....we're still waiting and anticipating the arrival of Bill (the hurricane....not my brother lol).
It's been a bit frustrating trying to get regional updates for Newfoundland. TV stations have been reporting for days about other Canadian provinces...what's to come, expected rainfall amounts, wind speeds etc. region by region and they trail off by saying...."and more of the same for Newfoundland." So frustrating. One Canadian news station did a story on what could be expected in other Canadian provinces. They then went on to give more coverage to the fact the Obamas would be delaying their vacation due to Bill. Newfoundland got a mere one sentence mention.
Now that the storm has passed the rest of Canada....I thought we'd perhaps get more coverage. One station was reporting about one area...and the map behind him was showing another area. Imagine a reporter talking about the storm happening in Toronto but Moosonee being shown on the map.
It's 8:00 p.m. here...and so far we are experiencing nothing. Wouldn't it be nice if Bill forgot about us too!
Stay tuned...I'll update when I can!
Showing posts with label Rants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rants. Show all posts
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
A truly 'Green' idea
Well...I checked three 'green' items at Dominion this morning.
All.made.in.China.
I couldn't actually check the black bags as they were all sold out. Guess they'll have to order some more from China. To me (as I've probably mentioned once or twice already ;0)), this screams "Cash Grab" , it comes on the backs of customers and uses the environment to do so.
There are other ways if they had they truly did have environment's best interest at heart. I'm sure they could come up with several, if they'd just try.
Not sure if anyone remembers the old grocery store ....Knob Hill Farms? I used to shop there with my parents and myself when I was first on my own (back in the 80s). They had an excellent idea...way ahead of their time. It dealt with the issue of plastic bags, saved the environment and in the end, did not cost the customer any extra.
Their system was quite straight forward. At the checkout, the cashier would put your groceries into basket type containers, some were cardboard, some were hard plastic. If you took the cardboard type, they cost $1.00, the plastic, $2.00. They were sturdy (especially the plastic ones...we still had one up until we moved in 2007), held a fair amount and were convenient for lugging groceries. Upon your next visit to the grocery store, you'd simply return the baskets for a full refund.
Simple.
Straight forward.
Kept plastic bags out of landfills.
No extra charge for the customer.
A win win situation all around....
and it truly did help the environment.
All.made.in.China.
I couldn't actually check the black bags as they were all sold out. Guess they'll have to order some more from China. To me (as I've probably mentioned once or twice already ;0)), this screams "Cash Grab" , it comes on the backs of customers and uses the environment to do so.
There are other ways if they had they truly did have environment's best interest at heart. I'm sure they could come up with several, if they'd just try.
Not sure if anyone remembers the old grocery store ....Knob Hill Farms? I used to shop there with my parents and myself when I was first on my own (back in the 80s). They had an excellent idea...way ahead of their time. It dealt with the issue of plastic bags, saved the environment and in the end, did not cost the customer any extra.
Their system was quite straight forward. At the checkout, the cashier would put your groceries into basket type containers, some were cardboard, some were hard plastic. If you took the cardboard type, they cost $1.00, the plastic, $2.00. They were sturdy (especially the plastic ones...we still had one up until we moved in 2007), held a fair amount and were convenient for lugging groceries. Upon your next visit to the grocery store, you'd simply return the baskets for a full refund.
Simple.
Straight forward.
Kept plastic bags out of landfills.
No extra charge for the customer.
A win win situation all around....
and it truly did help the environment.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Yep....made in China
Further to yesterday's post, it seems like the reusable bags are made in China.
Why am I not surprised?
According to this CBC article anyway, 4th paragraph from the bottom, it states:
"Loblaw's reusable bags are about 100 per cent post-recycled plastic and are made in China mostly from recycled bottles"
CBC article
So....while we're to use (oh...and buy) the reusable bags, you know, for the good of the environment, we're just to ignore the fact these reusable bags, are made in China.
We won't discuss how these bags get here or the negative environmental impact that has. We'll just look the other way.
We also won't discuss how we're in an economic crisis, with Canadians loosing their jobs at an unprecedented rate and yet we buy these bags from where?
