Well I know how those people feel on Extreme Couponing- Stressed out!! That's how I feel at the moment dealing with getting my grocery list and coupons rounded up for the shopping trip tomorrow.
Trying to get the most for your money by using coupons is a big chore but so worth it in the end. And when someone offers to take you on a free grocery trip for your birthday to spend $80 to $100, you make the most of it and go through and gather coupons like crazy no matter how tiring and draining it may be!!
Ok, well here I go. Time to clip the coupons I have picked out to use and start writing up that grocery list. It's kind of exciting wondering how much I will save at the store tomorrow. Like I said if someone takes you on a free grocery trip to spend $80 to $100 you use coupons to make that trip worth $160 to $200!! Well I'm gonna try at least.
Before doing coupons I had to get supper and other things going on the stove and crock pot.
I put the leftover turkey carcass with whatever remaining meat on it into a huge stew pot with water. I threw in a little garlic, onion powder and basil seasonings. In my crisper drawer I found a 1/2 stalk of celery that went limp so cut it up and put it in with the turkey along with 1/2 of a leftover onion which I also found in the fridge.
I will use some of this to make some turkey and homemade noodle soup. Any extra both will be put into plastic peanut butter jars and then into the freezer.
Here it is going into the pot.
Showing the size of the pot this all is brewing in.
In the crock pot I am making chili for supper using these ingredients pictured. 1/4 cup dehydrated onions chopped up more FREE 1 can chili beans .69 cents 1 can diced tomatoes with juice .50 cents 1 roll ground sausage fried up $1.00 1/2 green bell pepper chopped up .16 cents 1/2 container of V8 juice FREE
TOTAL COST TO MAKE $2.35
Optional- Serve with crackers and cheddar cheese on top.
I got all the coupons cut out that I will possibly be using. This evening I'll write out a grocery list. What sucks is Meijers doesn't display prices for single grocery items on their website so I have to guess how much some things cost. I just need a break for now from coupons, lol.
zippity do da zippity yea, my oh my what a wonderful day. So I'm driving over to pick Christopher up off the bus with Jonathan. Jonathan says, hey there's a bunch of sales ads there in the grass on the corner of an intersection. I know for a fact that The Bags have already been delivered and that the house by that corner didn't deliver the bags so they didn't belong to them. It appeared that some delivery boy just left them there while on their route. The delivery boy lives about 5 minutes from here and is in school at the moment. So before taking them I crossed off any hesitant questions off my list and put the truck in park, jumped out and snatched them all up. I ended up with 17 bags that all had coupon inserts in them.
PLUS I had Tony call me today and ask if I was still looking for coupons because he's been finding them at work for me.
I thought my eyes were crossing before from looking at so many coupons, well wait til tonight after Tony brings his home to add to the ones I found today.
I finally got a grocery list and coupons done for the grocery trip tomorrow.
We'll have to wait til tomorrow to see how much I saved as the list can change during my store visit since I guess on a lot of prices.
Now I'm going to stir in 3 homework packets (that I have to help the kids with), serve supper of chili, get the turkey put in the fridge (so fat will harden at top so I can remove it tomorrow to have broth), wait on Tony to get home from work (he's working a little late to try and get some overtime), now add in that I'm tired and wore out and kids ain't cooperating.
While all city newspapers are different I've been reading that some people are finding a free coffee coupon somewhere in their Sunday papers. I don't get the Sunday paper (cutting back expenses) so I do not know which section it would even be in so be sure to thoroughly go through every section of the regular paper to see if it is there.
Someone also said that in their paper they got an Aldi's ad with a $5 off $30 purchase. Once again I do not know if it is in the Columbus Dispatch but it would be worth checking out.
I have asked mom for her entire Sunday paper once she is done with it so I will have time to look it over maybe tomorrow or Wednesday to see if I can find those coupons.
With the holidays just around the corner I have decided that I will start posting some easy recipes for those dinners.
No Roll Pie Crust (Press in the pan crust)
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour * 1/2 cup peanut oil (or can use veg. or canola oil) * 1/4 cup ice water * 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Place dough in the pie pan, and press it out evenly with your fingers. Fill with favorite pie filling and bake.
