My problem was a bit different

Need help with opposite problem sm [2008-11-22]
I have chestnut brown hair with blonde highlights which is getting too expensive to keep up. Stylist was charging over $100 and I told her thanks but I would have to start going to Super Cuts or someplace cheaper although I did appreciate her beautiful work. Well, she came down, then went back up again to $85 and that's too much. I have never ever colored myself and she said she had to start coloring my whole head with the brown, used to just highlight with both colors. I hate to lose the highlights as they make me look and feel better than just the drab brown. I see products that say highlight but if I have a brown base, how do you get both colors to come out??? Kinda lacking in knowledge of hair, perhaps someone else does this. TIA

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.

My mom had a similar problem with [2008-11-19]
Ambrielle. She also bought several and took the tags off to wear them, but they still left her return them. She did save her receipt, though. JCP has always stood behind their products. I have bought and returned numerous things over the years and never had a problem. One time in particular comes to mind. I had purchased a Worthington purse for $40. A year later, I was still using it and it broke on me in the middle of the mall. I didn The clasp on the side just came apart. I took to the JCP in the mall and they allowed me to exchange it for a similar purse in the same price range. No receipt, no tags, and a year old. Can't beat that!

wow, what a problem! Good [2008-11-13]
arguments for either side. I, myself, have begun to have problems trusting the CDC or FDA or anybody else, for that matter. They are so sure, then out of nowhere, they totally retract or claim they did not know. In the 50's,it was quit using butter, switch to oleo, now it's back to butter again. Same thing with coffee, tea, chocolate, you name it. Not to mention lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, spinich and beef. It does bring up an interesting thought though, remember the old arguments between doctors that cancer was or was not caused by a virus?

Exactly! That is my only problem now...sm [2008-11-12]
After spending money on the big ticket item you really can't afford to buy other expensive things. I said you know I am going to have to buy some inexpensive things to go with it like some movies and such. The games for the playstation will be bought by the grandparents and aunt. I sure can't go buy those expensive games now.

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 don't have a problem with long hair on boys [2008-11-07]
but I do have a problem with not keeping it nice. There are a lot of men and boys with long hair that looks good. His is all stringy and icky looking. My son has a longer hair style and thinking about going longer with it but we have had the talk about still looking nice and having some sort of style to it. The minute he doesn't, it goes. Kinda like wearing dirty clothes out of the laundry basket. Sure every kid wants to do it and you have to piok your battles but mine isn't going to walk out of the house looking like no one cares enough to make sure he is a clean, well taken care of, and well fed boy.

Really? I've been doing this over 12 years and never had the problem before nm [2008-10-29]
x

I have no problem with it [2008-10-26]
I eat candy and I drink soda and I use birth control (although, not nearly enough as I am pregnant right now), but if a store chooses not to sell these things, I can always go somewhere else to spend my money. We don't force grocery stores to carry anything specific--why should a drug store be any different. There will always be someone willing to take your money!

I have a problem with the coffee's presented here [2008-10-21]
Theyand some kind of Green Mountain Coffee. All those gourmet coffees are too high in price here - $6.99 per 13 ounces is ridiculous! Never heard of Fresh Market coffee or Boca Java, and yes, I clean my pot out once a month. I did not change coffee filters but that's a thought. I've been using the cheapest I could find, but the same brand. Been using the same filters for years. We Tomorrow, I am going to try 100% Columbian coffee that hubby bought. I already have 3 kinds of coffee in my 'fridge besides the new coffee, and he bought the biggest can you can buy (why? I don't know.) I will update you on using this coffee, plus I think I will buy some different coffee filters. Maybe it is the coffee filters. I do have some older ones not made for this coffee pot, but will use one tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks for all your help and I'm open to more suggestions. LOL

