Making a Wallet out of a Bag of Cookies

Recently I discovered some really good cookies. They are the Favorite Day Butter Shortbread cookies available at Target. The cookies themselves are delicious but this article is actually about the bag. The cookies come in a sealed pouch and then they have the external bag which has foldable seal tabs at the top.

Every time I finished a bag of these cookies and then went to throw away the bag, I kept thinking it was too nice of a bag to toss out. It just seemed like the kind of bag that would actually be sold as is, even without the cookies. It is pretty durable and reusable since it never even comes in contact with the actual cookies.

So it can definitely be used as a bag, but I decided to get a little creative with it. I noticed it folded up nicely like a tri-fold wallet. So I thought maybe it could be turned into a wallet. I noticed if you just cut one of the sides of the bag, it pretty much becomes the same shape as a wallet. Then you just need to tape some of the flaps down with clear tape.

You can even cut a slit in the bottom portion of the bag to create a slot for credit cards. After applying the tape, it actually turned out pretty good. It has plenty of space for cash and also holds the cards as well. I like that it even has the foldable tabs to keep it closed. It is also pretty low profile which is nice because many tri-fold wallets tend to be a little bulky.

Now I don't know how long it would last with regular use since it is made of a bag after all, but it does seem fairly durable and it would last well beyond the next bag of cookies that's for sure! If you happen to purchase these cookies, now can make your own wallet or at least have a nice reusable bag! 

Aldi Favorite Foods - Recommended Items from Aldi

With grocery prices rising on pretty much everything, I have recently started doing most of my shopping at Aldi since they tend to have the best prices. With this switch, I have been trying out a lot of their different items, most of which have been good, some have been ok, and some not so great. From this experience, I decided to make a list of my favorite Aldi items I have found so far.

1. Casa Mamita Bean and Cheese Burritos

 

If you are looking for a great deal to get a lot of food for your money, this is it. These frozen burritos come in an 8 pack and are only about $3! In most other stores a single wrapped burrito sells for about the same price. Now there is nothing fancy about them, in fact the flavor is pretty mild and the filling seems like mostly beans, but they are perfectly satisfactory for a good meal. Only downside is since they are all packaged together, it can be hard to get them apart sometimes when they are frozen.

2. Simply Nature Apple Banana Squeezable Fruit Blend Pouches

For a convenient serving of fruit, these squeezable packets are unbeatable. They come in a 4 pack for about $1.50 which is a lot less than I have seen for any other similar product at any store. They are very delicious and easy to take on the go. I have also tried the apple strawberry flavor, but this one is my favorite. My only complaint is that at only 3.2 oz, they are gone before you know it and leave you wanting more!

3. Breakfast Best French Toast Sticks Original

I have been a fan of french toast sticks for a while so I had to try out the Aldi brand when I saw they had them. I get the original flavor since they are already sweet and don't need extra cinnamon and sugar. These come in a 16oz box for about $2.65 which is a pretty good deal compared to other options out there. They are easy to make in the microwave and the taste is very good. They make a nice snack any time of the day.

4. Bremer Chicken Melts

I tried these out not really knowing what to expect, but overall I was pleasantly surprised with how good they are. They come as 6 individually wrapped flat bread pockets with cheese and a chicken patty for about $5. I found the chicken to be very juicy and flavorful. These are also easy to make in the microwave as well. The bread can get a little hard sometimes but overall these make a great little meal that is tasty and convenient.

5. Elevation Meal Replacement Chocolate Shake

I had been looking for a nutrition shake to try out from Aldi so I decided to try out their Elevation meal replacement shakes. They come in a 6 pack for about $6 which is ok. The price actually went up from $5 when I first tried them out. They are 11 oz each and give you a good blend of nutrition in an easy to drink shake. Overall the taste is good and I would recommend them if you are looking for a nutrition drink like this.

