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jacks-tracks · 1 year ago

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Transition

2 worlds, 2 realitys. Somehow that plane ride bridges the gap,

Getting here was actually pretty easy,though i may come through Mexico city next year. A brief overnight might be preferable to the Huatulco taxi experience. Shuffled through immigration, glared at by the ugliest woman agent yet(hey it was Sunday night and everyone else was partying the end of Dia de Muertos). Actually got the green light, the sniffer dog detected the walnuts in my bag, but i said"No, No food" so no check,and the agricultural inspector was easy too. Yes I had a jar of peanut butter and a bag of sprout seeds, but I neglected to tell them. Outside in the heat of the day the taxi mafia wanted too much so I walked to the road where the more organized drivers wanted 1800 p to Puerto. Got a collectivo(shared cab with 4 others) for 1200($100). I,d imagined we,d drop people off along the highway, but no we went to Mazunte, a 1 hour crawl , dodging drunks and dogs, to spill our extra people, then zoom to Puerto. Seems if a taxi tailgates and flashes it,s lights before racing the oncoming trucks, everything goes faster.

2 hours to Dans, and the key was under the rock as promised. Hot shower, quick snack (Pete and Jill had kindly put tortillas and eggs out for my arrival-delicious!) and a welcome bed in #3 cabana. I spent Monday unpacking my 20 kilo bag and 10 kilo carry on. Seemed OK till I dragged my garbage bucket of last years stuff out of storage(stinky stale clothes despite packaging in Big ziplocks), and the box I,d had to add on my return from MEX, and the beach umbrella, and the beach chair, and ... Bit of a treasure hunt dipping into the bin, and found that I had duplicated many small items. Looks like I,m good for razors and Q tips for some years!. Probably left them off my left behind list last year, thinking"Of course I,ll remember them!" However, clothes hung in the sun quickly cured, and the extra shirts and pants will go to the charity sale here. the corner store had fruit, granola,yogurt and juices, so all set.

Tuesday I went to the Banamex for cash and the machines liked me, then up to the supermercado for bulk goods, a 40 pound load. $1000 pesos! Somehow i packed it all to the highway and got a combi home. I waited till Thursday to go uptown for fruit and veg from the oh so busy wholesalers, another 40 pound set of bags. Lots of walnuts, almonds, cashews, for snack feeding , and a double bollio for a cheese and lettuce sandwhich. All in all i went way over budget.

What is my budget? Well I get $1800 a month pension, so that should be the limit, but since prices have shot up here just like home, I,ll be spending more. Have enough savings to cover the overruns. Mexico is no longer cheap, but it,s still affordable. With health insurance,tickets, and higher costs I,ll probably spend an extra $1000/month, but that includes a trip to Belize in March and the 1000$ for the dentist. I could find cheaper accomodation, but right now I,m up on a shaded terrace with a surf view, sea breeze, and a very safe place. Bath temp lap pool, big room and kitchen, privacy and good friends to chat with...it,s worth the xtra. As the value of the dollar slides against the peso there,s the hidden cost of inflation, but that also means my saving are depreciating, might as well spend the dough while it has any value.

Did i say it,s sunny every day, hot and bright? What,s that worth?

The sticky humidity and 33 degree temp has moderated after the roaring thunder and Gods flashbulb lightening, and hot rain, so it,s still hot but the sea breeze in the day and the mountain breeze at night keep it tolerable. I sleep under 3 fans, gradually decreasing the volume as the air cools, until first light(6am) when a sheet is cosy,

And i have a volunteer cat, skinny black and white howler who I foolishly fed and now seem to be an adoptive cat dad. Prefers chicken, eats yogurt, never seen an egg, but relents when no snacks are forthcoming. Wild? Sure likes being petted!

Enough detail for now. I,ll try to be more descriptive next time, less day to day. Adios!

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llcradar · 2 years ago

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#Georgia

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flgranitegirl · 3 years ago

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Let our expertise save you money!

Our goal is to have happy, repeat clients. Happy clients refer their friends and family and give us wonderful reviews. This how we grow our business, take care of our team, and contribute to our community.

We understand many people have budget constraints; we can be pretty creative and suggest ways to save you money. Ready to learn more about saving money on your next project? Read on!

Here is our “Top 10 List” of things to help. We hope you find them useful, fun, and informative.

1) Please have a budget range in mind and let us know what that is. We’re not going to spend every penny if we don’t need to. We love the challenge of coming in UNDER budget. “Cheap” isn’t a budget. (Cheap is your brother-in-law when it’s time to pick up the tab:-)

2) Please bring in a drawing, basic measurements and photos when you visit the showroom - we can work up a quote for you on the spot. You don’t need to be an architect to do this. Paper and pen drawings are perfect. After you visit, you are more than welcome to take samples home to see them in your lighting or with the other elements of your decor. We’d love to do an in-home for everyone, but bringing all our samples of cabinets and stone we’d need a semi - and that likely wouldn’t fit in your driveway. We will, of course, do final in-home measurements. Pro Tip: There are a lot of entertaining videos on YouTube that will walk you through the “how to” of measuring for new countertops and backsplash. The one with the Golden Retriever is hilarious.

3) You don’t need to clone the zillion dollar kitchen or bath you saw on Pintrest or HGTV. We can help you achieve a look you will love using those concepts/design elements without breaking the bank. Pro Tip: When you visit, please bring (only) the decision makers/home owners. You don’t need to bring a “designer” or “decorator” either. That’s part of the service we provide. Often, (and usually during a client’s second visit) they ignore “suggestions from the peanut gallery” and focus on what they wanted in the first place. This is your home - “you do you!”

4) Please avoid focusing on price per square foot. Theoretically we may be able to get your kitchen out of one slab, but you’re going to hate the number of seams and grain flow “fighting.” You’re going to look at your kitchen or bath every day. Do it right the first time. Pro Tip: Please do NOT ask us to “piece together a bunch of remnants” to make a kitchen countertop. You’re not going to like the outcome and we don’t work that way.

5) Forget the fancy edge profile. Clean lines are beautiful, inexpensive, on-trend and durable. Eased, Pencil. Bevel. Say it with me. Eased. Pencil. Bevel. Bullnoses belong on...bull’s noses not on countertops.

6) If you’re physically able to, remove and your existing countertops. This saves you money instead of us doing the tear out. Pro Tip: Make money off your old countertops by listing/selling them on various marketplaces or donating them and taking the tax deduction!

7) Think of your project like a birthday cake. The cake itself, the frosting and the icing. The “cake” is the foundation - what you really need, for example, a nice big pantry for storage. The “frosting” are the items you want to make your space functional, things like trash pull outs and a lazy Susan. The “icing” are the nice to have, but you can live without, or you can add later items. A great example of this is under cabinet lighting.

8) When choosing cabinetry, choose in-stock/readily available colors. Custom colors are always possible; they do come at a price and with an extended time line for production and delivery. Pro Tip: If you want to use one of the “hot and trendy” cabinet colors (Blue, Red, Black and Green are all the rage) - try it on an island. Every “trendy” color will eventually become the “Avocado” or “Harvest Gold.” It’s cost effective a few years down the road to reface an island’s cabinets rather than an entire kitchen.

9) Avoid, what we affectionately call “The Rock Band” Syndrome :-) One room, one star. Either your countertop is the show stopper or your backsplash is. Otherwise they will “fight” with each other for attention. If you choose a stone with a lot of movement or color, choose a muted/neutral backsplash and vice versa. We often suggest a plain, neutral tile (inexpensive) paired with a bit of tile “jewelry” (expensive) to give it some pop and save you some cash. Pro Tip: Choose the countertop first, then the tile. If you’re not changing the tile, please bring a piece of on your visit to the showroom and/ or take a sample home to ensure you love the combination.

10) After we’ve worked together to plan your project and we’ve given you a detailed and fair estimate/quote - please don’t over-negotiate. If you were upfront about budget in the beginning, rest assured we’ve worked our tails off to get you to that number. This is a shop/showroom - not a yard sale. If you don’t “negotiate” at the Big Box Stores, please don’t “negotiate" with a small business. Pro Tip: You can save money by paying with a check or cash. Credit card processing fees are expensive.

We hoped you enjoyed the read, had a laugh or two, and found at least one idea that will help you save money on your next project!

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giftofshewbread · 4 years ago

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HERE IT COMES !

By Daymond DuckPublished on: January 30, 2021

It is my desire to stop writing about the election and direct more of my time to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, but the election has major prophetic implications, and the two issues cannot be separated.

Pres. Trump promised a peaceful transition of power, and he and Melania left the White House with grace and humility.

Here are some quotes that may interest you:

“The purpose of the New World Order is to bring the world into a world government” (Winston Churchill).

