Save When You Can

I always like to save money when I can but I also don't like to settle for sometbing inferior like my choice of bread. Nature's Own Whole Wheat bread of my favorite and at Walmart you can get it for $2.88.  The best part of this post is letting you know you can get this same bread at our "Dollar Tree" for yes $1. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit a Dollar Tree recently you should walk around in one soon and see the regular items that you pay much more for sitting on their shelves for only a dollar. Have fun.

Make sure you take your meds

Hope everyone is doing well today.  An important reminder to all who may have to take medication on a daily basis and has one of these organizers.  I have been taking meds for depression for a long time and recently I looked at my meds container and realized I had missed 2 full days of my meds which also include a blood thinner and allergy medicine.  I was itching and would cry uncontrollably.  After taking my meds it takes the better part of the day for these weird symptoms to go away and that time can be so miserable. So if you happen to have your container somewhere that you might not see it clearly every morning I suggest you move to a spot you will see every day like I just did.  I never want to experience what just happened to me again. Have a safe and healthy day.

Those were the days

Yes friends growing up in my father's country store outside of Nashville, NC back in the early 50's it was a different world for sure. Helping in the store I handed full sized Pepsi's over the counter for 5 cents and had to sort drink bottles in crates that were full of empty bottles being sent back to the plant to be refilled and sold again.

Dad also had this large clear container with a metal lid filled with Jacks Cookies that were 2 or a penny. One of most popular items in the store at that time except for the full sized candy bars that sold for a nickle.

Another of the more popular treats was of course the hoop cheese.  You could come into the store and get a slice of hoop cheese, a honey bun and a Pepsi and get change back out of a dollar. Yes folks those were truly the days when you really got something for your hard earned money.  I miss those days so very much but they are still alive in my memory.

Dollar Tree

OK, we all know it's around but sometimes at least in my case I tend not to think about that store when I need to shop. I was in our store in Rocky Mount yesterday and had an eye opening experience seeing items in large packaging like ketchup by well known suppliers there for a dollar when I know it would more anywhere else I would look.  Just like the loaf of whole wheat bread I picked up that surely would have been more at Walmart. When you are on limited income as I have with work being limited you can bet I will make my list and Dollar Tree will be the first place I go trying to find every item on that list.  It's just right thinking folks.

I mentioned earlier about 2 items that were given to me while in Vietnam by 4 of my friends and by the orphanage I helped with visits and clothes I brought back from home. The first one here is what Kim and three other young females gave me as a wall hanging with their names at the bottom. It is a thick piece of wood with the deer raised from the surface and quite heavy. A treasure I will always enjoy.

Next is the set of deer given to me by the Gen Rang Orphanage in appreciation for loving their children and helping in however I could while there.

This post is about items that you may not be aware of but exceed the benefits of older items you may be using. This is the kuhn Rikon can open/lid lifter/ring tab/soda top opener & bottle cap opener. 
Your standard can opener that have been around since I was a child actually has a cutter that enters the top of the can touching food contaminating it with previous ingredients that may be on the blade. The one pictured above is so different in that it locks on the top as you turn the handle and spins the can around until you feel the tension lessen then you turn the handle in the opposite direction releasing the opener. It looks like nothing has happened. You will find a part on the side called the "bird beak" that you place on the top edge of the can and push the button that closes the bird beak and lift up. The top of the can comes off easily and you will notice there are "NO" sharp edges unlike the old variety that is very sharp. Once lifted off the can you can hold over the trash can and release the bird beak and it falls in to the trash. Even the top of the can where it came away from is not sharp either.  Get one and you will never want to see the old style can opener again. QVC has this item with an item #of K18779

Scrub Daddy is an amazing product invented to not scratch anything, never takes on odors and designed to work two ways.  The eyes can be used to insert your fingers when wanting to go inside something you are washing and the mouth works to accept forks, spoons etc when washing to get them cleaned quickly.  Warm they are very soft easily handles regular cleanup jobs. Put them in cold water and they become hard but still scratch proof to handle the tough jobs so easily.  Try them once and you will never be without them. It is also one of the most money making items to ever hit Shark Tank. This can also be found at QVC as item #V34099

1968 in Vietnam with me on the left at the club with a buddy. Being a part of 13th Finance meant we were for the most part a little luckier that lots of other soldiers being on a secure compound with the job of auditing military pay records making sure both the GI's and the government were being treated equally right.

One of the sad memories is of this individual named Chuck. We had barracks that had a flat roof and one night he was up there and had had too much to drink and fell off getting hurt. Have no idea how it turned out for him but have always hoped he recovered and got better.

