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Comment by Phoebe Macon on March 2, 2011 at 6:43pm

Best and Worst Dollar Store Buys

By Erin Burt, Kiplinger.com

When you're trying to save money, the dollar store can seem like a magical place. Abracadabra, everything's a buck or less! But just because something's inexpensive doesn't make it a good buy at such retail establishments.

Party Supplies: Dollar Store Deal

We went shopping to find out what's a good deal at the dollar store, and what's not:

Party Supplies: DEAL

Everything from party invitations to decorations to balloons are worth buying at the dollar store. For instance, foil balloons easily run from $3 to $8 a pop at party-supply stores, gift shops and supermarkets. But you can get them for $1 each -- helium included -- at the dollar store.

Goodie bags, party favors and color-coordinated paper plates, napkins, cups and plastic cutlery are also a good buy.

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Cleaning Supplies: Dollar Store Deal

Cleaning supplies: DEAL

According to the Good Housekeeping Institute, the cleaners you buy at the dollar store work just fine. You probably won't find many name brands, but the ingredients are similar -- though perhaps more diluted. For everyday cleaning, they should do the trick. (For tougher cleaning jobs, you may have to spring for something more heavy-duty.)

You can also get a go

Comment by Phoebe Macon on March 2, 2011 at 6:41pm

Vitamins: No Dollar Store Deal

Vitamins: NO DEAL

Don't scoop up your vitamins at the dollar store. Consumer Reports found that dollar-store multi-vitamins didn't always have the amount of nutrients claimed on the label. And others didn't dissolve fast enough to be absorbed by the body. You may be better off getting vitamins from a well-known store brand, such as Rite Aid, Walgreens or CVS.

 

Greeting cards: Dollar Store Deal

Greeting Cards: DEAL

Greeting cards are nice, but are they really worth $4? We think it's the thought or sentiment that counts, not what you spend. Our local dollar store has a big selection of cards for every occasion, at 50-cents each. They're good-quality, too, so the recipient won't even guess that you scrimped.

 

Basic School Supplies: No Dollar Store Deal

Basic School Supplies: NO DEAL

While the dollar store has decent deals on many school supplies, we didn't find them to be much better than the prices at Walmart.

For pencils, notebooks, highlighters, crayons, glue sticks, scissors, sticky notes and more, it's best to stock up when they go on sale during back-to-school season (August-September). The rest of the year, you can hit either the dollar store or Walmart with confidence

Comment by Phoebe Macon on March 2, 2011 at 6:40pm

Seasonal or holiday items, such as Valentine's day, Easter eggs and Christmas tree decorations: DEAL

Whether you need to stuff Easter baskets or Valentine's day boxes, or you simply want to deck the halls for your favorite holiday, you might save a few bucks at the dollar store.

Seasonal paper plates and napkins (i.e. with pumpkins or Santa Claus on them) are also a good deal -- we found packs of 20 for $1. On decorations, bargains can be hit-or-miss and subject to opinion. For example, we found a set of icicle ornaments that looked beautiful on our tree this year, but the imitation pine wreaths looked too cheap and scraggly for our taste.

Pregnancy Tests: Dollar Store Deal

Pregnancy Tests: DEAL

Babies are expensive from the very beginning. The cheapest pregnancy test at our local Walgreens cost $8. But you can get one at the dollar store for a buck. Both are 99% effective, both test for hormone levels with similar sensitivity. And at $1 a pop, you can afford to test and re-test as much as you like if you simply don't believe your eyes.

Pain Medications: No Dollar Store Deal

Aspirin, ibuprofen and other medications: NO DEAL

Consumer Reports warns that aspirin and other medications may be left on the shelf past their expiration dates. It also points out that some labels may not say where the medicine was manufactured.

While there haven't been any safety concerns about dollar-store meds, generic aspirin from your local pharmacy or supermarket is probably a better bet -- and may not cost too much more.

Gift Wrapping Supplies: Dollar Store Deal

Gift Wrapping Supplies: DEAL

You can get a 20-foot roll of gift wrap at the dollar store for a buck, while you'll pay at least three times that at big-box and party-supply stores. Gift bags cost up to $5 at other stores, depending on size. But at the dollar store, all sizes are $1. We also found huge savings on tissue paper, up to 75% off prices elsewhere. And don't forget the Scotch tape!

Comment by Phoebe Macon on March 2, 2011 at 6:39pm

Toys: No Dollar Store Deal

Toys: NO DEAL

It's tempting to buy toys for only $1. But there's definitely a trade-off in quality. Many dollar-store toys are cheaply made and they can be dangerous when they break.

