val2525
Chaos Manager
Posts: 30,791
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Post by val2525 on Jan 5, 2023 21:35:54 GMT
I agree, Stay. I've stopped buying at Sprouts because most of the time, the few items I did buy from there were either out of stock, or within a day of expiring (i.e, dairy stuff). Whole Foods has REALLY gone downhill. The selection gets smaller and smaller. Sunny and low to mid 70s for most of the next week. A few days in the mid 60's (normal temps). Guess I'll take the Christmas decorations down on the patio this weekend and hang the wind chimes. Might as well put the warmer weather to good use. The bees and wasps are already out. I may be getting the handyman out to help me with the patio screen sooner than I planned.
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Post by labbypaws on Jan 5, 2023 21:38:13 GMT
Yep. I would be willing to pay more for the same quality foods.
Just like toilet paper. I do not want a smaller roll for the same price. Increase the price and keep the size the same.
I do not want to get smaller portions at a restaurant. I am going out for dinner. I want to eat. A friend of mine went to Legal Seafood and said the meals were really cut back.
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Post by chapeaunoir on Jan 6, 2023 7:36:05 GMT
US portions are HUGE, though, and a lot of food gets wasted. I almost always end up bringing almost half the stuff home and I have a pretty fair appetite, and I see so much food being left on plates when I'm eating at restaurants.
Thanks for the ideas! I talked with the DH again - I recall that he was tested for apnea and that was negative - the sleep specialist he saw didn't tell him anything that he didn't already know, but turns out that was about 10 years ago (man, time flies!). I said he needs to revisit the problem with his new doctor, and don't allow himself to be put off. He's had sleep problems since his 30s, apparently, but they're a lot worse now that he's older. He's getting really exhausted. I'll suggest he stop taking large amounts of Valerian due to rebound effect. He doesn't take a lot of melatonin save for the Back to Sleep, and it occurs naturally, so I think that's OK. He's finally agreed to try CBD drops and canna-caps and since I have both he's going to try those. He only drinks dairy products in England (go figure), but I'll still suggest warm milk as it's pretty tried and true. He knows that a good component is psychological and he's struggling to deal with that. He's thinking it'll help to retire. Anyway, I'll float some of those ideas with him and see if any help. I'm getting a little worried.
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Post by Dawn R on Jan 6, 2023 12:19:23 GMT
I think I must have "early awakening" since I often up at 3:00 and am almost always up around 4:00. Going to sleep later doesn't help. Nothing helps. It's my normal sleep cycle. I stayed up until midnight for NYE and was still up at 4:30. Now, I just respect it. There are occasionaly times when I wake up at 1:30 and I just go with it. I don't nap during the day and have tried avoiding caffeine. Nothing helps until the time change and then I manage to sleep a litte later.
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Post by allikat on Jan 6, 2023 12:59:08 GMT
Can we talk about the price of eggs, lol. Used to pay .89 for dozen large eggs nothing special, now 5.89 for the exact same eggs at Aldi/Walmart. BF buys local, organic eggs because that is all his girls will eat and they are 8.99 a dozen. Prices have gone nuts. I was able to carry $100 of groceries inside yesterday in one trip!! Odd thing is I can still get pork butt for .99/lb, lol, it makes a crockpot full of meat which can become all kinds of meals.
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Post by Dawn R on Jan 6, 2023 13:03:05 GMT
I only buy eggs from Costco. My local grocery store is so expensive.
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Post by allikat on Jan 6, 2023 13:53:51 GMT
Thanks, I will check Sam's Club when I go in next to see if they are cheaper than Aldi and Walmart. I needed them for baking and New Years breakfast so I didn't get a chance to shop around.
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Post by staytuned on Jan 6, 2023 15:21:36 GMT
Chain store here has a sign about cost of eggs up because of Avian flu causing shortage and rise in price along with supply chain problem. Personally, I'm skeptical because this has happened enough times before saying there's a shortage of (bacon, coffee, etc.) spiking prices. Cheapest eggs I can find around here are $4 doz. Used to pay 99¢ before Covid hit and $1.38 before inflation took off. Strange thing is the store with the sign has successfully caused people to practically wipe out the egg section while my local store has plenty of eggs a bit cheaper.
