My gut instincts are always right

Does anyone know what happened to August? Last month went by faster than July. It was a very busy month for us. It felt like we were living out of travel bags half the time. We got home from vacation, unpacked and did laundry, then packed bags again for the next event. Rinse & repeat. That's how my month went. 

On Saturday we had just got home and started laundry, when we had to go out again. We'd hardly left home when I got a message from my youngest brother than he might have Covid. My heart sank. He was really sick and isolating at home, so I was stressed & praying like it's nobody's business. Thankfully, his results came back negative yesterday, but there's still other tests they need to do for other health issues he has. More worry & prayers.

I also haven't slept well for the past 2 weeks. I'd be up for hours in the middle of the night, then sleep late on some days. Sometimes I'd just be awake from 4 or 5 am.  I'm an early bird, so if I wake up at 7am it feels like half the day is gone already. I'm thinking it's too much stress. I don't feel stressed though. I've even used my aromatherapy products, but nothing helps. I just hate feeling worn out half the time (I rarely take naps), because there's a lot that needs to be done. Funny thing is that I'm far more productive when I'm tired, because I know that if I don't stay busy, I'll fall asleep on my feet.

Remember me stating that I was gonna order some t/p at Sams in my last post. Well, when I went to place my order it was OOS online, but available for pickup. Same thing the next day. My gut kept telling me to keep checking, because I know that when an in demand item is available in store only, you have to get there early because it sells out fast. I did not want to make a special trip to Sams, just to find out it's OOS again. They eventually got it in stock online & I decided to just get 2 packs. Now, we really don't need 2 packs. We still have 1.5 pks (these are 45 roll packs) stockpiled. However, I just had this feeling that if we're already struggling to get t/p now, who knows how long the next shortage will last. So I decided to play it safe and just get 2. I'd rather have way too much than run out. Besides, I wanted some Dunkin Donuts decaf (I've mix decaf with regular) and you can only buy it online. The shipping cost for just the DD is $5 though! Ugh. When I checked shipping cost for 2 t/p and DD, it came to $4.96. Weird. So I just went ahead and ordered those 3 items. 

Here's the kicker! This morning I read that Sams (and now Costco too) was limiting t/p & p/t to 1 per member! Picture me with a smug look & not caring about t/p limits....lol. Yep, I did it again :) I'm fully stocked up while everyone's scrambling for paper products again. I ALWAYS trust my gut, because I know that God's way of leading me in the right direction. So when you see me doing some crazy shopping, just remember THERE'S METHOD TO MY MADNESS. 

Last week a local grocery store had Kraft cheese on sale for $1.99. I haven't seen that price in ages, so I decided to stock up. The new SALE price around here, is $2.50-3 (depending on store).I never just buy large quantities (especially since the pandemic started). I'm always mindful of others that need to shop too, even though stores are fully stocked. The ad didn't state any limits, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and bought 8 cheese (shreds and blocks) on 2 separate trips (16 total). I was gonna go back for more, but then noticed that Meijer has the same deal this week. I needed other things at Meijer too, so I bought 10 more cheese. I'm thinking that the sale price is due to back to school next week. Michigan schools start after Labor Day. 

No, there isn't a cheese shortage or anything. I'm a planner. I always think long term. Cheese can be frozen, so that's what I've done with most of it. We eat lots of cheese and with this stock up, I've already saved us $13-26 (depending on new sale price 50c-$1 per package). I did cash in some pop cans ($15.xx) that helped pay for my shopping trip

My advice to everyone is to please go stock up on all the essentials. Get your paper products, disinfecting and/or cleaning products. I'm not trying to instill fear in anyone. I'm not doing my shopping based on fear. I just want everyone to be prepared in case there's shortages again. Remember that if one ingredient is missing, it can cause a shortage of certain items. Just think of  how long Lysol products were OOS since the pandemic started. 

I'm praying for all those in disaster affected areas - hurricanes, drought, fire. Please stay safe & healthy everyone. I'll post August numbers tomorrow.