McDonald's Just Schooled Me!

Did you know that the pricing is different between McDonald's restaurants depending on who they are owned by?  This is probably true with other fast food and chain restaurants, but here's what happened.  I also want to add that I expect pricing to be different geographically based on cost of living in that area, but not a mile away.

I went to the McDonalds nearest me and ordered a salad and small fry.  Don't judge.  When I got to window number two to retrieve my food they told me they were out of dressing.  What?  Out of dressing?  How the heck?  Okay, so I just asked for my money back because that's what I wanted.  I had to pull over so they could give me cash back since I paid with my debit card.  Okay, fine, but they took my receipt from me so I couldn't remember how much it was.

I went to another McDonald's restaurant one mile away and ordered exactly the same thing and it was almost a dollar more in price.    How did I know?  Well, I paid almost a dollar more for the same order than they gave me back in cash at the first restaurant.

You following me here?

So I got all huffed up and drove back to the first McDonald's to demand the rest of my change and that is where I learned that because they are owned by different entities the pricing is not the same and she showed me my original receipt.

I was stunned!

So, I backtracked and apologized and thanked them for being so kind given my initial attitude and I came home and ate my food and my pride.

What little things have you learned about pricing among companies branded the same?

Fitted Sheet Expert

For years I have wondered why people make comments about trying to fold their bed sheets.  Mom always had a shelf full of sheets and I never understood why.

Granted, I am overly simple and not one for frills or fanfare, but I've got this one figured out.  I have two sets of sheets; one for summer and flannel for winter. 

During the summer I take my sheets off the bed, wash them, and put them back on the bed.  I can only use one set of sheets at a time so why do I need more than one set?

When the seasons change I switch out the set, throw it in the wash and cram the other set back in my closet.  I just like it this way. 

What do you find humorous about the domesticated human?

Nail Polish That Stays! ~ Updated

For years and years my soft nails have had a love hate relationship with nail polish.  I stopped spending money on artificial nails several years ago and would find myself trying to polish nails the day of an event and praying they would last the night.

COVERGIRL outlast Stay Brilliant
155 after 6 days of wear

I've personally found that using the Revlon MultiCare Base & Top Coat as my base coat, then two coats of any nail polish that isn't old, and then using Sally Hansen Insta-Dri as the top coat is wonderful for me!  I also add another top coat every two days and my polish stays on for a week or more very easily.

What are your favorite nail products and why?

BLOG UPDATE 5/20/13

This is from my friend, Carole, on May 14.  "We talked about that base coat and how fantastic it is. I just not polished my nails. Well, obviously, because I haven't even cleaned up around the edges yet. This is day-1. We shall see how long this manicure lasts. I used my Orly Bonder Base Coat and 2 coats of Nina Ultra Pro nail polish in "Mariachi." Some chicks collect shoes. I collect nail polish. lol. Anyway, the experiment begins now! :D" 

This is from my friend, Carole, on May 20.  "Okay, here's my evidence that this bonding base coat is the shizz. I used it one week ago, put on two coats of polish, and all I've done since then is add a shiny top coat a couple of times. The only wear that I can see is on the very, very tip ends, and that's probably because I sit here all day banging on my keyboard."

Carole also has two blogs.  Irrational Propensity and House Hugger!  

Using Your Daily Calendar To Track Payments

This is a simple idea that I implemented for myself several years ago, but it is extremely helpful for budgeting and for remembering those larger payments that only happen occasionally like car insurance or property taxes.

You can use the Google calendar, your iCal on your Mac, or any calendar or schedule program that you use every day.  It took maybe 30 minutes for me to go back and look at my bank statement online and enter the payments that I make every month.  Then as I remember or recall other payments I add those to the calendar as well like vehicle property tax each year.  Make sure that you set them to repeat so they appear every week, month or year as they are paid.

It is also helpful if you know how much you need to earn to pay your basic living expenses.   If you earn a lot more than those basic expenses and you find you are poor at the end of the month, then you know you should probably re-evaluate your spending habits.  If you aren't regularly saving money for retirement and emergencies, then you are just asking for trouble later.

What do you do that helps you keep track of important information?

Step 1 Shampoo Step 2 Brush Teeth Step 3 ... Wait ... What?

This is probably going to make you laugh, but I have been doing this for so many years now that I don't   think it is odd any more.  That's what happens when crazy is allowed to continue being crazy.

I brush my teeth in the shower.  Yep, the first step is admitting you have a problem.  Go ahead and get it out of your system, but I think it is the most efficient way to clean everything!  I keep my toothbrush and toothpaste in the shower and I put the shampoo in my hair and then brush my teeth then wash my face, etc.  Like clockwork.

I don't have to clean those toothpaste spots off of my bathroom mirror.  I don't have to clean toothpaste film out of the sink.  I don't have to buy those goofy countertop toothbrush holders.  I also don't have to worry about getting hairspray on my toothbrush that might be sitting in said toothbrush holder.

I do so many goofy things that I don't even know what is considered normal any more, but I thought you might enjoy this one.

What do you do that you find efficient when getting ready every day?

