A Couple of Good Deals
I got a couple of great deals in my in box this week, so I thought I would share them with you guys!
Chick-fil-A’s seventh annual Cow Appreciation Day will be held on July 9. On this fun-filled day, any customer who visits a Chick-fil-A restaurant dressed in a full cow costume will receive a FREE meal. Partially cow-dressed customers will receive a FREE entree.
To celebrate Cow Appreciation Day, Chick-fil-A has launched a photo contest at www.cowappreciationday.com to award the best cow-dressed adult and child with FREE Chick-fil-A products for a year. The best cow-dressed child also has an opportunity to win a $1,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond and a digital camera. The web site also includes costume ideas and downloadable cow spots that can be used on your web site.
This exciting celebration continues to grow and is sure to gather quite a bovine following this year as it has in years past! More information about Cow Appreciation Day is pasted below. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have or if you’d like to have photos from last year’s celebration to run with your story.
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Free Offer: Guide to Free Crochet Patterns eBook
Included in this eBook are:
- Crocheting a Picot Stitch (pg. 5)
- How to Crochet a Checkerboard Stitch (pg. 17)
- Beginner Granny Afghan (pg. 32)
- Broomstick Lace Shawl (pg. 40)
- Year of the Tiger Crochet Pattern (pg. 54)
- Many other crochet pages and layouts!
You can get this eBook free at:
http://www.allfreecrochet.com/Tutorials/Guide-to-Free-Crochet-Patterns-eBook
Continue reading A Couple of Good Deals …
From Econobusters.
Getting the Best from Customer Service
Late last week, the New York Times published an article of reader-collected techniques for prevailing in customer service disputes. Here’s a sampling of a few of my favorites from the article:
USE YOUR CAMERA Suzanne Barchers of Stanford, Calif., always photographs any unpleasant surprises in hotel rooms, using her handy digital camera. Of a recent trip to Las Vegas hotel she writes, “When asked upon checkout how my stay was, I simply said, ‘Let me show you.’ ” The images included some dingy towels, broken shelves and a view that was less than promised and paid for. “My bill was cut in half without any prompting.”
ASK THIS SIMPLE QUESTION More than a few readers said that when stymied by phone reps, they simply ask, “What would you do if you were in my situation?” “Amazingly, they’ll often pass along an effective tip about how to get the desired result,” writes Frank Scalpone of Antioch, Calif.
BE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE, PART 2 Several readers note that when you’re talking to a phone rep, time is on your side for two reasons. The first is that phone reps are often timed and expected to churn through a certain number of calls per hour. The second is that nearly all are prohibited from hanging up on you. So the longer you’re willing to stay on the phone and repeat that you are not satisfied, and do not want to end the call, the better your chances of getting what you want.
I have my own repertoire of tactics for getting the best from customer service beyond what’s mentioned in the article. Here are seven tactics I use to make sure I very rarely get awful service.
Do some research before you spend a dime If you’re traveling, check out reviews of the hotels and airlines in the area. If you’re buying a car, research the car. If you’re buying a gadget, research the gadget. Good reviews usually mean you never have to deal with customer service at all.
Have your complaint straight before you even call I usually write out my complaint before contacting customer service of any kind so that I don’t get flustered on the call. I also usually have the problematic product in front of me if possible so I can clearly and accurately describe the problem. It is very easy to get flustered and discredit yourself during a customer service call if you’re not prepared.
Don’t be afraid to be on hold – and use it to your advantage Whenever I get put on hold on a customer service call, I just set my phone to “speaker,” note the time, and get back to whatever I was doing. When someone finally gets on the line, I usually point out that “I’ve sat on hold for X minutes,” which usually raises some immediate sympathy from the person on the other end.
Don’t settle If you’re unhappy with the resolution, stay on the phone. Tell them you’re unhappy with the resolution and explain what you expect from the situation. Don’t be afraid to escalate the situation to their superior. The longer you stay on the phone, the less cost-effective it becomes to continue to try to give you their half-baked solution and the more cost-effective it becomes for them to just give you what you want as a solution. Of course, part of this is knowing what you expect from the call before you even call.
