| Aug 08 2011 |
08/07/11
Alright, friends, and fellow readers, I fully admit to being quite out of control this morning with my diary entry. My 'usual' calm, and dulcet-throated tone was torpedo'd first thing this morning, when I awoke, sitting out at the kitchen counter, where I had earlier fallen asleep; I had been speaking to a friend on the telephone until rather late, and, having taken my full regime of night medications ( including half a sleeping tablet ), I got--I guess--too drowsey to actually get up and go to my bed, where I belonged. Instead, I slept all night, or, most of it, anyway, still sitting at the kitchen counter, which I find I am doing more and more often.
I was exhausted from a minor flare-up of the fibro, and hurt in a zillion places, so it was easy to just put my head on my outstretched arm, and go bye-bye. It was so strange to awake ( with the dawn ) to find lights left on in the house, and getting up and going found me groggy, stiff, and sore. At least I could have maybe made it to the loveseat, where--cramped--I could snooze amid tons of pillows, or, better still, to just lie down on the rug next to my dear dog, and snore-away with her....yes....at 14, she snores too, but would never admit it.
It rained and thundered on and off, today, and in Florida, that meant an heat index of probably 100 degrees, and the dampness makes me hurt, too.
After I had taken my meds, and given my dog her's, and made a cup of strong coffee, I took an increasingly sick look through my checkbook which showed--after all the checks that I recently wrote are cashed, I now have about $78.00 left in the account, and it's only the 8th. So much of the month remains, that I will probably have to borrow money from friends to coast-through 'till the end of the month. At least all the major and minor bills have been paid, except for the unexpected, and I do have food in the house, so, for now, every day that passes during which I don't have to spend a penny, is a day closer to next month's SSDI free-for-all VS my creditors.
So, dear friends, in an attempt to maybe redeem myself before God, and all, I'd like to share a cost-cutting trick I've picked up; possibly, many of you will be familiar with it, but I wasn't, until need/want/and the lack of funds collided almost all at once, forcing me to change tactics, and adopt 'new' survivor skills, especially with my limited income, and in this lousy economy. Had I thought about it long enough, it should have been a ' no-brainer', but old habits run deep.
Well, here goes. With the exception of groceries, I now do all my shopping on-line at different sites, such as KingSize for men; Brylane Homes; 7th Avenue, and, Wards, to name but a few. After having registered at each site, I am routinely notified via e-mail when big sales are coming up. I ingnore all the Hoopla, and go right to the 'clearance section', or sometimes, if they have one, the 'factory seconds' section.
Thus begins guerilla and safari shopping. I have the time to dawdle. Whenever I find something I like and need, I just scan the clearance pages; sure, sometimes these are close-outs, but, who cares. And, often, you will not be able to find the size you need in clothing, for example. But in guerilla shopping, that's the risk you take. If--for example--I see a shirt I like, only to find out that the only remaining sizes are S, or 9 XL ( yes, there are clothes that large...and larger , and I am presently a dumpy, but comfortable 3 XL, of which--frankly--years ago, I never, ever could have conceived, or, foreseen), I just move onward.
In that way, I have managed to really stretch my money; say, being able to buy a $35.00 shirt for $2.99. And this is all new--not thrift shop--merchandise. I also subscribe to their catalogues, which sometimes have killer markdowns. Plus, I try to pair it with an in-house discount promo code, for further savings. Thus, I one was able to purchase a $129.00 leather, double breasted jacket in grey for $24.00 ! And, a $159.00 coat for $37.50 ! And since several of theses clearance sections featured clothing for both men and women, I began to notice something weird: that, often, the shorts and tops for women looked exactly like those for men.
I found out that, in women's clothes these days, 'big shirts', or bf ( boy friend ) shirts are almost identical; they have collars, buttons, pocketsc and cuff as do ours. But....sometimes they are a lot cheaper, and if you like variety, come in more colors and materials than are found in the typical man's shirt. To me, a cardigan is a cardigan is a cardigan. They both look alike; why do you think the loveley ladies in our lives love to wear our sweats, and shirts? Because they are comfortable and roomy. and...yes...I have been known to shop 'across the aisle', but the choice and the savings can be terrific.