When Your Feet Look Like The Bad Side Of A Worn Tire

burtsbees.com

Why oh why do women wear sandals and open shoes when their feet look like they had been chewed up by Interstate 40?  I mean, really!

It is so simple to care for your feet in the shower or a hot bath.  I keep a small pumice stone in my shower always.  Once a week I will use it on my heels and soles of my ticklish feet then use Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Cream on my feet.  It is my favorite.

It is seriously no effort at all to have pretty feet in those sandals.  I will save the painted toenail subject for another day.

What is your favorite foot product?

How To Eat Yogurt When You Hate Yogurt!

I've tried for years and years to eat yogurt.  I just don't like the sour, tart, disgusting taste of yogurt and joke that I'll never understand why anyone would ever eat spoiled milk on purpose.  I've tried different flavors, different brands, and nothing really made it any better for me.  Because of the probiotics and the health benefits I've kept working at it.

This is the only way I can make it work.  I buy the snack size cups, single servings, of flavored yogurts and snack size sugar free vanilla pudding.  Yep, vanilla pudding.  I take a full snack cup of yogurt and mix in half of the snack cup of pudding and that's the only way I am able to eat it.  I choose sugar free pudding because I don't want to feel like I'm making myself a sugary dessert.

When I want something crunchy or just need a snack and feel the need to satisfy the need to crunch I add something like granola.  Bear Naked Triple Berry Crunch is super yummy in this mix and satisfies what normally could only be satisfied by a handful of potato chips.  I only need 1/4 cup of the granola.

The first time someone mentioned adding granola to this mix I rolled my eyes and shook my head because it really didn't sound good at all to me, but I tried it and I love it.

What do you do to make yourself eat a little healthier?

Dang I Forgot To Add The Sugar To My Not-So-Sweet Tea!

Fifteen years or so ago I went to a large party with lots of food and drinks and it was a really big deal.  I can't remember what kind of celebration it was now, but what I do remember is that they forgot to add the sugar to their sweet tea before the tea cooled.  When they added the sugar it never melted and just sat at the bottom of the container.

Needless to say no one drank the tea and the hostess admitted she just dumped sugar in right before the party and couldn't understand why it didn't mix well.  So it just sat.  Some of the sugar eventually did break down, but not enough and it just sat.

Here is what you can do if you forget to add the sugar to your tea.  Get your measuring cup and measure out your sugar.  Get another glass measuring cup or a coffee cup and microwave the water for about 2 minutes until it is really hot and just pour the hot water into the sugar and stir it until the sugar breaks down.

You won't want to add too much water because you might dilute your tea since it is already made, but keep heating and stirring the sugar until it is a thick, gooey liquid.  In case you were wondering, this is called simple syrup.

Once it is completely broken down and clear, pour it into your tea to sweeten it.  Stir it really really well.

What have you had to do in a pinch to save a meal or drink?

Allergies - When Store Brands Rule!

Just when I thought I really had a great allergy medicine replacement, my sister-in-law comes to show me up again!

AllerClear is the Alavert Equivalent.
The Up & Up is Target's Benadryl Equivalent

I have allergies and have managed my allergies for years and years with various medications.  My aunt told me once that the only thing that worked for her was Alavert.  So, I tried it and it was great for me.  It was like I had finally found the fountain of youth in an allergy medicine.  Maybe youth isn't a good word, but I can edit this later.

Then Target made their store brand of Alavert available and I was once again in allergy medicine heaven!  I enjoyed this discounted version for a couple of years until this year when they suddenly were either all sold out or just became unavailable.  That row is always empty every time I go.

I was talking to my sister-in-law about it and she told me that my brother found a store version at Costco.  Well, I don't have a Costco card, but that started me researching.  I took the ingredient and milligrams and did a Google search.  In my case it was Loratadine 10mg (the ingredient in Alavert).

I was able to order 365 tables of the same ingredient, same milligrams, same effectiveness for the same amount as a 30 day supply of Alavert.  Are you kidding me?  Sign me up!  In my case I ordered it from Amazon.com and the brand name is Kirkland's AllerClear.

What are some of your great finds?

Snap A Pizza In the Oven, What?

My cooking skills are less than stellar and it isn't because I don't have the skills.  I don't have the desire or the time to whip up a meal most days. I have been known to say that I live in a frozen food world.  I don't really, but it is still fun to say.

So, you know when those frozen pizzas go on sale and you think to yourself, "How am I going to eat three of those large pizzas by myself?"  For a while I was fixing the whole pizza and then just warming up the rest over the next couple of days, but they don't have the most fantastic taste on day one and then days two and three are kind of meh.  Forget day four, it isn't happening.

Then one day I dropped one in the floor while it was still in the plastic it snapped in half.  What?  Why did I not see this before?  Such a silly, simple thing that made me so happy in that hungry moment.

Now I snap the frozen pizza in half, bake half, eat half either during the course of the day or two days and put the unbaked portion back in the freezer for the next time I need something quick.

It is also less expensive than buying those smaller pizzas or the frozen slices.

Do you do something like this with other foods?