Although I joined the Buy Me A Coffee platform some time ago, I recently sprinkled additional buttons on my website.
Buy Me a Coffee is used by more than 200,000. It’s a Patreon alternative for writers, artists, and bloggers. Fans can support their favorite creative by buying virtual “coffees” (which is a small cash donation to further creative endeavors).
In addition, you can find “extras” on my Buy Me a Coffee page. Those of you that have been faithful followers for a while now, probably already have these ebooks, which are no longer available on my site, but exclusively at Buy Me a Coffee. I hope to have more of these extras later this year. I’ll keep you posted!
Buy Me a Coffee also has a membership option. This would be for people who would like to become a “patron of the arts” and provide regular support for creatives. Some artists and bloggers provide exclusive content for their patrons, but I’m not going to do at this time. My goal in blogging and writing is to share useful information that helps people without a fee, not make a profit from it (although a coffee now and then is never remiss).
WAAAAY down at the bottom of the page.
There is also a “share” option at the very bottom of the page. Since the more readers I reach, the more people have access to the useful content I create, this is a nice way to increase exposure and doesn’t cost a cent.
Since we are still waiting on my son’s INE, and I’m not one to sit around idly, in December I started the process of creating a MONEY teen checking account from Capital One. I figured that it would be simpler since the account would be tied through my Capital One 360 account and he wouldn’t have to go through so much verification.
Well, I was partially correct. Setting it up from my account was a breeze. However, my son getting access to it wasn’t. First, we ran into the snafu of not having a cell phone number in the United States for the app to contact. So, I made my son call the bank and request the verification number to be sent to my Skype number, as my account was verified. He had the joy of uploading his ID, talking with a variety of bots and actual people, having the ID picture rejected several times, and finally convincing the powers that be that he was who he said he was and made the phone number change.
It didn’t work. The next week, he called again. After the verification process rigamarole, the woman at the other end said that since the Skype number was registered to my account, the system would not use it to verify his. Great.
So after some further research, I found that I could have up to 10 Skype numbers. I added a secondary phone number and had my son call again. Another long, drawn out verification process was needed for the phone number change. There was a further delay when the agent repeatedly entered my son’s email address incorrectly. Spelling it out seemed to help. Well, spelling it out the third time helped.
Then, my son was getting an error message when he tried to sign in to his account. The page asked for his postal code but then said it was invalid when he entered it. So he asked the agent to check the address on his account, which was fine. However, the agent said that the page he was being prompted at was not a secure site. He’d never seen this page and it was a security breach in the system. Hmm.
Making a new attempt at signing in brought my son to the correct page. Since all his facts were correct and the new phone number was acceptable, he was able to sign in. Hallelujah!
It’s super easy for me to transfer funds from my account to his and to keep tabs on his balance. He’s all raring to go to set up a Paypal account, but he needs to wait for the debit card to arrive. It’s on the way, traveling through my Power of Attorney in Tennessee, so it should be too long before he can make online purchases just like dear ol’ mom.
Because Cocoa was sick all over the twin mattress and I couldn’t get it clean enough, I decided that we needed new mattresses all around. Off to the mall we went to check prices. Only, I hadn’t realized the Buen Fin (sort of like the Mexican version of Black Friday) started on November 9 this year because of the pandemic.
I’m not sure what the rationale was for the extended shopping period, fewer people out at the same time? It didn’t seem like it was effective. Moroleon has also instituted a “night” shopping session for the calle de la ropa (clothing street) as part of the COVID-19 restrictions and again, I’m not sure how that is helpful. Does the virus not come out at night? Anyway, because I didn’t realize Buen Fin had already started, I was surprised to see the mall mobbed with people.
We went to Dormimundo (Sleep World) first since it’s obviously a mattress place. The sales lady and I had some trouble communicating, perhaps because of our masks or maybe because I had forgotten that a twin size bed is called an individual here not a twin. Anyway, the prices she quoted even with the Buen Fin discount scared my husband. I also asked about mattress covers, but again, they seemed extraordinarily expensive.
Our next stop was Famsa which is the process of declaring bankruptcy. Just like at Dormimundo, we were the only customers there. We just had to wade through the crowds to get from one end of the mall to the other. In short order, we had a full size (matrimonial) display model for my son purchased at a reasonable price. The employees wrapped it up and loaded it onto our truck. They did not have either twin or king size mattresses that were firm enough for our liking and wouldn’t be getting anymore in because of the bankruptcy. Phooey.
The next day, being a weekday, we ventured out to Coppel. Unfortunately, it was super crowded. However, they had a mattress that was perfect and in our price range. We waited around to make the purchase online, since they didn’t have it right there at the store. Disappointingly, that model was sold out in both twin and king. Meanwhile, my sister-in-law queued up to buy a backpack. It took 45 minutes for her to complete that purchase.
The Coppel sales clerk asked for our phone number. He said there may be a new shipment later in the week. Well, he did call and told us that the model we were interested in wouldn’t be available, but he had other models we could look at. No thanks.
We went out again to search for a mattress that Thursday. There’s a furniture store in town called PorVenir but it being Thursday, it was closed, because of an old town regulation. Thursdays and Sundays are only half days for businesses in Moroleon, Buen Fin extravaganza or not.
Instead, we headed to Uriangato to a store called El Bodegón. We arrived just about the lunch hour, 3-4 pm and there were very few people there. Delightfully, they had mattresses! We were interested in the line of Viking beds. Thor, Odin or Loki were nice, firm mattresses. Sadly, they didn’t have them in stock. But the model Reflection was available for immediate pickup in both king and twin size and in our budget range. Yippee! We got a free pillow as our Buen Fin bonus.
Next, we had to decide what to do with our old mattresses. We opted to keep the full size mattress that was on my son’s bed and make a new base for it from some scrap wood as a guest bed. The twin and king mattresses were beyond salvaging. Off to the recycling center they went. We received 50 pesos for each mattress and good riddance.
So although it was stressful being out and about with all the people, we managed to avoid most of the crowds and get new beds. We shouldn’t have to replace these for another 15 years, so an investment well worth the time and effort it took.
Mattress covers, new sheets, and comforters I ordered at Zulily. New pillows I picked up at la Bodega Aurelia on my weekly grocery shopping trip. Since quality sleep is a requirement for a healthy immune system, new bedding is my endeavor against getting COVID. Well, new bedding and a daily dose of Vitamin D, C, and Zinc as a precaution. It’s worrisome. Numbers in Mexico are skyrocketing. So stay home and stay safe everyone this holiday season!
Surviving Mexico 