Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[ebk57]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

I’ve taken screenshots of your posts, to show him. :) we both wear glasses, and I haven’t had an eye exam since 2013.  I need new glasses.  Dad ordered mine through a website, but I would like to try Costco. 

We also buy a lot of cat litter. Dad buys it at Walmart, but he also hates Walmart. 

You can go to their website and price out some items to see how much you'd save over a year.  There are some items where the price is only shown if you're a member, but most of them are out there for comparison's sake.  

It's just me and Mr. ebk, but we buy a bunch of paper products, and meat and household stuff (batteries, etc.), vitamins, Advil, and on and on... And they do ship if you don't want to shop.  Prices are slightly higher, but only slightly. 

[annzeepark914]

I need to go to Costco. Sheesh--I've been a member for years but can't remember the last time I was there. I think in the early years, I was annoyed by the long lines at all the checkouts (& I'd arrive at 10 AM when the doors opened and didn't spend a lot of time shopping 🙄) + having back issues made it tough to stand. MrP914 gets paper products there (& the tuxedo cake whenever we have company--yum!)

[peacheslatour]

7 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I need to go to Costco. Sheesh--I've been a member for years but can't remember the last time I was there. I think in the early years, I was annoyed by the long lines at all the checkouts (& I'd arrive at 10 AM when the doors opened and didn't spend a lot of time shopping 🙄) + having back issues made it tough to stand. MrP914 gets paper products there (& the tuxedo cake whenever we have company--yum!)

What is this tuxedo cake of which you speak? 🤔

[annzeepark914]

6 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

What is this tuxedo cake of which you speak? 🤔

It's thin layers of chocolate and vanilla cake with mousse-like fillings. Very good 😸

[Notabug]

26 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

What is this tuxedo cake of which you speak? 🤔

Costco has amazing baked goods.  Tuxedo cake is scrumptious.  It's a great place to get birthday cakes, etc.  Highly recommend.

[peacheslatour]

1 minute ago, Notabug said:

Costco has amazing baked goods.  Tuxedo cake is scrumptious.  It's a great place to get birthday cakes, etc.  Highly recommend.

Wow, my husband does the shopping up there. I had no idea about these delights! Further investigation is clearly needed.

[Anela]

I couldn't find it on the site, and all of the cakes were really expensive, but I don't need one with 22 servings. :) I'll see if they'll let us walk around there, the next time we're in Canton. 

[Dimity]

4 minutes ago, Anela said:

I couldn't find it on the site, and all of the cakes were really expensive, but I don't need one with 22 servings. :)

This is why Costco doesn't work for us.  My Mom and my sister and I used to share a membership and that made sense.  Now that it's just me  I found that I was spending a $100 at Costco and then still going to do my groceries.  I'd love to support them but at least for now it's not in the cards.

Edited Monday at 01:47 AM by Dimity

[PRgal]

1 minute ago, Dimity said:

This is why Costco doesn't work for us.  I my Mom and my sister and I used to share a membership and that made sense.  Now that it's just me and I found that I was spending a $100 an Costco and then still going to do my groceries.  I'd love to support them but at least for now it's not in the cards.

If you just want one or two items from Costco, you can get them online without a membership.  At least you can on Instacart. 

[nokat]

38 minutes ago, PRgal said:

If you just want one or two items from Costco, you can get them online without a membership.  At least you can on Instacart. 

I love Instacart. I walked through Costco and wasn't impressed. I've heard the chicken is good.

[Notabug]

13 minutes ago, nokat said:

I love Instacart. I walked through Costco and wasn't impressed. I've heard the chicken is good.

Their frozen mac and cheese is also quite good.  It comes in foil pans. Makes a good side dish or even main course for parties, etc.  

The large cakes often come frozen and pre-sliced.  You can thaw a piece or two and save the rest for another time.

[Absolom]

18 minutes ago, nokat said:

I love Instacart. I walked through Costco and wasn't impressed. I've heard the chicken is good.

Right now the price of eggs at ours is very good.  They have frozen halibut that I'm enjoying and uncured "Canadian" bacon at a really good price.  I can't beat their price on Charmin on sale.  Plus it's the larger rolls.  They also have the cheapest Immodium in town.  It is a zoo unless you go early or late.

[ebk57]

26 minutes ago, nokat said:

I've heard the chicken is good.