Chap, has DH tried getting up and trying sleeping on the couch? FIL used to do that and DH does as well. He'll start off sleeping in the bed, wake up anywhere between 2-4am, pee and go to the couch to finish sleeping. Has been doing it for awhile now. Says he'll wake up and can't get back to sleep in bed, but can on the couch.
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Post by Tabby on Jan 6, 2023 15:31:45 GMT
The bees and wasps are already out. Val, if you have an electric outlet out on your patio, it might be worthwhile to try a plug-in ultrasonic pest repeller. They really are effective indoors. Hopefully they might work outdoors, too. As I understand it, they produce sounds or vibrations that irritate insects (and mice and lizards), and just make them go away. Amazon has lots of different kinds available.
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Post by labbypaws on Jan 6, 2023 16:50:47 GMT
One more week of checking dorms at work. Then next Sunday will be a pain with kids coming back without keys. I am counting down semesters left until retirement😜. 6 to go.
It is really bad when new admin is so busy “going to meetings” than being available to their subordinates.
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val2525
Chaos Manager
Posts: 30,791
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Post by val2525 on Jan 6, 2023 16:55:35 GMT
Val, if you have an electric outlet out on your patio, it might be worthwhile to try a plug-in ultrasonic pest repeller. I have cats. Part of the reason I want to screen in the patio is so the cats can use it when I'm out there. So no ultrasonic device for us. Are ultrasonic pest repellers safe for pets?
Most ultrasonic pest repellers emit sounds above 20 kilohertz (kHz). When it comes to your pets, the level of frequency they can hear depends on what type of animal they are.
For example, pet rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs and other pet rodents can hear sounds up to 90 kHz. Cats can hear up to 60 kHz. Dogs can pick up sounds up to 40 kHz.
It's not so much whether or not your pets can hear these ultrasonic pest repellers; the bigger concern is whether or not the sounds can harm your animals.
There may be cause for concern about long-term neurological damage because, unlike pests, your pets live in your home and cannot leave the vicinity of these ultrasonic devices. However, there has been no clear research investigating the long-term effects on dogs, cats and other popular pet species. If you have pets, talk to your veterinarian about these devices prior to buying one.I waited too late last year to get the screen up. If I can get it up by the end of this month, it should be in place before the wasps really start rallying around. I do wish we'd get another really good cold snap, that would help.
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Post by staytuned on Jan 6, 2023 19:20:05 GMT
I happened to come across an old, still in package red and black tiger stripe seat cover I bought when I had my Neon. Tried it on my new desk chair and it actually fits very well. If I can ever get DH to show me so I can write down step-by-step how to upload and put pics in a file (Windows 10 won't let me upload Easyshare/Pixpro pics like they used to), I'll post an actual pic.
Here's pic of what the seat cover looks like which is pretty close to what my chair looks like except with arms and swivel base:
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Post by pyrexandpearls on Jan 7, 2023 0:28:48 GMT
Can we talk about the price of eggs, lol. Used to pay .89 for dozen large eggs nothing special, now 5.89 for the exact same eggs at Aldi/Walmart. BF buys local, organic eggs because that is all his girls will eat and they are 8.99 a dozen. Prices have gone nuts. I was able to carry $100 of groceries inside yesterday in one trip!! Odd thing is I can still get pork butt for .99/lb, lol, it makes a crockpot full of meat which can become all kinds of meals. Egg prices are crazy!! The best deal I have found is Costco where a 24 pack of cage free eggs is $6.49. (Though that is up from $4.99 a few months ago.) Still cheaper than the $4ish per dozen at the regular store. Groceries in general are just ridiculous right now. I decided to keep a running spending total this year, so I just started a few days ago. For our household of 2, we've already spent $160 and it's January 6th! I am scared to see what the total will be at the end of the month!
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Post by Dawn R on Jan 7, 2023 1:00:48 GMT
I feel like that, too! I feel like there are times when we can get carry-out for the price we pay for ingredients to make a meal. I rarely walk out with less then $50 a visit and I go multiple times every week. I am retired so I always just get enough for a few days. It works better for us and the veggies are less like to go bad.
