Another $2 billion for clunkers?

I understand the idea behind the program is to get people to get rid of their gas-guzzling vehicles and start driving more fuel efficient ones so that we aren't using as much gasoline and therefore dependent as much on oil, foreign and domestic. I get it. It's a nice idea. But do I really want my tax dollars paying for people to buy new cars? I don't EVER buy new cars. They would depreciate dramatically as soon as I drive them off the lot. Also, I don't have enough money saved up to buy a brand new car -- I can only afford used. And since I'm not willing to take out a loan to purchase a depreciating asset then this cash for clunkers program will not benefit me at all. But the more I think about it, the less I mind it benefitting others with my tax money. That's because it actually is a good idea...but I'm sad that those perfectly good vehicles (even though the gov't calls them clunkers) will be destroyed instead of available on the used car market. But the bigger problem that I have with this program is the question of "where is the extra money coming from"? What budget cut is being made to account for the EXTRA $2 billion that congress allocated for it? Or do they think they can just print money whenever they want?

Albertson's Deals

If you are in the DFW area and have the Albertson's ad that came in the newspaper last week (or in my case was thrown on the yard on Wednesday morning because I don't subscribe to the paper) check out the in-store coupons. They expire tomorrow (Tuesday). I got Dannon All-Natural yogurt for 29 cents a carton, Aquafresh toothpaste for 89 cents, and White Rain conditioner for 69 cents a bottle. They also have eggs on sale for 88 cents a dozen. I usually get free eggs from a friend who has chickens but when I'm running low I will buy them on sale. There are lots more coupons in the ad so check it out!

Financial crisis?

We hear so much on the news about the current "economic crisis" but I wonder how much it's actually affecting our day to day lives. I hear reports of people having their credit limits reduced and suddenly finding themselves over the limit on their credit cards and paying fees for that. I don't actually use credit cards except for gasoline and utilities (for the convenience factor) and I'm very careful about paying it off in full each month. But I do check online regularly to see if my limit has been changed at all. So far it hasn't. I have more credit available to me than I know what to do with. And since I never carry a balance I'm not really a money-maker for the bank that issues my credit card. So I wouldn't be surprised to see my limit lowered. But I'm wondering if this is actually happening to people or if it's just news reports blown out of proportion. What are you seeing in your life? Are you being hurt by the current economic conditions?

Jon & Kate Plus 8

Yes, I have been watching the saga of the Gosselin family for 4 seasons now. Last night I watched the opening episode of season 5. I haven't read any of the articles in the magazines at the grocery checkout line -- just the headlines. So I don't know if Jon really cheated. I don't know if Kate really made an agreement with him to allow him to cheat. I don't know if she had an affair with her body guard. What I do know is that I enjoyed their show because they were a normal family but with more children than normal. They fought, they loved, they played, they worked. They just lived their lives and did the best they could to raise their 8 children. Basically, they were like my family only with a few less children (and of course our kids came along one at a time). Now they seem like a celebrity family with a huge house, fancy toys, expensive vacations, and a staff of employees including bodyguards and nannies. They don't come across as a normal family working together anymore. Given what I've seen on the show and what I saw in last night's episode, here's my unsolicited advice for the Gosselin family...

Kate -- Quit the book tour. Quit the speaking engagements. Stay home with your children. Play with them. Read books with them. Just enjoy them.

Jon -- Get a job. Get a job outside the home. Cultivate friendships with other dads.

I would never want my family's life put on television so I would stop the show immediately. I understand, however, that they make a lot of money doing this, and that's probably asking too much of them. But what is it doing to the kids?

I have started watching a new show on TLC called "Table for Twelve" that I enjoy so much more than Jon & Kate. The Hayes family also has several sets of multiples -- 2 sets of twins and a set of sexteplets. But they come across as a very normal family, a family I can relate to. Mom stays home with the kids while dad works as a police officer. Their home is chaotic at times and so is mine. They laugh at the chaos and I *try* to to do same. What's different about these 2 families -- the Hayes and the Gosselins? I think maybe the Hayes come across like the Gossleins USED TO. So to Jon & Kate -- go back to your roots. Go back to what brought you together in the first place. Take down the facade and be real, like you used to.