It is!  Also the salmon, and ground beef.  And everything freezes well. 

As for lines, sometimes they look endless, but the cashiers are professionals, so the lines move quickly.  At least they do here.  So the only issue, even on weekends, could be the parking.

[Anela]

40 minutes ago, Notabug said:

Their frozen mac and cheese is also quite good.  It comes in foil pans. Makes a good side dish or even main course for parties, etc.  

The large cakes often come frozen and pre-sliced.  You can thaw a piece or two and save the rest for another time.

I don’t know if there is an issue with the site, but I saw cakes from $54-$159. I can’t do that. 

Edited Monday at 03:25 AM by Anela

[nokat]

4 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Tuxedo Mousse Cake at Costco is $16.99, and can serve 12.

It sounds delicious, and I watched My 600 lb life, and thought only 1. I will put on my kerosene soaked knickers.

Edited Monday at 08:51 AM by nokat

[Yeah No]

12 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

We have one right up the hill from us but at our advanced ages, with our various disabilities, it's getting harder and harder the navigate the sheer square footage of the place. We do a trip about every other month to stock up. We usually spend a few hundred dollars there but we still save over shopping everywhere else.

During the pandemic I found out that it's easy to order Costco stuff online and have it delivered either by them or another service like Instacart. We don't do it anymore but it was great and I'd do it again if I had to.

7 hours ago, nokat said:

I love Instacart. I walked through Costco and wasn't impressed. I've heard the chicken is good.

Actually Costco has been accused of inhumane practices with raising its chickens, which it does itself for the most part at huge poultry farms they own. But I don't buy them anymore because they're too high in sodium for me. I get Whole Foods Organic roast chicken because it's not brined and pumped with sodium like most of them are, although it costs twice as much.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/24/business/costco-rotisserie-chicken-lawsuit/index.html

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, PRgal said:

I went to Costco as my mom’s guest once and found it creepy.  Maybe it was the location…but I’ll never go back again. 

I used to go to Costco whenever I visited my parents. In their last years together, it was their main outing. Mom would stay by the vast book tables leaning on a shopping cart, selecting another week’s worth of bestseller-type paperbacks to read, while Dad took another cart and got groceries. I would stay with Dad to “help.”

All Costco stores and Sam’s Clubs I’ve been to in Hawaii, California, Oregon, Illinois, and New York were all cavernous warehouses. 

Perhaps the towering ceilings and seemingly endless aisles were disorienting to you? I recall feeling a bit lost in them.

Edited Monday at 10:19 AM by shapeshifter

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, Dimity said:

This is why Costco doesn't work for us.  My Mom and my sister and I used to share a membership and that made sense.  Now that it's just me  I found that I was spending a $100 at Costco and then still going to do my groceries.  I'd love to support them but at least for now it's not in the cards.

It takes some Cost/benefit analysis and careful shopping to benefit from Costco. I avoid the seductive stuff and the stuff that's too big for a couple to use before it goes bad. In gas alone it saves us a bundle. It's typically 30 to 40 cents cheaper per gallon. And I buy all of my computer electronics there because the prices can't be beat and you get more for your money in terms of features and RAM, etc. And they have a fantastic warranty, longer than standard. It takes some time to figure out how to shop "surgically" there, I will admit, but I am glad I stuck with it because now I have a routine of things to get there that I know work for us and make the cost of membership more than worthwhile. The trick is avoiding all the other stuff, LOL.

6 hours ago, ebk57 said:

It is!  Also the salmon, and ground beef.  And everything freezes well. 

As for lines, sometimes they look endless, but the cashiers are professionals, so the lines move quickly.  At least they do here.  So the only issue, even on weekends, could be the parking.

I avoid Costco on weekends completely. And even on weekdays there are "peak" and "off peak" hours. I used to know a website or two that actually had a graph showing the peak hours there. I don't remember where to find them now but I remembered that off-peak included from about 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, especially mid week from Tues. through Thurs. So now that's when I go and it's pretty foolproof. No long lines and difficulty parking.

[Yeah No]

On 1/30/2025 at 7:42 PM, Anduin said:

On a completely different topic, what do you do when you find something for sale surprisingly cheap? I'm torn between 'It's a good deal' and 'if it's too good to be true, it's dodgy'. This is a site I've never heard of before, BTW. How do I check that they're on the level?

