemployment.
Then the news that another friend of ours who had lost his business in 2007 and moved to Texas was back and looking for work, while living in an RV.
Both of these men are college educated and have worked for many years and are probably hitting into age discrimination. They have both taken jobs well beneath their education and experience in the past. And now? Will they join the homeless?
Our worries about the economy include concerns about the cost of living, in particular the cost of food, because of a long drought that may mean that some Californians will depend on water trucked in for drinking!
How can we SPEND when we too must BUDGET?
We're saying that if you have a dollar to spend, try to find that item, even if it's the DOLLAR STORE, that is MADE IN THE USA!
OTHERWISE, start learning CHINESE!
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