fdrinca
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Posts posted by fdrinca
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TJs GF cupcakes are good enough my picky DH will eat them.
I've started bringing popsicles instead of baked goods...usually the larger, all-fruit ones, or a nicer ice cream pop if dairy is OK.
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What I like about Starbucks is that you can order EXACTLY what you want, even off menu, and the baristas are supposed to make it for you.
You could order an iced coffee in a trenta cup. You can order it in a trenta with no ice for so much coffee.
You can also order a cold brew coffee (the kind they water down) **straight**, so it's suuuuper strong. That's also a good trick.
I like to order hot coffee in an upsized cup, so you can add cream but still get 16 or whatever ounces of coffee, so "grande in a venti cup."
I have done these things in the name of caffeine.
I probably annoy the poop out of the baristas, but I always tip so I hope it evens out.
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that "extra" would show up as an ordered item. if you order two, and only want one and to send the 2nd item back - it counts as a return of an unwanted *ordered* item, not an extra unordered item.
and sending stuff back isn't hard. the stuff comes in shipping materials that can often be reused. the only thing I usually need is packing tape - which I buy in bulk. (cheaper per item) I'm in the city so I can do UPS drop-off. and amazon does have drop-off places too. my son had them do a pick-up here yesterday. but someone has to be home. usually, but not always.
I've also send back broken items - I figured they wanted to be sure it really was broken and I wasn't just trying to get a second item for free.
my biggest "keep it and we'll fix it" was two large frames . . . . the site was messed up so I put one in my cart, but a different one went into the order. took a while back and forth to get everything sorted- they finally just said "keep the wrong ones and we'll send the correct ones." they were my daughter's christmas presents - so I was really upset over the whole thing too. especially as until they understood why I was so upset - they wanted me to pay to return them. (shipping was $95 EACH) but I hadn't gotten what I actually ordered.
For me, sending back something that is broken - in cases where it was not requested to be returned - feels so wasteful and inefficient to me.
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Yep, I found that funny. Maybe because of the weight of the item or something it's a bigger pain. :confused1:
Or the inconvenience of restocking and having too many IPs taking up too much stockroom space.
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I think it makes sense because if their policy was to just let people keep it, some people would "accidentally" order extra and keep it etc.
Sending it back is pretty simple.
I've had Amazon ask me to send broken items back before. But usually their resellers will just say "keep it."
I think it really depends on the type of Amazon customer you are. I've had this account for almost 20 years, and order way too much from them, so they could easily see I have a low return rate.
I'm sure there are many people who do shady things on Amazon. Is there such a thing as digital shoplifting?
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this has been bugging me since I first saw it, but I was struggling to articulate why.(and still probably did a poor job.)
their minion made a packing error and shipped two items instead of one. . . . ok- that was their error. yeah, it would have been nice (and less hassle) if they said "keep it", but they wanted it back - that they might lose money on the deal is their problem - not yours. their shipping cost is <$5. yeah, they might only make a couple bucks - but when you get into accounting - it's nickles and dimes that kill budgets. (or these days, those $1 here, $1 there.)
stores miss mark things (years ago, I caught one store where that happened - some stock clerk marked a set of six items as $25. it was $25 PER item, but that wasn't how it was marked.) I took it up to the desk so they could fix it. not the first time I've caught that type of mistake - and not the most egregious either. (and stores do reserve the right to correct those types of mistakes if caught when ringing up.)
it feels like a sense of entitlement that you should have been allowed to keep the extra item. if you were on the other side - and you had sent a buyer two items, but you're only getting paid for one, would you automatically write it off? what if the item was $20? or $30?
Well, I did say that I view it as an inefficient use of scarce resources (time, money, packaging, fossil fuels...and my patience as I take 5 kiddos into the UPS store!), and that Amazon is probably on the losing end of this equation. I don't think I'm **entitled** to the free book, but was rather surprised that they wanted it back given the types of products we've been told to keep after I have returned them. I'm puzzled where Amazon draws the line. I'm sure there is an algorithm for returns, but given how little profit there is in books anyway, this feels like an unexpected position to take.
