Just got home from the theatre

Help with home hair coloring sm [2008-11-22]
Perhaps this will get their attention. With the price of salon treatments and especially around the holidays, we need some help here, so please read and comment if you could. Thank you. I miss my blonde highlights. When done correctly, makesme feel not so mousy brown - would love to know how to do this well without looking like a clown.

I stay home!!! (I think I have social anxiety). nm [2008-11-20]
nm

Mine does too. She will come home for [2008-11-18]
school and ask Is this whatever I can find for dinner night? She is 14 and has just started cooking, so she absolutely loves it.

I had to place my mom in a nursing home [2008-11-09]
temporarily when she broke her hip the first time. It was very hard. (I had made a promise to her that I would never put her in one when she got older.) I visited her every day and every day she begged to come home. Shedidnand encourage her to keep up because the sooner she could walk with little assistance, the sooner she could come home. The PT team was great, too, always encouraging her, and she did her best. I found out that they had a hairdresser that came in every week and I paid to get her a haircut and style. After that, she kind of settled in a little bit, but still begged to come home. Thank heavens, she was only there2 months. I don't think I could have stood it much longer. Then when it was time to come home, she wanted to bring the furniture with her. LOL They had cherry dressers and headboards. It was almost like a regular bedroom. Momhe sat there for hours. No one came to see if he needed anything. The room was awful, so small andcheap furniture with old iron hospital beds. Reminded me of a regular hospital. Talked to his son and that's all the insurance company would cover for him so he was stuck. As the other poster said, research the homes as much as possible. Go when the activities and/or PT is taking place and just watch. Talk to the people that live there if possible. Talk to activity director, DON, etc. before deciding. Check the rooms. Watch to see if the CNAinsurance runs out; i.e., where the patients go after that. Mom would have been transferred to the first (MediCare) floor, but she came home before that.

nursing home decision [2008-11-09]
I am living this as we speak. My father died in March of 2007. My mother became bedridden in June 2007. I had hospice come in to assist, Home Health and Hospice to be exact, and they are wonderful. They actually have their own private nursing home-type facility in the next town over. With hospice, on an occasional basis and when a bed is available, they offer the caregiver a 5-day respite at their facility. After momma went for the first time she was offered a bed there and I immediately accepted. The facility is very small and only for the 3HC clientele, with only 12 private rooms divided into 2 sides - one side with 6 beds for the terminal clients and one side with 6 beds for residential clients. Momma was able to stay on the residential side for 7 months; however, her condition was stable and Medicare would no longer pay the fee. Momma came home after that and I have again been her primary caregiver since January of this year. She is contractured, bedridden, and rarely speaks or opens her eyes. I do have a sitter that works during the daytime hours M-F so that I can actually work, run errands when I need to, and get the kids to and from school because otherwise I cannot leave the house at all because momma cannot be left alone. I feel blessed to have found this line of work not quite 6 years ago. I have a 4-1/2 year old and a 6 year old and momma to care for so working from home has been a lifesaver. I, too, made the promise to momma that I would not put her in a nursing home and I will stand by that. Itcare most of the public places provide. It's a tough decision to make - even tougher if there aren't funds available like there are in our case (thanks to my great daddy) to pay for the sitter to come in and assist. But when the sitter isn't here, the kids and I must be. For the most part they understand, but sometimes they really just want to go somewhere or to the park or to McDonalds and we just can't do it. It's a huge personal sacrifice for your entire family to make to keep a parent at home. The decision isn't always just personal, though. It can be financial, too. You will make the right decision for whatever your situation is. Whatever you decide to do, just know that your parent respects you enough to make that decision for them and that they love you. Best of luck to you honey... hugzzzzz

nursing home - hardest decision ever sm [2008-11-09]
I had also made those promises to my folks, Dad was kept home on hospice 14 months, he had suffered brain damage from not being found for hours and was awful to all of us but we managed with a hospital bed, hospice and nurses, however, my whole family fell apart, fighting, etc., until he fell so many times and was so sick, we called 911 one night for help and hospice literally threw us out of the program. You are supposed to call them (in my state anyway) and they will sit with you while you watch them take their last breaths. Could not go through with that. Then we had no choice but nursing home, they took every cent they could get their hands on without touching my momshow up to check on them. Sometimes theyassisted living scenario, and after they clean out the bank book, they put them in a nursing home anyway, so thatsandwich generation between what to do with the parent and if you have kids, what is best for them. Itshow up and if you don it's tough to walk that walk. Take care, hopefully you will make the right decision. In some states you can have her in a nursing home and if she qualifies, you can also have hospice go in there for special care such as you desire for her comfort. Good luck, know we are all thinking of you.

