Thanksgiving must be over...

... because the neighbors have their Christmas stuff up. 

I noticed yesterday that the family directly across the street from my window, was putting up their twinklies above their garage. By the time night fell, the bushes were lit up with reds and gold, and Buddy the Elf and his friend The Grinch are set to watch me from across the street. 

Ed and Joann too, have their driveway all decked out. Lucky for me, they are on the same side of the street, so I don't see all their lights. 

Which are a lot. 

They go all out on every season. I can't explain enough, how crazy it is, to walk out of my garage and see their stuff to my left. 

I have to give them credit because they always seem to add new stuff every year. It's not horrendous, but it does look like a hoarder has decided to finally put stuff out. 

At least this year they've got a flamingo and a penguin! 

The yellows, gold and green are a nice touch to the palm tree and bushes, but you can't doll up Florida greenery and call it winter. Sorry... but Christmas isn't December unless it's super cold, snowing and not 80° out. 

Actually, there is going to be a point this week that they predicted will be 40 - 45° in the morning. However, it'll be 80 by the afternoon. 

Which means all the people getting out in the morning are going to be dressed for a blizzard and I'm going to be wearing short sleeves and possibly shorts. If I have to wear long pants, I will, but the temperature is going to affect me while I am in my car, on my way to work. So I either suck it up and turn on the heater, or I fully clothe my legs and call it a day. 

We'll see what the morning brings me because I never know what's going to happen some days. This morning I was running 15 minutes late due to some challenges in the bathroom, but other times I run super early. It's a hit or miss these days. 

I just wanted to share the pictures. I'm sure I'll have more of other houses at some point, but while I'm still thinking about my neighbors' lights, I wanted to share it. 

All photos taken on an iPhone 11 and edited in Photoshop.

Until snow actually falls in the Sunshine State, take care of yourselves.

Cheers; 

See also (aka Christmas decoration):

* Buddy the Elf

* Flamingo

* Various Grinch

It’s 67° out…

…. and people are dressed for winter. 

Honest truth; we didn’t get up at the crack ass of dawn for Black Friday sales, but we at least made it out by 10 this morning. 

Where it looks so dreary and cold, we keep expecting snow to start. The view as I am typing this is gloomy and grey, which is nice, but it seriously is a New England type day, not a Florida day. 

If only I were up north, I’d definitely not be wearing shorts and a t-shirt today. Probably be wearing long pants and a t shirt. But at least I have my hoodie with me, because I needed it at one point.

Only because this afternoon we were in Costco and it was damn well cold in that building. Other than that, all the big box retailers we hit prior, I was fine. It’s just too bad that it seriously looks like snow. 

Poor other beings… thinking we are about to get ice crystals rained down on us… They were so dressed for the middle of December, you’d really think it was about to do something other than slightly baby drizzle. 

Speaking of Costco, yes, I bought stuff. As per my post about price checking, proof the Orgain powder is on a slight sale, I took pictures.

Notice it’s the 2.07 lb can for $33.99. The one I buy from Amazon is 2.02 pounds and is currently listed as $26.49. It’s a matter of .05 ounces and $7.50, as well as 18 servings vs 24 servings. 

If I really wanted the bigger bottle from Amazon, especially on a subscription model, I’d have to go with Cafe Latte as my flavor of choice. One time purchase is $36.99 and subscription is $35.14. Which is more money than buying the vanilla version at Costco right now. Plus, given the previous purchases from Amazon, I bet anything the coffee flavor will fluctuate in price; and it won’t be in my favor most of the time. 

I’ve very rarely paid over $29 with the 2.02 can. Seriously.. out of the last 30 odd purchases, we are talking like twice it was more than I expected. But than again, you’ve also go to tack on tax to it. Much like you do when you go to any retailer. Expect extra services rendered.

So it’s all a matter of “finding a better deal” and even on Black Friday, not every store is created equal. I totally understand that concept. Which is all the more reason you make sure you check prices.

Like I needed an external optical drive (I mentioned briefly yesterday). I found one that we use at work, so I put it in my cart on Amazon. Waited for Black Friday sale, even though the drive was marked pretty good (like around $20). But because it’s a big holiday sale, I was able to get $3 off for the purchase. 

Three bucks is three bucks. I’m waiting for the hack to become true - allegedly, if you let something sit in your cart long enough, the price goes down by a teeny tiny percentage. 

