The Unofficial Chatterbox Thread! Everyone is Welcome!

[funnygarcia]

I swear half the little boys looked like long-haired 1970's hippies. So I guess I now have a drum playing throwback from the 70's long haired hippie son.

Yeah, long hair is back "in" again. Noah has refused a hair cut, he likes it long.. I don't mind but... it seems to never see a brush or comb thru that unruly mess! Yuck! I told him we can get it trimmed, make sure the "cool guy" does it at our local Great Clips. He's awesome and I fear that he will one day disover his talents and POOF he will be gone to some very elite, very expensive salon.

No AC, but I wish we did! Or maybe I dont... I would have that puppy CRANKED! I can just imagine my electric bill.

No AC?!!
We would die in the summer without AC.
Just a handful of really hot days in one summer but humidity is the enemy here in the city. 80 degrees and 90% humidity for weeks on end, no AC would mean no more sane family we would kill each other, no family left!


When I was a child growing up in Duluth (just a few blocks from the shores of Lake Superior) we didn't have AC, we had fans all over the house.. a monstrous 100 year old house with newspaper as insulation. On the hottest of summer nights I would sleep in the hallway under the big window fan.. ahhhh. Those nights were very few, during the day we kept the house closed up and drapes shut tight... it stayed very cool, a tad tacky/humid but tolerable.

That doesn't work in a 3rd floor apartment in the metro though.. not enough air flow, not much shade, much higher temps, much higher humidity compared to the lake effect coolness of Duluth. My sis and I joke that we need to buy heavy warm sweatshirts to wear when we visit our folks. The only time we really need one in spring and summer!

Yep, summer electric costs are much higher. They have higher rates in summer then winter too.

We don't pay for heat (rent is a little higher), usually have it turned way down anyway and wear shorts most of the year inside as our downstairs neighbors really like the heat. We had to pop open the windows in winter, hitting close to 80 on sunny days. ugh! But if we forgot to close the windows in the late afternoon-- umm we had to do a lot of shoving and wiggling to close them again (or pull out the hair dryer). Frozen open!

 

[funnygarcia]

Not sure how the lightbulb thinking guy got in my above post.

Guess he needed some air time.

 

[funnygarcia]

Heads up to coupon lovers...

Kmart is doubling this week!


$2 and under

NO internet printables (but I've read conflicting info on this detail)

4 like items only

Limit 10 per day per person (but I read they goofed as there is an ad in the Proctor and Gamble section of coupons "Limit 75 coupons", bring in that ad and they should honor it!)

Typically it means free or darn close for:

Makeup -nail polish, beauty implements, lipstick
cleaning supplies
candy - gum, bagged mini bars
body wash
shampoo
shaving gel
small sized medications (not the travel/trial sizes) - tums, rolaids, tylenol
pantiliners/pads (smallest size/cheapest boxes are typically on the highest out of reach shelf! grrr)
single rolls of paper towels
chinet plates/cups
pet food/treats

Tips:
Most of their product is over priced compared to Target or Walmart.
Limited product on the shelf and poorly restocked, wrongly stickered on shelf.. scan scan scan!

Be careful of $/2, $/3 type coupons, they scan up as only taking up to the value off of ONE item.

Example:
Item costs $1.25
Your coupon is $1 off 2
The register will only double to $1.25 (the price of the item) NOT $2.
If you're okay with thinking of it as a B1G1 coupon.. it might be an okay gamble price wise.

Also, the cashier must match the product and coupon on their screen.
If they randomly pick a product.. your $2 coupon might not double to the full amount of what you planned.

Product x is $3.99, you give a $2 coupon, expecting it to double to $3.99 (free)


Cashier selects product y instead, however Y costs $3.59.
The register only doubles to the value of the product .. $3.59

You just paid 40 cents too much!

Eagle eyes and ready for battle.. but ohhhhh so much fun to walk out paying pennies!

ohhh yeah, check around.. there may be a sign up for kmart email offer $5 off $50 coupon. Hand that over FIRST, then your coupons.
and... Sears gift cards work at Kmart.

 

[eatmypixiedust]

Here's pics of the other items from the Disney outlet. My grandma bought the shoes and the Pooh shirt for my dad. I thought the Pooh shirt was funny but I'm not sure if my dad would wear it.

 

[eatmypixiedust]

Yesterday my bf and I went back to the Disney outlet store. I was able to get the items that were missing from my purchase. They were really nice about it.

