I don’t recall having to pay the USPS $1 to register a change of address online, even though that’s the way I did so the last couple of times. Then again, I never before got a “welcome” pack from the USPS with a bunch of vendor coupons, instead of a stack of postcards to send people to let them know of my addy change.
Most of the coupons are useless (BB&B, Pier 1, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn), but ones for Home Depot, Lowes, and, of all places, Wayfair, have proven to be useful. Paint used to be fairly inexpensive, but it isn’t anymore. When you need five gallons worth of it, plus drop cloths, spackle, painter’s tape, and some concrete patch, that 20% off makes a difference.
When it comes to Wayfair, sure, I’ve seen the ads with women dancing around about how happy they are that “I found just what I want.” I was skeptical. As it turns out, their prices usually are better than alternative vendors, when their competitors’ shipping charges are factored into it. Not for everything, though. Also, shipping isn’t always free, as the ads claim, but it is for ground shipping for orders over $49, regardless of how long it has been since your last order, and if your previous one was within a month, then the $49 minimum does not apply. Seriously, I’ve found a few things there that were less expensive by far than the same items from: 1) the manufacturer, 2) a bricks and mortar retailer, on sale, and 3) eBay vendors.
For example, although we have multiple real working fireplaces in this house, I wanted a fake electric one for the sunporch to supplement the baseboard heat. Found a really nice one, twice the size and heat output of anything the box stores sell, for less money. It’s designed to double as a TV stand, which the box store ones aren’t. So, I had to assemble it; big whoop. The only people who could possibly have a problem assembling it are those who have never before seen a cam bolt. I also wanted an enameled cast iron steamer/humidifier for the top of the wood stove in one of our real fireplaces. Got a better deal on Wayfair for one from Plow & Hearth than Plow & Hearth wanted for the same one. Also, I couldn’t find a better deal elsewhere on the kegerator I wanted for the bar. *shrug*
We’re going to cater Thanksgiving dinner again for my mom. We’ve been doing this for perhaps 15 years, but this year is the first one without dad. Mom knows we’re still slightly in limbo between the old and new houses, and asked whether we wanted to do all that, but I told her “We’re going to fix Thanksgiving dinner, anyway, so if you’re up for it, we’ll bring it over to share.” She was up for it.
I hear rumblings that Nicky’s off the rails again. He’s up to his usual tricks …
I don’t mind assembling stuff myself. I put together my desk, TV stand, stereo stand, and an end table on my own for the most part. the only ‘help’ I got was grabbing a random neighbor or friend and saying hold this for me like this for a second please? I even managed not to hit any fingers but my own with a hammer.
I totally get how awkward it can be to hold some large pieces together until the hardware starts doing its thing!
I didn’t even mind assembling them myself! I still giggle over one storage cabinet I have, though. I could have put it together myself in probably an hour, but manly men relatives insisted on doing it for me. Of course they didn’t read the instructions at first so it took 4 of them 3 hours to put it together while me, my mom, and my aunts sat there and made fun of them.