Perhaps though, as the above article is five months old, they've changed their ways and are selling bags made in Canada? (I'm sincerely asking because there is not a lot on-line mentioning where these bags are produced....but if they are made in Canada...why not promote that fact?) If they have changed to made in Canada bags, I'd be a little more willing to believe they are truly concerned about the environment and not just trying to cash in on it.
Why am I not surprised?
According to this CBC article anyway, 4th paragraph from the bottom, it states:
"Loblaw's reusable bags are about 100 per cent post-recycled plastic and are made in China mostly from recycled bottles"
CBC article
So....while we're to use (oh...and buy) the reusable bags, you know, for the good of the environment, we're just to ignore the fact these reusable bags, are made in China.
We won't discuss how these bags get here or the negative environmental impact that has. We'll just look the other way.
We also won't discuss how we're in an economic crisis, with Canadians loosing their jobs at an unprecedented rate and yet we buy these bags from where?
Perhaps though, as the above article is five months old, they've changed their ways and are selling bags made in Canada? (I'm sincerely asking because there is not a lot on-line mentioning where these bags are produced....but if they are made in Canada...why not promote that fact?) If they have changed to made in Canada bags, I'd be a little more willing to believe they are truly concerned about the environment and not just trying to cash in on it.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Earth Day
I'm all for protecting the environment....I really am.
I am opposed though, to corporations cashing in on it, making themselves look great and doing it all at the expense of the little guy.
For example....beginning today, one of our grocery chains will be charging .05 per plastic bag. Their claim...they are concerned about the environment and want to do their part to keep all those plastic bags out of landfills.
Fine....I'm with them so far. Except.....they're already charging me, indirectly for those grocery bags. Those prices are included as overhead and included in the price of groceries. Hmmm.....will I now get a discount when I don't use those bags? Will they decrease the price of groceries because their overhead will now go down? I'm not holding my breath. (and just a note here...we do not have chains such as No Frills or Food Basics who charge for their bags but in turn have lower priced groceries to reflect their lower overhead. Here grocery stores are all on the same level with prices being pretty much the same all across the board)
Next on their agenda, in order to help save the environment, they want us to purchase their reusable bags. Ok....these bags are .99 each. We would need about 10, I'm guessing, so that works out to $9.90. So now, on top of making money on me for the plastic bags I no longer get, I have to pay additional money to the corporation for their reusable bags. (For example we probably average 15 plastic bags per week. At .05 per bag that works out to $39.00 per year they're charging me for, included in their overhead costs, plus another $9.90 for reusable bags...and that's assuming these bags last me all year.)
Hmmmm....how long will these bags last? Forever? If not, I will need to buy more....again more money for the corporation. (We buy 8, 2 litre cartons of milk every week...how long will those bags stand lugging them?)
When these bags wear out or the handles break....what will I do with them? Throw them out in the garbage?
What about when the juice tin leaks all over the bag. Or the ground beef leaks all over the bag. What will I do then...wash the bag? Doesn't that require energy (hydro for the washing machine,) water and soap being flushed into the environment? etc. Perhaps I should just throw that bag out....and then what...into the landfill it goes and I can just go buy another one...wow more money for the corporation.
But....it gets better. The corporation has said it will make a donation, a large donation to a charity. Again...that looks good on the surface...what charity wouldn't benefit from such a large donation?
But wait a minute....doesn't the corporation get a tax write off for this donation? And....it's not even their money they are donating...it's money they've made charging for plastic bags they no longer give out (or charge for again) or money they've made from selling reusable bags.
Not bad....charge for an item then don't give it out...unless the customer still wants it then charge again. If the customer doesn't want it...then charge more money for another similar item. Then out of all that money, make a huge donation (which works out to be what percentage of money actually taken in?) and then get a tax write off for doing so. Not bad, if you can get away with it.
I really think, if the corporation was truly interested in the environment....they'd give out those reusable bags for free (remember....they've already charged for the plastic bags and without having to get them week after week it would work out the same, perhaps even less, for them). Either that or reduce grocery prices. Again...I'm not holding my breath.
