Tag: help with money matters

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A new Halloween store opening

It’s really great to have found out that tomorrow is the opening of a new Halloween store that is opening in town! Normally I will take orders from friends or the folks around here, to make costumes for their kids or even some of the adults, and I really enjoy making them. Some people who make costumes would be bummed about a big store of costumes and everything else one could think of for Halloween in the area, but not me.

I love to go into stores like this to get new ideas and also to buy the items I need to make All Hallows Eve the best time possible. From what I am hearing, this new store has thousands of costumes, mainly the pre-made and sold in packages type ones. But they also have loads of masks and also everything thinkable for this night of ghouls and witches, black cats and skeletons.

The opening of the Halloween store will be held in a few days and I of course will be going there to scope it out. As for buying anything, I’m going to wait until right before Halloween and then the day after, because I also hear tell, that the store will have tremendous discounts on the non sold special effect items and so make up, and blank masks which is what I am looking for, since one of my specialty hobby’s is making masks for all occasions.

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Shopping for PTAC Units

Last summer when we had exceedingly hot weather and a drought, our air condition unit decided it didn’t want to keep us cool anymore and the motor basically exploded. It was an old unit and we are fortunate it didn’t start a fire, but this has led us to do some early shopping for various ptac units, that we can afford. When I was younger, the heat didn’t bother me at all, but I have found for the last few years, I get overheated and of course without the air conditioner, it gets so hot and stuffy in the house that even the dog would rather be outside under a tree where he may get a hint of a breeze. My family gets miserable, and then I have to hear the complaints. I’m not going to go through that again this year.

While shopping, I looked at Amana ptac units and from what I was told by the expert helping me, they would save money and also work well in my home. In the long run this would be less expensive than running just plain fans, and would regulate the air in the house and keep it at a cool temperature that we all could handle. Not to mention, we wouldn’t just be stirring the hot air around like floor and ceiling fans do.

I’ve also talked my mom into checking out these ptac units, since she has a two story house and I stay in the upper part while I am there on most weekends. To say it gets hot up there, is an understatement. Despite the fact that she indeed has central air conditioning, her unit isn’t large or heavy duty enough, to cool the upstairs, due to the size of the rooms I have up there. To even try to cool the upstairs is so expensive, I’ve been depending on fans and a cross breeze with the windows open. A new until would not only save her money, but also make it comfortable enough to actually get a good night’s sleep!

 

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Home repair grants

Having written about home repair grants in the past, I am a firm believer that more people should take advantage of this service. I’m in the process of looking for a contractor to help with venting and also repairing the old pipes in the bathroom, and believe me when I say it can get very expensive. With the economy the way it is, any help with money situations is a big deal and it’s worth checking out to see if you are eligible. It only takes a bit of one’s time and it can make all the difference in the world.

A friend of mine moved back to where she had been renting out the home she owns. When she got there and was settled, she decided to check out assistance with home repairsĀ as the old tenants had trashed her house, then skipped out on the rent and repair bills. My friend was in dire need of assistance to help with the repairs since she couldn’t afford it on her own.

I was told an insulation assistance in NJ was just the thing she needed, as my friend’s previous tenants had even run up a heating bill in the winter that was outrageous. The utilities had been included in the rent so she went into debt with that also. I’m glad she is using her head and checking out various grants and professionals to help with and do the work she needs to have done.

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Plans changed with saleing

It’s nearly midnight and I’m thinking that today’s plans were not what had been planned in the first place. I love it when there are NO plans. The kids and I did hit some garage sales, but then we passed a place to eat. Once that was finished, we decided to go real shopping, as they call it.

We found some great bargains on summer things. I actually thought that prices would be low after the holidays, but I was pleasantly surprised at the great sales we hit.

Now everyone is in their bedroom waiting until tomorrow to figure out plans and what they all want to do without me tagging around. Fine by me. I need to play in the gardens and call some blogging buddy about her bale gardening. It would be good to meet up with her again and we could do a quick see what we can see and find trip. Maybe some flea markets or antique shops.

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Picking out Graduation Announcements

With my youngest daughter’s graduation around coming on fast, (we have three more weeks) it’s time to address her graduation announcements. It seems like yesterday that I was sending her off to school for her first day, on the bus. I even remember what she wore that day. I get a bit “mom type” sentimental when it comes to things like preparing her now for graduation from high school, and soon she will be going off to collage. I’m going to really miss her a great deal when she leaves for school.

My daughter doesn’t want a big graduation party, which actually doesn’t surprise me much, since she never has liked a lot of pomp and circumstance, as it is. She’s is a social person, but on the same note, she doesn’t like a lot of fuss being made. We have decided to have a small get together with the family and a few close friends that she wanted to invite. I personally wish she’d like a big party, since graduation is a awesome accomplishment and also a step toward even bigger and better things in a person’s life.