Every morning lots of Vietnamese nationals would come onto the compound to work various job assisting us and some would bring a child like this little boy who as he walked around the compound as he met you he would salute you whether you were a private or an officer. I had two class B offices I had to visit by helicopter from time to time auditing their records and while I was gone on one of these trips I found out when I got back that they caught him pacing off the distance from our perimeter fence to our movie shack to give information for a possible mortar round to kill our guys. You just never know really who you are seeing sometimes.

The one person that really made an impact on my happy memories of my tour in Vietnam was this lovely young lady named Kim. She was one of the reasons I can actually say I enjoyed my time in her country. She is the one who introduced me to the Gen Rang Orphanage and accompanied me there to see and know the children there who were products of relationships between GI's and Vietnamese women and that made them outcasts. Some had blonde hair and blue eyes. When it came time to leave Kim and 3 others gave me a large wall hanging with deer on it and their names at the bottom and the orphanage gave me a set of wood deer with one adult and 2 young deer standing on a board for appreciation for helping them.

Some of the children at the orphanage going through some clothes I brought back from a trip home before spending my last 6 months there.

As I mentioned earlier this is an example of a baby born there with features unlike the normal Vietnamese being held by my friend Thu. I had so many happy hours there with these loving children and think about them all the time even to this day. No matter where you go in this world you can find good if you look. I was one of the lucky ones for sure.

A very special thanks to my friend Katie Corrigan for designing the new header for my blog.  That was such a sweet thing to do. 

Lunch time today was awesome as it was "Grandparents Day" the school my 2 grandsons attend and I was invited to have lunch with them.  Kaden who is just above this and Matt is above him.  I had lunch with Kaden first and as we were finishing up Matt's class arrived.  It was such fun catching up with both of them and listening to them talk a mile a minute.  They both enjoyed seeing pictures of my Rocky and before I could leave Matt I had to show each one in his class Rocky's picture, fortunately they were still in a line outside the classroom door making it easy to just walk down the line.  I also understand from Matt that Allison has 2 little teeth coming in. Can't wait to see for myself. 

I look at this picture and realize that yes I have encountered really happy moments in this long life. It helps me to be less caught up in today's battles when I can think back to those times.

There are probably only about 3 people that even know this ever happened.  Yes I love my step daughter Beth and when she was very young I allowed her to play make up "on me".  Sometimes you just have to let go and enjoy the moment, of course at the time I really had no idea exactly what I was becoming but that is OK. I made her happy and made it good.

Pets are a very important part of life and growing up. Here I am with my Poochie who I adored and will always remember our friendship. 

Remembering back to some really happy days when my sisters and I were just concentrating on having fun. Those days are long gone but thankfully not forgotten. We need to keep the good times alive to balance out the other side as adults. 

Passing along another awesome deal to those looking quality for a small price. Cookout is the place to go for all you bacon lovers. Their BLT is loaded with all three ingredients and their price is (99 Cents).  Next time you see a Cookout sign think about how lucky you could be stopping in for a couple of BLT's.

Just in case there is anyone out there that is not aware of this amazing deal I am here to let you know.  Sam's Club is the only place you can get this and it is worth being a member if only to get this item. It is their (3 lb) rotisserie chicken cooked to perfection and fall off the bone tender every time.  Tax and all you can have this wonder for only $5.32.
It feeds me and my Rocky boy for a week and then I give the remaining skeleton and meat to my neighbor for their dogs.  All you have to do is buy one the first time and you will never want to be without one of these joys of life. 

Has been quite a while since my last post and so much has happened in this old man's life.  It does feel good to be back in Nash County again even if it is in Rocky Mount.  The house I am living in is way larger than I actually need for me and my Rocky boy but it meets our needs. 

One big change, about 4 years ago I was hired by Advantage Sales and Marketing when they took on the then 7,000 Walgreen stores and gave me 7 to look after. Just recently they lost Walgreens and now I have a month with nearly nothing to do meaning few deposits. I have a new supervisor who promises he will try to keep me busy so time will tell about all that. 

I am not a hot weather person and I will be so glad when the daily temperatures are in the 50's and 60's instead of the high 80's.  It was a rough time when as work got slow and I tried a new job at our local Harris Teeter as a bagger. Working with the other employees and customers was fun but having to get carts in from the parking lot when temps were near 100 was just not for this almost 70 year old man so that job was short lived. I learned a valuable lesson while there for sure.

One thing that I has overjoyed about at the moment is the condition of my sister Linda and her husband Dennis. They both encountered horrible medical difficulties during the past many months but are both doing awesome now thank God. 

Another of the joys of this man's old life is my step daughter Beth whose picture was on the last post I did many months ago. She is a senior at NC State University due to graduate in March and will then begin her 2 year masters program in counseling and student development. She is now an ambassador who will be interviewing and training new employees on her campus. I will be excited to follow her progress as her working life begins hopefully on a college campus helping students as they encounter challenges that she can help them through.