We went to the Camarillo Outlet stores afterwards to look around. My bf and I got shirts from Aeropostale (they had a buy one get one free sale on shirts). My bf had a gift card for the store that he used.

Then went to the Guess store where he got some cool t-shirts on sale. I stopped by the Juicy store to look around....just browsed, didn't see anything good. We also took a look around the Fossil store and then left.

We were hungry and it was already late in the afternoon, so we decided on Joe's Crab Shack which is next to the beach. We shared the Joe's Classic Steampot for 2. It was really really good. They give you these plastic knives that are designed to open crab legs faster. It looks similar to a letter opener of some sort but on the side it says: "Stolen from Joe's Crab Shack." I asked our server if we could keep them and she said yes.

I believe there is a Joe's Crab Shack that is near Disneyland. I remember seeing it next to the Hyatt Hotel I stayed at last year. So in case you guys want to try it next time you're down here.


We tried to watch Up in 3-D last night. We went for the 7:15pm show and there was a massive line waiting. Ugh, it's very frustrating trying to get tickets to see this movie. Who knew it woudl be so difficult. Oh well, I guess we will try again later today. Hopefully we will be able to see it. I know it's really popular but we never had such difficulty watching a movie before.

 

[funnygarcia]

Cute pooh shirt!

Headed out to JcPenney's with my $10 off $10 coupons in hand. We ended up with two of the coupons.. one was addresed as "occupant" and another with my name. Woohoo I'm finally back on the mailing list!

E needed a new dress shirt and tie, they have 8th grade completion ceremony on Monday. $12 for the shirt and $2 for the tie after coupons

Then I perused the women's dept, trying to find another Tshirt of the same style sis and I both bought a few months ago. Darn it , all out of the XL unless I wanted dark blue.. uhh nope, because I know I would never wear it.


Scrounged thru women's sizes, too big and floppy looking.


Excuse me Manufacture and clothing design peoples:
Plump ladies don't want to look more fat!
We don't all want circus tent colors.
And what the heck is with putting elastic, a tie, or some weird band across the bottom???
Here let's accent the widest part of their body.. brilliant!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!


Found a stray ladies XL, a tiny bit tight across my ample chest.. but I kinda like how it looks. And hubby liked it too
Found Petite XL in the same exact style / same brand name as the ladies ..... can you believe it was bigger?!


I don't understand it, but petite XL fits me.
But a regular ladies XL is often too small.

Hey buying a petite makes me think I'm getting smaller.

I will go for that!

 

[eatmypixiedust]

I ordered a custom disney shirt online... It's been 7 days and it still hasn't shipped.....wondering what's taking so long.

 

[funnygarcia]

This but in brown.. hubby is uhh happy with this purchase wink wink nudge nudge

 

[funnygarcia]

I ordered a custom disney shirt online... It's been 7 days and it still hasn't shipped.....wondering what's taking so long.

They have to train new mice to sew the tiny little stitches?

 

[funnygarcia]

My sis took her golden retriever (adopted from a rescue organization) to the vet for what was to be a routine check up and heartworm prevention.

Sadly, the test came back positive for heart worm. She was vet checked by the rescue organization back in February, but it takes time for the heartworms to grow and be evident on blood tests.

Whoever owned her last summer didn't treat her for heartworm and she likely had a litter of puppies (which explains her love of carrying small stuffed animals around the house).

She can be treated with various meds, but she will be hospitalized during treatment because the meds could kill her, the medication is painful and she could have problems as the worm pieces break up and flow into the blood system. This will be two rounds of hospitalization and meds.


Estimate of treatment cost
$650



Sis asked for help to do a garage sale as a fundraiser next weekend. She also is contacting the rescue organization to see if they know any resources to lower the cost, or grants to cover the cost.

DH shared the opinion.. as much as we love our cat.. it's not worth the cost to shell out that much money on an animal. Make her comfortable, have her put to sleep.. but not pay the equivlent of a house payment.

I agree with him, it would break my heart.. but I can't see paying that much for a pet.

 

[MotoXPrincess99]

My sis took her golden retriever (adopted from a rescue organization) to the vet for what was to be a routine check up and heartworm prevention.

Sadly, the test came back positive for heart worm. She was vet checked by the rescue organization back in February, but it takes time for the heartworms to grow and be evident on blood tests.

Whoever owned her last summer didn't treat her for heartworm and she likely had a litter of puppies (which explains her love of carrying small stuffed animals around the house).