Big allegedly because I haven’t seen it ring true quite yet. 

But yeah, I’m sitting out here, having made a cup of coffee a minute ago, listening to the neighbors IN THEIR POOL and watch the world around me while wondering when the colder stuff is going to come in. 

If only Chester didn’t want to go on long adventures, we’d take a walk. But he has a mind of his own and pulls you too far and wide because he doesn’t want to be home. 

He only looks innocent. He was in the middle of jumping around and hopping like a bunny when I took this photo. 

For real. He hops like a bunny outside. He gets that excited when he sees grass, he can’t help himself and starts going crazy. 

In the house, he uses the floor plan as his own personal gym. He runs from corner to corner, in and out, jumping over all his toys and beds (he’s got 4.. he is that spoiled. He tends to move them around a couple times a week… by himself. We think he was an interior designer in a past life. 

Anyway, all photos were taken (and edited) on an iPhone 11 (running 17.1.1) and this post was created using a Magic Keyboard and Logitech Mouse as I’m still not back in Fort Myers. 

I do have to point out, I finally charged the keyboard yesterday. I’ve had it since January 2021, and have been using it with the single charge it came with. True, I don’t use it every single day; only when I’m traveling or need to prove a point. But it says a lot about the functionality and longevity of the product if it can run on the original charge for close to 3 years. Again, I don’t use it everyday, so it will be different for everyone. I just think that’s pretty swell if the battery can last that long. 

I can’t say the same about the mouse as it takes a normal AA battery. We all know how long those things last. 🙄 I don’t want to jinx it, but I probably should be carrying the battery separate. I’ve heard horror stories about batteries exploding and I’ve seen the gross chemicals come out of ones that have severely worn out their welcome in products.

Plus, I read somewhere to always keep your battery out of your camera. 

Quick internet search suggests that in order to “prevent unnecessary battery drain, it is generally advised to remove the battery from the camera if it will not be used for an extended period of time, such as when storing the camera for weeks or months. This will help preserve the battery's charge and prolong its overall lifespan.” 

With another suggestion of: “If you are storing your camera for an extended period, it is recommended to remove the battery and store it separately in a cool, dry place. This is especially important if you live in a region with high humidity, as moisture can damage the battery and affect its performance.”

The quotes were taken from the first two hits in a Google Search and are from a site called KentFaith. The website, based on further research, is a China based website specializing in cameras and accessories. I cannot attest to the validity of their products, but the points regarding battery use is common. 

Another site said removing a battery also prevents problems with battery leakage (if it starts seeping chemicals, etc). This makes sense because again, when batteries start to rot, what happens? The insides become outsides and you have chemicals everywhere.

Ok, stop talking about it. Don’t think about it.

It’s time to go in because I’ve been at this post for an hour and my phone is dying (speaking of battery drain). I’ve been on it most of the day, and now it;s down to 15%. I’d like to plug it in and get back to another episode or two of Loudermilk. 

Stay warm.

Cheers;

Turkey Day Shenanigans

Well, we are another year older, but are we another year wiser? Are we more thankful for what we are about to receive? 

Who knows. 

What I DO know… is it’s 4:13pm, 70 degrees out, and company has arrived.

Which completely blows my writing a big post out of the water.  I delayed writing all day (maybe because I started watching Loudermilk this afternoon. Thanks, Shawn, for the totally obscure show to watch. Hits home in a lot of ways.

While I had started this post (before everyone showed up), my view was outside, of a pair of chairs in the pool in front of me

And a man made lake to my left.

Yes, I am not in Fort Myers. I am in Bradenton, which is about 90 minutes north of where I usually am. So apologies if this post comes out wonky and buggy looking, as I’m typing on my iPhone 11 and using both the Magic Keyboard and Logitech M535 Compact Wireless Mouse. 

My question before I log off for a bit is… at what point do you start pre-gaming your Amazon list? There are tones of lightning deals and Black Friday 2023 deals going on. 

I’ve been patiently waiting on some items in my cart to dwindle down in price, and guess what - an external optical drive has reached a percentage I don’t feel bad in purchasing, as my HP internal disc crapped the bed last month. So again, at what point do I press “place order” on my cart of 3, and I get the deals? 

T minus….????

Be nice and I hope you set your scale back 10 pounds last night. 

Be safe and well… Check in soon.

Cheers;

Fact check or price check?

There are some times where you have to wonder why stores are allowed to over charge an item, by such leaps and bounds, you have to ask yourself "who in the effing hell is buying this?".