See, the problem is, you're taking YOUR personal [2008-10-16]
adhere to it, or else they are morally 'WRONG'. This teacher isn't forcing anyone to attend her marriage. Whoever wants to stay home, can. It's just no big deal. How you think as an individual IS your right in the US, whether you believe it is God-given or not. But the deal is, that right may also be Buddha-given, or Allah-given, etc. I find it really strange that people feel there is a different 'lifestyle' associated with homosexuality. Except for a brief period of time spent in the bedroom (which is really NOBODY's business but theirs - not even God's), for most gays, every other aspect of life is exactly the same. They still set their alarms, get up in the morning, go to work, and contribute to society. Actually, a large number of them contribute far MORE to society than your average 'Joe Sixpack' or 'Joe the Plumber'. Among my own gay friends, there are: - An astrophysicist - A doctor - A lawyer - A teacher - A scientist - On individual who graduated from both Harvard AND Yale When it comes to contributing to the outward appearances of the city, the gay community has moved into some areas (like the Castro) which used to be seedy, dangerous neighborhoods, remodelled, repainted, rebuilt, opened restaurants and boutiques, and turned it into one of the city's best neighborhoods with a strong tax base. There are homes in my own neighborhood owned by gays that they put their effort and money into, and now those homes shine, increasing property values all around them. I've been on this earth far more years than I care to admit, and I have to say - I have yet to meet a single homosexual person, male or female, that I didn't like, and who didn't make a significant contribution in life. That can't be said for many of the heterosexuals I've known. And finally, let me tell ya - the best 'girlfriend' you could ask for is a gay guy. My friends keep me laughing nonstop, and brighten my life. Condemning a person's entire existence because of a mere 20-minute difference in bedroom behavior is wrong. If that's what 'God teaches', then I'm glad that's not MY God. My God is tolerant of all those that he created.

My son had this problem (sm) [2008-10-10]
He married a woman with a daughter. This daughter did everything she could to break up the marriage.Her mother let the kid walk all over them and generally, when son tried so hard to be the father she never had, but if he tried to discipline her, she would always say, You Her mother always stood up for her as if the kid never did anything wrong, and always telling him, Go easy. She never had a father. What the heck did my son try to do? Just be a money pit for her and his wife???? Yep, that's all he was. She destroyed 5 cars in 1 year through accidents and when he wouldn't allow her to drive any more cars, it was the final blow. After hanging on for 10 years, this year was the final breakup over her. They are now getting a divorce. The kid is now 19 and now, every time she fights with her mother, she comes running to him.I call her very ungrateful and a few words I can't list here. I told him to stay away from her before mom and daughter start accusing him of something. And to answer your question, you have the right to feel the way you do, but don't let it go on much longer or else you'll lose control of the whole situation. Have a sit-down with him and if he doesn't see your point of view, try counseling. There's no way a father should be sleeping with a 9-year-old and there's no way a 9-year-old should have the PARENT under her control. That's a recipe for disaster. His excuse does not hold water. Good luck.

My cat solved my un-filed paperwork problem - sm [2008-10-10]
... she PEED on them, and I had to throw them all away! AAAaaaaaggghhhhh !!!!!!

I don't see dust, but with me, the problem is [2008-10-08]
You do have a neat, compact workspace! I like your location - I'll bet you can keep an eye on various parts of your house from there. Our workspaces are really our true 'homes', aren't they!

I think it may be a regional problem... [2008-09-28]
here in the Northwest I don't see anybody giving up anything or not being able to make payments. I was out yesterday in Portland at a very large mall and let me tell you, there was no shortage of people shopping at all. Macy's was crowded, even Nordstrom's was full. There were sales everywhere. I think a lot of people don't know how to save and are surviving on CC for everything. The bad thing about this bail out is that it's going to put a tight noose around lending practices, even to those with good credit. Some people are going to be in for a shock when the CC industry is the next to go under. Interest will go up on the cards, minimum payments will go up and credit limits will be lowered.

Has anyone experienced this type of ear problem? [2008-09-25]
Hi all! I woke up this morning, and I have a drumming, vibrating sound in my left ear, but only when I tip my head down to the side. When my head is held straight, there is no sound at all! I have not had a cold, nor have I been congested. I am debating calling my PCP as it really doesn however, I haven't started transcribing for the day, and maybe it will bother me then?!? I have been trying to do some research on the Internet, and I have come across everything from perforated eardrums to bugs in my ear!! I'm just wondering if anyone else has had this problem before I start to panic?!? TIA!

My ex's stepdaughter had same problem. sm [2008-09-25]
His wife is devoutly religious, goes to church 7 days a week and she sought help from her pastor. Daughter spoke to him a couple of times. No outside help whatsoever. Mother got knock on door at 6 am Sunday morning, stated her daughter died in a car crash. She was 18 years old. Sorry, prayer alone cannot always help.

