Every once in a while a product that’s been on the shelves for a long time but never got your attention before will suddenly grab your attention and end up in your shopping cart. Sometimes it is placement on the store shelves that moves and you realize you are out of your routine. Sometimes it is new packaging, such as brighter colors on the box design or change from a box to a resealable bag. Sometimes it must be a mental response to a commercial or even subliminal advertising.

Well, whatever the reason, today I noticed a bag of chicken jerky in the aisle for dog treats. It seemed to be a good sized bag with multiple treats inside, so I decided on a lark to buy a bag and see if my dog likes them. We haven’t broken into the bag yet but I’ll let you know if they are a hit or a miss.

My neighbor has either fallen on hard times or become much more “green” lately, and although we are not close (emotionally or socially) it is obvious by the change in his habits. Rumor has it that he’s used a Payday Loan and explained that to another neighbor as “just a little something to tide me over.”

I feel bad that he’s having money problems, but with the economy is such bad shape, it’s becoming more and more common for people to need a little help with short term loans. After all, it is better to borrow the money and be proactive than to bounce checks or incur late fees on your bills. Some people are even trying to refinance their Car Loans and get a lower interest rate or trade in their gas guzzlers and downgrading to a more economical car. After all, you have to do what you have to do when times get tough, but with time all things pass.

One of the great things about living in a small town is the way everyone comes together on holidays. In our town, we celebrate Labor Day with a parade at noon and a community picnic at the park.

The parade features the local veterans group, floats by some of the businesses like the bank and the grocery store, the fire department brings two of their trucks and an ambulance, the high school marching band and a float with the new class president and student council officers, a couple of clowns that entertain at childrens birthday parties, and a chance for kids who want to decorate their bikes to ride in the parade and have a shot at getting a trophy for best decorated bike.

It’s great fun for the whole community and makes me appreciate my neighbors and the towns people.

This year I can only imagine how many people are going to be utilizing the Internet for the fantastic deals that are always offered on line on cyber monday.  With tons of people turning to on line shopping for the sole reason of saving cash money, there may possibly be a lot less people storming the retail chains on the day after Thanksgiving known as “Black Friday”.

I know my wife won’t ever attempt the Black Friday madness ever again, once was enough for her and she has managed to find deals using other methods, rather than deal with all of that craziness. These people that wait in line since the wee hours of the morning in all kinds of nasty weather and the wild and wacky things that happen each year usually end up on the evening news and is very discouraging.

This year she has found a web-site called Blackfriday.biz that offers tons of savings to be had on Cyber Monday this year and has all ready bookmarked the link for her favorite holiday shopping retail store, Target, which is only one of hundreds of merchants that are offering savings and promotions for this huge event that can take place in the privacy of your own home. The wife has already spread the word about this savings opportunity by emailing the link to their web-site to all of her friends and family, along with a post or two on her blog that she manages to find time to keep up to date some how.

The Internet just keeps making life easier and easier these days!

The 3 day weekend celebration for Labor Day has officially arrived and the weather is making it a challenge for anyone to make any type of plans for any kind of outside activities so it is any one’s guess and we will just have to take it one day at a time.

Took the family out to dinner tonight at our favorite family restaurant, The Golden Coral, their large buffet makes it the perfect place to take everyone and suites every ones needs and wants perfectly, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg either. I thought that it would have been packed, being as it being a Friday night and all, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was not busy what so ever and had a whole section that was empty at one point. Guess the economy really has hit this area hard, if the Golden Coral isn’t able to keep at full restaurant on what is usually the busiest night of the week for local restaurants in this area.