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In January 2003, I decided to start producing a periodic newsletter Retirement Tips and RV Stuff. Below, you'll find a copy of the newsletters to date. If you'd like to get on the distribution for the next newsletter, send me email at rjhoffman@yahoo.com.
If you're looking for a specific topic in one of the old newsletters, the Search box on the right will find it for you. It will also point you to other references to the topic throughout the website.
I've been a computer geek since about 1968, so I guess I've always been impressed by all the stuff we can do with electronics that we couldn't do easily in the past. But today I was again impressed -- this time by how easy it is to set up bill-paying using the internet. Used to be we had to void a check, write a letter, and wait a couple of weeks to hear whether it worked or not. Now, we can set things up using the payee's website in just a few minutes. We've got most of our monthly bills set up to come out of our checking accounts, making it all automatic if we happen to be traveling when bills are due. Just this month, we changed banks and I was dreading the process of changing all the auto-pays to the new account. Lo and behold, I got it all done in a couple of hours ... leaving more time for more important things, like Poker ... lol.
One of the other technology areas that I'm really impressed with is communication. When we took our first long RV trip in 1984 (as discussed in my first book), some of our biggest problems were how to get money on the road, how to keep up with bills, how family could contact us if there was an emergency. None of these are any problem with today's technology. To talk to a computer, I had a 100' phone cord and a 300 baud acoustic coupler that I could use with a payphone. I'd pull up to a payphone, hook up, and tediously contact a mainframe somewhere across the country. At the time, I thought I was real high tech!
I hope you've found the many ways to stay in touch via the internet while you travel. If you need tips on that, check out my Internet On The Road website for bunches of ideas. One approach that I formerly avoided because of the high cost was satellite internet. Just a few years ago, it was $2000-$3000 for the antenna, then 45 cents or so a minute for use. Now, you can get an antenna for around $1300 and it's $50 a month for unlimited use! Almost within reason, if you feel a real need for staying online while on the road. Wouldn't it be great to be able to get online from inside the RV whenever you're camping? And you can add a satellite TV setup to the same antenna for another small fee. Plus, you can use the antenna at your house when you're not traveling. Sounds real exciting to me -- all I need now is $1300 extra. Check out the Internet On The Road website for more details.
August Travel: We did the North Carolina trip as planned -- check out Travel Log Chapter 59.
September Travel: With Hurricane Frances heading toward Florida for Labor Day Weekend, looks like we might be taking a trip northward and westward real soon. Did you know that August broke the record for the most named storms in one month? -- we've had eight! There's a record I'd just as soon not be part of.
The Great Book Give-Away: Congratulations to Anita Cooper, who claimed the free book as visitor #21,000. Keep your eye on the hit-counter and you could be lucky #22,000. Check the Retirement Tips home page for details.
Read on for calendar quotes, notes on my latest site updates, the usual words about how I'd make some money if you guys would buy something off the website, and wrapping up with my Ramblings on whatever occurs to me between now and then.
September 2004 quote from my Happy Traveling RV Calendar: "The average tourist wants to go to places where there are no tourists." - Sam Ewing. Now ain't that the truth?!? The Trivia Challenge : Which state declared its independence from England first?" -- answer in Ramblings below.
- As mentioned above, Retirement Tips Travel Log Chapter 59 "Doing North Carolina."
- For a little bit of fun, check out the Memorabilia page on my graduating class' website. When you get there, click the little TV set to see some nostalgic Good Old Days stuff.
- I'm just starting on a new website, temporarily at acohezio.homestead.com until we decide what the domain name should be. If all goes as planned, it'll be a multi-language site! Really exciting to work on. A cohezio means cohesion, a term that means something to glass-blowers. Check out the site!
Here's a list of some interesting things, some of which will make me a few bucks if you need them and buy them here:
- Dream Lifestyles to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How to Get a Life By .... whatever .. you fill in the blank. Check them out here.
- Camp at Half of What Everyone Else is Paying! No home park, no monthly maintenance fees, no long-term obligation, just pay the small annual fee and camp for half-price. Check it out here.
