Your Tip of The Day?

Pick your fights. If your daughter wants to dye her hair purple, so what, not a big deal.

But if she wants to ride with a friend who is known to drink and drive, then HECK NO!

My kids are all grown, but I remind them of this as their kids are becoming teens.

Live below your means.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

Don't cancel your morning workout because your dd was suppose to be on the rode before your classes started and instead she slept until after they were both done....and I missed them both! :(

Don't run the weed eater with your mouth open.

Sometimes, life plans fall apart. The future you dreamed of is off the table, the people you dreamed with now have different dreams, age and infirmities chip away at your physical well being.

You can either be miserable or happy, but that isn't up to others, you are in charge of your own happiness.

Take deep breaths before reacting.

Q: When should you start planning for your retirement?

A: The day you're born.

It's sort of like making a long hike toward a mountain, and in the early days when you walk or ride a stroller, pushed by parents, you are unaware of the slow rise in the terrain.

Most kids are unaware of the mountain and only slightly of the terrain passing beneath one's feet.

Some teens become dimly aware of parents considering retirement ... and the after-life, that is, how to live after retirement - including funding.

Help your kids begin to learn early how to handle money: better to boss it ... than have it boss you!

That's the time for them to decide to hang on to a part of every dollar that they receive, through gift or employment ... to put it to work long-term for them.

With a couple of younger brothers, I was 10 in 1939 when World War II started and within about a year our farm helper went to war.

Dad's farm was larger than most in the area in those days, and what Dad and we three boys got done on that farm for the next four years or so - got done: the rest didn't!

Dad had given us a weekly allowance from when we were young, and we had been responsible for household and farm chores.

After the hired hand went to war, we boys had lots of work to do, so Dad gave us a wage at the end of summer and we were to buy our clothing, books, etc. as we returned to school. We may have had an increase in allowance, reflecting our extra helping, but in any case we learned that it was not a good idea to spend all of our summer wage early, for often extra needs for cash turned up during the year and it was really helpful to have some funds available to cover such needs. There was a lot of pressure to buy War Bonds, as well ... but that money was not easily available, so we hung on to some readily available cash, as well.

Help your kids/grandkids learn many of the various aspects of money management as they grow, beginning when quite young. Those skills will serve them well through every year of their lives.

Even ... (with will-power) ... beyond ... death!

ole joyfuelled

Never! Repeat... Never.... cook bacon stovetop wearing your good clothes.

Practice generosity.

Love yourself first.

Do it now. The first cost is the least cost.

CA Kate, always cook your bacon in the oven!!

JRB451, is that the voice of experience???

If you are doing a big painting project that will take several days, instead of cleaning your brushes when you are finished for the day, put them in a sealed plastic bag. They will be ready when you start painting the next morning. I keep them this way until the project is finished. Paint trays can also be placed in large plastic bags for use the following day. If you have small containers full of paint, they can be covered with plastic wrap and sealed with a rubber band slipped over the lip of the container.

It's not life changing advice, but it sure saves a lot of time on clean-up!

It's OK to NOT have a mortgage! We did this crazy thing and paid off our house with only a couple of re-fies for improvements.

We sold our place for about 5x what we paid and moved to one of the fanciest sreets in town! No mortgage!

Sis and BIL are 72 and have at least 10 years left to pay on their house!

You get the same appreciation in the house with or without a mortgage. With a mortgage, you would have also gotten appreciation and had a larger and more diversified investment portfolio, most certainly in an amount in excess of the cost of the loan unless the timing or investment choices were unfortunate or unusual.

A will is nothing more than a dead giveaway.

Dawn, I do the same with paint rollers and wrap them in aluminum foil.

100% of all foreclosures are on houses with a mortgage. Dave Ramsey

Cook bacon on a stovetop while wearing a BIG apron.

React quickly, get the problem solved and out in the open. Holding grudges will only prolong the pain and add to YOUR misery.

• “The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” ..
• When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Maya Angelou

Pay yourself first.