Now, guys may need a little instruction on size conversion; every catalogue has within it a size chart. Study it. For example, as I am a 3 XL, I can probably wear a size 30-32. I think a lot of guy's traditional clothes are predictable, and, boring. And I love color, and lots of it. And, don't worry, I'm not a transvestite, nor do I wear bras and panties. I look for bargains.
The best part of catalogue and on-line shopping ( besides the enormous savings ), is that you can shop 24/7 from the comfort of your home, even in your underwear. And, you'll find prices lower than that of 'Wally World', or, 'Slay-Mart'. and you won't have to spend hours ( your precious hours ! ) driving all over town, hot, and in maniac traffic to get to a store, and not be able to find a parking place that isn't out in the nose bleed section; nor will you have to deal with crowds, surly salespersons, invisible floor associates, merchandise thrown everywhere, only to arrive nack home with a few plastic bags full of foreign-made crap that you cannot launder, cannot repair, and often, cannot return for credit or refund.
And while shopping online does involve paying a shipping and handling fee, everything is usually safely delivered to your door by UPS, or Fed-Ex. AND, you probably would have spent more in gasoline, and wear and tear to your vehicle, not to mention your temper. I've gotten some great deals on clothing, furniture, housewares, etc. So, to sum up:
1) When shopping on-line, always go to the 'clearance' section; 2) Pair with discount promos to save even more ! 3) If you are on a strangulation budget as am I, and have a family and children, in this lousy economy, you have to learn to squease every nickel, until it s888s eight pennies. You know what I mean. 4) shop in seasonal reverse, by which I mean, buy such things as coats and jackets in the summer, and shorts, swimsuits in the winter. And--as always--shop wisely, shop well, stay within your means, and....have fun !!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope this helps, love to all......'Zahc'
Alright, friends, and fellow readers, I fully admit to being quite out of control this morning with my diary entry. My 'usual' calm, and dulcet-throated tone was torpedo'd first thing this morning, when I awoke, sitting out at the kitchen counter, where I had earlier fallen asleep; I had been speaking to a friend on the telephone until rather late, and, having taken my full regime of night medications ( including half a sleeping tablet ), I got--I guess--too drowsey to actually get up and go to my bed, where I belonged. Instead, I slept all night, or, most of it, anyway, still sitting at the kitchen counter, which I find I am doing more and more often.
I was exhausted from a minor flare-up of the fibro, and hurt in a zillion places, so it was easy to just put my head on my outstretched arm, and go bye-bye. It was so strange to awake ( with the dawn ) to find lights left on in the house, and getting up and going found me groggy, stiff, and sore. At least I could have maybe made it to the loveseat, where--cramped--I could snooze amid tons of pillows, or, better still, to just lie down on the rug next to my dear dog, and snore-away with her....yes....at 14, she snores too, but would never admit it.
It rained and thundered on and off, today, and in Florida, that meant an heat index of probably 100 degrees, and the dampness makes me hurt, too.
After I had taken my meds, and given my dog her's, and made a cup of strong coffee, I took an increasingly sick look through my checkbook which showed--after all the checks that I recently wrote are cashed, I now have about $78.00 left in the account, and it's only the 8th. So much of the month remains, that I will probably have to borrow money from friends to coast-through 'till the end of the month. At least all the major and minor bills have been paid, except for the unexpected, and I do have food in the house, so, for now, every day that passes during which I don't have to spend a penny, is a day closer to next month's SSDI free-for-all VS my creditors.
So, dear friends, in an attempt to maybe redeem myself before God, and all, I'd like to share a cost-cutting trick I've picked up; possibly, many of you will be familiar with it, but I wasn't, until need/want/and the lack of funds collided almost all at once, forcing me to change tactics, and adopt 'new' survivor skills, especially with my limited income, and in this lousy economy. Had I thought about it long enough, it should have been a ' no-brainer', but old habits run deep.