- Dream Jobs to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All you need to know about How To Break Into ... whatever is your dream job. Check them out here.
- $50 Websites! Instead of the hundreds or even thousands charged by most, I've decided to build websites for $50. Why so cheap? -- I enjoy building them and I'm trying to build a business. If you or any acquaintances would like to have a presence on the world-wide internet, either for personal or business, check out my websites listed on my business website at http://www.robert-hoffman-consulting.com/
A couple of months ago, Chuck Woodbury reprinted an article he'd written in late 2003 praising the glories of RV travel. I was going to include it in it's entirety here, but didn't have time to contact him for permission. So I highly recommend that you just CLICK HERE to read it -- I think it's really great! He starts off talking about how living in one place isn't as "normal" as it used to be, talks about all the amenities that today's RVs have, then about a funny thing that happened to him in Prescott, Arizona. He ends with "What fun! What a life! How utterly opposite from boring! When I think of these stories and my many adventures on the road, I want to drop what I am doing right this moment and run away. Alas, I can only do it part time. . .for now. Will there be more people on the road in RVs next year than today? I think so. Maybe one of them will be you." For those of us who love RVing, this article really expresses our feelings well.
So, instead of reading my ramblings this month, go read Chuck's. His article really says it all.
So you think you know the road rules for handling your RV? Check out this article and test your knowledge.
TRIVIA ANSWER: New Hampshire. Never been there .. maybe will later this year, if we get to our planned East coast trip.
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Email rjhoffman@yahoo.com to sign up for the next newsletter, coming whenever I'm in the mood again.
Permanent Mailing Address: R. Hoffman, 2805 Oak Trail Court, #3437, Arlington, Texas 76016.
Here I go again ... marvelling at the wonders of technology. Can't help it. When we took our first RV trip in 1984, I thought I was positively ingenious to figure out a method to work on a computer while traveling. With my 100' phone cord and 100' electric cord, I was able to hook my 300 baud acoustic coupler (modem) to a payphone and use my dumb terminal to talk to a computer back in Huntsville, Alabama. I was actually able to communicate via email, review documents, and earn money while on the road!
Sometime around 1999, I had my own laptop and was able to find phone hookups within a few miles of most campgrounds. That was the impetus for my page on Getting Online While Traveling -- a list of places to look for hookups. Not much later, I started to see lists of "modem-friendly" campgrounds -- those that had a place you could sit and use their phone line for as long as nobody else wanted it. Was this fantastic or what?
Tonight, October 1, 2004, I'm sitting in my RV in a campground, hooked up to the campground's WiFi hotspot. I never in the world thought I'd see a day when I'd have a high-speed connection sitting at my dinette table! This is the best thing since sliced bread!
But enough about technology -- how about September!! Has this been the most hectic month in history or what?!! I guess if you don't live in Florida, the answer might be -- huh? If you're in Florida, you know what I'm talking about. The biggest hurricane month since Texas in 1886! What have I been doing this month? ... well ... let's see ...
1) Ran from Hurricane Frances, played 750 hands of Poker to earn a $75 bonus, got on TV -- see Chapter 60. Hey! Just noticed -- that's 60 travel log chapters in 5 years -- 12 per year .. interesting.
2) Ran from Hurricane Jeanne; got some great hurricane jokes -- see Chapter 61.
3) For those of you who are aware of my recent bladder tumors, I've finished my 6-week BCG treatment and am supposed to be tumor-free for 5 years! .. we'll see.
4) I'veadded to my multiple revenue streams (see June newsletter about multiple revenue streams) -- I've joined a company called WiFiRV that installs WiFi connections at RV parks! Is that a great fit to my talents and interests or what? I figure I'll learn all about how WiFi works, I'll have an excuse to bounce around to campgrounds and help them increase their traffic as a WiFi HotSpot, and .. oh, yeah .. I'll make some dollars. If you know anybody who has a campground and doesn't have WiFi, send me their name and phone number. Maybe I can return the favor someday. Check out the website http://www.wifirv.com/ -- tells all about the company, products, etc.