Has anyone here had the painful problem of having to place their parent in a nursing home? SM [2008-11-08]
My beautiful dad passed away last year. My mother and father were devoted to one another, my mother always taken care of by my father in every way, married 67 great years. My mom has always had excellent health, but after about 1-1/2 years, she has deteriorated to the point where I do not know her and I am scared, she is frail, not eating, almost unable to walk, struggles to dress herself or do for herself, will not accept a home health aide, we are trying to cook and clean for her at home but it is getting very scary, she just turned 90 and she seems to be failing fast. I am so sorry this is so long, but it is all so complicated, it is like she gave up the second my dad died. Anyone go through this yet????

I have a 16yo son. On school nights, he has to be home by 9p. SM [2008-11-04]
On weekends, midnight. However, he is not allowed to be gone every night during the week. It helps that his girlfriend Plus they do their homework together which is nice. My son when from failing classes last year to make all As and Bs this year. So I try to give him a little more freedom because of the effort he's been giving.

Anyone have any home remedies [2008-10-31]
My back is killing me (time of month again), but this time my back seems to be killing me worse than ever. I can I Anyone know of anything that might help? How bout home remedies for other things. My grandfather was an advocate for a teaspoon of honey and teaspoon of cider vinegar in a glass of OJ each morning to cure what ever ailed you (he lived until 92 years old and hardly ever went to the doc).

Home Alone 1, A Christmas Story, Home for the Holidays, Chevy Chase's Christmas, sm [2008-10-27]
There The Gift of the Magi, He sells his gold watch to buy her a comb for her hair and she sells her beautiful long hair to buy him a chain for his gold watch. It used to be on Short Stories by O but thatIt -- too depressing, especially with banks closing, too intimidating right now!!!

Home Alone 1, A Christmas Story, Home for the Holidays, Chevy Chase's Christmas, sm [2008-10-27]
There The Gift of the Magi, He sells his gold watch to buy her a comb for her hair and she sells her beautiful long hair to buy him a chain for his gold watch. It used to be on Short Stories by O but thatIt -- too depressing, especially with banks closing, too intimidating right now!!!

Home Alone-1, & Christmas Vacation (with [2008-10-25]
Oops! Almost forgot the cartoon, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I LOVE that ol' green Grinch!

my Home Depot has 'em. no message inside. [2008-10-24]
.

Seeking home remedy [2008-10-21]
I have been having horrible Charlie Horse I have been reading online that there is really no relationship with low potassium, magnesium, or calcium like most people think. The only suggestions I see are stretching or a hot bath. Anyone have any suggestions of things to try? TIA!

Of course I would want to be equally valued. Why can't that be taught at home? nm [2008-10-16]
x

How often is she at your home?...sm [2008-10-10]
Maybe if you could just try to hang in there for the time she is there. How is it when she is not there? Do you guys get along, does he spend time with you? It sounds like she is a spoiled brat. You have obviously done the right thing letting him know how you feel but why donshe. That is disrespectful to you. You have a name. I don't have this problem. Don't have any stepchildren. The only advice I can give is give them all the time they want. Ignore them if that is the way he wants to play it. If he says something about you ignoring them or not being socialable say oh I thought that is what you wanted since you don't include me in anything. I would just do my own thing and let him do his with the little darling.

