Friday, February 29, 2008

Proceed with Caution

*This blog post is a rant* Please feel free to move on, my feelings won't be hurt if you do so, I just need to get it all out.
My office has officially started a 4 phase remodel. I supervise 20 clerks in the reception area and reception I think is in 3 of the 4 phases. This week I packed my office and moved upstairs, as of today my old office is part of the construction zone. We also moved and cleaned and squeezed in 3 more workers into the front reception area and 3 more are moving elsewhere. We are figuring out new ways to do things and trying to make sure all of our bases will be covered. This phase involves the whole bottom quarter of a two story building so there are a lot of other workers affected also. We are looking forward to probably 3 months of noise and dirt and complaints. And then we can move again and get another 3 months of it. And so on and so on. Oh boy! I am excited about changing, not so excited about he journey. One foot in front of the other, one day at a time. Well, I'm writing this to set up my mood. I'm kind of on a short wire and ready to snap. It's the weekend! thank all that's good, I will have time to recoop and decompress. In order to do that I have a little more to rant on about and most of it is about our economy. WHATS UP??? Has this world gone crazy in the past 2 weeks?? I got sticker shock going to the grocery! Cans of chili that I've bought on sale 4@$1 at one time are now $2 each!!! (Thats the cheap stuff!) My favorite soup? OMG it is up to $3 a can. I was buying it for $1.50 -$2 a can just the other day! And I won't mention the gas. Yesterday after the dentist I found myself looking for cheap thrills at Thimble Creek, that mean't a couple of fat quarters just to get a fix! So sad....AND THEN..... and then I got this email from Williams Sonoma ... Perfect Endings Cupcakes - 9@$59 + SH.....Are they for real? So what if they are from a bakery in the Napa Valley! I know there are a lot of people that can afford these and I wouldn't want to dampen their joy of these perfect cupcakes. So I would suggest : the cake stand of course, umm, thats about $20+, and don't forget the matching plates to serve them on, and then I think that you need this lovely table runner kit for $52.50 from the Fat Quarter Shop to display them on.
You've heard the phrase the "Other Half" well I'm on the wrong half, so better yet, I'll buy the kit and make it for you and charge you $150 for the table runner. Then you would be sure to have the pefect cupcakes. Heck I'd even bake a whole dozen cupcakes to throw in as a bonus!(and I could buy my soup, gas & some more fq's !)
OK, enough, I feel better now, I'm off to a good nite's rest, I will be spending my weekend with a 5 year old so there will be lots of chit chat and smiles. Hope I can get a few stitiches in too! xoxomar

14 comments:

SuBee said...

Girlfriend, I SO feel your pain! (((HUG))) That feeling of "I can handle 14 pieces of %$#^ but that 15th piece puts me OVER THE EDGE and I'm gonna explode!" -- Yea - too much at once. A 5 year old goes a long way towards 'repairing' that feeling - Have a great weekend!

Doodlebug Gail said...

Oh boy - I had the same feelings this week as well. It was my trip to the grocery store which did it ..... I have an EXCEL spreadsheet with prices of the 2 stores I buy at regularly. Both stores belong to the same company, one a fancy schmancy store and the other a low budget no frills type. Anyway, I've noticed that staples like rice and cheese are $1 - $2 up per package .... a bag of shrimp I usually buy for special celebrations is up $2.50. I won't even start on the gas.

Mar - you're not alone ...... have a good weekend, take that 5 year old out for waffles and/or ice cream and have fun.

Nan said...

I understand your pain, Mar! Unfortunately, prices will only go up and up as gas prices continue to skyrocket! What's a girl to do? Grin and bear it, I guess! I have had sticker shock at the grocery store for the past month! Prices have been raised from one week to the next by leaps and bounds! Where will it end? And, you have the added stimulus of your work situation to think about - too many changes at one time, I'm thinkin'!
Thank goodness we can still sew - that will take my mind off of just about everything! Hang in there, Mar! I think the company of a 5-year old will help immensely. Enjoy!

Lisa Boyer said...

