Three Things...Gratitude Thread

[nw6675]

Going back a couple of days:

 

[slo]

@slo, you mention two of mine.

IHOP for the pecan flavored syrup
Kona Cafe,,,a picture from Friday! We share the Tonga Toast, and I get one of his eggs.
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Sea Shack in HHI, where we just happen to be. Where we just happened to have lunch. Grilled oysters and shrimp, hush puppies, cheese grits, Cole slaw…yummy!

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Yes, I am very grateful to enjoy these things.

I love the picture - great minds think alike

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Defunct stores:
Steinmart
Mervyn's
and another vote for Kmart

Honorable mention for Alpha Beta

 

[PollyannaMom]

In honor of Prime Day...

Today's Topic (Wed, 7/12) - 3 bargains or deals you've been grateful for

 

[slo]

So stormy be me this morning


#1 - I’m grateful for all the bargains I get when I shop for clothes at thrift stores or Goodwill - it’s always exciting to find something nice and cheap.

#2 - I’m grateful for my protein powder being on sale for Prime Day on Amazon (this was a nice surprise this morning) - that stuff is to expensive, but I do like to drink it after my workouts.

#3 - I’m grateful for the bargains my DD19 and I find when we go to our favorite outlet mall - we need to do that soon - she’s going back to school in 5 weeks

 

[WDWEPCOT]

My first DVC purchase - resale back when resale was just as good as direct - took forever but was such a great deal !

Both times I’ve purchased a house - each one was different but got great deals on each one - got very lucky with each very grateful !!

Furniture Store going out of business years ago - got some really great deals - went back multiple times purchased a lot of things I still have

Bonus - I used to go to estate sales - went to one - person was a hoarder - OMG like going into overcrowded Time Machine going back decades !!! Sale was 3 days - I went multiple times and purchased so many things !!! It was so crowded and still there was so much left to sell !! So much stuff you could hardly walk around the house !

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Bargains

Grateful to have the vague memory of how much my beloved grandpa loved Pic N Save.

Grateful for the bargain price dad and I got our Kindle for at Target a couple of years ago.

Grateful for the bargains of weekly digital coupons at Ralphs especially that add up to save us money.

 

[newski_mom]

Ooh, I love a good bargain!

1. Going to garage sales and getting great deals! I don't go very often, and don't always find anything, but love it when the stars align! Funny story about garage sales - the first time DD2 brought her boyfriend home, they went to some. I was slightly embarrassed because he's from a wealthy town / family and I just couldn't believe they were doing that. Well, they came back home and he had found a new golf putter that he had been looking for and she found a new popcorn popper (it was a Stir Crazy like we had at home, but now she could take it back to school with her). They also went to the pawn shop and I think he got a couple of things there too. Truthfully, I've never even been there, but he thought it was great lol!

2. My ninja foodie grill - I got it when Kohl's was having a great sale and I had a 40% off coupon and they were having Kohl's cash too. I don't remember how much I paid for it, but I'd been watching them for awhile, so I knew it was a good deal and to jump on it!

3. Our appliances, when we built our house, I shopped and shopped to find just what we wanted and feel like a got a super deal since we were buying everything at the same time. I hope they last forever because I really do like them!


Truthfully, bargain hunting is in my nature. I have a hard time buying anything if it's not on sale lol!

 

[nw6675]

Bargains and deals

1. Military discounts!
2. My husband's employee discount. It has saved us 1000s.
3. Black Friday- I'm a sucker for gifts with purchase, even when you pay like B&BW

 

[leebee]

My health insurance is a bargain. If we participate in the wellness program, we have a very cheap monthly rate for completing level 1, and if we complete level 2 we get $100 each in my December paycheck. Level 1 qualifiers include having a mammogram, pap, or PSA test, or see the PCP for a physical, or participate in a one-time phone interview with a health coach. Level 2 qualifiers are things like participating in a campus wide event (like a walk of some sort), continuing with the health coaching, or attending a wellness webinar. I pay about $260 a month in premiums for DH and me, and most of our medical visits are either a copay ($15-$40 depending on the service) or covered. Our deductible is $250/$500 (individual/family), and out of pocket maximum is $1500/$3000. I was billed $70K for my recent knee surgery but only had to pay $275 (and if I paid in advance or within 14 days the hospital gave me a 20% discount, but that's separate from the insurance). My health insurance is a HUGE bargain, and I am thankful for it.

I feel like my branded credit cards are a bargain. We charge everything and pay it off in full every month. Because I have cards with travel benefits, we usually can fly for free on Southwest or American Airlines and also stack hotel points with Hilton and Marriott- and then there's my Disney VISA, which always has enough points to cover food or 'buy' a park pass or two when we go to WDW.

BookBub is a bargain. I had to give up reading hardcover books due to eyesight issues, and while I hate not having books, I have learned to love reading on my Nook. I am not terribly picky about what I read, but have favorite genres. I can get nook books for free, or at hugely discounted prices (under $5) through BookBub. I have books at my fingertips without having to make a huge investment in purchasing them. I love to read, so this is amazing for me!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Bargains:

A couple of small Amazon Prime deals this week. - Stuff I actually had in my list to buy that happened to come down a bit.

Things I've found over the years at an annual flea market FH's Lodge holds.

When I catch a sale on my favorite brand of (whatever) at the grocery store.

