Of extended warranties & untying knots
Volume III, No. 1
(The print version was Volume I, & the blog issues preceding this one comprised Volume II.)
All blog issues © Copyright Deborah Michelle Sanders 2004-2005
Five spiritual invocations for the five weeks during which there has been no issue of this blog!
(1) Who is aware of his unwitting sins?Cleanse me of any secret fault.
Hold back thy servant also from sins of self-will, lest they get the better of me.
Then I shall be blameless & innocent of any great transgression.
May all that I say & think be acceptable to Thee,
O L-rd, my Rock & my Redeemer!
-- Final stanzas of Psalm 19
(2) Every blade of grass has an angel who stands over it & whispers, “Grow! Grow!” – Jewish Talmud
(3) It is the same whether a man offers (charity of) much or little, provided his heart is directed to Heaven. – Jewish Talmud
(4) Rather a short prayer recited slowly & with devotion than a long prayer recited hurriedly & without devotion. -- Jewish Book of the Pious
(5) The world endures because of 3 things: Bible study, worship of G-d, & deeds of loving-kindness. – Jewish Ethics of the Fathers
HOUSEHOLD HINTS:
Seamstresses, alert! You can get a good idea of how much yardage you have of piece goods or trims – just stand at the front door of your house. It should be one yard across! (For apartment doors, add on the frame width at either side of your apartment door.)
Proceed with care to the busiest service station in your town! Not only is it likely to be selling gas at the lowest prices – it is also the most apt among stations in your town to be watering down the gasoline ….
In most cases when buying something expensive, such as a new refrigerator, purchasing an extended warranty from the merchant is a poor choice. You’ll pay more for the warranty than you would be likely to have to pay out-of-pocket for repairs. Furthermore, the original warranty will cover most failures, which tend to occur early in the lifetime of the appliance.
BUT, it is important to have protection against lemons. The solution? Buy using a credit card that has a “buyer protection plan” (& pay off the amount due on the first presentation of the debt!).
YET there is an exception, & that is for a new (or late-model used) car. The computerized components of such an automobile are so susceptible to requiring costly repair that an extended warranty, if offered, does make sense. (And of course, while some are able to pay cash for a car & some take out an automobile loan, it would be highly unusual to pay for a new car with a credit card ….)
If you plan on baking a birthday cake tomorrow, cook a little spaghetti today. Reserve several cooked pieces in the fridge. Tomorrow, run cold water over the spaghetti to separate the strands. Once you have baked & frosted the cake, use the strands to decorate the cake with swirls & curlicues.
For Jews & Muslims who eschew pork, all the recipes for beans with pork may seem like forbidden treasure. A good substitute is the sea vegetable, kelp. (You can find it in dried form at health food stores.)
Is there a knot in a string or rope that is so difficult to untie that you want to cut it open? Don’t waste the cord. Just rub cornstarch over all surfaces of the knot. The lubrication promotes untying.
AUGUST BEST BUYS:
Corn, tomatoes, cantaloupe, & watermelon
Bathing suits
School supplies
Water-sports, gardening, & camping equipment
New cars
White sales
RECIPE:
One-Pot Turkey with Pasta:
½ lb elbow macaroni
In a Dutch oven, prepare macaroni according to package instructions. Remove to colander & let drain over sink.
1 lb ground turkey
Brown turkey in the Dutch oven. Pour off the fat into a small bowl. Discard the fat. (The most environmentally-friendly way to discard fat is to scoop it up with a paper towel & put the towel into the trash can. No blockage of your drains, either!)
1 carrot, grated
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
½ large or 1 medium onion, minced
14.5 oz can of tomatoes, cut up in the can with kitchen shears, UNDRAINED
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 clove (the dried spice)
½ tsp salt
Stir thoroughly. Cover. Saute in the Dutch oven for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return macaroni & turkey to the Dutch oven, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Serves 6.
