Three grocery stores (oy vey), food coming out of my ears....will do one, then go to the amazing brand new 8th Starbucks in my town, do that report, 2nd grocery in same mall, do that, come home, do report, have lunch, probably a deli turkey sandwich and coleslaw I bought and a yogurt protein shake. Staying home to pack stuff for pickup. TMI.......another week hits the dust.

I'm doing gas station shops, so I need a safety vest. I planned on picking one up on a hardware shop, but they were overpriced. The inexpensive ones at the neighborhood big box was only available online. I looked at eBay and found one for $2.99 with free shipping.

Work. Nap. Errands. Nap. Work.
(yawn)

I did FOUR gas stations today! Three were focused on on the convenience stores and one was an audit of a small station. My gas tank is full, and I have food (gas station food) for the next few days.

I stopped by Panda Express to pick up dinner. The one day I was not shopping them, they were awful. I ended up going to a Chinese take away near home. I got Black Pepper Chicken with less rice and more vegetables.

Reorganizing the next 10 days to avoid traveling during the impending snow and ice storm! Have to shift tonight's hotel reservation, without penalty, so that I am not trapped there tomorrow! That is tricky but can be done; just not online. Several schedulers will NOT be happy, but 4-6 inches of snow, plus ice, will shut the DC metro area DOWN. This is a southern city when it comes to snow and ice.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2019 05:35PM by walesmaven.

Time to defrost our 29 year old upright freezer! (5 ft tall and about 12 cu ft). I usually defrost it once every 10 months or so. It's not a self-defrost, so that means unplugging it, putting all the stuff in the freezer into 2 large coolers, then putting a large plastic bag under the freezer with towels on top of the bag (to protect floor). Layer bottom shelf of freezer with towel to collect thawing water. Then I heat up 4 pans of water on the stove to boiling and then placing them on the freezer shelves. Close door and wait about 40 minutes. Then by this time, ice has become soft enough to either bang off with the butt end of a screwdriver, or chop off with a spatula. OR....turn on the blow dryer and melt it away. The whole thing takes about 2 hours, and uses up about 4 towels. Then I replace everything, plug it back in, close the door, and FORGET about doing THAT again for another 10 months!! PHEW!! Why do I put myself through that?? Well, it's a great freezer and works great!! Why get rid of it, right?? That's what I think....UNTIL the time comes to defrost it again, haha!! You know the good ol' standby definition of insanity, right?!?!?!?! Oh well!!!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2019 05:22PM by guysmom.

Bought a new vacuum (Shark), so giving old one away along with many other older not used stuff, clothes included, too small for me....boohoo.

Work. Errands. Read a few posts on the forum. Finish a book. LOL with guysmom's plight. We had a diy defrosting freezer. Bwahaha! Mom had a blow dryer on its own stand and all the trimmings. Eventually, mom and dad bought the other type of appliance. That was a good thing.

We have a snow day today. My day will consist of reconciling my shopping spreadsheet and some household chores.

Sears and JCP are going out of business in one way, shape or form, so I will be looking at some appliances.

I understand your pain! Before I bought a new deep freeze a couple of years ago, I went through the same process myself.

@guysmom wrote:

Time to defrost our 29 year old upright freezer! (5 ft tall and about 12 cu ft). I usually defrost it once every 10 months or so. It's not a self-defrost, so that means unplugging it, putting all the stuff in the freezer into 2 large coolers, then putting a large plastic bag under the freezer with towels on top of the bag (to protect floor). Layer bottom shelf of freezer with towel to collect thawing water. Then I heat up 4 pans of water on the stove to boiling and then placing them on the freezer shelves. Close door and wait about 40 minutes. Then by this time, ice has become soft enough to either bang off with the butt end of a screwdriver, or chop off with a spatula. OR....turn on the blow dryer and melt it away. The whole thing takes about 2 hours, and uses up about 4 towels. Then I replace everything, plug it back in, close the door, and FORGET about doing THAT again for another 10 months!! PHEW!! Why do I put myself through that?? Well, it's a great freezer and works great!! Why get rid of it, right?? That's what I think....UNTIL the time comes to defrost it again, haha!! You know the good ol' standby definition of insanity, right?!?!?!?! Oh well!!!

