Man, I can't get the Depression Era out of my folks mind...:D

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Mrs. THA and I got them a Cuisinart K-cup coffee machine for Christmas as their old Bunn we had gotten them finally rotted out and leaked. They had been using Mom's perculator coffee maker (which she got as a wedding gift in 1959) for about 2 months prior (I can't believe she still had it! :eek:). So Mrs. THA bet me which one would report first who would reuse their k-cup... Yup! Dad last week told me he uses them twice as they are still good! Mind you, we had supplied them with about 5 boxes of the large Amazon kcup packages, so number or selection is not the issue...

While I appreciate everything they have taught me and my parents are not hurting for funds, they just can't get that life altering time behind them. MSM efforts to portray what we have recently gone through just does not compare to the 20s and 30s.

[Breadburner]

Second go round in the last 30 years.....

[dwarthog]

Nothing says hardship these days like not having a wifi connection for your iphone/ipad device....

[badger]

While I appreciate everything they have taught me and my parents are not hurting for funds, they just can't get that life altering time behind them. MSM efforts to portray what we have recently gone through just does not compare to the 20s and 30s.

My late grandparents were the same way in some ways... making do with what you had until you couldn't any longer, regardless of what financial situation you are currently in. The sad part is that without some lawyering, the nursing home fees probably would have taken everything they had saved their entire lives for. If your family finds itself in this same predicament, in the years leading up to nursing home game, take out the maximum one-time gifts per family member that you can (About $10,000 to $12,000 I think), and also set aside the maximum allowed for final expenses (About $80,000). That way, Uncle Sam can't touch at least part of the estate for medical care.

Both sets of grandparents, however, still got to enjoy certain aspects of their finances regardless of frugality. For my grandfathers, it was technology. For my late grandma, it was her grandkids (not saying that to be arrogant, she actually was quite enthusiastic about being able to buy us new shoes, Christmas gifts, etc). For my other grandma, she loves her raspberry patch and the jams and jellies after harvest :)

[oudavid1]

My grandmother has a freezer in her garage made in 1972. It has NEVER broken once. Ever. She has had 4 "new" refrigerators in the past 10 years. They dont make em like they used to.

[yermom]

The made in china junk you buy now isn't made to last 50 years any more.

One of my grandmothers used to wash her paper towels to reuse them and watered down their shampoo. She retired as a vp of a bank and my grandfather had two pensions from retiring twice, but she grew up poor back then

[KantoSooner]

Why buy tupperware? You can recycle margarine tubs - my mom

Why buy new plastic bags? You can wash and reuse the old ones - my grandma

I'm somewhat surprised my grandfather doesn't buy Everclear, add caramel coloring and call it bourbon.

[jumperstop]

In all fairness I use my k cups twice. No reason not to, it seems to be fine.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

I guess it is like the shampoo directions...Wash, rinse, repeat...

[Wishboned]

Years ago my mom got onto me because my answering machine was set to two rings instead of four. She hated that she was charged for the call because she didn't hang up in time.

Then when I got my first cell phone and told her I had free long distance she said, "Well I'll just let you call me all the time then."

[badger]

Why buy tupperware? You can recycle margarine tubs - my mom

Why buy new plastic bags? You can wash and reuse the old ones - my grandma

I'm somewhat surprised my grandfather doesn't buy Everclear, add caramel coloring and call it bourbon.

Like I said, frugal folks will save money in all areas but their personal pleasures, whether it be spoiling their grandkids or their bourbon :)

[jkjsooner]

MSM efforts to portray what we have recently gone through just does not compare to the 20s and 30s.

I haven't heard anyone say what we're going through is like the Great Depression. I've heard the following:


It's the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression
Had we allowed Wall Street and banks to collapse, it woud have been as bad as the Great Depression.


I think both of these statements are true but neither says anything about how the great recession stacks up against the Great Depression.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Agree with what you are saying, some people are trying to portray this as a Depression or close to the Great one, but this is no where near what they went through. Lots of retraction in some job catgories, but others are blazing... I don't think there was any sector going forward in the Great one...

[Frozen Sooner]

My late grandparents were the same way in some ways... making do with what you had until you couldn't any longer, regardless of what financial situation you are currently in. The sad part is that without some lawyering, the nursing home fees probably would have taken everything they had saved their entire lives for. If your family finds itself in this same predicament, in the years leading up to nursing home game, take out the maximum one-time gifts per family member that you can (About $10,000 to $12,000 I think), and also set aside the maximum allowed for final expenses (About $80,000). That way, Uncle Sam can't touch at least part of the estate for medical care.

