- Bargain books September 8, 2010It’s time for the cash registers to ring as college students buy their books. I found a website that I used a lot in finding textbooks for my stepdaughter’s classes. www.abebooks.com offers a great chance for price checks. I’ve also used to to find bargain basement prices on books that I’ve loved and lost or [...] […]Emily
- More back to school bucks July 25, 2010For anyone who hasn’t discovered it, Plato’s Closet is a great way to quickly clean out the teenager’s closet and pocket some cash. Located at 2220 Nicholasville Road in Lexington, it takes namebrand clothing and turns over the cash. The store is floor to ceiling with jeans, so your teenager probably will quickly spend any [...] […]Emily
- Nursing home costs and a book recommendation June 30, 2010I’ve been at the hospital a lot lately because my mom had a heart attack. She was on a ventilator and my vocabulary now includes words like exacerbate. I don’t even want to guess what the bill for the hospital stay will be. Even though we never wanted my mom to live in a nursing [...] […]Emily
- Hitting the (back) road June 20, 2010I just returned from a trip for a friend’s wedding in Louisiana. Some of you may know Liz Maples, who used to work as a reporter at The Advocate. My husband prefers the backroads, so with our trusty atlas aboard, we set out on the 900-mile journey. We wound up in Natchez, Miss., for the night [...] […]Emily
- Prizes to win June 3, 2010That cute green truck is coming to this area. Just got this email from Windstream about the Windstream Lifetime Tour coming to Somerset and Campbellsville. Here is the scoop: Windstream team will bring its iconic 1953 green pickup and a free barbeque to the Windstream Retail Store on North Main Street in Somerset 11 am. to [...] […]Emily
- Kicking wall May 29, 2010We joke that we have a drive-in movie theater in our front yard. My husband build an 8-foot tall by 24-foot wide wall for our son to kick soccer against. It’s painted white and we really need to test its usefulness as a screen. On the to-do list. But in the meantime, I spent a little while [...] […]Emily
- Coupon swap shop May 29, 2010I just wanted to give a heads up about a coupon swap event. Sharon Williams, who blogs about great ways to save money at www.reallifedeals.com is hosting this at 5:30 p.m. June 8 at The Advocate-Messenger. Bring coupons to swap even the expired ones to send to military families. She is a wealth of information about [...] […]Emily
- Strawberries coming out my ears May 13, 2010My little red hen self surfaced the other night as I was picking strawberries. Every leaf I pulled up revealed a ripe, red berry. “All this from 10 plants,” I thought as I went to grab another container. These Little Shop of Horror wannabes reached out shoot after shoot of vines. Their beauty was just [...] […]Emily
- The scoop on cheap ice cream April 26, 2010I just got a Facebook invite to 31-cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins. And to put a cherry on top, the Paul Childers band is playing. I’ve been wanting to hear this teenage musician from Lebanon for awhile. I understand he is an amazing guitarist and if you like Stevie Ray Vaughan, you’re in luck. The [...] […]Emily
- Adding to the moonlight April 23, 2010I live out in the country where it’s very dark. Rather than trip and stumble, I like to invest in a few solar-powered garden lights. When these handy lights first came out, I remember expecting to pay about $15 each. Last summer, I invested in some plain jane ones at Walmart that sold for about [...] […]Emily
Nursing home costs and a book recommendation
June 29th, 2010 | 
Author: I’ve been at the hospital a lot lately because my mom had a heart attack. She was on a ventilator and my vocabulary now includes words like exacerbate. I don’t even want to guess what the bill for the hospital stay will be. Even though we never wanted my mom to live in a nursing home, we’re looking into it. Prices range from $4,000 to $6,000 a month. That’s some heavy duty rent. Just thought I’d put that on the table for people who have never had to venture into this territory.
As far as getting through the sorrow of seeing my mom living with the help of machines, I’ve relied a lot of on the advice of a friend of mine who worked with hospice. She told me about a book, “The Final Gift,” and I have ordered it from one of my favorite online book places, abebooks. I am expecting it at the bargain price of $1 for the book and $3 for shipping. If you’re coping with the last stages of your parents’ or loved ones’ lives, I will share my thoughts with you about this book.
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