What's up blog followers?
I am behind on my new blogging schedule. I "skipped" Friday and Monday, due to newspaper deadlines.
But I'm back. And I want to give you the "411" on 7-11. For those of you who don't know what that phrase means, I consulted the Urban Dictionary. According to them, "411" is another term used for "information". Here is an example: "Ok Kim Possible, I need the 411 on what information you have discovered on your secret mission so I can analyze it on my supercomputer to help find out who is behind the crime."
Okay so here is the 411...
My sister came to town this past weekend, along with my four nieces, my nephew, and my nephew's girlfriend. They wanted to go see the National Zoo. My sister was excited to show her youngest son, age 3, the animals for FREE.
Me, being a savvy money-conscious person, knew better. Free, eh? NOT!
The entrance to the zoo is free. But that is where it ends. They get you in and BAM, you want a map. $2 for a map? Really? Are you kidding me.
We said no thanks, and just kept walking. So the zoo is hilly, and the three adults were hoofing it, pushing "the babies" in the double stroller and my youngest nephew in a single stroller. Plus we had 6 other kids ages 8to 18. And it was hot out my friends.
In less than 10 minutes, the animals weren't the only hungry ones in the zoo. Our kids were hungry and thirsty.
Luckily, I had packed snacks for the babies: a water bottle, a box of fruit snacks, rice crispy treats, and a bag of cheez-its. I pulled out this stash feeling like a well prepared Mom, when the vultures descended.
My nieces wanted rice crispy treats and fruit snacks. My daughter wanted crackers. My eldest son, who never drinks water - ever - downed my water bottle. The "babies" were lucky to split a pack of fruit snacks and have a few crackers. Poof! All of my food was gone.
So, after saying "Hi" to a zebra, seeing a wolf, and watching a cheetah pace, the kids were all starving. So, we headed to the zoo cafe. This is where they try to "get you" and make up for the fact that you visited the zoo for "free." The cafe wanted $10 for a kids meal! A hot dog, fries, a drink and apple sauce - that probably cost them $3.00 to prepare. If you add that up for my family, it would have cost us $60 bucks for the 6 of us! My sister would have dropped the same amount.
"Let's head back to 7-11," suggested my wise husband. "It's across the entrance from the zoo."
Despite the groans from the hungry and tired kids, we all headed to the welcoming beacon that is 7-11.
Ahh...there we were met with so many good deals. I went healthy and bought a wrap and some yogurt. The "babies" got yogurt, grapes, cookies, and cereal bars. My husband got a BIG GULP, some tasty chicken fingers, potato wedges, chips, and tacquitos (2 for $2.22!) My gluten-free son got a hot dog (no bun), pepperoni, a soda, and some chips, while my eldest daughter found her favorite Italian sub, a soda, and some chips. All this came to less than $30 bucks! We saved half the money we would have spent in the zoo! Plus, we had leftover snacks to use the rest of the day.
7-11 has come a long way. Their sandwiches are actually fresh and good. I had some kind of chicken and cheese wrap. It felt better than fast food, and it hit the spot. If you find yourself out and about and want something to eat but don't want fast food, 7-11 is worth considering. They certainly saved the day--and 30 dollars-- for our family.
Until we meet again. My recessionary tale will continue Monday.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Hello, Good Luck, and Good Buy
Hello. This has been a week of good luck and good buys.
After I had three articles printed in this week's Gainesville Times newspaper, I immediately started thinking: what next? And, as luck would have it, my editor had 2 new assignments for me. If you add that to the one she is holding (the one I already wrote about Gainesville Middle School) and the other one I am working on (about the movies), that means I'll have a minimum of four more articles coming in the next month. That is good luck, fun to do, and also a little extra money coming in for groceries.
Speaking of groceries, we are trying food from from Angel Food Ministries (http://www.angelfoodministries.org). I had ordered it on the 7th (pay day) and it was delivered yesterday to a local church for pick-up.
I signed in and then these very nice people gave me the following: 2 pounds of ground beef, 3 pounds of steak, 3 pounds of pork chops, vegetables, desert (moon pies :-), 3 pounds of nuggets, 2 pounds sausage, Salisbury steak, pasta, sauce, 2 dozen eggs, 2 pounds rice, 6 pounds of potatoes, 6 pounds of seafood (including shrimp, snow crabs, and stuffed crab), and 5 lbs of gluten-free breaded meat.