Each and every time you get money and need self compassion and rest pay yourself first.

Don't compare yourself to others. Somebody will always have more or less than you. Apples is apples and oranges is oranges. :-)

Also try to know your body's nutritional needs and give it what it needs in a day. Some days it does need cheese sandwiches.

The consequences of not taking care of yourself are very undesirable.

And this from Marisa Peer. Make the familiar thing that you don't want unfamiliar. Make the unfamiliar things that you do want familiar. Practice practice practice. :-)

"100% of all foreclosures are on houses with a mortgage. Dave Ramsey"

A bit of a tautology I think, probably intentionally so but silly all the same. It can't happen without both factors present. Like saying:

100% of murders are caused by someone killing someone else.

Elmer....DR is humorous, but it is true. Yes, it's silly. :0) I defer to Dave Ramsey.

I have family that's lost it all taking out loans....started over...again...and again...

Strictly personal tastes are involved but I don't tend to find on-air or print media financial people interesting or useful. I looked at his site, I found some of his comments particularly different (not in a good way) and not for me. If you like him, great!

Turn off electronics, such as your cell phone and your FIOS cable box,once a week for a brief time. I was told this by 1) a FIOS tech on the phone and 2) my phone.

Faster horses, younger women (or men) older whiskey, and more money

Sweet!

Is it really going to matter in a week, month or next year. In other words dont get worked up about unimportant things.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

I put all my eggs in one basket this spring by dividing ALL my specimens of my favorite orchid species. Every single one of the divisions rotted off at ground level and died, couldn't save any of them. If only I'd held back even one pot....

I do a lot of gardening. As I have aged, I find I can’t always complete everything I want to do in a single day sometimes. So I typically start with the hardest or most needy task and see what I get done from there. Anything else can wait until tomorrow or next time and I don’t stress about it, especially in the heat of summer.

Today's tip: If you tip your delivery app driver well you'll receive prompt and accurate service. If you tip the 2% higher "recommended" amount, you'll get your food ASAP rather than at the appointed hour, even if it's going to go cold waiting for everyone to arrive. If you don't tip well, they may eat your food...

If you want to make someone happy, show compassion.

If you want to make yourself happy, show compassion.

....the Dalai Lama

Don't start anything you don't want to do for the rest of your life! (Give that one thought)

@joyful - we started our kids on their financial retirement plans the day they got their first job. Over the long term compounding interest is a marvelous thing.

When buying something for the long term - buy the best quality you can afford.

To keep celery a considerable period of time-take it out of plastic (if its'in it) and wrap well in foil.

For assets intended for use in retirement, starting at e.g. age 15 gives one 50 years to retirement at age 65 ... but starting at birth doesn't seem to have achieved major growth in value at age 15, but it gives one 65 years ... and it's in each of the later years that substantial increments to asset value are achieved.

I'm not sure about legal requirements for young people earning less than taxable amount annually, about $11,000 in Canada, but I think that a number who earn less don't file a return.

It would be wise to file with income lower than that, as they build a credit toward tax-deferred contribution room in a retirement plan ... but not to contribute this year, as there'll likely be higher income, thus larger credit, available later.

Maybe good to calculate whether length of time invested might be preferable: probably largely dependent on rate of return achieved.

For many Canadians who want to contribute to registered educational plan, the government will subsidize up to 20% with restrictions, I think. Best to check with folks who know the rules but not sales people for a carrier.

If investing for a child in unregistered retirement plans, current earnings, e.g. interest, are taxed in the contributor's hand. But capital gain, not realized till sale, usually when paying for education, will be taxed to the recipient -- thus later ... and at a lower rate.

Canadians pay top rate on interest income, but dividends on Canadian stocks are taxed at a much lower rate.

