Blogging Without Obligation
Blogging Without Obligation -- the basic facts and a free button for your sidebar.
Blogging Without Obligation -- the basic facts and a free button for your sidebar.
Weather Wise
After my last post, we lost power twice in a 24 hour period, late Friday evening (3 hours)and then on Saturday afternoon (2 hours). Saturday afternoon was not too bad, it was still light out, it is when it is night and you lose it that is the problem.
I call the electric company immediately when the power goes off and they always tell me that if they do not hear from the other neighbors, I am last on the list to fix. Most of the neighbors are on vacation so of course, they can't call.
Strange urge of a habit I have of wanting to clean in the dark when the power is off, that or play the piano to entertain myself.
Hot and Humid!
Very uncomfortable weather and I don't like to use the computer when it is like this.
Since it is so late in the summer, with this sort of weather happening now (rather than earlier, we had several weeks of constant rain), I wonder if we are going to get more of this type of weather come September since we seem to be a bit off the typical weather pattern from years past.
Learning to Drive
She is doing very well.
It is bad enough I am living in the van driving them both around, now some more driving time.
Maybe I need a Winnebago instead and just move into it.
But the good thing is that she can eventually drive around herself!
I can send her to the store (miles away in the next town) and then have some alone time in the house!
Something to look forward to!
tBlog RSS Feed
Frugal or Tight?
Where is the line?
Are you a BF ("born frugal" - you are sensible) or a FC ("frugality converts" = after lossing lots of money/things)?
How about a "frugalista" or a "frugalite"?
Are you a "secret millionaire"?
Or are you just a regular old tightward like Mr. Scrooge?
Frugal or Tight - Where is the line? article at MSN MoneyCentral
Close Down Timelines
By accident today I discovered that SocialURL officially closed the doors on their photo sharing site June 30th. I did not get any type of public notice that this was going to happen. I even did a search on it but found nothing. So I post.
I was lucky enough to be able to access my account and retrieve all my pictures.
I spent the day doing that and finishing up moving my Yahoo360 which closes down officially July 13th.
I sent the SocialURL people/staff a thank you note before deleting my account.
So let's just look at what has left the internet lately.
Here is what I can remember as the list is l-o-n-g. . .
Free Homepages - June/July 08 (no notice)
AOL Journals - October 08
AOL Photo albums recently
ThirdAge Homepages - early last year - sniff - that was so cute a place but with an antiquated system.
Selectablog - just shut down instantaneously, no notice, but referred the few users to Thoughts.com
Pickle - photo sharing early last year (just opened up an account and two months later - they were saying good bye)
MSN Groups - February 2009
Flip.com -- Feb 2009 -- scrapblog is similiar
Furl -- April 2009
Yahoo Albums, (use Flickr) and
Yahoo Briefcase (use Google Docs or MSN Live Spaces SkyDive)
Yahoo 360 (I really liked it there for storage of posts)- July 09
Yahoo GeoCities (free accounts) - Oct ober 2009 (coming up)
Google Page Creator (I really liked this! It was replaced with Google Sites (with bugs) and final merging is happening as you read this).
Blog Bar - search engine for your blog in 08.
Blogfaces and BlogMad - blog surfing sites
ZoomClouds - ??? tag words for your blog for a search
Sampa.com - (a combo blog/albums/files/website s) notified 7/18 closing down on 8/17/09
So what is next?
Happy Fourth of July!
Just a note here -- I could not upload into my tBlog album, as a matter of fact, I could not even see my uploads! Something is wrong around here and it ain't pretty. So I uploaded my image to the Thoughts account and linked it from there. Seems to work ok.
I Can See Clearly Now
. . .the ads appear . . .
WOW -- I am on the new computer and I see what you all have been talking about -- the ads.
On the banner above "add a post" and all the linked words in the comment section.
Very ugly indeed. Even the link on the very top navigation bar "My Blog" is a clickable ad so how do you get to your blog, when you can't use that link? hmmm
Guess I shall try viewing on FireFox, once I install it.
The new monitor is 17 inches and gee, my blog looks so out of balance with so much white space on the sides.
Banking Credit Card Fees
Interesting article and comments.
New Credit Card Fees
Advice:
Use sparingly or not at all and if you do use them, pay them off every month to avoid the higher ridiculous interest rates and fees.
If you are making a minimum payment, try to increase it so more principal gets paid off lowering the interest you pay.
Don't cancel your paid off accounts as it will have a negative effect on your FICO score (lowering your score and making you look like a bad risk) -- just cut them up and throw them out. That way you don't use them at all.
Roadside Distractions
15 Roadside Distractions/Attractions -- which ever way you wish to look at it.
Memory Boosters
Forgetting to post because I forget what day it is.
Forgetting where I put the car keys even though I am holding them in my hand.
Some times forgetting the children are home and thinking I need to pick them up.
Or forgetting where I parked the car in the parking lot when at the store.
So here are some short exercises that can boost your memory. (However, there may be things you just wish to forget all together.)
Memory Booster Exercises
Don't forget that Yahoo 360 will close on July 13 (notified last Friday) an d Geocities (free version) closes down at the end of the year.
Sugar Stacks
You can look up drinks or food and find out the equavilent of how much sugar is in each product by the stack of sugar cubes in the picture and other info provided.
Maybe this may help some dieters out there, maybe not.
And certainly, it could increase cravings for the everyday sugar addict!
Sugar Stacks
Less for More
Anyone else notice how you are getting the same product, paying the same price but if you look at the label, you are getting less of the product?
I realize that people need to be paid, overhead needs to be taken care of, and shipping costs all add into the product price. Also, if you use coupons, that is built in too as "advertising costs" for print ads and TV/Radio.
