Fashion

[KonaKat]

Good morning, shopping friends. I've been doing financial work while listening to Susan Graver. I just peeked at one item which I might have purchased since it was on clearance but I didn't need it but did like it. Yes, it was a savings but it still represented an expenditure so I saved even more by not buying.

It is a beautiful sunny day here but rumor is that we will be getting rain later. Time will tell. It would be a good day to do some outside work but I really don't feel like it. I lost my lawn person and have one tentatively booked. I won't know the cost until he does the lawn for the first time and sees how much is involved. I know a friend said he charges her $50 for each mowing. If mowed every 10 days max, that will be around $150 a month until mid-October.

I have no desire to purchase anything other than food or household needs or car at this point in time. I did find my 10 items to leave the house this morning, so there is some progress on that front.

Have a great day. If you shop, shop wisely.

[twinny70]

Jean, I got up early this morning and made my granola cereal.  Then I remembered that I said that I would make pancakes and for breakfast.    I missed all of SG, because I forgot about her show until it was 10:00 a.m.  I have broccoli and rice casserole in the oven for lunch. Yesterday we had rain, sleet and a windshield full of snow when we came out of our polka band. It was so windy all night that our recycling bin blew over during the night.   I got my DH up at 6:00 a.m. to move it to the other side of our house.  It's a good thing that we live on a corner.  Good job with getting 10 things out of the house.

Yesterday while we were out my dh's nurse called, so he had to call her back this morning. The Holter Monitor test results are fine.  Whew.  Next Thursday is his stress test which is in town.  I have faith that he will do well because he walks 5 days a week and is physically fit.  

it's been a weird weather week.  On Monday it was hot on my walk so I put shorts on when I got back home.  Tuesday was Capri day and yesterday felt like winter.  It's supposed to be 50° today and tomorrow.  Then sunny and 50° on Saturday.

It's been a fun week for Andrew.  He was initiated into the NHS on Monday night and has his first Prom on Saturday night.  I am anxious to get a picture of him and his gf.  My dd is sending a pic or two to Walgreen's.

Our dd ordered my dh a  case that holds two insulin pens from Amazon on Tuesday and it came yesterday.  My bil faxed an order for my eye drops on Monday and they came packed in dry ice yesterday.  Those are our only purchases this week except for a few things from the grocery store.

We have a 30% off coupon from Kohl's so we could be doing some shopping next week.

We hope to enjoy the hot tub after lunch.  Yesterday was too yucky.

Hugs to all of you.

[Bird mama]

Hello Jean @KonaKat 

I awoke to snow clinging to the trees, roof and grass.  That's Michigan for ya.  My neighbor next door has had a lawn service coming to her house for as long as I can remember.  I don't know what they charge for the season.  I know they put something smelly on the grass in the spring, probably weed killer.  This is why all the wildlife visits my yard, lol.  They cut once a week, rain or shine.

I asked her one time if she thought about having a snow crew come in the winter and she said that would be too risky $$ wise since snow is not guaranteed.  

$50 per cutting is kind of pricey to me, then again I guess it depends if the person is walking behind a mower or riding one.  (Sweat equity).

[Genny1]

Hello Ladies...not a nice day here....all we need is your snow Bernie but it's  about 44  degrees out,  my DH  has a fire  going in the wood stove...   Why would your neighbor be charged for snow plowing if there isn't any....seems kinda weird to me.  WE have the same guys who do our lawn in summer plow,our snow and shovel the pathways...if no snow no,charge......they charge 60$ a week to mow...and plow in winter, there 2 are of them,one on a riding mower,we have about 2 acres +.  They come once a week....they do a spring clean up and fall which they charge more as they are probably here all day long doing that.  THat seems to be the going rate around here.

Congrats to your GS Twinny.....how exciting for him to,be going to his prom....I hope he has a great time.

My DH had a good cardio check up the other day..he has go get an echo cardio next week at his drs office...he hasn't had one in a few years....but other than that everything is fine.

Jean I hope you are starting to adjust to the time change ,that always got to me too.

Have a nice day everyone.....Marijane

[Bird mama]

Marijane @Genny1   It's a racket, lol.  I guess she signs a contract for the season and pays the 'season' fee.  If it doesn't snow alot, you lost money.  If it snows like no tomorrow, you made a good investment.

