CVS quits smoking!

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know how much I love CVS.  I buy many of my cosmetic products there, along w/ ALL of my paper goods (paper towels, toilet paper, table napkins, etc.) because their Earth Essentials line is all recycled.  CVS has great weekly sales and when they email a coupon, you can send it to your ExtraCare card so there's no remembering coupons involved.  The CVS Beauty Club pays a $5 reward for every $50 you spend on beauty products.

I could go on and on about how CVS saves smart shoppers money, but I was stunned when I awoke to the news a few weeks ago that CVS has decided to stop selling cigarettes on October 1st.  If I knew the CEO I would give him a big, wet kiss!  What a bold, forward thinking move.  The company apparently wants to be known as a health provider & cigarettes do not fit the image.  Bravo!

I quit smoking for good on my 30th birthday.  It was one of the hardest things I've ever done.  We were about to go on strike, but my WGA union chief Mona Mangan convinced me that there would never be another day like this one, so I set my sights on quitting that day.  I cheated just once, when OJ Simpson was found not guilty of killing his wife.  We did a rather disastrous broadcast @ PrimeTime Live and I ended up in tears (the only time I've ever cried at work).

Anyway back to CVS.  My local CVS is just 2 blocks away and since it is open 24 hours, it frequently serves as my nightly dog walk destination, especially when it's horribly cold.  Cookie is my licensed service dog so she is welcome in the store.

The employees are very helpful & friendly, so I can only assume that they are treated well.  At this point, I'd like to give a shout out to managers Azhak Majid and Anthony Gabriel, who help me w/ the automated check-out, find items I need and solve any problems that arise.  The staff has truly learned the classic phrase, "the customer is always right."

This is a great company.  I even bought some of their stock (CVS $73.14), recommended by the Motley Fool, which I subscribed to when I wanted to learn about the stock market.  We'll talk about my stock philosophy in a later post.

Love CVS.  Hope you do, too!

Convenience vs. cash

Like most of us, I like to live w/ ease.  I will do almost anything I can do to make life easier.  Developing Multiple Sclerosis enforced the need to live w/ as much ease as possible.  Life is hard enough w/o a long list of "shoulds" or "supposed to's". 

This philosophy requires us to examine many things we do out of habit and ask, "Why?"  Does it make you happy?  If it doesn't, it's time to take another look.  

Everyone hates housework.  Here are a few things I do to lighten the laundry load:

1) I do not fold my lingerie.

2) I do not use top sheets.  A duvet cover or cotton bedspread is just as comfortable.

3) While on vacation one year I developed a laundry reduction system.  Everyone gets 1 large beach towel and 1 large bath towel.  Color coordination is key!

4) Before I wash socks, I put them in a knit wash bag.  Matching them is a snap and I haven't lost a sock since my ex-husband (who stubbornly wouldn't do this) moved out!

I also like saving money, so it's not a burden for me to color my own hair.  The cost of hair coloring - even w/ Groupon - is more than $200 here on the Upper East Side.  Doing it myself costs less than $10.

Food, at one time, was a major part of a household budget.  Today, for a variety of reasons, food is taking a much smaller bite, but often it still comes down to the choice between convenience & cash.

I confess that I keep several bags of frozen chopped onions in my freezer.  I purchase them regularly because chopped onions are a staple & frankly, I don't want to cry while cooking!  If I didn't feel this way, I could save money buying 3 onions for $1 and chopping and freezing them myself.  I do this w/ peppers on sale and chili is then quick & easy!

Sometimes saving money cost very little in convenience.  I make popcorn w/a little safflower or corn oil and the raw popcorn you buy in a bag.  It's ridiculously cheaper than the microwave kind and way healthier. Serve it in a paper bag or small shopping bag and only the pot has to be cleaned.

Bottom line is the choice is up to you: cash or convenience.  I recommend banning the phrase "I should" from your vocabulary.  

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Keep calm & carry on...Lori A. Bores