Or get long-term care insurance so you can keep everything and still pay for a rest home.

[Viking Kitten]

Not that I'm a super crazy environmentalist, but what bothers me about the K cups is that I feel like there's a lot of plastic packaging going straight into a landfill every time one gets discarded. Mind you, it hasn't bothered me enough to stop using my Keurig machine. I adore my Keurig machine. I want to make sweet, passionate love to my Keurig machine. However, I wish I knew a way to recycle or reuse the K cups, and at least using the cups twice cuts down somewhat on the plastic waste. I'm also totally guilty of using old butter tubs in place of Tupperware.

[Frozen Sooner]

You don't seem all that concerned about the hooker-meal your in-sink-er-ator produces. All that vinyl makes it non-biodegradable.

[Viking Kitten]

Oh that's no problem. We just incorporate the vinyl into the dead hooker skin suits we like to make. The rest of the body parts we compost. Makes for a wonderfully acidic soil, great for my azaleas.

[Frozen Sooner]

Oh that's no problem. We just incorporate the vinyl into the dead hooker skin suits we like to make.

Would you F me? I'd F me.

[colleyvillesooner]

There are a whole lot of people on here that just went...

http://www.thenewsburner.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Official_WTF.jpg

[Viking Kitten]

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/309575_10150367566657197_701592196_9175995_5797865 79_n.jpg

[KantoSooner]

I think Keurig makes a reuseable cup. You have to put your own coffee in it, though. about $10 if memory serves.

[colleyvillesooner]

http://www.amazon.com/Keurig-K-Cup-Reusable-Coffee-Filter/dp/B000DLB2FI

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514HHW15KFL._SS400_.jpg

[Viking Kitten]

Got one. But see, if I use it, I have to measure stuff and scoop stuff and I don't get to pick from 20 varieties of coffee and it makes my Keurig Machine slightly less awesome.

[KantoSooner]

True, but being green was never supposed to be awesome. It's all about hair shirts, burlap undies and veggies with lots of bug holes in 'em.

[Viking Kitten]

Actually, I can see where burlap panties might have some appeal.

[Frozen Sooner]

At the very least, they should curtail the activities that make you and Czar keep popping out kids.

[Viking Kitten]

Green contraceptives could be the wave of the future. Froz, you're a genius.

[8timechamps]

Got one. But see, if I use it, I have to measure stuff and scoop stuff and I don't get to pick from 20 varieties of coffee and it makes my Keurig Machine slightly less awesome.

Yep, I'm with you. That's actually what sold me on the Keurig to start with...but after the first time using their mini-filter and thinking "this is no different than making my own coffee the old way", I stopped using it. I never think about the environment when enjoying a cup of Donut Shop in the morning. I'm crazy reckless like that!

Speaking of the K-cup, and not to hijack THA thread (by the way "get off my lawn"!), what flavors are the favorite of other Keurig owners? For me, it's Donut Shop and Green Mountain Breakfast Blend.

[Viking Kitten]

The Donut Shop is good stuff, I also like the Caribou Blend and the Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice as well as the Golden French Toast. Nummy nummy nummins.

[8timechamps]

The Donut Shop is good stuff, I also like the Caribou Blend and the Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice as well as the Golden French Toast. Nummy nummy nummins.

I grabbed a box of the Pumpkin Spice at Bed Bath & Beyond because it was on sale and I thought "hey, this is on sale". It's good stuff. I've heard rumor that Dunkin Donuts has a K-cup now, although I've yet to see it.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Yes they do.

[8timechamps]

Yes they do.

Send me a box....now!

[TheHumanAlphabet]

The Mrs. got some from a Dunkin Donuts shop in OKC on her last trip there.

[8timechamps]

The Mrs. got some from a Dunkin Donuts shop in OKC on her last trip there.

Send me a box...now!


Seriously though, is it as good as advertised?

[I Am Right]

Good for Them. We need a little more of that thinking now. Savings instead of spending. Outdoors activities instead of xbox. saying and accepting apology's instead of suing.

[Viking Kitten]

Serious question about that: since 70 percent of our economy is based on consumer spending, would we be totally f***ed if people actually did that?

[delhalew]

I don't know what you guys are talking about...I just wanted to say, it sounds like you guys are doing coffee wrong:)

[Viking Kitten]

If delicious coffee is wrong, I don't want to be right.