“Out of these troubled times [out of the Persian Gulf War], our [America’s] fifth objective—a new world order—can emerge” (Geo. H. W. Bush, 1990).

“I learned to love the New World Order” (Joe Biden, Apr. 23, 1992).

“The hierarchy [of the U.N.], among other things, had called for world government to be achieved in STAGES through the forming of world administrative REGIONS. This was in accordance with the U.N. charter, which encourages the implementation and administration of world government on a REGIONAL basis” (Edmund J. Osmanneczyk, 1995).

“What I am trying to do [to build a global system] is to promote a process of reorganization of the world” (Bill Clinton, 1997).

“Within four years, we will see the beginning of a new international order” (Henry Kissinger 2008).

“The burdens of global citizenship bind us together” (Barack Obama, July 24, 2008).

“To bring about the New World Order, we have to have a new consciousness” [a new spiritual ethic, or new world religion] (Henry Kissinger, Jan. 12, 2009).

Concerning who will head up the New World Order, “We’re trusting that he will be President Obama” (Henry Kissinger, 2009).

“The affirmative task we have now is to actually create a new world order” (Then Vice-Pres. Joe Biden, Apr. 5, 2013).

“I believe we and mainly you [the U.S. Air Force Academy graduating class] have an incredible opportunity to lead in shaping a new world order for the 21st century…” (Joe Biden, May 28, 2014).

“You are about to graduate into a complex and borderless world” (Biden’s new Climate Change Czar, John Kerry, May 6, 2016).

Globalists have big plans, but they are not in control; they just think they are.

The more they reject God; and the more they turn against His people; and the closer they move toward world government; the more they stir His wrath, and the closer God’s people are to the Rapture.

Here are some of my thoughts on current events:

On Jan. 20, 2021, the “America First” president was replaced with a “Fundamentally Transform America” president.

This “fundamental transformation” of America involves the submission of America to a godless world government (the New World Order, The Great Reset, the U.N. 2030 Sustainable Development goals, etc.).

Biden has already announced his intent to undo Trump’s America First policies, rejoin the Paris Climate Accords, rejoin the World Health Organization, halt America’s departure from the World Trade Organization, halt construction on the Keystone Pipeline and border wall, review and reverse more than 100 Trump policies on the environment, stop immigration enforcement in the U.S., and more.

Biden announced support for things (other than world government) that go against the Scriptures: taxpayer-funded abortions for everyone up to the moment of birth (murder of babies), nominate judges that support abortion, allow gays to serve openly in the military, reinstate Title IX that lets transgenders use bathrooms according to their gender identity (men use women’s bathrooms, etc.), etc. Think about this. Through a Political Action Committee (PAC), Planned Parenthood gave more than 27 million dollars to Biden’s election, and now Biden is going to give Planned Parenthood millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to kill babies.

Biden has already cut America’s defense budget, cut the Space Force budget, transformed money budgeted for America’s nuclear arsenal to FEMA, and threatened to fire at least two Generals (one in the Army and another in the Air Force) that questioned these cuts. There is speculation that a military purge is coming to replace patriot-minded officers with officers that will pledge allegiance to the U.N. Here is a link to an article about this: https://beforeitsnews.com/blogging-citizen-journalism/2021/01/generals-tell-trump-we-got-your-back-2649650.html

Biden dissolved the 1776 Commission designed to teach patriotism in public schools and replaced it with a group “to assist agencies in assessing equity with respect to race, ethnicity, religion, income, geography, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability.”

Simply put, “Here It Comes” means that I believe the Biden administration intends to support policies that will lead to the rise of the Ten Kings, world government, the Antichrist, the False Prophet, tracking everyone, godlessness, the Tribulation Period, etc.

The shadow government controls every branch of the U.S. government, and, as I see it, there will be a surge forward with no going back. In his first six days in office, Biden signed more executive orders than the last four presidents combined (and one of his officials said there are more to come).

How long it will take to bring in the world government is unknown, but I expect the shadow government to push Biden to accomplish as much as he can before the next election two years from now.

No one knows the day or hour of the Rapture, but whenever it happens, the Restrainer will be removed, and godless world government will go into overdrive.

Here are several stories that made the news:

One, Biden asked a “Christian” preacher friend to offer the benediction at his inauguration, and the preacher closed his prayer, not in the name of Jesus, but “in the strong name of our collective faith.”

Praying in “the strong name of our collective faith” is the kind of reprobate thinking that left God out of the Democrat Party Platform.

Their total one-party control of the U.S. government will cause them to fully support a godless one-world religion and government.

The Bible clearly teaches that God will put up with this godless world government nonsense for 7 years, but if He did not bring it to an end, no flesh would be saved.

The pastor’s prayer is also evidence of a sick, lukewarm Church that tickles people’s ears instead of proclaiming the truth.

Two, on Jan. 23, 2021, a bomb exploded at First Works Baptist Church in El Monte, Cal.

Hate messages were painted on the inside walls of the church.

Several news organizations ignored the bombing and blamed the church for preaching against same-sex marriage.

These people appear to believe it is okay to blow up a church if the preacher preaches the Scriptures.

Three, on Jan. 20, 2021, an unidentified person in the U.S. State Dept. decided that the U.S. Ambassador to Israel will now be called the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

The person that made that decision posted it on the State Dept. website, and it appears that whoever did it does not believe that the West Bank and Gaza should be part of Israel.

Some say the Biden administration also plans to change the U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel.

Two weeks ago, I wrote that God had a reason for putting Trump in office, He has a reason for removing Trump, and He has a reason for putting Biden in office.

I tend to believe God is ready to let world government advance, and He removed Trump because Trump would have been in the way.

I also tend to believe that God put Biden in office because He wants Israel to trust Him, not Trump or the U.S., for protection.

Unfortunately, most Christians do not know enough Bible prophecy to recognize the danger that dividing Israel poses to America.

According to the Bible, those that try to cut Israel into pieces at the end of the age will be cut into pieces.

(Note: Before this article was sent to the editor, the State Dept. reversed itself on the issue and went back to calling the U.S. Ambassador the Ambassador to Israel.)

Four, concerning pestilences, my last week’s article noted that a group of U.S. doctors believe Ivermectin is safe and effective for preventing Covid in most people.

The article also noted that India has developed an inexpensive, effective, and safe Covid Ivermectin treatment kit.

On Jan. 19, 2021, it was reported that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has upgraded Ivermectin from “against the drug” to “not for or against the drug.”

According to the article, this opens the door for doctors to feel safe in prescribing it and for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve it for emergency use if they choose to do so.

I found Ivermectin searching “Ivermectin for humans” at amazon.com.

There is also an apple-flavored paste, and a reader told me about a nurse that puts it in peanut butter.

I am just passing this information on for people to make their own decision.

Five, concerning persecution, much of the hatred that has been dumped on Trump over the last 4 years is now being directed toward those that voted for him.

Since Jan. 15, 2021, more than 22,000 people have signed a petition to have Franklin Graham fired from Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Assoc. for supporting Pres. Trump.

On Jan. 20, 2021, the Daily Beast published an article calling for a new “secret police” force to spy on Trump supporters because the FBI and NSA will not sufficiently punish these Americans.

Many Christians and conservatives are expressing concern that Biden’s support for the LGBTQ agenda (biological males in women’s bathrooms, etc.), and Pelosi’s rule that people in Congress are not allowed to say man, woman, etc., will lead to people being denounced as homophobes, etc. One reader e-mailed me to say there will be a tremendous effort to pervert the children that are not killed by abortion.

It has been reported that Katie Couric is calling for Trump supporters to be deprogrammed in re-education camps and for members of Congress that question the accuracy of the election to be punished. This could pit brother against brother just like Jesus said because the left wants to silence and shame those that disagree with them.

On Jan. 20, 2021, it was reported that former FBI Director James Comey said the Republican Party “needs to be burned down or changed.” He asked, “Who would want to be part of an organization that at its core is built on lies and racism and know-nothingism?” Comey is a proven liar, and there is evidence that he used false evidence to protect Hillary Clinton when she destroyed thousands of e-mails.

On Jan. 21, 2021, it was reported that a columnist for the Washington Post is calling for Fox News to be kicked off the air for “radicalizing people and setting them on the path of violence and sedition.”

I pray that Jesus will Rapture the Church off the earth before the persecution gets too bad, but judgment must begin at the house of God (I Pet. 4:17).

It falls on believers first, and it falls harder on unbelievers second (persecution of the Church signifies a greater persecution is coming on the lost).

Six, after constantly condemning Trump’s handling of Covid and claiming that he (Biden) will vaccinate a million people a day, concerning Covid, on Jan. 23, 2021, Biden said there is “nothing we can do about the trajectory.”

