We just replaced our HVAC that was original to the house 45 years ago. We would call for service and tell the tech it was that old and they would say it couldn't be- then they would look at it and go "wow. It really is that old." It was still working OK actually. But just OK and we had alot of service calls. We live in the south and really can't be without it for about six months a year. So, while it was functioning, it was kind of scary and we knew we would have issues pop up. We finally bit the bullet and replaced it this past winter. So this was our first summer with the new AC. It does work better but the best part is not wondering when it is going to quit. I hadn't realized how much anxiety that was really causing me. We knew its days were numbered so glad we did it before we were in crisis and all the AC companies were busy in the summer. It was just funny that no one could really believe we still had it and it was still running at 45 years old in the south.

I've been doing a big order every two weeks. Today's substitutions were generally neutral or in my favor (family size upgrade for regular size price). However, there was one item they failed to substitute at all. Coffee. Plain old Maxwell House coffee. They really couldn't substitute anything? I need my coffee! I would have taken a different brand, different size, even a flavor. Anything to have my morning coffee but no. I had to make an extra run into another store to pick some up. Rarely do I NEED anything that badly. But I do need my coffee and would have taken almost any substitute (except decaf. LOL).

While it might not be super useful, it sounds like you want to take a trip and it might just be a nice getaway you can do safely. If the trip feels safe and isn't a burden and you know going in you are only getting a glimpse of the total picture, I would go for it.

Oh thanks. I clicked on the link and we actually have a store here in my little town that sells Flexsteel so that is easy to check out.

See, this is fantastic advice. But then I get overwhelmed and positive I am going to totally mess this up 😂

Next furniture question- I was looking at LazyBoy and they are still having their Labor Day sale. Is this the kind of thing that there is always a sale running and things are never full list price? Or should I save my pennies and watch for a sale a couple times a year? I know it sounds silly but when you grow up poor and never make major purchases or see your parents make major purchases these sorts of things are very overwhelming.

Thanks all! We actually have a big LazyBoy showroom and they are made locally so that is a great place to start. I have looked there before but gotten overwhelmed with the choices. But I might look there this weekend and start to figure out what we will want. I will look at the other places too. Thank you.

We need new living room furniture. Ours is at least 15 years old and it wasn't anything nice or expensive to start with. I want to budget and plan for a major furniture purchase but I don't even know where to start. This is one of those things where when all you have ever had is hand me down or Big Lots furniture (when you were really splurging) you don't even know how to purchase or what you want. We just have our 12 yo dd and an eight pound pup left at home so we don't need something to be absolutely indestructible but that would still be nice. We eat in the living room and when the young adult kids do come home I don't want to fuss at them about being gentle on the furniture. And with young adults we could have grandbabies in the next few years and I 100% do not want to be that MIL or grandma that makes people feel uncomfortable about keeping her house pristine. So that is the situation. I probably want a sofa, loveseat, and two recliners. We have room for that. So where do I even start if I am looking to invest in something decent and not just something cheap to get us by for a few years? (that is the previous MO on everything). What material do I want that will last and stay looking nice? What brands are most comfortable and durable? Is there any such thing as investing in furniture that will hold up or has this become another basically disposable item that nothing lasts very long? Help! Tell me what I want and where to buy it. LOL

You are right! Though when we moved to our current house six years ago I found that people use my yard for a cut through and otherwise don't think a thing of it. I have a hill in my backyard that people I don't know come to sled on. ???? So this would absolutely happen here. One day my ds said "hey mom there is a woman in the backyard looking at our trees". I went out and a man had climbed way way up on of our trees to retrieve a cat. I was terrified he would fall. I went out (gingerly as not to startle him) to find out if he was okay or needed me to call someone for help. I couldn't believe someone was out in my yard climbing our tree far far above the rooftops without a word to me. (if he really was in too much of a hurry to inform me he was climbing my tree the woman with him could have). But I have found that people just think I'm uptight to mind such things. But I am not wrong and neither are you!

