Maxwell 38: Forgotten Jesse and the Spinsters Have to Replace the Vests for the Wedding

[clueliss]

@JermajestyDuggar I grounded Walmart Grocery pickup, gave them 2 weeks in a row shot, and have again grounded them.  (issue  Regular Diet Coke is not an acceptable substitution for Caffeine Free Diet Coke and yet you won't sub for unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

[usmcmom]

I like grocery pick-up on occasion. We recently moved to a new state and it was not available in our previous area. Now, it is available. For our first year here, though, I used it only once because I was making myself get out each week. I needed the trips to the store to learn my way around town, learn about the store, see people, maybe become friends with one or two of the store employees.

I also had another rule about “going to town;” if I had an appointment of any kind, I had to make at least one other stop while I was out - the library, a fast food lunch, anything to make me go in and out of another place. 
We actually live out in the country now - about seven miles from town.  We have never lived so far from town before and, as an introvert, I would easily become a hermit and never settle in to our new town. 
 

Pick-up is also good for me because it cuts down on impulse buying, which isn’t a problem, lately, I guess. 

[IsmeWeatherwax]

@JermajestyDuggar I love grocery delivery or pick up! I haven't been in a shop of any kind since 20th March, and I'm in heaven! (I'm immunocompromised so its better for me to stay away)

[Syriana]

I can't argue with the master list for staples because I have one of my own, if I buy it in bulk it's on that list (the list covers things like rice, pasta and different types of flour on the food side and cleaning products, laundry products and toilet rolls on the household side).  I also write my weekly shopping list on an aisle by aisle basis in the order I go around the supermarket...i've been known to growl and snarl a bit when they've decided to 're-organise'!

(Seriously, I loath it when the supermarket re-arranges everything - it's a pet peeve of mine)

Edited May 18, 2020 by Syriana

[kpmom]

The last two months we've done Costco delivery for the first time ever, and we really liked it!  If you spend over $75 (very easy to do) delivery is free.  The only extra cost is a tip for the delivery person.

It's worked out well both times.  We're a little out in the boondocks so we weren't sure if we'd be in their delivery area, but I think they expanded the area for now.

Edited May 18, 2020 by kpmom

[fundiefollower]

29 minutes ago, clueliss said:

@JermajestyDuggar I grounded Walmart Grocery pickup, gave them 2 weeks in a row shot, and have again grounded them.  (issue  Regular Diet Coke is not an acceptable substitution for Caffeine Free Diet Coke and yet you won't sub for unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

Just mark Caffeine Free Diet Coke as a no substitutions item.

[fundiefan]

Her lists seem more complicated to me than they need to be. But, that may just "be me". Also, I don't do Sams/Costco. I do, however, go to different stores for different things. Our local Meijer & our local Kroeger affiliate. They carry different things that i'm kind of particular about, so I always go to both for regular grocery runs. 

I use a running list that starts out blank after the last grocery trip. As I run out of things, I put it on the list.  When I decide what I'm going to make that week/time period, I check what I have & if I need it, put it on the list. But, it's kind of a reverse situation because more often than not, I will decide what to eat that week based on what I have - like,a few weeks ago I made soft tacos. I still had flour tortillas left, so the following week I made tortilla soup. Used a lot of the same spices & produce, and of course, tortillas. 

Same concept, I suppose, but no "master" list to check off or whatever. My "master" list is my pantry/cupboard/freezer/refrigerator/closets. 

Also, I find myself at a store several times a week for something or other - or, did, before lockdown & my refusal to go unless necessary. When I'm in Target for something, I also grab whatever I may know I am out of or need. Like, if I just put olive oil on the list the night before, since I'm in Target today for whatever it is I am in Target for, I'll just grab some oil and then don't have to worry about it. 

I suspect a major difference between their plan & mine is in tracking. I do not track my grocery budget. I know my limits, I know when things will be a little more for whatever reason and I know my overall budget for that week/month. I fit expenses into the budget & that's the extent of my tracking. And I certainly don't enter it in any application to ultimately be part of the schedule of my life. And, nothing goes on spreadsheets. 