He added, “In the next few months, masks, not vaccinations, are the single best defense against Covid.”

Seven, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog in the latter years and latter days, on Jan. 20 it was reported that a senior Israeli official said if Biden returns to the same terms of Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, Israel will have nothing to discuss with him.

Biden is clearly interested in returning to the deal but said Iran must start complying first.

To summarize this article, concerning world government, I am not like Chicken Little, who claimed the sky is falling (world government indicates many good things such as the approaching rapture; reign of Jesus; peace, justice, and righteousness on earth; etc.), but I am saying get prepared because here it comes.

Some are saying a police state and persecution are coming.

U.S. Josh Hawley recently said, “You can go to church now, but you may not be allowed to go to the church of your choice in two years.”

As far as many of you are concerned, your pastor will never tell you about these things, so I suggest that a good place to get started is hischannel.com.

Finally, if you want to go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

#January #31 #2021 #Biden #Globalist #Puppet #Fall #of #America #executive #order #destroy #USA #from #within #NWO #the #great #reset #underway #rapture #imminent #maranatha #JESUS

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collegeboss · 5 years ago

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Top Stores for College Students and People on A Budget in the US:

Dollar Tree:

Dollar Tree is my go to place for cheap food. Not Dollar General or Dollar Family, the true “everything for one dollar store!” The one by my university has all the basics, like bread, peanut butter, jelly, macaroni and cheese, pounds of sugar and flour, bags of dried beans, tortillas, frozen vegetables, egg noodles, broth, almond milk, and half gallons of Arizona Tea!

However, they do have a broad range of other useful goods such as shampoo, conditioner, notebooks, books, holiday decor, cheap hardware tools, sets of paint rollers and holders for home renovating, first aid supplies, gardening ware during the summer and spring, mugs, cheap kitchen ware, gift wrap supplies, office supplies, perfume, and art supplies.

Target:

Target is one of those stores that you have to know where the deals are at. My Target puts any holiday decor that gets put on clearance in the back corner of the store where they typically sell other seasonal goods. They also tend to put clearance sections on end caps in the home goods section, but I usually go for the end of season clearance since they get discounted to around 60% of the price. The front of the store by the entrance is where they keep the cheap 1-5$ seasonal goods, but the best Targets to go to for this section of the store, are the ones by colleges, since they usually try to keep cheap dorm goods in this section year-round.

I recently got two full sized pillows for $5 (as a pair, so $2.50 each) in home goods on 50% clearance and mini tombstones for my desk that were $1 each in the seasonal section at the front of the store. I’m always hawking over the clearance section for cloths by A New Day and Wild Fable, since they are simple and affordable brands that I love the style of. I managed to get a couple of black crop tops by Wild Fable on clearance for about $1.20-$4 each.

Publix:

Publix is THE PLACE for couponing. They have a list of buy one get ones (BOGOs) every week, and they keep the weekly ad with this information by the entrance. Any BOGO that doesn’t require a coupon, can have one store coupon (Publix or one of its competitors) and one manufacturer coupon per deal (i.e. $1 off of every one item can be used on the BOGO items as well, as long as you have two of the coupons, but $1 off of two items will count as a coupon on each of the two items) and you can put a 5$ or 10$ off of 50$ purchase or the like on-top of all of that, as long as you reach the requirements on the coupon, and its either that specific store’s competitor or one of their own deals.

Kohl’s:

I love checking out the clearance sections in Kohl’s! The last time I was there I bought a soft black dress, a black short sleeved shirt, a pair of pants, and a soft pair of gray and black yoga pants that I love sleeping and wearing around the house in, for just about $13 bucks, that the amazing cashier manage to bring down to (originally about $16) by letting me know about a 20% discount that’s online. There’s also a clearance section in the makeup/ self care section, where I got a pack of face masks for $1.40, and nose strips for about $2, and an EOS lip-balm for $1.99.

Thrift Stores:

They can be a hit or miss in both merchandise quality and pricing. I mainly go to thrift stores for heavy furniture, such as desks and book cases. Sometimes you can get a nice desk for $25 and sometimes it’ll cost you $100. The end of school season at the beginning of summer is a good time to go shopping for furniture, because some people will be graduating and moving on to a new place, and you don’t have that moving in to the dorms crowd quite yet.

#thrift #thrifting #budget #college #collegeboss #budgetstore #budgeting #cheapstores #store hacks #shopping #shopping tips #stores for college #stores for college students #shopping for college students #student shopping #Marie Kondo #on a budget

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doorbowstore1-blog · 4 years ago

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Simple Christmas Decoration Ideas For Outdoors

Christmas is one season that is so much fun for people who love to decorate their home. The inside of many homes are festively arrayed with colorful ribbons, garlands of fresh evergreen, sprigs of holly and candles. Home exteriors and yards are also treated to some decorating magic. If you are on a budget this year this article has some helpful suggestions that can show you how to decorate with some easy outdoor Christmas decorations without going broke.

Many people have more stress during the holiday season.. Preparing for the arrival of family and other out of town guests can take a toll on you. With so much to worry about, your Christmas decorations shouldn't be one of them. There are several cost efficient ways to decorate the exterior of your home without spending a bundle.

Ask yourself this question. What will be my theme? Often you will already own items that can be used for a traditional theme. Items such as ribbon, scissors, tape, garland, and other materials are usually scattered about in drawers, closets and cabinets.

Try to use nature to help you decorate whenever possible. You can find holly berries, pine cones, branches and mistletoe almost everywhere. These items are free, earth friendly and they are so much fun to work with.

* Make your own evergreen trim; this requires a little bit of patience and practice. It will still beat paying $20 or more to purchase a living garland from the store. Just consider yourself to be the "Martha Stewart of the Forest".

Other items that you may need for your Christmas decorating projects can be found at your local dollar store. You can also check out discounters and garage sales for necessities such as construction paper, artificial flowers, glue, lights, wreaths, bows, markers, colored pencils, paint, paper plates, glue sticks, Christmas bulbs, glitter, and all sizes of Styrofoam balls.

Make decorating fun. Make kid friendly decorations that are both eye- catching and cost efficient. Invite all your family members to participate in this kid-friendly project. Here are some easy to make crafts the whole family can enjoy doing.

* Make some life size ornament cutouts from posterboard and use them to decorate your door or porch. You can trim these cutouts with material from the craft store.

* Decorating trees and bushes with bows is colorful and affordable. Using bows that are one color is usually the best choice. It gives the yard a more "pulled together" appearance. more here Door Bow Store

* Create some ornaments with ribbon and pine cones to hang on tree branches. If you add peanut butter and bird seed to the pine cones the birds will appreciate it.

* You can make your own luminaries at home. All you need for ice luminaries are some empty quart size milk containers or some large buckets. You can even make Christmas luminaries from some plain tin cans.

Tin Can Luminaries

1. Use clean tin cans of different sizes for this project. Make sure the cut top is smooth and safe. Remove the labels from the cans and fill them with water. 2. Place them in the freezer. The frozen water in the cans will prevent them from denting or collapsing as you create Christmas designs on their surfaces. 3. When you have solid ice in your tin cans, you can safely make designs using nails and a hammer. For fancier designs, a hole punch works great. 4. Be creative with your design and make sure the light will be able to shine through. 5. Remove the ice, place votive candles inside the cans and decorate your front walk, yard or porch. Here is another idea that can be used to decorate the exterior of your home for Christmas.

Decorative Door Greeting

Items needed: Garland in the following colors: green, silver, gold, red Ribbon (red, green, silver, gold) Tape (or thumb tacks) Scissors Fun and festive wrapping paper (Christmas themed) Construction paper Color pencils (or markers) Glitter

Trim a piece of colorful wrapping paper so that it will fit the length of your front door. Attach the wrapping paper to your door with either invisible tape (so there won't be glue marks when you remove it) or thumb tacks. Next you will need to cut two pieces of red and silver garland the width of the door. Twist the garland together. Cut ¾ inch green ribbon and tie the ends of the garland. Cut two pieces of green and gold garland together. Cut ¾ inch silver ribbon and tie both ends of the garland. Use thumb tacks to secure the garland on the door. Cut four pieces of garland, (your choice of colors) the height of the door. Twist the first two pieces of the garland together. Now you can twist the next two pieces of garland together. Use thumb tacks to secure the garland in place on the door.

Making a Greeting Card for the Door

Fold the construction paper in half.

* Write a holiday greeting to people coming to your door on this card. Brightly colored markers or pencils work well for this. * Using a brightly colored pen or a glitter pen to trace your greeting adds nice touch. * Once you have finished the card, place it at the center of the door. * For a different style, cover your door with cards. The cards can all be filled in - or you can include a pen so people can add their own message.