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Post by chapeaunoir on Jan 7, 2023 7:21:56 GMT
Chain store here has a sign about cost of eggs up because of Avian flu causing shortage and rise in price along with supply chain problem. Personally, I'm skeptical because this has happened enough times before saying there's a shortage of (bacon, coffee, etc.) spiking prices. Cheapest eggs I can find around here are $4 doz. Used to pay 99¢ before Covid hit and $1.38 before inflation took off. Strange thing is the store with the sign has successfully caused people to practically wipe out the egg section while my local store has plenty of eggs a bit cheaper. Chap, has DH tried getting up and trying sleeping on the couch? FIL used to do that and DH does as well. He'll start off sleeping in the bed, wake up anywhere between 2-4am, pee and go to the couch to finish sleeping. Has been doing it for awhile now. Says he'll wake up and can't get back to sleep in bed, but can on the couch. I'll suggest that to my DH. I do know that getting up in the middle of the night, having some milk and putting my cozy robe on, then going back to bed is a ritual that conks me out again. He needs to have a ritual that signals "sleep again", and it sounds like your DH's couch routine does exactly that, like my bathrobe.
I think it's good to go with one's sleep cycle if one can - it's tough when one works regular hours. I have three friends who have oddball sleep cycles like I have, and all three are hyperactive, like I am. Funny - all four of us do endurance events, despite getting toward 70. If you get the four of us together, it's like a crazy madhouse - I'm the quietest of the four of us, but we all just yabber away like a bunch of speed freaks lol. I remember my running friend (hyperactive, weird sleep cycle and on his 140th marathon) saying at a high school reunion that this woman he had a crush on in high school greeting him with "You're not as hyper as you used to be" lol. He wasn't sure about that, but I told him it could be worse - at a reunion I went to, a guy told me "You've really improved". I should have told him "Yeah, but you're still a bastard" but I just nodded and went to find something to drink.
Went for a run this evening - by the time I could go it was dark and, of course, raining. I wore a headlamp AND reflective vest. The roads here are dark and narrow. At any rate, I was chugging along - saw another runner coming toward me and we both saluted - and because it was 'rush hour' (we have a small one up here) a car here and there was passing me. Did ANY of them dim their damned Brights? NO! I was almost blinded time after time by this idiots, having to hold my hand up before my eyes to even see the road ahead of me. I was very, very visible and they gave me plenty of room, but I guess were too brain dead to bother dimming their lights. When I'm riding my bike they dim their brights, as well as driving, but I guess we walkers and runners aren't worth the hassle. The DH suggested I get one of those 3600 lumen blaster lamps and give it back to them, but their brain power is such that they'd probably just swerve into me. Sheesh.
Eggs have never been cheaper than $3.50 a dozen here.
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Post by staytuned on Jan 7, 2023 14:25:19 GMT
Forgot to add, FIL had to have a fan going for noise when he slept, another (bad for me) habit DH picked up. At least through the years as long as he doesn't have it loud I've learned to live with it. Figure once I'm asleep I won't hear ti anyway. I told DH I will draw the line if he gets like FIL in later years, who would tell MIL to make him 1/3 piece of toast or 1" coffee. He tried that with me once wanting 1/4 of a Twinkie and I told him I don't do fractions and handed him a whole one, which he had no problem eating. If MIL left the room for more than a few minutes, he'd ask whoever else was there to go check and see if she was o.k. Since it's just the two of us, if I leave the room for more than a few minutes, DH will get up and see where I am and what I'm doing. Yeah, I married into a "unique" family. Chap, your reunion reminded me of DH's friend we call Butthead (even he admits he's one, lol). They were at a bar and he blurted out to the barmaid, "You must have been a looker back in high school".