[twinny70]

Bird Mama, $50 seems pricey to me too.  My mom had a large lot and the neighbor charged her $30 each time he mowed.  Same price for her large driveway and sidewalk. We have a smaller yard which was the plan when we bought our lot.  My DH has a guy mow when we are on vacation and he charges $25 each time he mowes.  We have a rider and a push mower.  We do our driveway and we don't have any sidewalk.

Marijane, I am hoping that your DH has good test results.  Our eldest dgs has no desire to go to Prom & he has lots of friends.  He is excited about going to college in the fall and he has a good roommate.  It's a boy that was a good friend when  they were in grade school.  He had to move 2 hours away when his dad had to make a job move   The younger dgs is totally different.  He has a lot of friends too, but he gets bored and needs to do a lot of things.  He works Friday -Sunday at a fitness center climbing wall place.  

We were going to have a broccoli rice casserole for lunch, but after turning the oven on, I forgot to put it in the oven.  It will be lunch tomorrow.  We had blt's for lunch instead.

Supper is beef stew & It is in the oven.

[LindaLatte]

Good Afternoon and thanks for getting us started, Jean.  Good job with the decluttering and the "needs only" shopping.  I can't imagine being able to find 10 things a day to donate or trash.  In fact, I usually don't find that many things per week.  But, I am trying to declutter.  One thing that I know is a good idea -- it is easier for me when I just don't buy things.  That way, there is no need to get rid of something else or have clutter.

While my hospice patient's house is not dangerously cluttered or a horder house, I have never seen so many decorations in a house.  Every wall has tons of pltes, pictures, etc.  And She has many curio cabinets, etc.  Huge variety of angels.  Sort of makes me feel better about my clutter when I get home.  (Sorry if that isn't a nice way to talk, but.....).

Having a yard full of stones has its advantages.  I can usually get away with just having the landscaper come twice a year or so to do the trimming and some weeding.  He charges about $250 - $300 a time, so that works out to be about $50 a month.  While I could try to do the trimming myself, it is really quite a job, and I get all scratched up, full of cactus pieces, etc.  Hope you can have your yard work done for a reasonable price.

Congratulations to your GS, twinny.  Glad your DH got some good test results, and I hope he does so again from the next test.  Your weather has certainly been different.  It is cooler than usual here, but still pretty nice (highs in the low 70's).  We may have some rain and cooler temperatures tomorrow.

Hi Bernie -- I don't envy that snow you had, but I guess it wasn't an issue for you.   I had a smallish yard in Maryland -- usually, I mowed it myself, but I had some guys do it when I was going back and forth between Maryland and Arizona and could not do so.  It seems to me that the price wasn't all that bad, but the yard was not large. 

I think you get a pretty good deal, Marijane -- given the size of your yard.  Like you,  I can't imagine paying for snow removal unless snow fell, but......

Again I am frustrated since I was not able to make a reservation for an extra day at the hotel I'm staying for my DC Road Scholar trip.  After waiting on line for ages, the reservation person told me that their computers are down.  This is the third try for me, but I guess I will try again tomorrow.  It is a month away, but I am trying to get a special rate and don't want to try at the last minute.

DD's new door (going from the house to the deck) is going in today, and so far so good.  Very nice man doing the work.  Next, she needs to replace the front door.  

I'm back from the gym, and I'll be going to the UPS store (returning an Amazon order) after lunch.  My plan is to go to the garden club garden after dropping off the package.

Nothing else to note here.  Hope everyone has a nice evening.

Hugs,

Linda

[Bird mama]

All I can say is, I am fortunate that I have a nice sized front yard and back yard with a self propelled mower with the bag attachment thing.  

As far as the snow, I can't say enough about the polycarbonate snow joe ergonomic shovel that I bought last fall.  We'd had some considerable snow falls and I never had to fire up the snowblower once.

As long as I can still do that kind of thing (mowing and snow clearing) I will do it myself.  At some point if my body is no longer able then I will have to hire somebody and will worry about that when the time comes.

I remember the days when kids used to cruise the neighborhoods trying to make money snow shoveling.  This was in the city, when I moved to the 'burbs I think the kids were 'too good' for that kind of thing.  Or, it's all the technology and video games and things that keep them in the house.

[Bird mama]

Let me add, I donated the wine oryany bag to St Vincent DePaul this afternoon.  I did it at the donation bin behind the Catholic credit union not far from my house.  They check and empty the bin often so it's not like donations linger in the huge metal bin and get funky.  I hope they can sell the bag or maybe a lady re-rentering the work force would like to have a nice handbag to carry.  

I also sold a ceramic planter.