Good wishes for the coming weeks and this year, for you and the kids, everyone ... and for retirement plans.

ole joyful

Thanks for being clear throughout, joyful, that your comments were intended for Canadians only. The US system is considerably different and most of your comments don't fit here. Just the first example, someone whose income is below the filing threshold gains nothing from filing a return. Usually, the tax authorities won't process it and will send it back with an indication that filing wasn't necessary.

There are two rats that eat your financial cheese.

There's an agency that has a question and a statement for every Cdn. resident earning over about $11,000. annual income.

U.S. folks hear the same story.

"How much income did you have this year?" and,

"You need to send some of it to us!"!

And some taxpayers, often with advice, can find ways to somewhat avoid being bound by the statement: some friends that I know have found a couple.

Canadians can use Regist. Retire't. Savings Plans (RRSPs), investing up to about 18% of income, with limits, deferring tax now (but taxed on withdrawal, with penalties when withdrawn before about 60). Kid with income below threshold who files would build credit to invest in RRSP, prob. better to invest later, higher income, better percentage credit.

The other cheese-eating rat is INFLATION!

Just after the end of World War II in 1945 farmer Dad had ordered a new Ford "Monarch" car from our local dealer, then moved to Saskatchewan in 1946.

No new cars had been built for civilian use during the six years of war, so there was great demand for new ones.

The dealer wrote to Dad in the winter of 1947, saying that he had a "Monarch" for him, for $1,600. ... and could sell it for $2,000. if Dad wanted him to.

Dad, planning to visit a family reunion in Ontario in the summer and wanting to present an image of success, appreciated that the dealer hadn't just sold it and said nothing, and took the car.

Slightly above mid- level new cars cost way more than that, these days!

Late last year I bought a 12 year old Pontiac "Grand Prix", good condition with about 110,000 mi. - for $2,500.

When I buy a certificate for $10,000. the issuer pays me rent on the money, interest, at, say 2.5% interest rates are low, the days, remember?

Many governments owe a lot of money!

Interest in Canada is taxed at top rate, so if I'm taxed at 25%, that chews .625% from that 2.5% ... leaving me with 1.875% after-tax income.

But ... but ... but ... at the end of the 2? 3? 5? year period the issuer pays me back every dollar that s/he borrowed - but not a dollar more.

But each of those dollars will buy less than when I lent it to the agency. So I have to take account for inflation from the cash that I got back.

What's the rate of inflation these days, folks - something like 2%, officially isn't it?

That leaves me with less than 0 real return on that asset, doesn't it?

And when I visit a grocery (or several other stores) ...

... I figure that someone's stringing me a line!

I figure that, these days, investing to earn interest ... leaves me in the hole!

Don't send any floods, O.K.?

ole joyfuelled

I don't understand the "Don't start something unless you plan to do it the rest of your life"...? Maybe it applies to motherhood?

If you are comfortable with your income, every time you get a raise, have that direct deposited into an account you don't have easy access. When we were young and poor, this is how we were able to treat our kids to Disneyland every other year!

I thought the adage was “Don’t Cook Bacon Naked.” :-)))

Too true, bbstx, but spatters will ruin a good blouse every time.

This one is good for all women but it's especially for CA Kate.....on Amazon, check out housecoats for women, snap front. For $15.00 - $20.00 you can find a nice one. I use it instead of an apron. Especially nice if you're doing last minute prep before company comes. Door bell rings, just pop it off and toss in laundry room. DH use to get all excited and say people will be here in a few minutes and you're not even dressed. Wrong! 2 seconds and presto...completely dressed.

Now that is an idea worth pursuing!

I've been doing that for the past several months and it makes it so much more enjoyable to read posts. :)

nicole___ a smart young woman told me that many years ago. Think about it. Don't start doing something ......... Like picking up his clothes that are on the floor....... You will have to do it the rest of your life once you start it. So unless you don't mind doing something for the rest of your life don't get it started. I hope you understand now.

Apart from our dealings with others, especially partners, who may be happy to let us pick up after them, if we choose to begin doing it, we tend to be creatures of habit and repeat patterns of behaviour, ourselves.