September Travel: Running from hurricanes, as noted above..
October Travel: Planning a real vacation-type trip to North Georgia. Planning to hang out for a while in the Helen - Dahlonega area and maybe even look at some neat places to park an RV for long periods -- like a permanent campsite in the cool of the mountains that we can use when we get fed up with Florida storms.
The Great Book Give-Away: Well, I just checked and the counter on the homepage is 22102 and nobody has yet claimed their free book. Does nobody want a free book? Or maybe people don't know what a hit counter is? Check the Retirement Tips home page for details.
Read on for calendar quotes, notes on my latest site updates, the usual words about how I'd make some money if you guys would buy something off the website, and wrapping up with my Ramblings on whatever occurs to me between now and then.
October 2004 quote from my Happy Traveling RV Calendar: "A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." - Lao Tzu. The Trivia Challenge : What is the most visited national park in the USA?" -- answer in Ramblings below.
- As mentioned above, Retirement Tips Travel Log Chapter 60 "The Week That Was ..." and Chapter 61 "Frances, Jeanne, is it over yet?"
- You may have noticed my monthly Life Tip on the Retirement Tips homepage? If you want to see them in larger size, click the latest tip to go to my Life Tips Page.
- This month's site is http://www.nostalgiaonlinestore.com/ -- no, that's not a repeat. The one I mentioned a few months back was http://www.nostalgia-online.com/ -- see the difference? Actually, the big difference is that I've redesigned the site, am adding some new products, and have a survey out there asking customers what products I should add. Also, I've taken over as "manager" of the online store, with complete flexibility on what products I put there. Haven't added many products yet, due to hurricane problems. And yes, that's one more of my multiple revenue streams.
Here's a list of some interesting things, some of which will make me a few bucks if you need them and buy them here:
- Dream Lifestyles to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How to Get a Life By .... whatever .. you fill in the blank. Check them out here.
- Camp at Half of What Everyone Else is Paying! No home park, no monthly maintenance fees, no long-term obligation, just pay the small annual fee and camp for half-price. Check it out here.
- Dream Jobs to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All you need to know about How To Break Into ... whatever is your dream job. Check them out here.
- $50 Websites! Instead of the hundreds or even thousands charged by most, I've decided to build websites for $50. Why so cheap? -- I enjoy building them and I'm trying to build a business. If you or any acquaintances would like to have a presence on the world-wide internet, either for personal or business, check out my websites listed on my business website at http://www.robert-hoffman-consulting.com/
The way I keep sending you to Chuck Woodbury's website(s), you probably think I get a kickback or something. Actually, the opposite is true -- he's a competitor of sorts. Of course, he's been around much longer, so I'm not sure if he considers me a competitor or not ... lol. Anyway, this month he had a really neat link to the Death Valley Encampment - check it out to see how many RVs can be crammed into a small space.
Another idea I read somewhere (probably in one of Chuck's newsletters) really caught my eye. The suggestion is to buy some of those foam swimming pool noodles, then cut them to put on the corners of your slideouts! Neat, eh? I've never run into one of the corners, but have come really close. I'm planning to get some noodles at my next visit to WalleyWorld. (that's Walmart for the uninformed).
That's probably enough rambling. But, I have an announcement! As you may have noted, my address at the bottom of this newsletter has been Arlington, Texas. Well, actually, I've never lived there. That's a Private Mail Box that I've used as my permanent address for over 10 years. I've finally decided that I've got a more permanent address in Rockledge, Florida so am closing down the Arlington mailbox. Sooo, you'll note a new address at the bottom. That's where I really live -- when I'm not in the RV.
TRIVIA ANSWER: The Great Smokey Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina. That's the exact answer from the calendar. But, did you know that Smoky is spelled without an "e" when referring to the national park? Obviously, the editors of the calendar didn't. First time I saw it on a sign, I thought it was a misspelled. Looked it up on several maps and, sure enough, it's Great Smoky Mountains National Park. How's that for trivia?