I know it happens and I keep a very sharp eye on my 12 yo dd. However, I do not tell her to hide below the windows when an unknown car drives down our street. I had a 15 yo tell me they were not going Black Friday shopping because of sex trafficking. So, yeah, I'll stand on the fact that terrifying your children holds some damage too. I do not think we have to discuss sex trafficking in front of the children at every park day. I just don't. This is getting off topic and I'm not going to argue. Of course bad stuff happens.

The fear of homeschool moms that their child will be snatched from under their noses at park day or Target is way out of control in my world. It is a constant worry and discussion and has children terrified.

I'm having trouble with the quote feature but I just quoted BusyMom5 to say that is what my ds is interested in too. My oldest just graduated from college in accounting and he had an easy time finding a good job and this ds loves analytics so he is planning on accounting/data analytics. Our state flagship has a good program and is only an hour away so it just makes sense. My dh is actually in data analytics though it wasn't a degree back in the day. So it is kind of becoming our family thing.

I feel like so much can happen between then and now. I am the usual host and cook pretty much everything for my dad, sister and her family, and brother and his family. My mom died so my dad will be alone if we don't do something. My brother and fam will probably use this as a convenient out for coming because they are clearly just participating our of obligation. My 20 yo ds lives in FL and I have been thinking about going there. Then my sister would figure out something with my dad. But my dad would be pretty depressed and my sister unhappy. I also have a 22 yo ds who lives 2 hours away so I hate to head to FL unless he has other plans or wants to come. It's hard with adult kiddos that have yet to miss a holiday. I've been thinking about this scenario nearly daily. I do think it is possible that depending on the numbers that we could end up with a fairly traditional gathering.

My senior ds did a couple tours last fall. He wants to attend our state flagship. He has never done an official tour there but has spent many weeks there at 4-H camps and attended other events there since he was a little kid. It’s a natural choice for him and I think it will work well for him. The top automatic scholarship requires a 34 ACT. He missed it by a point in July but he’s not taking it again. I think he would have made it if he took it in April when he was prepared but at this time I feel like the moment for him has passed and we’ll chalk it up to another casualty of stupid COVID. He is ready to apply but is waiting on a possible honor/accomplishment that could develop for him in the next month that he would like on his application and hopefully increase his chances of a competitive scholarship. As soon as he gets some closure on that he will have his application in and move on to the scholarship application. I made him apply to four schools just because but the other three were quick and easy applications. He has two of those three back as acceptances but he isn’t really considering them. I learned with my older boys that situations can change over the course of senior year and that is why I required him to apply to four. I am grateful he knows what he wants and he should get in and get a decent scholarship. I don’t need more stress this year! I feel for those of you facing a more uncertain process during this mess 🙁

I know this will likely get me some hate here and stories about dominant female wrestlers but...I would only allow this with a super strong Crossfit type weightlifting girl. I know a girl who is not particularly athletic or strong but I think liked the novelty of it and doing something outside the norm. She got a bad concussion within a short time that is still impacting her a year later. Now, I know this can happen to strong females and males as well. I know it happens in all kinds of sports and life involves risk, etc etc. but this girl suffered a life altering concussion fooling around with a physical sport against young men. My son's girlfriend who is super flexible but more of a dancer/acrobat and pretty small was considering it. Again, I think she was drawn to the novelty of doing something different and being a trailblazer of sorts. She decided against it and we were all relieved. It is hard to look at her and think she wouldn't get seriously hurt at some point. I know she could probably wiggle and squirm her way away from some boys but there is just such a strength difference. I just can't see allowing this with a daughter of mine or encouraging most girls to do it. I honestly think I'd rather her strap on the pads and helmet and try football.

Okay- had this done this week. The results are remarkable. I don’t know what it will look like long term but I am really happy with the results. We had a gold tub finished white, a shower that was originally green but had a DIY white apoxy that had been done over it and had peeled up, two vanity countertops, and the vanity cabinets refinished. They all look really good. (Well we are still waiting for the cabinet doors to be put back but I am already happy with it.) A whole renovation would have been better and more modern, etc. but for an interim fix I am thrilled. I’m going to try to attach photos but we’ll see what size they end up...

