. We're in another heat wave here and I haven't ventured out much, so much so that today I was really getting stir crazy. So I got my first cone of the season. Mint chocolate chip, in case you were wondering.
It was not my first choice place to go, just over the hill at a working dairy farm less than a mile away. This one was in town, but it lacks the lines of the other place, which has received all kinds of awards and likely attracts folks from out of town because I drove by there and there was the usual long line, even during a thunderstorm.
I'm preparing myself for sticker shock as my 2-year electric contract was expiring this month and I had a really great, low price per kilowatt on it. Prices are quite a bit higher across the board now, so I will most definitely be paying a lot more for electricity. All due to Mr. Rump.
My car, homeowners and umbrella insurance were up for renewal, as I think I'd mentioned earlier. My agent was not able to do any better on the umbrella and homeowners, but they were able to shave $300 off the car policy simply by creating a new policy with the same insurer (Progressive) with identical coverage. When asked, they explained that insurers will recalculate the numbers for rate increases every year but when they change, they don't inform existsing policyholders (!), so what it comes down to is if I hadn't been working with an agent, I'd have NO IDEA I could save $300 by getting a new policy! Talk about consumer-unfriendly.
I paid the umbrella ($305) and car ($805) already and will delay paying the home ($1300) until a few days before it expires later this month so when the credit card bill does become due, it will be next month and I'll have been able to spread these bigger bills out a little without having to take out an extra withdrawal from my settlement fund.
I was in a quandry about what to do about blocking strong afternoon sun coming through my new back kitchen door. It's fiberglass, so magnets won't stick and poking any kind of holes in it would void the warranty, so a friend suggested UV film, which I decided to try.
I knew it would be tricky trimming the film once it was on the windows, and so this is by no means a perfect job, but I don't think I want to expend any more life energy trying to redo some of the 4 window films as I do have film left over on the roll. As long as you don't study it, you probably wouldn't notice it and it's nice not having bulky curtains or a shade on the windows, I think, so I can still enjoy the view. The sunlight does still come through, but the windows are noticeable darker than before.
In this photo I had done just 1 of the 4 window panes, the bottom left. I think you can see how it's darker than the others.
Now that I had that ice cream, I'm craving lo mein. Sugar, sodium, what next?
August 9th, 2026 at 05:36 am 1786253806
As for Progressive, they've been kind of scummy in their practices and generally just dragging their feet when policyholders file claims. The flip side to their coin is that their monthly premiums are pretty low. Regardless, it's a good thing that your agent was able to find you a better deal.
As for window films, I've had good success applying those in the past, though what's fascinating to me anyway is that, after a few years, I had tried to remove them. It was ended up all torn up, with half of it was still stuck on there. It was incredible how much mine stuck.
As for the unhealthy trinity of food components that tastes too good to avoid, I believe the last one you are looking for is fat. It's fascinating to me how, any food that I can think of that tastes good to me, contains at least one of those trinity ingredients. The "best" tasting ones contain a mix of all three.
August 9th, 2026 at 05:22 pm 1786296163
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August 9th, 2026 at 06:21 pm 1786299670
Mint chocolate chip is usually what I go for too during the summer. (My favorite flavor is peppermint, which some years I can find around Christmas.) I usually end up getting a couple of scoops a month during the hot part of the summer.
August 9th, 2026 at 07:57 pm 1786305427
Dido, most insurers I've dealt with give you a choice of paying annually or every 6 months, offering a small discount if you pay for the whole year in full. So I pay in full for the entire year.
I am also partial to any ice cream with peanut butter.
Tabs, I wasn't aware that Progressive had a bad reputation when it comes to claims. I know State Farm does. Aren't they all the same?
When you tried to get your UV film off, did you spray with soapy water? What you said makes me nervous, though I don't plan to take it off.
August 9th, 2026 at 10:11 pm 1786313483
State Farm doesn't seem to give an option to pay annually in PA at any rate. (Insurance is always state-specific).
August 12th, 2026 at 02:43 pm 1786545808
That's interesting about the auto insurance and the new policy. Definitely not consumer friendly Grrr.
Good plan on the window film. I can see the difference. Our church has a part time preschool and the police came in to do a safety check and suggested film that blocks people from seeing in the glass doors, but those inside can see out. So, that will be happening at our church.