Well, here goes. With the exception of groceries, I now do all my shopping on-line at different sites, such as KingSize for men; Brylane Homes; 7th Avenue, and, Wards, to name but a few. After having registered at each site, I am routinely notified via e-mail when big sales are coming up. I ingnore all the Hoopla, and go right to the 'clearance section', or sometimes, if they have one, the 'factory seconds' section.
Thus begins guerilla and safari shopping. I have the time to dawdle. Whenever I find something I like and need, I just scan the clearance pages; sure, sometimes these are close-outs, but, who cares. And, often, you will not be able to find the size you need in clothing, for example. But in guerilla shopping, that's the risk you take. If--for example--I see a shirt I like, only to find out that the only remaining sizes are S, or 9 XL ( yes, there are clothes that large...and larger , and I am presently a dumpy, but comfortable 3 XL, of which--frankly--years ago, I never, ever could have conceived, or, foreseen), I just move onward.
In that way, I have managed to really stretch my money; say, being able to buy a $35.00 shirt for $2.99. And this is all new--not thrift shop--merchandise. I also subscribe to their catalogues, which sometimes have killer markdowns. Plus, I try to pair it with an in-house discount promo code, for further savings. Thus, I one was able to purchase a $129.00 leather, double breasted jacket in grey for $24.00 ! And, a $159.00 coat for $37.50 ! And since several of theses clearance sections featured clothing for both men and women, I began to notice something weird: that, often, the shorts and tops for women looked exactly like those for men.
I found out that, in women's clothes these days, 'big shirts', or bf ( boy friend ) shirts are almost identical; they have collars, buttons, pocketsc and cuff as do ours. But....sometimes they are a lot cheaper, and if you like variety, come in more colors and materials than are found in the typical man's shirt. To me, a cardigan is a cardigan is a cardigan. They both look alike; why do you think the loveley ladies in our lives love to wear our sweats, and shirts? Because they are comfortable and roomy. and...yes...I have been known to shop 'across the aisle', but the choice and the savings can be terrific.
Now, guys may need a little instruction on size conversion; every catalogue has within it a size chart. Study it. For example, as I am a 3 XL, I can probably wear a size 30-32. I think a lot of guy's traditional clothes are predictable, and, boring. And I love color, and lots of it. And, don't worry, I'm not a transvestite, nor do I wear bras and panties. I look for bargains.
The best part of catalogue and on-line shopping ( besides the enormous savings ), is that you can shop 24/7 from the comfort of your home, even in your underwear. And, you'll find prices lower than that of 'Wally World', or, 'Slay-Mart'. and you won't have to spend hours ( your precious hours ! ) driving all over town, hot, and in maniac traffic to get to a store, and not be able to find a parking place that isn't out in the nose bleed section; nor will you have to deal with crowds, surly salespersons, invisible floor associates, merchandise thrown everywhere, only to arrive nack home with a few plastic bags full of foreign-made crap that you cannot launder, cannot repair, and often, cannot return for credit or refund.
And while shopping online does involve paying a shipping and handling fee, everything is usually safely delivered to your door by UPS, or Fed-Ex. AND, you probably would have spent more in gasoline, and wear and tear to your vehicle, not to mention your temper. I've gotten some great deals on clothing, furniture, housewares, etc. So, to sum up:
1) When shopping on-line, always go to the 'clearance' section; 2) Pair with discount promos to save even more ! 3) If you are on a strangulation budget as am I, and have a family and children, in this lousy economy, you have to learn to squease every nickel, until it s888s eight pennies. You know what I mean. 4) shop in seasonal reverse, by which I mean, buy such things as coats and jackets in the summer, and shorts, swimsuits in the winter. And--as always--shop wisely, shop well, stay within your means, and....have fun !!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope this helps, love to all......'Zahc'
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