Have the opposite problem! [2008-09-16]
DD went off to college this year 250 miles away from boyfriend of a year. I was hoping she would forget about him, but no such luck. He has already visited after only 3 weeks. They will probably both come home for long Columbus weekend, and they are already planning a weekend visit in November. Do I want to see her heart broken? No. But if it meant she was rid of this guy, definitely!

my problem with "problem spot" solvers [2008-09-03]
is that they dry out my skin too much. When I put on makeup i have a spot that looks like i have sunburn- peeling skin no matter how much moisturizer i put on :(

I have the same problem...see link [2008-08-27]
You can buy them at Target and Walmart, but I have trouble finding them sometimes. Here's a link where they sell them on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/ENGLISH-NON-TRANSPARENT-KEYBOARD-STICKER-BACKGROUND/dp/B000GE16LW

I have the same problem with dark circles under my eyes. I also [2008-08-19]
notice it in pictures and just hate it. I know there are products over the counter that specifically say they work with the dark circles, but to date have not tried any of them. The Preparation H is only supposed to help with the puffiness.

No problem [2008-08-12]
We had to learn about the batteries the hard way, after going through a huge econo pack in about a week. It is much more fun with 2 guitars, that's for sure!

No problem. Pay varies. Usually you buy something up front sm [2008-08-11]
and then you get paid for the shop on top of that. Usually around 20.00 for the entire shop. Takes about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on where you go. Metro area where? I live in Alabama.

Problem with 5-year-old and dog [2008-08-04]
( Before asking this question, just to make sure, I am not paid for this message so typing errors will occur.) We have three dogs, weiner dogs. Bear who was first, sister, then almost a year ago, Bob. My 5-year-old has started for a little while now, pulling his ears, tail, legs, anything he can or wants too. he will walk by and kick the dog. He covers him with blankets and lays on him. He will step on his tail. I have actually spanked his bottom more than once with no reactions and my common and everyday saying is leave the dogs along. I am tired of this behavior. I saw a special Dr. Phil show that said somehting about killers hurt animals first?!! I need some great advice to keep him and the dogs, mostly the dogs, safe from harm. I believe to some extent it has something to do with having the I am bigger than something/one power trip. He has an older brother who is 12 and has been gone most of the summer to his fathers house. When the older is here they argue and fight about little things like kids do but I have a no hitting or hitting back policy and a I take your toys away policy. Still doesn't phase the kid. I know he is only five but my next step, I am considering taking EVERY TOY away. This may be tough for such a young age but I don't know what else to do next. ANY SUGGESTIONS? I NEED HELP!!! PS He is also getting into this habit of doing something bad and saying he didnlies happen and he tells me I am not a chicken. I have done this calling him chicken little twice. He will be going to kindergarten in about a week and I have tried to tell him that kids don The dogs still want to play with him too.

I appreciate the problem, even have it myself where I live, but SM [2008-07-30]
it upsets me when people refer to the anmials as being stupid. The owners are studpid,not the dogs.

I usually do a lot of handmade gifts. This year each kid gets $100 they are all grown sm [2008-11-21]
I make my oldest son boxer shorts, he only likes the ones I make. My other son wanted a robe and matching PJ pants. Daughter wanted a couple of outfits and a denim jacket. My mom wanted something I had knitted up for her. Stepdad just wants to be remembered. My brother won't take anything from me, so no problem there. I will do some small things for my friends, but I won't spend $500 total, even with giving the 3 kids $100 each. I have NEVER spent that much on Christmas! I have worked like a dog all year, but I have had no time to do these things they think they want.

I would have divorced a long time ago....sm [2008-11-21]
when my husband had a drug problem. I didn't because my son told me he would not come with me but that he would choose to stay with his dad. He was around 7 years old at the time. I couldn't leave my son. So I didn't leave. He is so close to his daddy. He would pick his dad drugs and all over me any day of the week and that hurt me very bad because I have always been a good mom. So I stayed. I guess God helped me though because my husband quit using drugs miraculously later and we are doing pretty good now.

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?