Yep that was it....Taste of Home...nm [2008-10-10]
ss

I have to agree here. Go home and see your family....sm [2008-10-05]
who needs doom and gloom day-in and day-out. Really, you need to celebrate the little things in life, like waking up and just being able to breath the fresh air!! Family is what makes you happy and feel fulfilled........go home and see your family. Be happy, enjoy life...cause you only get one shot at it. Best of luck and I wish you happiness and peace!

home made mac n' cheese and apple pie NM [2008-10-02]
x

Don't think its home alone as much as [2008-09-28]
having something to do...atleast for my hubs. I work at home so I'm almost always here but he can't stand to stay home most days. He has to be running somewhere for something. Drives me nuts! I always have a list of things to do around the house. It is never ending.

I have Vista on my home computer, XP on 2 others. [2008-09-25]
I cannot stand Vista. I now only use that computer basically to print things or run a simple Word document. I never had problems with it before having Vista installed. I tried to load my transcription programs to that computer and never was successful. My other 2 with XP, never have problems with anything. I bought a used laptop for remote use simply because I could get it ith XP and not pay more since all the new ones start with Vista.

Anyone know other ways of making at-home money sm [2008-09-03]
I have been transcribing for over 12 years - and I do like the profession and I am grateful that it has allowed me to stay home with my children. But I am getting sort of burned out....and want to do something different for a while at home. Have been looking at all sorts of online sites that advertise working from home but I don I know this is an MT site but does anyone do anything other than MTing that has been successful? I am thinking of maybe doing MTing part-time to stay up-to-date with it, and doing something else part-time, or maybe just taking a break from MTing for a while altogether. Any ideas would be appreciated.

working at home [2008-08-28]
One more reason why I'm so grateful I can work at home!

there is a reason and why would you consider sending an 8-year-old to a home? [2008-08-26]
nm

Home [2008-08-15]
Western Colorado. In a flash!

Well he finally left....sm [2008-11-22]
He asked when my husband would be home and I said tonight and he left. He is staying somewhere else. He is getting an apartment next week 30 miles away from here he said so I am glad. I hate to say it but I am tired of babysitting. I got to where when he comes and won't leave I just stay in my office.

I would like to know too as s/m [2008-11-22]
I have dark brown hair and did have highlights, but couldn If there is a way at home to do it without looking cheap, I'd love to know!

Birthdays with holidays. [2008-11-21]
Sometimes I like that the birthdays are around the holidays because then I can buy extra stuff and look at it all and decide how to split it up between the 2. Other times, like this year, we don't have much $ so I would really prefer them to be separated more but can choose that one! My husband normally leaves the lights on all night. Turn on when he gets home from work and off in the morning...not this year. I think its reasonable to just do a few hours each evening. I don't think we'll put up as many as we normally do either. Usually we line all the windows, roof, bushes, etc. Probably keep it simple this year.

Help is a safety net you have paid for sm [2008-11-21]
Food stamps are a safety net we all pay for, all forms of public assistance are things we have been paying for all along. TAKE the help you need! Do move closer to family if you possibly can. I have been in your shoes myself. I lost my home to foreclosure 4 years ago because of having a near-fatal drug interaction and losing my job of nearly 7 years. I made a couple of moves and finally ended up in a small town out of state from where I had lived for 30 years. I lived with a close friend for about 9 months and had the opportunity to buy a mobile home for $3000. The people I bought it from said I could make payments and I was able to pay it off in 5 months. It needed a lot of work and it has gotten it, most of which I have done myself. This project really helped me to regain parts of myself I had lost. It gave me a reason to get up and get going on my days off. I turned this ugly old thing into a lovely, comfortable home I cherish. I have lost about 50-60 lbs since living here and I have brought the idea of vastly cutting expenses in line with making more money. The end result is that I am very well off financially, better than in my entire life. DO get medication to help you if you can. I didn't have medication to help because I am allergic to every psychotropic in existence. I did this by pulling myself up by the boot straps, but if I could have had help, I would have. There IS a brighter future out there. You CAN have that brighter future because you DESERVE IT. That said, no one expects you to get there alone!!! Don't be embarrassed to ask and receive help. You will be able to help others later. Years ago, when my kids were young, I was a single parent, no support and it was Christmas time. My kids didn't even have adequate clothing or food. A neighbor I hardly knew handed me a Christmas card. Inside was a $100 gift card to K-Mart. She said that many years before that, she had been in my shoes and someone had given her $100 one Christmas, she was now paying this forward to me. The only provision was that I return this favor when I could, and that I bought something for myself too because I deserve nice things for my hard work. It was a turning point for me. I have been more of a giver since. Although I could have paid this back last year, I didn't know anyone who would appropriately benefit. This year, I do and I had to tell her that I was going to do this and why. She cried and felt embarrassed because, she said, she was usually in the position to give and it hurt a little to receive. I reminded her that she was GIVING me the gift of giving with pleasure. Others are going to give to you with pleasure, love, friendship and concern for your well being. TAKE IT. One day you'll post back here about how good things are and I'll want to hear it.