Which brings me to another point....I wonder *where* those reusable bags are made? Canada? I certainly hope so....I'd hate to think a corporation who is so concerned with the environment is having them trucked in from somewhere else.
I am opposed though, to corporations cashing in on it, making themselves look great and doing it all at the expense of the little guy.
For example....beginning today, one of our grocery chains will be charging .05 per plastic bag. Their claim...they are concerned about the environment and want to do their part to keep all those plastic bags out of landfills.
Fine....I'm with them so far. Except.....they're already charging me, indirectly for those grocery bags. Those prices are included as overhead and included in the price of groceries. Hmmm.....will I now get a discount when I don't use those bags? Will they decrease the price of groceries because their overhead will now go down? I'm not holding my breath. (and just a note here...we do not have chains such as No Frills or Food Basics who charge for their bags but in turn have lower priced groceries to reflect their lower overhead. Here grocery stores are all on the same level with prices being pretty much the same all across the board)
Next on their agenda, in order to help save the environment, they want us to purchase their reusable bags. Ok....these bags are .99 each. We would need about 10, I'm guessing, so that works out to $9.90. So now, on top of making money on me for the plastic bags I no longer get, I have to pay additional money to the corporation for their reusable bags. (For example we probably average 15 plastic bags per week. At .05 per bag that works out to $39.00 per year they're charging me for, included in their overhead costs, plus another $9.90 for reusable bags...and that's assuming these bags last me all year.)
Hmmmm....how long will these bags last? Forever? If not, I will need to buy more....again more money for the corporation. (We buy 8, 2 litre cartons of milk every week...how long will those bags stand lugging them?)
When these bags wear out or the handles break....what will I do with them? Throw them out in the garbage?
What about when the juice tin leaks all over the bag. Or the ground beef leaks all over the bag. What will I do then...wash the bag? Doesn't that require energy (hydro for the washing machine,) water and soap being flushed into the environment? etc. Perhaps I should just throw that bag out....and then what...into the landfill it goes and I can just go buy another one...wow more money for the corporation.
But....it gets better. The corporation has said it will make a donation, a large donation to a charity. Again...that looks good on the surface...what charity wouldn't benefit from such a large donation?
But wait a minute....doesn't the corporation get a tax write off for this donation? And....it's not even their money they are donating...it's money they've made charging for plastic bags they no longer give out (or charge for again) or money they've made from selling reusable bags.
Not bad....charge for an item then don't give it out...unless the customer still wants it then charge again. If the customer doesn't want it...then charge more money for another similar item. Then out of all that money, make a huge donation (which works out to be what percentage of money actually taken in?) and then get a tax write off for doing so. Not bad, if you can get away with it.
I really think, if the corporation was truly interested in the environment....they'd give out those reusable bags for free (remember....they've already charged for the plastic bags and without having to get them week after week it would work out the same, perhaps even less, for them). Either that or reduce grocery prices. Again...I'm not holding my breath.
Which brings me to another point....I wonder *where* those reusable bags are made? Canada? I certainly hope so....I'd hate to think a corporation who is so concerned with the environment is having them trucked in from somewhere else.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Argh....
As some of you know, I've been having some on-going health issues. Many tests but no real answers yet.
The surgeon wants to put a scope down and look at the inside of my stomach. As you can well imagine, I'm really looking forward to this (ummm.....NO). I figured I'd have a bit of wait, but not so. The surgeon's secretary called me on Monday to advise the scope would be done this Thursday afternoon at 1:30. She went on to say I could have a light breakfast before 7:00 a.m., but nothing to eat or drink after that.
That's o.k., until I remembered I'm having an ultra sound on my liver on Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. For that test, I cannot eat or drink anything after midnight on Wednesday. Also factored into the equation ---- I have a pre existing stomach condition where I cannot eat anything after about 4:30 in the afternoon.