I know stores like to pack a punch in the cost of products, but when the same item is at least 23 dollars less and you get 0.5 ounces more in a warehouse setting, there's no way I'd buy from this store.

For context:

My mother and I were at a Whole Foods meets Trader Joe's meets enter-all-natural-store-here place called Sprouts. 

According to the website, the store is "an effort to make natural foods accessible to everyone. Up until then, grocers offering fresh, organic choices were either too expensive to shop or too hard to find. We wanted to be different! No more weaving through a maze of narrow aisles without anyone offering to help. No more ingredient lists featuring 40 unpronounceable chemicals. And most of all, no more spending an entire paycheck for food from the honest effort of a farmer – not a factory". 

They also wanted to focus "on farm-fresh produce and other healthy, affordable items, we could create a grocery experience where you didn’t have to be wealthy to eat healthy!"

It goes on to say "[T]hink of Sprouts as all of the very best parts of a real farmers market under one roof, open every day of the week. With our commitment to value in every department, and knowledgeable and friendly team members, we’re confident that once you shop Sprouts you’ll think different is good too."

Problem is, as much as they have good deals on certain items  (like getting a BOGO deal on spices one week... I ended up with two things of turmeric, a shaker of Vietnamese Cinnamon and my mom was looking for something specific - of which I don't remember at this time), other items are priced way too high.

Which brings me to what I saw today.

I do not have a Costco membership. I would go with family and friends and then pay that person for the stuff I'd buy (normally they just ask if I want to go with, to get out for a bit, but then I end up spending enough dosh I should get my own card at some point). 

The warehouse sells a 2.7lb container of the Orgain Organic Protein and Superfoods Plant Based Protein Powder, in vanilla bean flavor. It's currently selling for $36.99, and that's been the price in person for a while, as it was around $32 previously. Sometimes it goes down to 30. 

Since I don't go every month to buy everything at the bulk box, I've found a 2.02lb canister on Amazon. The price fluctuates, but it's also 5 ounces less in the over all weight. Which translates to 6 day loss in servings (the bigger bottle yields 24 servings [or days as I look at it] and the smaller one is 18 servings [or days]. I only make it once, in the morning). 

Amazon right now is selling it for $26.49, but if you do a subscribe and save order (so it's a monthly subscription), it goes down to $25.17. 

I've got the subscribe and save for myself, so it's usually between $22 and $30, as I don't know why it goes up and down like that. Maybe it depends on how many pallets the warehouse gets, since I make sure this is one of the things that is shipped and sold by Amazon. I haven't tried any third party seller, even though I  do have that option enabled for some of the other powders I order. 

My "what in the crazy is this" moment, after explaining two different places I've purchased this product from, is this: Sprouts has the same can I get from Amazon, for over $25 MORE but I can pick it off the shelf right then and there. 

Honestly, that's absurd. 

But then again, talking it over with my mother, "if people are buying at Sprouts, they figure the store is organic, so they are buying something good. They aren't shopping at Walmart". 

So then let's price point a "healthy" competitor - Whole Foods.

If you don't do Amazon, but you do WF, you're paying $45.99 before tax for the 2.02lb can.

Who in their right mind is going to pay $60 after tax (Sprouts) or $50 after tax (Whole Foods) to get a tub of protein powder, where "settling does occur" and you're buying half the bottle? 

Seriously.. I see comments (reviews) online about this all the time. Things like "The company needs to fix its packaging program because you're paying for mainly air once the dust settles in the plastic". Or "The container looks huge, but since it's 2.02lbs of powder, once it sits, that weight doesn't change, so fix the outside and adjust for the inside". 

Imagine making a sand castle and only filling the pail halfway. You paid the builder (your kid) to make a really cool and high house on the beach, but the tools used aren't getting all the way full. What do you do?

I understand there are so many variances with this, and it can go any way. But when people are starting to get smart about recycling and conserving energy (fossil fuels), why are brands still pushing out giant vessels for little product? 

One word: Money.

?

They know people will pay for it, but at who's cost? I've said this before - do your research when you buy stuff. 

I am always careful when I go to the "help yourself" bulk food stores. When the price per pound is anywhere from $7.99 to $25, I am always careful to get the item in under a pound. Most times I walk out of the store with 5 ounces or less of every item, and my shopping bag is full of powders, candy, nuts, granola. You name it, I probably bought it, and paid between $20 and $25, yet I've got 10 items where the total price should have been one pound for one high ticket item. 