Been tidying up the house today and getting laundry done. Tony's been working on a car that's been giving him fits. A couple of the starter's bolts did not want to come out to the point he broke about 3-4 tools trying. We had to go to Menards to spend money on tools to get that sucker off. He is still at 7pm working on the car in the driveway so he has it to go to work tomorrow.
Since last night I have been going through coupons. I have a mound of them from printables to coupon inserts that are making my eyes cross. This is the only part about couponing that I hate- going through them, cutting them out and putting them in to my binder. There's no way I'm going through them all at this time and getting them into my binder. I'm just sorting through to see what I have and may need.
Looks like I will be going to Meijers to shop since they seem to have more sales. My problem at the moment is I have a brain cramp as to what I should be putting on my grocery list. You'll get this when you stare at what seems like thousands of coupons. So far I have just under $22 with 36 items on my list. Those are just the coupon and sale match up items. Now I have to go through and take inventory of other things we may need in the fridge, pantry and freezer. I will sleep on it and get a start on the rest of the list tomorrow.
Still trying to figure out the cigarette making thing, not the actual making process but the filters. I got the 100's filters but they seem a little strong. I told the clerk at the store I smoked Doral light 100's and he gave me these below which while they are 100's taste like a full flavored cigarette.
I'm thinking he might have gave me the wrong item. I want the light 100's like these-
I seem to amaze myself at times. I can find coupons for just about anything, lol. Last night Tony went to the store and when he came back out his car almost didn't start. We knew we would eventually need a starter and have been putting it off. Tony called around and found a used one for $45 ($5 core exchange) at Wirthman Brothers located at 3515 E. Main St. Cols. He had forgotten the phone number to check the hours so I found their website. Well I discovered that their website had a 10% discount off your purchase printable coupon. Starter- $45 with coupon makes it $40.05 Will have saved $4.50 with this coupon.
Now my next question is this-
I received coupons from O'Reillys auto parts for for $10 off a 5+ quart jug of Valvoline Maxlife high mileage motor oil. I know Meijers takes competitor coupons but I wonder if they would take coupons from O'Reilys?
Meijers has the 5.1 qt jug along with an oil filter on sale next week for $18.38 (that includes the $7.00 rebate they have) Now if I could use this coupon along with that sale I could have a do it yourself oil change items for only $8.38
You will see on the coupon I had written $28.99. That's how much the oil alone would cost if I purchase it at O'Reilys.
Back from running around. Stopped in the smoke shop to get the right filter tubes I needed to make cigarettes. Went over to E. Main St. to buy a used starter for our car. The starter costs $125 for a new one. The guy quoted Tony and Wirthman Brothers $45 for a used one. With online coupon they sold it to us at an lower price with the coupon of only $35! Compared to new that's a savings of $90!!
We stopped by Tony's work. We noticed that the Halloween store cleared out and walked over to their dumpster to see if they threw anything good out.
I found a dominatrix whip, lol. A batman belt, toy machine gun with sounds (not pictured) and an adult football costume.
We stopped in the shop at Tony's work and then checked out a few dumpsters nearby. I found a black velvet stocking & a bottle of unopened wine (I'm thinking a work Christmas present. Put the bottle of wine in the stocking and call it a gift). I also found a blue snuggie that I'm going to wash up and give to Jonathan for Christmas. He's a couch lounger and likes to cuddle up in blankets. Jonathan found a large bag of 100% Whey protein. And lastly I found me a shirt and three large plastic rubbermaid totes (not pictured)
On the way home we stopped at a garage sale. I bought a couple necklaces for .50 cents. These will be a Christmas gift for mom.
I also got kitty a couple of Christmas presents that he got as an early gift. One is a tunnel ($20 at Petsmart) that makes a crinkling sound when he goes in it- .50 cents And the other is a play rocker with dangle ball at top and rolling tube ball on the sides .50 cents.
At this garage sale they had a new bullit blender set with cups and caps for $5. I probably could have gotten it for $4 but passed on the whole thing. They go for $50 on Amazon. Now I'm wondering if I should've bought it after seeing how much they go for brand new.