One might refer to it as getting into and following a rut.

ole joyful

Keep your eye on the rooster.

Yes, he's scheduled for Coq au Vin, but that doesn't mean you need to let your guard down before he gets there.

(PS, this is WHY he's scheduled for Coq au Vin...)

Artemis, the rooster that tried to sneak up on me while I was gathering eggs for Mother ended up in the pot to be made into chicken and dumplings for the evening meal that day! I was 9 years old. It was a Friday the 13th and I can remember it as though it was yesterday.

One's memory for events taking place on Fri. 13th may be higher than normal do ya figger?

o j

If your path demands you to walk through hell,

walk as if you own the place.

Walking with a devilish grin, would that be, watchme, do I suppose?

If you own the place ... you pay taxes, right?

To whom?

And in what currency?

o j

P.S. Please help, someone.

I'm hugely frustrated: can't initiate a thread.

If I go to "Start a discussion", I can do that and I used to be frustrated with massive duplication of letters in the title, but not so much recently, then could write my message, but when I went to post it, I could access others of my chosen topics, but "The kitchen table" wasn't there and I couldn't find it anywhere.

So how do I get to "The kitchen table" to post it after the writing?

ole joyful ... who (with a fairly big mouth), doesn't like being (more or less) speechless

Bring your readers everywhere you go. The fine print keeps getting finer.

Sorry, Joyful. I can't edit. I just reread and realized what you were asking. I'll try again. Go to the top of this thread and hit the kitchen table oval on the upper left, then hit the oval on the upper right for following. That should put it into your left hand column of forums you want to save/follow. Then when you start a discussion it will be there to tap.

I bought some of those tiered skillet /pan cover holders and also 3 tiered vinyl covered wire storage that can fit in a cabinet. I bought a total of 11 and use them for skillets, baking pans, casserole dishes, pan covers, canned good storage, even a couple in the bathroom closet. It has made a real positive difference not to have to try to get a glass casserole pan, for instance, out from under 3 other pans while either holding or moving the others. Bed Bath and Beyond had a sale on them, definitely one of my most helpful recent purchases.

I'll pass along some advice I was told by someone who said the advice was given to them by a grandma when they got married... "Don't clean unless you have an audience."

Don't squat with your spurs on.

OJ, if you start a thread in KT, you don't have to check any boxes
for forums, it is automatically checked for KT and will appear here.
Just write it and hit submit. Ignore the other forum options.

If you start your thread in a different forum and want to link also to KT, just remember that in the lists of forums KT is alphabetized as THE Kitchen Table, so you won't find it under "K" anywhere. It's under Home Forums, in the T column.

Scan the CF list of threads daily ... there's always something cool going on

Just the first example, someone whose income is below the filing threshold gains nothing from filing a return. Usually, the tax authorities won't process it and will send it back with an indication that filing wasn't necessary.

Balderdash! Someone with earnings under the filing threshold could have good reason to file. The first would be to get a refund of taxes taken out of wages, if you don't file you can't get it back, and the second would be in order to claim an earned income tax credit. All returns are processed whether they are valid or not. Without being processed how would the "authorities" know to send it back? What inane reasoning.

Or if you have a new business and have and want to carry forward deductions/credits into next year when you hope to do better.

You can't make someone want something you want. Motivation has to come from within. (even if it's breaking your heart, they are the ones to have to do it)

I am a tax preparer in the AARP program and we advise everyone to file regardless of income for security reasons. This will prevent prevent someone else from fraudulently using your social security number. If you file under your number, no one else can.

I always wear an apron when cooking, and I have a large collection of them.

My tip of the day is Do not buy food until you run out. My pantry and freezer look like I have stocked up for the apocalypse, and I am trying to use up what I have instead of buy more. I guess my tip is really to use up what you have stored before buying more. I will always have more than I need in case of an emergency, no matter how I try to pare down.