[Maggie Mae]

We both tend to stop at the store daily or every other day (during non-pandemic times). We keep a shared list on an app of things we need/want, and mark them off as we get them. (That being said, the ubiquitous "they" get groceries shipped by barge on Sundays and Tuesdays, so if the produce looks bad on Wednesday, there's really no point in trying again until the following Monday. I pretty much gave up on Fred Meyer produce, even though they sometimes fly up stuff midweek if they are out. They just don't have the quality that Safeway/Albertsons does.) 

I've used the grocery pick up, and they are excellent. They hire fairly competent pickers, or train well. 

In the tracking - I used the older (non cloudbased) version of "you need a budget" which makes spread sheets for me. I save receipts and enter them into their respective categories. It's fun and I like knowing how much I've spent in each line item vs how much I allotted. It only takes a minute and is another reminder of "don't buy this stupid item that you don't need, you don't have a category for it." 

[Lady Grass Lake]

I do my list based on store layout as well, always have my list with me, and even do running tally of costs.  I also love shopping alone.

I have a phone app called Out of Milk (android) and it's convenient to add an item on my list there as soon as I think of it especially if your list is on the fridge and you are somewhere else.  You can have lists for multiple stores, and also share  or print lists.   

I just started doing the online shopping, pickup at store option and love it, I'll probably continue doing that.  Sam's Club keeps a list of your frequently ordered items, and you can go through that quickly go through and add multiple items to your cart without having to search.   I tend to purchase the same staples from them every month.  

 

 

[Coconut Flan]

2 hours ago, IsmeWeatherwax said:

I love grocery delivery or pick up! I haven't been in a shop of any kind since 20th March, and I'm in heaven! (I'm immunocompromised so its better for me to stay away)

I haven't been in one either and instead of going batty, I'm settling in and kind of dreading having to go out again in a way.  I've been having my groceries delivered and I don't get substitutions.  They simply drop the item.  One part I love is being able to use a prior shopping list plus getting a list of previously bought and frequently bought items.   I don't like feeling constrained to having to plan for 10 days to 2 weeks worth and miss the ability to run in and get anything that I forgot, but I'm dealing with it OK.  Neighbor and I both got toilet tissue and paper towels from walmart.com delivered this weekend so some items are normalizing again.

Edited May 18, 2020 by Coconut Flan

[Bethy]

That was such a disappointing post. It would be like if they said "Hey, we have this great system for organizing or schedules and the kids' chores and we want to share it with you!"

"We have a schedule. The kids do chores."

[Bible verse about training up children, children obeying their parents, or hard work/diligence.]

 

There aren't even pictures of them DOING this shopping!

[clueliss]

2 hours ago, fundiefollower said:

Just mark Caffeine Free Diet Coke as a no substitutions item.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut then they won't try to substitute size (meaning say smaller bottles for a 2 litre).  

[Maggie Mae]

24 minutes ago, clueliss said:

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut then they won't try to substitute size (meaning say smaller bottles for a 2 litre).  

I have this problem with yogurt - I don't actually care about the flavor, I just don't want fat free or greek. But there's no way to say that, so I asked the person who trains the pickers, and he told me to put request like that in the "notes" section. That and he gave me a free voucher when the new employees substituted sweet onion for yellow onion, and dropped the orange juice all together. (I had the option of sub size or sub brand, but no option for "I don't care, just let me make a screwdriver.")

[EmmieJ]

49 minutes ago, Coconut Flan said:

I haven't been in one either and instead of going batty, I'm settling in and kind of dreading having to go out again in a way.  I've been having my groceries delivered and I don't get substitutions.  They simply drop the item.  One part I love is being able to use a prior shopping list plus getting a list of previously bought and frequently bought items.   I don't like feeling constrained to having to plan for 10 days to 2 weeks worth and miss the ability to run in and get anything that I forgot, but I'm dealing with it OK.  Neighbor and I both got toilet tissue and paper towels from walmart.com delivered this weekend so some items are normalizing again.

In the three weeks before the Bay Area counties in California shut down, I already switched to ecart shopping at my local Raleys.  I really like it and plan to continue shopping this way even when I think the danger has passed.