Have you tried any of these items or do you have any other favorite foods from Aldi? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Sometimes a Little Persistence Can Pay Off

Recently I had been looking for a new job and happened to find one that looked like it would be a great fit. So I filled out the application and waited for a call back. After a couple weeks I had not heard anything yet but I saw that their ad for the job was still posted.

I decided to go to their company website and see if there was any contact information. I found their contact and decided to send them an email to let them know I was very interested in the position and would be happy to answer any questions they might have.

I figured I would get a response saying that they receive a lot of applications and that I would be contacted if they were interested in setting up an interview. None the less, I figured it was worth a shot.

Then within about 30 minutes I get a call. I answer it and it is the guy in charge of the department that I was applying for. He said they were still looking for someone and that I could come over and meet with him to learn about the job. So I was able to set up a meeting right then and there.

The next day I met with him at the facility and he showed me everything about the job. They had only one other person interested in the position so I had a good chance to get it. Unfortunately the job turned out to be very different from what I was expecting. The job listing was not very accurate and it turns out they wanted someone to do a lot of other work that I was not interested in, so in the end I decided to turn it down.

Even though it did not work out, it was still a good lesson in how a little persistence can pay off. Had I not taken that little extra effort to follow up with them, I probably never would have even heard back from them. Because I took the initiative to contact them, I ended up with the opportunity to get the job.

Unclogging a Bathroom Sink Drain - How To

Recently I noticed my bathroom sink was not draining well, as water started to back up into the sink while it was running. I decided to research solutions on how to fix it without having to call a plumber. There are many suggestions out there on ways to fix it. Using this information, I was able to clear the drain, so I thought I would share the experience here to help others who may have the same issue.

First I took an unfolded wire hanger and fished it down the drain to see if I could knock anything loose. It did get a lot of gunk on it so I could tell there was probably some build up around that area of the pipes.

Next, I looked underneath and found the drain pipe. It has a curved section known as a “p-trap” and this part can unscrew to take it off. I decided to try this to see if there clog was in this section.

First I put a bucket underneath and then started unscrewing the p-trap. It was a little hard to do, but I managed to unscrew it. As it came off, some water came out as expected, as well as a lot of gunk. Sure enough this is where there was a clog. Years of toothpaste and soap residue can really build up over time inside the pipes. It does smell pretty bad so be prepared for that.

I started cleaning out the pipe with the wire hanger and some paper towels. I cleaned the section attached to the sink as well as the pipe attached to the wall. I also cleaned out the p-trap pipe. Overall it was not too hard, just messy, so you will probably want to have rubber gloves and plenty of paper towels or rags.

I also ran the water a bit to clear out any loose material while the pipe was off so it would just go into the bucket instead of into the drain again.

Once clear, I put it back together and tested it out. The drain worked perfectly and the clog was clear! I think this is a project most people can do so if your bathroom sink is clogged, I recommend trying this method to clear it before calling for a plumber.

People Asking For Money at Gas Station - Scam Alert

Today I was at a gas station filling up my car when I hear the person on the other side of the pump asking a guy for a couple dollars for gas. The guy was reluctantly starting to help him and was going to use his credit card. In the middle of the transaction he must have changed his mind because then I heard the first guy say, “It's ok, I'll ask someone else.”

Me being the next closest person, I was thinking oh great, I'm next. Sure enough the guy comes over and asks for a couple dollars. He gives a story about how his card got declined and he was from out of town. He even said he would pay me back, which is ridiculous. I'm not sure why he even said that.

I was in the mood to help someone out and I figured if he is at the point where he is begging for a couple dollars at a gas station, he must be in pretty bad shape. So I gave him a few dollars. He went inside the store and I finished pumping the gas for my car.

I got in the car and stayed there for a few minutes just trying to process the situation and keep an eye on their car. A minute later they drive off and did not even fuel up the car! So at that moment, I figured I just got scammed. He probably just went in to buy something else or just faked it and drove off to run the same scam again.

