Gosh, it is hot here. I mean Texas hot and I don't live in Texas, even if I do have Amarillo By Morning as my ring tone. I have been so busy these past couple of weeks that I've spent more on fast food than I probably have in months. That also explains a five pound weight gain...yikes!There is definitely a direct correlation in my home between hours away from home and money spent. Fortunately, I am only a few weeks away from things calming down a bit (hopefully). A busy lifestyle can be a detriment to my attempts at frugality!
I had to stop by the gas station on the way home today so I went inside the little store and purchased a "caffeine free, sugar free" Pepsi. Which makes one wonder what is left but caramel color? However, this one time I didn't care... it was COLD! Somehow it seemed easier to hand the money over to the cashier for colored water than the same amount for a bottle of pure H2O.
Christopher and I spent the afternoon at the Junior College where a great deal of our money was left behind in the forum of tuition and brought home as books and supplies. I know it is an investment in his future but I could not help but think how far it would go at a library book sale. :)
For only three classes, the books (all purchased used that are available used) turn out to be around $500.00. Just one beaten up and used Biology book was $89.00. I know there have been articles written in the University's newspaper about the subject but the price students (aka: parents) are being charged for school books should be illegal. Okay, I can step down from my soapbox now.
I'm doing much better although little things can still make me break into tears. We received the most beautiful sympathy card from our Veterinarian today, with sweet pictures of cats on the front. That brought a few tears, especially remembering how wonderful she and her staff were to us and how well she took care of our girl.
I was waiting in a doctor's office earlier this week when I opened a magazine to an article about Oprah losing a dog in a choking accident. Someone had written in, asking if she hadn't over reacted by grieving so much but the psychologist writing the article said it is not unnatural for people to grieve over their pets as much as they grieve the death of a human. I loved what the writer then said, "because love is love, regardless if the loved one was animal or human". That is ...profound.
I thought it a God Thing that I opened THAT magazine to THAT article. So, I'm not going crazy... well, at least not because I'm grieving a precious furball. This heat may send me over the edge!
11 comments:
As a college professor, I also experience a lot of frsutration when I see how much my students must pay for even second hand books and how little the students get back for the books they sell back at the end of the semester. Bu obviously college boostores have a lot of overhead, must purchase and return more books than are sold in the end, etc.
Amazon.com will frequently have a second hand copy available and there are other sites (half.com?) that are useful. Just be sure you are getting the proper edition if you use these sites, and perhaps even look at the book in the college store so you can be sure the cover looks the same for the one you might buy online.
I enjoy your blog!
It was 98 here today. Sigh. When is fall returning?
Brenda, I just wanted to let you know that we were also outraged over the price of college textbooks for Miss Bonnie. We discovered a wonderful website and now we buy all of her textbooks at half.com and just stay away from the college bookstore ~ needless to say we save a whole lot of money!
We have had sticker shock at the college bookstore as well. Our boys always buy 'used' books and frequently buy them online rather than from the college bookstore. Another tip is to be sure to resell them (of course the reduced price is not nearly as good as the ones you paid) to get at least some of the $ back at the end of the quarter.
The major sticker shock, though, came from sending a son from junior college to a private, liberal arts university. Yikes! We haven't recovered from it yet (and the first year of education there is already past)! LOL! Hopefully it will all pay off in the end.
:) LaTeaDah
Yes, I agree, try half.com next time. We saved a lot of money that way when my husband was getting a M.S. Some of his books were crazy expensive! We didn't find out about half.com until the 2nd quarter, but we saved a lot of money the rest of his quarters. Just make sure you find out where the seller is located--several of his books were sent from overseas which can take up to 2 weeks extra to ship unless you send extra postage. We had one book that made it the day before class due to this.
It certainly isn't unusual to mourn over a beloved pet that one has shared many years with - they are like a member of the family, and sometimes more easily loved than people because of their loyalty and love. My thoughts and prayers are still with you as you recall and remember, and sometimes cry.
I agree with you that the price of college books is outrageous. That was a sweet article about "love being love." I have been thinking of you. My daughter really grieves when she loses a dog. I usually write songs about mine.
Hi Dear Brenda,
My heart goes out to you. I put you a little love gift in the mail today.
Hugs,
Elizabeth
So sorry about your pet.
I bought all my college books at a used store downtown and they were still expensive! I just dont see the reason for it. Its highway robbery!
Brenda -
Grieve as you need to - we all grieve differently. Some grieve quietly and privately and some of us whenever it hits our hearts. The worst thing someone can tell you when you experience loss is to "get over it!" I always grieve hard and shed a lot of tears at the loss of a loved pet. ~Adrienne~
I'm so sorry for the loss of your dear pet. I hope the grief and pain ease up a little more each day for you.
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