#Door Bow Store

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theisaacking · 5 years ago

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Is that (THE) ISAAC KING? Wow, they do look a lot like ANSEL ELGORT. I hear HE is a SEVENTEEN year old SENIOR who originally attended LUXOR Academy. Word is they are a REGULAR student. You should watch out because they can be PRETENTIOUS and LOUD, but on the bright side they can also be ENERGETIC and CREATIVE. Ultimately, you’ll get to see it all for yourself. [PEANUT, 24, EST, HE/HIM]

Hey everyone! I’m Dustin, but you can call me Peanut! Some of you might know me, but I think most of you don’t! I’m very excited to be back here at Luxor after taking a few months off from the rping community to recharge my batteries and refresh myself creatively. All of my former runs in the rp have been pretty short, but I think that this time is going to be the one that sticks.

But enough about all that! Allow me introduce you to The Greatest King since Elvis Himself:

- Isaac’s been an actor since he was in diapers. He and his brother Jackson started by appearing in baby commercials and televisions roles when they were infants, and Isaac has been a part of the biz ever since then.

- When they were 8 years old, he and Jackson were signed on by Disney to star in a Disney Channel series called Brady’s Brainwaves; a show about a young genius whose inventions constantly get him and his more street smart twin brother into trouble (Kinda like a live action Jimmy Neutron, meets the Suite Life ) but while the show was in the pre-production stage, Jackson decided to step away from show business, wanting instead to focus on the other things he was interested in. Disney decided to continue with Brady’s Brainwaves anyways, and the show was rewritten to center around just Isaac, with Jackson’s role being filled by a best friend character, rather than the brother of Brady. The show went on to be hugely popular (Think like, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody or Hannah Montana type of of popularity) and Isaac won the Kid’s Choice Award for Favorite Male Star in a television series three years in a row.

- At first, Isaac couldn’t help but get caught up in the glamour of being a TV star; it was hard not to when girls screamed your name everywhere you went, and you got to get paid for doing something you genuinely loved doing. For awhile, he thought the trade off of all the downsides might have even been worth it, but when Disney proved to be a nightmare to work for, pushing him hard and micromanaging every detail of everything he did, and he started to realize that the paparazzi following him everywhere meant that he never had any privacy, it didn’t take too too long before the glamour started to wear off, and he grew to resent his fame, and his passion for acting was starting to wane. What was probably the worst thing about it though, was his parents, who were too enamored with the money he was making them, and encouraged him to stick with it, no matter how much he hated it and wanted to take a break from the spotlight.

- Finally, after six years, Isaac had had enough. When his contract with Disney expired, he refused to renew it, much to the chagrin of his parents. He did not back down or give in to Disney, even when it was strongly insinuated that they would make sure his career faltered if he refused to sign with them again; he still loved acting, but by that point, he was prepared to never act again if it meant not having to work for Disney anymore, because the alternative of staying would surely kill his passion for it completely anyway.

- Those threats proved to be pretty empty though, because Isaac got all kinds of offers from big studios and big budget films to be the star, but his experiences had caused him to have a severe disdain and mistrust for the Hollywood machine. He turned down all major film and television offers, and instead accepted an offer to be in a off broadway stage production, which he ended up thoroughly enjoying. After that, he decided to focus on the stage, where he hoped to hone the craft of acting in it’s purest form. Stage work has been his primary focus ever since. He did eventually return to doing some acting on camera again as well, but only in independent films, and only in roles that he felt showcased his talent and range as an actor.

- After leaving Disney, Isaac also left his parent’s house at 14 years old. He blames them for the misery that he had to endure while working for Disney, and resents them for caring more about money than their own children. He went to live with his grandparents, and pays his parents five hundred thousand dollars a year to just leave him alone.

- When he was a Freshman, he decided to enroll himself and his brother Jackson at Luxor. He felt it was a good place to go to get away from the ever watchful eye of the paparazzi, and just live his own life. A lot of people still recognized him here, but in a school filled with the children of the rich, powerful and even famous, it wasn’t the biggest deal for him to be there. Plus, here, he and Jackson could be together, and free of their parents.

- In terms of personality, Isaac appears like he’s this huge goofball. He's always putting on a show for everyone around him, and seemingly loves to entertain. And while that’s certainly true to some extent, a lot of this is a facade/persona that he's developed throughout his life of living in the spotlight, always being expected to do something interesting and fun at all times, and he's just never really been able to shake that. He lives with a very real fear that if he isn't that way all the time, and he actually lets people see the person beneath the persona, then people will think he's boring, or be disappointed by the other parts of him that aren’t as exciting. As a result of this, very few people really know the genuine Isaac King, which leaves him feeling pretty isolated a lot of the time. He loves his brother Jackson more than anything else in this world, and despite only being a few hours older, he is fiercely protective of his twin, though unfortunately, the pair are not on the best terms at the moment, which has certainly been hard on Isaac.

- Isaac is just now returning from the filming of a massive World War 2 Epic in England; his most high profile work by far since the Disney days. He’s been away from Luxor since the end of Christmas Break for filming.

Class List:

1) Creative Writing

2) Theatre

3) Musical Theatre

4) Latin (I told you he’s pretentious)

5) Philosophy

6) Weight Lifting

7) Shakespearean Studies

Extracurriculars:

Stage Director of Theatre

Fencing

#luxorintro

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ashleybengtson-blog · 5 years ago

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Welfare Food Challenge: Pre-challenge Post

January 28, 2019

Hello, welcome to my Tumblr! My name is Ashley and this is my pre-challenge blog posting. This week I have chosen to “challenge” myself in participating in the annual Welfare Food Challenge as part of my INTD370 course at Red Deer College. The Welfare Food Challenge consists of purchasing 21 dollars worth of grocery items to last you for an entire week (7 days). The reasoning behind this dollar amount is that it highlights the inadequacy of welfare rates in British Colombia and it is the typical amount of money left aside for weekly grocery costs for these individuals. It is expected of the participants of the challenge to strictly eat only what fits within their $21.00 grocery budget. Rules for this challenge include no use of food banks or accessing free meals supplied by charities and family or friends; resisting from eating any food you already have or previously grown. Throughout this challenge, I will be posting a daily blog post depicting my meal creations, thoughts and feelings. The purpose of this challenge is to “raise public awareness about the poverty of people on welfare and the need for change” (Gerlings, 2017).

Since this Welfare Challenge is based within BC, out of my own curiosity I wanted to determine what the equivalent was in Alberta. According to Stadelmann-Elder, (n.d), in 2018 the total welfare income for a “single employable adult” in Alberta, was $8,106.00. That broken-down further leaves a total of $675.50 for monthly expenses. In order to gather my calculations, I will build a hypothetical scenario based on my regular monthly expenses. Each month I pay $362.50 for rent, and my utilities generally range from $80-120.00 depending on the time of year. My cellphone bill accounts for $65.00 of my monthly expenses, while my wifi split between myself and 4 roommates costs $30.00/month. I am fortunate enough to have 4 other roommates which make my monthly expenses significantly less. All together these expenses add up to (362.50 + 120 + 65 + 30) 577.50, during the colder months. My rent alone accounts for 54% of my monthly costs with that amount of income ($8,106.00/year). Another expense that would be essential for an Albertan to have during our long winter season is a means of transportation. A bus pass for one month in Red Deer costs $72.50, finally leaving us with $25.50 a month for groceries and any other unexpected expenses. This is completely earth-shattering. $25.50 a month to spend on groceries is completely not sustainable. This, of course, does not include any medical expenses, clothing, etc. Although, yes Canada does have universal healthcare being unemployed without private benefits may place you to be at risk of paying full price for many prescriptions, physiotherapy, and any other medical services. I know that some of my calculations may be off, and there are definitely cheaper phone and wifi plans, but this is still not a sustainable amount of income for any individual to live off.

This challenge has already been quite an eye-opening experience and I know there will be more experiences to come. I am quite excited to be able to really put myself into somebody else’s shoes and experience what my dietary palate would consist of being on welfare.

In order to begin the challenge, I first researched an array of online grocery-store websites in order to create a tentative plan. Although navigation of these sites was quite confusing I managed to select a few that worked for me and all stores were within a good radius of my residence. To make this challenge more realistic, I ended up deciding to shop at only one grocery store. I decided to do this because as an individual on welfare, most likely wouldn’t either have the means of transportation to shop at several grocery stores across Red Deer or might not have the time to wait for bus transportation. Also, it just happens that Walmart is the closest grocery store to me, and would only take about a 10-minute walk.

