Frontload Washer? No!

What is that thing pictured? No, it is not a beer dispenser for the fridge. Read on and you'll find out!

An interesting turn in our post-eating Thanksgiving idle talk took us to the discussion of front-load versus top-load washing machines. It began when my sister-in-law commented about the mold that had developed in her front loader. Yuck! It seems that she had some company as others shared similar stories.

I thought about my own experience with a front-load. We had bought an early generation water-saving front loader. I vividly remember taking notes as I watched the instructional VHS tape. But (fortunately!) the machine broke only after three years. I wrote a blog about it on April 11, 2009. http://thriftyandproudofit.blogspot.com/2009/04/clothes-washing-energy-minutia.html

Based on the mold comment, I checked on the internet; and sure enough, it is a common complaint. http://www.networx.com/article/choosing-a-washing-machine-top-loading

However, what is fascinating to me is the high and low of the spectrum. In checking the Home Depot on-line catalog it looks like you can purchase a 4.3 cu. ft. capacity front load steam, Model PFWS4605LMG, for $1,499! However, the shipping is free. But wait! For $599 you can additionally purchase the GE SmartDispense Laundry Pedestal with Storage Drawer, Model # SPBD880JMG that allows you to store up to 6 months of laundry detergent and 95 ounces of fabric softener to be dispensed automatically during the wash and rinse cycles, pictured above. A time-saving and wise investment?

My daughter walked by as I am writing this blog. She remarked that they bought a top-loader for $200, and it works just fine.

In-Store Coupon ONLY at Mast & Other Local Deals

2:09 a.m., Friday, November 25. I just returned from Old Navy where members of my family got terrific deals on jeans and other stuff. I got scarves for the Christmas gift bags that my small group puts together for Mobile Meals clients. We arrived at the store at midnight and spent 1/4 of our time shopping and 3/4 in line. whew! However, the people behind us in line got there at 9:30 p.m., but they did get one of the early bird giveways--a camera.

I intend to do my serious shopping with the locals. Looking through the paper this morning, I saw:

Season Passes at Dollywood

Friday specials (and some Saturday)

J.P. Coffins, FREE holiday Tote with $100 Bradley Purchase

Harb’s on Broadway, 30-60% off with coupon in Thursday’s paper (If you can’t find a Thursday paper when you read this and need a carpet, it might be worth going over to the News Sentinel and getting a copy.)

Hammer’s of Clinton: Register on Friday morning for three $100 bills and three $50 Hammer’s Gift cards to be given away between 8:15 and 9:15.

Turkey Creek Wine and Spirits, 20% off every wine

Amvets Thrift Store, 50% off everything, Friday, Saturday and Sunday

And noted in my Market Square weekly e-mail:

This Friday and Saturday, enjoy spectacular savings at Mast General Store. (ok, I am hearing you purists: “Mast is imported from North Carolina.” I say that’s close enough!) Coupons are available only in the store between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. There are no cut-out or print-out coupons available this year. The "Make Your Own Sale" means you can use the in-store coupon with any one item* in any department during the entire shopping day the coupon is issued.

On Friday, November 25th, pick up your coupon in the store between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Enjoy 40% savings at any time during store hours on any one item* in the store.

On Saturday, November 26th, pick up your coupon in the store between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Enjoy 30% savings at any time during store hours on any one item* in the store.

*Some exclusions apply. Limit one coupon per one customer for each day. Coupons apply to any single, regularly priced item in the store. The coupon cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount. Patagonia and gift cards are excluded. Sorry, coupons cannot be used online.

They say Black Friday, we say Purple and Green Friday! Join us the day after Thanksgiving for Bliss + Bliss Home's first Purple and Green Friday! Receive a $10 gift certificate for every $100 you spend, see a sales associate for more details!

Reasons to shop at Union Ave Books for the Holidays:

* Free parking for one hour in Locust St. or Market Square Garages with any purchase!

* Free same-day hand-delivery for downtown customers of any purchase over $20

* Free hand-delivery for Knoxville metro-area customers of any purchase over $50

* Free Union Ave book bag with purchases over $100!

* Buy a $50 gift card and receive a $5 gift card

* Buy a $100 gift card and receive a $10 gift card

* Send us your "Wish List" and we'll show it to your "Santa Claus"

* Support Local Downtown Businesses and avoid the crush at the malls!

Fizz has everything you need for your holiday shopping this year! From sparkly party dresses to snuggly sweaters, great jewelry, fun tights, scarves, hats, and gloves to everyday basics, we are your one-stop holiday shop!

As a thank you for shopping with us, Fizz will be giving a free gift with every purchase of $25 or more this Black Friday! Come get yours while supplies last.

JOHN BLACK PHOTOGRAPHY MINI SESSIONS!
Searching for the Merriment of Christmas & a great deal?
YOU FOUND IT!
Right after Thanksgiving, while the family is still in town and in between shopping trips...