I have the same crap, and am currently shopping for a self defrosting (or whatever that is called) replacement. I am tired of banging ice. Mine is about 20 years old.

Snow Day ! Taxes, laundry, baking cranberry nut bread, nap.

As Walesmaven stated, Snow Day ! But there is a FF shop that is heavily bonused but requires driving out. Thinking about it.

Honny,
By far the best local appliance bargains are to be had at the Sear Outlet store in Wheaton. Many of those appliances have only cosmetic issues that will not be visible at all, depending on how/where they are installed. Others are perfect, but the buyer did not like the looks when they arrived, or similar stuff. Also, if you open a Sears Credit card there when you buy you will get an extra discount (10% more if I recall) AND up to 18 months of interest free time to pay off the appliance. Just do not add anything later to that account while paying off the appliance!!! (Read the fine print!) ALSO if PEPCO is your energy supplier, they will come and collect the old energy guzzling appliance for free AND give you a credit on your bill if you can show that you replaced it with a more efficient model. (See PEPCO for qualifying appliances).

You can check the Outlet store inventory on line. And, if what you really want is at another one you may also save even if you pay the have that delivered. There are 2 or more other outlets within maybe 75 miles ?

And, remember, Kenmore appliances are often clones of much higher priced brands. You can actually see, online, that their user manuals are identical. I save $700, even at outlet prices for each brand, by getting the Kenmore Clone for the very, very highest rated washer/dryer combo last year.

Work. Contemplating the meaning of adding bonused shops. $. Good thing. Frazzled. Bad thing. Postpone house projects. Huzzah!!!!!. But $. But postpone. But $....

I should decide soon.

*eta*
I should have decided immediately. The local shop is gone. I will wait and see about the shops in the nearest city.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/2019 04:07PM by Shop-et-al.

Dr's. appointment this morning, have Carpol Tunnel in left hand and it's killing me...will see if surgery is an option.
Best Buy to spend my rewards cash (not a job), Trader Joe's next door, will take a look, and expecting heavy rainstorm, so rest of day will be planned depending on weather. Many things to do at home....

wales, thank you! I forgot about the Sears Scratch and Dent! There's one in Delaware, and the prices were amazing.

I found out about the Pepco guzzler discount on my Bray and Scraff shop last week. The rep told me that Kenmore and Maytag are American made, so if repairs are needed, it's a local issue. Not so with Samsung and LG.

I'm going to look at their website now.

Thank you!!!!

@walesmaven wrote:

Honny,
By far the best local appliance bargains are to be had at the Sear Outlet store in Wheaton. Many of those appliances have only cosmetic issues that will not be visible at all, depending on how/where they are installed. Others are perfect, but the buyer did not like the looks when they arrived, or similar stuff. Also, if you open a Sears Credit card there when you buy you will get an extra discount (10% more if I recall) AND up to 18 months of interest free time to pay off the appliance. Just do not add anything later to that account while paying off the appliance!!! (Read the fine print!) ALSO if PEPCO is your energy supplier, they will come and collect the old energy guzzling appliance for free AND give you a credit on your bill if you can show that you replaced it with a more efficient model. (See PEPCO for qualifying appliances).

You can check the Outlet store inventory on line. And, if what you really want is at another one you may also save even if you pay the have that delivered. There are 2 or more other outlets within maybe 75 miles ?

And, remember, Kenmore appliances are often clones of much higher priced brands. You can actually see, online, that their user manuals are identical. I save $700, even at outlet prices for each brand, by getting the Kenmore Clone for the very, very highest rated washer/dryer combo last year.

I love Whirlpool items, nicely priced and last forever.

Just had my delivery from Costco. Kitchen is now officially done. Love the new Stainless steel appliances.

Happy Thursday! For some reason, I love Thursday, or Thursday loves me, or something. This one started well enough. The early am job actually began at the appropriately early hour. Then, I finished a young adult book which I would recommend to any person who is at least the mindset of sixth grade. I felt like the book presented what I should now know about middle school & high school thoughts, emotions, terrors, traumas, and joys. This little play time on the forum is like a little sorbet between book courses. When the intense book has been completely processed, I can return to the biography and the serious consideration of the psychology of superstition. (I am not superstitious. After reading that book, I might be able to explain why this is so. But don't worry-- I will not bog you down with those details.)