I usually Google on the name of the website and "is it a scam or legit" and that brings up some information. Unfortunately some sites don't even come up on a search like that, though. I usually default to "when in doubt leave it out" because I've been burned before by sites like that.

I don't even trust Shopify anymore because some of the sellers are deadbeats (which even happens on Poshmark or Ebay - less on Ebay) but in the case of Shopify they don't guarantee a refund through them if you don't get your item. They merely provide the interface to sellers to sell their stuff. After that, good luck if you have any problem with them. I didn't realize that and over the holidays ordered something from a seller that didn't send the item and did not respond to my messages. I suddenly got a refund weeks later with no other contact, though, but I can imagine that might not be the case next time. So forget that.

[Anduin]

10 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I usually Google on the name of the website and "is it a scam or legit" and that brings up some information. Unfortunately some sites don't even come up on a search like that, though. I usually default to "when in doubt leave it out" because I've been burned before by sites like that.

Thanks. Research is continuing. :)

[shapeshifter]

20 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

on't even trust Shopify anymore because some of the sellers are deadbeats (which even happens on Poshmark or Ebay - less on Ebay) but in the case of Shopify they don't guarantee a refund through them if you don't get your item. They merely provide the interface to sellers to sell their stuff.

Walmart too.

[Yeah No]

6 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Walmart too.

I don't order from 3rd party sellers on Walmart. I sort by vendor and only buy stuff sold and fulfilled by Walmart itself for that reason and because I want to be able to return to Walmart if I have to. I am also cautious about that on Amazon too.

[chitowngirl]

I look at reviews of the item-no item has all 5 star reviews. I also will look up reviews of the company. It’s very telling when there are problems with returns and complaints about the quality of the items.

[EtheltoTillie]

I went to a new place on Saturday:  Restaurant Depot. It recently opened near my weekend house.   It's wholesale food and equipment.  They let me in on a day pass, but I will get a membership.  The membership is free, but you must be a business, and it doesn't have to be a restaurant.  I have an EIN for my law practice, so that can get me in.  If you want to have a Super Bowl party, you can buy industrial size boxes of frozen mozzarella sticks and other bar snacks. 

Edited Monday at 03:55 PM by EtheltoTillie

[Mrsmaul2021]

14 hours ago, Notabug said:

Costco has amazing baked goods.  Tuxedo cake is scrumptious.  It's a great place to get birthday cakes, etc.  Highly recommend.

 

 

 Googled a pic, it does looks scrumptious. I have a BJ's membership but will consider Costco's given what I have heard

Edited Monday at 04:24 PM by Mrsmaul2021

[shapeshifter]

15 hours ago, Notabug said:

Costco has amazing baked goods.  Tuxedo cake is scrumptious.  It's a great place to get birthday cakes, etc.  Highly recommend.

30 minutes ago, Mrsmaul2021 said:

Googled a pic, it does looks scrumptious. I have a BJ's membership but will consider Costco's given what I have heard

"Scrumptious" is how I would also describe the large birthday cake at the combination Christmas+2 birthdays gathering of a at least 20 of my daughter's husband's extended family. 
The cake was from Wegmans' in-house bakery.

 

 

[lookeyloo]

15 hours ago, Dimity said:

This is why Costco doesn't work for us.  My Mom and my sister and I used to share a membership and that made sense.  Now that it's just me  I found that I was spending a $100 at Costco and then still going to do my groceries.  I'd love to support them but at least for now it's not in the cards.

We are just two people but we buy the things that are bundled, and not in big batches that have to be used up or repackaged.  Chicken comes in 3 one pound packages.  One pound is enough for the two of us, 3 times.  Same with ground beef.  Canned goods the same way.  Regular sizes bundled.  6 cans of something don't go bad before we use them up.  Butter if you use it comes in two pound boxes but it never goes bad.  So, not everything works for us at Costco but enough does that it becomes a bargain.  But, you do you!

[Yeah No]

15 minutes ago, lookeyloo said:

We are just two people but we buy the things that are bundled, and not in big batches that have to be used up or repackaged.  Chicken comes in 3 one pound packages.  One pound is enough for the two of us, 3 times.  Same with ground beef.  Canned goods the same way.  Regular sizes bundled.  6 cans of something don't go bad before we use them up.  Butter if you use it comes in two pound boxes but it never goes bad.  So, not everything works for us at Costco but enough does that it becomes a bargain.  But, you do you!

