With Halloween right around the corner, just a bit of reminder when you are “Out and About” running from here to there, be sure to use a bit of extra caution, especially on Monday, October 31st …
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With Halloween right around the corner, just a bit of reminder when you are “Out and About” running from here to there, be sure to use a bit of extra caution, especially on Monday, October 31st as sometimes the excitement of getting that candy exceeds the necessary level of “look both ways” for kids when they are trick or treating. Let’s make sure that we all have a fun and safe Halloween.
Staying with the theme, have you noticed that the cost of candy looks seems to be more of the Fourth of July than Halloween? The prices for your favorite handout treats have literally skyrocketed (thus the earlier reference) this year and upon further review, the size of the treats, like so many other things in our current world, have seen a dramatic decrease. Today, we will put “finding value” and “bang for the buck” on our mission list for “Out and About.” Sadly, we were not able to find any real deals on candy, so it is “bite the bullet” and “it is only one day out of the year” mentality for Halloween 2022.
It will be getting chilly out, despite a little blip near 80 last weekend, and nothing is better than a good soup or bowl of chili when the weather outside is a bit frightful. If you are looking for a budget friendly cup or bowl of chili for lunch that will give you some stick to the ribs value, just stop in at The Bierstube. A fivespot will cover the cup with a couple more bucks for a good-sized bowl of their homemade chili. The recipe has been in the Yanz family for years and for a $1.50 more, you can add chopped onions, cheddar cheese and sour cream. By itself, it is truly satisfying and for a lunch, is hard to beat value wise. You might want to add a beverage but even if you do, you are under a $15 lunch which suffice to say, in today’s world, is bargain. We realize for anyone over 35, that pill is still a bit hard to swallow. It is what it is.
If you are a movie buff, check out the Hastings Cinema on TUESDAYS where you can get $5 tickets as part of the Magical Movie Rewards program, as well as some incredible food and beverage specials. More information is available at www.marcustheatres.com just by going to the Hastings Cinema page under locations. A solo trip for under $15 is doable and a date day or night for $30 or less might seem impossible but, it can be done. Just be careful if you hear the word “cheap” mentioned when describing your date planning skills. Frugal is a much better term.
There is nothing wrong with being a bit frugal when you are out and about… or for that matter, anytime. For example, if you are the type of person who gets value out of helping others who are less fortunate, there is nothing wrong with scouring the clearance rows at the big box stores from time to time, searching for those toys that may be marked down 10% to 40% and then donating them to charities like Toys for Tots or Hastings Family Service. They are still BRAND NEW and will help brighten the day of someone whose life might not have otherwise been blessed. 20% off $50 gets you that cup of coffee that you like so much at Dunn Brothers with tip, and it makes a kid smile.
If you are that type of person who receives added value of helping others who are less fortunate, something that technically costs nothing, is volunteering. Technically, it does cost your time and if you join an organization such as the Hastings Area Rotary Club, there are dues which are technically a cost. However, if you are one of these types, you also know that that amount of residual value received on a non-monetary manner most often exceeds the amount of cost for your time and financial input. One thing that is needed at this time of the year with ample opportunity is giving of your time and talents. This gesture will provide you unlimited things to do… or in other words, to get Out and About. In life, finding value does not always mean getting the most “bang for your buck” regarding monetary value. Finding value sometimes means so much more and has nothing to do with money at all. As we move towards the season of thankfulness, knowing that there are so many ways to find value in ourselves is refreshing. The ability to share our harvest with others brings a value that might even be considered immeasurable and certainly is important. Here is to finding value of all kinds while “Out and About.”