Soooo what this all means, I will not have anything to eat from 4:30 Wednesday until 2:30 or 3:00 Thursday. Thankfully I can have a drink before bed on Wednesday but nothing to drink all day....not until 2:30 or 3:00. No coffee.....no water...nothing. Oh my.....I hope I can do it..
Wish me luck.
The surgeon wants to put a scope down and look at the inside of my stomach. As you can well imagine, I'm really looking forward to this (ummm.....NO). I figured I'd have a bit of wait, but not so. The surgeon's secretary called me on Monday to advise the scope would be done this Thursday afternoon at 1:30. She went on to say I could have a light breakfast before 7:00 a.m., but nothing to eat or drink after that.
That's o.k., until I remembered I'm having an ultra sound on my liver on Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. For that test, I cannot eat or drink anything after midnight on Wednesday. Also factored into the equation ---- I have a pre existing stomach condition where I cannot eat anything after about 4:30 in the afternoon.
Soooo what this all means, I will not have anything to eat from 4:30 Wednesday until 2:30 or 3:00 Thursday. Thankfully I can have a drink before bed on Wednesday but nothing to drink all day....not until 2:30 or 3:00. No coffee.....no water...nothing. Oh my.....I hope I can do it..
Wish me luck.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Feeding a family of 4 - 6 on $70.00 -- Really???
Hmmmm......
I quite often read claims on various sites that make me go....hmmmmm. They are usually claims of how little it costs to do a certain thing and....if you, the reader, will only have the wisdom, then you'll be able to do so as well. They make it sound so easy and make the reader feel inadequate.
These claims always make me feel I'm doing something wrong because usually it's costing me a lot more to do what they are writing about than the claims they are making. Now, before I continue, I must preface this with the fact I am no stranger to being frugal. I've had more than one bank manager ask me about this. There was even one who said, "I have many clients that make twice as much money as you and they still cannot make ends meet. I don't know how you do it. If you are ever considering re-entering the work force, please come and see me first. I can't guarantee you a job, but I would certainly like the opportunity to have you on my staff."
I recently found such a claim on this site. It claims a family of 4 - 6 can be fed on $70.00/week. Hmmmm....I know *I* don't feed my family of 5 for anywhere near that amount, not even close. We don't buy cookies, chips, pop, or any convenience foods....just the necessities and our grocery bill is still much higher than $70.00. But.... this writer claims it can be done (and elsewhere on the site it even makes claims of menus that actually cost less than that).
So....I thought I'd take a bit closer look. After all, maybe I am doing something drastically wrong and if I can feed my family for $70.00, them I'm all for it. I started by picking 10 items off the list on this site. I went to my grocery store, equipped with my list and wrote down the prices. For my comparison, I chose the cheapest brand on the shelf. Also, as our grocery stores sell things in grams, kgs etc., I had Larry convert them into the same units (and therefore prices for the same quantities) as on the original list. This is what I found:
................................Price listed on web site..........Our price
Hot Dogs, 1 lb .................................89 ...................... 2.47
Margarine, 3 lbs ............................1.35 ...................... 7.17
Ground Beef, 5 lbs .........................6.90 ......................18.80
14 oz. Tin of Salmon ....................... .97 ...................... 2.33
1 lb frozen peas ............................1.00 .......................1.09
1 bunch of celery ...........................1.30........................1.79
10 lbs all purpose flour.....................1.92........................5.70
4 boxes Mac & Cheese.....................1.33........................2.36
3 doz. eggs..................................2.17 .......................6.81
3 lbs long grain rice.........................1.00.......................2.69
TOTALS .....................................18.83.....................51.21
Interesting.
I've only compared 10 items --- there are a total of 48 items on the list. At the end of these 10 items, I've already spent $51.21 and somehow doubt I will be able to buy the rest of the list for $18.79. I would even go as far to say if I purchased everything on that list, my weekly grocery bill would be a lot more than I already spend.
So much for feeding a family of 4 - 6 on $70.00. (I even left a comment on this website and the response seemed to indicate there was no idea what I was talking about and probably it was just a banner ad. When I left another comment with a link to the original post, the comment was never published or answered)
I quite often read claims on various sites that make me go....hmmmmm. They are usually claims of how little it costs to do a certain thing and....if you, the reader, will only have the wisdom, then you'll be able to do so as well. They make it sound so easy and make the reader feel inadequate.