Today finds me emotionally lifted, as my Dr.'s appointment finds me without Carpol Tunnel or needing surgery, which I had decided I had. Turns out to be severe Arthritis and a shot helped, so off to get a wrist brace, spend my rewards $ at Best Buy, pick up a B-day card at Trader Joe's, great cards for .99 for my daughters upcoming b-day, and treat myself to my favorite chicken wrap (at my expense), not a chain as shoppers know it, which is why it is so good...did their other place as a shop and can't stop thinking about the food. Home to get stuff together for the Veteran's truck to pick up next week...busy day includes playing on the forum and computer.. .no real shopping, restaurant tomorrow night, another no brainer and 3 miles from home.

Had a few phone shops. The fine dining phone shop is usually a long conversation with the event manager but this one ended in just under 2 minutes. ComEd assessed the whole house to see what changes could be made to save on the bill. He gave us a new thermostat and a new strip for the TV so that it disconnects when it's off.

Other than that, folded laundry, made a chickpea salad and playing jigsaw puzzles online. I will admit that I am addicted to those. DD comes home at about 4. Planning on doing some art and reading with her as usual.

Eye Dr. today for my yearly testing to see if my Glaucoma is stable and it is......took 3 hours to get out of there, and we talked about a future surgery if this doesn't continue to remain stable. Did errands then home to finish cooking and getting more stuff to give away to the truck coming in on the 8th. Tomorrow night a casual dinner, with a "friend", looking forward. Cancelled my 3 of my four Jack in the Box as I got sick on my first one.....health more important than money at this point (if you call 4.00 money).

Retired massage therapist here:

See if you can get a prescription for massage therapy. If you can't, look into going to a massage therapy school and getting massage from a student who is getting ready to graduate. Often that will only cost $25 or so. Also, try to figure out what repetitive motion you are doing that is causing strain on your left wrist, are you leaning on it, sleeping on it, what?

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

Dr's. appointment this morning, have Carpol Tunnel in left hand and it's killing me...will see if surgery is an option.
Best Buy to spend my rewards cash (not a job), Trader Joe's next door, will take a look, and expecting heavy rainstorm, so rest of day will be planned depending on weather. Many things to do at home....

Posted before without seeing this one.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

Today finds me emotionally lifted, as my Dr.'s appointment finds me without Carpol Tunnel or needing surgery, which I had decided I had. Turns out to be severe Arthritis and a shot helped, so off to get a wrist brace, spend my rewards $ at Best Buy, pick up a B-day card at Trader Joe's, great cards for .99 for my daughters upcoming b-day, and treat myself to my favorite chicken wrap (at my expense), not a chain as shoppers know it, which is why it is so good...did their other place as a shop and can't stop thinking about the food. Home to get stuff together for the Veteran's truck to pick up next week...busy day includes playing on the forum and computer.. .no real shopping, restaurant tomorrow night, another no brainer and 3 miles from home.

What is up with the wrists, lately? Mil does need a wrist surgery; fortunately, Irene does not need it. Good for you, Irene.

Happy about it, but have heavy duty Arthritis in hands and on computer way too much....when I get a manicure it hurts, so don't know about massage, athough would love one on my back. Wearing a brace and giving MSing a rest, except for a couple weekly dinners...have to admit, aging is a challenge, the alternative is worse. I had a super healthy life, guess I wore myself out.

Tomorrow I'm picking up a dog crate I found on Freecycle. When I find my doggie, he will have a ready made home.

Fun about the dog.

Tomorrow is 'recycling and look for clothes in "my" brand at "my" store' day. Thus, today is 'gather up all the stuff that can go away now' day. Yawn.

Made a chickpea salad for a pot luck I'm going to tonight. Used a new-to-me recipe, tasted it when it was done, and found out there's WAY too much garlic! I hope the taste will meld with the other ingredients and mellow by dinner time.