Baby toys should generally be avoided because they will go directly into the mouth, and dollar-store toys may have unsafe levels of lead and phthalates, which are a class of chemicals found in soft plastics.

Canned food and other pantry items: NO DEAL

You may be able to get these cheaper elsewhere. For example, our nearby dollar store sells Green Giant canned vegetables and Goya beans for $1 a can. But we found the exact same items at Walmart for less, and generic brands at even bigger savings. Dollar-store cake and brownie mixes come in smaller packages so watch the unit price. Also, you should keep an eye on the expiration dates on food at the dollar store. They may be near or past their freshness date.

Batteries and Electronics: NO DEAL

Consumer Reports warns that dollar store electronics and extension cords may have fake UL labels and could be unsafe. It's better to spend a little extra for quality and safety. Also, cheap batteries may be prone to leakage, or may not run your gadgets as long as pricier brands. Many dollar stores sell carbon-zinc batteries which are less efficient than the alkaline variety.

Cooking and Dining Accessories: DEAL

We found spoons, spatulas, cheese graters, ice cream scoops and more at the dollar store for 50% to 90% off the prices at Target and Walmart. We also spotted wine glasses, dining plates and flatware for less. Almost anything is a good buy in the kitchen department, with the exception of knives, which may be flimsy or dull.

Comment by Phoebe Macon on March 2, 2011 at 1:37am

L.A. City Council Backs Plan To Dissolve Vernon's Cityhood

The small town's officials protest, saying they will fight to keep it —and its coveted tax base — intact.



Los Angeles resident John Walsh points to California Assembly Speaker John A. Perez during public comments at City Hall. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times / March 1, 2011)



By Sam Allen and Hector Becerra, Los Angeles Times

March 2, 2011


With the future of Vernon on the line, everyone seems to want a piece of the small but wealthy industrial city.


On Tuesday, the battle over the city's fate moved to Los Angeles City Hall, where the City Council voted unanimously to support a bill in the Legislature that would dissolve Vernon and make it an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County. The bill would leave Vernon's sizable and coveted tax base up for grabs, and several surrounding cities are expected to be interested in annexation.


But Vernon is not going down without a fight. City backers bused workers from Vernon to City Hall for a rally against disincorporation before the council meeting. Inside the chambers, the action grew heated when Vernon's city administrator shouted at an L.A. firefighters union official whom he said had disrespected his town.


During the protest, the bill's author, Assembly Speaker John Pérez, gathered heavyweights inside City Hall — including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and County Supervisor Gloria Molina — to showcase support for Vernon's dissolution. The group cited a history of public corruption charges as well as longstanding accusations that Vernon lacks a legitimate electorate because the leaders there are able to hand-pick residents.


Molina called Vernon a company town "masquerading as a city," adding: "They have a lot of money; they will hire very expensive lawyers to fight this all the way, if needed, to the Supreme Court. That is what they will do. They will resist any change whatsoever."


Pérez said the bill, AB 46, had already garnered support from 69 assemblymen and 23 state senators. It is expected to be considered by the Assembly's local government committee later this month and could come up for vote in September.


The Los Angeles City Council ultimately sided strongly with Pérez, despite vehement arguments from Vernon business owners and labor leaders that the bill would cause a loss in jobs.


The debate underscored the intense interest in the 5.2-square-mile industrial city, which has come under fire in the months since The Times revealed high salaries and other benefits paid to top officials. One administrator, Eric T. Fresch, made as much as $1.65 million in 2008. Fresch still works for the city as a legal consultant.


But Vernon is also an important commercial hub, supporters say, with about 1,800 businesses and some 50,000 workers. The city also operates an electric utility and has its own police and fire departments. It has projected $295 million in revenues for the current fiscal year.


"Many business owners have said 'if the city goes away, so do we,'" said Peter Corselli, who manages a cold storage business in Vernon.

Comment by Phoebe Macon on March 2, 2011 at 1:34am

If successful, Pérez's bill would create an opportunity for Los Angeles or other cities to annex Vernon and add its huge base of businesses. Maria Elena Durazo, head of the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, submitted a letter Tuesday asking that language from the Los Angeles City Council resolution advocating annexation be removed.


Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn removed any talk of annexation from the motion approved Tuesday, but she and other council members indicated they planned to discuss the issue later. Councilwoman Jan Perry said she was still interested in exploring annexation further.


Numerous cities throughout southeast Los Angeles County are buzzing about the future of Vernon, which has long been viewed as one of the wealthiest and most powerful municipalities in the area.


