Lazy, Hazy, and Crazy

The lyrics of the popular 1963 song by Nat King Cole say that it’s time to “roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer”.

“Lazy” alright.  You’d think that being able to get outdoors would automatically mean more exercise but, unfortunately, lying on the beach, lounging on the back porch, and chilling in the basement don’t seem to burn many calories.

According to the song, we should be breaking out the “soda and pretzels and beer”.  For my family it would be more like burgers and ice-cream treats and tall glasses of lemonade, but they still don’t seem to keep the bathroom scales in balance.

I have more luck keeping off the pounds during the winter when I don’t need to think twice about turning on the oven to cook up a healthy, organic roast beef dinner, and when ice-cream is used as a garnish on homemade apple crisp or peach cobbler.

The good news is: my last year’s swimsuit is too big for me this summer.  The bad news is: I get to go shopping again for a cute and modest swimsuit – one that isn’t cut down to my navel or up to my waist and doesn’t float over my head when I jump into the water.  Ah, swimsuit shopping.  It definitely makes for a “crazy” day.

I’m not sure about the “hazy” part, but if I don’t eat those fresh garden veggies and ripe summer fruit, I may need to be “rolled out” by the end of the summer.

The Shopping Cart Dilemma

I approached a woman and offered her a loonie in exchange for her shopping cart.  She took my money, I took her cart.  A few seconds later I noticed the cart didn’t have a loonie in it, so I trailed her.

As she climbed into her truck I said, “This cart doesn’t have a loonie in it.”  I thought she’d say, “I’m sorry, I forgot” and return my money.  Instead, she shrugged, shut the door, and smirked at me through her window.  I stood there for a moment, stunned.  She stole my loonie!  My precious, saved-especially-for-shopping-carts loonie!

I think about this experience often because it makes me leery during other money/cart trades.  I also feel bad that someone compromised her integrity over a loonie.  I mean, if you need a loonie that bad, just ask.  I’ll give you one.

Or will I?

A few weeks ago, someone approached me asking for a cart trade and, to my dismay, I found myself with a handful of dimes.  Now, I know that ten dimes equal a loonie – but that was my precious, saved-especially-for-shopping-carts loonie!

So I had to go to the bank to get another loonie to keep in my cup-holder.

My next grocery trip someone else approached me all bubbly and smiles, holding out four quarters.  I groaned and said, “But then I’ll have to find another loonie.”  Her face fell; I felt like a jerk and handed over my cart.

I wish I didn’t mind doling out loonies.  I wish I didn’t have to fight to acquire and keep my own precious, saved-especially-for-shopping-carts loonie.  I wish other people would get their own loonies.  I wish I could go to the grocery store without facing the shopping cart dilemma:  be sweet or be savvy?

Back to School

Kids are already back in school.  Did this summer go by fast, or what?  I’m not ready to tackle that tedious-yet-highly-creative job of packing nutritious, exciting, and delicious lunches again.

I am glad the back to school shopping is over.  Juggling supply lists, clothing lists, grocery lists, and footwear lists (come on shoe manufacturers – don’t you know we need white soles for indoor shoes?) is quite exhausting.  Add in combination locks, boxes of tissue, haircuts, registering, sharpening pencils, and labeling lunchboxes, and I’m about ready for another vacation.

This year we did some back to school shopping at West Edmonton Mall (after we shopped locally, of course).  If you do your back to school shopping there next year, may I remind you of a few things:  wear your most comfortable shoes, park close to the stores you need, and remember to take the roll of loonies out of your purse first.

With all this talk of “back to school” (including my husband who went back to school last year to work on his CMA designation) I’ve started thinking about it myself.

I didn’t go to university after high school.  I went the technical college route – one intense year of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. classes.  It wasn’t until years later, when we paid off my husband’s student loan, that I realized how nice it was I didn’t have one.  University is an awfully expensive place to “find” yourself.

But I’ve finally thought of something I might enjoy studying at university:  Human Resource Management.  The question is:  Do I have time to go to school while managing the needs of a family of seven?  If only “Human Resource Management” meant food prep, laundry, and back to school shopping, I’d already have my doctorate.

Another Man's Treasure

I’m always a little sad when garage sale season ends.  Those signs on neon paper staked at main intersections are evidence that the weather is still warm enough to enjoy being outside.  When the signs and garage doors come down, the hibernation begins.

Fortunately, there are other places to find good deals throughout the year.  Thrift and consignment stores, pawn shops, and online sales like Kijiji keep bargain shoppers (like me) happy year round.

I have saved hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars shopping at these types of stores.  One year I made a list of the things I had purchased second hand.  Then, with the help of friends, I estimated what those items would have cost new.  I found that I had spent less than one-tenth of the retail price.

Why don’t more people shop second hand?  Don’t they like 90% off sales?

Besides saving huge amounts of money, there are other reasons I enjoy shopping second hand:  I feel better about my kids staining a $3 outfit or breaking a $2 toy rather than a $40 one.  If an item looks good after being used previously, chances are it will continue to hold up under wash and wear – unlike some new items.  When I feel like shopping but don’t have the time to invest walking through large malls, a thrift store offers a one-stop shopping experience.  And, I like helping the environment and charities.

Why am I telling you these things?  No, don’t shop second hand.  Go ahead and buy new.  Spend the big bucks.  You’re worth it.

But feel free to donate it later for me to enjoy at 90% off.