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Good Morning FS Family, I'm hoping everyone has recovered from the holiday feasting and shopping...if you indulged in any manner. Many of my customers claimed total bankruptcy after the two day splurge. Oddly enough, it was not food overindulgence that created the most complaints...it was what everything cost..especially food. I notice trends with my customers, primarily over 65 and on a fixed income. Grocery store prices are really giving them a beating right now...and not a single solitary one of them will accept a loving gift to help them through the end of the month crunch. God Bless and keep safe our hard-working and proud poor. These folks here worked in the fields for most of their lives and due to the lack of farm workers protections in the past, they spent over half of their productive years with no social security participation, by them or their employers so most of them draw less than 800.00 per month. The really sad thing is, most of their earnings went to buy property and now owning that property makes them ineligible for most other forms of public assistance. Good budget management gets them through, but with this years spiraling costs they are falling short of the basics. I had a sweet lady yesterday who came in with 30.00 of rolled change to buy a money order and a stamp to pay for her burial insurance. I'm not supposed to accept change for money orders because they are a daily accountable item and the money has to be deposited daily and we are not allowed to deposit change. I took it anyway and when she left I took the rolled coins out of the drawer and did a debit card swipe for the transaction. I put the change in my car, I will use it over time by buying it back when I need more change. They have grown children who work and help support them, but the amount of support from them is also affected by the current high cost of sustenance. I guess that is one more thing to count as a blessing right now. If you have a roof over your head, food on the table, lights and gas are on and you have enough money to make it to your next payday, you are deeply blessed. I am deeply blessed and I am full of gratitude that I can assist, even in such a small way for my customers too proud to ask for or accept money assistance. A little kindness makes the rough patches a little less bumpy.
I'm pleased to show a loss after this fast, day one was rougher than usual, but I was feeling the fasting glow by day 3. All in all, my holiday was a blessed one and the feeding backlash was not a set-back. I'll take it!! Ya'll have a great day!
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241.2 lb
Lost so far: 55.8 lb.
Still to go: 61.2 lb.
Diet followed 100%.
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Diet Calendar Entries for 30 November 2023:
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1305 kcal
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Fat: 58.80g | Prot: 144.81g | Carb: 44.61g.
Breakfast: Land O'Lakes Heavy Whipping Cream, PB2 Foods PB2 Pure, Badia Chia Seeds, Nutricost Grass-Fed Whey Protein Concentrate Unflavored, Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder, Bob's Red Mill Flax Seed, Silk Pure Almond Milk - Unsweetened Original, Coffee. Lunch: Deviled Egg, Chicken of the Sea Sardines Mediterranean Style. Dinner: Land O'Lakes Whipped Heavy Cream, Strawberries (Unsweetened, Frozen), Unsalted Butter Stick, Broccoli Flower Clusters, Venison/Deer. Snacks/Other: Now Foods Organic Spirulina Powder, Lemon Juice (Canned or Bottled), Better Body Foods Baobab Superfruit Powder, Sunfood Super Foods Organic Moringa Powder, Athletic Greens Athletic Greens, Ginger, Now Foods Magnesium Bisglycinate Powder, NoSalt Nosalt, Water. more...
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2667 kcal
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Activities & Exercise:
Standing - 1 minute, Resting - 15 hours and 59 minutes, Sleeping - 8 hours. more...
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losing 2.0 lb a week
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1 to 20 of 21
 Comments
Prices are outrageous, especially on food! I am a bargain shopper & mostly buy what is on sale, especially meat. This week has been the worst in my area, not a meat sale in sight since Thanksgiving. 😒 The really bad part is that I only see things getting worse for now. Many of us here may have no other choice but to fast if prices keep going up. I'm so thankful that my little piece of a home & land is paid for! Rent in my area has doubled in the last few years. It's insane! Nice going with the fast, Deb!!! You're on 🔥!
30 Nov 23 by member: ZenusWarriorPrincess
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Joe, it would be nice to be able to help out more, but you have to be careful of offers of assistance. Simple country folk with strong convictions about "handouts".....even if it's not offered in that manner. I get it, I have those notions myself. The Ladies' club is brainstorming to find a way to offer some type of food pantry service to help the actually needy ones as opposed to feathering the nests of the greedy ones who pounce on every single assist while sucking up thousands of dollars in public assistance, they make a career out of it. The crazy thing is, some of those career welfare recipients live right next door to the ones in dire need....do they offer to share? Hell no they don't! Not that the sharing would be accepted, the proud poor look down on those soaking up the government sponge. Tricky thing to do.
30 Nov 23 by member: debrafrederick
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congrats on the drop, I felt this so much I am so grateful for the amount of social security I get and it's only about $1300 mo and our rent is $800 so I do get a few assistance with food but it doesn't seem to last the whole month. We would have been doing OK but when I got my social security thru the ssa office took my hubby's ssi check down from 900 to 100 its crazy because I got mine they took most of his. But we have a roof over our head and food most of the month and bills paid, just doesn't leave us anything extra for gas,or necessities it's why I coupon to get our stuff really cheap and free sometime if not for that couponing we may do without but we are the same way we don't take things from food banks or most other places we just make due.these grocery stores are making a killing even save a lot and Aldi raised prices, and the electric bill and water, gas bills have doubled along with we are in a rural small town of 4,000ppl and our mobile home 4yrs ago would rent for about 500to 600, now we pay $800 which is still cheaper than most places here because it's 3bdrm,and a 3bdrm apartment, house,mobile home is now going for $1200-$1400 mo just insane. we got a good landlord and have been here awhile so he only raised ours $200 since 2019. he could have gotten alot more.
