Monday, March 14, 2022

Spring Forward Sunday

 

Hibiscus

This morning, we put our clocks ahead by one hour and switched to Daylight Savings Time.  I like having more hours of daylight.  

Today, my daughter and I ran a couple of errands.  When we had the TV box and modem replaced, we were told to return the old TV box, but, there was no need to return the modem.  A few days later, we received a letter telling us we didn't need to return the old TV box!  But, I wasn't sure how valid that was and asked my daughter to call the phone company to double check.  When she did that, this morning, she was told we had to return both the old TV box and the old modem!  So, that's what we did!  We took them to UPS to return them.  The first UPS store we went to was closed, so we drove to a different one.  

On the way to the second UPS store, we made a quick stop at friend S's house to return her food containers from the dinner she brought us at the end of January!  Since I don't return empty food containers, I put a piece of brownie in one of the containers and added a few oranges and several sprigs of curry leaves to the bag.  Friend S was at work, so daughter left the bag on her door step and I left a message on S's phone.  She returned my call later, during a break in her work, and we chatted for a few minutes.

After we came home, I picked more oranges and peapods from the garden, chatted with friend R, had dinner, cleaned the litter box, and swept the bathroom, etc.  

Later, I put in a grocery order, to be picked up, tomorrow.  Chicken thighs and drumsticks are on sale for $.99/lb., so I wanted to buy a tray of chicken thighs (usually around 5 lbs. per tray).  I also wanted some milk, fruits and vegetables, another bag of rice and several cans of condensed milk.  The rice and condensed milk are stock up items - they weren't on any special sale, but, the price hasn't increased, yet, either.  In fact, back in September 2021, I had paid $5.79 for a 5 lb. bag of rice!  But, by January 2022, the price had come down to $5.79 for 10 lbs.  I just opened that bag of rice, earlier this week, so, wanted to buy another one to have on hand; 10 lb. for $5.79.  It's good to keep track of what we pay for regularly purchased items because it shows that prices fluctuate as availability changes.  Some items are going up in price, but, some items do go down, as well.  As for the condensed milk, I use it in my tea, every day, and I have not seen it go on sale in a long time.  Store brand was the cheapest at $1.79, which is their regular price, and that's what I ordered.  The estimated total is $42.61; actual cost will depend on the weight of some of the items like the chicken and the produce.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Being able to return the old TV box and modem, free of charge
- Having daughter's company while running errands
- A safe drive while running errands
- Being able to order groceries online
- Prices on some grocery items have, actually, come down from previous highs!

Today's joyful activity was running errands with daughter.  We might have treated ourselves to ice cream cones on the way home!  LOL!

Plans for tomorrow include:

- Picking up the groceries
- Taking the trash cans to the curb
- Continuing with clearing the garage

How was your Sunday?  What are your plans for Monday?

20 comments:

  1. Seems there was a bit of confusion over the old TV box and modem but all sorted now and returned. It's not very often prices come down and I've noticed here some of the offer prices are what the former full price was. Nice that you treated yourselves to an ice cream on the way home :)

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    1. There was certainly confusion over whether or not we were required to return the old devices! But, I'm glad that they have both been returned! Less likely to be charged for those pieces of equipment, now, and if they do charge, we have the receipt to show that they were turned in!
      Yes, a lot of the current "offer" prices, here, too, are the former full price! I am sort of resigned to that, but, I was really pleased to note the price on the rice! There was a shortage of rice, last year, but, we seem to be OK, right now.
      The ice cream cones were definitely a treat! :)

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  2. Returning the TV box and modem means two more things have left the house and can be added to your decluttering total for the month. Would you have thrown them away if they hadn't wanted them back or would you have kept them 'just in case'. I'd probably have kept them!

    I hope you enjoyed your trip out with your daughter and especially the ice cream cones on the way home.

    I've just got back from a shopping trip in town ... not very successful as I couldn't get everything I wanted so will order online later on.

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    1. I might have been tempted to keep the modem, at least, because that was still working, just not the most up to date, which is probably why my daughter kept getting booted off her work Zoom calls! She hasn't had that happen since we changed to the new modem. But, the old TV box wasn't working at all, so, I might have tossed that, eventually! :D I am not counting those two items, however, because the replacement ones came in.
      It was nice to have company while running errands and the ice cream cones were a lovely treat! :D
      I'm sorry you couldn't find all what you wanted on your shopping trip; hope you can still get them online. I'll be picking up my groceries a little later, today, and, so far, it looks like there won't be any substitutions!

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  3. What a pretty coloured hibiscus! You were wise to double check on the TV box and modem. Well, now you can add them to your list of items decluttered.
    I have just emptied the last of my bag of rice into a large jar on the countertop and I shall be shopping for a new bag soon. I learned to buy the big bags from a summer student who lived here and cooked for himself years ago.

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    1. Thank you, Bushlady. We used to call the hibiscus "shoe flowers" in Sri Lanka - not sure why, but, apparently, the flower can be rubbed on shoes to shine them!
      I am glad the old TV box and modem were returned - I was worried that they might charge me for the equipment if they were not returned! I don't think I'll add them to the decluttered list because I have the replacements in place.
      I hope you are able to buy your rice at a good price, Bushlady. Bigger bags are cheaper, per unit of weight. The 2 lb. bag is selling for $1.49, currently; the 5 lb. bag is $2.99.

