Food: I Love Food / The Grocery Store Highlights

Ok, I don't know about you, but I love food.  Always have.  Expect I always will.  It's not like the former eating disorder me of "I want to gorge myself"...that's not 'loving' food.  That's inhaling food.  There's a difference.

No, I mean I love food.  I love the way it tastes. I love how enjoying variety creates space for pleasure and presence.  Watermelon in the summer makes you feel like you're in summer and eating candy on a hot day, whereas oranges in January make you marvel at the flavor and warmth as they bake into cranberry scones.  With my food sensitivities and GI issues, I can't always revel in the beauty of all foods like other can, and I think that makes me enjoy and appreciate food even more.  

So, spent today at the grocery store.  Well, ok, not the whole day.  An hour.  Spent an hour at the grocery store.  I venture to various stores for various reasons and products.  Today was The Fresh Market.  It's like what Whole Foods used to be like when it was good and now Amazon owned.  I went to get Frontier soup, specifically Corn Chowder, because it's my husband's favorite and we have an extra carton of cream (b/c I overestimated for another recipe), so why not!

But, as we all know, once you're in a grocery story - and if you love food and aren't on a VERY specific budget - you can keep spending.  So suddenly I was making recipes in my head and picking up things 'for the week'.  Even tried a new ice cream!  We'll see how that tastes, soon.  

Then there are the staples you always get.  I have a few:  

• Aloha bars are a must.  Finally a protein bar that doesn't taste like cardboard.  Our favorites are Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, Chocolate Chip, and Chocolate Caramel Pecan.  We've had other favorites in the past, but as companies keep changing recipes or discontinuing things, we have to keep popping around. I don't love everything from this company, but these three bars are a win!  Be sure to check the ingredients, because different bars use different nut butters, so you'll want to pick one that works for you.
• Enjoy Life Mega Chunk Chocolate Chips.  Yes, please!  Real chocolate.  Real ingredients.  No guilt.  And the size of the mega chunks are e-v-e-r-y-thing.

• Rishi Ginger / Tumeric Tea - loose leaf or bags - A spa gave this to me one day, and I immediately went home and ordered a year's supply.  My GI tract has not looked back.  I didn't even think I'd love the intensity of tumeric and ginger, because they're specific and potent, but I do.  It's got a sweet and spicy quality to it.  But, beyond loving the flavor, I found that if I drink it daily or near daily, it actually helps with my GI issues, and I've tried nearly everything (even a lot of drugs don't help me).  I'm blown away.  Thank you, Rishi, for making such a great product!
• Elmhurst Milked Oats - A dairy-free milk that's actually clean. No added sugar, no garbage ingredients, just 3 simple things.  Finally!  We both were vegan 10 years ago (that's another journey for another day) and we've been through nearly all the alternative milks out there.  Oat was our preference when it came out, but we couldn't get past the sugar and 'junk' ingredients.  Then we found this one.  Great for lattes, cereal, and even baking.  I'll spend the extra.  It's worth it.

Even grabbed us some take away sushi. I know, it's not the same as a restaurant, but it hit the spot. A whole half-of-a-grocery-cart later, I came home with a pantry and fridge refresh and some summer food moments (watermelon, guacamole, watermelon juice, corn chowder mix, etc).  Already salivating.  It'll be a good week.

Share what you love to eat and why! 

LMOH: Dog Walking Attire

Ok, I don't know about you, but my dog loves walks.  He does - he could go for a "walkies" 17 times a day if I were in the mood.  He likes short walks, mind you (.3 miles at a time or less), but he loves them nonetheless.

He also has to go in the early morning hours and the evening hours, hours when usually I am in my pajamas.  Now, I don't know how you do it, but I don't want to have to change into different attire to take him up and down the block every time he asks to go out.  So, during the hot summer months when my PJs are light but maybe not what I would consider attire comfortable enough for me to be going for a walk without some kind of cover up, I've always felt a little 'stranded'.  I felt like my options were: a coat or cardigan, or change my attire.

Until now!  I have discovered the long, sleeveless cardigan.  And I'm OBSESSED.

Link: https://amzn.to/4v8beog

I always prefer black, and this one has pockets.  There are other colors, but they don't have pockets.  

When you pick one up, let me know your thoughts!

