It is that time again folks, time to talk all about my immense love for Modern Family.  Of course this week that I am inspired to write about it they show a rerun, but that’s okay!  That is why we have directv whole home dvr DVR so we can record and delete on a whim.  We know that they need their down time to let their creative minds wander to come up with more and more crazy shenanigans for us to watch every week.  Phil and Claire Dunphy are for me the perfect couple.  They are a more realistic couple as compared with some that they show on tv these days.  I like how they fight and make up and then fight with their kids and then make up again.  They have problems and funny things happen just like any real family would.  I really could go without Sophia Vergara’s voice on this show because sometimes it really starts to get on my nerves but I think it does suit her character’s personality so at least that works for them.

Don’t you think that these $6.95 prescription eyeglasses from zennioptical.com are gorgeous? My sister is always telling me that her grandson is constantly losing his glasses and at least once a month she is buying him a new pair. Every time she tells me about it I remind her about the great purchase price on prescription eyeglasses from zennioptical.

Zenni sells eyeglasses for children and adults, safety glasses, sports glasses, and sunglasses, all for incredibly cheap prices. You may think that because the prices are so cheap that you are only getting the frames, but the low price includes the lenses – even progressive or bifocal. Buying the glasses are really easy to do; when you go to the eye doctor and he (or she) writes the prescription for you, ask the eye doctor to include the pupillary distance on the prescription. Ask the doctor if you need to have prism or not. If you do not need prism in the prescription, then you just need to pick out the pair you like, send in the order with the prescription and before you know it you will have a brand new fashion-forward pair of prescription eyeglasses. The prices are so low that you would be really smart to buy a spare pair or two to keep in case you lose or break a pair.

One year my parents decided to go on a week’s vacation without the kids and they farmed me out to a cousin’s horse farm for the week. I was in horse heaven that week! My parents bought me a pair of used horse riding boots and dropped me off at Cousin Betty’s house and I was totally emerged in horse farm life for the week. One of the things that Cousin Betty had me do was to help straighten up and clean the saddlery that was in the tack room. She showed me how to use saddle soap to clean the saddles and halters and reins. She had me muck some stalls, which was hard work, but I didn’t mind at all. I was with horses on a horse farm! She showed me how to groom a horse, and she gave me a few riding lessons. I wished that week would never end!

Well, we did go to BJ’s and get the membership card, and then we walked around the store for a while. It was the first time my hubby had ever gone to a BJ’s and he wanted to check it out. So we spent about an hour there and then we paid for our purchases, bought a hot salted pretzel to snack on and started our trip home in rush hour. My hubby said he didn’t want to go to my brother’s; he just wanted to head home, even if it was rush hour. Within a few minutes we were in the HOV lane of I-66 headed home. Smack dab in the middle of rush hour. The HOV lane was moving at a whole 30 mph, but at least it was moving. All in all, what would have normally taken 60 minutes to drive home took 90 minutes, so I guess it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Since my hubby was driving I used the time to call friends and relatives on my cell phone while heading home. I was glad my hubby was driving; I don’t like rush hour traffic at all.

This is a very sad state of affairs. Most all of the other modern countries have a health insurance plan that ensures that everyone that lives in the country will get life-saving medical care. A lot of people here in the United States feel that if the United States adopts a socialized health plan that the entire foundation of the American way of life will be broken. I think that a lot of people are confusing themselves, not realizing that a democracy is different than a republic (and the USA is a republic) and the difference between capitalism and socialism. There is an old saying that too much of any good thing can kill you. I think in this case too much capitalism is killing Americans. What do you think?

The jewelery store told me that it would take one week to get the ring resized, but they called me the next day, telling me it was ready to pick up! The ring fits my finger perfectly now, and it looks great on my hand. I don’t know if I got a true bargain or not, but I’m happy with it, and that’s what matters, right?

I’m sure that I don’t have to tell you that the world’s economy is changing in leaps and bounds, and the Internet has a lot to do with those changes. No longer is the consumer stuck with only the merchandise in his corner Mom & Pop variety store or ordering from the now extinct Sears & Roebuck mail order catalog. (Did you realize that the Sears & Roebuck mail order catalog used to sell complete house kits?)

Using the Internet to bargain shop is becoming more commonplace than going downtown on a Saturday afternoon to shop. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? Well I think that question is moot because good or bad, it is in all likelihood here to stay. Many of today’s consumers don’t have the time on their hands to go into town to shop, and don’t want to have to find a baby sitter to watch their children when they go out to shop. And most parents don’t want to take their kids shopping with them because the children become bored and cranky pretty easily.

Not long ago townsfolk were alarmed at the thought that Wal-Mart, the Super Giant Retailer was going to destroy the commercial centers of their towns. In many cases, that is exactly what happened. Now it is the Internet’s turn to destroy Wal-Mart. More consumers would rather just sit down at their computer and order something to be delivered to their homes (in many cases delivery is free) than drag their families down to the crowded Wal-Mart on a weekend. I know that is what I would rather do! Because the Internet commerce is growing and giving Wal-Mart (and Target, and all of the other big discount stores) a run for their money, the commercial center of town just might enjoy a revival of small, locally owned service-based stores. After all, once the customer buys the product at a bargain rate, there will often be a need to service, clean, or repair the item. Yes, there will be the opportunity to ship the item needing repair to someplace “out there” but for the most I think that people would prefer to get their items repaired locally. What do you think? Is Internet bargain shopping better for the economy, or worse?

Thankfully that specialist told me that I should have had an MRI before having any sleep study done (I KNEW it!) and he referred me to a different neurologist who has ordered an MRI done. Hopefully the MRI will prove that I have a brain and hopefully it will show that there are no tumors or lesions. Once that is done we can work towards the rest of my life. In the meantime, I am supposed to avoid driving and working with dangerous machinery because I could, in fact, fall asleep and that would not be a good thing.

I went to CannonSatellite.com to look into satellite and see if it was any cheaper than cable. I also talked to the people with my lawn care company to make sure they wouldn’t mind if I cut back to twice a month instead of every week – that’s helped us save hundreds a year. I don’t know why I got on this money saving kick but for me it’s all about making sure we’re financially viable in this economy and I know that my job’s secure but I get really worried that I might lose my job or get hurt or something else terrible. I love being part of a supportive family but there’s something to be said for taking matters into your own hands and that’s what I’ve done – I’ve asked every member of my family to put their best effort forward when it comes to saving money but at the end of the day it’s an individual effort and everyone has to answer for themselves with what they’ve been able to save.