How much, you ask? $120. Now that is a good buy. And the shrimp is delicious. I will let you know about the steak tonight. It is enough food to last us at least a few weeks and it cost almost half of what it would in the store. But wait, there is more.
My sister was in town visiting us on the way to Hilton Head. She brought 5 of her kids with her, plus my nephew's girlfriend. I was planning on cooking them my seafood from Angel Food, but my sister and her kids were craving Chick-fil-A. She said she planned on treating us.
I felt bad having her pay for all six of us. However, luck intervened and she only ended up needing to pay for two of our kids' food.
Why?
Because when the nice folks of Angel Food Ministries finished loading up my cart with food, they handed me an envelope full of coupons for Chick-fil-A! I had 4 free meals! What a nice touch. Two Christian organizations like Angel Food and Chick-fil-A working together to help families out.
My husband and I ran into some good buys this week at a very surprising place: The Mall! Yes, I know--it is shocking. Me, who abhors the mall, went there with my husband on a date. He loves to go, so I figured what the heck. So we hit the Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax and decided to "window shop." But when we stopped at Champs to look at shoes--good buys surrounded us. First, there was the sweatshirts. Nice sweatshirts with zippers--regularly $30--for five bucks! We bought two, one for my oldest son and one for my husband. Next, there was polo shirts. Regularly $25, on sale for $3.99! We bought 2.
The final good luck I had happened thanks to my husband. Even though we get the Gainesville Times delivered to our house, I wanted more copies. So, he brought me home six more copies of the newspaper so I could have extra articles to save and send to my friends and family. In addition to this being sweet...it also gave me some good deals. Because each paper had a coupon insert! Now, instead of having one coupon for a free, yes free, coffee drink at Dunkin Donuts - I have seven! Coffee anyone?
We that is my week in a nutshell. Hello, good luck, and good buy--or good-bye actually, at least for now. My recessionary tale will continue on Thursday.
After I had three articles printed in this week's Gainesville Times newspaper, I immediately started thinking: what next? And, as luck would have it, my editor had 2 new assignments for me. If you add that to the one she is holding (the one I already wrote about Gainesville Middle School) and the other one I am working on (about the movies), that means I'll have a minimum of four more articles coming in the next month. That is good luck, fun to do, and also a little extra money coming in for groceries.
Speaking of groceries, we are trying food from from Angel Food Ministries (http://www.angelfoodministries.org). I had ordered it on the 7th (pay day) and it was delivered yesterday to a local church for pick-up.
I signed in and then these very nice people gave me the following: 2 pounds of ground beef, 3 pounds of steak, 3 pounds of pork chops, vegetables, desert (moon pies :-), 3 pounds of nuggets, 2 pounds sausage, Salisbury steak, pasta, sauce, 2 dozen eggs, 2 pounds rice, 6 pounds of potatoes, 6 pounds of seafood (including shrimp, snow crabs, and stuffed crab), and 5 lbs of gluten-free breaded meat.
How much, you ask? $120. Now that is a good buy. And the shrimp is delicious. I will let you know about the steak tonight. It is enough food to last us at least a few weeks and it cost almost half of what it would in the store. But wait, there is more.
My sister was in town visiting us on the way to Hilton Head. She brought 5 of her kids with her, plus my nephew's girlfriend. I was planning on cooking them my seafood from Angel Food, but my sister and her kids were craving Chick-fil-A. She said she planned on treating us.
I felt bad having her pay for all six of us. However, luck intervened and she only ended up needing to pay for two of our kids' food.
Why?
Because when the nice folks of Angel Food Ministries finished loading up my cart with food, they handed me an envelope full of coupons for Chick-fil-A! I had 4 free meals! What a nice touch. Two Christian organizations like Angel Food and Chick-fil-A working together to help families out.
My husband and I ran into some good buys this week at a very surprising place: The Mall! Yes, I know--it is shocking. Me, who abhors the mall, went there with my husband on a date. He loves to go, so I figured what the heck. So we hit the Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax and decided to "window shop." But when we stopped at Champs to look at shoes--good buys surrounded us. First, there was the sweatshirts. Nice sweatshirts with zippers--regularly $30--for five bucks! We bought two, one for my oldest son and one for my husband. Next, there was polo shirts. Regularly $25, on sale for $3.99! We bought 2.