All I kept thinking about was that bullit blender so I finally went back over to the yard sale. They were actually starting to put the stuff away. I got out and asked the lady if she had it still and she said no. I said I see you are putting things away, are you marking anything down? I had been eyeballing a little Christmas tree earlier that was $1.00. I said would you take .50 cents for it. It is a fiber optic tree so I had her plug it in for me to see if it worked. She plugged it in and it did nothing. She said I could have it, woo hoo. So here's my free little Christmas tree. I thought I could put it in the windowsill or maybe on the front stoop with some white lights on it. It's maybe 2 feet tall if that. I can't believe I was actually fluffing up a Christmas tree in the beginning of November! Ahhhh! I got a weird look from Tony when walking back to the truck with the baby tree. He was like what are we going to do with that. If people could just crawl in my head for one day to see what goes on in there to realize my though process when I see things and what could become of them then I wouldn't need to find time to explain myself for everything I do, LOL.
Got one more thing crossed off the honey do list, got the car put away for Winter with it's blankie, the car cover. It will be nice now to use the driveway once again and be able to park up under the carport once again. When I park up under there I don't have to scrape windows or brush snow of the truck.
And as we were doing all this and getting the fence put back up we heard the Goodyear blimp flying over the house. Football game must be over with.
Before putting the car away for the Winter we had to clean out a few bicycle projects near the place where the car was to be parked. We contacted "Scrapper Dude" as we call him from down the street to see if he wanted the scrap bicycles. Since I know this person at times prowls the streets and curbsides for scrap metal I had Jonathan ask him to be on the look out for some wooden bed foot & headboards. It just so happened he had one at his house. So here is the twin bed boards he gave us that I have to work with to make a headboard bench for my in-laws for Christmas. The only thing missing is one wooden brace across the foot board but I think I could figure out how to put another piece in its place. It'll all be painted one solid color in the ends so it wouldn't matter. I saw some scrap wood in a dumpster at Tony's work that I think I could use as cross boards for the seat area. I'm trying to do this as cheaply as I can with possible no cost at all to make. Hopefully it will turn out something like THIS.
I just signed up for another survey site called One Opinion. They give you $5.00 for signing up. You make $1.00+ a survey. You need $25 to cash out which is in the form of a debit card.
Here's an easy recipe for your Thanksgiving dessert tray- I'd serve them in mini cupcake wrappers found at the dollar stores. You can find Kroger doughnut holes for cheaper than name brand ones. Might even find them as a manager special :0)
It's bad enough that Columbus schools suck as it is with their teaching ability and low test scores but when they keep closing down school it makes it even tougher for students in my opinion. It takes awhile for students to become adjusted to a new school and make friends. They build their self esteem and confidence level with teachers and friends and just knowing the building and where everything is at. To make student jump from school to school is not good for them with grades and having to start all over again in a new place. They've already closed down one of our middle schools and have rerouted many students. Now they are thinking about either shutting down Medina middle school or Brookhaven high school. Another option is to make Brookhaven a split school which would also include middle school students. We have enough bullying going on as it is and to put middle school students with high school students is just asking for trouble. Kids need to be around other students their own age. They don't need to try to grow up so fast by feeding of off older students and some of their bad habits. When you start combining schools then I think eventually they are going to become overpopulated making the teacher to student ratio much higher with even poorer education. Our one elementary school lost a fifth grade classroom and now only has one. They split that class into the remaining fifth grade class and the other half went into a fourth grade class. My son now has about 35 kids in his room. This is ridiculous!
Got the turkey in the oven and it smells sooooo good in here. Smells like maple syrup and bacon. They should make a candle with this scent!!! I'm thinking about making a mixture of maple syrup (sugar-free) and brown sugar about half way before the turkey is done. I'll add this on top of the bacon that the turkey is wrapped in. Can't wait to see how this turkey turns out. And if it is good this is how I'm making it for Thanksgiving.
Meat thermometer found at a garage sale for .10 cents!
Just got done putting the brown sugar and maple syrup on top of the turkey and bacon, mmmmmmm. I had to warm this mix in the microwave first to melt the sugar some.
Every year there seems to be one really stupid and ridiculous toy out there for the Christmas season. Yup I found it already and are tired of seeing this commercial on TV. DOGGIE DOOO. See who can collect the most doggie doos to win the game! REALLY???? Don't we have something a little more educational? What's next, The Doggie Style game?
