Sunday Shopping Fun

Tax Free Weekend!!  We, along with just about everybody else in the area, took advantage of it.  We spent over $150 and saved over $13.00 in sales tax but most of what we bought was on sale in addition to the sales tax break.  It might sound like we spent a lot, but we got a lot for the money.  A LOT.  We're fairly good shoppers.  Otter has several new shirts, socks, a whole lot of other stuff.  Bill needed another pair of jeans, I found a t-shirt at Wallyworld as well as lots of socks and some misc. items.  I'm not sure what the total price would have been with the normal prices, since just about everything we got was on sale but we probably saved at least $30.00 or maybe more.

Sears also had a special, if your purchase was over $50 it earned a $10.00 gift card.  Since our biggest haul was at Sears, we got the gift card and have given it to Willieboy since I'm sure that he'll need a tool or something.  He always does.

The sales tax free items include things like shoes, undies, hose, most non-uniform clothing but not things like specific shoes (like football or golf shoes), purses, backpacks or uniform items and it doesn't include things like wedding attire or similar.  Most stores have additional sales that coincide with the tax free weekend as well as extended hours.  So most people take advantage of it.  At one point, the state did consider adding school supplies to the list of tax free items but that didn't happen after all.  I'm not sure about outerwear such as coats, but they aren't really out yet anyway.  Otter is going to need a new coat this year, but that's something we'll get later on when the stores have them in stock.  Sears did have a couple, but they were really more of a heavy jacket than an actual coat.  I don't think that things like pajamas would be tax free, but I'm not sure about that.  Hats are tax free, which kind of surprised me.  I don't think that things like summer wear (swimsuits) would be tax free.

My feet hurt!  We've been running around two different Walmarts and the mall.  But Otter is now ready for school, at least as far as clothing goes.

I didn't get any work done on my Dr. Who scarf yesterday.  I did crochet, just not on it.  I might get some done today, it's a possibility. :)

Bill did some car work today.  He replaced the brakes on his Impala.  I think he got overheated, too.  He's now parked on the couch with the fan going and drinking lots of water.  The dogs are keeping him company - he's on the couch and they are parked on the floor, snoozing.  Bill's watching a movie, I'm not sure what it is, but I can hear him laughing.

My plans for today included cleaning out my rain barrel, but I've put that off because I need Bill to unhook it from the rain gutters for me and I don't want him out in the heat again today.  We're back under a heat alert, it was nicer yesterday and breezy but today is hot & no breeze again.  The rain barrel is just about empty and it's due for a cleaning out anyway, but it can wait a few days.  We aren't supposed to get rain for a while, there isn't any in the forecast as far as I know.  But if we did get rain before I got the barrel cleaned out, it really wouldn't be a big deal.  I just like to clean it out occasionally.

Next week is shaping up to be a busy week.  I have to get the oil changed on my car and Bill's car may possibly get some other work done that it needs, and then school starts on Thursday.  Hard to believe that summer break is just about over.  It's been a busy one.

Since it's August, it's ragweed season.  I think that the ragweed have already started blooming, based on the symptoms that Otter and I have been having for a few days.  We normally have to avoid certain areas in stores like Dillards, such as the perfume department.  Today, we had no choice - we had to walk through it to get to where we needed to be.  I think that they must have just sprayed a perfume sample when we came through, because my face started itching and when I put my hands up to my face - my arms started itching.  Whatever it was, it was not a good moment because perfume and related things don't normally cause a skin reaction and it's never, ever a good thing when a new symptom shows up.  If it's a perfumed soap, it can cause an issue then.  But I've never had a perfume in the air cause a skin reaction, just an understandable lung reaction.  It could well mean that my allergies are changing and quite possibly, getting worse.  Urgh.

OK, back to my usual Sunday job:  Laundry!  I have my usual few loads which have been expanded, because of all the new clothes we got today.  We have to wash just about everything before we can wear it, thanks to being allergic to so many things!