The following are the items I was able to come up with for this week:

1 loaf of white bread

1 dozen large eggs

1 jar of peanut butter

1 900g bag of basmati rice

5 banana’s

1 yellow bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

2 boxes of kraft dinner

1 dozen great value original weiners

I was able to walk away from Walmart spending $19.96, leaving me with $1 to spare. In the following blog post, I plan to explain my shopping experience in more detail. As this post was quite a lengthy one I would like to end my pre-challenge discussion here. Thank you for reading along and wish me luck!

xoxo

Ashley

*Disclaimer* I purchased all of my items from Walmart on January 27th, but that evening fell quite ill so I decided to post-pone my blog posting for one day giving me some time to recover before diving in.

References

Gerlings, K, (2017, October 2). 6th annual welfare food challenge. Retrieved January 28, 2020, from https://welfarefoodchallenge.org/2017challenge/

Stadelmann-Elder, M. (n.d.). Welfare in Canada. Retrieved January 28, 2020, from https://maytree.com/welfare-in-canada/alberta/

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muchymozzarella · 6 years ago

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Advice from a millennial foodie living alone on a budget

Do all your shopping in dollar stores and then buy what you can’t buy there in the grocery. Do not pay full price for generic products. What I buy for $40 in the grocery I can get for $20 at a dollar store. The only thing you can’t really get at a dollar store is fresh and frozen products.

Bacon is the cheapest non deli meat that’s sold around here, IDK if that’s true of most places. But it’s a good option apart from chicken if you want meat but are on a budget. Deli meats are probably the cheapest to buy in general, though I don’t prefer them. Eggs, as well, of course.

Pasta and rice are versatile and cheap carbs you can experiment with for meals that feel expensive but aren’t. Match meat / a protein of some kind with rice and some veg and you have a full meal. You can make so many different pastas by just changing sauces.

Great ingredients to always have are: Salt and Pepper, Butter or butter substitute, Soy Sauce. You can flavour most things with these ingredients alone, but you can always experiment with other dried herbs and spices.

If you have a hard time making your own meals, you can’t go wrong with wheat/grain bread and peanut butter for healthy carbs, protein and fat (barring allergies lol).

Totally not healthy but sometimes when I want a “pastry” but don’t wanna go out and buy one, I spread some butter on bread, sprinkle some sugar on it, then toast or melt it and eat that. It’s its own pastry. It’s ridiculously simple, not very healthy, but surprisingly decadent.

Buy bulk for stuff you know 100% you’ll use later and stock it (ie toilet paper, sanitary pads for ppl with vaginas), it’s cheaper. Use the dollar store trick; I’ve bought those huge 40-packs of liners and 24-packs of overnight winged napkins for only $4 from there).

If you love a certain brand then buy that brand, but also buy its cheapo generic counterpart and mix the two together in order to save up and still have that expensive experience (I do this for laundry detergent and instant coffee).

Get frozen veggies instead of fresh unless you’re gonna use them asap, so they don’t rot and you don’t waste food. There are a few things you can ONLY get fresh, but some frozen broccoli, peas, green beans, mixed veg, etc, can go a long way to keep you eating healthy.

You can make cafe style ice coffee by taking instant coffee, submerging it in a little cold water to remove the acidity, then adding the hot water / microwaving it, adding flavouring and or milk as needed (condensed milk mixed with coffee gives you this amazing sweet latte), and then adding as much ice as you can at once and stirring/mixing quickly, or pouring the hot mix into a cup full of ice (so it doesn’t melt). It took me a while to master the “add ice and stir” technique, so I suggest the “pour hot mix slowly into ice cup” technique for maximum effect.

You can make milk tea / bubble tea (without the bubbles) at home by boiling black tea (such as english or irish breakfast, ceylon tea, or orange pekoe) dark and then adding powdered creamer or coffee whitener (which is often non dairy) and sugar or sweetener as needed. You can add some milk to give it more body, but the milk tea flavour is generally achieved through the creamer/whitener. Same process with the ice: put in a lot all at once so it doesn’t melt, or pour the hot mix slowly into a cup full of ice.

You can get both instant coffee and black tea bags in huge bulk sizes. Also at dollar stores.

#advice #millennial foodie #not very extensive but still #budget

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fyeahdpanabaker · 6 years ago

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Godspeed, Danielle Panabaker! After almost five seasons, The Flash's always graceful and ebullient star has gotten the chance to step behind the camera for the first time to make her directorial debut.

And because this is the Arrowverse, that meant taking on more challenges than most. Not only did Panabaker have stunts, special effects, supersuits and storylines to handle, she also had to basically build a new world, because this week's episode is all about how the now-imprisoned Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) received her powers and came to align herself with Thawne (Tom Cavanagh) in 2049. Oh, and the hour reportedly introduces us to DC Comics villain Godspeed, as well.

That's some heavy lifting, but let's face it, the future is female and Panabaker is a perfect choice to take us there!

OK, congratulations. You directed an episode!

Danielle Panabaker: Thank you. Thank you very much! [Laughs]

Now, none of these shows are easy to direct, but you went and got an episode that is primarily set in 2049, a world we're not familiar with!

[Laughs] I did, yes. In a world we've never seen before. That was, I think, one of the biggest challenges but also one of the most exciting things that I got to do, which was create this world. On my first day of prep, the conversations were "What does 2049 look like?" and after that it's "What does 2049 look like on an episodic TV budget?" Everybody was really creative and did everything they could to bring this very modern futuristic world together.

So what does the world look like?

In my conversations with Todd [Helbing, exec-producer] and the writers, for us it sort of felt like this was a sleek, modern world. One of my writers said it would be like KonMari...everybody went through and KoMari'd everything. Just clean, minimalist. And that was great. I sort of toyed with the idea and asked myself, "Is it that dark, moody world that Tom Cavanagh created in Season 3, Episode 19 when he first directed?" That didn't feel right to us.

Is it maybe a little icier?

[Laughs] A little icier. I would say a little more sleek and modern and white.

And you're getting to tell Nora's backstory. What can you tease about this?

OK so, this episode, Team Flash struggles to understand why Nora has chosen to do what she's done in working with the Reverse Flash. They decide to read her journal to try to get some insight into why she's made these choices. The journal sort of provides us a portal to jump forward in time to where Nora originally came from and to see how she got her powers.

Did you shadow directors before all of this, as well?

It's funny. I was actually talking to Jesse Martin [Joe West] about this last night. He laughs because somebody said, "Did you shadow?" and Jesse laughed and said, "It feels like you've been shadowing for years." I really took advantage of being fortunate enough to be on a show that has made 100 episodes. I kept showing up at the production office, sitting through meetings, eavesdropping, trying to learn as much as I could. I formally shadowed both Tom Cavanagh and David McWhirter in Season 4, though.

That must be a gift, getting to see what it's like for one of your fellow actors to direct his costars.

Yeah, absolutely. Tom was really an inspiration in a lot of ways as, yes, an actor who directs his costars but also the way he communicates with everyone and how generous and enthusiastic he is. It was pretty incredible to see.

And how much are you on screen in the episode?

One day's worth. The episode starts and ends in the Cortex where we see most of Team Flash. It's a direct pick-up from the end of 17, where they're still processing the information and trying to figure out what to do.

How long have you wanted to direct?

Now having done it, I think I've always probably had the skillset for it but didn't really believe I could do it until I saw Tom Cavanagh do it in Season 3. I watched him go through it and was like, "Oh, maybe this is really possible and this really is attainable for me."

Was there any hazing from your costars?

[Laughs ] No. I'm so grateful and so thankful that they did not! One of the previous directors was laughing at me. He kept asking, "Are you ready? Are you ready?" and teasing me and saying, "Well, what will you do if...?" The reality is, my costars were very trusting of me. I think I have [built] a good enough relationship with them over the last five years that I've really established myself as a professional and someone who cares and someone who pays attention. I think they were very trusting of me. The next go round, maybe not. [Laughs] Maybe they'll have a little more fun with me. I'm so grateful that they were so generous.

This is so cool. When you start on a show you, I'm sure most actors don't think this is ever going to be a possibility.

No, not at all. I'm so incredibly lucky that Warner Brothers and The CW and Greg Berlanti have supported me along this because it is a bit of a risk to have a first-timer directing. You're putting them in charge of however many millions of dollars it takes to produce an episode. I'm incredibly grateful that they gave me that opportunity. Someone asked me, they were like, "Oh, are you getting a bottle episode," which is typically one of our smaller episodes. I laughed. I said, "No, I think mine's the opposite," because we went so many places and had to create so many new sets.

What would you consider your biggest challenge and also your biggest victory?

My biggest challenge... [Arrow showrunner] Beth Schwartz gave me really great advice when I was directing. She said, "TV directing is all about problem-solving and being malleable." I think there were a thousand ways that that happened every day in varying capacities, whether it was scheduling issues or someone was really sick or a costume wasn't quite ready in time to shoot. There were all kinds of various challenges, but we sort of had to just adjust and try and make it work.