Don’t overuse it Only call customer service lines when you have a real customer service complaint. Many large companies share databases of people who frequently call customer service lines demanding replacement products. These people are (often correctly) identified as scammers and customer service people will often just terminate the call from such people. If you call such lines only when you have a real complaint, you’ll find much more success.
Go public If you have a concern with a company’s service, take it up with them first. If that doesn’t get you the service you expect, go public. Share your story on as many web sites as possible. Take the time to write your complaint in detail and write it calmly – don’t use angry language or name-calling or you discredit your point. Make sure you provide some way to contact you, and post the complaint on review websites. You’d be surprised how often a company will contact a person who makes such a public complaint.
Leverage competition Many businesses will alter their offers if you bring in offer sheets from competing businesses. If you’re making a major purchase, don’t be afraid to shop around for the lowest price, then take that lowest price offer to a retailer that offers good customer service.
Many of these tactics do take time, so I often don’t use them on inexpensive products. I save them for larger battles where there is real value in prevailing.
Good luck!
Continue reading Getting the Best from Customer Service …
From The Simple Dollar.
Day 25~Frugal Family Fun: Scavenger Hunt
One fun and frugal family activity is a fall scavenger hunt. Have fun with just your family, or invite a few friends to join in the fun. You can wrap up the festivities with pie and ice cream. Ask each family to bring a pie to help keep things simple.
Use your imagination to make your own list of items to find or use one of the lists below. Give each individual, family, or group a list of items to find and a bag for their goodies and you’re off! A digital camera can be used as a fun way to record items that are too large to carry.
Here is a great Scavenger Hunt list from EverythingMom.com. It’s unlikely you could find everything on the list, but it would make a great contest to see which team could find the most items. Or work on the entire list as a family, maybe taking more than one outing to find all the items.
Or try this ABC checklist or this more simple list of items to hide and find. Here is a pretty, ready-to-go list that involves getting to know your neighbors.
And you don’t need to freit if the weather is uncooperative. Simply use this fall newspaper scavenger hunt to have some fun!
Enjoy! (And don’t forget the pie and ice cream once you get home!)
Continue reading Day 25~Frugal Family Fun: Scavenger Hunt …
From Econobusters.
Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday
As I’m looking at the pile of papers and books on my desk that I need to go through, I realize that there is another “desktop” that’s been bothering me. It’s the “desktop” on my computer.
If you’re like me, you’ve been compiling all sorts of good “stuff” on your computer. I’ve got all kinds of documents to read, links to visit, and jokes to laugh at! I certainly don’t want to start deleting things – oh no! I might miss something that way. However, every time I sit down at my computer to do something, I look at my virtual piles of stuff and get overwhelmed. And we know what happens when we get overwhelmed by our clutter. We shut down and we don’t think clearly.
So, I am determined to tackle at least one area of my virtual clutter. I would have to say that my pictures have become a particular nuisance. Although I attempted to organize them when I first started using a digital camera, somewhere along the line I lost my momentum and now I have a pile of virtual pictures to sort through. It’s bad enough having loose pictures waiting to go into photo albums, but now I have the same sort of thing happening on my computer!
How does one begin? I am starting with a back up plan. Of course, I want to copy all those pictures onto a disc or thumb drive for off-site storage. I also have a back up done of my computer each night which is a service provided by a data storage company. There are also photo sites like Kodak and Shutterfly that you can use to file your pictures, but these sites should be used for ordering prints and not relied on for photo storage. With my back ups done, I can now go into my pictures and begin organizing.
I have created a new folder for each year. Naming the folder by the year will prove more useful, of course, as time goes by. Once I get a folder for each year, then I’ll be able to make folders for events and store those folders within the year’s folder. It’s a simple procedure, but will definitely take time.