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    2. Our student used to buy a really big bag and that is what I do, too. The last one was 8 kg. of "Extra Fancy Long Grain Rice" (Rooster brand). I see it is currently on sale for $10.99 Canadian till the end of the month.

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    3. Sounds like a good price for the rice. I used to by 20 lb. or 25 lb. bags of rice, when we were 3 people in the household. But, now, I buy the 10 lb. bags because it fits well in my container, once I open a bag. :)

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  4. We don't get daylight saving until the end of the month.

    I think the time of the price book is coming back, and knowing when something is a bargain. Because when it's a good deal, you stock up!

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    1. I believe they decided to start daylight savings earlier and end it later (first weekend in November) to extend the period, a few years ago.
      Price books or any other way of keeping track of current prices can be a very valuable tool in knowing when something is a bargain and worth stocking up if possible. :)

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  5. The more hours of daylight depends on when you get up. For me its darker in the mornings and more light in the evenings. :)

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    1. You are right, June; it is darker in the mornings, these days. I tend to sleep in, so, it's already quite light when I get up, but, with it staying light longer in the evenings, I feel that I get more hours of daylight. :)

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  6. I think if companies want or are willing to take back old devices, so much the better. Some don't, and I hung on to quite a lot of gubbins for ages before realising that one of the electrical retailers here will take them. There are laws here about the disposal of electronic waste so I know that if they go back via the proper channels, anything that can be salvaged, will be. I don't want to bin them but I don't want them taking up space at home either. Glad you ignored the letter and found a solution.
    You may be interested to know that today was warm enough not to wear a coat, and definitely warm enough for ice cream (but I didn't have any).

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    1. It is definitely better if the companies will accept the old equipment and recycle them properly. There are places where we are supposed to take electronics for proper recycling, but, of course, a lot of people don't bother to.
      Oh, I'm so glad to know that it was warm enough over there to not need a coat! Too bad you didn't have any ice cream, but, maybe you can treat yourself to a double serve cone, on the next warm day, to make up for it. Earlier this morning, it was 66F and I wore a sweater when I went to pick up the groceries. But, since then, it has warmed up to 78F and I am in short sleeves. :)

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  7. Hi Bless, I am still using a 10 lb. bag of rice that I have kept it my freezer for years. I got it on sale. I found evaporated milk on sale at Stater Brothers in Phelan. I started shopping there, because I noticed that that the prices are lower than where I had been shopping during the pandemic. I made an apple crisp today and went to the gym and spa. It was divine!

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    1. I have some red rice (like brown rice, but, the bran is red in color) in the freezer. I'm glad you have found a less expensive place to shop. I haven't seen a Stater Brothers in my area, but, they used to advertise on the TV, all the time. Yum! Apple crisp! Sounds like you've had a lovely day! :)

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  8. I'm glad you double checked on returning the equipment. They can't seem to make up their minds. MIL had the same issue returning Jane's items. They wanted to charge her for not returning things they had told her not to return!

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    1. Well now, I'm doubly glad that I checked! I hope your MIL was able to return Jane's items and not get charged!

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  9. Good job on checking again on the cable/internet equipment. You may have avoided a big problem.

    That's interesting about the rice. Six months ago you paid twice what you're paying now! So not all things are more money.
    I got a couple good prices yesterday on our pick up. Carrots were 77 cents for a 2 lb bag ( I got 1) and potatoes were $1.77 for a 5 lb bag so I got 2 of those.
    Cabbage was .17 cents a pound but I got a head last week so I don't really need any which is too bad. I know it lasts a while. Maybe I will get one - not sure.

    Ok- what flavor were your cones? Details, please :)

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    1. I'm very glad we checked about the equipment and now have a receipt from UPS that we turned the items in to them! I don't think the phone company customer service people know what their policies are! Or, maybe you don't have to return the equipment if you are changing from another TV/Internet provider, because the letter we received saying we didn't have to return the TV box referred to a different provider's equipment. Anyway, that's taken care of (although, I am still half expecting them to try to charge me for the equipment!)

      It was interesting about the rice, wasn't it? I am now wondering if I ordered the 10 lb. bags in September, and they substituted the 5 lb. bags and just charged me the price for the 10 lb. bags! Even if this is the store that makes it a point to charge the lower price if they make any substitutions. But, if so, I might have made a note of it, somewhere. Whatever it was, I paid a higher price for the rice in September! So far, this seems to have been the one exception to the general trend of prices going up!

      Oh, you got some great prices! Well done! Cabbage does keep for a while in the fridge. They were on sale this week (for St. Patrick's Day, I suppose) for $.79/lb. at my grocery store! :D

      Ha, ha, well, I had a scoop of almond mocha fudge; my daughter had a scoop of Oreo cold brew (or was it cold brew Oreo?) and a scoop of something called magic bar, which she decided she didn't like after all, so, she gave me her scoop of magic bar and I gave her my almond mocha fudge! LOL. Just regular cones, not the fancy ones because they cost more!

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