Many years ago I did sell used books and other products on Amazon, mailing dozens of packages a week. When I made mistakes - and I did on occasion - I would send a new replacement via Amazon to the recipient, and I never asked them to return the wrong book. It didn't seem appropriate to inconvenience someone for my mistake. I might have taken a different approach if this had been my main income instead of a way to clear my bookshelves and feed our vacation fund.
Maybe my attempt at a click-bait title colored your opinion?
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You don't have to repackage it. You can take the item and the mailing label to a UPS store and they'll pack it for you. If you have a UPS store...
That is good to know!! Definitely makes it easier.
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I had a situation on eBay where they sent me the wrong battery for my laptop, the listing clearly said that it was the battery I needed,I had to agree to have my credit card charged to get the RMA, and it cost me shipping both ways because THEY made a mistake.
Sometimes you just can't win.
I'm not a fan of either Amazon or eBay but sometimes you just have to settle for the least of the evils and you wind up getting ripped off anyway.
It sounds like the best solution was just to keep the book for a gift.
That sounds awful. I'd like to say I would have appealed, but navigating customer service can be mentally taxing for many...me included.
I often think of anything I've ordered as a sunk cost if it's less than $20, my arbitrary return point. If something is damaged or not as advertised, I might try to return, but it doesn't seem with the effort for most items. It comes with the online territory, I guess.
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I have shipped back stuff on Amazon that I thought was silly...but sometimes they changed their minds after I reasoned with them. Examples: I bought a case of canned food. The case came so squashed the cans looked like hourglass shaped. They wanted me to ship them back, but they were heavy and it wasn't something safe to use so why would they pay for shipping on it?
Another was a large coffee table size heavy book. It was listed as good used. It apparently had been used for a collage because many of the pictures had been clipped out. I called and asked for my money back. They asked me several times why I didn't want the book if it was the correct title. Uh... because the pages are not all there?!? They made me send that one back in before returning my money...again not something they can resell. I could have saved them money and time by just recycling it.
The last one is kind of funny. I ordered a box of 12 red erasable pencils. A single pencil arrived with a bar code sticker stuck on the pencil that said 12 pencils. I called Amazon and asked them to mail me the other 11 pencils as I'm not willing to pay $7 for one pencil. They wanted me to ship the one pencil back. I said that seemed silly when I want the pencil I just want 11 more. The guy on cs said he had to ask his manager. They ended up agreeing with me. A new box arrived with 12 pencils. I left it at that....bakers dozen.
I pushed back little...I replied that it seemed inconvenient and wasteful for me to send it back, they may as well just charge me for it. Which they did. I'd rather have the extra book to give than the too-large father's day t-shirt that I returned and then was told to keep.
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I would have been annoyed at the work too if it happened on the wrong day. Sometimes I don't have the time to take on any extra work in my day. I would have felt differently if the mistake was my fault but in your case it wasn't.
A company sent me license plates accidentally. I called them and they wanted me to pay to send it back. I refused. I told them they could come pick it up since they were local but they didn't.
Amazon has been better. They let me keep the $50+ item they accidentally shipped to me in October. I would have preferred to send it back because I have no use for it. They also sent me the wrong kind of peanut butter last month. They let me keep the wrong flavor.
We have oot guests now and are leaving for vacation the following week, so maybe my grumpiness is contextual.
I mostly was afraid the book would end up in my car for months gathering dust and guilt, like most UPS and USPS packages tend to do.
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I had some Amazon returns to make. Four items from three different orders. Only two were on he same mailing label so three boxes were mailed. Wasteful!
To be fair- I probably should have contacted them to verify that they could not be shipped together, but I didn't have the time and I'm so bad at Amazon returns that I was taking advantage of my "let me just do this now" motivation.