Do any of you have a spouse [2008-11-20]
who can How do you work it out? Are you just stuck always being the bad guy? Unfortunately, the entire United States is having a difficult financial time. It is obviously not just our household. We have cut back everywhere we can, and I mean everywhere. Our families are having difficult problems as well. We also have an ex-spouse and have had unexpected increases in child support, etc. recently along with unexpected additional expenses where this is concerned. Basically, the child needs new glasses, etc. even though the child really doesn It just seems like it is one thing after another and I know it is for everyone, although the circumstances may be slightly different. My problem is that I have been telling my husband for months that this was coming, along with Christmas, birthday, etc. He hasn Although we have cut back on many things, on my initiative, it just has not sunk in for him until now...when everything finalized and we dont To top this off, he can Ibad guy because he is ok with all of it although he admits he has no idea where the money is going to come from. I have been upfront with my family and when people ask me but is it too much to ask that he do the same? I dont But of course he wants to constantly remind me (the cheap skate and tight-a$$) to cut back on groceries, etc. which I cannot possibly do any more than I have already. We have nothing left in savings. We have no Christmas fund. I I donI told you so but I did tell him and he had no concerns until now...when we are seemingly headed towards financial trouble. I have been working OT but his OT has been cut indefinitely from his employer. I I must say he doesn't buy things for himself..its just the piddling away of $20 here and $20 there on top of our already mounting unexpected expenses.

My husband is oblivious to our finances [2008-11-20]
Sometimes that It sounds like maybe your husband is too proud to tell his family that he can I I would suggest talking to the leader of his family, the person who hosts the get-togethers, and let them know that you do the finances and you just don It doesn I would certainly let your husband know that you are going to say something beforehand, but he doesn I For birthdays, we take the time to call and wish that person a happy birthday. We don My brother lives about 2 hours away, so we don Unless his family is loaded, I'm sure they'll understand. As for the glasses, I just took my son for new glasses yesterday. The eye doctor said he needs a new prescription, but I asked if just the lenses could be replaced and the frames reused. He said absolutely. Our insurance covers new frames, lenses and the exam, but my son has a tendency to break things at the most inopportune time. We just bought him these glasses in June because he broke them and according to the insurance, it wasn Now that he is eligible for everything new, we asked for just the lenses. If he breaks his frames later in the year, we can just get new frames (covered by insurance) and pop the lenses in. The only problem there would be is they discontinue his frames because the new lenses probably wouldn So, something to consider here is, if your stepchild needs a new prescription and already has glasses, then I would check with your lawyer to see if you can just buy new lenses for the current frames. The frames are what normally cost the most anyway.

Anyone go through a divorce w/younger kids? sm [2008-11-20]
Iit just isn while I have always felt you don't throw around the word divorce unless you mean it. Well, I mean it now. I gave him an ultimatum - straighten himself out or I leave with the kids. I am not going to go through 5 years of this again. It is affecting the kids, and my son is acting out to the point of saying he wishes he had never been born. I am giving my husband until after Christmas to decide what he is going to do, and if he does not value our marriage more than his alcohol, I am moving out of state. This is not to keep him away from the kids but because my parents (divorced also) are in a different state than I am and I have no family at all here. Has anyone had to make a decision like this? I donno other options. He refuses to go to counseling or to see a doctor about what I am positive is depression. Any tips or suggestions? Sorry to dump on everyone like this, thanks for reading.

I think you are right. [2008-11-20]
I have had most of the day to think things over and cry. I did talk to him a bit and realize that it is mostly his pride (man-ness) that is the problem. I just have to stand my ground and not feel guilty for it, although I will anyway...I think that is just the female (or pregnant hormonal lol) way with feelings, etc. I have also been thinking today that even though things are getting really tough, we have been able to pay our bills so far. It's really going to suck with the holidays especially but it will be past in a couple months and life will resume as normal. Who knows where we will be by then but for now things could be much worse. Even with all the headaches, stress, tears, etc. it could be much worse if we lost a job or...well I don't even want to think about the other horrible things that people go through. Thanks for your support and understanding. Some times women just need to know that they aren't alone in their struggles.

The other poster is correct.... [2008-11-19]
I think it was on What Not To Wear or one of those shows where I heard if you have that problem it is because the cup size is not big enough for you. With that size naturally I wouldnpush up because those have a lot of extra padding to give the push. Maybe go to a store in the mall and talk to them. Surely they will have a suggestion for your size and style interest. Doesn't mean you have to buy it there, just get the idea and then go to Target or someplace and buy what you want a little less expensive.

I'm large-chested, but I only wear push-ups [2008-11-19]
I wear a 42DD and I wear push-ups because even though I Push-ups provide more contour and shaping than regular underwires. If you are having problem with muffintop, though, you Go to JCP or Victoria Secret and have them measure you. Oprah says 40% of women wear the wrong bra size. As far as push-ups go, I really like the ones by Ambrielle, which are sold by JCP.