I used this service a few times before (once when down with a bad flu, another time during bad weather and I didn't feel like dealing with parking, running in the rain).  I allow substitutions.   I got a 12 pack of TP 10 days ago, which was cool.  Usually, tp isn't even a choice at all.  I shop weekly at the farmer's market for eggs, produce, and beef.  Everyone has to wear face masks, and they limit the # of customers allowed in.  I tend to buy the same things week after week so I don't usually make a grocery list.

Edited May 18, 2020 by EmmieJ

[browngrl]

I like to cook. I like to meal prep. I like to organize and plan. So Teri's latest post had the potential to be interesting for me. She could have taken a picture of her pantry and then talked about what things were staples for her and perhaps shared a recipe or anecdote about why something was a favourite. She could have at least shown her lists. But no. It is the laziest and most boring post ever. 

[PennySycamore]

@Lady Grass Lake, your post just reminded of something I forgot to pick up at Target this afternoon:  MILK!

I would have made a list since it my once-a-week shopping trip, but I wanted to get my shopping done before it started raining again.  Target did have packs of Charmin and good paper towels (both Bounty and Viva) so I got those even though I'm not out yet.  It nice to not have to worry about how many paper towels you'll use if the dog barfs on the kitchen floor as Gwen did the other day.  Fortunately it wasn't that messy.  

What they did not have was King Arthur Whole Wheat flour, but I ordered some artisanal whole wheat flour yesterday.  Fresh baked bread smells heavenly!

 

[HoneyBunny]

7 hours ago, clueliss said:

@JermajestyDuggar I grounded Walmart Grocery pickup, gave them 2 weeks in a row shot, and have again grounded them.  (issue  Regular Diet Coke is not an acceptable substitution for Caffeine Free Diet Coke and yet you won't sub for unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

Darn, I wish you lived by me. My husband has been doing all the grocery shopping (or picking up) since mid-March and he came home with Caffeine Free Diet Coke instead of Caffeine Free Coke, which he likes on occasion. He can’t take them back, so I decided to try one. I’m someone who lived on Tab (remember that?) and Fresca during my teens and early 20s but haven’t had caffeine in 33 years and haven’t generally drank anything except water and Decaf coffee since then.  But I decided to try one of those Cokes.  ?The other 7 bottles will probably be in the pantry five years from now  

 

[HoneyBunny]

Anna has posted on the blog. She is in a hospital in Washington, can’t be visited by anyone due to COVID-19 (she was tested and it came back negative), and her chemo will be delayed for a week due to her hospitalization. She appears to be physically worn out from what she’s going through, and is definitely immunocompromised. It doesn’t sound good, and if she’s not scared to death, I’m in awe. But you know her, tough as nails, it’s all God’s plan, yada, yada.

[Bethy]

5 minutes ago, HoneyBunny said:

Anna has posted on the blog. She is in a hospital in Washington, can’t be visited by anyone due to COVID-19 (she was tested and it came back negative), and her chemo will be delayed for a week due to her hospitalization. She appears to be physically worn out from what she’s going through, and is definitely immunocompromised. It doesn’t sound good, and if she’s not scared to death, I’m in awe. But you know her, tough as nails, it’s all God’s plan, yada, yada.

Can't snark, won't snark. I knew it had to be serious when the Maxes posted off-schedule. Neutropenic fever/infection sounds really serious. I'm glad she tested negative for COVID-19, and sad for her that she has to be alone (like most hospital patients right now) when she's so used to being surrounded by family.

[AliceInFundyland]

On 5/16/2020 at 11:31 AM, Maggie Mae said:

 @PennySycamore said: 

I'd like to see that article.  We still make fun of the fact that our immersion cooker (sous vide) has an app. For one, we don't need an app on a machine that is 100% "set it and leave it for hours" and two, the app only works through the wifi, so it's a privacy violation on top of being completely useless.  Home automation with lights and self-learning thermostats are nice, but I'm still sitting here like "are light switches that difficult to use?"  

I don't like the voice automated remote that came with the xfinity flex box. As with my phone I spent a moment telling it that I don't want voice anything, at all, ever. But it still blinks and blips if I accidentallyhit  the big ass microphone button in the middle. It really wants to listen to me ?

I spent 20 dollars more to get a red retro chef microwave with dials. I didn't want the Alexa microwave. No. Just no.