* Sending birthday and holiday ecards to Facebook and e-mail * Printing store-quality cards right from home * Getting personal: add your voice, a photo or gift card to any ecard * Save with members-only discounts on personalized paper cards and shop the aisle cards online
NO CREDIT CARD REQUIRED! No trial, no obligation, no credit card required.
I got mine! :0) This should come in handy to save on greeting cards by printing my own!
Tony's friend that he used to work with died of cancer yesterday.
Tony's boss' wife lost her brother today.
I had to rearrange my birthday to a different day so we could make money.
Not going grocery shopping on Monday. It's been changed to Tuesday. Not a problem though as it works in both our favors. Just thought I'd add it in here since it is a change of plans.
I'm reading on Facebook that Tony's aunt and uncle are having problems and she's ready to leave him.
A cousin of Tony's just broke it off with her husband.
Now I am hearing that Tony's half brother, who just got married this past Summer, is now splitting up with his wife who left him.
And Thanksgiving this year is up in the air with an, I'll be damned if I do and damned if I don't kinda thing.
From hear say my brother, of all people, is supposed to be inviting our family, mom and my step-dad to their house this year. Ok, he's invited my mom and told mom he'll be calling me to invite us. While he called and told mom this today I haven't received a call from him today about it.
It's been about 10 or so years since we've been invited to his house for anything. If we don't attend I'm sure mom would be mad.
So do I hang back and wait to see if he calls inviting us for real? What if he doesn't and then we end up with no Thanksgiving? I have been buying groceries for our Thanksgiving here on that day and usually Tony's parents come for Thanksgiving here.
Decisions, decisions. So who do I piss off here? My mom or Tony because his parents aren't coming for Thanksgiving. We could always have it a different day.
Oh I love when curve balls are thrown into the picture. You think you have everything planned out ahead of time and then God works his magic to see if you have a plan B. I don't have a plan B. I'm lucky to have plan A planned ahead of time.
Don't ya just love the holidays, they bring so much love and joy??? I'm being sarcastic here!
Well I'm off here for now. Tony says he found another area rug today but needs help getting it. Plus I want to stop in a smoke shop and get things for my cigarette maker.
Didn't go get the rug tonight as I didn't feel like driving to Tony's work.
I did find a smoke shop about 5 or so minutes from home and stopped in there this evening. I got a 16 ounce bag of Southern Steel mellow pipe tobacco. I could have gotten the Criss Cross tobacco but I opted for this one since it was .50 cents cheaper. The store clerk told me it was pretty much the same thing as Criss Cross as it was also manufactured by them.
Next time I buy tubes I will have .50 cents off each carton as there is a coupon on each box :0) So $2.49 a box.
Total cost with tax was about $28
The clerk said I could get 3-4 cartons from a pound of tobacco. I'm keeping track as I make them by writing the amount I make each time on the inside flap of the carton of tubes. Tonight I made up 42 cigarettes.
scenario-
3 cartons = 30 packs $28 divided by 30 is .93 cents a pack
4 cartons = 40 packs $30.49 divided by 40 is .76 cents a pack
Either way, compare that to $5.05 A PACK sold in stores!!!
$5.05 times 30 packs is $151.50
$5.05 times 40 packs is $202.00
BIG TIME SAVINGS!!!!
I actually made up another 18 but I played trial an error with making cigarettes and found that I was packing them too tight. I cut them open and dumped that tobacco back in the bag. I've got the hang of the cigarette machine now.
If you've signed up for Kohls sales alerts and got your $5.00 off $5.00 or more coupon be sure to check your email for another coupon good for and additional 15% off Nov. 4-6 only. Both coupons are also good on sale and clearance items. You do have the option to not print the coupons and use the codes on them online at Kohls.com. The $5.00 coupon says it can be combined with other offers so you can use both $5.00 and 15% coupons at once! Try THIS LINK to see if you are able to print the 15% off coupon.
We used to have a Kohls 5 minutes from here but they closed it down. That really sucks. Now I have to travel about 5 miles to go to one.
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Here are some printable coupons for movies. Be sure to watch for upcoming sales and possible rebates to go with them.
I was going to make my turkey today. I think I'm just too tired to mess with it. I didn't sleep well and think I'll do it tomorrow.
This turkey isn't for Thanksgiving. That will be another turkey. Last year I brined my first turkey and it came out moist and juicy. I might do that again this year for thanksgiving. Check out recipes for turkey brine HERE.