The final good luck I had happened thanks to my husband. Even though we get the Gainesville Times delivered to our house, I wanted more copies. So, he brought me home six more copies of the newspaper so I could have extra articles to save and send to my friends and family. In addition to this being sweet...it also gave me some good deals. Because each paper had a coupon insert! Now, instead of having one coupon for a free, yes free, coffee drink at Dunkin Donuts - I have seven! Coffee anyone?
We that is my week in a nutshell. Hello, good luck, and good buy--or good-bye actually, at least for now. My recessionary tale will continue on Thursday.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The High Price of Having a Voice
Well loyal followers, I am back. After an unintended 3-week-respite, I am picking up where I left off in my recessionary tale.
So, where was I? Was in hiding for happy reasons, like Conan O'Brien, counting my millions until it was safe to resurface? Was I hiding out licking my wounds like Tiger Woods, waiting to make my big return? Or was I lost, tangled up in the swamp brush, surrounded by hungry alligators, like that poor Autistic girl they found trapped in the woods in Florida this week....(what a miracle that they found her.)
No, no, no. Nothing that dramatic. The first week was spring break. The second week, the "babies" got sick and then so did I. That's when things really took a tumble. And just when I thought I would have time to blog, POOF - I get two huge newspaper article assignments! I could tell you about the spring break adventures or how we avoided going to the doctor for too long when we all got sick...but instead I want to talk about my assignment at the newspaper. For it is a recessionary tale in and of itself.
Even though my Gainesville Middle School piece is done but not published yet, I am still submitting article ideas. So my editor accepted my two latest article ideas: a George Mason University nursing student (and friend) who rescued a lost toddler from Manassas traffic and a profile about the "reverse date night" (movie and then dinner, to save money on the new higher movie costs).
Then, last Thursday my editor surprised me. She assigned me to a medical article--my first real assignment from her! Due of course - this past Monday.
The Haymarket Medical Center closed down unexpectedly in April, here in Gainesville, leaving 5 doctors and 26 other staff suddenly unemployed. No one could get the doctors from the practice to talk to the press. My editor asked me to do it.
So, I spent all of the end of last week and this past weekend trying to reach these people. I googled the doctor's numbers, tried to reach them at home. I Facebooked former staff. I relentlessly bothered the PR person at Prince William Hospital, trying to get her to have the practice staff call me. I interviewed a former patient. I got online and searched the bankruptcies for the entire country, to see if the owner had filed. I even contemplated sending a telegram to the home address of a doc that left the practice earlier this year to take a job in another state, to beg her to give me some quotes. (Too expensive).
Why was I soooo determined to speak to these people? Was it because it was my job? Was it because I was curious? Was it because I was going to get paid a large sum of money?
Ha ha. No. The irony is I am going to paid $100 bucks for the article. That is lower than any tech writing assignment I've ever had. But even more money would be nice right now, that wasn't what was motivating me.
I was restless all weekend thinking about the thousands of former patients. They must have struggles like me and my kids...some jobless, others trying to support families on one income; many living with health conditions or illness; and all of them crushed that their doctor who had seen them through thick and thin over the years was just not there for them anymore.
Why? They wanted to know why. I felt like they needed a voice, my voice. I had to find answers for them, and give them some closure now that their relationship with this kind compassionate family practice was over.
And thinking of those people is what made me, despite my illness, not give up on this story all weekend.
And finally, Monday morning, they spoke to me. The former practice manager called me! Then, one of the former doctors on staff called and spoke to me for one hour! I felt overjoyed! My one article quickly turned into two: a long news article and a Q&A sidebar.
The recession had hit the practice hard. People weren't going to their office as much--to save the cost of co-pays, deductibles, COBRA payments. They had less money coming in. The owner was not a business man and he didn't have the heart to charge his patients if they cancelled an appointment, or send them to collections for non-payment. He was not able to survive these tough recessionary times. Other practices like his are sure to follow.
Take my GP. I finally went to the doctor this week. I had put it off because I was so busy after Easter fighting illness and then doing my articles. When I finally went in yesterday, I had a 101 fever! Bronchitis. And what did I find out?
My doctor is leaving at the end of the month, and some nurses too. Their practice isn't getting enough business--they are forcing her to find a new job. I am crushed! I love her. The worst part is, her husband's business isn't doing well. They are professionals. They have two kids. But now, they feel the fear of worrying about how to provide for their family.
The recession doesn't discriminate. So many are being affected. People need to read about these stories to be informed. To understand. And to know they are not alone.