I've had similar lingering returns, although now that I know about the UPS store my life might be changing. I'm returning ALL THE THINGS!! Wrong headlights? Finally going back. Shoes too small? Send 'em home.
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Were the books from Amazon, or an outside seller via Amazon? I have given up on anything from an outside seller via Amazon since returns are a pain and I usually get stuck paying return postage IF it was an outside seller. Even if what arrived was poorly packed and BROKEN. Grrrrr.
From Amazon. The way the books were packaged together, I am guessing there is an issue on the fulfilment end; it's almost as if someone didn't fully unpack stock on the warehouse. I thought if it were an ongoing issue they might like to know.
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Your title doesn't make sense. Why should you get rewarded for being honest? Being honest is what you do regardless of the outcome. How hard is it to slap a label on a package and stick it in the mail our send it with the ups next time they come?
Unfortunately there are so many dishonest people they have to have people send ridiculous to send back things. Otherwise people would be lying about receiving damaged items just to get things for free.
It's mostly a play on the phrase "does honesty pay?" I'm not doing what's right for the expectation of a reward, but I was surprised that they asked for the book back because it felt like a poor use of their resources. I agree that many could take advantage of Amazon, but with my 20+ years of being a customer and the dozens of boxes that arrive at my house monthly, Jeff Bezos knows I'm not trying to game the system.
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Amazon sent two copies of a book we'd ordered. I'm thinking it's just a packing error - the two books were shrink-wrapped together.
I sent Amazon a message letting the company know about the extra book and assuming that they'd just tell me to keep it.
Nope! They'd like it back. It seems like an inefficient use of scarce resources on both ends of this equation, but probably more for Amazon, as the book is only $13. By the time they've paid for shipping and processing, what profit could be left on the book?
(Aside, I'd just realized the book would make an excellent gift for an upcoming birthday, so I told them to just charge me for it and save me the effort of tracking down packaging tape and etc. and etc.)
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I may do this. When I plan I keep a cost per person on my spreadsheet, I can easily print it out.
I should add that I am not against them coming. I think it would be fun to go to Universal Studios with them. I would pay for admission and a bus ticket there.
But I am not planning to be at Universal for 3 weeks and frankly, if they tag along for 3 weeks I know I will be grouchy and not enjoy myself as much. And I know it will put a significant number of things I want to do out of reach finacially. I will resent them for this. Especially since they live with us rent free and do NOT pull their weight. DS does 10x more. Hell, he has started his second business this year. And they still have yet to figure out what a 40 hour work week actually is.
When I was in college and graduate school, my father's job changed and suddenly the family was able to go on vacations. While I 100% understood why my family was taking vacations/doing things very differently from how they had while I was at home, I still had a sense of being left out/not fair. I think to soften the blow, or make it more equal, or some other motivation, my mother would occasionally mail me gift cards or other financial gifts. I appreciated the gifts then, and as a parent I see how they fall squarely into the "fair does not mean equal" camp.
But your situation sounds imbalanced from the start, so maybe that isn't a helpful option for you.
I'd say that they are welcome to come with you to Universal. Pay for the hotel, admissions, whatever for the two or three days you are there. They'd be responsible for getting to and from Universal themselves. Should fit with the financial, interest, and time-off-from-work restraints.
To make it unpleasant?
It's a trip to places they don't want to visit
They can't afford to do it they way they'd like (sodas, etc)
And they'd probably lose their jobs in the process.
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Thanks, everyone. I'll be eliminating dairy from my diet this Tuesday. Prayers and good vibes appreciated! I've been eating a ketogenic diet as opposed to simply low carb since April, but I still haven't lost the weight that the antidepressants caused me to gain. I'm afraid to change meds again. My current med combination is working pretty well for me, and I don't think I'm stable enough to handle a change. I do a combination of cardio & strength training for exercise, so I'm thinking I should just increase the time spent on each. Maybe that, combined with dairy elimination, will be what finally works. Plus, the good thing is that dairy doesn't cause me to gain weight, but it could be the reason I'm not losing weight; so, once I meet my goal weight, then I can probably add dairy back again.