Once I get each year’s folder full of the pictures that belong in that year, I will go ahead and “zip” the older files. This should make my virtual clutter a little more organized which will help me think a bit more clearly. And, if you think virtual clutter is confusing you, just think what it’s doing to your computer! If you’ll notice, the more clutter on your computer, the slower your computer will run. I know it’s time to get rid of some of my computer stuff and sort my piles of virtual clutter when my poor computer just spins and spins and spins, and basically loses it’s snappy response to me.
This may seem like a silly topic, but when you sit down at your computer to load pictures or read through recipes, and your brain starts to grind to a halt, there must be something wrong. Take a few minutes today to look at the virtual clutter on your own computer. Whether virtual clutter has taken over your pictures, your recipes, or your email inbox, clearing the clutter will clear your mind and give you a fresh start on this Tidy Tuesday!
If this project just starts you on a cleaning spree, check out the Spring Cleaning Tips For Mom and you’ll be on a roll!
Continue reading Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday …
From Hillbilly Housewife Blog.
Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday
As I’m looking at the pile of papers and books on my desk that I need to go through, I realize that there is another “desktop” that’s been bothering me. It’s the “desktop” on my computer.
If you’re like me, you’ve been compiling all sorts of good “stuff” on your computer. I’ve got all kinds of documents to read, links to visit, and jokes to laugh at! I certainly don’t want to start deleting things – oh no! I might miss something that way. However, every time I sit down at my computer to do something, I look at my virtual piles of stuff and get overwhelmed. And we know what happens when we get overwhelmed by our clutter. We shut down and we don’t think clearly.
So, I am determined to tackle at least one area of my virtual clutter. I would have to say that my pictures have become a particular nuisance. Although I attempted to organize them when I first started using a digital camera, somewhere along the line I lost my momentum and now I have a pile of virtual pictures to sort through. It’s bad enough having loose pictures waiting to go into photo albums, but now I have the same sort of thing happening on my computer!
How does one begin? I am starting with a back up plan. Of course, I want to copy all those pictures onto a disc or thumb drive for off-site storage. I also have a back up done of my computer each night which is a service provided by a data storage company. There are also photo sites like Kodak and Shutterfly that you can use to file your pictures, but these sites should be used for ordering prints and not relied on for photo storage. With my back ups done, I can now go into my pictures and begin organizing.
I have created a new folder for each year. Naming the folder by the year will prove more useful, of course, as time goes by. Once I get a folder for each year, then I’ll be able to make folders for events and store those folders within the year’s folder. It’s a simple procedure, but will definitely take time.
Once I get each year’s folder full of the pictures that belong in that year, I will go ahead and “zip” the older files. This should make my virtual clutter a little more organized which will help me think a bit more clearly. And, if you think virtual clutter is confusing you, just think what it’s doing to your computer! If you’ll notice, the more clutter on your computer, the slower your computer will run. I know it’s time to get rid of some of my computer stuff and sort my piles of virtual clutter when my poor computer just spins and spins and spins, and basically loses it’s snappy response to me.
This may seem like a silly topic, but when you sit down at your computer to load pictures or read through recipes, and your brain starts to grind to a halt, there must be something wrong. Take a few minutes today to look at the virtual clutter on your own computer. Whether virtual clutter has taken over your pictures, your recipes, or your email inbox, clearing the clutter will clear your mind and give you a fresh start on this Tidy Tuesday!
If this project just starts you on a cleaning spree, check out the Spring Cleaning Tips For Mom and you’ll be on a roll!
Continue reading Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday …
From Hillbilly Housewife Blog.
Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday
As I’m looking at the pile of papers and books on my desk that I need to go through, I realize that there is another “desktop” that’s been bothering me. It’s the “desktop” on my computer.
If you’re like me, you’ve been compiling all sorts of good “stuff” on your computer. I’ve got all kinds of documents to read, links to visit, and jokes to laugh at! I certainly don’t want to start deleting things – oh no! I might miss something that way. However, every time I sit down at my computer to do something, I look at my virtual piles of stuff and get overwhelmed. And we know what happens when we get overwhelmed by our clutter. We shut down and we don’t think clearly.