(The print version was Volume I, & the blog issues preceding this one comprised Volume II.)
All blog issues © Copyright Deborah Michelle Sanders 2004-2005
Five spiritual invocations for the five weeks during which there has been no issue of this blog!
(1) Who is aware of his unwitting sins?Cleanse me of any secret fault.
Hold back thy servant also from sins of self-will, lest they get the better of me.
Then I shall be blameless & innocent of any great transgression.
May all that I say & think be acceptable to Thee,
O L-rd, my Rock & my Redeemer!
-- Final stanzas of Psalm 19
(2) Every blade of grass has an angel who stands over it & whispers, “Grow! Grow!” – Jewish Talmud
(3) It is the same whether a man offers (charity of) much or little, provided his heart is directed to Heaven. – Jewish Talmud
(4) Rather a short prayer recited slowly & with devotion than a long prayer recited hurriedly & without devotion. -- Jewish Book of the Pious
(5) The world endures because of 3 things: Bible study, worship of G-d, & deeds of loving-kindness. – Jewish Ethics of the Fathers
HOUSEHOLD HINTS:
Seamstresses, alert! You can get a good idea of how much yardage you have of piece goods or trims – just stand at the front door of your house. It should be one yard across! (For apartment doors, add on the frame width at either side of your apartment door.)
Proceed with care to the busiest service station in your town! Not only is it likely to be selling gas at the lowest prices – it is also the most apt among stations in your town to be watering down the gasoline ….
In most cases when buying something expensive, such as a new refrigerator, purchasing an extended warranty from the merchant is a poor choice. You’ll pay more for the warranty than you would be likely to have to pay out-of-pocket for repairs. Furthermore, the original warranty will cover most failures, which tend to occur early in the lifetime of the appliance.
BUT, it is important to have protection against lemons. The solution? Buy using a credit card that has a “buyer protection plan” (& pay off the amount due on the first presentation of the debt!).
YET there is an exception, & that is for a new (or late-model used) car. The computerized components of such an automobile are so susceptible to requiring costly repair that an extended warranty, if offered, does make sense. (And of course, while some are able to pay cash for a car & some take out an automobile loan, it would be highly unusual to pay for a new car with a credit card ….)
If you plan on baking a birthday cake tomorrow, cook a little spaghetti today. Reserve several cooked pieces in the fridge. Tomorrow, run cold water over the spaghetti to separate the strands. Once you have baked & frosted the cake, use the strands to decorate the cake with swirls & curlicues.
For Jews & Muslims who eschew pork, all the recipes for beans with pork may seem like forbidden treasure. A good substitute is the sea vegetable, kelp. (You can find it in dried form at health food stores.)
Is there a knot in a string or rope that is so difficult to untie that you want to cut it open? Don’t waste the cord. Just rub cornstarch over all surfaces of the knot. The lubrication promotes untying.
AUGUST BEST BUYS:
Corn, tomatoes, cantaloupe, & watermelon
Bathing suits
School supplies
Water-sports, gardening, & camping equipment
New cars
White sales
RECIPE:
One-Pot Turkey with Pasta:
½ lb elbow macaroni
In a Dutch oven, prepare macaroni according to package instructions. Remove to colander & let drain over sink.
1 lb ground turkey
Brown turkey in the Dutch oven. Pour off the fat into a small bowl. Discard the fat. (The most environmentally-friendly way to discard fat is to scoop it up with a paper towel & put the towel into the trash can. No blockage of your drains, either!)
1 carrot, grated
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
½ large or 1 medium onion, minced
14.5 oz can of tomatoes, cut up in the can with kitchen shears, UNDRAINED
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 clove (the dried spice)
½ tsp salt
Stir thoroughly. Cover. Saute in the Dutch oven for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return macaroni & turkey to the Dutch oven, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Serves 6.
posted by THE PENNY ORCHID -- "Thrift with Flair" at 4:25 PM
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