Shopping for kids clothes

Rebecca needed a few pair of shorts since she doesn't usually have hand-me-downs to grow into like her sisters. So we went to Target and she didn't find anything that she liked and that I was willing to buy. Either the shorts were really really short (to the point where her bottom was hanging out the back) or they were low rise and she doesn't like the way those fit. What happened to plain old shorts for little girls? So we ended up at Kid to Kid, a local resale shop. We found some great clothes there for both Rebecca and Melanie for a fraction of the cost. It has never bothered me to buy used clothing for my children. The quality tends to be better because you can tell that they have already been through wear and tear from at least one other child and still look great. And I can't beat the price. I spent a little over $20 at Kid to Kid; it would have cost me well over$50 to get the same amount of clothing from an affordable place like Target.

Bathing suits, on the other hand, I buy new. I am willing to let them be passed down from one of my children to the next but I balk at buying them used. I'm searching for modest bathing suits for my girls now because they start swimming lessons in a couple of weeks. It's a definite challenge. My oldest prefers 2-piece suits because they are easier to deal with when she has to go to the bathroom. She has a very valid point there. But I'm not letting her wear a bikini-style suit. How am I supposed to let her do that now and then in a couple of years tell her that it's not acceptable anymore because we don't think it's modest enough? So I'm again searching for a suit that will work for both criteria -- modest and reasonably priced. I'm thinking about a trip to Kohls and will be cruising the Land's End website later today. Any other suggestions?

Free KFC Chicken?

Have you seen the KFC coupons that were touted on the Oprah show for free grilled chicken and a side? Have you had problems with them being accepted at your local KFC? I've been reading in several places online that franchises aren't taking them because corporate doesn't reimburse them for the all the chicken being given away. So only corporate locations are honoring them. The same was apparently true for a national promotion at Popeyes last week. I saw a news story about the only Popeye's store in Minnesota, I think it was. They had lines out to the street and were telling people that they were not honoring the nationally advertised special because they were a franchise. Quiznos has had the same issue with coupons in the past -- only corporate locations accept them and franchises don't because they aren't getting reimbursed. What is wrong with the corporations? Why would they pull thses kind of stunts? I know the reason for the advertised specials and the coupons -- to get customers in the door. Do they think that screwing over their franchise owners is good for their bottom line? I guess maybe they think that if you come in the door you will buy something even if you can't get what you came there for. Well, let me tell you something Mr CEO...I live on a budget. I can't print money like the federal government. If I plan to use a coupon or take advantage of a sale and am denied at the register, I will leave. Even if my kids cry about it, I will leave. And I WILL NOT COME BACK. Trust me. Ask anyone who knows me -- I don't forget these things.

Obama's "luck"

Isn't it interesting how lucky President Obama is? Just when John McCain was pulling ahead in the polls last fall, Wall Street collapsed and in a panic the tide turned toward him. When he was elected, the crisis got worse and we watched the stimulus bill get passed with so many senators and representatives not even reading the entire bill; there just wasn't enough time to read it -- we just needed to pass it to save all of us. Now we are looking at a questionable appointment to HHS Secretary in Kathleen Sebelius but it appears that she will receive quick confirmation in the next few days because we're facing a potential epidemic of swine flu. I find it really interesting that all these crises keep popping up and we the people keep rushing to approve drastic measures that we are likely to regret later. I pray that Governor Sebelius is not confirmed as HHS Secretary until a full investigation is done regarding her support of (and financial support from) the infamous Dr George Tiller (aka Tiller The Baby Killer). Regardless of whether or not abortion is legal in this country, do most Americans really want the head of the HHS to be someone who had no problem with gruesome late-term abortions for pretty much any reason? Tiller was aborting babies who had already reached the point of viability! If the American people are accepting of this kind of action, then maybe we've sunk too far down morally to ever recover. What can we do right now? Call your senator and ask him or her to slow down and think about this decision before calling for a hasty vote. And of course, PRAY!