If you need other dog walking faves of mine:

Dog bags (biodegradable): https://amzn.to/43afJCR

Harness 1: https://amzn.to/4nJeMux 

Harness 2: https://amzn.to/4dG8kQw

Leash (it comes with a dog bag attachment!): https://amzn.to/43usHuZ

AOT: Insurance Marketplace

How many folks do you know being displaced right now?  It's happening in every market - tech, sales, finance, education, healthcare, etc.

And what do all these folks (in the US) have in common?  They're all scrambling to figure out their insurance.

Proposal:  All individuals get their insurance "on the market".  No employer coverages.  Employers can provide pre-tax dollars to pay for health insurance coverage (like an HSA but of the actual monthly cost, so it would either be in the same HSA/FSA bucket or a wholly separate account...can decide that later).  That way, the family knows and has budgeted for their medical expenses for the year, regardless of their employment situation.  Still have all the companies available to you to pick from.  Still have all the plan options, but this gives people real ability to plan their life.  Employers can offer perks of "assistance in coverage costs" and if you lose your job you lose that benefit...kind of like "employed vs cobra" now, but it's not as much of a shock when you lose your job and then see what COBRA actually costs.

I know of a situation where the insured spouse was displaced.  You'd think: "Luckily, the benefits continue through the severance period"...and while that's true and good in one aspect (the immediacy of needing to find coverage is foregone) the flip side is not so great.  They're going to be done with severance in Aug. Their coverage is good though Aug.  Starting Sept 1 they have to find new insurance.  

Now, you might also think: "Luckily, the spouse is employed and can get insurance," and, again, while true, their employer requires up to 60 days notice of a qualifying event to effectively change coverage.  So, for them to be covered starting Sept 1, they have to submit paperwork of the qualifying event by June 1.  

So, now you're thinking: "Fine, just submit the termination paperwork, and that'll be it".  Nope. The spouse's employer requires the COBRA information and any other documentation showing the end date of coverage.  The originally employed / covered spouse's company doesn't sent that letter until AFTER the severance period ends.

If you're doing math, that means:  Last date of severance is (let's say) August 7.  Aug 7 company 1 sends the info.  It arrives (if we're pretending mail sends quickly) by Aug 14.  Spouse submits it to company 2 Aug 17th (b/c sometimes mail comes after business hours).  Now company 2 technically has until October 17th to cover them (so possibly starting coverage Oct or even Nov).

That means this couple has the potential to be without coverage or have to pay COBRA prices for 1-3 months (Aug, Sept, Oct).

"So just save the money" you say.  Fine.  We'll forgo the reality that COBRA can be 3-5x what the individual is paying through their company.  But remember, each time you change insurance company coverages, your deductible restarts.  So, while COBRA allows them to keep their coverage and their paid-to-date deductible...their coverage will start over in Sept/Oct when they move to the spouse's insurance.

So why not stay on COBRA?  That's a fair argument, and maybe for this couple being in the back-half of the year, that makes sense. But what if you're laid off the first half of the year and you already had a decent number of health events?

The whole system is messed up and needs to be redone.  I just feel for all these people in the middle of these horrific events already trying to figure out their upended lives without the stress of managing through health care too.

LMOH: A Small Token

 Yesterday I headed to a book event where I had a booth to sell my novels (www.lastbitepublishing.com for all my works).  The event ended up just okay for me, as it was really more of a romance / fantasy crowd and my books have a hyper-realism vibe.  But I didn’t know that going in, and events can be 50/50 on the cash vs venmo situation, so I stopped by the bank to grab some small bills in case I needed to make change (I didn’t, but again, didn’t know that.)

Well, after I was handed my cash, the teller also handed me a white carnation and said, “Happy Mother’s Day”.  Wow.  I stood a little baffled for a moment and then took the flower and said thank you, and as I stared at the carnation, confused, walking out of the bank, I surprised myself by suddenly smiling.  What a fun surprise!  I may not be a mom in the traditional sense of having human children, but I do have fur babies.  I am a mom.  And even if I didn’t, you know what? The fact that a bank spent the money to give me a flower is fun.  Mom or not.  So many companies are taking things away from consumers right now and firing people claiming “AI” and “budget” (opinions on that reserved for another day), that consumers are just exhausted.  I loved every moment of having that flower, even though I had no need for it.  It was thoughtful and kind, and I know it cost even the tiniest bit of money that other companies would have cried “no budget!” and run the other way.  

Do I want or need a flower every time I go to run an errand?  No.  But would I love to see more companies spend a little extra to make customers feel appreciated?  10000%. Because without us, and without us having disposable income…they have no customers.