Ambrielle [2008-11-19]
I was really impressed with the feel of Ambrielle in the store but I cannot wear it for more than an hour without it irritating my skin. I'm not sure if it doesn't breath well or what the problem is but it becomes very uncomfortable and itchy. Of course I bought 3 of them at the time and can't return them now that I wore them and threw the tags in the trash thinking that they would be great, until I wore them for a length of time. I'm sure this doesn't happen to everyone but I would just suggest if anyone buys them to hang on to the tags a week or so to make sure. I also didn't care for the straps as they are fabric over a small string and they tend to twist as the day goes on and bunch up if you have to adjust them more than an inch or so.

Don't use your debit cards [2008-11-19]
I had a problem with fraud on my account through them. Surely they have fixed it by now, as this was last year and the year before (yes 2 separate occurrences, both at xmas time). So I would not suggest using any cards there but cash only. I do agree that it seems to be a great idea for teens. Their prices are great and our location has always been helpful with advise, returns, etc. Another good idea I have found for teenagers is a gift card for restaurants or gas stations. It helps their parents a bit and if they have a girlfriend/boyfriend places like AppleBees or Red Lobster are nice so that they can go on a nice date and not have to worry about $30 for the bill. Even with a part-time job that's a lot of money for a teenager! :) My nephew actually requests it.

My mom had a similar problem with [2008-11-19]
Ambrielle. She also bought several and took the tags off to wear them, but they still left her return them. She did save her receipt, though. JCP has always stood behind their products. I have bought and returned numerous things over the years and never had a problem. One time in particular comes to mind. I had purchased a Worthington purse for $40. A year later, I was still using it and it broke on me in the middle of the mall. I didn The clasp on the side just came apart. I took to the JCP in the mall and they allowed me to exchange it for a similar purse in the same price range. No receipt, no tags, and a year old. Can't beat that!

Obviously you've never had a family member killed by a drunk driver. [2008-11-17]
Long ago? Time has nothing to do with it. The man has an alcohol problem and left the scene of a homicide. Sounds like you're ok with that. I'm not. It speaks volumes about his character.

My tracfone does have texting capabilities [2008-11-17]
my daughter figured that one out all by herself. LOL. We've been thinking about getting her one for a long time, but our problem is she'll have the minutes gone within weeks and then she'll have no phone. I guess she'll have to learn the hard way if that happens.

Need some advice on an old friendship -- [2008-11-16]
I got divorced 7 years ago. Started out as a friendly divorce and then I started dating a man that my ex did not like (because he is black) and we quit speaking at all. Then, one of my very good friends started backing off from the friendship andI thought it was because I was openly dating a black man. Well, 4 months later, I heard that she was dating my exhusband. I called her and asked her about it and of course she denied it, could not believe I accused her of that, she would never do that to me..... on and onand on. To make a long story short, of course 2 months later I found out it was true, they had bee seeing each other for about 6 or 7 months. Anyway, during that time period after I knew that they were together but before they broke up, I would call her occasionally if I needed information on my son (who lived with his dad and would not speak to me at that time becaue of brainwashing) and we stayed friendly on the phone, felt like old times, etc. Then they broke up and now occasionally I get the urge to call her or she will call me for something, and it is like nothing ever happened. We laugh and cut up and it I have some thoughts though about when it really started, before we were even divorcing or during the divorce, and then sometimes I get really mad because she lied to me in the first place and let me keep trying to have a friendship, and then sometimes I miss her and think it does not matter because we were divorced and he was free and I definitely did not want him back. My problem is what to do? Forgive her and forget her... forgive her and be friends again... ask her the questions I need answers to and then decide whether to be friends??? And the other big problem is my new husband gets very upset every time I even speak to her because she did thatto me when she was my friend and he says you never go behind friends to their love interests. Advice please....

I say forgive, of course, but forget, NO WAY......sm [2008-11-16]
To be a true friend and truly care for someone, you first have to respect them and honor their dignity....how can care for anyone, friend, lover, or whatever, if you cannot be TRUTHFUL? How can you say you respect someone whiile blatantly lying to them? As a Christian and hopefully good person, I belive we always have to forgive, but to forget as if nothing had happened, that is impossible, I would think. She betrayed you by lying, not by seeing your ex, that is HER problem if she wants a second-hand loser, but friendship is a sacred bond, I am sure you can forge some newer, better friendships, can you ever feel any confidence in this woman again? Just my firm opinion, I had this done to me many years ago when very young, and although we tried, the friendship was never the same, for obvious reasons. God bless in your decision!