Oh, Lars, I had to smile at your post because mine are all the same way. My garage freezer has so many jars of Bone Broth that there isn't much room for anything else, and the indoor one is full of the rest. AND, I too have a large collection of Aprons... that I rarely wear.

" Balderdash! Someone with earnings under the filing threshold could have good reason to file......... "

Along the lines of "I've probably forgotten more than you've ever learned" about tax matters, my comment was mainly directed to the Canadian advice given but I probably overlooked a situation I never dealt with and so misspoke. I very thankfully stopped having any involvement with individual taxes early in my career (though with continuing responsibility for my own returns and those of my kids, of course) and was never involved with any adult who qualified for the earned income credit. I didn't (and don't) presume many readers here do. Someone at such a low level of earned income may also have had no tax withheld so there wouldn't be a reason to file a return.

But I'm glad I gave an opportunity to vent the frustrations of a person with red area political views living in a blue area.

PS - tax" knowledge" in the individual arena is a matter of knowing the law and other rules and comes from study and experience. It usually involves little or no "reasoning", the word you mentioned.

But I'm glad I gave an opportunity to vent the frustrations of a person with red area political views living in a blue area.

No frustrations here sweetie. I only post what I know. You post what you think people don't know.

Keep up with the personal jabs. At least I don't have to self medicate to get through my days .

I left elementary school a long time ago and have carried along no lingering habits that others commonly had at that time. Many can't say that. Bye.

I guess my tip is really to use up what you have stored before buying more.

It is OK for people to be different. I store approximately a year's worth of food, but I do label and date the food I can in jars so that I use the older ones first. Lars I have a beautiful polka dot apron.

I'm out of freezer space, so I am on a mission to use up what we have and not buy anything new for a while. There is a 9 pound pork roast, a leg of lamb, a tri-tip, a turkey breast, several packages of chicken, salmon fillets, halibut fillets, shrimp, scallops, ground turkey, grass fed hamburger and salmon burgers in the freezer along with some home made soup, chili, enchilada sauce and misc stuff.

Looks like next week is going to be pulled pork, soup and chicken cordon bleu.

Oh, and I don't have an apron, but I often wish I did.

Of course, Lucille, it's okay to do what makes sense for you.

May I ask - why do you store so much food? Don't you prefer fresh food?

It started with some LDS friends but after a while it just made sense especially when I learned to can and had a garden. I no longer garden but still can from time to time.

Elmer I do prefer fresh, depending what it is, there is no substitute for fresh watermelon and fruits, but for many things for example chicken salad sandwiches, my canned chicken is perfectly adequate.

I can certainly see the viewpoint of others who do things differently, but I am comfortable with my food storage.

I think storing food to supplement fresh is very wise. Those who think that in the event of some natural disaster they are just going to run out and get fresh (along with thousands of others similarly situated) are going to be going hungry. If delivery trucks can't get through and the market shelves are bare, having a full freezer and pantry will have been a wise choice.

"I think storing food to supplement fresh is very wise. Those who think that in the event of some natural disaster.........."

This hardly is a justification. Tell me how many people and how many times in, say, the last 60 years in the US has anyone been saved by having a supply of food for several months or even longer? I'll guess few or none. So for a probability that's closer to zero than not, it's unnecessary.

I have a good friend who's in the LDS church. They practice the prescribed food storage in a moderate way as observant members but he thinks it's a silly practice.

As before, choices are for everyone to make for themselves and this is a good example of one that affects only the chooser.

Sigh. If there were a disaster and Lars came to my door, my door and my pantry would be open to him. He is talented, smart, likable, and time after time he entertains and brings happiness with his perceptions and the accounts of his experiences. If there were a disaster and you, Elmer, appeared at my door, you would be fed also, but not because of the goodness in you.

my comment was mainly directed to the Canadian advice given but I probably overlooked a situation I never dealt with and so misspoke.

You were so busy trying to smack down o j that your proclamation wasn't even true.