Stop by JOHN BLACK PHOTOGRAPHY for your Family Portrait!

mini SESSIONS

30 minutes, 1 outfit

Unlimited people, unlimited Santa hats, unlimited bad sweaters and don't forget the dog!

only $100!

Also Christmas Card Sale - 5x7 watercolor card: one side is only $1, two sides are $2 - packs of 25.

FRI ~ SAT ~ SUN

Nov. 25, 26, & 27th

10am to 6pm Fri & Sat; 10am to 4pm on Sunday

(Friday morning is booked, Saturday 11:30 is open rest of morning is booked, call or email soon!)

Jams, Jellies, Jerky, Sauces, Cookies, Chocolate and more from area businesses! All food items are 30% off!!!

Perfect for gift baskets, hostess gifts, and gifts for teachers and friends. Supplies are limited, so hurry in!

SALES and SPECIALS

• Clearance items are perfect gifts starting at only $1. Save over 75% on select items!

Does a Witch Wear Sequins? Of course!

1980's -- the country experienced an economic uptick, and there was some serious materialism going on. Think Gordon Gekko -- Knoxville style. Well, it wasn't exactly like that. However, it did mean a exceptional number of parties, events that required some serious clothes.

My most prized party-clothes possession was a sequined duster that I bought at Marshall Field's in Chicago in 1989. I am very glad that I do not have the receipt for the coat anymore, because today's me would probably be ashamed of what yesterday's me paid for it.

It is gorgeous -- and I swore to NEVER throw it away, even long after significant shoulder pads were passe and I was too old for bright colors.

It completed a great Halloween costume this year. With pancake make-up, sparkly fake eyelashes, and an awful stringy black wig, the $5 sequined witch's hat that my husband found at Walmart made for a super outfit.

The coat weighs almost 2 1/2 pounds, but it kept me warm! We were at a party in a tent, and the weather had turned exceptionally cold.

Cheap Pays Off -- Most of the Time

I am getting to the point where I believe that you can get a deal on anything at some time somewhere. My e-mail inbox is stuffed with deal blogs, and two this morning were G-O-O-D.

• Long's Drugstore--the meeting place in West Knoxville (and to you Farragutans, Bearden is the heart of the REAL West Knoxville). 50 percent off! Who is NOT going to drop by Long's in the next month or so?
• Christmas card deals. To my dear friends who are thinking "I never got a card from her in the 30 years that I have known her. What is she talking about?" You are right!! I do not send out personal cards. I send out cards to those with whom we have had business dealings. I think I have found THE deal for me this year. It came up through commonsensewithmoney.com. Through some magical power this blogger holds, she scans the half-off, etc., deals nationally. The one of which I think I will take advantage is the Simply Social Chicago: $15 for $40 worth of custom holiday cards, invitations and more from SimplyToImpress.com. Another one to consider is Knoxville's Half-Off Depot deal for today, $15 for $45:
  

  75 8X4 Customizable Slimline Holiday Cards with Envelopes from Premier Photo Mall
  

• Cheap does not pay at the hospital! If you have surgery or extended treatment at St. Mary’s, Mercy, Tennova’s Physicians Regional, you get free parking in the garage! Yesterday I parked three blocks (three HILLY blocks) away on the street and found out about the freebee during the admission processing. Well, I can always use a little more exercise!

AS ALWAYS, STAY

Buy with a Conscience or Buy Cheap?

This past weekend my shopping habits can be summed up in one word: conflicting.

On Saturday we attended the Tennessee Food & Wine Festival held at the Knoxville Convention Center. At first glance, this looks very much like the Food Show annually sponsored by Food City. However, the ticket price was $10 versus $6, and for an additional $10, one could sample wine. Additionally, it was anticipated that attendees purchase products. It was a much smaller crowd, and the pace was slower. Also, as the crowds grew, the lines did not form neatly as they did at the Food City Show. That is when I realized that most of these people were not food show veterans as I am!

This festival was sponsored by the State of Tennessee Department of Agriculture and benefited the culinary program at UT. All vendors were from Tennessee.

It was great fun! A multitude of wine samplings! We like dry whites, and we found some nice ones.

The foods were interesting; and after sampling, we came back through and purchased quite a few for Christmas gifts. And that is when it hit me. I would NEVER have paid the prices for these products for my own consumption as a part of my normal grocery shopping. Purchasing for gifts puts this experience in a category by itself.

But I WAS doing the right thing. I AM supporting my fellow Tennesseans who are working hard to make a living selling jams, popcorn from Tennessee-grown corn, cookies, beef, oh, yes and wine.

Sort of a home-grown variation of free trade, right?