Whatever sale item is most important to you [2008-11-21]
start there...early. Sale ads from Wednesday night's or Thursday morning's newspapers should tell you the store hours and sale hours. Many end at 11am. My dd and I like to go about an hour after stores open, though it's still dark outside. The crowds that were waiting in line overnight for the big ticket items are gone by then, and most everyone else avoids the stores until the afternoon hours, thinking they will be less crowded. Wrong they are though. There are more employees on duty early rather than later, so things move more quickly in the morning hours. We've also found the earlier crowds to be friendlier. DD starts singing Christmas carols while standing in line and soon lots of others join in. She's a blast to shop with. Then we go to a late breakfast and go home before the unfriendly crowds show up. Hope your experience is an enjoyable one.

It's 23 degrees here [2008-11-21]
and we're having our first major blizzard. Just got home driving in it. No fun. Did I mention I hate snow?! Inside it's a nice toasty 68. Just watching The Ghost Whisperer and ready for a very early night.

Here's my problem....sm [2008-11-21]
My dad is irresponsible and is in financial debt and doom. There is no way he can make the money to pay the bills he has accumulated. He has borrowed money he shouldnt have. Well the situation is... He has been knowing if he didn He refused to pay it. Every time he would get acheck he wouldn Well he kept not paying it for 2 months. Well yesterday they turned them out. It is freezing here. It is going to be in the 20s tonight. He said I don Well he was told and told to pay it and wouldn So now what does he do? As soon as he gets off work he comes to my house cause he don I can So I can He also said he had no money for food because he had to use it all for diesal for his dump truck. So I offered him food too. He also rumages through my cabinets for snacks. I feel like I am the parent and he is the child. My husband drives a big truck and he has been gone. When I tell him what is going on he gets aggravated because he is sitting at our house and all. He said he is a grown man and needs to step up and take care of himself but he is my dad and I can My husband will be home either late tonight or first thing in the morning and this is not going to go over too well with him. I am at a loss.

He is 60 years old...sm [2008-11-21]
And acts like he is 2. He doesnI am not his babysitter. He is a grown man and he needs to act like it. Social service doesn't need to help him. The man makes decent money. He just won't take responsibity to pay his bills and has too many at that. He needs to thin them out. For instance, he has 2 new model trucks. He does not need 2 trucks but he WANTS both of them. But a light bill is one of your most important bills. And I for a fact know he had the money to pay it and didn't. I even told him you better go pay that electric bill. He wouldn't. I have never seen anyone who was quite like him. I love my dad and don't want to hurt him but he is making things very hard for me right now. I can't babysit him anymore. He is more than welcome to come visit me as often as he wants. He can come by everyday if he wants. But then there is a time to leave and go home. I have a family and I know I wouldnt like it if my husbands dad did this. I would not be happy at all. I am not happy about my father doing it but what do you do? Tell him get out?

I have a friend who left her live-in ...sm [2008-11-21]
boyfriend of 11 years who she had a baby with because he was doing drugs and wasn't coming home at night, going to strip clubs after work and not coming home, etc. She lived in MS close to me and her parents and all of her family lived in Las Vegas, NV. She left and never looked back. She said it was the hardest thing she ever had to do but she doesn't regret it and is so much happier now.

black friday [2008-11-20]
I went one time...and won I guess it would be better if I had someone to go with, but even then it gets crazy! Good luck to you! I will stay at home on Black Friday shop online!

ooh...that is a bad word in our house! [2008-11-20]
I have trouble dealing with the day-to-day rudeness of people out in public. I have too many urges and have to bite my tongue. I actually shop online for most of my stuff. I am one of those people that get irritated if my trip to the grocery store lasts more than 30 minutes, so I think it is best for everyone involved that I stay home on Black Friday.