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Email rjhoffman@yahoo.com to sign up for the next newsletter, coming whenever I'm in the mood again.
Wow! It's November 11th and I'm just now getting around to the newsletter. Seems like Joyce and I are busier now then we were before we retired. She's painting, I'm working about 1000 multiple revenue streams ... and do you know why? Because you're never quite sure if you've got enough money to really retire. That's part of it ... I guess the other part is that we're doing things we really enjoy, so why stop? I'm keeping my finger in the pot I retired from, learning new stuff about WiFi every day, helping several friends keep their websites happy, RVing now and then, and doing generally what I want to do when I want to do it. This month, however, I really started to feel overloaded. Joyce told me that maybe I had too many irons in the fire. So guess which "iron" I cut back on? ... LOL ... POKER! Can you believe it? I really must re-evaluate my priorities.
Just glad there weren't any hurricanes this month. We never would have had time for them. What did we do? Check out the LATEST SITE UPDATES below -- we took a really nice trip, did a couple of faux painting jobs, and made a few dollars for our retirement fund -- just in case we ever do retire ... hahaha.
And I've got some really neat websites for you to go check out. I forget what the occasion was, but I was wandering the internet and I happened upon the virtual RV tours on the GoRVing.com website. They give you a 360-degree tour of every kind of RV. It uses an IPIX viewer, which, if you haven't already downloaded it, you really should. I first saw an IPIX viewer several years ago and was fascinated by it. So fascinated that I went out and bought some stock in the company which, for some reason, never did very well. But the viewer is great!
Another interesting, must-see is the Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam. It updates every five minutes and gives a pretty fair view of the volcano and what's going on moment-to-moment.
Lastly, I found another website for buying Canadian drugs, for all you retirees looking for cheap prescriptions. This latest one fillmyscripts.com, seems to have the best prices of all that I've seen thus far. You can check them all out on my "cheap prescriptions" page.
October Travel: Took a real vacation-type trip to North Georgia. Hung out for a while in the Helen - Dahlonega area and looked at some neat places to park an RV for long periods. Joyce shopped alot, I relaxed alot, and we both really had an enjoyable time.
November Travel: Planning to spend a weekend in Ft. Lauderdale celebrating Steve's (Joyce's son) birthday. Then, I think we'll park the RV for awhile and start getting ready for the holiday season. Joyce just bought a bunch of Christmas lights and I think we're going to make up for not decorating last year.
The Great Book Give-Away: The counter is at 22,800, so get ready for big give-away at 23,000. Maybe I should let the winner choose between the Retire and Travel book and the Secrets of Online Hold'Em Poker book ... hmmm.
Read on for calendar quotes, notes on my latest site updates, the usual words about how I'd make some money if you guys would buy something off the website, and wrapping up with my Ramblings on whatever occurs to me between now and then.
November 2004 quote from my Happy Traveling RV Calendar: "If you do nothing unexpected, nothing unexpected happens." - Fay Weldon. The Trivia Challenge : The first traffic law was passed in Connecticut in 1901. What did it set the speed limit at? -- answer in Ramblings below.
- Retirement Tips Travel Log Chapter 62 "A Visit to Helen."
- Added to my Cool and Unusual RVs & Stuff page: A Florida tag with the state website on it and an Outback trailer with a slide coming out the rear.
- Recheck Chapter 60 to see some grainey photos from the TV -- we finally got that TV News tape from the hurricane trip and I photographed a couple of shots of me and Tinker from the newscast to add to the chapter.
- Three additions to Joyce's FauxByJoyce.com: Check out ART FOR SALE to see how you can buy a small version of Joyce's murals, plus the Viera Project and the Guntersville Project.