I have asked my dr many times about the causal mechanism for weight gain with SSRIs. She believes that, aside from changed habits (easy to monitor and change...well, easier than metabolic issues!) the reason is the SSRI isn't working effectively.
My dr pointed out the importance of eating carbs with serotonin drugs:
You might also think about adding l-methylfolate (my dr recommended 15+ mg, ymmv), to help in production of serotonin/dopamine/norepinephrine.
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I don't know where on the I-95 corridor you will be, but it looks as though only MD, PA, and CT have laws regarding leaving children in cars. In MD and PA, your 9-year-old son would be fine. In CT, there is squishy language about length of time in car and danger levels.
This is just to say that in your case, I'd escort older son to bathroom, see him safely leave and into the car, and then take younger son to ladies' room with me. I'd perhaps mix up the order depending on who needs the restroom the most ;)
I have little problem leaving children in a car if they can safely leave a car and know where I am in case of an emergency if I am running a 5 minute errand like using the restroom.
At a rest stop, though, I would not bat any eyes as a child who was sitting at a table by himself, on a bench by himself, or standing outside the ladies room door by himself.
And what would our options be if your DH were traveling with two daughters?
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In addition to Epsom salts, magnesium taken internally can be very moving. Larger doses of Natural Calm usually do the trick for my toilet boycotter.
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Preschool bests (interesting content and gentle on mom's ears): little bear, kipper, many adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the Beatrix Potter that has live action as well as animation
Also try select episodes of little house on the prairie. Very gentle and happy.
Key word "select"... My older two are still scarred by the "Mr Edwards gets attacked by bear" episode.
Babe and Babe, Pig in the City are big hits here.
Shaun the Sheep
I always want to try older movies with the kids, but then see from the link above that Gone with the Wind is rated G.
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Can you add a "draw the tree" box to do monthly? Pick a deciduous tree you can see from inside and draw how it looks on the 1st of each month.
More nature study: do a weekly bird observation/count.
My kids love "find my mistake" problems for both ELA and math. We use them as warm-ups.
Foreign language components? Days of week, count to 20, common phrases.
Poem, verse, song memorization.
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Food prep - always have fruit and veg ready to eat.
Meal plan - especially ways to repurpose meal ingredients into new meals, so it's not so much leftovers as preparing parts of tomorrow's dinner tonight.
Lunches - try to make nutrition dense
NO JUNK FOOD IN HOUSE. It really makes a difference for me.
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Singapore's Earlybird Marth is colorful and appealing to many kiddos. We have done both the EB sequence and skipping right to 1A. I feel as though most kiddos with an enriching home life would probably not need EB, but we also have mathy kids. If the other curriculum choices feel heavy, EB might lighten the load.
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For me, identifying what researchers call a "keystone habit" was paramount for my well-being. (Charles Duhigg's book ^Habit^ was very influential for me. You can Google "Charles Duhigg keystone habit" for videos/articles.) A keystone habit is one which kind of powers or motivates other good (or bad) habits.
So in my case, it's getting up early. I can tackle almost anything if I've gotten up early...especially earlier than all kiddos including baby. It seems silly, but I want to do what's right in terms if eating, parenting, productivity, exercise, etc. if I have gotten up at 6 a.m.
(Disclosure: I'm also Hashimotos and lifelong depressive, so energy and motivation are perennial problems for me.)
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In my mind, barns and banjos feature prominently.
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Classroom library for a new teacher.
in The Chat Board
Posted
Definitely library books sales and garage sales.
Make friends with a locally-owned used book store. They will often get duplicates of books, people who just want to unload a lot of kids books without caring what the buyback value is, or books that aren't in great condition for bookstore resale...these can be had for very cheap/free if you find the right relationship.
I worked at a used bookstore in graduate store. We had a few elementary teachers who would come take care of our children's section (organize, prune out junk, highlight really good books), and they were "paid" in store credit/free books.