Okay, so let me explain this logic / example. 

There's a one off store in Ellenton, Florida (by Sarasota / Bradenton). It's a bulk food store, where you help yourself to bagging items that are put in big oak barrels. Everything is clean and labeled accordingly. 

According to my last receipt (I still have it in my inbox), I bought: 

• Australian Style Red Licorice ($6.99/lb) × 0.234 lb = $1.64
• Hemp Seed  ($11.99/lb) × 0.036 lb = $0.43
• Dark Chocolate Espresso Bean ($12.69/lb) × 0.090 lb = $1.14
• Ju Ju Cinnamon Bears ($4.49/lb) × 0.156 lb = $0.70
• Whey Protein ($12.99/lb) × 0.068 lb = $0.88
• Dried Sweet Cherries ($17.49/lb) × 0.146 lb = $2.55
• Coconut Bon Bons ($7.69/lb) × 0.278 lb = $2.14
• Organic Goji Berries ($17.99/lb) × 0.074 lb = $1.33
• Organic Pea Protein  ($12.99/lb) × 0.140 lb = $1.82
• Australian Style Black Licorice ($6.99/lb) × 0.170 lb = $1.19
• Dried mixed berries ($12.59/lb) × 0.196 lb = $2.47
• Tri-Colored Coffee Beans ($9.59/lb) × 0.152 lb = $1.46
• Indian Summer Oriental Rice Snack Mix ($6.99/lb) × 0.146 lb = $1.02

Totaling $18.98 after tax. 

For a fat kid, I'm very frugal when it comes to this stuff because I know it won't last long if I get a pound or more of any of it, as sometimes they go stale quickly. 

Plus, I've got name brand stuff at home in the cabinet from when they were BOGO at the grocery store. This stuff I get at the bulk store are items to go with what I've got. Something different to pack with lunch, type of thing.

Therefore, when you buy a lot of items that need proper storage, you have to learn to spread it out over the weeks in good containers and make sure it's not going bad. I mean, don't sleep on them, but also don't eat them like the world is going to end in two days.

The zombie apocalypse is not yet nigh. 

Since these are treats that I can't get locally (or haven't seen locally), it's hard to stop myself from going overboard. I know going in to the store, I have a price limit on things, and if I want extra of one item, I have to adjust accordingly. I do get amazed, though, when I watch other people load up bags to the brim of oats or rice, and they surely have 4+ pounds worth of the item. It feels like I'm taking advantage of getting it for significantly less. It's a self esteem thing in a way. I know, don't think like that, just do you, but it's hard to walk out with a full bag of stuff and not wonder what you just got since most of it so cheap. I do get a lot for my dollar though, I have to admit that. 

Some of the things I did see today at Sprouts, and bought were two bags of various protein powder. I don't have the receipt as my mother had shredded it, so I don't remember the prices. One was hemp protein powder and it was listed for $18 per pound (if I recall correctly). I bought under a dollar's worth. The other was some collagen peptide mix that I keep seeing in other brands and haven't picked up yet (I've seen positive reviews). That was listed as $20 a pound (I think). Again, I bought under a dollar's worth. 

It's like Ronnie Spector, George Harrison and David Bowie once suggested, "Try some, buy some". But I bought some to try some instead. 

So again, it all goes back to seeing what you like and want to try, doing some research and buying what you can afford. In this day and age when there are so many people out of work and homes, not everyone can afford protein powder or organic dried fruit. I get it. But there comes a time when you do have the ability to buy and you should if you want it. If it is within your dieting range, go for it.

I know the Orgain list is daunting and there are things in it that are questionable, but at the end of the day, it's my breakfast. I don't eat anything in the morning. I make a smoothie and a cup of coffee and I'm checking my emails before I start my day. I have to wake up feeling like I've not eaten in a week, in order to eat in one morning. It's super rare for me to do that. I have to force myself to eat in the morning if I have to eat. It's not a good feeling. That's why I make a smoothie and a cup of coffee and I'm good. 

Take care of yourself.

Cheers;

See Also (aka Try Some, Buy Some):

• I guess Ronnie's version is a little hard to come by on Amazon, but it's on some compilation called Come And Get It - The Best Of Apple Records. 
• George Harrison's version is track 9 on Living in the Material World
• Bowie's version is track 9 (coincidence?) on Reality

Keep it rocking and rolling?