Today while in Speedway I found these coupons by the pizza warmer near the checkout. They are for a free slice of pizza when you purchase a 32 ounce fountain drink. They are good through 11-30-11.
A cheap supper, lunch or snack that will cost you $1.09 +tax for drink and a slice of pizza.
Pizza slices are usually $1.00 each when you buy 2 or maybe $1.50? if you buy just 1.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- The state's liquor control agency says it's reducing prices on certain liquors and offering holiday items and gift packs.
The Department of Commerce's Division of Liquor Control said Wednesday that discounts from 25 percent to 40 percent are offered on certain sizes, flavors and items from more than 100 brands of liquors.
Among the brands are Absolut, Jack Daniels, Southern Comfort and Johnnie Walker.
Like Hallmark on Facebook to print a $5.00 off $10 or more coupon. Good through 11-13. Limited to the first 35,000. When I clicked to print it allowed me to print as many as I wanted. Your name will appear on the coupon. Limit one coupon per customer.
November 4-6 Hallmark is having an Holiday Open House Event in stores to start off the shopping season. Here's one of the deals you can get then-
Recordable story book reg. $29.99 sale price $19.99 with any purchase minus $5 coupon makes it $14.99
There are 5 Hallmark stores in Columbus including one in Easton.
Surprise your child with this free Christmas story book reading by Santa. Head on over to A Story Before Bed and enter your email address and your child’s name and then click on the “Send My Request to Santa” button. Then check you email and click on the confirmation link; in mid-December, you’ll receive a link to a recording of Santa reading the book For Christmas Day to your child.
The other day I got two free International Delight coffee creamers- Butter Pecan (my favorite) and vanilla caramel cream.
Did you know you can make fancy flavored whipped cream with International Delight? Beat with mixer- half International Delight creamer with half whipping cream.
Butter Pecan whipping cream on an apple pie? Doesn't that sound good for Thanksgiving??!! MMMMMmmmmmmm!
I got my turkey prepped and ready to go for tomorrow. Good thing I didn't bake it today as Tony just informed me we are going to Groveport tonight so he can do another side job of fixing a ceiling fan dangling from this person's ceiling.
I mixed together 1/3 cup butter (country crock shed's spread), 1/3 cup honey mustard (from Aldi) and maple syrup (sugar-free Kroger brand) onion & garlic powder, pepper I put in microwave til butter was melted then stirred together.
I injected this mixture into the turkey. Any remaining sauce I poured over top the turkey breast and legs. Add 3-4 slices of bacon under the skin of the turkey breast. You can add more to the cavity inside the turkey if you wish. Next I put bacon strips all over the turkey on top of the sauce then place aluminum foil over top and set in fridge.
You can use both these coupons on one game for a total of $10 off!! One is a Target store coupon and the other is a manufacture coupon. This is called stacking coupons.
Just returned home from Groveport. Tony made $40 tonight doing a side job. Any money is good money to help out during the holidays and plus y'all know that natural gas bill is going to get stupid soon. So it will help with bills as well.
I was going to celebrate my birthday next Sunday the 13th (birthday is actually Monday) with family. Tony told me tonight that a coworker of his said he'd give him $50 if he would take the on call pager for him next weekend. I was all for the extra $50 plus any overtime. I don't need to celebrate my birthday on my birthday give or take. $50 or being reminded that I'm another year older? I'll take the $50! LOL.
Tony still has one more side job to do sometime and that is putting brakes on his boss' car.
Well I'm tired and want to head to bed soon. Eyes are burning outta my head. I didn't really get a nap today so I'm pretty exhausted.
5lb bag Gold Medal Flour $2.25 - .50 printable coupon above = $1.75
15 ounce canned pumpkin $1.00
Betty Crocker cake mix $1.25 Betty Crocker frosting $1.70 printable coupon above for .60 cents off cake mix & frosting makes it $2.35 for both or $1.17 each
Reynolds Turkey bags 2 pk $2.00
4 pack baking stencils $1.00
3 pack rubber spatulas $1.00
Measuring cups or spoons $1.00
Blue dot buy 1 get 1 free fall & winter family apparel (excludes socks)
I hope y'all signed up for Kohls sales alerts by email to get your $5.00 off next purchase! It can take a week or so to get. I just checked a couple of my emails and was able to print off 2 of the $5 off coupons. To me that means two free or cheap gifts!!