I need some help here -- [2008-11-20]
I am so depressed... I don I just filed bankruptcy 2 years ago because of this job. My income changed so drastically that I lost everything. My car, my home, all of it.I just got things back on track earlier this year and now this crap has to start all over again. I do not foresee being able to make my rent payments on my new house that I just moved into, my cable will be turned off tonight at midnight for nonpayment, I have an old car now and everything keeps tearing up on it and I cannot afford to fix it, I just looked in my closet and I have no clothes to wear anymore, I have gained 50 pounds, I cry all the time, I am by myself all the time in this house, my family all live about 50 miles from me, so it is not affordable to drive there all the time, I have no friends, and as you can tell, I am seriously DEPRESSED!!! I don I have done everything. I have no life outside of my home anymore. I never go out, I never take trips, my 5 year old grandson just this weekend asked me why I did not buy him a birthday present for his birthday last month (no money) and Christmas is coming up, which of course will be more of the same since there is no money... Sorry to unload, just needed somewhere to go for a minute...

I've been there [2008-11-20]
I have been in your shoes. Last year my husband died unexpectedly at age 56, I literally woke up one morning and he was dead in our bed next to me (aneurysm). That started a downhill spiral . . . . since then I I canhow depressed III am working now and starting to pull myself up out of the dark hole I've been in. The poster above is right. You need to see a doctor. I found out that most major health systems have programs for those of us with no insurance and no money. Call their financial offices and just tell them point blank you need to be seen and you have no insurance. They will not refuse you. I found a clinic near my house that is part of a largehospital. I was able to see a doctor for a physicalandget my annual Pap and mammogram done at no charge. They gave me samples of my medications (I have asthma) for a few months until I had insurance again. They prescribed an antidepressant which worked wonders and they gave me that as samples each month. Move closer to your family. You My family has been supportive of all the decisions I Spend time with yourgrandchild, kids can make you feel so much better.If you I did. I didn Forjust myselfI was given 174.00 a month for food and it helped outtremendously. I know it You may be hesitant to take free medical care or ask for food benefits, but remember THIS IS ONLY TEMPORARY and you will get back on your feet. It may take a while, but you will make it. Good luck to you.

Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation 1863 [2008-11-19]
Abraham Lincoln while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.By The President: Abraham LincolnWilliam H. Seward, Secretary of State

We have been spending less than 100 [2008-11-19]
And we are starving. DH took over going to the grocery store from me (He thought I spent too much when I would spend about 150 a week.) It has been months since we do not have a bare cupboard. I am not complaining. I understand we are broke and he needs to pay the creditors. But the one person who has pretty much stopped eating is me. I am home all day and there is never bread to make a sandwich and I often pass up supper because I am tired of eating junky stuff like mac and cheese or spaghetti with meat sauce. He and our 11 year old son, on the other hand eat thirds of whatever meal it is. I get kind of annoyed. Our littlest boy and middle girl eat very little. All 3 take their lunch to school. I say to DH either stop eating so much (for him and the older boy) or buy more. He flips his eyes at me. We even stopped getting microwave popcorn which used to fill them up. So, now I am hoping to work extra to go to the grocery store myself and put an extra 100 a week in myself, but I keep running out of work. You see, this all started when we started running out of work in transcription about a year ago this fall, and my DH took over the bills. Apparently food was the first to be cut. And, BTW I don't ever go anywhere because there is no gas in my car, and it has 2 flat tires. We live by the school and I borrow DH's car to take the kids but it is always on empty. We seem to make it every time. Oh, well. No need to complain. Just cutting back. The family is lucky I work at home, don't use gas, barely eat. But I do have to pay 10 bucks a month for nerve pills, because it is hard doing without. Like I said, when work picks up transcribing first place I am going after I get gas for the car is to the food store. Eventually I can repair my flat tires.

