PRICES FROM THE PAST, TODAY!

When it comes to groceries… my husband and I disagree on where to shop for them. Our choices are limited. We have four places available to us. I tend to shop at a place called Meijers. My husband prefers Walmart. Until recently I didn’t understand his obsession for the huge box store. Now I do. I shop at Meijers because I like the atmosphere and the ethnic food readily available... not to mention their other products. With my husband it’s strictly about money. We use 2% milk, and at the store I favor… it costs approximately $2 for a half a gallon. At Walmart my husband pays a mere fifty-seven cents for that milk. A dozen jumbo eggs at Walmart costs only forty cents. At Meijers… again, it’s closer to $2. A bag of ready made salad costs $1.42 at Walmart, but at Meijers costs approximately $3. As much as I love the store I frequent, who can argue with prices reminiscent of a bygone era offered by Walmart.  They certainly have my attention now that we’re exclusively on Social Security. But I’m eyeing Aldi’s too. Atmosphere and availability are no longer my only criteria. COST is priority number one.  

SHOP TIL YOU DROP

These days... whenever possible... I shop online, sitting in my comfortable desk chair... in front of my computer. Delivery is often FREE of charge and delivery times are faster than fast these days... which  helps me avoid the traffic out and about. With that being said, the question is, will I participate in the local area Black Friday sales or not. The answer is probably not. This year for Christmas we’re eliminating the fuss and getting everybody gift cards. This way they can get what they want without me second guessing. No disappointment for them. And no hassles for me. And I’ll fill in the incidentals online, with a few item exceptions out in the physical store. I am an armchair shopper to my core. How about you?  Are you doing Black Friday? Or waiting for Cyber Monday? 

LUCK BE A LADY TONIGHT

What were the odds? I’m not much of a gambler. But last year our LUCK was much better. Neither my hubby or I  expected he’d still be employed at 78. But he was... until they canned him, a month ago... from a part-time job... he had held for the past four and a half years. We never should have taken it for granted, but we did. Living on Social Security alone doesn’t afford him and I too many luxuries from this point on.. but I make it a point to buy a lottery ticket every now and then, just in case the universe deems it my lucky day. Usually I buy the paper tickets to play for a chance to win the Power Ball jackpot. But I seldom if ever win so much as a dollar, despite putting out $10. Not a good investment I know. About a year ago something pretty remarkable happened in my world, though. Something that will keep me spending a little bit on the lottery. Back then I bought a scratch off lottery ticket instead of the other kind. And amazingly I won $750. Lightning doesn’t strike twice, does it? It was quite a surprise. Collecting my prize wasn’t as straight forward as I was originally led to believe. I had to drive an hour away, to a bank designated by the state and fill out all kinds of paperwork, as though I had won a much BIGGER jackpot. Not to slight the win but I also did have to pay taxes, plus processing fees out of my winnings.. All in all it was still a nice chunk of change and I was thrilled to have won. We probably should have saved the money for a rainy day. We could use it now.  But instead it went to buy a couple of smart tv’s. One for the living room and one for the family room. So we’ve enjoyed a years worth of entertainment courtesy of the lottery. Have you ever won a prize?  What would you do with your winnings? 

TEN HOURS OF AUTUMN COLORS

Both of my parents are in failing health. Particularly my father who had a stroke and can hardly walk. And my mom is suffering from sciatica and a bad back. (And so are my husband and I. All part of aging, I presume.) But we decided a visit was in order despite the distance and the pain. So we vowed to hobble along, to be together. And we took a ten hour ride through the mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia to visit home.  The trip was a labor of love. Fall foliage was in full swing. And the colors were magnificent. Seeing them is enough to lift anybody’s spirits. So we were invigorated by the time we got there. I always like going through the tunnel in the mountains too. The tough part is always leaving and saying goodbye again. I wish we lived closer, but unfortunately we don’t. Do you have someone you love, that lives at a distance? And does it break your heart, too.... that you can't visit them as much as you'd like?