For stuff like meat that doesn't come shrink wrapped I just freeze what I don't use. The price is too good and we definitely use steak before it sits too long in the freezer. I found out that a lot of the shrink wrapped prepared stuff is portioned in smaller packs like the pork carnitas, beef brisket, etc. So you don't have to rush to eat the whole thing. Even the sandwich trays last for a few days in the fridge. We just pick from it every day. And the large sized romaine packs keep well for a couple of weeks until we use them up.

My absolute favorite is the Taylor Farms cut up Vegetable tray with Ranch Dressing dip. On my perpetual diet it's a must-have and half the price of the supermarket or even Walmart! At ShopRite it's $20.00 while at Costco it's only $11.00. Whatever starts to look a little old after a while either gets tossed in soup or salad or roasted. It's also great to bring to parties.

[Dimity]

Is it still only Monday?  Between Tariff Trump and all the anger associated with that and my Dad being hospitalized and our bank calling us wanting us to firm up our mortgage renewal, now, right now! and me on the phone with my siblings updating them on my Dad's condition and oh trying to make coffee and eat in the middle of all this I was shocked to look at my phone and realize this is still Monday.  Deep cleansing breaths!

Edited Monday at 08:41 PM by Dimity

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, Dimity said:

Is it still only Monday?  Between Tariff Trump and all the anger associated with that and my Dad being hospitalized and our bank calling us wanting us to firm up our mortgage renewal, now, right now! and me on the phone with my siblings updating them on my Dad's condition and oh trying to make coffee and eat in the middle of all this I was shocked to look at my phone and realize this is still Monday.  Deep cleansing breaths!

I totally forgot that my son had gym today and put him in his regular uniform instead of his gym uniform. Not nearly as bad as tour situation but to a mom, it’s a grave mistake!  Good thing it’s frozen dumplings and vegetables for dinner tonight! 

[ECM1231]

Today my household received a census form from the U. S. Census Bureau. We were randomly selected to participate in the American Community Survey.  It's an online survey and I began to take it, but my word it's very detailed. It asks so many personal questions that I really don't want to answer. I had to log out b/c I'd have to go through my paperwork to answer some of the questions, like "How much income did you make last year from ...?"  Since there are 2 of us in this household, the questions are asked of each of us. Frankly, I don't feel like doing this survey, but it says it's required by law. 

 

Anyone else receive this lately?

[Ancaster]

1 hour ago, Dimity said:

Is it still only Monday?  Between Tariff Trump and all the anger associated with that and my Dad being hospitalized and our bank calling us wanting us to firm up our mortgage renewal, now, right now! and me on the phone with my siblings updating them on my Dad's condition and oh trying to make coffee and eat in the middle of all this I was shocked to look at my phone and realize this is still Monday.  Deep cleansing breaths!

Give the coffee precedence, that's all I can say.  (And I don't even drink it.)

[Ancaster]

4 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Today my household received a census form from the U. S. Census Bureau. We were randomly selected to participate in the American Community Survey.  It's an online survey and I began to take it, but my word it's very detailed. It asks so many personal questions that I really don't want to answer. I had to log out b/c I'd have to go through my paperwork to answer some of the questions, like "How much income did you make last year from ...?"  Since there are 2 of us in this household, the questions are asked of each of us. Frankly, I don't feel like doing this survey, but it says it's required by law. 

 

Anyone else receive this lately?

What?  No!  I have no idea whether this is legitimate or not, but please don't start sending your personal information over the internet.  This seems dubious at best.

[Salacious Kitty]

24 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

What?  No!  I have no idea whether this is legitimate or not, but please don't start sending your personal information over the internet.  This seems dubious at best.

I agree. The first thing I thought was identity theft. 

[Anduin]

46 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Today my household received a census form from the U. S. Census Bureau. We were randomly selected to participate in the American Community Survey.  It's an online survey and I began to take it, but my word it's very detailed. It asks so many personal questions that I really don't want to answer. I had to log out b/c I'd have to go through my paperwork to answer some of the questions, like "How much income did you make last year from ...?"  Since there are 2 of us in this household, the questions are asked of each of us. Frankly, I don't feel like doing this survey, but it says it's required by law. 

 

Anyone else receive this lately?

Even if it's genuine, it's dodgy. Don't do it if you don't need to.

