OT: Sales Tax Holiday

Tennessee's first annual "Sales Tax Holiday" started at midnight today and
runs through midnight Sunday. It's a nice idea since our sales tax is
9.75%. Unfortunately, nothing on the "approved list" is anything I need,

Victor Martinez...

Yikes! And I complain that our 8.25% sales tax is high. Then again, we
have insane property taxes... :(

and these days I'm only buying things I *need*.

Most clothing is tax exempt unless it's strictly for recreational sports

Victor Martinez...

Here the restriction is that no item over $100 is exempt. But you can
buy a $99 designer something or other and you won't pay tax.

(golf shoes, ski boots and the like are excluded). Most of what is tax
exempt are school supplies - notebooks, pens, tape, glue sticks. Well, I
don't need any clothes and I definitely don't need school supplies.

Victor Martinez...

School supplies, suprisingly enough, are *not* tax exempt.

Food is *not* tax exempt nor are prescriptions. Even people with kids need

William Hamblen...

Prescriptions are not subject to the Tenessee sales tax. Over
the counter remedies are.

jmcquown...

I'll check my receipts... I swear if I buy everything at the same check-out
at Walgreen's it's all totalled in and sales tax is included with my
prescriptions. Good to know it shouldn't be and that I have some recourse
if it shouldn't be.

Victor Martinez...

Food and Rx are always tax exempt over here.

Monique Y. Mudama...

Pretty sure that's true here, as well. Although there's a distinction
between grocery food and restaurant food. Restaurant food is
definitely taxed. Makes sense -- no one "needs" to eat in a

sriddles...

You probably already know this, but if you're still under a doctor's
care and especially if you're taking any prescription meds, be sure to
take a list of any herbal/natural remedies that you're taking.
I love lavender, but didn't know how many "medicinal" uses there were
for it. I've always loved the aroma. I think it smells like men.

tanada...

Bay Rum. Old fashioned, but oh man it smells yummy.

Pam S.

Monique Y. Mudama...

To be honest, I hadn't given that much thought. I should. I don't
*think* enzymes or probiotics would have any effect on medications --
they're stuff that occurs naturally in your body -- but who knows.

sriddles...

On second thought, what you're taking is probably more akin to vitamins
than herbal remedies. But I don't really know. I do hope it works for

Monique Y. Mudama...

Well, it can't help to mention them to any doctor who might consider
prescribing anything to me. Even vitamins can be bad for you in
megadoses, or in the wrong proportions.

I don't feel a strong urge to mention the enzymes or probiotics to my
GI specialist because he poo-poos any kind of dietary approach to
Crohn's. It's not "proven," or "well, fine, maybe probiotics help,
but *which* probiotics?" Well, maybe he's right and the jury's still
out, but I see his side, offering me symptom management and absolutely
no hope of every curing myself, and then I see the other side, which
suggests that I could completely eliminate my symptoms to the point of
healing my intestine so well that no one would ever know I'd ever had
Crohn's. And all I have to do is take a few supplements and/or change
my diet a bit.

Why *wouldn't* I try that?

sriddles...

It's weird that your GI specialist poo-poos dietary approach? Maybe I
didn't understand you right. But my friend who had Crohn's managed hers
with a very strict diet. He doesn't restrict your diet at all? She
avoided all things that are especially difficullt to digest.

Monique Y. Mudama...

That's exactly what I meant. Did your friend have very clear
connections between eating certain foods and flareups? There's
nothing I eat that makes me feel ill. My belly seems to react mostly
to stress, or to its own mysterious stimuli.

My GI doctor told me to eat and drink whatever I want, and nothing
further in that department. Especially as I have not yet made any
connections between eating certain foods and feeling bad. The only
warning is not to take NSAIDs, which figures as they're my mainstay
for joint pain and overdoses of athleticism.

The lady I spoke to today recommended getting my IgG antibodies workup.
Apparently IgE is what you would look for for normal allergies; IgG may
be useful in pinpointing foods that are causing inflammatory responses.
Things that don't cause immediate, noticable reactions. But then I see
a lot of articles saying that the whole thing is very wishy-washy and
inconclusive. And expensive. *sigh*

I think the holistic approach is great, if it works, but I also think
you have to be very careful with it. Some holistic healers specialize
in separating you from your money. :-)

Monique Y. Mudama...

Too true. Well, so far I've had very good luck with finding caring
specialists in chiro, acupuncture, massage, and structural
integration. All of them seem much more interested in finding a
solution (to whatever) and exploring options than any of my Western
doctors (my regular doctor, a doctor of internal medicine, is the most
open-minded; the GI and orthopedic doctors I've seen have all seemed
fairly curt and extremely narrow in knowledge).