Smackdown? Not hardly, more like a friendly tap on the shoulder to remind him who he's talking to. The guy often makes comments akin to a woman walking through a roomful of men, asking each quietly in turn to share their menopause experiences.

My question and comments as always in regard your food storage were uncolored and with no intent to communicate any personal feelings. Too bad your animosity caused you to miss that.

My Grandmothers favorite quote on housekeeping:

"For now is forever" Meaning that you should never put something down in a spot "for now", it will remain there forever. Put everything in it's proper place every time and your house remains neat.

On the subject of storing extra food, I guess I am guilty of it. I live 30 miles from a large grocery store and only go there every two weeks. We have more than 300 inches of snow each winter and snow on the ground for 9 months. Sometimes, it is not possible to get to town for days. Sometimes there are power failures and the manual can opener and gas burners are a godsend. Bottled water is always in the house. As is firewood. I do rotate the canned and boxed foods to keep everything fresh and up-to-date.

I did not do so when I lived in a major metropolitan area though. I shopped every few days.

What did people do before refrigeration? Actually that was not too long ago.

dcarch

They canned, smoked and dried it. If they had access to ice they kept it cool that way. Not far from me is an old food storage facility. It is a large hole/cave dug into the side of a hill. When it was in use 100 years ago, ice was hauled down from the mountains and put in the cave to keep the food cool.

Many people grew gardens and kept chickens for meat and eggs. People who lived out in the country raised larger animals such as cattle and sheep. They also hunted and fished to put meat on the table. I doubt that they had much in the way of leftovers after a meal because they had no way to keep leftovers cold back then.

We probably have a couple of months worth of food on hand. Like Elizabeth, it's an all day thing to go to a grocery store (unless I want to shop at my small local market, which I don't) and we get a lot of snow in the winter. It's nice to know that we will be able to eat if we are snowed in for a couple of weeks which has happened in the past.

Storing dried and canned food in case of an emergency is a good idea. If there was some sort of disaster (fire, earthquake, tornado, hurricane, flood, etc.) the power likely will be one of the first things to go out. If trees are down or roads impassable, there would be no trips to the stores. For most people, a couple of weeks to a month's worth is adequate.

Storing a ton of food in a freezer may problematic unless one has a generator. If the power goes out for more than a couple of days, that food would be lost.

Also good to have some bottled water on hand in case the water system is contaminated.

Of course, most people don't do that because they don't believe it is necessary. They are the ones who have a tough time when something does happen. But, to each his/her own; it's no skin off my nose what people decide to do or not do.

Dawn how I miss the big chest freezer I had when I had my house!! But now I have much more canned food. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has some approved recipes for soups, and I have a bunch of those, so much tastier (to me) than the commercial canned soups.

In addition to having food on hand in case of disaster, it's just a plain convenience to have good home made food. And for those people who are on a budget, there can be considerable savings if one buys when stuff is on sale and cans.

I remember my grandfather's ice box. By the time we came along and I started remembering he was starting to outfit the house he had built with electricity(and eventually indoor plumbing) but his was a real working ice box.

Yes, and while fresh food is always preferable, making and canning your own allows you to control what goes in it including things like salt, fat and other ingredients you (collective you) may not want to eat.

I don't do much canning now, but I used to can fruit, jams, apple sauce, salsa, tomato sauce and all sorts of pickles. It was really nice to have those on hand, especially in the winter months - it was like opening a jar of summer!

When I was still working, I remember being very grateful for the soups, chili and spaghetti sauce that was in the freezer on the nights I'd come home tired and drained from a long day. The last thing I'd want to do is cook and to be able to thaw something out made life so much easier.

My grandmother had a root cellar and I remember it being full of potatoes, carrots and turnips that were buried under layers of straw. She also had rows and rows of canned veggies from the very large garden she grew. Mickey, the barn cat (who thought he was above living in the barn) slept down there at night. In the morning, Grammy would let him out to do his job of patrolling the barns and keeping them free of rodents. Those are happy memories.