- I was really stuck for a featured website this month. I was about to just skip it, when I went to take a look at a site I created several years ago, my Super-Rings website. My thought at the time was to create a ring of web-rings, thus providing a single source for all the information you'd ever want to find on a particular topic. I spent many hours putting together an "RV Super-Ring" and a "World War II Super-Ring", but haven't really even visited the site in a couple of years. To my surprise, the hit count on the RV Super-Ring is 675 and the World War II Super-Ring is 600 -- who are these people and how did they find this obscure website? I guess I'll leave it there. Who knows? Maybe I'll get back to it someday. And maybe it will provide some entertainment for others in the meantime. Check it out to see the hundreds of websites associated with RVs and World War II.
Here's a list of some interesting things, some of which will make me a few bucks if you need them and buy them here:
- Dream Lifestyles to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How to Get a Life By .... whatever .. you fill in the blank. Check them out here.
- Camp at Half of What Everyone Else is Paying! No home park, no monthly maintenance fees, no long-term obligation, just pay the small annual fee and camp for half-price. Check it out here.
- Dream Jobs to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All you need to know about How To Break Into ... whatever is your dream job. Check them out here.
- $50 Websites! Instead of the hundreds or even thousands charged by most, I've decided to build websites for $50. Why so cheap? -- I enjoy building them and I'm trying to build a business. If you or any acquaintances would like to have a presence on the world-wide internet, either for personal or business, check out my websites listed on my business website at http://www.robert-hoffman-consulting.com/
So what do I want to chatter about tonight? I could offer my views on the recent presidential election, but I'd probably alienate about half of you. I will say that I'm glad there wasn't the controversy and delay that resulted from the fiasco in 2000. Other than that ... I'm silent.
What I can talk about is one of my favorite topics, Texas Hold'Em. Is it amazing or what? I'm constantly surprised by the reactions I get when I mention it to people I meet. Old people, young people, men, women, all types of people seem to be fascinated by poker. They're either playing, thinking about playing, or wanting to find out how to start playing. Most everyone has seen it on the Travel Channel, ESPN, or Bravo. It's beginning to remind me of the stock market "frenzy" that happened back in 1998-2000, before the "bubble burst." I've been reading about young people who are quitting their jobs to play online poker full-time -- what's that about? Sounds like day traders. Much like the market was in 1999, almost anybody seems to be able to go out there and make some money at the online casinos. On the other side of the coin, it's also very easy to get too confident and lose a bunch. I've done both and have now sort of settled down to entertaining myself when I have time, making a few dollars without trying to get rich quick, and continue to try to improve my skills. I still have that urge to play live poker, but haven't really had a good opportunity yet. I hear they have live Texas Hold'Em on the FREE Sun Cruz cruise ship casino up at Port Canaveral. I imagine Joyce and I will get up there sometime in December, if we can stay home for awhile. In the meantime, I continue playing online when time permits, take a bunch of notes on what I learn, keep updating my Secrets of Online Hold'Em Poker WebBook, and just generally use it for relaxation and enjoyment. Have you tried it yet? If you'd like to learn, you'll find the basics on my Poker page -- FREE. Mainly, you just go out there and start with play money, then move to real money if and when you decide you're ready. As with any gambling, you don't play with money that you can't afford to lose and you keep an eye on yourself to make sure it doesn't become an obsession. Did I say obsession? ... hmmm ... don't think it is yet.
Well, I guess that's it for this month. Guess I'll take a break now and go play some online poker ... hahaha.
TRIVIA ANSWER: The first speed limit was set at 12 miles per hour.
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Email rjhoffman@yahoo.com to sign up for the next newsletter, coming whenever I'm in the mood again.
Are you addicted to anything? Maybe you are and just don't know it yet!
When I was growing up in the 50's, about the only recognized addiction was alcoholism. And, I guess if you were one of those few who smoked Mary Jane, you were then a dope fiend. Other than that, there was none. Even smoking was considered just one of those things that almost everyone over the age of 16 did.
In 2004, there are many more things you can be addicted to. I've even heard of sex addiction -- isn't that what we all had a few years ago? I heard someone on TV the other day saying that if you spend 10 hours a day on the internet, you're addicted to the internet ... hmmm. What'all am I addicted to?
