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Sticker Shock

April 18th, 2009 at 01:30 am

If Life's success is measured whether you need an alarm clock or not, then consider me successful! Teehee. I just have to roll my eyes at the constant mantra that the best thing about retirement is not setting an alarm clock. How about not setting an alarm clock the decades before you retire? Even better! (I am sure alarm clocks will take over our life a little more when the kids are older. But anyway, I am a morning person, I don't use alarm clocks. No one in my family does at present...)

It's just one of those things that bugs me. Maybe this is why I do not mind employment, AT ALL. Being a morning person helps. & not being worked to death (& thus not being so exhausted to need an alarm clock to wake up).

But it's more than that - we try to keep life simple.

I know it's symbolic more than anything - but yeah - a lot of the times I just don't understand the psychology of people who want to retire super early. I am just not wired that way. So I read the alarm clock thing and think people sure seem to go through a lot of unnecessary effort to not need an alarm clock. Wink

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Today I was lazy and decided to treat myself to lunch. In fact, I decided to go to Togo's. It had been ages and I figured I wanted to keep them in business. (Not that I would succeed, but I should try).

I went over there and in the past I would get the whole meal thing. I decided I didn't need the calories so skipped the whole chip/meal thing. I decided to get a soda though since I just didn't have any. I cringed at the $1.50 or so price. I so often just keep soda at work, but was caught unprepared.

So I ordered my sandwhich and soda, and probably froze in shock when they told me the price was $7.70.

Um, okay?

I guess their prices have gone up in the last few years... YEesh.

I did notice my favorite sandwhich is on special on Monday. Yes, I will remember that!

The new sales tax does not help, I am sure.

I wondered if the meal was a better deal and if I should have just gotten the chips, as I left. I grabbed a menu. The prices were all higher than I remembered and I no longer saw the sandwhich/chip/soda deal, though they had others.

I hadn't frequented there since pre-kid really. So I wonder how much is rising prices and how much is I am just not used to forking over $8 for a LUNCH.

The only plus side is, as usual, I ate half my sandwich, and saved half for later.

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As I sat here typing I heard the gardener outside trimming our bushes. That makes me happy as a clam. You don't know how much I hate yard work. Worth every penny. I am just sitting here marveling at how nice the yard must look and how I didn't have to lift a finger. Which is good because I actually have some serious housework to do. Housework I don't particularly mind. But yeah, the house looks like a tornado hit it, and we have guests this weekend. So I better go make a dent.

Don't get me wrong. I don't love housework. I am not a fan. But since I don't hate it with a passion, I Can do it myself. Hehe. Plus if I let it slide for months while work is crazy, I don't get angry letters in my mail box. That could be more to the point. The neighbors don't have to know what slobs we are.

I am actually kind of bummed because the house did look great a few weeks ago and I was thinking maybe with the kids getting older I could be more on top of things. & then this happened. I don't know what the heck happened really. This is why I do not do much housework. It feels so futile most of the time. It's nice for 5 minutes and then we seem to be back to square one.

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It will be nice to have a neater house and I look forward to a mostly relaxing weekend. Though I will probably work a few hours, but much less than I have been. & I think this is my last weekend working all year. Woohoo!

5 Responses to “Sticker Shock”

  1. thriftorama Says:
    1240022721

    You are lucky you are a morning person. The work world revolves around morning people. For me, it's a struggle. I have been a night owl since I was a baby, and waking up for work has always been a struggle. I can't think straight before noon and I do my best work from 10 p.m. to midnight.

  2. marvholly Says:
    1240054756

    I, too, am VERY much a morning person: so much so that I start work at 6 am (company has flex time).

    Sticker shock has also hit me.

    I have stopped going to Long John Silver. Can no longer afford this formerly 1x/month treat even w/ coupons.

    Notice how VERY much Aldi prices have gone up, esp can veg. Can do MUCH beter elsewhere now. I think I am down to opnly a handful of items I get there but it is a convienent stop for me.

  3. monkeymama Says:
    1240062323

    It's relative. I prefer to nap in the afternoons. Which is not possible, but I agree that my own schedule is probably as good as it gets. People who show up at 6 so they can go home at 3 and take a nap are looked upon more favorable than those who come in at 4 so they can work until midnight. Wink It is extra hard on extreme night owls. My dh is an extreme night owl. We have almost completely opposite schedules - lord knows how we ever see each other. & boy he is he grumpy when he does work 9-5. Which is one reason I rather he didn't!

  4. homebody Says:
    1240113144

    We also had not used an alarm clock in over 20 years until menopause hit and my sleep has turned whacko. Bought an alarm clock the morning I slept until 6:20 and have to be at work at 7:00 a.m. I made it, but DH bought me a clock the same day. Most mornings I am awake before it goes off at 6:00 a.m., but I don't want that to happen again.

  5. zetta Says:
    1240142403

    Engineering seems to be the opposite -- at one company I worked, the folks who worked 6 to 3 (to get a better commute) were viewed as slackers, while the guy who rolled in at 11 and stayed till 8 was considered a hard worker!

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