I have fond memories of my childhood summer vacations spent in rustic cabins with the old fashioned wooden ice boxes. This idea of "farm to table" is a new age idea. In the past people preserved as much food as they could. There was fresh food on the table but much was held back for the off seasons. We had a backyard garden growing up in the suburbs but what couldn't be eaten was either given away or used in things that could be used later. and since we did not subsist off the land some was left to rot and be hoed right back into the ground. In the fifties and sixties if one live in an area where crops were grown, canneries abounded. In the orchards apples would be pressed for cider and fruits would be set aside for jams or dried. A great deal of my generation spent summers picking crops or cutting fruit.

Saw a Identity Theft Prevention expert speaking on TV. He said 2 most important bits of information to avoid sharing with others is your birth date and city, and your mother's maiden name. Surprised me.

So many stupid tips from me. Here is another one:

Rubber cloves -

1. Have a jar of flour with a paint brush next to where you keep your gloves. Paint some flour inside the gloves. You can put on and take off the gloves much easier.

2. Use a marker and mark "L" on the glove for left hand gloves. Turn the right hand gloves inside out and write "L" on the gloves. Turn it back the right way. No need to write "R" for right hand gloves. You will not have to take time to look and pair L & R hand gloves again.

dcarch

Practice liking yourself in all circumstances even when others disparage you. It takes practice especially if people are/have been mean to you. Don't expect others to like you though. You don't have to be liked by everyone.

Eighty years ago there were small, covered wagons drawn by one horse, going down the streets of most of our cities - one with bread, one with milk and one with ice, and the horse knew just where to stop as the attendant made the house calls. The guy hauling ice chopped a chunk from the big block, grabbed it with a pair of tongs and hauled it into folks' kitchens, where he installed it in the top compartment of an insulated wooden box with three doors, an "ice box".

Seventy years ago, they started building home-sized refrigerators.

Of the ones built 50 and 60 years ago, quite a few operated for 40 years.

The ones that they build now ... last for about ten years. And many of the folks to whom I've told this story offer, "If you're lucky!".

That's mainly because the engineers that make the plans have become so much stupider over the years, do ya figger?

We farm folks had a pan of cold water in the basement to keep our perishables somewhat cool.

ole joyfuelled

A few months ago, while cleaning up the cellar, I came upon a can of soup dated something like 1989. Huh!

I have no idea how or when, because even growing up, we had an electric refrigerator; but I have a vivid memory of going with elders to one of those ice and coal houses as a child when they bought a huge block of ice, covered with sawdust. As a young child, I thought the enormous block of ice utterly fantastic. I might have even licked it.

Also, way back is the memory of the Fish Man in his wooden, horse drawn wagon. His horse was a sort of mottled gray white (“oyster” colored) and it had black blinders to either side of its face. The old fish man sold fresh fish and oysters. This was when many people had cars and was in a suburban neighborhood of a small New England city about 40 miles from the coast.

• Forget the fish! I wanted to pat that horse and ride in that wagon. I would have been happy to sit on a huge live rock crab to do it.

Interesting stories!

And following hardly any of the "tip of the day" stories tended to make one tipsy!

ole joyful

Recently become apparent: " Life is too short to drink bad wine"

This is one of those timeless threads that are perfectly OK to be brought back. Always fun to read and easy to continue for those who desire to add their tips.

An oldie thread, but a goodie. (Kind of like Marilyn Sue...and me!)

Years ago I heard about OHIO. Only Handle It Once. I put that to use with the mail and ended piles of paper on my desk. I'm trying to do the same with my Inbox.

I remembered an old one from a TV chef when I was making breakfast: "Keep it near where you use it." I've done this ever since, and it makes cooking a lot easier.

In the same vein: put what you use all the time in the front of the cupboard, and what you rarely use in the back.... or in the garage/storage.

Cowboy Logic:

Don't squat with your spurs on.

More Cowboy Logic:

Never miss a chance to shut up.

