Sally,

Make a plan.
Make it happen!

ANN

Yes, Sally...get out there and do some Holiday watching and enjoying if you can .

Kitty,
On-line shopping is great and I do use it for some items (supplements, books, educational and professional items, specialty items etc), when delivery is available, but for most areas of Canada that are outside of the big cities, delivery is not offered...and when it is, it is usually way too expensive to make it economical. Usually I still have to go and get it from a Canada Post depot or the shipper's nearest outlet, which from where I live can be a 90 minute drive away. Otherwise I have to pay extra to have it taken to a bus station and then pay additionally for delivery to the depot in my town.

Added costs are especially so for items coming into Canada from the USA or anywhere else beyond our borders.
We pay the delivery charge (Usually a minimum of $ 25.00), duty & import taxes, Federal - Goods & Services Tax (GST) of 5%, provincial tax (In my province it is 7%), plus border handling by the shipper which is around $ 25.00/item.
Then on top of all that, our border people like to sit on packages for quite some time it seems (weeks to months).

I waited for 2 months for a package containing 6 educational CDs last year and paid twice the cost of the CDs in taxes and shipping charges to get it here ($ 86.00).

In the end, it is more economical for me to purchase most things from the big box stores when ever possible. I've completed one run (Wal-mart), and am resting up to out into the fray a bit later for another run (Groceries & hardware), but my friend is coming with me for that one.

With love, Erika

Sally - That would be fun! If I lived closer I would so go with you.

Erika - Can you shop Wal-Mart online and have it shipped to the store near you? I know here in the US it is free shipping if you have it shipped to the store.

Kelly - I have yet to order something from Alice.com. I remember you posting about that but I still haven't done it. Their prices do seem really good.

Random thought . . . I'm just finishing my lunch of soup and an apple. The apple is an organic one from Trader Joe's. These little guys are so delicious. And one small apple is plenty for me.

That's definitely a thought Trish. I'll check into that.
Thanks.

With love, Erika

Oh I love my Walmart free ship to store. One item came the next day. One of our pick up areas is right in the front door. The other store is way in the back and staffed by the sporting good department. Hard to get some one there. So I go right down the road to the town next to me, and pick up there. Just have to remember to print off the email notification to scan.

The wisdom of a mother:

This has stuck with me since my trip to Walmart yesterday.

At the checkout, there was a young woman with a child of about 6 years ahead of me in the line up. As we got closer to the till, her little girl perused the offerings of small toys, trinkets and candy that were on display there. She selected a package containing sparkled, plastic bracelets and holding it out toward her mother asked "Can I have this?"

Without hesitation, her mother said "No. Please put it back."

Clearly disappointed, the girl, pleadingly asked "But why?"

I was expecting one of the usual responses or excuses but this mother came back with an original.

"Because it isn't yours. It belongs to the store, and until we choose to buy it from the store, and have the money to do so, we can look, but we don't touch."

The clever little girl put it back on the rack, then pointed to it and asked again, "Mommy, can we buy this?"

"We haven't put the money aside for it honey, but if you really want it, remind me to put it on our shopping list for next week and we''ll buy it then, OK?"

The girl nodded in agreement as the mom smiled and flashed a wink in my direction, knowing very well that in a short while that her daughter would probably forget all about it.

When I was the daughter's age, we were taught 'store' in school and at home, but our lessons mostly revolved around how to make change; something that is mostly done automatically these days.

This mom was teaching her daughter something more appropriate for the time and circumstances that we live in now...how to be a wise shopper.

A wise mom indeed.

With love, Erika

That's a wonderful story, Erika. I cringe to think what the WalMart shoppers here might do in that situation.

Oh, there's plenty of 'that' here too Kitty.

Its a shame really, because I think that youngsters learn a lot more from the behaviors of others, especially their parents, than we want to accept. Besides, I think that nasty behavior on the part of parents takes away from that special time when young children see their Moms and Dads as somewhat magical.

An acquaintance is an primary grade principal and she told me a story that brings that point home.
A teacher of grade 2 taught a lesson to her students about magnets, where she described how they attract and pick things up through their strong power.
Later, she included a question about magnets on a test that read:
"My name starts with the letter M....I am strong, attractive and pick things up. What am I?"

She was surprised to find that 50 % of her students answered the question with the word "Mother"

With love, Erika

A great Sunday story, Erika. Made my day.

Pope Francis has come out against the culture of consumerism. I applaud him for this, but I will believe that he truly lives it when he sells the gold chalices, miters, etc that are a part of the reality of being a pope.
And yes I know he drives an old car and lives simply…but there is still a culture of opulence in St. Peter's...