WOW!

 I feel so much better! Wow! Maybe some might say 100%, but I know better. I did things today without feeling like I overexerted myself like I did other days just walking to the bathroom. 

About 2:30 am, Friday, I felt like I could sleep after getting no sleep the night before and a four-hour nap. It was time to sleep. However, last night I managed to stay asleep. I went to the bathroom twice and went to sleep readily afterwards a trip to the bathroom. 

Tommy woke me at 11 am as I requested. Around 12:30 I finally decided to color my hair. It has been so long, and my hair was just plain filthy. We had planned to go out at about 1:30 and made it a little later. We were not late. 

I went to Big Box and shopped away. I found one box of Wheat Thins for $2.47 that rang up for $2.98. That is a bummer. I found a dress, long, for around the house and still have not tried it. 

I also bought a curtain and valance to have the valance to go over the fanlight in the front door. The sun blazes in on my face for an hour each day year-round. I accidentally found a very small colander, so I will not have to use one of the huge ones. Since I am about to go "No TP" soon, I bought six more washcloths. And, I bought more of the roach killers that worked so well, I am going to keep them away. 

After an hour and a half inside the store, I was just fine. Other days, I knew I would be too tired to even go inside. Tommy got to sit in the car and listen to news, ball talk, or whatever.     

Tonight, I will get the taco casserole/soup put together and hopefully freeze some. The meat is cooked and the rest is cans. I need to get all the meat frozen that will not be eaten tomorrow. Until tonight, that would be an impossibility. 

Another neighbor came and mowed, used weed eater, and brought the garbage can from the road. The yard was looking ratty. 

It is so late and I still must get the taco soup from the crock pot. I still feel well, just tired from the day. Hopefully, I have this beat. 

Today was another day in the 80s with big fluffy clouds, a picture-perfect day. How did your day go? Did you find any bargains or sales?

Grocery Shopping, Gas Prices, Nothing Happening

 This week, I spent $22 for groceries.

5 bananas

3 tomatoes

bag of salad greens bogo

3 1/2-gals milk

 ice cream bogo

dozen eggs

This will be it for April. The milk was $10 for 3 half gallons. So, on Tuesday, the last day of the ad, I will buy at least 3 more, maybe six, probably six.  Nothing was for stock up, just things we will eat the next week. 

Tommy bought a full tank of gas in Cullman for $2.38/gal. instead of paying $2.47/gal. here. He keeps an eye on gas prices.  So far, gas is cheaper there for the last two months or so. 

Last year, I found some marked down hair color in my brand. I bought several colors that were nearly the same as the shade I buy. This week, I tried one of the different colors, still dark brown, and I think I have found my new favorite color! And, I saved several dollars. 

Everyday, we hear or see the doves at Tommy's house.  They make us happy. We believe they have a nest in the tree next to the house instead of over the drain from the gutters, like last year. It would be nice to see a baby dove flying around. Have you ever seen a baby dove?  

Today, Thursday, I made a list and successfully completed all on the list. Well, one thing was not done, but it is on the list for tomorrow. I was not feeling like doing that one thing. The rest were calls I needed to make. If I don't make a list of phone calls, I forget what I need to do. I love a list. 

So, I have my Friday phone calls ready to go. Okay, now, Friday, I have made three calls. Two were successful, one, not so much. Now, I need to start on a new list. Of course, phone calls will be for Monday. But, there are things that need to be accomplished this weekend. 

We see a sign for a "Food Truck Corner" and wonder what is going on. And, I want to check out a church yard sale.  We may not eat at the food trucks and we may not even stop at the yard sale. Luckily, both are very near each other. 

We are back to hand-washing dishes! Tommy helps but at some point, he says his back hurts. I was ready to stop anyway. 

Today, as I dressed to go out for a bit, I decided to wear my floral outfit. As I got in the car and looked down, I had on the nice floral pants and a grungy, floral top that I wear when I will never leave the yard. Aaagh! Thankfully, Tommy had not even started the car. So, I changed. Is this old age? lol Yesterday, I wore panties inside out.  

For three days I have managed two minutes of my "marching exercise." And, I have new exercises. 

"Lipstick Effect" and the Economy

When an economy enters troubled waters, this does not spell bad news for all categories. “Affordable luxury”, for example, tends to perform well in a recessionary environment. This trend became known as the “lipstick effect”, a term coined by Leonard Lauder, Chairman of Estée Lauder, at the beginning of 2001 when he observed that lipstick sales tend to be inversely correlated to economic health. While lipstick sales did not withstand the recent recession, there is some evidence that the “affordable luxury” effect is still present, but manifesting itself in
different categories over time. Nail polish, for instance, could be considered the new “lipstick”, but the “lipstick of choice” varies with time and geography.

source: https://blog.euromonitor.com/redefining-the-lipstick-effect-examples-of-recession-proof-categories/

So, I was not far off when I felt it necessary to buy extra hair color since the UK has had the "lipstick effect" for hair color.

People cannot afford luxuries like vacations and new cars, so they turn to something "affordable" to spend their money and feel buoyed instead of feeling the lack of luxury. These items they turn to are not cheap but less than a vacation.

Walmart reports  hair color buying is in panic stage. No, I did not cause this or contribute. If salons are closed, women will turn to boxes from the drugstore or Walmart.

Also, backed by research is the notion that women turned to lipstick as a way to be more "acceptable." If jobs are disappearing, maybe a woman feels wearing lipstick will insure her economic health. I have a book devoted to makeup in a woman's world. If she needs security maybe her access to a man to support her will be enhanced by the wearing of lipstick.

Now, nail polish has replaced lipstick as the affordable luxury in the US.

Once, long ago, when I was very poor, discouraged and had only $5 to my name, I experienced this effect first hand in the midst of looking for a job. It was Friday night. I went to the store and bought a lipstick and a magazine. By Monday I was back on track in my life.  I was not looking for a mate, but I did need a job. The lipstick was the only lipstick I had as the only other tube I owned was gone down beyond the top of the tube.

This is a very interesting article, worth the time to read, based on statistics with charts to break up the reading of texts.