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!
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
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!
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Sunday, December 8, 2013
SKIP THE FAKE TREE AND BUY A SMALL PLANTABLE LIVE TREE INSTEAD
What to do about a Christmas tree when you want to BUY AMERICAN? Buy a LIVING PALATABLE TREE!
Really, all the fake plastic trees are a landfill nightmare and a biodegradability nightmare and a rarely made in the USA. A live cut tree that was grown to be harvested is next best. That tree should not go to a bonfire. It should go to a city or other pick up that grinds the tree up and turns it into mulch.
WE NEED TO BE CONCERNED FOR THE EARTH'S ENVIRONMENT!
Here is the HOW TO PLANT from Better Homes and Gardens!
CHRISTMAS TREE PLANTING - BHG
"The key to success is timing. Purchase the tree as close to Christmas as possible, and keep in indoors for as brief a time as you can. It is also important to prepare a planting spot outdoors before the ground freezes so hard you can't dig."
Now, we grew up with the tradition of buying and planting live and didn't have a problem at all. We actually didn't dig a hole or worry about how long the tree was on the back porch. The tree roots should have dirt around them and be bound in burlap. Then it was left outside on the cold porch in a cardboard box, not where the snow drifts could get it. Soon as the ground unfroze we planted.
And every tree we planted took root and grew much bigger!
A better fate than old Charlie Brown' tree wouldn't you say?
Really, all the fake plastic trees are a landfill nightmare and a biodegradability nightmare and a rarely made in the USA. A live cut tree that was grown to be harvested is next best. That tree should not go to a bonfire. It should go to a city or other pick up that grinds the tree up and turns it into mulch.
WE NEED TO BE CONCERNED FOR THE EARTH'S ENVIRONMENT!
Here is the HOW TO PLANT from Better Homes and Gardens!
CHRISTMAS TREE PLANTING - BHG
"The key to success is timing. Purchase the tree as close to Christmas as possible, and keep in indoors for as brief a time as you can. It is also important to prepare a planting spot outdoors before the ground freezes so hard you can't dig."
Now, we grew up with the tradition of buying and planting live and didn't have a problem at all. We actually didn't dig a hole or worry about how long the tree was on the back porch. The tree roots should have dirt around them and be bound in burlap. Then it was left outside on the cold porch in a cardboard box, not where the snow drifts could get it. Soon as the ground unfroze we planted.
And every tree we planted took root and grew much bigger!
A better fate than old Charlie Brown' tree wouldn't you say?
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
OBAMA CARE - IN THE WORKS - DON'T PANIC YET!
We've started researching our choices for the new Obama Care Medical Plan. We got through a toll free number and were referred elsewhere and there are glitches on the computer systems, so we got off to a false start.
We know that people are feeling really challenged with this.
Some say only the uninsured are happy about Obamacare.
A friend of ours who is familiar with the Canadian system, what he calls socialism in medicine, and he said, if it turns out to be that bad people will regret it. He sites long waits for surgeries in particular.
We can't panic yet.
Panic only leads to iffy decisions.
You don't have to sign up for another four or five months...
We know that people are feeling really challenged with this.
Some say only the uninsured are happy about Obamacare.
A friend of ours who is familiar with the Canadian system, what he calls socialism in medicine, and he said, if it turns out to be that bad people will regret it. He sites long waits for surgeries in particular.
We can't panic yet.
Panic only leads to iffy decisions.
You don't have to sign up for another four or five months...
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
TRADER JOES CLOTH CARRY BAGS MADE IN THE USA
Lowell Massachusetts has historically been the scene of the textile industry in the United States. For less than $5.00 we bought a cloth Trader Joes bag, well designed in beiges and power blues and browns, with a proud MADE IN THE USA label, noting Lowell. WE WERE SO HAPPY TO SEE THIS.
In the past we have bought at least a dozen bags for about a dollar a piece to carry our groceries out of stores. Almost all of them were made in China. Of all the bags we bough that were not cloth, the Trader Joe's bags are the ones that lasted.
We don't see the end of plastic bags, just the end of free plastic bags. We still need them for picking up doggie do do, and many other things.
We do our best to recycle and reuse things, to pick up our garbage and take it home with us when we go to the beach or visit the mountains, because we don't want to contribute to the Sea of Plastic, or allow our streets to be filled with litter.
In the past we have bought at least a dozen bags for about a dollar a piece to carry our groceries out of stores. Almost all of them were made in China. Of all the bags we bough that were not cloth, the Trader Joe's bags are the ones that lasted.
We don't see the end of plastic bags, just the end of free plastic bags. We still need them for picking up doggie do do, and many other things.
We do our best to recycle and reuse things, to pick up our garbage and take it home with us when we go to the beach or visit the mountains, because we don't want to contribute to the Sea of Plastic, or allow our streets to be filled with litter.
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