My takeaway from this is that I probably will not be giving out money like this again because it is most likely a scam. It's unfortunate it happened, but for learning a lesson that only costed a few bucks, it's not that bad.

I wanted to share this story to let other people out there know about this potential scam so it does not happen to you.

Online Reviews Cannot Be Trusted

One of the great things about the internet is the ability for people to connect with others and share their opinions. You can learn what other people think and you can share what you think about pretty much anything from products to businesses to politics.

While this is a great resource, it can also be very harmful when people post false or inaccurate information. When you read reviews online, you assume true and you hope they can be trusted, but unfortunately this is not the case.

This applies to both good reviews and bad reviews. For example a product may have a lot of good reviews, but it is possible the reviews are fake and have been written just to make a product look good. On the other hand, someone might have a bad experience that has nothing to do with the quality of a product and they leave a bad review for it which makes the product look bad for no reason.

The same goes for businesses, someone may have been upset about something and then they take it out on a business. You never know if what they are saying is true or if they are just trying to make a company look bad. I have seen examples of this first hand where people have written things about a business that are not true, just to try to make it look bad.

So what is the solution? Often review sites such as Google and Yelp will have a way to report a review if there is an issue. The problem is, there is no guarantee anything will be done about it. For example I have reported reviews from time to time for various reasons such as spam or false information and the reviews did not get removed.

This is a problem because when people post reviews that have false information, it can be damaging to a brand or company. When people read these reviews, they assume they are true and this affects their view of what they are reading about.

Review sites need to be more strict about content that is being posted. I know they probably can't moderate every review manually, but there should at least be a better way to report bad information so it can be removed.

We like to think that we can trust the reviews we read online, but unfortunately many of them cannot be trusted, so everyone has to keep this in mind whenever they are reading a review about anything. It may not be as good as the reviews make it out to be, and it may not be as bad as the reviews make it out to be either.

Favorite Movies of All Time

Over the years I have seen a good amount of movies and so I decided to make a list of all my favorites. Then I reviewed the list and narrowed it down to my top 5 movies off all time. These are movies you can watch over and over and they are always good and hold up over time. Of course everyone's opinions are different but if I had to recommend the best movies to watch it would be these here:

1. Little Miss Sunshine
This is a movie about a dysfunctional family trying to drive across the country so that the young daughter can compete in a beauty pageant. The acting is great, as is the relationship between the characters. It's one of those movies that has a good mix of heart felt drama mixed with unexpected comedy. It's a feel good movie that I think everyone will enjoy!

2. Point Break (1991)
This one is about a couple law enforcement agents trying to track down a group of serial bank robbers who they believe to be part of a local surf gang. The main character goes undercover as a surfer and tries to infiltrate their group. The movie has a lot of action and suspense as they try to catch these guys who have gotten away with so many robberies. 

3. Back To The Future (1,2 and 3)
I would guess most people know of this movie series and have probably seen it, but if you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for? You have some amazing movies to see! For those who haven't seen it, its a time travel movie where a guy goes to different times and his actions may have a big effect on what happens in the present day timeline. It's a classic for good reason. 

4. Leon The Professional
This one does have some controversy due to some of the themes in the movie especially in the extended cut, but regardless, I would consider it one of the best movies. It is about a hitman who reluctantly takes in a young girl after she loses her family. The girl wants to work with him and train to be like him so she can get revenge on those who killed her brother. Its an exciting film with a lot of action and some very memorable acting. 

5. Dumb and Dumber
Rounding out the list is my favorite comedy of all time Dumb and Dumber. Its a funny movie that still holds up after all these years. You can watch it many times and keep finding new jokes you might have missed the first time. The premise is a couple of guys who are trying to return an important briefcase to a woman who left it at an airport. The movie follows everything that happens along the way as they try to return the case. 

Hopefully you will enjoy these movies as much as I have. Feel free to comment below about these movies or others that may be on your list.