That's not a bad idea. he's forever putting [2008-11-19]
a few $$ here and a few $$ there in his gas tank and he has a steady girlfriend. Maybe a gift card to the movie theatre too! TY!

Black Friday [2008-11-19]
My husband and I always shop on Black Friday, but if there's something we really want he goes out at about 4:00-5:00 in the morning to get it and then comes back to get me at around 9:00. I'm not a morning person at all. I usually don't go to bed unti 4:00 a.m. because of work so the thought of getting up that early doesn't appeal to me. We leave the kids at my parents where we spend Thanksgiving. Then we go out to a fantastic Greek Restaurant for lunch then back to grandma and grandpa and then travel back home an hour away. Then the next day it's off to cut down our Christmas tree.

My family is hurting :( [2008-11-19]
Some of you may remember the recent pet picture postings here. I posted a picture of my baby girl, Daisy, nursing her three babies who arenow nearly two years old. My husbandcame home about an hour and a half ago and went to let them inside, and the only boy (besides the dad), Chewy,did not come with the others. They all always come up on the deck when they hear his car, so he knew something was going on. He came into my office and asked if we had Chewy with us, and then went to see if he had gotten out of the fence. A few minutes later he came in and said that he found him still in the backyard, lying under the trees on a pile of leaves, and that he wasdead. We are all so sad . We do not know what happenedto our baby .. . he had been fine just a couple of hours before, when my son got home from school and went to see the dogs. He said that Chewy was acting no differently than usual and seemed fine. I am just beside myself not knowing what happened to this sweet little guy. He was the SWEETEST EVER and we will miss him dearly. WE LOVE YOU,CHEWY!!! May you rest in peace.

My family is hurting :( [2008-11-19]
Some of you may remember the recent pet picture postings here. I posted a picture of my baby girl, Daisy, nursing her three babies who arenow nearly two years old. My husbandcame home about an hour and a half ago and went to let them inside, and the only boy (besides the dad), Chewy,did not come with the others. They all always come up on the deck when they hear his car, so he knew something was going on. He came into my office and asked if we had Chewy with us, and then went to see if he had gotten out of the fence. A few minutes later he came in and said that he found him still in the backyard, lying under the trees on a pile of leaves, and that he wasdead. We are all so sad . We do not know what happenedto our baby .. . he had been fine just a couple of hours before, when my son got home from school and went to see the dogs. He said that Chewy was acting no differently than usual and seemed fine. I am just beside myself not knowing what happened to this sweet little guy. He was the SWEETEST EVER and we will miss him dearly. WE LOVE YOU,CHEWY!!! May you rest in peace.

I'm from Michigan and s/m [2008-11-18]
I have 6 in my home, 2 teens, 2 younger (78), 2 adults. I spend minimum of $150 a week on food, probably closer to $200. I do plan my meals out for the week prior to going. I really need to get back to my couponing days! I will do it religiously for months and then fade out when I don When I do couponing, I spend about the same, but get a lot more food for my buck. This also includes cat food, cat liter and dog food (little dog), cleaning supplies.

I'm in Florida and spend about $175/wk for 5 sm [2008-11-18]
I5 and 158 lbs,eats more than my husband, who is 6 and 345 lbs. FIL had to have a feeding tube put in last July, and I had to cut down meals by half because we were having so many leftovers and wasting money. Just when I thought I had it figured out, he was able to get the tube removed, so II donwe (FIL and I) will just eat a sandwich or leftovers from the fridge As far as special foods, we dona recipe, and for a while we were buying meat ata butcher shop but have had to cut that out for now. It was really good but was close to DH's work, and if he couldn't pick it up while he was in the area, it was a 45-minute drive. I cook most things from scratch, except lasagna because I hate making it. Once a month, we have a luncheon at church that I bring a dish and a dessert, and I cook Wednesday night dinner there one night per month, but I get reimbursed for the Wednesday night dinner. I do include paper products and toiletries in with my grocery budget but that's it, and I usually go to Sam's once a month for those. I have it easy compared to my parents though. My dad got paid once a month, and there were 4 kids at home all the time, 5 when my sister came up during the summer. They used to have 3 grocery carts slap full of food, and my mom figured out that it took something like 18 boxes of cereal to last a month, each one with a date marked on it so we didnWe also hada freezer to keep extra bread and other things, and my mom also used to mix in powdered milk when the gallon was half-way gone. I never knew until I was grown, so she definitely blended it well.