Cowboy Logic:

Don't squat with your spurs on.

you beat me to it. this was told to me by an old farrier.

"Never go to bed with someone who has more problems than you." This was told to me by my favorite aunt back when I was a teen with an eye for bad boys.

If you have a freezer full of food, check how often there's been a power outage in your area of three days or more, and consider getting a generator if there've been several.

Forty some years ago a major ice storm covered a wide area near here. I lived just outside of the area, and when a radio announcer there told how many were fearing losing a freezer full of food, I borrowed a small generator and went down to that area. People in a village on the edge were rejoicing because the power had just come back on.

I plugged freezers into the line from my generator and often fridges, too. People wanted to hook up the furnace, but most have a direct line from the main power supply box and I feared maybe sending power back out into a feeder line that was supposedly dead. Maybe arrange to be able to disconnect your furnace from the main supply box.

When I said it was a gift from the church where I was clergyperson, some insisted on paying something, some of which I used to buy gas and when I offered some to the owner of the generator, he said to give it to his (different) church, and I gave the rest to my church.

It was a surprising experience to drive into a rural area after dark and see not one light anywhere.

Maybe have three or four friends get a somewhat larger generator together, with one having a place to store it: four families sharing would provide each with almost six hours of power per day, serving some more than basic needs.

ole joyful

Portable generators aren’t very expensive, few people share them.

OJ, that sounds like a wonderful experience and generous act.

Sharing generators is fairly common in my community. Our area is highly forested so lots and lots of trees come down in storms, so lots of outages - some long term, many much shorter. I just had one on Monday with only 45 homes affected, but it was out for 10 hours, so I had to break out the generator, I've shared with neighbors, and also shared it with our water association to run the water pump a few hours at a time so we all can replenish our water stores, flush, etc. Mine is small and easily transported. Several neighbors used it one extended outage to run their refrigerators long enough to keep things cool, I don't use it for anything but the fridge and freezer, but I now have Starlink, so am anxious to see if I can keep my internet during an outage with it. Some good friends of mine who have a close knit little neighborhood share a generator and also lawn and garden tools, chain saws, lawn mowers, etc.. No sense in everyone owning their own seldom used equipment.

Another cowboy tip:

Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out.

Just because someone throws a ball doesn't mean you have to catch it.

Stay hydrated.

@ roxsol - that cowboy tip reminds of this one:

Keep your words soft and sweet, you never know when you may have to eat them. 😉

" Sharing generators is fairly common in my community. "

This comment is likely motivated by a desire to be argumentative.

In places where power loss is more common than not, the suggested way to deal with a generator is to install a generator sub-panel. With this, connections are made to key circuits and a master switch off is provided to help prevent uploading of power into the dead grid connection. The generator is connected directly to the subpanel and it then controls which circuits are energized.

In many homes, appliances are built-in and their power cords can't be easily reached. Such is the case in my house, as an example, with a built-in fridge and a separate built in freezer. Same with washer and dryer. Additionally, hvac equipment is often hard-wired and cannot be connected via a cord - this is also true in my house.

For these reasons, people have generator sub-panels installed, the cost of which far exceeds the cost of a generator used to power it. Such generators are not shared.

A wise woman once said: “Just because someone throws a ball doesn't mean you have to catch it.” Thanks for reminding me, Lucille!

The wise woman is Elizabeth, reminding me in this thread, and I need to thank her again. https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5944621/wisdom-from-the-kt#n=44

Thanks, then, Elizabeth!And to Lucille for remembering to pass it along.

In the same vein: Never wrestle with a pig. You just get dirty and the pig enjoys it.

Another is - people with irrational biases will always deflect comments that challenge them, even when they're wrong.

Don't allow energy vampires to take up space in your head.

Now that I think about it, I realize that Ole Joyful is one of the most contentious, argumentative members here - always picking fights with everybody 😃

"Never argue with a fool; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference." Mark Twain .

This sure is an old thread.

Sue