Nice. And your biggest victory?

Getting to do it. I'm really just proud of the episode. I feel like this is the first moment I've stopped and I've really pinched myself and said, "Oh, you did it. You did it. Now it's going to be on television!"

What can you tell us about Caitlin as we head into these final episodes?

It's a race to the finish starting with episode 18. There's a ton of momentum. We find Nora's origin story. She's going to have a bit of a journey until the season finale. Obviously, Barry (Grant Gustin) and Iris (Candice Patton) have their own relationship and they struggle as parents particularly in dealing with [Nora's lies]. In [Episode] 19, my father returns, which is a wonderful storyline and I'm excited for fans to see the conclusion of that story as well.

How do you feel about where they have taken Killer Frost this season? Because I'm really loving her evolution...

Oh I do, too. I'm so grateful that they really heard me after Season 4. Todd Helbing in particular did an unbelievable job in giving me a really substantial storyline that I could sink my teeth into. That sort of dual character was something that I don't feel like we really played into or utilized in Season 4. And this year, we really explored their relationship with each other, how they're coexisting, how they feel about each other, which I've loved. And that was really important to me, because I didn't want her to just be thrown away as a joke. She's a real character. We saw her in her full glory at the end of Season 3. I was always curious as to how these two people were coexisting.

Was there a cake at the end or was there any kind of wrap party for you?

No, but the caterers did make my favorite chocolate-peanut butter pie on my last day. Again, I've been so supported along the way! [Laughs]

The Flash, Tuesdays, 8/7c, The CW

#danielle panabaker #the flash #news

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curryhealthcenter · 5 years ago

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7 TIPS FOR HEALTHY GROCERY SHOPPING WHILE ON A COLLEGE BUDGET

Health Nut Photo: Denae Duren

Health Nut Writer: Denae Duren

I’m pretty sure I can count on one hand how many times I’ve gone grocery shopping over the summer purely because grocery shopping STRESSES ME OUT, HARD. Just the thought of preparing a list, going to the store, carrying my bags into the house, making room in the refrigerator to put things away… it’s just too much, especially after a full day of classes and work. However, over the years I’ve come up with a few tricks that help me tackle my grocery endeavors and I’m excited to share them with y’all!

1. Budget for the month, week, day, etc.

a. Decide whether you’ll go grocery shopping on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis. I prefer to plan on a weekly basis.

b. It is easiest to begin thinking about how much money you’d like to spend each month on groceries/food in general, then break it down to biweekly, weekly, or daily. The USDA publishes a monthly reports for the average U.S. cost of food at home at four levels: thrifty plan, low-cost plan, moderate-cost plan, and liberal plan. The information is categorized by weekly and monthly cost, gender, and age group. For me, this is a helpful tool when deciding how much to spend on groceries each month based on my income. If my income is lower than other months, I choose to stick to the thrifty plan rather than one of the other levels.

2. Shop weekly advertisements for different grocery stores

a. Knowing where the sales are before you start making a list will help you decide what you’ll be eating in the coming weeks.

3. Be on the lookout for individualized discount and rewards programs

a. Stores such as Albertson’s and Lucky’s have apps you can register for to receive personalized discounts and/or rewards for shopping in-store (sign-up for Albertson’s here, and Lucky’s here). Missoula Fresh Market has a nifty gas rewards program that rewards 10 cents, sometimes $1 off PER GALLON of gas for the money that you spend in-store on groceries. You can either sign up here, or in store. Natural Grocers offers an email rewards program for spending money at their store that you can sign up for online, and the Good Food store offers a rotating coupon that you can receive via email each month!

4. Know what you like to eat

a. I know, this seems like common sense, but if you know what your “go to” foods are from each food category, you’ll be able to prepare snacks and meals with minimal items that also taste great. Here is the way I lay out my grocery list:

Fruit: bananas, blueberries, apples

Veggies: zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots

Grains: brown rice, pasta/couscous, lentils

Protein: chickpeas, tempeh, peanut butter

Sauces: pasta sauces, Tasty Bites, hummus

Dairy: cheese, soy milk, Greek yogurt

After you’ve nailed down all your favorites, it’s easy to add in “filler” items that you’d need to make a specific meal. Just from my items above, I could prepare pasta with chickpeas, a brown rice bowl with veggies and tempeh, a sheet-pan meal of tempeh with veggies, Greek yogurt with fruit and peanut butter, you get the idea. It can be helpful to generate a loose meal plan by deciding which night of the week you’ll have each of your meals so that you don’t skip out on using all the food you’ve purchased.

5. Prepare your list and purchase ONLY what is on the list – seriously. No matter how much you want to “treat yo self,” you do not need those Oreos and Chips Ahoy that are on suuuuuuuuch a good sale… I promise.

6. Don’t be afraid to purchase off-brand items

a. Especially organic off-brand items. I’ve found that they have the exact same ingredients, sometimes even less ingredients than name-brands, and are much cheaper!

7. Shop the Good Food Store bulk section

a. According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the majority of our food dollars - 81 cents per dollar - goes to processing, packaging, advertising and transport. Ridiculous, I know. Shopping in bulk food sections (Albertson’s, Rosauers, and Fresh Market also have them) can save you a ton of money. Purchasing only as much as you need is also a perk.

Additional suggestions:

- Don’t shop when you’re hungry

- Shop at the Farmer’s Market – produce is often cheaper… and local (Missoula Farmer’s Market, Clark Fork River Market, Missoula Saturday Market)!

- Shop with your friends, roommates, partner, etc., - everything is cheaper at Costco

There are many strategies for shopping healthy while on a budget and these are only a few. Spend some time figuring out what works best for you, your wallet, and your tummy. Another great way to take care of yourself is to attend a self-care fair!

Credit: University Center Student Involvement Network

The University Center Student Involvement Network is hosting a Self-Care Fair on the oval this Thursday the 12th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.! There will be tables from different student groups offering swag, essential oils, DIY facial scrubs, self-care tips you can put to use for the rest of the semester, time and stress management education from Curry Health Center Wellness, our famous stress-busting kits, sleep tips, and so much more!

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whatjobsjobs · 3 years ago

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Five signs you need a new job

We’ve all had days when we gaze at the clock, hopeful that the next time we look, it is time to go home.

We rationalise it by saying it’s nice out or that we have someplace to be, but is that really the case, or is it time for something new?

Take a look at the five signs listed below. If you can agree with even one of these, you should start looking for a new job!

Sign 1: Your expenses outdo your salary

We’ve all taken a shine to a particular way of life, which requires us to work to survive. If you don’t want to work to live, you should think about changing jobs when you can’t afford your current lifestyle!

Sign 2: Your boss keeps forgetting your name

This one can be excruciating. We endure it, if they don’t realize our presence, they won’t notice when you leave.

Put your skillset to practical use by working for companies that value it!

Sign 3: You haven’t been considered for a promotion in the last two years

If you’re content with earning the same hourly rate or salary you did when you first started, you must be a wealthy person!

Either that or you’re content with the fact that the value of your antique clock rises faster than your hourly basis or salary!

Sign 4: Your bonus is peanuts

If you work for an employer who makes millions of dollars and the bonus you get is just peanuts, I would consider yourself very less in the picture! A different job could lead to a better boss!

Sign 5: You have a boss’s role and a worker’s salary

Have you ever wondered why your boss and your previous bosses were fired? And your workload just ensued to rise when they got fired? If that’s the case, you were simply a victim of a budget cut. Remove the high salary, then distribute the workload among those who remain. If you do someone’s job, you should be compensated for it.

#whatjobs #career advice

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calaycay · 6 years ago

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Calay Indochina Trip (April 17-22, 2018)

Jealousy is something that needed to be addressed for a better relationship. So when my Tatay got jealous of my Hong Kong trip last October 2017, I acquired insomnia. My mind can't stop thinking of the best place where my Tatay can get a great experience with a very small budget. Thanks to Colz’ post in DIY Philippines Facebook Group about her Indochina Trip, I finally got some sleep. They day after the long peaceful sleep, I immediately invited my friends who I know love to travel also. Fortunately, I convinced my Baka-chan, Reinee, and Johnrey. This is the start of our failed and unsatisfying but definitely unforgettable Indochina trip that we will surely laugh about when we get older.

Planning for Indochina Trip really needs a lot of research. Imagine going into one country after another, one should really know everything that he/she needs to know.

DAY 1

Thanks to Traveloka, we were blessed to find an Airasia seatsale going to Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam with connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. So we automatically had an additional country aside from our original Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand travel.

We exchanged our peso to Ringgit in NAIA just to be sure to have a money to spend enough for DAY 1. It is better to change your money in NAIA than in any airport of the country you are going into.