So, I am determined to tackle at least one area of my virtual clutter. I would have to say that my pictures have become a particular nuisance. Although I attempted to organize them when I first started using a digital camera, somewhere along the line I lost my momentum and now I have a pile of virtual pictures to sort through. It’s bad enough having loose pictures waiting to go into photo albums, but now I have the same sort of thing happening on my computer!
How does one begin? I am starting with a back up plan. Of course, I want to copy all those pictures onto a disc or thumb drive for off-site storage. I also have a back up done of my computer each night which is a service provided by a data storage company. There are also photo sites like Kodak and Shutterfly that you can use to file your pictures, but these sites should be used for ordering prints and not relied on for photo storage. With my back ups done, I can now go into my pictures and begin organizing.
I have created a new folder for each year. Naming the folder by the year will prove more useful, of course, as time goes by. Once I get a folder for each year, then I’ll be able to make folders for events and store those folders within the year’s folder. It’s a simple procedure, but will definitely take time.
Once I get each year’s folder full of the pictures that belong in that year, I will go ahead and “zip” the older files. This should make my virtual clutter a little more organized which will help me think a bit more clearly. And, if you think virtual clutter is confusing you, just think what it’s doing to your computer! If you’ll notice, the more clutter on your computer, the slower your computer will run. I know it’s time to get rid of some of my computer stuff and sort my piles of virtual clutter when my poor computer just spins and spins and spins, and basically loses it’s snappy response to me.
This may seem like a silly topic, but when you sit down at your computer to load pictures or read through recipes, and your brain starts to grind to a halt, there must be something wrong. Take a few minutes today to look at the virtual clutter on your own computer. Whether virtual clutter has taken over your pictures, your recipes, or your email inbox, clearing the clutter will clear your mind and give you a fresh start on this Tidy Tuesday!
If this project just starts you on a cleaning spree, check out the Spring Cleaning Tips For Mom and you’ll be on a roll!
Continue reading Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday …
From Hillbilly Housewife Blog.
Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday
As I’m looking at the pile of papers and books on my desk that I need to go through, I realize that there is another “desktop” that’s been bothering me. It’s the “desktop” on my computer.
If you’re like me, you’ve been compiling all sorts of good “stuff” on your computer. I’ve got all kinds of documents to read, links to visit, and jokes to laugh at! I certainly don’t want to start deleting things – oh no! I might miss something that way. However, every time I sit down at my computer to do something, I look at my virtual piles of stuff and get overwhelmed. And we know what happens when we get overwhelmed by our clutter. We shut down and we don’t think clearly.
So, I am determined to tackle at least one area of my virtual clutter. I would have to say that my pictures have become a particular nuisance. Although I attempted to organize them when I first started using a digital camera, somewhere along the line I lost my momentum and now I have a pile of virtual pictures to sort through. It’s bad enough having loose pictures waiting to go into photo albums, but now I have the same sort of thing happening on my computer!
How does one begin? I am starting with a back up plan. Of course, I want to copy all those pictures onto a disc or thumb drive for off-site storage. I also have a back up done of my computer each night which is a service provided by a data storage company. There are also photo sites like Kodak and Shutterfly that you can use to file your pictures, but these sites should be used for ordering prints and not relied on for photo storage. With my back ups done, I can now go into my pictures and begin organizing.
I have created a new folder for each year. Naming the folder by the year will prove more useful, of course, as time goes by. Once I get a folder for each year, then I’ll be able to make folders for events and store those folders within the year’s folder. It’s a simple procedure, but will definitely take time.
Once I get each year’s folder full of the pictures that belong in that year, I will go ahead and “zip” the older files. This should make my virtual clutter a little more organized which will help me think a bit more clearly. And, if you think virtual clutter is confusing you, just think what it’s doing to your computer! If you’ll notice, the more clutter on your computer, the slower your computer will run. I know it’s time to get rid of some of my computer stuff and sort my piles of virtual clutter when my poor computer just spins and spins and spins, and basically loses it’s snappy response to me.
This may seem like a silly topic, but when you sit down at your computer to load pictures or read through recipes, and your brain starts to grind to a halt, there must be something wrong. Take a few minutes today to look at the virtual clutter on your own computer. Whether virtual clutter has taken over your pictures, your recipes, or your email inbox, clearing the clutter will clear your mind and give you a fresh start on this Tidy Tuesday!
