Thursday, August 27, 2015

Bulk Shopping Can Save Money

August 27, 2015

Good morning.  I'm posting a bit late, but I've been busy this morning.  My little guy has been extra huggy huggy this morning so we've been doing a bit of cuddling.  Plus there was breakfast to make and a couple of bills to pay. 

DIL Janet came by last evening.  We watched a couple of our favorite TV programs (that I had taped) while we enjoyed some lasagna for supper.  Mmmm, yum!  I'm thinking that next week  I'll make us a "slow cooker" one pot meal.

Gosh, I just had to dash quickly to catch the UPS man so that he wouldn't leave my package on the front porch.  I caught him in time, and he brought the package (a huge one) to my side door and set it inside on the floor for me.  Oh thank you, thank you.  Now I don't have to try lifting and carrying it inside.  It was two cases, taped together, of wee wee pads for Pogo. 

Why do I buy these pads by the case?  Because it is a whole lot cheaper than buying them at the store.  I get double and triple more wee wee pads buying them by the case than I would if I bought them in packages of 20 at the retail store.  Can you find them at the store for only $10/100 or less?  Not any store that I know of.

And here's a great project for your yard.   I found this really neat way to build a small pool in your yard or garden.  I've always wanted a little pool so maybe next Spring I can try making one of these in the garden.   It doesn't look very difficult, and just think how pretty it would look with a few plants around it.


I read an article in our newspaper titled "Housing crisis is more complex."  Basically, it was about people living in public housing while earning way over the income limit.  One family makes $497,911 a year, another earns $212,200 a year.  And that's only two (out of more than 25,000) of these families.

The crisis problem seems to be what to do with these families.  Should they be kicked out of the public housing?  Oh goodness, they might have a tough time paying regular rent if they could find an apartment somewhere else.  Maybe they should just charge these families more rent?  Oh sure, that will solve the problem. 

What about all the families in desperate need of housing, and who actually do have earnings within the guidelines?  Too bad, I guess.  We don't to hurt anyone's feelings by kicking out the high earners so that the low earners can have a place to live.  My goodness, what shall we do?

Instead of sticking to the rules of who is eligible for public housing and how money they can earn to remain in public housing, HUD is looking for other alternatives.  These include more money to revamp old units, build new ones for mixed income use and provide vouchers generous enough to get people out of bad neighborhoods and into better ones.

I don't know about you, but I think there is something wrong with this thinking.  To me it is simple.  You earn too much money?  You do not qualify to live in public housing.   As for the heftier rent vouchers, I think these are a no no.  Once people get these vouchers, they never move on.  Free rent for life.  Would you give this up?  Of course not.  There is no limit (that I know of)  as to how long a person can keep these vouchers.  Where is the incentive here to get folks on their feet so that they can move on?

Enough.  I could go on and on about this, but I won't. 

School is starting everywhere.  Next week, Jazzy will be helping at the high school during "Orientation" for all the new freshmen.   Gosh, that means there's only about three and a half more weeks left of summer.  Hmmm.

Before I end this post, I'll leave you with another brain teaser picture puzzle.  There are fifteen wolves hidden in this image.  Good luck and enjoy.


Now I'm off to see about making some lunch for Pogo and me.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

3 comments:

smiekeltje said...

There is same kind of problem with public housing here too, people who live there, but have more than enough income to rent somewhere else(but for higher rent, of course).
And people who could do with an appartment for a "low"rent because they don;t have much income, will have to wait and are in trouble.
Not enough public houses there are(we call them "social rent-appartments")
Now government together with councils try to do something with all the empty offices, standing in the cities. Some of them are re-vamped to small appartments, e.g. for students. It sometimes works, but isn't done enough yet.
And it is getting more and more difficult for young people to buy a small appartment or house, banks aren;t to eager to give mortgage easy.
Then young people who want to go to university, to do a study for doctor or lawyer or whatever, will have difficulties too, because now they can have a allowance from government but it will be a loan and they will have to pay it back after they finished their study. It will be really difficult for some to do so, who says they will have the job they are looking for? And with having to pay back that loan first they cannot save up some money for buying an appartment or house. Slowly it is going the direction that the gap between low and high incomes will get bigger, and that a study will be possible only for the rich ones.
I don;t think it is a good thing. There was such a fight over years to have possibility for about everyone to go, if wanted and if you were bright enough, to university, and this was achieved. And now it all is going to be partly demolished by the new rules and laws of this government.
I better stop now before I write a whole page more about it LOL.
That pond looks to be quite a good idea and not all too difficult to do. Fun.
Ha, tday the weather looks to be more friendly again, and we are still in a kind of rollercoaster regarding temperatures, some days around 18 or 20C now in the weekend they say it can be 26C again.
We'll see what it will be and try to enjoy all the good moments.
You have a lovely day,
Hug
Kyra

Nani said...

(Insert scrunched up perturbed face here) There are people making over the limit, even WAY over the limit, in public housing and they are looking for a way to be nice to them? I get copay assistance on my $100 a month MS med and I have to re-enroll every year with my current tax return. The potion I had left to pay went up to $25 from $10 because our tax return said we made over the limit for 90% assistance. If we had reached the level where we no longer qualified for assistance, the copay would be $100 again. There is a finite amount of assistance and the reapply every year means that there will be more funds for those who qualify by not funding those who have grown in earnings to no longer need the help as much as others. It works. Oh, I wasn’t happy when my responsibility went up another 150%, but annual reapplication is a good idea for finite assistance resources. If rent goes up based on changing ability to pay, most people are going to move to a “better neighborhood” if they are going to pay the same rent.

I’ll have to come back and see the brain teaser. My eyes (and brain) aren’t up for it yet this morning!

Hugs, Nani

The Queen Jester said...

I remember the tractor tires used as flower beds on the farm, but the pond idea is very intriguing. You're right , it doesn't look too hard. If I had a place, I'd be tempted to give it a go.