(Moved to this echo from MIN_TEST)

-=> Daryl Stout wrote to digimaus <=-

 DS>   That's the same with everything. Even though I can get free delivery
 DS> with Grubhub (part of being a subscriber to Lyft Pink), I can only use
 DS> them once a month for a treat. What I get on disability doesn't go very
 DS> far.

I feel you on the "doesn't go very far".  I am working on trying to get my
hearing loss and tinnitus (both rated at 10% each) service-connected
disability through the VA.  It's not much but anything would help.  I have
been really busy and haven't finished my LIHEAP ("Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program" for those who don't know) application.  I'll try to get
it in next week via postal mail but it takes three months to get approved. 
Right now is the most expensive time of year for me for my electric bill
(usually at minimum 10-15% of my monthly income) because this apartment is
very poorly insulated.

 DS>   The total cost, with a tip for the driver, was around $30, but it was
 DS> cheaper than ordering stuff from a nearby Wendy's, or at Slim Chickens.
 DS> I discovered it was cheaper to make my own beverage (Kool-Aid via the
 DS> powdered drink mix from either Kroger or Wal-Mart) than to order it.

If I do go out, I usually will order first via Taco Bell's website or app as
they have a $5 "cravings combo" which includes two entrees, a side, and a
large drink (20 cents upcharge) for $5 including tax.  It's difficult for me
to find anywhere else that might come close.  Occasionally I will go to
Sonic and, once again via their app so my drink is always half-price, order
two of their Fritos wraps and a 44 oz.  soda which comes to exactly $6 with
sales tax.  It's not often that I go out as I am trying to get my blood
sugar under control for the looming prospect of getting my right foot
amputated.

Besides, since September, I have purchased a 6-quart slow cooker (I have an
old 3-quart also), a 6-quart Instant Pot, a nice countertop convection
oven, an immersion blender, and an electric griddle.  I should put all of
that to good use.  

 DS> The last time I ordered from Wendy's, they didn't put the drink in a
 DS> separate sack in the big bag, and it tipped over, soaking the food.

I have had several issues with damaged food and drinks from various
restaurants and delivery services in recent memory so I stopped using them. 
Granted, I can still drive, so I have that advantage, but it's costing me
$120+ a month in gas just to drive around town!

 DS>   Many times when I worked at Burger King, I was the only white guy
 DS> on the crew, but we had a ball. One of my fellow cashiers, George
 DS> Williams, called out over the microphone one shift "Chicken...make it
 DS> all white meat" (which it was)...and all of us busted out laughing. <G>

You've mentioned that before.  I remember I worked with this tall, lanky
green bean of a black guy named John at a McDonald's in the early 2000s when
I was living in Carbondale, Illinois.  We used to crack jokes with each
other all the time and we'd constantly be called on the carpet for being
"racist".  John kept telling the powers-that-be that no one was offended but
them.  Couldn't do that now; I couldn't leave work without being assaulted
by some white-bread SJW (Carbondale is a college town and, much like my town
which hosts a state university, political correctness runs amok because of
the "rarefied air" of supposed acadamia). 

 DS> 3) Ham And Cheese (with mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato), served cold.
 DS> For that now, I guess you have to go to Subway.

Ask for it.  At the Burger King I worked at here--which is now sadly the
only BK in town--they will make a hot ham sandwich with deli ham, tomato,
lettuce, American cheese, and mayo on an "Original Chicken" bun (a hoagie
bun with sesame seeds) if you ask for it.

 DS> 4) Veal Parmagian Sandwich, with marinara sauce and mozarella cheese.

They have something similar every so often, brought back "a la" the McRib,
by corporate.  Other places have caught on, such as Hardee's, for
competition.  If I want one, I'll make one at home but with sourdough bread
or bun.

 DS> 5) Whaler (their original fish sandwich).

I remember those.  Those were delicious.

 DS>   I really do love their mayonnaise...I was never one for sandwiches
 DS> with mustard.

Not a fan of mayo or any condiment made with vinegar.  Unfortunately,
vinegar is all I can taste if those are applied to a sandwich.