Two officials from Maywood, which is facing federal investigation, attended Tuesday's meeting and said they supported the disincorporation bill. Leaders in City of Commerce have also formally discussed the bill, and Pérez said he was aware of interest in Huntington Park and the unincorporated area of East Los Angeles.


But Pérez said his top priority at this point was eliminating what he described as an "unprecedented and unequaled level of corruption" in Vernon's municipal government.


Opponents of the bill, however, questioned Pérez's intentions. Some said they believed the bill was an attempt to seize Vernon's tax base.


"Speaker Pérez has a vendetta against the city of Vernon," said Stan Stosel, a coordinator with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 47. "This is a naked power grab."


No officials from Vernon spoke at the council meeting, but several local business owners said the city was serious about running its government in a more open way. Juliet Goff, who runs a manufacturing company in Vernon, said disincorporation would bring higher taxes and electricity rates that would make "small businesses like mine disappear."


She continued: "There are ways to fix [Vernon] without destroying it."


Tensions ran high throughout much of Tuesday's hearing. Council President Eric Garcetti repeatedly asked the crowd to refrain from jeering, and police officers had to stop an argument between a labor leader and another man.


At another point, Vernon City Administrator Mark Whitworth shouted loudly at Pat McOsker, the president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles. McOsker had remarked that Los Angeles offered a superior fire department to Vernon's and characterized Vernon's department as anti-union.


Whitworth, who is also Vernon's fire chief, declined an interview request Tuesday afternoon, but a city spokesman, Fred MacFarlane, said that McOsker's claims were "false and disrespectful."


Vernon also released a statement Tuesday stating that Pérez's bill would violate the state Constitution and "improperly disenfranchise the voters of Vernon." The release cited an elite group of law firms that the city has hired to try to defeat the bill.


The city has also launched an expensive advertisement campaign and hired a powerful team of lobbyists to try to derail the legislation.


Pérez said that state and federal case law supported his legislation and argued that he could accomplish disincorporation without harming businesses. "Nobody takes the issue of jobs more seriously than me," he said.


sam.allen@latimes.com

Comment by Phoebe Macon on February 25, 2011 at 12:45pm

Thank You Tawnette & The Same To You, God Bless You Always Girlfriend!!

Love and Blessings, Phoebe c/o '75

 

 

Comment by Tawnette Fulton- Gilbert on February 25, 2011 at 12:32pm

EVERYONE HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!

GOD BLESS

TAWNETTE (72)

Comment by Tawnette Fulton- Gilbert on February 25, 2011 at 12:28pm

I WILL LIFT UP MY EYES TO THE HILLS ---- FROM WHENCE COMES MY HELP?

PSALM 120:1

GOD BLESS

TAWNETTE (72)

Comment by Phoebe Macon on February 24, 2011 at 1:18am

 

 

 

A True To Life Poem About Life's Journey
By Chuck Danes


"Life's Journey Poem: Recalling Your Life Purpose"


Each of us is sent here with a purpose to unfold
Each given only so much time to complete before you’re old.
Upon arrival you are sure of the plan to be unfurled
But as you grow you then absorb the teachings of the world.


You’re taught about the things in life, what’s real and right and true
You’re told by those that love you most what you’re suppose to do.
You're taught about what’s right and wrong based on what they believe
To often shown your limitations, not what you can achieve.


You continue on your journey and do the best you can
To follow this direction, these established ways of man.
You stay within the boundaries of these things you're told are true
Knowing little of the damage long term that they can do.


Through this ensuing process your memories get weak
Your once held purpose since replaced, with the material things you seek.
The plan that you were sent here for, now a distant memory
It’s the earthly teaching you’ve received that makes it faint you see.


As life goes on you start to sense that you have lost your way
Not realizing yet that false beliefs have brought you here today.
Achieving all that they have claimed would bring you happiness
There’s still a hunger deep within, these "things" cannot suppress.


You search for deeper meaning, you long to find the truth
Not just what others say is right and taught you in your youth.
But true answers to your questions that point you toward the light
Which lead you toward that once known path, and brings your purpose back in sight.


You’ve come upon a place in life, there’s unrest in your soul
The path that you’ve been following leaves you feeling less than whole.
You begin to seek your purpose, that which you were sent to do
You reflect on many things you’ve learned but few of them ring true.


So many things that you were taught you find to be untrue
Innocently by those you love who taught you all they knew.
The more you learn the more your mind resists this newfound news
It goes against what’s stored within and creates conflicting views.

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