Tonya, perhaps you should be checked sm [2008-11-15]
Tell the doc or get a diabetes test from the drug store. My MIL did this and had a sugar problem which was solved with diet. I hope not, but save yourself some worry; caught early, most problems can be solved with diet alone.

Always thirsty [2008-11-15]
I drink water all day long and still usually feel thirsty. I have very dry skin too. It just feels like the water evaporates right out or something. I'm sure there might be an underlying issue. (I haven't been to the doctor in several years but really can't afford it right now.) I have had abnormal thirst for a few years now. Anyone else have this problem?

Tonya, perhaps you should be checked sm [2008-11-15]
Tell the doc or get a diabetes test from the drug store. My MIL did this and had a sugar problem which was solved with diet. I hope not, but save yourself some worry; caught early, most problems can be solved with diet alone.

Extended warranties are the biggest waste - sm, [2008-11-15]
of money, and the all time scam of the century. The couple times I was d*u*m*b enough to buy one they never, never paid for themselves. I never buy them now, haven't for years and have never had a problem with any of the products I bought that offered them. Believe me the companies that offer them (just about everyone) are laughing all the way to the bank....they take in way more then they ever have to pay out for repair work/replacments, etc.

I just bought flooring on sale and put it in the garage. [2008-11-15]
I know that next year, the inventories will be low which will result in a supply and demand issue. Closed stores also will be a problem and may cause prices to sky rocket. Let's hope the boys at the G20 summit keep us from ending up in a soup line because the stores shelves are empty.

Dried Beans [2008-11-15]
I always used to use those for bean soup for our family reunion. About 10 years ago, I made it and the beans were still crunchy!First time I had that problem. I had to throw it all out (20 quarts) and start all over again, yet only had 1 day until the reunion, ran out and bought canned beans.Worked.Now I use canned beans instead. Never knew what happened, but I'd rather use dried beans because of the cost and shelf life.

What I 'used' to do [2008-11-14]
They had a store in my area where you could buy canned goods without labels by the case. That was nice. The store is no longer there. If there is astore that have off-brand names, buy there. For example,I bought 16 ounces of extra virgin olive oil from Italy for $4.99. There is also a store in my area that have name brands but they are close to expiration. I haven't been there yet, but you can buy Hamburger Helper at 4 for $5 every day. Buy store brands instead of national brands. When there is sale, buy more than one and use coupons whenever possible. Two other stores have sales where you can buy items 10 for $10. Examples of the items are Betty Crocker Specialty Potatoes, canned tomatoes, tuna, pasta, Pregoor Hunts spaghetti sauce, ketchup, etc.I stock up then. Canned and dehydrated items are good items to stock up on, as are canned meats (good for casseroles). Butter and cheese is a bit tough to store. They say you can freeze butter without much of a problem, and I tested cheese, but it crumbles when it thaws. If you have a farmer's market in your area, buy tomatoes and freeze them. They're good for casseroles and soups. Peppers and onions freeze okay for the same reason. I don't like frozen green beans, but they freeze well, as does corn. Root veggies keep well in a cool, dry place for a few months. A book I have said you can keep them for a few months if you put them in a box andcover withsawdust (I haven' t tried this). They supposedly also keep well in the ground itself if you cover with large bales of hay. If you live in a city, that could be a problem.

never froze cereal or flour. [2008-11-14]
I have never had a problem with weavils either but I know what they are because we had them once when I was a teenager. I bake a lot and we are all about breakfast here so maybe that's why. Even though I stock up we still go through it pretty fast and I am sure to rotate everything to the front of the shelves when I bring it home.

I always buy generic. [2008-11-14]
I oftentimes laugh when I am shopping at my local store as I know when a meal or baking is done what the problem could be in doing this as doubt anyone can tell or if there is a difference that I made this with generic eggs for say 1.29 a dozen rather than those fancy eggs with a little stick-on at about twice as much. Doubt it. Find a local closest to home discount grocery. Stock up on staples and store them appropriately. If you bake, store brown sugar with a piece of bread in it to keep it soft, replace it if you need to. Lots of items can be stored in freezer bags of the appropriate size, spaghetti, macaroni, etc. Better than the bag it comes in. Get those generic too. I buy all my paper items in bulk - much cheaper to buy a 12-roll of TP on sle definitely than not. Just make sure its not single-ply!!