Internet? Yup! I spend probably 10 or more hours online every day. I have a couple of clients that I do things for on the internet. Then I maintain websites, then I check my 4 main email accounts (each one for a specific set of email contacts), then I take a break -- by playing poker on the internet! And, while spending all that time on the internet, I also keep one of my two desk-top TVs tuned to CNBC all day to watch the stock market ... hmmm ... the stock market ...
Stock Market? Yup! Guess so ... back in the heyday of the bubble, I was making at least 2-3 trades every day. That's dropped to 2-3 a month now, but I still watch it every day on one of those two desktop TVs .. hmmm ... two desktop TVs ...
TV? Yup! I formerly had 3 TVs I could watch while internet-ing. Got cut down to two when my office got moved out of the living room into a separate room of its own. Now, I keep CNBC on one most of the day, then use the other to watch Price is Right, SciFi Channel, at least 3 or 4 Law and Order's every day, then Poker whenever it's on ... hmmm ... Poker ...
Poker? Yup! I would guess that if you play a couple or 3 hours of Poker every night, there are those that would say you're addicted. Hey! There's nothing decent on TV! What do you want me to do? Read a book or something?
Oh, well ... at least I don't drink ... much. Quit smoking 12 years ago. What does one do in their retirement, if not feed their addictions? I know people who play Golf every single day! And my wife, Joyce, is obviously addicted to HGTV and shopping. I guess we're all addicted to something -- if you're enjoying it and not hurting yourself or others, have at it!
Is an obsession different from an addiction? Some have told me that I appear to be obsessed with retirement and RVing. My online Merriam-Webster tells me that Obsessions pertain to ideas and Addictions to substances. Either the meaning of addiction is in the process of change or M-W is wrong this time. Maybe all my problems listed above are obsessions .. or maybe they're just pastimes. No substance = no addiction .. Ok, I'll go with M-W.
November Travel: Spent a weekend in Ft. Lauderdale celebrating Steve's (Joyce's son) birthday, as planned. Stayed at Paradise Island, a great Passport America park with a great WiFi system, right in the middle of Ft. Lauderdale. Seems like we're finding a bunch of parks these days that fit our requirements -- Passport America, WiFi, and cable TV. Paradise at least had 2 out of 3.
December Travel: Probably a couple of working trips for WiFiRV, but mainly just staying home enjoying the fantastic Florida weather. Can't think of anywhere outside the state that I'd need to go during the cold of winter.
The Great Book Give-Away: Had two winners on the 23,000 mark. They were within a couple of hours of each other, so I gave them each a book. See Retirement-Tips home page for announcement.
Read on for calendar quotes, notes on my latest site updates, the usual words about how I'd make some money if you guys would buy something off the website, and wrapping up with my Ramblings on whatever occurs to me between now and then.
December 2004 quote from my Damon Happy Traveling RV Calendar: "To head unfailingly, unflinchingly, towards a goal is the secret of success." - Anna Pavlova. The Trivia Challenge : What state borders only one other state? -- answer in Ramblings below. And .. this is the last Quote and Trivia, unless Damon sends me a new calendar or I find a new source.
- Oops! Where did the time go? I haven't done any site updates worth talking about here. A few minor changes on most of the sites that I maintain, but unless you're interested in the December hours at Nostalgia or the gear that Girl Scouts are supposed to bring on their Secret Agent Training Camp Out, there's not much to mention.
- Since I've featured all the websites that I'm currently maintaining, I've decided to just point to websites that I've heard about this month that I've found highly entertaining or informative. This month, I've got three. I've forgotten who told me about each, but here they are:
Second is a very nostalgic site of a man singing the Statler Brothers' song Do you remember these? If you're into nostalgia, visit http://www.singingman.us/DYR.htm
Here's a list of some interesting things, some of which will make me a few bucks if you need them and buy them here:
- Dream Lifestyles to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How to Get a Life By .... whatever .. you fill in the blank. Check them out here.