I’ve been listening to CDs in my car lately, as I’m tired of hearing commercials every 5-10 minutes on the radio. 

Plus, it's hard to get a good station in some days, as the signals are weak in places. What does come in... is country, Spanish, religion (Christian), political (Republican) and a couple themed stations with one off names (Bob-FM, Arrow). I like NPR, but now that we're in the season of giving, mixed with the "we are sorry to interrupt the programming, but we could use some help" (aka "please donate" messages), it's time to start listening to something more solid.  

Over the past month or so, I had on rotation various Goldie albums along with some other electronic music. This week I’ve started “normal” stuff like Casey Kasem Presents: America's Top 10 Through Years - The 1970. I’ve got another Casey Kasem disc labeled Casey Kasem Presents: America's Top 10 Through the Years - The 1960s that brings back the youth of people older than me but memories of big family parties and road trips. The latter also brings back the "sing by yourself as you cruise back and forth to work" with the comment of "No throat singing" (see previous posts regarding this). Yea... try to belt out Roy Orbison's  Crying and tell me how you manage that falsetto without getting all out of breath. 

Meanwhile, what I started listening to the other day, is a six disc anthology set of American Folk Music as put together by Harry Smith (the disc linked is not the official cover as I had gotten them. The official one looks like this, which is unavailable on Amazon). With everything going on in this world right now, listening to stuff from the 1920s and 1930s seems like a bad thing.. like some sort of heresy... because "the woke / cancel culture" has changed the landscape of everything we do. 

Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to say certain issues aren't problems, as I acknowledge there is some challenges in the world, but when the simple things we knew "back in the day" are getting taken away from us (why have banned books? Who and what are they really hurting???), it's no wonder why something labeled as "an eclectic and idiosyncratic mixture of blues and hillbilly songs, ballads old and new, dance music, gospel, and numerous other performances less easy to classify" (Amazon synopsis on Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music: America changed through music by Thomas Ruys Smith) feels like you're doing something illegal. And its not being taken away... yet. At least not that I know of.  

Although, to continue on with the book synopsis, "Where previous collections of folk music, both printed and recorded, had privileged field recordings and oral transmission, Smith purposefully shaped his collection from previously released commercial records, pointedly blurring established racial boundaries in his selection and organisation of performances. Indeed, more than just a ground-breaking collection of old recordings, the Anthology was itself a kind of performance on the part of its creator", it really shouldn't be something to make you feel guilty or look over your shoulder about, thinking you're going to get arrested. It's a part of the history of sound. - how we got to where we are now. 

According to Folkways.si.edu (a Smithsonian Institute site), the Anthology "is one of the most influential releases in the history of recorded sound. Originally issued by Folkways Records in 1952, the Anthology brought virtually unknown parts of America's musical landscape recorded in the late 1920s and early 1930s to the public's attention. For more than half a century, the collection has profoundly influenced fans, ethnomusicologists, music historians, and cultural critics; it has inspired generations of popular musicians, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Jerry Garcia, and countless others. Many of the songs included in the Anthology have now become classics". 

Like I said, it's almost as if not matter how you try to rationalize it, it feels somewhat dirty. Sure, if this music wasn't around, the questions become, "would we have the 'Folk Generation'?" or "would any of the elder musicians still recording now, actually be around now, if it wasn't for certain pioneers of the 1920s and 1930s?". 

For example and side note: 

Look at some of the sketch comedies we roll in the aisles in laughter over. Would those be safe or made if the shoulders they are currently stand on, didn't exist a decade ago? What about a century ago? How about the pioneers in movies from the last millennia? All the history we have from black and white film with people like Charlie Chaplin and his United Artists group (Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, D. W. Griffith ) didn't end when the foursome split up and MGM grabbed the company ("Suppose Mary Pickford divorces Douglas Fairbanks"). It exploded into what we recently saw with actor strikes because technology has gotten out of hand (along with pay and other incidents). 

If we didn't keep innovating, would anyone know the reference of The Tramp? What about Al Jolson's Black Face (bad kind of example, I know, but it's part of his history) and the Jazz Singer? Look at the different remakes that film has had. What about all the film nods to Mae West and her brashness? Everyone misquotes Lady Lou and thinks nothing of it. How about Rock Hudson or Cary Grant? Would Marilyn Monroe have been seen as a nobody if she wasn't in the right places at the right times? Okay, sure, maybe the JFK / Mafia conspiracy with Marilyn wouldn't also be in existence, but also, would it? Would Mel Brooks have helped launch so many comedians? Saturday Night Live and MAD TV might have not been around if it weren't for their forecomicfathers. 

