Monday, December 6, 2010

You've Got to Be Kidding!!

A few things I've encountered this past week:

"You don't use your dryer? How do you get your clothes dry?"

"I've only got $6.50 until payday. Wanna go have breakfast?" Payday was one week away.

A woman in line at the local grocery store: "I can get more at the food pantry but I don't like what they offer." She plunked down a case of beer, five pot pies and two TV dinners and asked the cashier if she knew of a good backyard mechanic. "Gotta get my car looked at and thought maybe he'd accept a few beers until I get paid." In this world, she probably could barter beer for mechanic work.

A friend's daughter began work Wednesday after five years of unemployment. Yes, five years. By Saturday morning she talked of quitting. "If they think I'm gonna put up with other people not doing their fare share when we've all got a quota to meet, they're crazy." Welcome to the real world. There's always someone who doesn't do their fair share. Get over it.

We bought 3 cases of canned cat food and the largest bag of dry cat food we could find. As I placed the dry food in a covered trash can the neighbor asked why I was "throwing it away." When I said I was storing it, he said, "why buy so much at one time? You're a mile from a store." Because I can buy 12 times as much and have plenty on hand instead of making multiple trips.

We paid off ONE of our mortgages yesterday. Great feeling. Friend asked what we did to celebrate, "Bought three new windows and a carpet remnant for this place," I said. "But what did you do to celebrate?" she asked again. "THAT is what I did." She shook her head and said, "Well I would have gone shopping and out to dinner and maybe a movie." Probably. Which explains why we paid a mortgage off and she and her hubby are usually broke.

But the best thing I heard all week was this: "I am so glad you know how to squeeze a quarter our of a nickel." (from Sweetie)

7 comments:

Sixbears said...

Congratulations on the mortgage! Nice to eliminate a bill or two.

I know people who bought a 52 inch flat screen TV and now can't buy heating oil.

vlad said...

You'll do. You are a smart, tough girl. Does Sweetie know how lucky he is that you chose him?

Patsy said...

I don't understand how some folks live like that. I am on disability and am $10.12 over the limit to get help with food. And as I stand in the grocery store line, I hear one woman with a food card say to her friend, "Here do you want the rest of what is on the card? I probably won't use it." Her friend declined her offer and said she didn't need it either. Sigh.

debbieo said...

How do you dry your clothes without a clothes dryer? We moved into our 5th wheel to save money and now have to go to the laundry mat and you can sure bet any day warm enough I hang my clothes outside on my umbrella collapsable clothes line at the RV campgrounds. I am not looking foreward to this winter when its sleety and too freezing to hang clothes out. Thats when I will be hanging things on clothes hangers all over the camper.
I am so glad you posted, I've been missing your posts.

HossBoss said...

Some people will never get it, Treesong. As you say, that's why you just paid off a mortgage and they are always broke. They have either convinced themselves that paying off a mortgage is not possible or they are delusional enough to think that if they keep doing what they've always done, their financial picture will miraculously improve one day.

Congratulations to you and Sweetie! And I like the way you 'celebrated' paying off the mortgage ...that's how we would have done it.

: )

Kyddryn said...

People used to ask me why I clipped and used coupons, wasn't it a pain...? No...a apin is paying four times as much for one item that I could have gotten BOGO AND at a discount if I'd made a little effort.

As for drying clothes without a maching - one swings them around and around until they're dry, right?? :-)

I grew up with laundry lines and wish I had them now...love line-dried linens...

Shade and Sweetwater,
K (who can't squeeze a quarter out of a nickel, yet, but she's all the way to six cents...)

Anonymous said...

You are not alone in the foolishness around you Treesong....I see it all the time here too, even in my own family.

My oldest daughter and her husband are flat broke, he just getting a job after being on unemployment for over 6mos...his choice, he didn't want to work. Now he is a delivery driver for $4.30/hr and she is going to quit her housekeeping job at a local hotel, rather than go and sign my grandchildren up for headstart, which is free. Just don't get it.

Congratulations on the mortgage!!! I would have "celebrated" the same way lol.