Lucy the Valiant
-
Posts
2,791 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by Lucy the Valiant
-
-
We lose power with some regularity, and our landline ALWAYS comes down too. So we switched the house number to a VOIP, which is super cheap, so we still do have a "house phone" but not a land line.
-
2
-
-
We've used Ellen McHenry's courses quite successfully in co-op settings; I love that they can "expand" easily for kids who want more at home. Her activities and games have been huge hits, too.
Also love Considering God's Creation here - again, fantastic hands-on stuff + readily expand / contract to accommodate different learners.
-
1
-
-
45 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:
Here, electricity generation is hydro, and probably 1/3 of the public buses we take are also electric. The school district is converting to electric buses as they replace. Light rail is electric (750V DC). Street cars are electric. My neighbors all charge their cars off of solar.
Just because everything can’t be converted doesn’t mean we shouldn’t convert what we can…
Yes, I definitely agree with converting where we can and where it makes sense! Attempting to force it into places where it does NOT make sense, and pretending that electric cars are not largely dependent on coal and natural gas is . . . devastating the economy AND creating significant distrust among "regular people." I think there's a huge hole in communication regarding energy, at least in my area of the USA.
-
5
-
-
19 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:
Only 1% of total crude processed in US refineries comes from Russia. We export more than we import. Our political contracts are, hmmmm, interesting to say the least.
Changing as we speak 😞 . . . https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=46776
-
2
-
-
40 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:
Bootsie’s explanation is good, especially with regard to futures.
The scenario we are in is kind of like we’ve had a sore tooth for a while and have been needing to get a filling done. We’ve put it off too long and now we need a root canal and a crown and we’re just hoping to keep the tooth and not need an implant.
We have, for a very long time, needed to move towards electric vehicles, public transport, and other things that require a significant capital outlay upfront and we’ve put it off too long. We’ve delayed through a variety of administrations for a variety of reasons. The situation we are in sucks immensely, but we are past peak oil and the consequences of delay are hitting harder.
Expensive fuel costs like expensive food costs and expensive health care and everything else always disproportionately hit the poor: this is just significant enough it is hitting the middle class also. The rich are still going to be living their best lives, iykwim.
Electric vehicles and public transport in much of the USA are still dependent on fossil fuels . . . ?
-
"Energy independence" is also a useful search term.
-
2
-
-
We are buying oil from Russia instead of USA.
-
4
-
1
-
-
42 minutes ago, Arcadia said:
My local public elementary schools have community garden on site. Students would grow squash and other vegetables there. California state testing for science is only in 5th, 8th and once in high school. Test prep is for the yearly English and Math state tests.
<snip>
Our local public elementary school has beautiful mature apple trees out front, all along the drive; every year, the trees go un-pruned, un-sprayed, and the apples grow and fall off and sit on the ground until a local resident comes and scoops them up in buckets for animal feed. They also stand students in the town center with signs petitioning the residents to support a $$$ plan to introduce "Family and Consumer Sciences." *insert rolling eyes here*
And to add insult to injury, they award teenagers "community service" hours for marching with the signs (but apparently not for actually - you know, tending or PICKING the apples)!
[Edit: Sorry for rant! Maybe I should be grateful to live in a place where children don't worry about tomorrow's food. (Though I still would follow through on my offer to teach the kids how to care for the trees & eat the apples. *steps off soap box ]
-
2
-
-
5 hours ago, sweet2ndchance said:
We have had instant ink for
2 or 3 years now(just checked we've had it since 2018 so 4 years now) and absolutely love it. It definitely saves us money on cartridges but ymmv depending on your printing habits etc. We have the 300 pages/ $12 per month plan.We print whatever we want, whenever we want and never go over our allotted pages per month. When I need to print a huge amount, like at the beginning of the school year, the rollover pages more than cover it.
We have had two printers on instant ink now. Both from the HP Envy line of printers. They print borderless (great for pictures), have a scanner/copier bed, are affordable (around $150) and overall have been great printers for us. Our current printer is an HP Envy 6055e and came with 6 months of instant ink for free which we were able to redeem even though we were already instant ink customers.
Do you have the HP+ ? (I think the HP+ just adds a remote connectivity vs. the standard, which is irrelevant to me.) Thanks for this - I saw you shared on a different thread a few years back, and I'm leaning toward keeping my laser for B&W and adding one of these on Instant Ink for color.
THANK YOU!
-
We do!
-
1
-
-
Wicked frugal here, and have loved my Brother B&W laser for MANY years. I buy off-brand, high-yield replacement ink & toner, and - yeah, that baby and I have been through it together. Heavy use, workhorse machine. I'm spoiled.
I'm looking to add a color printer, but I need it to be relatively economical; do I want Instant Ink? If so, do you have a printer you recommend? Bonus if it can also serve as a copier & scanner. We'll primarily use it for occasional school printing & some photo printing. Do NOT need it to be Alexa compatible.
Thanks in advance!
-
We pay quite a lot for a family member who wears custom (casted) orthotics, because they prevent additional surgeries. [Editing to add: This is true for his specific diagnosis; obviously, that's not necessarily universally true.] Can you speak to an orthotist by phone and explain the situation, and see if they have any suggestions?
Also, I'll throw in a good word for Zenni optical, which has made excellent glasses for us for many years. They are made in China, and when I initially searched (far and wide) for glasses NOT made in China (I wanted USA products), the eye dr told me that actually ALL eye glasses are made in China. (This was years ago and may have changed; I was surprised.) I buy prescription glasses for ~$35-50 depending on what add-on treatments I order. YMMV, I do realize, but - they've worked for us, and may be a solution for someone else, too.
-
3
-
-
Ours arrived last week, frozen. Made in China. What a waste.