I also am using my old indiglo battery alarm clock that's 15 years old because I can't find anything suitably low tech for my purposes.

[Bazinga]

I sometimes wonder if Anna Marie was wearing rose colored glasses and acting as if she was feeling good in her blog updates, when maybe she wasn't really. I would hope she would know that she doesn't have to "keep sweet" admist chemo treatments. I hope she recovers quickly, but allows herself more rest during her treatments. 

[Maggie Mae]

20 minutes ago, AliceInFundyland said:

I don't like the voice automated remote that came with the xfinity flex box. As with my phone I spent a moment telling it that I don't want voice anything, at all, ever. But it still blinks and blips if I accidentallyhit  the big ass microphone button in the middle. It really wants to listen to me ?

 

My phone drives me crazy with the Bixby button & the activation of that product when swiping the wrong way accidentally. And my TV remote is always telling me to set up voice activation and I'm just like "no thankyou please go" 

I feel bad for Anna Marie. I can't stand her stupid frumpers and the constant babies but it has to be so hard to be scared, sick, and alone in a hospital room. Is it too much to hope that Christopher is actually parenting his kids? 

[daisyjane1234]

I also read Anna's post.  I am sorry she is so ill and I hope and pray for her recovery. While I don't agree with Maxwellian theology (at all), I also hope for only the best for her.

I REALLY struggle with her theodicies (this is God's plan, God is good, etc.).  I am a person of faith who parented a complex child for 21 years until his death six weeks ago.  He died of non-Covid respiratory issues - but he was in the ICU, on a ventilator, and we were caught up in the COVID related hospital panic.  

I have never been able to believe that God was the author of my son's illnesses, suffering, and death.  God was with us - yes.  But God was not the author.  Because if God was the author of my child's suffering then God is a cruel piece of work.  Rabbi Kushner in his book "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People"  went a long way in repairing my relationship with God.  In it he basically says something along the lines of "For you people who believe God intentionally did all this stuff, sorry you worship a cruel bastard.  My God isn't like that".  That worked for me.

I hope her faith brings her strength.  And I hope she keeps her mouth shut about God being the author of cruel illnesses when spending time with other patients who are scared and ill.  

As an aside, during our son's journey, and particularly in the two weeks leading up to his death, we worked with a spiritual care professional/chaplain.  I wonder if this is something Anna would choose?  (Good) Chaplains are trained to work with the faith and theology of the person they are supporting, so  they would adapt to her particular faith and worldview.  But I wonder Steve (or Chris)  would have a hissy fit??

Edited May 19, 2020 by daisyjane1234

[mango_fandango]

Shit @daisyjane1234 I am so sorry to hear of your son’s death. I remember the posts you made about your son and his complex needs. I cannot imagine how you must be feeling right now. Sending you virtual hugs 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

13 minutes ago, daisyjane1234 said:

I also read Anna's post.  I am sorry she is so ill and I hope and pray for her recovery. While I don't agree with Maxwellian theology (at all), I also hope for only the best for her.

I REALLY struggle with her theodicies (this is God's plan, God is good, etc.).  I am a person of faith who parented a complex child for 21 years until his death six weeks ago.  He died of non-Covid respiratory issues - but he was in the ICU, on a ventilator, and we were caught up in the COVID related hospital panic.  

I have never been able to believe that God was the author of my son's illnesses, suffering, and death.  God was with us - yes.  But God was not the author.  Because if God was the author of my child's suffering then God is a cruel piece of work.  Rabbi Kushner in his book "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People"  went a long way in repairing my relationship with God.  In it he basically says something along the lines of "For you people who believe God intentionally did all this stuff, sorry you worship a cruel bastard.  My God isn't like that".  That worked for me.

I hope her faith brings her strength.  And I hope she keeps her mouth shut about God being the author of cruel illnesses when spending time with other patients who are scared and ill.  

As an aside, during our son's journey, and particularly in the two weeks leading up to his death, we worked with a spiritual care professional/chaplain.  I wonder if this is something Anna would choose?  (Good) Chaplains are trained to work with the faith and theology of the person they are supporting, so  they would adapt to her particular faith and worldview.  But I wonder Steve (or Chris)  would have a hissy fit??

I have no words.  I am just so sorry.  My prayers are with you and your family.