These claims always make me feel I'm doing something wrong because usually it's costing me a lot more to do what they are writing about than the claims they are making. Now, before I continue, I must preface this with the fact I am no stranger to being frugal. I've had more than one bank manager ask me about this. There was even one who said, "I have many clients that make twice as much money as you and they still cannot make ends meet. I don't know how you do it. If you are ever considering re-entering the work force, please come and see me first. I can't guarantee you a job, but I would certainly like the opportunity to have you on my staff."
I recently found such a claim on this site. It claims a family of 4 - 6 can be fed on $70.00/week. Hmmmm....I know *I* don't feed my family of 5 for anywhere near that amount, not even close. We don't buy cookies, chips, pop, or any convenience foods....just the necessities and our grocery bill is still much higher than $70.00. But.... this writer claims it can be done (and elsewhere on the site it even makes claims of menus that actually cost less than that).
So....I thought I'd take a bit closer look. After all, maybe I am doing something drastically wrong and if I can feed my family for $70.00, them I'm all for it. I started by picking 10 items off the list on this site. I went to my grocery store, equipped with my list and wrote down the prices. For my comparison, I chose the cheapest brand on the shelf. Also, as our grocery stores sell things in grams, kgs etc., I had Larry convert them into the same units (and therefore prices for the same quantities) as on the original list. This is what I found:
................................Price listed on web site..........Our price
Hot Dogs, 1 lb .................................89 ...................... 2.47
Margarine, 3 lbs ............................1.35 ...................... 7.17
Ground Beef, 5 lbs .........................6.90 ......................18.80
14 oz. Tin of Salmon ....................... .97 ...................... 2.33
1 lb frozen peas ............................1.00 .......................1.09
1 bunch of celery ...........................1.30........................1.79
10 lbs all purpose flour.....................1.92........................5.70
4 boxes Mac & Cheese.....................1.33........................2.36
3 doz. eggs..................................2.17 .......................6.81
3 lbs long grain rice.........................1.00.......................2.69
TOTALS .....................................18.83.....................51.21
Interesting.
I've only compared 10 items --- there are a total of 48 items on the list. At the end of these 10 items, I've already spent $51.21 and somehow doubt I will be able to buy the rest of the list for $18.79. I would even go as far to say if I purchased everything on that list, my weekly grocery bill would be a lot more than I already spend.
So much for feeding a family of 4 - 6 on $70.00. (I even left a comment on this website and the response seemed to indicate there was no idea what I was talking about and probably it was just a banner ad. When I left another comment with a link to the original post, the comment was never published or answered)
Saturday, March 29, 2008
(Not so) Happy Birthday :0(
Jake has been excited for weeks......his 10th birthday would be happening soon. Jake is an enthusiastic sort, to put it mildly. When he's excited, he's ummm....really excited. He is extreme in all of his emotions, when he's sad he really feels it. When he's happy, he really feels that. So, his approaching 10th birthday was no exception.
After careful consideration, he decided who he wanted to invite and that we would all go out for lunch and then back here for cake and activities. Even though his real birthday isn't until April 2, we decided this Saturday would be the best day to celebrate. We invited the little boy, he accepted and arrangements were made.
For the last several days, Jake had been having difficulty narrowing down which restaurant we would go to. There were three in the running. Several times he wrote the names of those three on pieces of paper, placed them in a hat and had each of us draw out a name. He had a formula (Jake's formula lol) to work out just which restaurant would win. He did this several times, as..well...."It's just such a big decision you know, Mom."
Last night, he went shopping with us to pick up his cake and choose the right potato chips (this is a treat as we never have potato chips on hand here). He had ordered chocolate cake and was disappointed to see a white cake. After explaining the problem, they redid him a cake and a chocolate one this time. He selected some special items to make a couple of loot bags. He was already to go, other than he still didn't know which restaurant we were going to.