 

[PollyannaMom]

According to several fun holiday sites, today is "Embrace Your Geekness Day" so

Today's Topic (Thurs, 7/13) - 3 hobbies, fandoms, or special interests you're grateful for

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Disney - duh

Reading - mostly history - and Mr. S. King

History - I love reading about past things - Dinosaurs / World Wars and every day people who did amazing things / Kings & Queens past & present and other famous or not so famous people / I love watching the history channel and all their shows on World Wars

Travel - I love to go to new places and visit historic sites and see other cultures and ways people live - from going to their grocery stores to just everyday things and visiting their landmarks

 

[slo]

Happy Thursday Friends!

I’m going to focus on fandoms…..

#1 - I‘m grateful for Harry Potter - I’m currently rereading the books for the third time. I love escaping this crazy world to wizarding world of HP ️. The movies are my favorite thing to watch on New Years Day, which is my day off from life - I wake up, I sit on the couch, I watch my HP movies and I only get up to eat and go to the bathroom - it is my favorite day of the year.

#2 - I’m grateful for Twilight - I have read this series 4 times and have seen the movies so many times. I love my sparkly vampires and I’m totally Team Edward

#3 - I’m grateful for Downton Abbey - my most favorite TV series ever and I love the movies too. I’ve watched the series twice and I’m getting ready to start it again for the third time. When this current world starts getting on my nerves, I escape to this series that takes place during a time that people were polite, had manners, were kind to each other and so much more. There‘s no amount of words to describe how much I love this show

 

[nw6675]

Embracing my geekness

1. I loooove a nice gift shop. You know the kind with pickled veggies, tea towels with sayings, crazy knick knacks, bread mixes, candles....

2. Disney. I've actually had to work on NOT being so OCD over it.

3. I'm a magazine subscriber to maybe 15 a month. I don't read them. Just throw the in a stack and take to my parents. I doubt they read them either!

 

[leebee]

Disney - duh

Reading - mostly history - and Mr. S. King

Funny story... We live in the town next to Bangor, ME, where Steven King has his home (well, one of them now). People are always on the lookout for him, as you never know when he and Tabitha might be here, and they are definitely "regular folk" when they are in town. DH looks somewhat like SK, and he is frequently asked if he is Steven King- he's even had people ask to take pix with him. He always tells them he's not SK, but here's the thing: DH has a brother named Steven King... not THE Steven King, but his brother IS named Steven. When people ask DH if he is SK, he always says, "No, but my brother is!" He's telling the truth, and the reactions we see are pretty amusing. (FTR, he always explains fully, he doesn't really want to mislead folks.)

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Too funny ! I believe we’ve chatted that I’m from that area and I’ve seen Mr Kings house years ago but sadly never ran into Mr King -
Is your brother in law also in a band ?? That would be hilarious as Mr King was in one with a bunch of other writers

 

[leebee]

1. Dance. I danced from the time I was 3 until I was about 21. I was "good enough" but it was definitely recreational, and I loved it. Fast forward many years, and DD turned 3, so I put her in ballet classes. She was definitely the dancer I wasn't, and ended up as a soloist in one local company, and guest artist and choreographer in another, has choreographed free-lance, and taught ballet, point, and tap. Her love of ballet opened windows for me as a costume designer and stage crew, too, which I LOVE. Mostly, it gave us something to bond over during those trying middle and high school years, when her weekday afternoons were spent in the dance studio, and weekends were spent teaching and in rehearsals with 2 companies. There wasn't time for shenanigans, and we spent a ton of time together. I love ballet, and one of the things I really miss, living up here in the sticks, is access to performances by professional companies. I SO miss the days I could drive into Boston to see Boston Ballet perform!

2.Sewing. My mom taught me to sew as soon as my legs were long enough for me to reach the foot pedal on the sewing machine. I made all my gowns for proms, formals, etc., as well as multiple bridesmaids' and wedding gowns. I stopped sewing for awhile, after the year that I made my sister's wedding dress twice (she was in NOLA and I was in SanFran, so I made a model dress that she altered to fit, then I made the real thing using this pattern), my wedding dress, and four bridesmaid dresses. I was just done. I picked it up again when DD was dancing in a local youth ballet company, and ended up being costume mistress for 6 years. We had a shoestring budget, but I loved making pretty things from materials we had on hand (as well as finding affordable materials to use). I still sew some now, but mostly to alter garments or fun, smaller things. I don't enjoy it the way I used to, but the memories of bonding with my mom, sisters, and then DD are still there.

3. Reading. I love to read, and I'll read almost anything. I lament needing to use a Nook for reading now, due to my vision (I can't read a book, be it hard cover or paperback, in bed), but I am glad to have the Nook so I CAN continue to read (and some of those books are cheap- free, even)! I have been laid up with a total knee replacement for almost a month now, and I'd be bored to tears if I couldn't read.

4. For the bonus... DISNEY!!! 'Nuff said!

 

[leebee]

Too funny ! I believe we’ve chatted that I’m from that area and I’ve seen Mr Kings house years ago but sadly never ran into Mr King -
Is your brother in law also in a band ?? That would be hilarious as Mr King was in one with a bunch of other writers

He's not in a band; he was actually a chef in the Los Angeles area. HOWEVER... do you remember Tarzan Rocks? It was a stage show at Animal Kingdom that we loved, and a rock band was a focus of the performance. Well, the lead singer in one of the bands looked EXACTLY like my brother in law. DD was about 6 the first time we saw him playing in Tarzan Rocks, and she said, "Mama, is that Uncle Steve? Why didn't he tell us he was here??"

 

[PollyannaMom]

Disney - obviously!

Harry Potter - definitely!

Math - that's my really geeky one. I love algebra and can do things like recite 20 digits of Pi.