The announcements we ordered are so personalized and fitting for my daughter that when her graduation photo is put inside, it is like we actually chose the announcements according to her various outfits worn in her pictures. Which actually we didn’t, yet they came out perfectly. My daughter is happy with them, the price was right and I’m happy about that. It will help with money matters, since we also plan on giving her the gift of money and the title to a truck she has wanted for a long time. It won’t surprise me if she finds a way to attach her announcement to her dashboard. This is saying something about how well they turned out.

 

 

 

 

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Picking out Pansy seeds

My oldest son has never taken an interest in any kind of gardening or plants until recently. It surprised me today while we were at the market and he stopped at the seed display, and immediately reached out and picked up a packet of mixed pansies. He said they would look good surrounding my big tree in the front yard. Since he has never showed an interest in my garden except to photograph flowers that were in interesting lite once in awhile, I never thought he noticed the pansies I had grown under the tree. I looked at the price and nixed it.

This particular store, raises the prices according to their idea of how much things cost, despite of the price on the package. That is why I rarely go shopping there. I knew I was going to Lowes this weekend, and they have seeds on sale. I’ll buy enough pansy’s to keep my son busy tending to the pansies this summer! Thinking about it, I might just take him into the garden supply section of the store. Maybe he’ll want some garden tools. šŸ˜‰

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Reseeding a tough spot

Plans have been set about seeding a bad bald spot, that is right in front of the porch. It’s not like a walk path. Grass just never grew there. I had tried everything. I never give up when it comes to growing things. Last year I found a bag of grass seed, for shade or moderate sun. The name is American, I keep trying to figure out where I got my last years bags for the back yard where the old pool was.

This stuff, if anyone can find it, and need a tough but soft grass, also light traffic, and it’s a lush emerald green. It actually makes me want to landscape and start from scratch with this brand. I just wish I knew what store I bought it at. I keep thinking Kmart. It comes in in a white bag, and it just has American in blue printed on the front. Nothing fancy and it only cost about 2.98 for ten lbs. Judging by the way it’s come up in the past, it proves that beauty doesn’t have to be expensive. Also, delvers what the package says. I like getting what is promised when buying items. I’ve always wanted to be a test person and reviewer for merchandise. I think it would be a riot and so cool!

 

 

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Address plaques as a gift

My oldest daughter and her family are planning on buying a house, that is totally awesome and fits their needs perfectly. I went to see the home, and decided right away to look at residential address plaques as a house warming gift. Since the house is way out on a country road, and set back from the road quite a way, it is rather hidden, or will be, once the corn and wheat fields start to grow, which is what the house is surrounded by. Also there is a dirt road before the house that literally just leads into a small woods. It’s easy to mistake that for a drive way.

I know that they are going to put in a new mail box, and that will have the house number on it, but sometimes since the road doesn’t have any street lights, it is hard to read the numbers in the dark, despite of head lights shining on them. I thought about browsing through the custom address plaques, that areilluminated for the house front its self. My daughter will keep the porch light on at night, if her husband isn’t home, but when he is home, she shuts it off, and if they had company at night, it would be hard to read the house number. Besides, if I find the right plaque, it’s a gift that my daughter wouldn’t buy for her self. It’s also a home improvement item…at least I think it makes an improvement on a home.

The personalized address plaques are what I am definitely looking to buy. The give a touch of class to a home, and I know my daughter would love that. She likes nice little touches that make a house more of a home. I did find a few that are in my budget range, so that is a financial help. I think it’s a good and unique gift to give.

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Low income building supplies

There is a new sort of store in town that actually looks like a thrift store for all home improvement items. I actually is extras from Habitats for Humanity houses, that are brought in and priced really low, so others who are on a limited budget can fix up their homes.

I wanted to go in to look at some lamp globes and actually just to see what this place carried. I found they carried everything from washers and screws to gently used furniture at very low prices. They even have some really lovely ceiling fans and light fixtures that would have cost a great deal of money, had it been at any other store.

I asked about the policies that they had and once of the stipulations was that a person had to be low medium to low income families, or people, who owned their home or who have a mortgage and were using the store to do home improvement. I don’t know how they find out if all this is true or if they just go on the “honor system,” but I guess it works.

The store is only opened two days a week, so I’m going to perhaps do some shopping there tomorrow. I have a list of some things I need. I am looking for a neat bathroom sink but didn’t find see anything when I was there to just check the place out. There are some calking things I need, some washers, and a new porch light globe. Plus some outlet covers and little odds and ends. Since I am indeed on a limited income, this will help with money matters a great deal for me.