She can be treated with various meds, but she will be hospitalized during treatment because the meds could kill her, the medication is painful and she could have problems as the worm pieces break up and flow into the blood system. This will be two rounds of hospitalization and meds.


Estimate of treatment cost
$650



Sis asked for help to do a garage sale as a fundraiser next weekend. She also is contacting the rescue organization to see if they know any resources to lower the cost, or grants to cover the cost.

DH shared the opinion.. as much as we love our cat.. it's not worth the cost to shell out that much money on an animal. Make her comfortable, have her put to sleep.. but not pay the equivlent of a house payment.

I agree with him, it would break my heart.. but I can't see paying that much for a pet.

When my dog was attacked by a mountain lion we opted to do surgery not knowing if he would make it or not. It ended up costing around $1500 but he did survive and now is just fine. Just having him put down was not an option. We had to try. Maybe it's because I don't have kids, I don't know.

 

[Belle Ella]

My sis took her golden retriever (adopted from a rescue organization) to the vet for what was to be a routine check up and heartworm prevention.

Sadly, the test came back positive for heart worm. She was vet checked by the rescue organization back in February, but it takes time for the heartworms to grow and be evident on blood tests.

Whoever owned her last summer didn't treat her for heartworm and she likely had a litter of puppies (which explains her love of carrying small stuffed animals around the house).

She can be treated with various meds, but she will be hospitalized during treatment because the meds could kill her, the medication is painful and she could have problems as the worm pieces break up and flow into the blood system. This will be two rounds of hospitalization and meds.


Estimate of treatment cost
$650



Sis asked for help to do a garage sale as a fundraiser next weekend. She also is contacting the rescue organization to see if they know any resources to lower the cost, or grants to cover the cost.

DH shared the opinion.. as much as we love our cat.. it's not worth the cost to shell out that much money on an animal. Make her comfortable, have her put to sleep.. but not pay the equivlent of a house payment.

I agree with him, it would break my heart.. but I can't see paying that much for a pet.

I never thought I would pay that much for a pet until a couple of weeks ago.

First my sisters cat got very, very, very sick. Just trying to find out what was wrong with him was about $600 dollars with all the hospitalization, testing, medications to see if they helped. In the end we had to put him down (we believe he had cancer).

Then, not even two days later y cat got a nasty gash from her leg to belly that was getting infected and everything for her treatment set us back about $622 dollars. I was not ready to loose another cat right now.

Its insane how much medical care for a pet is so expensive. I've never had to have any kind of medical care that cost nearly as much as that save when I was born.

 

[funnygarcia]

Its insane how much medical care for a pet is so expensive. I've never had to have any kind of medical care that cost nearly as much as that save when I was born.

Consider yourself lucky.


I'm trying to make sense out of the bills and insurance statements now that hubby has private insurance and Medicare.

It's a big mess, our understanding was that his insurance would be secondary and Medicare as primary.

Guess not as they just shelled out $25,000 for dialysis just for March, sent part of the bill to Medicare ($900) and it states WE have to pay $800.


The happier news.. well maybe??? ...


He has met his deductible ($1000) AND the max out of pocket ($2000) in just two months time.

Anyone have $2000 to spare?

Still don't get how they got that magic number of $800 for us, $900 for Medicare. There is a tier system of 80, 70 or 60% coverage depending on which clinic/hospitals you recive care and their cost effectiveness.

(Another WTH?? like I'm going to ask "how much does your emergency surgery cost compared to your competitor" as I lay dying from blood loss???)

All dialysis centers are at the 70% coverage.. yippeeeee no choices, here's your bill for keeping you alive this month.

I ask hubby, so uhhhh how do we handle this?

Easy, we pay them a tiny bit a month and if it gets to be too expensive I quit my job and go back to being on disability. Medical assistance will pick me up again.

Lovely dear, just lovely.

I could worry and cry.. instead I will laugh.



Not like we own anything of value. Credit is semi sucky already so hey.. nothing to lose right?

 

[funnygarcia]

When my dog was attacked by a mountain lion we opted to do surgery not knowing if he would make it or not. It ended up costing around $1500 but he did survive and now is just fine. Just having him put down was not an option. We had to try. Maybe it's because I don't have kids, I don't know.

In my sister's case.. she simply can't afford it.
Money is very tight.
With two children with special needs it's always a delicate balance, right now she is facing a possible loss in funding for services/PCA help/special diet costs for one of her children.

Though I might feel differently if it was my own pet.