30 Nov 23 by member: saranchrisriley
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But thank God we were already living here and he only increased it what he did,but we have done work to it ourselves replacing floors and windows so he cut us a break, our landlord is a farmer himself and has been in the real estate market for 30yrs he's wealthy and owns 90% of the homes in my little town.
30 Nov 23 by member: saranchrisriley
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Thank you for sharing this story, indeed we are blessed to even be able to count calories. 🙏
30 Nov 23 by member: 22again
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Farmworkers need more protection in the USA and fair wages!
30 Nov 23 by member: 22again
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I remember my mother (1937-2007) telling stories about my grandfather (1887-1965) sneaking out at night from his ranch near Freedom, Oklahoma during the Great Depression to leave groceries from his garden and ranch on the porch of neighbors in need (everyone) because nobody could afford to buy what they needed. My Grandfather did not have money borrowed on the land, but he did on his livestock. The Federal Government showed up one day to collect on his default to the collapsed Bank by destroying all his livestock. They said it was to help prop up the low food prices. Late that night after the guards finally left the whole family and many neighbors snuck back into the fields to can as much meat as they could before daylight.
30 Nov 23 by member: Grandpa Burt
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that was very nice of you to do, and congratulations to you on your weight loss.
30 Nov 23 by member: buenitabishop
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Reading thru these comments—got a notice from the city i live in yesterday stating that effective Jan 1, 2024 a new tax is being added to water and sewer bill. Over 11%. It was either 11.1 or 11.3%. No explanation. Just deal with it. That seemed so shocking to me. Not 1 percent or 3 percent. Over 11 percent. We will be fine but for some that is going to be just another burden.
30 Nov 23 by member: Yearofhealth2023
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Blessings to you and yours 🙏 💙
30 Nov 23 by member: CharlieLovesChaplin
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30 Nov 23 by member: StormsGirl
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You are a blessed,thank you for your kindness 😇
01 Dec 23 by member: cmj29
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Awwww, love this post. 💕 You are right. I am deeply blessed and grateful.
01 Dec 23 by member: AncientHippie
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So, Grandpa Burt, your Grandfather came up with a solution that we are seeking right now. With todays' crime rate being what it is, sneaking onto someone's porch in the middle of the night might be a bad idea, but it gives me inspiration on possibly having the local police patrol drop off care packages to deserving folks, will have to check and see if it's a possibility! Great idea and bless him for his generosity. We have a resident that is catty-corner to the post office that plants a big city lot sized patch of greens. When they are ready he puts up a sign that says, Come pick what you need. Many of our older folks are out there with totes picking fresh greens for the supper table. That is an amazingly generous man and he does it every year. He's not doing handouts because folks have to go pick them, but he puts the work and love into the planting, watering and tending to the patch prior to harvest. When he is praised for this effort, he just says, well, I can plant something worthwhile or mow the useless grass it's the same amount of work either way, but folks get something out of the greens. He's as humble as he is hard working. Angels among us, they are everywhere if you just look!
01 Dec 23 by member: debrafrederick
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Thank you Debrafrederick! I can think of no greater honor to the memory of my grandfather's secret nighttime missions than to know it inspired someone to similar action 90 years later in more unforgiving times when people need to know there is still compassion in this world maybe even more... (PS. He would be embarrassed his secret had escaped the family)
01 Dec 23 by member: Grandpa Burt
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I'm sure he would, because charitable acts are not supposed to be broadcasted, but done quietly...without fanfare or even any thanks. It's the old school way of thinking and it is a tried and true method. I think our police would appreciate being able to participate in kindness and assistance as they get a bad rap for their efforts to control speeders, drunk drivers, violent crime and drugs. They see the worst of us in reality. Maybe we can use them to spread some holiday cheer and help and give them a glimpse of the other side of the human coin.
01 Dec 23 by member: debrafrederick
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Update: It's a go! Ladies Club is going to make up Secret Santa gift boxes, they will contain non perishable food items commonly used in holiday meals, cookies, plus a canned ham. A holiday wreath *hand made by one of the ladies* A brown paper grocery bag of fresh picked and washed collard greens. Batteries and a small flashlight and a 50$ gift card to Food Lion. There are 20 being made and they will be delivered on December 20th by our police department. They were delighted to be asked to assist and they donated the flashlights and batteries 😁😁😁😁 I thank all of you for your thoughts and stories, they helped so much and the Ladies club is excited to possibly make this an annual event. They want to make quilted lap throws and add them to the box, not enough time this year for that type of thing. Once again, thank you for the inspiration!!!
06 Dec 23 by member: debrafrederick
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God bless you and your ladies... It's as much a kindness to your local police as to your neighbors in this day and age.
06 Dec 23 by member: Grandpa Burt
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That is awesome, Deb! It's nice when we get a peek of the good people in the world! 🫠
06 Dec 23 by member: ZenusWarriorPrincess
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The Ladies Club has lost a couple of pivotal long time members in the past few years, when your anchor people are lost, well things get scattered and you lose focus. They are regrouping and finding new ways to support the community....for them as well as me....baby steps!!
06 Dec 23 by member: debrafrederick
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