I got 10 pounds of potatoes cubed up a cooking on the stove. One pot is for mashed potatoes and the other for fried potatoes. Tonights supper is stroganoff over mashed potatoes. 1 pound ground turkey $1.59 1 twin pack Betty Crocker stroganoff $1.50 potatoes- FREE
Total cost- $3.09 serves 6 servings @ .51 cents a serving
Tomorrow I'll work on baking up a turkey and serve it with stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy.
If need be I'll freeze any leftover turkey and mashed potatoes we don't eat.
The other potatoes will be fried and used for some breakfasts or other meals.
I also decided to bake up some muffins. I used 2 packs of Jiffy Muffin mix- Banana Nut and Bran with Dates. I combined the two in a bowl, in a small bowl I mashed up one banana and 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter and stirred it into the muffin mixes, added 2 eggs and 2/3 cup milk. I had some extra cereal that the kids weren't eating so I topped the muffins with Sugar Pops before baking. I hate to see stuff like this go to waste so try to use it on things like pies, desserts, muffins, yogurt, etc. 2 muffin mixes .54 cents banana & peanut butter .25 cents 2 eggs .44 cents milk .15 cents Sugar Pops FREE
total cost for 12 muffins $1.38 or .11 cents per muffin.
Here's some goodies my honey has found me at work this week :0)
Wallet, ash tray, 2 bathroom rugs & BBQ grill with side burner. Nevermind the plastic bags on the grill as those were used to tie the lid down because the grill is actually laying on its side in the rear of the truck. I just flipped the pictures around for better viewing.
I've been a coupon printing fool today, ok for about the past week. My honey even brought home a couple sales door bags from work from empty apartments with coupons in them. I even went out and got some ink to refill my printer cartridges so I could print coupons.
Next Monday my friend is taking me out to go grocery shopping at about double the expense of what I normally spend a week, for my birthday. While I don't know what sales are next week (and are praying that I get my sales bag on the door Sunday so I have time to plan my list with sales and coupon match ups) I am hoping to be prepared to get some really good deals to make the money stretch further. Really hoping for some good Thanksgiving food sales!
Well all, it's been a long and exhausting and stressful day. My legs are aching and I just popped a couple ibuprofen. Ready to go lay down in bed with the electric blanket on and watch my Ghost Hunters.
In about an hour me and mom will be heading over to Kroger in hopes of finding some marked down Halloween items. Hoping to also get 10 can of Campbells cream soups for .29 cents each. I think at regular price they are around $1.00 each. So $7.10 saved on this deal! I'll let you know how it all turns out and if we go anywhere else. I just thought about maybe stopping at Big Lots to see if they have stuff marked down also :0)
Cupcake papers .47 cents each for a pack of 75 I always stock up on cupcake papers when there's holiday clearance sale. I also like to find other clearance baking items like sprinkles, chocolates, frosting and so on.
Wilton Chocolate .74 cents each Can use for molded Christmas candy
3 pack of lip balm .37 cents each Stocking stuffers?
Frosting .82 cents each Stocking up on cheaper frosting for baking time during the holidays.
KROGER
10 cans campbells cream soups .29 cents each 2 Tic Tacs FREE 1 lip medicine .39 cents
BIG LOTS
I found a plastic toothbrush and soap holder for $1.00. The soap holder holds cigarettes perfectly. Plan to use this when I start making my own to keep them fresh.
WALGREENS
Ink refill kit $17.99 It's a double pack of 20 ml inks. This should refill ink cartridges 14 times. Compare that to $25 for a color ink cartridge- $25 x's 14 is $350. This will save you $332!!!
Side jobs before the holiday season is the way to go to try and make some ends meet. Tony was offered a job at a convenience store just around the corner from his work to fix their bathroom's toilet and replace the faucet. They know he's a maintenance man and they've known him for almost 11 years now. $70 for 1 hour of work, HELL YEAH!! He actually quoted them a lot less just to have some money in his pocket but they gave him double of what he asked for! Gotta be cheaper for them than to have a plumber come out which charges for a house call, labor and parts.