If this project just starts you on a cleaning spree, check out the Spring Cleaning Tips For Mom and you’ll be on a roll!
Continue reading Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday …
From Hillbilly Housewife Blog.
Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday
As I’m looking at the pile of papers and books on my desk that I need to go through, I realize that there is another “desktop” that’s been bothering me. It’s the “desktop” on my computer.
If you’re like me, you’ve been compiling all sorts of good “stuff” on your computer. I’ve got all kinds of documents to read, links to visit, and jokes to laugh at! I certainly don’t want to start deleting things – oh no! I might miss something that way. However, every time I sit down at my computer to do something, I look at my virtual piles of stuff and get overwhelmed. And we know what happens when we get overwhelmed by our clutter. We shut down and we don’t think clearly.
So, I am determined to tackle at least one area of my virtual clutter. I would have to say that my pictures have become a particular nuisance. Although I attempted to organize them when I first started using a digital camera, somewhere along the line I lost my momentum and now I have a pile of virtual pictures to sort through. It’s bad enough having loose pictures waiting to go into photo albums, but now I have the same sort of thing happening on my computer!
How does one begin? I am starting with a back up plan. Of course, I want to copy all those pictures onto a disc or thumb drive for off-site storage. I also have a back up done of my computer each night which is a service provided by a data storage company. There are also photo sites like Kodak and Shutterfly that you can use to file your pictures, but these sites should be used for ordering prints and not relied on for photo storage. With my back ups done, I can now go into my pictures and begin organizing.
I have created a new folder for each year. Naming the folder by the year will prove more useful, of course, as time goes by. Once I get a folder for each year, then I’ll be able to make folders for events and store those folders within the year’s folder. It’s a simple procedure, but will definitely take time.
Once I get each year’s folder full of the pictures that belong in that year, I will go ahead and “zip” the older files. This should make my virtual clutter a little more organized which will help me think a bit more clearly. And, if you think virtual clutter is confusing you, just think what it’s doing to your computer! If you’ll notice, the more clutter on your computer, the slower your computer will run. I know it’s time to get rid of some of my computer stuff and sort my piles of virtual clutter when my poor computer just spins and spins and spins, and basically loses it’s snappy response to me.
This may seem like a silly topic, but when you sit down at your computer to load pictures or read through recipes, and your brain starts to grind to a halt, there must be something wrong. Take a few minutes today to look at the virtual clutter on your own computer. Whether virtual clutter has taken over your pictures, your recipes, or your email inbox, clearing the clutter will clear your mind and give you a fresh start on this Tidy Tuesday!
If this project just starts you on a cleaning spree, check out the Spring Cleaning Tips For Mom and you’ll be on a roll!
Continue reading Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday …
From Hillbilly Housewife Blog.
Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday
As I’m looking at the pile of papers and books on my desk that I need to go through, I realize that there is another “desktop” that’s been bothering me. It’s the “desktop” on my computer.
If you’re like me, you’ve been compiling all sorts of good “stuff” on your computer. I’ve got all kinds of documents to read, links to visit, and jokes to laugh at! I certainly don’t want to start deleting things – oh no! I might miss something that way. However, every time I sit down at my computer to do something, I look at my virtual piles of stuff and get overwhelmed. And we know what happens when we get overwhelmed by our clutter. We shut down and we don’t think clearly.
So, I am determined to tackle at least one area of my virtual clutter. I would have to say that my pictures have become a particular nuisance. Although I attempted to organize them when I first started using a digital camera, somewhere along the line I lost my momentum and now I have a pile of virtual pictures to sort through. It’s bad enough having loose pictures waiting to go into photo albums, but now I have the same sort of thing happening on my computer!
How does one begin? I am starting with a back up plan. Of course, I want to copy all those pictures onto a disc or thumb drive for off-site storage. I also have a back up done of my computer each night which is a service provided by a data storage company. There are also photo sites like Kodak and Shutterfly that you can use to file your pictures, but these sites should be used for ordering prints and not relied on for photo storage. With my back ups done, I can now go into my pictures and begin organizing.