[Bastet]

53 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

the American Community Survey.

That is in fact the name of a legitimate survey, separate from the Census taken every ten years; it's ongoing.  Here's information, including a number you can call to verify legitimacy.  And here's more info on verifying legitimacy of US Census Bureau communications in general.

[PRgal]

I know shameless self promotion is frowned upon here, but my guest post on a Substacker I follow/subscribe to went live today!

[fastiller]

@Dimity - good vibes going your way.  Good luck w your Dad.  (& the rest too, OFC!)

[shapeshifter]

30 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I know shameless self promotion is frowned upon here, but my guest post on a Substacker I follow/subscribe to went live today!

I love that you said:
“Telling them they could only be one or the other only causes more anxiety.”

[graybrown bird]

3 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

Today my household received a census form from the U. S. Census Bureau. We were randomly selected to participate in the American Community Survey.  It's an online survey and I began to take it, but my word it's very detailed. It asks so many personal questions that I really don't want to answer. I had to log out b/c I'd have to go through my paperwork to answer some of the questions, like "How much income did you make last year from ...?"  Since there are 2 of us in this household, the questions are asked of each of us. Frankly, I don't feel like doing this survey, but it says it's required by law. 

 

Anyone else receive this lately?

I hope you find the time and energy to participate in the Census Bureau's ACS.  I'm not a demographer but I used to work with our state demographers, and the ACS provides bedrock data about the American people that helps researchers, health care planners, municipal and state governments, and others understand how our population is changing and what its needs are.

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

That is in fact the name of a legitimate survey, separate from the Census taken every ten years; it's ongoing.  Here's information, including a number you can call to verify legitimacy.  And here's more info on verifying legitimacy of US Census Bureau communications in general.

Very useful -- thank you!

Edited Yest. at 02:08 AM by graybrown bird
Corrected autocorrect.

[Ancaster]

On 2/2/2025 at 12:56 PM, PRgal said:

I'm writing an entire piece on how I'm doing at 45 and it includes me feeling unappreciated/under appreciated by the guys (namely my husband and son) in my family when it comes to family meals.  It could very well go viral (doubt it) but I wonder whether I'll be heavily criticized by family...my dad LOVES to tell me I should just get help with cooking or be okay with them coming back to have dinner with us most weeknights (NO WAY...)...Ugh, he just doesn't get it.  

I hate to say it, and I hate to sound harsh, but isn't it about time to stop shopping and cooking for (and pandering to) everyone?  And I'm not talking about stopping for a day or two, try a fortnight, or a month.  From your posts it seems this goes way beyond cooking dinner.  You're part of a culture that is regulated and constricted (and believe me, I know what that's like), but at some point you have to decide whether it's worth it to you to take the pain.  For you and for your son, because he's learning from the examples you are setting.  Your parents have cultural expectations, but history is full of cultural expectations that were harmful at best.  Your parents have set expectations that don't all fit your life.  At some point you need to make decisions about putting your foot down, or even cutting them out of your life.  You always seem so conflicted and in so much pain about your decisions and that doesn't seem right to me.  And where's your husband in all this?

Sometimes hard decisions have to be made.

I'm so sorry if I sound harsh and horrible, but I often feel bad when I read your posts and just want you to not feel so conflicted and guilty.

Edited Yest. at 04:52 AM by Ancaster

[Yeah No]

I applied to start receiving my Social Security benefits yesterday. Now I feel officially old. Even going on Medicare didn't make me feel this old, lol.

[Ancaster]

It's been so long (as in decades) that I'm not even sure this happened, but I think someone I know just flirted with me.

[shapeshifter]

47 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

It's been so long (as in decades) that I'm not even sure this happened, but I think someone I know just flirted with me.

I'm laughing because I think that happened to me with the guy at the sign-in table to vote last November.
After 30 years, I immediately auto-pilot switched my perhaps too-friendly demeanor to a more serious-but-still-cordial one that signals: This is so not going anywhere. 

[Ancaster]

2 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I'm laughing because I think that happened to me with the guy at the sign-in table to vote last November.
After 30 years, I immediately auto-pilot switched my perhaps too-friendly demeanor to a more serious-but-still-cordial one that signals: This is so not going anywhere. 

Please, don't let me stop you from laughing, for whatever reason.  Me, I'm just gob-smacked because it's been so far off the radar!