We depart from Manila around 5:30 PM and arrived at Kuala Lumpur by 9:05 PM. KL's airport is really big. We rode Aerobus going to KL Sentral and their Rapid KL (counter part of MRT here in the Philippines) going to Masjid Jamek Station - the nearest station to our accommodation. We didn't have data so we weren't able to locate our hostel easily. It took us a lot of walking. People pointed us to places everywhere. They can barely understand us and we can barely understand them as well. Fortunately, Rajid (a staff from China Hostel) helped us to contact our hostel and booked a grab for us. (THANK YOU RAJID!) Finally by 2am, we were able to get some sleep.

I experienced the same in my HongKong trip. So I suggest to book an accommodation nearest to a landmark. Also, ask the right person so you don't need to get lost even worse.

We booked a night stay at Grand Mountbatten Boutique Hotel through Traveloka as well for P1750 for 5 pax 350 each - very cheap.

Day 1 is like Day 0. We weren't able to go anywhere but our hotel.

DAY 2

We woke up by 6am and started our journey by 7am. Our first stop is Batu Caves. We got lost because apparently KTM Kumuter is not working, and we do not know how to get there via other transportation. So we asked, and rode a free bus up to KTM Sentul Station, from here we waited for more than an hour before it departs to Batu Caves. This is the heartbreaking part. We weren't able to take into consideration the waiting time of the departures because we have a different itinerary. Some things really don't go according to the plan.

at Jamek Mosque

We enjoyed Batu Caves, especially for me and my Tatay. I just love natural things. I prefer going to these tourist destinations (just like Ngong Ping Village in HK) than in the city. The monkeys and doves are everywhere! You can even get a shot like you're in Rome with those doves. And my Tatay experienced getting his polvoron rubbed by the monkey. It's so funny. The Big Buddha is really enormous. It's amazing.

Inside the Batu Cave

You need to climb 272 steep steps before reaching the cave. But the fear, hunger, and effort are totally worth it. It's a huge cave. They have a small temple inside it. Again, the monkeys are everywhere.

Just a reminder: do not wear shorts or skirts above the knee. You will be asked to pay 5 MYR for the cloth which they will wrap around your waist.

We went back to the KTM Komuter by 11am. This is where everything messed up. We weren't able to eat breakfast and lunch because of the hectic schedule. We weren't able to go to Petronas Twin Towers (yeah I know 💔💔💔) And the worst part is, we missed our flight going to Vietnam. Yes we idiots did.

We got no choice but we are still blessed. Flight from KL to Siem Reap, Cambodia is cheap. So we decided not to go the Vietnam and just go straight to Cambodia. And we booked our accommodation in Cambodia through Agoda for PHP 2265.59 each.

We spent the whole day at KL Airport and waited for our 7am flight to Cambodia. We are so broken that we didn't even talk about going back to KL Sentral for Petronas Twin Towers and we are too afraid to miss the flight again.

DAY 3

We arrived at Siem Reap, Cambodia by 9AM. Took a tuktuk ride from the airport to Kok Meng Lodge. The Inn doesn't allow us to check in yet because it's too early. So we had no choice but to go to Pub Street without taking a bath. We just walked straight from Kok Meng Lodge to Pub Street, it is just 5 to 10 mins walk away. It is a very hot late morning. We are all sweaty and sleepy.

We ordered a sharing food for lunch. Johnrey bought a booked from a disabled vendor. We talk about our frustrations in this trip.

We went back to the inn ( Kok Meng Lodge ), took a bath, got some sleep, and went out to take a look of Siem Reap. We intentionally didn't go to Ankor Wat because it will be unfair to Baka-chan's friend who was left in Vietnam.

Upon walking, we bumped into a tuktuk driver and asked him where we can go.

But before anything else, James, our tuktuk driver took us in a street restaurant to eat meryenda.

Yes, these heavy meals were our meryenda. And yes, we were that hungry. XD

He took us to the War Museum, Tatay and Johnrey obviously enjoyed it in different reasons. Tatay is into guns and other war equipment, there were tanks! And Johnrey is really interested in history. War Museum has a lot to tell.

After the War Museum, James Peter, our tuktuk driver, took us to one of Angkor Wat temples for free! This is because you can enter Angkor Wat Complex after 5pm for free.

We just went to Pre Rub, amazed by the work of men, the sunset and took beautiful photos.

Early discovery of talent

The complex is so peaceful. There are a lot of trees, and a lake. I love the environment.

When it got dark, we decided to go back to Pub Street and end the trip with this Pacquiao-fan tuktuk driver. James is really accommodating and pleasant. He only asked us 12 Dollars for the whole trip. Thanks James! I hope to see you again!

[I’ll insert James’ calling card here, I just need to look for it.]

We booked a bus trip from Siem Reap to Bangkok Thailand via HANG TEP TRAVEL CO., LTD. for 20 Dollars. Just to make sure that we will get to Thailand.

We finally experienced the Pub Street life. And took a mandatory shot in Pub Street sign, ate dinner, look for some souvenirs, and tried fish massage. That was a great night. And that's the best night in our trip. Cambodia is the best that happened to us.

DAY 4

We were supposed to go to Angkor Wat but the group realized that it is a waste of money going to Angkor Wat for just one hour because we booked an early trip going to Bangkok. Yeah, this is another heartbreaking story. We came here to see the Angkot Wat, yet we failed again.

By early 7AM we took the bus going to Thailand. Reached the border by 12pm and the next 4 hours was hell. We lined up in the immigration for 4 hours! We were on an open space covered with a high roofing, the line was very long. It was a very hot afternoon. And we didn’t have anything in our stomach but water. It was a very painful experience. This was the point that I realized that I need to tell you these guys. INDOCHINA TRIP IS VERY EXHAUSTING. YOU'LL EXPERIENCE HUNGER, TIREDNESS, AND DIZZINESS.

Line in Cambodia Immigration Office, Krong, Poi Pet

When you see this Arch, this means you are in the border of Cambodia and Thailand already.

This is the line in Thailand Immigration Office, Aranyaprathet

And this was us, in front of the line after hours. They just called from the line and prioritized us, maybe our bus guides did the work. Thanks no thanks. They’re too late.

We departed from the Cambodia-Thailand border by 4pm and reached Bangkok by 9pm. So Day 4 was spent in the immigration and on the road. We headed straight to Khao San Road and exchanged our dollars to baht. Finally, we were able to eat our first meal of the day. We had just some peanuts while on the bus. So yes, dinner was our first proper meal of the day. I thought I was gonna die out of hunger, imagine how my 62 year old father suffered. I'm sorry.

We tried the famous Pad Thai with Shrimp and egg. It tastes good actually. Go ahead and try it.

Nope he didn’t eat it.

We stayed in an airbnb very far away from public transportation so we got no choice but to ride the taxi all throughout our Bangkok stay. So don't make the same mistake. Book an accommodation near public transport or your desired destination even if you pay more because it is just the same booking a cheaper accommodation then spending in grab and/or taxis plus the hassles.

DAY 5

This was our last chance to make the most of our Indochina trip. We woke up early and started the day going to Damnoen Floating Market. We took the grab going to Southern Bus Station and ride the bus going to Damnoen Floating Market for THB**. It was a 2-hour ride. Make sure to enjoy the view going to the South of Bangkok. Upon reaching the pier, there were offers going to the actual floating market for THB 1,000 for the 6 of us. Grab it. I know that some blogs would say not to fall for it. But based on a recent experience, for that amount you get a free 1-kilometer ride. This is the distance from the pier to the actual floating market. But we declined this offer.

Then, a van offered to bring us in the second pier. There, they offered us THB 300. We still didn’t agree with the price because based from the blogs we read the 300 THB is supposed to be for all of us already. So what we did is to walk from the bus stop to the floating market. It was a long and hot walk.

And upon reaching the actual floating market, the fee is 200 THB. The floating market is a little bit crowded. There are many boats. It is really a floating market. Vendors are selling products in the boat, although some are on the riverbanks.

We bought Chinese soup for breakfast for 60 THB, and mango shake for 65 THB. The Chinese soup is okay, and the mango shake is satisfying. The vendor of the shake is also very beautiful, she’s like a Korean.

Going around the river, we also saw some local houses. We also saw lizard-like creature – I don’t know what it is called. It was swimming in the water. It’s kind of scary but just fine because it didn’t swim towards our boat. The sailor of our boat asked for a tip. So you better budget also for these miscellaneous expenses.

Going back to the bus station, we rode a yellow jeep for THB 10. We took a grab going to the City to go to the temples. This is where the second most heartbreaking part of our trip comes in (first is our missed Vietnam flight).