The dog food that I buy went from 16 oz cans to 12 oz cans and now costs 40 cents more.
The dry food went from $12. a bag to $17. -- They seem to be the same size.
Some granola bars (store brand) sells for $1.99 had 12 in a pack, went to 10 and now is only 8 for the same price.
Yogurt drinks -- were 12 oz, went to 10 oz, and now are 7 oz, basically still costs 10 cents an ounce. I like to get one while shopping and drink it after I load the car up.
Sunny D -- at the discount store -- use to be $2.00 a gallon but now is $3.00 a gallon. No discount there. Other places around here, it sells for more.
Tuna fish, the cans seem the same size but they are only about 6 oz now for more money.
Even some pasta -- no longer in 16 oz boxes!
I had to laugh at the reasoning behind why baby food now is sold in smaller portions, the company said because "babies prefered less". I laughed so hard, how did they figure that out?
Even the newspaper has less pages (and much less news) but still basically costs the same.
The big bargain -- tBlog is free!
And a side note: Yahoo Geocities shutting down at the end of the year.
Last year shut downs: Yahoo Photos, Yahoo Briefcase, AOL Journals and photos, MSN Groups, Thirdage websites, and Free Homepages (spamorama there).
What do they all have in common -- antiquated systems.
Prediction: Angelfire and Tripod will be on the chopping block sooner or later.
Laundry Tips: Removing Coffee or Tea Stains
My children always stain their clothing so some of these tips apply to their stains also. I have used the stain sticks or sprays (left them on for days) but sometimes have to go a few more rounds of treatments. I have had to try a few of these tips at a time to remove stubborn stains.
Spent my day removing stains!
Remember to blot out a stain to prevent the stain from spreading.
I also treat the underside of the stain too.
1. Apply an even mix of vinegar and water (like 1/2 cup vinegar to 1/2 cup water) -- then wash in cold water with your regular laundry detergent. If the stain is pretty bad, just let it sit on the fabric for a few hours then wash.
2. Using a quarter cut of a lemon, heat the lemon in the microwave for 15 seconds to release more juice. Rub the lemon onto the stain and leave out in the sun. (Good for stains on white items especially.) Wash as usual.
3. Wet a terry cloth with warm water. Sprinkle baking soda onto it then rub into the stain. Wash as usual.
4. Hand cleaner GOOP or M30 Stain Remover (found at the dollar store). Apply directly to stain then let set, wash.
5. Soaking in Oxi-Clean, Era, Tide or Wisk overnight in a tub.
6. Napi-San but be careful with fine fabrics like silk or wool.
Here are a couple of videos with some more methods.
Video 1
Video 2 -- there are many more for many more types of stains there.
Just one more tip from me: To remove stubborn tea or coffee or cocoa stains from mugs or cups, I use Soft Scrub and a paper towel. I have also heard that baking soda or salt will do the same thing.
Dollar Deals and Duds
I just read a few articles on shopping at various dollar stores.
Here is a compiled list of the deals and duds and what to watch out for.
Deals
Cleaners
Shampoo, soap
Spices
Kitchen utensils and gadgets
Party goods, wrapping paper, gift bags, cards, ribbon
Duds
Vitamins (near expiration dates, or manufactured in outside the USA)
Toothpaste (may be tainted or has a label look alike to a major company, read label)
Batteries (drain fast, low life)
Electrical products, Christmas lights (shoddy manufacturing could cause overheating, may not be UL compliant, or made in other countries)
Jewelry and lunchboxes (may contain lead)
Comparing
Some of the snack food is priced accordingly, meaning, you will get less at the dollar store than if you bought the package at the grocery store.
For instance -- a store brand 16 oz jar of nuts would cost $1.60 at the local grocery store. At the dollar store, for one dollar you would get 10 oz of the same type of product. If you had a coupon, that $1.60 jar could cost less and you would get more.
BUT . . . in smaller packages, the price per oz or pound is usually higher so you may actually only get 8 oz for a dollar.
Read labels carefully and compare prices.
There have been many items recalled by the dollar type stores due to lead, small parts (especially in toys) or some other safety reason.
You can check on recalled items at:
Time Saving New Uses for Old Things
For those who need some new spring cleaning ideas to make your house sparkle and dazzle:
1. Store chalk with silverware to slow tarnishing.
2. Add a packet of Lemonade Kool Aid to your dishwasher to help clean and eliminate water lime and iron stain buildup from time to time.
3. Use binder clips to hold cloth napkins of the same pattern/color together. (I would think you would have to iron the mark the binder will leave before you use them.)
4. Use broken egg shells with water and a little dishwashing detergen t to clean the bottom of vases by swirling the concoction around a bit. The egg shells act as an abrasive.
5. WD-40 helps removing crayon off of most anything. Rub on and buff off.
6. Remove sticker adhesive with mayonaise.
7. Use a laundry bag as a dishwasher save item -- put the small stuff in there (like lids, sponges, or baby items) so they don't get lost or lose in the dishwashing process.
Find all these new ideas with more explanation here in a slide show.
Other useful articles on cleaning there too, if you are in the mood.
Linked Word Ads in Posts?
WOW -- I have heard some people mention this but have not seen if on my tblog or anyone else's. Maybe it is because I have an ad blocker or use Firefox?
Some members are mentioning "linked word ads" in the posts?
Do you see this on your blog or anyone else's?
What about my blog, do you see this?
When did this start since I have not seen it.
I will go check this out on the library computer.
If this is the case, then I think my blog must be a mess but I just don't see it. Poor visitors.
We are back! and THANKS!
Thanks for renewing the domain!
Very scarey but I guess the lesson learned, is back up your site -- just in case.
I could not imagine not coming here anymore even though I am posting once in a while.
I hope they find someone for the ad space.