- Camp at Half of What Everyone Else is Paying! No home park, no monthly maintenance fees, no long-term obligation, just pay the small annual fee and camp for half-price. Check it out here.
- Dream Jobs to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All you need to know about How To Break Into ... whatever is your dream job. Check them out here.
- $50 Websites! Instead of the hundreds or even thousands charged by most, I've decided to build websites for $50. Why so cheap? -- I enjoy building them and I'm trying to build a business. If you or any acquaintances would like to have a presence on the world-wide internet, either for personal or business, check out my websites listed on my business website at http://www.robert-hoffman-consulting.com/
Well, here's where I just talk about something that interests me. I was going to talk about Poker again and about the great Thanksgiving week I had, where I started by dropping $450 into the Party Poker bank and ended the week with $780, but I think I'll leave that for the next chapter in my Secrets for Winning Online Hold'Em Poker Ebook+WebBook chapter. Buy the book and you'll hear about the week.
Instead, I'm going to whine a little about something that's been a pet peeve of mine for years and years -- the way that stores, especially grocery stores, manipulate us into buying what they want us to buy instead of what we really want to buy. The first major example of this that I noticed was back a few years when they introduced Vlasic pickles. Now, I'd been buying some other brand, Heinz I think, for years. Suddenly, I noticed that there was less and less shelf-space for Heinz pickles and more and more for Vlasic. Eventually, Vlasic was the only pickle on the shelf! I recall stubbornly refusing to buy them for quite some time, then finally bending rather than go into pickle withdrawals. Since then, Heinz has returned and I still don't buy Vlasic.
The reason I'm mentioning this is because of the recent manipulation being pulled off by Slim-Fast, aided and abetted by Walmart. Now, I like Walmart -- I'd guess that Joyce and I visit a Walmart at least 4-5 times every week -- usually more. But I don't like being told what to buy! I've been drinking Slim-Fast Rich Chocolate Royale for about 10 years or so. It's my breakfast about 360 days out of the year. A few years ago, I noticed that the Walmart store brand, Equate, had a knockoff that tasted as good as the Slim-Fast and was $3.74 compared to Slim-Fast at about $3.98. I tried it and actually liked it better. About 6 months ago, I noticed that the Equate was suddenly more expensive than Slim-Fast. I tried to go back to Slim-Fast, but liked the Equate better, so paid the extra pennies. About a month ago, I noticed that there was no more Equate Chocolate Royale to be had. What's more, there's no more Slim-Fast Rich Chocolate Royale! What there is now is a new Slim-Fast Optima, priced at almost $6, in the Rich Chocolate Royale flavor. Seems like Walmart has teamed up with Slim-Fast to sell their more expensive new product! Being stubborn as I am, I've switched to the Creamy Milk Chocolate flavor. Not as much to my liking, but I feel like I'm at least bucking the system.
And speaking of grocery store whines .. have you noticed how many products are not more economical when you buy the large economy size? I first noticed this years ago with Wesson Oil. About the time they started putting the price per ounce on the price-tag, I noticed that buying the medium size is better than buying the large. Same thing on Kraft sliced cheese. You buy the 24-slice, you pay more per ounce than for the 16-slice, plus you get thinner slices. The latest one, which really surprised me, was when my wife bought a 750 ML bottle of Arbor Mist White Zinfandel. I always buy the larger 1-Liter bottle to save money. WRONG! I checked the per-ounce price and you're better off with the smaller bottle! Ain't life interesting?!? Seems like there ought to be a law that says the bigger the size, the better the deal. But that's just not the way life is, I guess.
Enough whining for today .. hope you enjoyed the newsletter, which included very little on RVs. Most of this is probably of interest to retirees, however, so I guess I'm still on track. Or maybe I'm just becoming a complaining old curmudgeon and should start putting more positive stuff in here.
TRIVIA ANSWER: Maine (with New Hampshire).
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Email rjhoffman@yahoo.com to sign up for the next newsletter, coming whenever I'm in the mood again.