Just because someone chooses to do one risky thing doesn't mean they choose to do all the risky things. I see my dad every two weeks for about two hours. He isn't careful so I know we are at risk. We try to distance as much as possible but, for various reasons I'm not going to defend here, we are taking on this risk two hours every two weeks with less than perfect precautions. Now, if someone invites us to a movie outing and I decline saying I am not doing those things right now I might be met with a "but you see your dad!" My 17 yo ds works at a grocery store. He declined a birthday party invite that included a four hour round trip van ride with a bunch of people who are not practicing any precautions at all. He declined and the mom was pretty miffed. "But he is working!" I guess I feel like while it would be best if people were just all careful and not taking risks, we would all be a heck of alot better off if people took fewer risks. Perfectly safe? Of course not! But I wish we could slow the spread by people just cutting back on their number of risky behaviors. Like if church is your thing and you won't give it up but you then laid low most of the rest of the week it would surely help some to slow things. But everyone is doing all the things and it seems to have been decided that if you have one point of exposure then you throw up your hands and decide there is no point in any precautions.

And I bet those shoes are even more expensive! More specialized/bigger/stronger/break faster 😞

Yep...see the pair a week or even a month is not in the cards for dd. That surpasses the investment we will make in something that is purely a hobby and just for fun. I think it's a great activity and I've been happy to support it but there is a line there somewhere before she gives up on pointe and focuses on other kinds of dance. It's purely a hobby and there will be a line so if there is a way to figure this out to get through a year with only 2-3 pairs of shoes that would keep her in it longer. She only is on them an hour a week and will probably never be on them more than two a week at her studio. So she isn't training for anything. So, we'll have to decide how we feel about it. But I am definitely willing to give it some time and try different shoes, etc.

Interesting!

If it is normal that is ok. Just want to make sure if there is something wrong we address it. The big city store does have a discount program I can look at too.

My 12 yo dd is a recreational dancer. Not pursuing a career or going to college for it but she enjoys it and takes about four hours of ballet a week (and four hours of other styles). She just got pointe shoes in May and has danced in them about an hour a week for three months. It seems all have told me her shoes should last her about a year or until she outgrows them at this point. So I was surprised last night when her teacher told her it looked like her shoes were starting to break down and not supporting her properly. I know serious dancers go through shoes quickly but I really was under the impression that my dd was not at the point where she would need them every three-four months. My question is what would cause her to go through shoes more quickly than normal? She is not overweight. Could poor technique be a cause? Could the fact that her shoe was just not right for her be a cause? I understand pointe shoes are a money suck but if her technique is at fault she should work on that. If the shoes are just not right for her I don’t want to go into the same shoe again (though her shoes have worked pretty well for her so otherwise she likely would go with the same one). We had her fitted the first time by the “best” fitter in the nearby medium size city an hour away. We have another nearby large city with a big dance store with more selection. I’d rather stick with the first place we went but if the reason it broke down so fast is that she was poorly fitted then I would try the other place. Would a good fitter be able to look at her shoes and see what might have been a problem? I do know she hasn’t spilled water on them or played with them or anything like that. I realize that pointe shoes are expensive and frequent purchases. I am just wondering if there is something we can address rather than just throwing our hands up. Can I just say that of all the things my four children have participated in, dance is the most confusing for a mom that knows nothing?!?!

Well I suppose the lady could have planned $400 worth of side items that were no longer necessary without the Hot Pockets 😂 I sometimes think my shopper will think I am weird because I will have all normal groceries and then something like a pumice stone or windshield wiper fluid or pencils. Haha. I really try hard to stay out of Walmart! I remind myself all the time that they have seen far crazier things. In fact, my ds working in a grocery store has, I think, given him new appreciation for how normal and low maintenace we really are.

My 17 yo ds works at a grocery story (not the one I shop at) and he came home with a story last night. Apparently a woman had placed a pickup order over $400. When she arrived and found out that her Hot Pockets (which I had posted about upthread) were out of stock she said "just forget it!") and drove off angry without her order. So, she needed $400 worth of groceries but refused her whole dang order because Hot Pockets were unavailable. So, gosh, it isn't just the stores and their employees making strange choices in regards to pickup. LOL. But the interesting point is the apparent local Hot Pocket shortage. ??? Has there been a supply chain disruption?? Or is that the result of college kids moving back in town??? I'm thinking it is the latter.