She is making a pose for me :)

I said that DAY 5 should make up this failed trip. We started the day right but ended up scammed. Upon reaching the city to visit the temples, we looked for the pier where we were supposed to ride the boat going to the temple.

Then there’s this some guy who offered us help maybe because we were obviously lost – we can’t find the pier. He instructed us to ride the tuktuk going to the pier, so we did.

Remember this man’s face! He is a scammer! ALL THE HATE ON HIM!

The tuktuk brought us to a pier. A lady in the pier was charging us, if I remember it correctly, 1600 THB each for the boat ride, then we bargained it down to 600 THB which was supposed to be, if you go to the right pier, 15 THB only. So you see, we were scammed, they didn’t even give us a ticket.

At first we kinda like it.

But then, we just went around a shallow and unpleasant canal.

And after the 1 hour (which was really less than 1 hour) CANAL boat tour, all the temples were already closed. YES they were all closed, so we didn’t got the chance to enter at least one temple. :(

We just went around and took some photos with other temples.

This day gets from worse to worst, even the Chatuchak Market was already closed when we get there so we also didn’t have the chance to do “Bangkok Shopping”.

We just went back to Khao San Road and had some decent dinner.

The next day, (DAY 6)

We went to the airport and traveled back to the Philippines. And our pasalubongs? We bought it from the airport because that’s the only choice we had.

THAT’S IT. Our Indochina trip just went like that. Spending five days on the road and having an unworthy experience. If I could only correct everything. I guess we just need to charge this to experience. At least we got 9 passport stamps. (Yey!)

I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to my travel buddies – Tatay, Reinee, John Rey, Baka-Chan, Babes ni Baka-Chan – sorry guys, I know that this is not what we wanted. I hope to travel with you again next time, and by that time, we will finally enjoy our trip.

Indochina Trip is not always like this. It’s always different for all of us. It’s just that we got to experience the opposite of anything that you can call good. I suggest you allot longer days for this trip, then for sure, you will have a blast.

Bonus:

I prepared an excel of our expenses. Click here. :)

Cheers to travelling the world! Meow meow!

#indochina #calaytravels #claireyfly #thailand #bangkok #vietnam #malaysia #kuala lumpur #siem reap #cambodia #travel #travel blog #experience #culture #wander #wanderlust

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if-you-fan-a-fire · 3 years ago

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“How much does it cost to take care of basic needs in prison? Our research team at New York University’s Prison Education Program set out to find an answer to this question. We looked not just for a specific dollar amount, but also at intangible human costs.

Going to jail or prison increasingly comes with a hefty price tag for the person who is incarcerated. As states continue to cut public spending, individuals are often expected to pay money to meet their basic needs in confinement facilities. Today, for instance, most states spend less than $4 per day to feed one incarcerated person—with some states like Alabama, Kansas, and West Virginia spending less than $2 per person. Such budgets are not enough to provide healthy and nutritious meals, so most people have no choice but to purchase extra food from the commissary store and/or to rely on care packages sent from home. At the same time that public expenditures have decreased, prison wages have stagnated, and the prices of food, phone calls, and other consumer items have increased. This has resulted in a greater economic burden on those individuals and families who can manage to absorb the costs, and a “surplus” (or exacerbation) of harm and punishment for those who cannot.

Our research team recently conducted interviews with fifty-one formerly incarcerated men in New York, all of whom had been released from state prisons in the last five years. The interviews provide a personal perspective on the ideology of fiscal austerity that has become commonplace in correctional administration. The people we interviewed also shed light on a dynamic that may surprise some readers: despite the common assumption that prisons are homogenous spaces, economic hierarchies do, in fact, exist inside. Our interviewees alluded to the concept of being “jail rich”(i.e., having access to some level of financial resources), and also discussed the significant portion of the prison population that cannot afford to pay for essential goods. Our research finds that a person’s inability to absorb the cost of fiscal austerity makes them more vulnerable to the harmful effects of a prison sentence, with consequences that are likely to last well after they have left prison.

A basic prison budget

While it is difficult to determine exactly how much it costs to cover basic needs inside a New York State facility, most of our interviewees estimated that they needed at least $175 per month to get by (translating to a minimum budget of $2,100 per year). With that sum, they explained, people can purchase just enough commissary food to integrate the paltry meals served by the facility, while also having some left to spend on other essentials, such as clothes, personal care products, and a few phone calls to family each month.

Family support

Since our respondents reported making on average less than $0.25 per hour, or about $31 per month, from in-prison employment, none could reach a monthly “living wage” without regular support from friends and family. Out of the fifty-one people we interviewed for this study, only eighteen said they could count on steady financial support from their loved ones, while twenty-two said they received some support but that it was not regular and/or not always sufficient to cover basic needs. Eleven participants reported receiving little to no support during most of their sentences. The experiences of the individuals with no financial resources are discussed in the following sections.

Food insecurity and health consequences

Hunger was the first thing most of our participants mentioned when talking about what it was like to be poor in prison. The food provided by the prison, everybody agreed, was insufficient, unhealthy, and sometimes inedible. To get by, people who had no external support invested the little money they earned from in-prison employment in a “survival kit” consisting of peanut butter, jelly, and a few ramen soups, which they would use to integrate—or at times replace—prison meals. These individuals were more likely to report health problems such as gastrointestinal diseases, foodborne illness, and drastic weight loss, as well as frequent headaches and chronic fatigue. Tim, who was incarcerated for seven and a half years with little family support, for instance, remembered feeling constantly hungry during his last incarceration, to the point that he was often too weak or too ill to even leave his cell:

“When I was hungry, man, I had to lay—I just got to go and lay down. Because yeah you get, I got headaches, you know? I got headaches, I got cranky, I got moody, you know? Yeah, you get real moody when you want something to eat, believe me.”

Steven, who spent thirteen years in New York State prisons, said lack of access to food caused him to miss out on the few educational and training opportunities in the prison:

“I could never accomplish much while I was in there, he explained, because my stomach was always hurting, I could never get my body physically right. I was just deteriorating, day after day.”

Isolation from friends and family

While all incarcerated people experience dramatic disruption of social and intimate relationships, those who are unable to have regular contact with their loved ones during their prison sentence suffer its effects more acutely. Although costs of in-prison phone calls have significantly declined over the past decade—thanks to political action by families and to rate caps introduced by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) – people who live off their wages from prison labor still cannot afford regular contact with family. Some of our participants reported speaking to family only a few times and receiving less than one visit per year during their incarceration. For many, the two free postage stamps provided by the facility each month offered the only means of communication with loved ones outside. Such an extreme and prolonged social disconnection is likely to heighten feelings of isolation and loneliness, and to negatively affects both people’s well-being inside carceral facilities and their re-entry after prison, when they must rely on family members for emotional and material support.

Psychological consequences of prison poverty

Not being able to shop at commissary, or to regularly call home, can also affect how people experience the emotional and psychological harms of incarceration. Cooking their own meals or wearing their own clothes helps to counter some of the daily degradations of prison life. Having to continually eat unappetizing food or wear worn-out uniforms makes it harder to maintain a sense of self. Even more so than their peers, our interviewees who were indigent reported feeling stripped of their dignity and humanity by the prison system. For Steven, for instance, not being able to shop at commissary meant not just being constantly hungry, but also being unable to cook something nice on special occasions:

“I would not celebrate Thanksgiving, nor any other holiday. I don’t even celebrate holidays. I don’t celebrate New Year’s. I don’t celebrate any of that stuff, not in prison. I did no celebrating in prison. Every day was a living hell.”

For those with no access to personal resources, the inability to mitigate against material deprivation negatively affected their psychological well-being.

Conclusion

The carceral system has become even more unjust: incarcerated individuals have no access to gainful employment, and yet are required to pay for their basic necessities. While this system affects all incarcerated people, those who do not have the resources to cover basic needs experience its effects more acutely. Without regular access to commissary and telecommunications, people are more vulnerable to the negative health and psychological harms associated with a prison sentence. As a consequence, individuals and their families often face an impossible choice: drain the household’s resources to support their loved ones inside or leave them exposed to the most brutal forms of deprivation. This modern-day “prisoner’s dilemma” harms the well-being of the most disadvantaged people in prison and amplifies the negative impacts of incarceration far past the prison gate by draining financial resources from already vulnerable families and communities.”

- Tommaso Bardelli, Zach Gillespie and Thuy Linh Tu of the New York University Prison Education Program Research Collective, “Blood from a stone: How New York prisons force people to pay for their own incarceration.” Prison Policy Initiative. October 27, 2021

#New York University Prison Education Program Research Collective #new york university #new york #new york prisons #paying for incarceration #penal harm #incarceration #mass incarceration #american prison system #prison budgets #penal reform #crime and punishment

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