My awareness of buying with a conscience was increasingly heightened when we later drove over to Happy Holler. We did not do a good job of time management, and the Hollerpalooza was over; but we popped into Three Rivers Market. I noted a bottle of tonic water for more than $6. (My husband is a big G&T fan -- $1.50 is our average purchase price). Again, we succumbed to convenience and purchased some wheatberry salad at $5.99 a pound.

(Please note: the blog Couponing in Critical Times routinely posts "deals" at Three Rivers.)

Yet the next day I got into my couponing mode with absolute disregard of product origin. Included in my bargain buying was the national brand coffee that I bought for probably 2/3 the regular price after special pricing and coupon. It had "mountain grown" on the label, but the only location I could see noted was the business address in Ohio. I scored well buying deoderant for $.75 after special and coupon, but I imagine that my "creation care" friends might have trouble with some of the ingredients.

Bottom line: my conscience does not consistently work into my buying. Please excuse me, Mother Earth.

Maybe Smoking Would Be OK, If It Were Not So Bad

In a professional capacity, I have been tagged for a smoking cessation committee through the Knox County Health Department, so I decided to go public and blog on the issue.

I am an ex-smoker. I loved smoking! If some magic fairy princess came in and did two things, I would start smoking again in a heartbeat:

1. Determined that it is not harmful to your health including your teeth and skin,
2. Made the presence and smell of smoke not offensive to nonsmokers.

If smoking were not bad for your health, it probably would not be taxed so much; and I could justify the expense.

I smoked mainly in social settings (translation: I was drinking), and it kept me from eating as much. I grew up heavy but lost a significant amount of weight in high school, and have kept it under control for the most part. Smoking in my teens and twenties replaced a lot of chips and dip, and for me it was cheap. I started smoking in the tobacco-producing state of North Carolina, and my first purchase out of a machine cost me $.50.

According to Wikipedia, “smoking-related disease kills one half of all long term smokers but these diseases may also be contracted by non-smokers. A 2007 report states that about 4.9 million people worldwide each year die as a result of smoking.”

Unfortunately I prematurely lost one of the people I loved the most to smoking.

My mother started smoking in the 1940s when she started dating my dad, as he was a smoker (note: he quit in the 1960s). My childhood memories are laced with recollections of loose tobacco littering the bottom of her purse and often working its way into her compact and sticking to her lipstick, a few burns on the arms of her favorite family room chair, and an increasing household consumption of Kleenex as her coughing got worse. A couple of years after my dad died, she decided to quit. Some weeks after the challenge began, she developed shingles. “This is a sign from God that I am not to deal with this (excessive stress and anxiety due to not smoking),” and she recommenced smoking.

My mother’s tolerance for pain must have been high, because some years later she died only five days after the diagnosis of extensive lung cancer. How long the cancer was growing inside of her, we would never know.

I smoked occasionally throughout the years. I would give myself permission to smoke when we were on vacation without the children. My last great cigarette experience was in 2000 in Italy. I remember one moment of lived-out fantasy, of continental and cosmopolitan, as I relaxed in the piazza of a village, sipping grappa and inhaling an incredibly strong European cigarette.

I am very fortunate that I have not wanted to smoke in years. However, nostalgia overwhelms me occasionally as I stand next to someone smoking. If only . . . .

Check out a couple of websites that I found. The first is about the hard cost of cigarettes, and the second is more about the comprehensive cost. Smoking does not fit into being thrifty.

http://www.healthcalculators.org/calculators/cigarette.asp

http://www.quitsmoking.com/info/articles/costofsmoking.htm

Need Music? -- There IS the radio

One of my 2011 sacrifices was giving up Sirius/XM. I loved it. I especially loved it on the road. From the day that we got that gleaming new automobile in 2005 with the dedicated XM button, I was a fan.

But it cost MONEY, and I had an honest talk with myself. I honestly can't remember how much we were paying, but in looking back in my checking account, it looks like $44.79 a quarter. ech! I did decide to put that money to better use. And if I were still plugged into Sirius/XM, I would likely never have discovered WKCS 91.1, Fulton High School radio.

Fulton High School is on a roll--higher standards which are resulting in better results for their students. My listening in on their radio station is a small way of being part of their community. You can read about the history of the station here:
http://www.wkcsradio.org/history/wkcs_history.htm

There's something special about knowing that you are listening to a radio station run by a bunch of high schoolers; but what is so weird is that they play music from my past. Just tonight as I pulled into home, "Come and Get Your Love" was playing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7eloXr2iak I had always thought this was played by an African-American group because it is so soulful. Wrong -- It's a Native American group.

I used to use an I-pod, but when I took it to the Apple Store to fix it, the music got stripped out. I don't seem to have the umph to reinstall. WKCS seems to be just fine for now.

P.S. The signal is not that strong. I lose it about at Cedar Bluff. Also, I do not listen to the broadcast of the sports games.