I'm totally getting off topic and digging myself into a hole I probably shouldn't have started scratching at. So to go back to the original thought at hand: is listening to stuff from 100 years ago really hurtful? Will I be going out and causing problems by knowing these songs existed? No. I'm going to be the better person and learn from that era and want to do more research about it. Plus, I think the more I'm circling the drain any more with crazy references to prove points, it won't end well. 

Therefore, I think I'm going to change the subject one more time and call it a day.

I caught a gecko the other day in the garage and released it back into the wild.

Apparently it's been hanging out too long where my mother parks, and once I was able to get it in the catcher, he hasn't shown his little head since. Which means, hopefully, he's bothering someone else. 

As per usual lately, the photos were taken on an iPhone 11. I did some slight editing and dropped them here. 

Come and buy my toys | New era of technology

Yesterday my community had it's yearly fall yard sale. 

As per usual, we were out at 6:45 in the morning, setting up our driveway. We tend to get people strolling around by 7:30, even though the official start time is 8. By 7:25, we were ready for the early birds to somehow get into the gates. 

Even Ed and Joanne (3 units down, the people we spent the hurricane with) were all set up. Our two houses seemed to be the only ones on the block with stuff out. 

My mom and I had enough random items that it would potentially make the sale pretty easy, but as we've been learning the last few years, people tend to go to the houses and don't bother coming to the condos. So it's a crap shoot in actually getting people to buy something versus getting no one and you're boxing everything for the donation center (which we usually do for half the stuff. The bigger items we try again the next time).

Some of the things we keep trying to sell every year is a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer. 

When this juicer was brand new and all the rage, it was retailing at over $100. All I'm looking for now is $50, even though I'd consider going as low as 35. It's so hard to find now, that the auction sites seem to be the ones carrying it. Even Amazon is selling parts at this point, including someone trying to get over 350 dollars for it (which is far too much for the machine). 

Another thing we try is a Samsung Blu Ray DVD Player, which obviously, no one uses anymore since majority of the people I talk to, are streaming. 

Which is weird since we are also looking to sell an Apple TV streaming box (it's a third generation). Everyone that looks at it, seem to be Android people because we also have a few Apple Watch bumpers, and various adapters. 

One of the new things was a Crest Toothpaste Crest Man phone from the 1980s. 

He looks like this:

And again, the auction sites have him listed for high money since he is a collectible at this point. There is only one seller on Amazon that has it in stock, and they want over $95 for it. My "make an offer" sticker means people think it's cute but not for them. 

Don't get me wrong; it's not like we're looking for hundreds of dollars on everything. Books were listed as a dollar, some of the plastic house ware stuff was ranging from 10 to 25 cents, things had appropriate stickers. However, it's the "art of the deal" and people want it for close to nothing (even a dime is too much). 

Yet, one of the people who looked at the juicer didn't want to pay 50 dollars. We said the lowest was 35 and they said okay. When they pulled out a fresh, clean, hundred dollar bill, I said "sorry, I can't make change". 

At the time the person came, it was 9am and we had only had 4 people come by; one person bought something for two bucks. If I attempted to change out that big bill, I'd have nothing left for the rest of the day.

I mean, it's one thing if it was a 5 dollar item and you were giving me a ten. But to ask for that much change back, I'm sorry (not sorry); I'd rather lose the sale than not be able to work with people for the next four hours. That's not fair for me - what if someone decided to purchase the DVD player ($15) and two books ($2)? I'm going to need to give them 3 dollars back if they gave me a twenty. If I didn't have that, I'd be stuck. 

I know I sound like I'm not being grateful because someone wanted to buy the juicer, but I'm also not a bank. I don't have hundreds of dollars to dole out as change because someone gave me a bill I can't handle. Like one of my friends said - "it is a yard sale, people want things for low costs", which also means, come with low bills or go to the bank during the work week. 

Needless to say, the woman walked away not buying it. Which, had she also wanted to buy the frozen fruit ice cream maker with the juicer, I would have made her a deal and given her back the change she was possibly looking for. 