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val2525
Chaos Manager
Posts: 30,791
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Post by val2525 on Jan 7, 2023 15:11:46 GMT
I've started making a meal list for the week, then going to the HEB website and putting everything I need on my list. I can also see what is on sale. Then I print out the list and hit the grocery store. Their list lumps items together by aisle so you can zip thru the store really fast if you want. Sometimes they are out of things, but I always have a few backup meals in my head so it's not a big deal. If I have the list, I'm not tempted to buy extras I don't need (HEB is really bad about having stuff like that, LOL!) and I can even stay in budget. Just about any fresh, uncut veggie seems to last for at least a week. Darker types of lettuce and lettuce mix also seem to last longer. I keep a few bags of frozen veggies on hand too. They're surprisingly good when fixed in the air fryer. Especially frozen mushrooms. No more having fresh ones go bad in the crisper! I watch TV in the evening with the cats, and don't bother going to bed until I start nodding off. It might be 10:30 or it might be 1:00, but once I started doing this I usually go right to sleep once I get in bed. I figure why fight it, my body will tell me when it's tired. I hear strange noises in the kitchen. Guess I better go see what the cats are up to.
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val2525
Chaos Manager
Posts: 30,791
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Post by val2525 on Jan 7, 2023 17:28:27 GMT
Well, so much for future curbside pickup at HEB. Today's batch was the worst one yet. Produce had a use by date of today, which would have been OK had it not been all brown (spring mix). Diced onions and diced celery were dated 1/5. I thought I'd take a short cut for chicken and tuna salad this week. Guess I'll be chopping after all. Even some of the pantry stuff had passed the expiration date. I even went to one of the big HEB Plus stores this time, thinking it might have faster turnover on items and less chance of old stuff. Nope. I don't mind expired stuff from Whole Foods, you just log in to your order, report it and are refunded. HEB, you have to return the stuff. Guess it's back to live shopping with a list for me
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kritter
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When we lose sight of how we treat animals, we tend to lose sight of our humanity
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Post by kritter on Jan 7, 2023 17:44:02 GMT
I think some HEB stores are better than others with the close dated bagged stuff. My HEB puts 50% reduced tags on all the bagged and prepacked produce stuff the day before the Sell By date. That helps the teenage pickers who have never shopped in a grocery store before avoid grabbing expired product but doesn't help with them looking to see if the stuff is not up to the condition that it should be.
After seeing those pickers in action, I would never order pickup and let them do the choosing of anything. Plus I like to graze through the store and see what yellow coupons surprise me on the shelf. Never have been a list shopper and never will be. Takes the fun out of the adventure.
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Post by staytuned on Jan 7, 2023 18:16:28 GMT
I used to go up and down aisles before Covid hit. Now, I start a list of things I need to get and add sale items, get what I need and checkout. No way would I let someone else shop for me, especially when I see pickers at several stores who look like they just had their wisdom teeth removed and make me feel like I'm an inconvenience being in the same aisle.
I've never seen such piss-poor attitudes as in the last few years. If you hate your job that much, find one that's a better fit or change your attitude, as it reflects badly on your employer. I'm sure I'm not alone saying I'm less inclined to go to a store with employees who don't care/bad attitude than one where they smile and thank me for shopping there. Or at least look look they give a sh-t.
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Post by pyrexandpearls on Jan 7, 2023 19:17:06 GMT
After seeing those pickers in action, I would never order pickup and let them do the choosing of anything. Plus I like to graze through the store and see what yellow coupons surprise me on the shelf. Never have been a list shopper and never will be. Takes the fun out of the adventure. Same. At our local stores (though we don't have HEB), all the order pickers are young teens. While I am glad to see teens having a job, they just don't know how to pick stuff out. I am also a control freak over my fruits and veggies so I like to shop in person. I also don't buy dented cans so I will spend time searching for a non-dented one if the cans are damaged. I am also not a fan of how long they seem to place the perishables in the trolleys then push the trolleys around the store.
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Post by staytuned on Jan 7, 2023 19:25:01 GMT
It's National Pass Gas Day, like it's not a daily occurrence whether or not we admit it. So, let 'er rip!
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kritter
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When we lose sight of how we treat animals, we tend to lose sight of our humanity
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Post by kritter on Jan 7, 2023 19:40:32 GMT
There have been times when I am in the same location as a picker and when they grab something, I want to say "No,No, Not that one". I am not a control freak about anything in the grocery store but I don't trust these kids especially the boys to know what they are doing when it comes to grocery shopping. Plus no way am I am going to pay more for each item than what I would pay if I picked it myself only to take a chance on what I end up with.