 DS>   Also, when I was working there from 1979 to 1984, a Whopper was $1.11
 DS> plus tax...now, it's over $5...and higher if you order through the app,
 DS> or at a restaurant at an airport (it's at least $10, but likely more).
 DS> So, one is left with a penny...a dollar with all the taxes taken out.
 

It's stupidly expensive.  So much so that my lazy butt will start cooking at
home for once.

 DS>   Their burgers are flame broiled, and not swimming in grease, like at
 DS> Wendy's, McDonald's, etc. But, it can give your acid reflux fits, if
 DS> you don't take medication for it.

I like the flame-broiled meat; I love the taste.  I take apple cider vinegar
for my ulcer and resulting GERD.  However, I have recently discovered that
my beloved fruit punch and cherry diet drink mixes give me terrible
heartburn--likely from the Red No. 40 dye in them--so I am trying to wean
myself off of them and drink filtered water.

 DS>   The last part of the commercial (at least 50 years ago now), said
 DS> "So, when you're looking for great food, fast service, and low, low
 DS> prices... Look for the sign with the King On The Bun, where the prices
 DS> are nice, and the eating is fun. Burger King -- Home Of The Whopper
 DS> (R). A real nice place to eat". I never thought I'd be working
 DS> there...but I put myself through college, taking 18 credit hours, and
 DS> working 40 hours a week.

I remember "aren't you huuuuunnnnngryyyyyyy for Burger King now?" from the
early 80s.

That was back before the government got into financial aid and "higher
education" (an oxymoron these days) started inflating their prices to get
more of the government cheese...when you could put yourself through school
by working your ass off.  

 DS>   I originally used Uber, but they frauded my debit card last spring,
 DS> when I had to take an ambulance to the local Emergency Room (I ended
 DS> up getting diagnosed with congestive heart failure)...and nearly
 DS> couldn't get home from the Emergency Room.

I've used Uber and Lyft here a few times on the VA's dime and was very
disappointed in both services.  My sister's boyfriend is a dispatcher with
one of the local taxi companies and can get me a round-trip ride for $12
(cheaper than Uber or Lyft) occasionally though since I have my own vehicle,
I haven't needed that favor in a long time. 

 DS>   With Lyft Pink, it's $10 extra a month, but I get a break on pricing
 DS> for the rides, priority pickup, and if I have to cancel a ride (the
 DS> vehicle was a high pickup truck, where the step was at the height of
 DS> my groin, and I couldn't get into it), they would cover the $5 fee
 DS> for cancellation, and if I booked a new ride within 15 minutes, they
 DS> would knock $5 off that fee. I normally tip the driver $5 each run,
 DS> as they're running all over the place with rides.

That works out quite well for you then.  Good to hear.

 DS>   While I lost my independence in selling the car, I no longer have
 DS> any of the car related expenses (gasoline, insurance, license tags,
 DS> personal property tax, repairs, etc.)...and that was easily over
 DS> $1000 a year.

For me, the single worst expense is gas.  My insurance is spendier than some
but then again I have high liability limits (250/500/300, IIRC), high
medical coverage, uninsured/underinsured coverage, renter's insurance that
covers my storage room, a million-dollar personal liability bond, and
roadside service/towing for under $70 a month.  I've learned the hard way
that having good insurance will pay for itself with a single accident.

 DS>   At least with my Medicare HMO, with 3 days notice, I can get
 DS> transportation to and from medical facilities for appointments.

The VA here runs VTS (Veterans Transportation Service) but they are
understaffed, overworked, and can be unreliable but it is free and their
vans can handle a full-sized mobility scooter.  However, the local public
transit system does have a bus stop about a five minute "ride" from my
apartment on my scooter that will take me directly to the VA campus and
there is a bus stop immediately across the street from the main hospital
entrance/ER at 50 cents each way (I get half-price rides; technically I am
supposed to fill out a form and get approved for such but it's pretty damn
obvious that I'm disabled).  So I do have options.

-- Sean

... There are lots of good $1.99 burgers but they run $8.99 these days.
--- MMail/FreeBSD
 * Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)