 

[eatmypixiedust]

Awww.... I hope your sister will be able to raise enough money Bernice. I heard there was pet insurance but it probably costs a lot as well. I know that pet meds cost more than human meds, which is weird.

My cousin had 2 cats and when she was promoted to work from China, she gave the 2 cats to my aunt. Well the eldest cat needed some type of surgery and it cost $5,000. My cousin paid for it and the cat didn't survive. My cousin said that cat was very very old so she wasn't surprised.

 

[eatmypixiedust]

Maybe in 2 years I'll ge a dog. Right now I don't think I could afford the cost of medical bills for one if something were to happen.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

I'm trying to make sense out of the bills and insurance statements now that hubby has private insurance and Medicare.

It's a big mess, our understanding was that his insurance would be secondary and Medicare as primary.

Guess not as they just shelled out $25,000 for dialysis just for March, sent part of the bill to Medicare ($900) and it states WE have to pay $800.

Aw that bites. My parents are still paying off the medical bills (and credit card bills for the cards that they put some med bill payments on) from my mom's battles with cancer 7 and 5 years ago. Sometimes all you can do is suck it up, live extremely frugally, and be thankful that your loved one is still alive.

I was a hair model at a hair show yesterday and am still slightly shocked at the hair they gave me (the things I do for money, which I made $300 for it). It went from being a natural shoulder-length dishwater blonde to a short Victoria Beckham-like cut with a color scheme that matches the hair of Hayley Williams from Paramore.

Victoria:

Hayley Williams:

 

[sameyeyam]

Howdy guys! Camping trip went well...no emergency room visits. So I guess we can call it successful.

Got home early evening yesterday, so had food to put away and clothes to wash. Came home tonight, ate dinner (had a salad with fresh lettuce and radishes from the garden ), then decided I needed to weed the garden. Weeded for a bit and then seen that the carrots needed thinning. So I moved some of them around to empty spots. Then realized that I needed to water tonight after transplanting them. I swear everything has doubled in size in the last week. But I decided they needed to be fertilized (I'm using Alaska Fish Fertilizer...great stuff, but dead squished up fish guts stink). So then I had to come in and shower rotten smelling fish off of me. Ain't organic just great!

And now it's time for bed.

 

[MotoXPrincess99]

I was a hair model at a hair show yesterday and am still slightly shocked at the hair they gave me (the things I do for money, which I made $300 for it). It went from being a natural shoulder-length dishwater blonde to a short Victoria Beckham-like cut with a color scheme that matches the hair of Hayley Williams from Paramore.

Victoria:

Hayley Williams:

Wow, how do you go about being a hair model? Sounds neat, but I wouldn't let them cut my hair, dye would be okay. I just dyed my hair an almost black color that looks a little red in the light. It's still wet so it looks really black but I'll see how it looks when it dries.

So I finally can say that I am a Disneyland Annual Pass Holder. I look so cheesey in my picture I have this huge smile because I was so excited. DBF and I went on Saturday for my birthday and then I went for a few hours on Sunday after I dropped him and his friend off at the Cruise ship. Now my mom wants an annual pass too so I am going to go with her on Friday night after I get off work and we are going to stay the night and go on Saturday.

It's so quiet and lonely at my house. Even my dog doesn't want to come in. We usually don't let him on the bed but I can't sleep when DBF is gone so I let him up last night. I'll just have to make sure I get all the dog hair off the blankets before DBF gets home .

 

[eatmypixiedust]

I got 2 days of vacation approved! I'm so excited because my bf will be off for a whole week during that time. We plan to go to DL to celebrate my b-day early. I'm not sure what else we will do but we'll figure something out.

I went to 2 stores today to pay my bills in person. It was really easy and fast. I've never done that before and am so used to automated bill pay or writing checks. I stopped by the Disney Store and looked around. I saw that they have a talking Doug plush from the movie Up. I didn't buy anything but just browsed and then left.

On the way out of the mall, I had to use the restroom and the closest one was in Neiman Marcus. Not only was the store practically empty but I felt awkward walking around.....it was so quiet. I'm not sure why but the ambiance made me feel strange.....maybe it was because of the very high end and expensive things they had....Louis Vuitton store, Gucci Store, expensive clothes......one jacket I saw was on SALE for over $1,000!!! The original price was $3,000!!

I passed by a Tiffany store in the mall (it's close to Disney Store). It was pitch dark inside and they never seem to be open. I heard that they may have changed their hours to appointment only. I wouldn't shop there anyways but it's just weird that it's always closed when I'm in that mall.