My HEB store is also going through a major remodel to almost double the size so it is totally crazy now and like an obstacle coarse in some depts with the workmen rerouting the duct work and wiring in the current store ceiling. They have cranked up the A/C because the ceilings are down in some areas where the work is being redone. The employees and the customers keep acting as though nothing to see here in the chaos and keep on keeping on.
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Post by chapeaunoir on Jan 7, 2023 20:03:31 GMT
staytuned "He tried that with me once wanting 1/4 of a Twinkie" I tend to be that way, too - but I don't ask anyone else to do the dividing or mincing for me - I'll just get 1/2 of something small and put the rest away. The 1/3 piece of toast and the 1" of coffee cracked me up, though! DH slept better last night with some cannabinoids and was in bed for almost 10 hours. He was exhausted, though, so not sure if it was that or the cannabinoids. I suggested that he take them before he gets into a fugue state from lack of sleep, and be consistent. We live in a very quiet area but have an air filter going at night so you hear that humming. I recall a funny James Thurber story about a young woman who had an asthmatic dog who wheezed and muttered all night. She said she clothes pinned a playing card on a fan and that covered up the noise. The other night an arsonist torched a favourite neighborhood sandwich and pizza place up the hill from me - a little converted drive-in which had been there for over 40 years and had a very strong following. No word on if they found the bastard who did this and if they were a disgruntled employee or what. Some speculation that there may have been involvement from one of the vulture developers wanting the land - we're having land wars with huge apartment complexes going up everywhere, and people are starting to push back. At any rate, a gofundme page was started for them and has already more than doubled the hoped for donations - it's to help the owner and employees and to rebuild. The building was saved, but the inside was gutted.
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Post by denise15601 on Jan 7, 2023 21:48:07 GMT
Once when I dashed into Walmart for some produce, I saw 2 pickers...adults that were over 6 feet tall. Interesting, since they each had about 8 blue crates for their items, with a name on each.
My orders are always around $200 since I tend to stock up, so they would need more than one crate for my order.
And I seldom have any problems with old produce or expiration dates. If I do, I just ask for a refund online.
Now my problem is finding stuff that I can eat. I have to stay away from carbs and sugar, and that is not easy to do. I am basically on a Keto diet.
Will finally see my endocrinologist on Wed, after a 3 month wait.
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Post by sunsetpainter on Jan 8, 2023 16:12:35 GMT
denise15601 I sent you an invite to a Facebook group called "Keto & Low Carb Recipes for Beginners". There are a few Keto purists there, but some good low carb ideas.
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Post by denise15601 on Jan 8, 2023 18:01:51 GMT
denise15601 I sent you an invite to a Facebook group called "Keto & Low Carb Recipes for Beginners". There are a few Keto purists there, but some good low carb ideas. Thanks! I had asked my chemo nurse about Keto a few years ago, but she said that my liver is too fragile. Do I have to do a moderation thing. Any diet with less carbs and sugar is a good diet.
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Post by denise15601 on Jan 8, 2023 18:03:16 GMT
Ahhh! I had ordered 2 furnace filters from wm with my food order. They came separately today via FedEx. A large box with a ton of air pillows, which I really needed.
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Post by Emerald_Door on Jan 8, 2023 19:36:00 GMT
"Any diet with less carbs and sugar is a good diet."
Absolutely right. Cancer loves sugar.
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Post by sunsetpainter on Jan 8, 2023 21:05:28 GMT
denise15601 I sent you an invite to a Facebook group called "Keto & Low Carb Recipes for Beginners". There are a few Keto purists there, but some good low carb ideas. Thanks! I had asked my chemo nurse about Keto a few years ago, but she said that my liver is too fragile. Do I have to do a moderation thing. Any diet with less carbs and sugar is a good diet.
I don't "do" Keto, but I am diabetic so I'm constantly looking for low carb recipes. Some of them seem Meh, but I've tried others and they are pretty good.
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