So, even though I worked hard for little money, the return is very great. This Thursday my articles come out. Thousands of local patients will read details that the other papers couldn't uncover.
Was I underpaid?
Maybe.
But that is the high price of having a voice. And it is one high price I feel good about paying.
Until we meet again. My recessionary tale will continue tomorrow. (I promise.)
So, where was I? Was in hiding for happy reasons, like Conan O'Brien, counting my millions until it was safe to resurface? Was I hiding out licking my wounds like Tiger Woods, waiting to make my big return? Or was I lost, tangled up in the swamp brush, surrounded by hungry alligators, like that poor Autistic girl they found trapped in the woods in Florida this week....(what a miracle that they found her.)
No, no, no. Nothing that dramatic. The first week was spring break. The second week, the "babies" got sick and then so did I. That's when things really took a tumble. And just when I thought I would have time to blog, POOF - I get two huge newspaper article assignments! I could tell you about the spring break adventures or how we avoided going to the doctor for too long when we all got sick...but instead I want to talk about my assignment at the newspaper. For it is a recessionary tale in and of itself.
Even though my Gainesville Middle School piece is done but not published yet, I am still submitting article ideas. So my editor accepted my two latest article ideas: a George Mason University nursing student (and friend) who rescued a lost toddler from Manassas traffic and a profile about the "reverse date night" (movie and then dinner, to save money on the new higher movie costs).
Then, last Thursday my editor surprised me. She assigned me to a medical article--my first real assignment from her! Due of course - this past Monday.
The Haymarket Medical Center closed down unexpectedly in April, here in Gainesville, leaving 5 doctors and 26 other staff suddenly unemployed. No one could get the doctors from the practice to talk to the press. My editor asked me to do it.
So, I spent all of the end of last week and this past weekend trying to reach these people. I googled the doctor's numbers, tried to reach them at home. I Facebooked former staff. I relentlessly bothered the PR person at Prince William Hospital, trying to get her to have the practice staff call me. I interviewed a former patient. I got online and searched the bankruptcies for the entire country, to see if the owner had filed. I even contemplated sending a telegram to the home address of a doc that left the practice earlier this year to take a job in another state, to beg her to give me some quotes. (Too expensive).
Why was I soooo determined to speak to these people? Was it because it was my job? Was it because I was curious? Was it because I was going to get paid a large sum of money?
Ha ha. No. The irony is I am going to paid $100 bucks for the article. That is lower than any tech writing assignment I've ever had. But even more money would be nice right now, that wasn't what was motivating me.
I was restless all weekend thinking about the thousands of former patients. They must have struggles like me and my kids...some jobless, others trying to support families on one income; many living with health conditions or illness; and all of them crushed that their doctor who had seen them through thick and thin over the years was just not there for them anymore.
Why? They wanted to know why. I felt like they needed a voice, my voice. I had to find answers for them, and give them some closure now that their relationship with this kind compassionate family practice was over.
And thinking of those people is what made me, despite my illness, not give up on this story all weekend.
And finally, Monday morning, they spoke to me. The former practice manager called me! Then, one of the former doctors on staff called and spoke to me for one hour! I felt overjoyed! My one article quickly turned into two: a long news article and a Q&A sidebar.
The recession had hit the practice hard. People weren't going to their office as much--to save the cost of co-pays, deductibles, COBRA payments. They had less money coming in. The owner was not a business man and he didn't have the heart to charge his patients if they cancelled an appointment, or send them to collections for non-payment. He was not able to survive these tough recessionary times. Other practices like his are sure to follow.
Take my GP. I finally went to the doctor this week. I had put it off because I was so busy after Easter fighting illness and then doing my articles. When I finally went in yesterday, I had a 101 fever! Bronchitis. And what did I find out?
My doctor is leaving at the end of the month, and some nurses too. Their practice isn't getting enough business--they are forcing her to find a new job. I am crushed! I love her. The worst part is, her husband's business isn't doing well. They are professionals. They have two kids. But now, they feel the fear of worrying about how to provide for their family.
The recession doesn't discriminate. So many are being affected. People need to read about these stories to be informed. To understand. And to know they are not alone.
So, even though I worked hard for little money, the return is very great. This Thursday my articles come out. Thousands of local patients will read details that the other papers couldn't uncover.
Was I underpaid?
Maybe.
But that is the high price of having a voice. And it is one high price I feel good about paying.
Until we meet again. My recessionary tale will continue tomorrow. (I promise.)
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