Last month I spent $321 for 3 of us. [2008-11-18]
It's just DH, 18 year-old son, and I. We live in the Philadelphia area. We generally eat far less meat than most American families, but we aren't vegetarian. My son commutes to a nearby university and works there, as well. He provides his own lunches, and probably only eats breakfast at home half of the time. Now, if you want to factor in what we pay for the meal plan for our son who lives away at college, well then... that's a whole other story! KA-CHING!

It's actually something like a second job to get the bill that low. [2008-11-18]
I spend a lot of time studying sales and clipping coupons (doubled and sometimes tripled in our area). And I use bonus cards and shop at places like Aldisauce I just use olive oil, salt and pepper, GOOD cheese, maybe a little bit of chopped ham or dried sausage as a flavoring. Add some sauteed spinach or escarole, a little salad from whatever veggies looked good at the market. Add some beans to the salad to boost the protein, and we're eating very fine! I also haven't bought canned soup in .... probably ever. I save up chicken carcasses or buy the backs to make stock. I also make veggie stock and buy beef soup bones and make my own beef broth. The home-made stocks make all the difference when cooking from scratch. I keep the grocery bills low by planning my shopping expeditions and cooking from scratch. It depends on how far you want to go with it. I love to cook. It's a creative outlet for me, so I find it relaxing. Someone else may not, in which case, buying convenience foods would lower their stress level and would be worth the extra expense.

I can't imagine affording all those meals out, but I have some suggestions sm [2008-11-18]
I usually cook from scratch. My idea of fast food is a can of lentil soup, and I have that about once a month, occasionally twice. I make crockpot soups a lot because I am busy. I will tell you, there is a place that is sort of between a restaurant meal and home cooking. I used to have kids at home, lots of them, and I would get too tired to cook. My answer was to hybrid the dinner, so to speak. You can get Stouffer's lasagne which is good. You can pickup some ready-made stuff in your grocery store deli or freezer case. We liked the frozen Banquet chicken back in the day. I might get that, a box of flavored instant potatoes, potato salad or ready-made mashed to go with it. We might get a bag of salad too. Fresh fruit cups were nice if they were on special. You know, make a nice meal you don't have to 100% cook, but isn't going out. These days, I see that you can get beef tips in gravy, or sliced beef in gravy and other prepared stuff at the store. It just takes looking. It is more expensive than doing it all yourself, but it is much cheaper than going out. You can try another thing that is NOT everyone's cup of tea, and that is OAMC or Once A Month Cooking. This is my favorite website: http://snider.mardox.com/plans.htm I donmini plans using what is on special in a given week. They have breakfast plans, muffin plans, potato plans, chicken, beef, pork plans, ground meat plans, even some dessert plans. With planning, you can do this in bits and pieces. From people who have done far more of this than I have, they tell me that with soup already made, no chopping or messing, they are more likely to make fresh rolls, salad and even a quick dessert...round out any meal because the work is done. Obviously, it saves money.

OMG!! I have cried a river reading this...sm [2008-11-17]
I am a softie for dogs anyway, and I especially have a special place in my heart for pit bulls and beagles too. This goes to show what wonderful dogs a pit can be. I am not surprised at all that this dog did this because a pit is one of the most smart, loving, feeling dogs you could ever meet. If they are raised right that is. It is so typical of a pit to risk his own life to save someone in need. This pit who some people claim are dangerous could have very well saved this woman and her son from a tragic end. And then for him to jump in her back seat as if to say please take me home. I just would have begged them to please let me take him home. I am glad to know if nobody claims him she will take care of him now because he deserves it. He truly is an angel. THIS is why I love pit bulls. Until you know one you don't know the love they are capable of.