Sounds like you need a few dozen "imperfect" cupcakes, some stashbusting, and a weekend full of smiles to put it all back into perspective. Have a wonderful weekend and remember that you have friends that don't cost a thing....

Perry said...

Supposedly what is driving all of this is the hunt for alternative fuels. The farmers are not growing wheat, they are growing other grains that can be used for fuel. Pasture land is being turned into fields for grain. This is a rough take on the problem, but this is what is happening. It is really bad if you are on a fixed income, believe me. The difference between the haves and have nots has never been as great as it is now. It's a mess.

Libby said...

I'm right there with you - these are the very sorts of observations that make me want to just stay at home and not face the real world - okay that won't work, but at least I know I'm not alone.

Unknown said...

I think about young families and wonder how they're affording food these days. I'm watching the grocery sale ads and trying to stock up on things on sale. There are a lot of things I want at the grocery store that I just won't buy . . just not gonna pay that price. But, I have no hope of the food prices coming down. Hope you have had a great day with your 5 year old visitor!

Howdy said...

You know Mar - I think that the cost of food is a conspiracy. We have all gotten hooked on convenience and prepared foods and now they can have their way with us! LOL
I suppose we could go back to cooking the old fashion way... my daughter is eating gluten free these days and made a 'green bean casserole' for Thanksgiving by making her own mushroom soup
from scratch using a GF flour. MMMmmm that was good... who knew you could make mushroom soup... I thought it always came in a can! LOL We need to save money where we can because we all know that fabric weighs a ton... so those prices are bound to go up soon too... and we'll need to save on our groceries so that we don't have to skimp on fabric!

tami said...

It is getting SO scary. You drive by a gas station on the way to work in the morning and on your way home the same gas is 10 cents more a gallon. AND the gas companines are showing 51% more profits. What's up with that??? It's winter here in Maine so all groceries have to be trucked to us. It only stands to reason with skyrocketing gas prices we are paying skyrocketing food prices. When will it end?

Vicky said...

Hang in there, sweetie! The renovations at work will be over before you know it, and things will seem a bit more balanced. I'm thinking it's time to buy a freezer and buy in bulk. Of course, that would actually entail cooking ....... it's always something! (Hugs)

Kristin said...

Nothing like a good rant to clear the mind, eh? It is positively ridiculous the prices on fancy shmanzy boutique food. My favorite is the Dean and Deluca catalog. yipes. no wonder a lot of wealthy folks are thin! they have to cash in a stock or bond or a cd every time they want to have an appetizer! If I knew every bite of a cupcake cost $2, I wouldn't eat too many.
Take care and hope the remodel doesn't set you over the edge.

Thimbleanna said...

I'm with you Mar! I'm always astounded at how much things like cupcakes cost. And then I invoke my favorite phrase, "My, my, they're mighty PROUD of those cupcakes, aren't they???" And isn't it amazing, if YOU try to sell something for those prices, they won't sell!

Cheryl said...

I have a good friend that works at a very well known chain and a couple months back she said they were raising the prices on basically everything in the store, and boy I sure have seen it on my grocery bill.

Texan said...

I just had the grocery store rant myself with my DH! I told him the same type stuff, food we have bought for a long time is 4x's now what it was! He does a lot of the grocery shopping and is in total agreement that prices are just getting stupid... Gas is higher I under stand but please tell me how a truck full of a gazillion cans of food could possibly need to go up by 4x's, I mean do the math...I am not buying it! I have stopped buying a few items because I refuse to give them what they want for it. I mean you have to draw the line somewhere!

Gas is horrible isn't it. It and groceries are now eating a chunk of everyones disposable income...

The one good thing is I guess we will all use more of our stash and patterns and such that we have now LOL, since we all using some of our spendy money now to cover gas and groceries and yes utilities! Holy cow propane which is what we use is so expensive! Last time we filled our propane tank it cost us 1180.00!

I had a mini meltdown last week over other things.. hang in there .. sometimes its good to just vent :O) hopefully that made you feel some better :O)...I know I felt better after I ranted on my blog last week :O)...