I have created a new folder for each year. Naming the folder by the year will prove more useful, of course, as time goes by. Once I get a folder for each year, then I’ll be able to make folders for events and store those folders within the year’s folder. It’s a simple procedure, but will definitely take time.
Once I get each year’s folder full of the pictures that belong in that year, I will go ahead and “zip” the older files. This should make my virtual clutter a little more organized which will help me think a bit more clearly. And, if you think virtual clutter is confusing you, just think what it’s doing to your computer! If you’ll notice, the more clutter on your computer, the slower your computer will run. I know it’s time to get rid of some of my computer stuff and sort my piles of virtual clutter when my poor computer just spins and spins and spins, and basically loses it’s snappy response to me.
This may seem like a silly topic, but when you sit down at your computer to load pictures or read through recipes, and your brain starts to grind to a halt, there must be something wrong. Take a few minutes today to look at the virtual clutter on your own computer. Whether virtual clutter has taken over your pictures, your recipes, or your email inbox, clearing the clutter will clear your mind and give you a fresh start on this Tidy Tuesday!
If this project just starts you on a cleaning spree, check out the Spring Cleaning Tips For Mom and you’ll be on a roll!
Continue reading Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday …
From Hillbilly Housewife Blog.
Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday
As I’m looking at the pile of papers and books on my desk that I need to go through, I realize that there is another “desktop” that’s been bothering me. It’s the “desktop” on my computer.
If you’re like me, you’ve been compiling all sorts of good “stuff” on your computer. I’ve got all kinds of documents to read, links to visit, and jokes to laugh at! I certainly don’t want to start deleting things – oh no! I might miss something that way. However, every time I sit down at my computer to do something, I look at my virtual piles of stuff and get overwhelmed. And we know what happens when we get overwhelmed by our clutter. We shut down and we don’t think clearly.
So, I am determined to tackle at least one area of my virtual clutter. I would have to say that my pictures have become a particular nuisance. Although I attempted to organize them when I first started using a digital camera, somewhere along the line I lost my momentum and now I have a pile of virtual pictures to sort through. It’s bad enough having loose pictures waiting to go into photo albums, but now I have the same sort of thing happening on my computer!
How does one begin? I am starting with a back up plan. Of course, I want to copy all those pictures onto a disc or thumb drive for off-site storage. I also have a back up done of my computer each night which is a service provided by a data storage company. There are also photo sites like Kodak and Shutterfly that you can use to file your pictures, but these sites should be used for ordering prints and not relied on for photo storage. With my back ups done, I can now go into my pictures and begin organizing.
I have created a new folder for each year. Naming the folder by the year will prove more useful, of course, as time goes by. Once I get a folder for each year, then I’ll be able to make folders for events and store those folders within the year’s folder. It’s a simple procedure, but will definitely take time.
Once I get each year’s folder full of the pictures that belong in that year, I will go ahead and “zip” the older files. This should make my virtual clutter a little more organized which will help me think a bit more clearly. And, if you think virtual clutter is confusing you, just think what it’s doing to your computer! If you’ll notice, the more clutter on your computer, the slower your computer will run. I know it’s time to get rid of some of my computer stuff and sort my piles of virtual clutter when my poor computer just spins and spins and spins, and basically loses it’s snappy response to me.
This may seem like a silly topic, but when you sit down at your computer to load pictures or read through recipes, and your brain starts to grind to a halt, there must be something wrong. Take a few minutes today to look at the virtual clutter on your own computer. Whether virtual clutter has taken over your pictures, your recipes, or your email inbox, clearing the clutter will clear your mind and give you a fresh start on this Tidy Tuesday!
If this project just starts you on a cleaning spree, check out the Spring Cleaning Tips For Mom and you’ll be on a roll!
Continue reading Clutter Isn’t Always A Pile Of Stuff – Tidy Tuesday …
From Hillbilly Housewife Blog.