So when another person comes in at 11 looking at the health food table, they were asking serious questions about the juicer. They took it apart to make sure every piece was there. They scoured it to make sure it was legit. When asked about the price, we said "make an offer; it retails for over 100", they said they didn't know. They don't think they have more than a few dollars on them. We said we could talk about it - how about 50, and she said no because she didn't know what she had. She put everything down and was looking at other things for under 5 dollars, and we said we'd go down to 35 but that's as low as we would go. She thought about it, and asked if she can pay us via Zelle. We said we didn't know what that was, and she said it's a cash app and that she paid via her phone and the app at a house around the corner and the transaction went fine. All you do is search someone by name, email or phone number and then you transfer the money. No bank account info is stated anywhere in the transaction. Her issue is that she just doesn't have any cash on her and she uses this Zelle a lot. We explained it's cash only because we don't do those money transfer apps; sorry. She insisted another minute and said that that was okay, she would continue to look around. 

She ended up not buying anything, but it's like, how far have we come in our society, culture and world, that now no one carries cash or plastic and they rely too heavily on their phones? My same friend who remarked about "it's a yard sale", said she "hates when people want to use those digital cash apps. This isn't retail". Which is true. Not everyone has those apps. You just never know with them. When cash used to be king, everyone got along and knew what was going on. Cash goes away in favor of plastic, and people scratched their heads. Now plastic has gone away and people are using their pocket computers for everything. 

If we had a booth at the flea market (and sold every week), I could see setting up Square or using the cash apps, but for a twice a year home yard sale, please be nice and get cash out, in low bills. Not everyone has the ability to make change for large numbers or do a wireless money transfer. 

I asked Ed and Joanne about that, and even they agreed - low bills, cash only, no checks or digital transfers. Considering Ed is hip with a lot of technology (to a point), for them to say "cash only" is as old school as what we want to accomplish. 

Sure, I am of the age where I should be relying on my phone to do stuff, but I don't. I still write checks, I still get money out of the bank. I use my credit card for stuff I know I don't have the cash on hand for (or if I'm ordering something online). If the right amount of greenbacks aren't in my pocket, I don't buy it. 

Not being a math genius, I really have to watch what I'm doing. I know not to go crazy in stores if it is something I like. I have enough money in my pocket for an emergency cab ride plus a trip to the store, but I am not keeping a lot on me. Yes, I have a credit card, but I'm not taking it out every single time I'm shopping. At one point, prior to moving to Florida, I had gone almost two years without using my card. I was paying cash for everything, including gas for my car. I wasn't buying online. I was watching what I was doing. Minimalist spending. Can't afford it? Don't get it. 

Which is why you don't go to a yard sale and look around, pick stuff up, and ask to pay with other means people may not have. That is a super big ask. 

It's like last year, when my uncle gave me permission to sell his golf clubs, someone came by and wanted to Venmo me. The guy saw the price listed on the whole kit, was amazed because he knew everything in the bag was worth more, and said that he'd buy it from me. He just needs to Venmo it over. I said that I don't use the app, but am willing to hold it for half an hour for him, if he is willing to go to the bank (we were selling everything for $250). He agreed, asked if I knew where the local bank was for him, and he left quicker than you can say "I'll make you a deal". He came back in less than 30 minutes, cash in hand, and thanked me immensely. He loaded it into his car and off he went. 

So proof is that if someone wants it so badly, they are willing to work with the seller. I would have been willing to work with the Zelle lady, had she not kept saying it's all she had and other houses accepted it. If you aren't willing to work it out, why bother going to these?

I mean, sure, I use Paypal, but it was originally set up for when I was selling books on (the now defunct) Half dot com website. I still use the pay site occasionally, but it's only tied to a couple sites that I trust. 

I know there is going to come a time when certain things we currently do, don't exist, but until that happens, I'm sticking to the things I know. Some people don't handle life changes well, and they can't be expected to jump right into things. Considering I've got one app on my phone that is going away permanently next month, and I've got to decide what I want to do about it. I have to uninstall it for sure, but do I install the app they're recommending (it's the coupons app and they got bought out)? Frivolous spending, me, but is it really worth creating a new profile, downloading the app, making sure everything is connected, to only use the app a couple times a month? I don't know. 

I really have to sort things out better. Figure out what's important and what's not. Hope the 3 tubs I put back into the garage sell next year in the spring sale, and vocalize about this issue once more. 

Until then, do your own research and be respectful of people and places you're buying from,

Cheers;