-
4
-
-
We have "garden expanding plans" but not specifically due to events overseas. I'd love to learn how to propagate some of the already-established plants that we have here (especially blueberries).
We are feeding a Horde of Teenagers, and gardening is definitely a money saver here. Our north-country garden (of course) can't compete with bulk-purchased dried beans and rice, but growing even a bit of what we eat DOES contribute to the overall thriftiness of the house, especially in season.
Random pest-control "fun" we've learned over the years: Painted rocks in the strawberry bed can (not WILL for sure, but CAN) deter birds from eating the berries; put them out a couple of weeks before berries ripen. Build "cages" for plants from chicken wire / screening; older elementary age kids can learn how to do this, and we have paid ours $1 / cage in times past. A child with a bb gun will not KILL a squirrel or a groundhog, but he may very well annoy it so much that it decides all on its own to move somewhere else. (I know, I know.) For cherry trees, there's a circular netting structure with a size zipper (approx $20) that works WONDERFULLY against birds; the nets can last 2-4 years or so with special care. Net the blueberries, too; a seamstress friend of mine saves the tulle she trims from prom dresses, and I staple the pieces together (somewhat haphazardly) to make "wedding dresses" each year for the berries. Dollar store plastic snakes. Hair from hairbrush. Marigolds can help against bugs. If you can keep bees, your garden will exponentially improve, even if you don't harvest honey.
-
1
-
-
Find one that treasures hope. You'll be able to tell.
My $.02.
-
^ We did XtraMath too, with the added "bribe" / reward that when a child mastered an operation in the program, that kiddo got to go to the store with mom and choose a box of ice cream, and we ate ice cream THAT NIGHT after supper. (That's a rare enough treat around here that it was a fun memory.) I've used it with some tutoring students, too, to improve fluency (though the speed factor does not work well with some learning disabilities).
-
1
-
-
Our taps and lines are set, and first boil for maple syrup is this weekend! (Not technically a "garden," but we always count it as the first "crop" of the season.)
-
6
-
-
4 minutes ago, Brittany1116 said:
No idea but we are in FL and he got them at the Uni plant sale so they'd be specific to my region. The blueberries were a panic purchase from Sams in spring '20. 😉
I'm way north of FL, but our blueberries respond very well to pruning. Look up your state university cooperative extension for tips / instructions. Best to do it before the leaves come out (so now / until March or so).
ETA: And also a slightly acidic soil, if you happen to have a pH measuring ability through a chemistry set, maybe? 🙂
-
1
-
-
45 minutes ago, Corraleno said:
I just looked at the prices for staples at my local Kroger. Canned beans are $1 or less, and dried beans and lentils are 1.29-1.79/lb — one lb of dried beans makes around 7 cups of cooked beans. Brown rice is 99 cents/lb if you buy it in 1-lb bags, white rice is cheaper, and both are quite a bit cheaper if you buy in bulk. One pound of rice makes about 7.5 cups.
Carrots are 2 lbs for 1.79, onions are 3 lbs for 1.69, and russet potatoes are 5 lbs for 1.99.
A family could have a nutritious and filling lentil-vegetable soup for less than $1 per serving, even if they add in a couple of bags of frozen spinach, and there'd be plenty of onions, carrots, and potatoes left over for additional meals.
Leftover onions and carrots combined with a 1.29 bag of pinto beans and 2-3 cans of Kroger's version of Rotel (.79 each) = 10-12 cups of chili. Add a few cents for spices. A pack of 30 corn tortillas is 1.67, or soft taco flour tortillas are on sale for 1.00 for a pack of 10.
A 1-pound block of tofu is 1.79, add two bags of Kroger frozen stir-fry veg (1.39 each), and half a bag of brown rice (.50), and you'd have 4 servings of stir fry for around 1.25/serving. Add a few cents to account for oil, soy sauce, and any spices.
A loaf of Kroger Honey Wheat Bread is 1.25, and Kroger brand PB is 1.25/lb in 4-lb jars (5.55). A 42 oz carton of rolled oats is 2.79, which makes about 30 servings. Bananas are .55/lb or about .23 each.
The super cheap meat, dairy, and egg prices that Americans are used to generally come at the cost of sick and tortured animals and screwed-over farmers. If the current prices convince a significant number of people to move to a more plant-based diet that is better for animals, better for the planet, better for their own health, and better for their budget, then maybe it will be a good thing in the long run.
I would love to see those prices in our grocery. 😞 We are double (and sometimes triple) those costs.
-
We used pre-algebra as a review of Singapore 1A - 6B, and also as a full year to transition to a standard math curriculum (vs. SM-style). In retrospect, I think it was a good decision, for a variety of reasons.
-
1
-
-
In my area, these huge food increases are seriously exacerbated by fuel costs. 😞 It's salt in a wound.
-
2
-
-
Having the music selected 1-2 weeks in advance would also give her the option to transpose it into an easier key (or play it out of a different hymn book), assuming there are no other instruments playing with her. 😉
-
In our location, they are called "Accessory Dwelling Units" by the town and will change property taxes (big deal here, but maybe not so bad in other locations).
(Edit: We don't have one yet, but have done the research as it's a future possibility. Footprint size is a huge consideration here - 10x10x10 means a lot of zoning things are easy, but bigger than that opens up a lot of permits. These are completely different from town to town in my area.)
-
1
-
-
That's happened to me so many times!
-
1
-
Higher math
in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges
Posted
We use Houghton / Dolciani for Pre-algebra / alg / alg-inregrated geometry / all 2 & trig. After that they move smoothly into (out-sourced) calculus with whatever book the teacher uses. The Houghton books have excellent step-by-step instructions (vs. BJU which is more teacher-dependent), so kids can self-study / self-pace.