He had difficulty sleeping --- it was almost as big as Christmas .... and did I mention he was excited???
En route to pick up his friend, he finally decided Swiss Chalet would be the winner. We picked up the boy and headed to the restaurant. Everything seemed to be going well.....until half way through the meal. The friend all of a sudden started saying things like, "I may have to leave early." "I think I'm going to visit my grandmother so I'm going to have to leave early." "I'm not allowed to eat cake, I can only eat hard things as soft things are too hard on my teeth.". He hardly touched his food. It was becoming clearly apparent he wasn't happy. Next came the tears, he wanted to go home and was clear he wanted to go right now...no waiting for the bill, he wanted to go NOW!
The restaurant staff all came over with a sundae and a candle and sang Happy Birthday to Jake. By this time both boys were fully engaged in tears --- one because he wanted to go home, the other because his 10th birthday, the one he had so eagerly anticipated for weeks, was being ruined. (Just as an aside here, a couple of things come to mind here. First of all, the thing I hear most of all about homeschooling is "What about socialization??" This always makes me laugh and this whole situation illustrates why so beautifully. The theory says a child who goes out to school will learn wonderful social skills, they will learn how to handle social situations. Hmmmm....so if this theory is true, then this almost 11 year old boy who has always attended public school, should know how to handle social situations by now.....shouldn't he? There goes that theory ;0))
So, we proceed to ask the waitress for the bill and explain there is nothing wrong with the food or the service. By this time, the friend is demanding we let him leave the restaurant on his own, so he can go home, on his own NOW!!! When we attempted to explain we were trying to get the bill quickly, and that he couldn't go out wandering around a city by himself, he got even more upset. Crying loudly and everyone in the restaurant was staring.
We finally pay and leave. After driving him home and taking him in to his house, we're told, "Well, there's not much we can do." Honestly, there have been several times one of our kids have not wanted to attend a birthday party and unless we have a good, legitimate reason, they are always made attend. Surely parents can put themselves in the place of the birthday boy and know how disappointing it will be (especially when they accepted the invitation in the first place).
Jake was so upset.....so many tears....which made mom the same way. (I don't like to see one of my guys so hurt....he'd been sooo excited and then this). We offered to cancel the plans and do a family birthday next weekend, but Jake wanted his birthday celebration to be today.
Home we came. Tyler and Brittney decided they were going to rally around their little brother and make it a good party, regardless. They sang and sang loud (we even got Tyler to sing!!) when the cake came out. They treated him like a little king. They brought all of his presents to him. They made him feel special, despite the fiasco that happened earlier. After all the presents were opened, they retreated to Jake's bedroom where Brittney blew up some balloons for Jake. Tyler helped Jake put together a Lego Sponge Bob Square pants. A little while later, Jake emerged to announce he needs to put together a loot bag for Tyler, after all he's been at his party. The loot bag which had been intended for the friend, can now be Brittney's.
I was quite proud of Jake today. Even though he'd been majorly disappointed, he pulled it together and had a good time (well as good as he could) in spite of all that had happened. His brother and sister helped too and I was proud of them for rallying around.
When I tucked him tonight, he told me he still thought it wasn't very nice what his friend had done but did have a good time with us.
I still don't like to see my guy so sad.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Yup....more snow for Newfoundland
One of my newly formed pet peeves is the amount of attention Newfoundland weather seems to get.
My Dad phoned me this morning, "I've just been watching The Weather Network and they said Newfoundland is in the middle of a really bad snow storm and I just wondered how bad is it? How much snow has fallen?"
Says me (somewhat astonished as I look out our front window), "Ummmmm.......hmmmmm......nnooo....it's not snowing here, in fact it's beautiful here, the sky is so blue and it doesn't even look like there are any approaching storms."
But....you can judge for yourselves. Here are some pics I took this morning. Does it look like we're in the middle of a blizzard? I honestly wonder if these weather casters actually take the time to look at conditions here or if it's just too easy for them to say, "Yup, more snow for Newfoundland today."
......sigh
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