I do think also that one thing that goes tremendously in your favor is
how active you are. Exercise has got help with digestive problems; I'm
sure of it.

Monique Y. Mudama...

I think so. My belly usually feels better while I'm active, even if
it's typically been iffy that day. Even at the worst, I still went
hiking and such. My mother in law expressed astonishment at my taking
that risk, but I felt that I desperately needed that release and
rejuvenation.

Every time I ask my doctor about a specific supplement, or the latest
food craze (most recent was Omega 3/salmon)...he just smirks and says,
"Well, it certainly won't *hurt*." He never really endorses anything
like that.

Monique Y. Mudama...

Heh. Well, my doctor *did* agree with me that omega 3 was great. I
mentioned I knew it was great for intestines and for the brain
(actually the fluid around the brain, IIRC); she added that it was
great for counteracting heart disease.

The first person who ever told me about Omega 3s was a psychiatrist.
She said preliminary studies had shown it can help balance mood
disorders. This was a few years ago, and IIRC the doses involved in the
study were simply massive. I would have had to take 30 pills a day of
just fish oil to match them.

I'm sure my GI specialist would have done the same smirking hand-wave
thing about it, though.

My latest healthy-snack obsession is Cranberry Slushies from Sonic.
Well, it's healthier than Coke, anyway. :-)

Monique Y. Mudama...

Hah! Probably about as much sugar involved in making cranberry
palatable, though. Not that I'm one to talk; I adore cranberry juice
drinks, and I know there's tons of sugar there. Plain cranberry juice
is too vile to contemplate.

you.

restaurant.

jmcquown...

Absolutely. And "groceries" (IMHO) shouldn't include soda pop, alcoholic
beverages or snack foods. Just my opinion since those things, while nice on
occasion, aren't essential to life.

Christina Websell...

Ah, I am going to disagree with you here. It is not up to you - or anyone
else - to decide what anyone chooses to eat or drink is appropriate or not.
You sound like the food police. I can hardly believe you said it!

jmcquown...

I'm not the food police by a long shot. I enjoy my beer but I wouldn't
expect it to be tax-free even though it would greatly benefit me! It's not
a necessity. Neither is Coca-Cola or Hostess snack cakes. If snack cakes
are a *must*, baking ingredients such as flour, sugar, etc. would be tax
free - bake your own cupcakes or cookies :) Better for you since they don't
have all those artificial ingredients, too.

Monique Y. Mudama...

I see your point, but it seems a fine line. Bought brownies should be
taxed, but made brownies shouldn't be? Corn bread, cupcakes, birthday
cake? Should cube steak be tax-free and filet mignon taxed?

jmcquown...

Items such as flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, oil... those ingredients
don't necessarily equate to "cupcakes". I consider those to be staple items
for basic cooking. I've never seen store-bought cornbread, do they really
do that in Colorado?! As for the meat, I'd say it shouldn't matter any more
than if you purchased boneless chicken breasts vs. bone-in (even though
bone-in are cheaper and technically you could bone them yourself). Taxes
are very confusing to say the least.

food and prescriptions, maybe even more so than a lot of other people. Once
again the people with kids have an advantage over those who don't. Just my
opinion, folks.

sriddles...

I guess I don't see the advantage. It costs a fortune to get children
ready for school every year. I was just thinking while looking at sales
flyers that I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore.

Victor Martinez...

Well, I think it's making up for all the pain they have to suffer for
having chosen to procreate. ;-)

Monique Y. Mudama...

Key word "chosen." Although I'm not exactly sure what advantage we're
describing here?

jmcquown...

I was describing school supplies. I really think they should exempt

jmcquown...

Yeah, the advantage is more for people with children. School supplies are
tax exempt this weekend. And the Memphis city schools enacted a strict
dress code a few years back (much like uniforms; boys in khaki pants and
blue polo-type shirts, can't remember the girls outfit). So this benefits
primarily people with children. I suppose if I needed clothes and could
afford to buy some I'd go out and get myself some jeans or shorts or
something. Otherwise, at this time it doesn't benefit me in the least :(

groceries and prescriptions on this tax-free weekend since that would
benefit *everyone*. I have no need to get school supplies tax-free but I

Chakolate...

But that would be much more expensive. Just think of the amount of tax
that wouldn't be collected. Making school supplies tax free for a
weekend is a grand gesture, but it doesn't cost the state much.

definitely have to eat. And I have a prescription I currently can't afford
to get filled and my doctor, who normally gives me samples, doesn't have
any.

Takayuki...

The thing about tax holidays are that they're used for economic
stimulus for retailers, not for benefiting consumers. When
legislators want to benefit consumers, they lower or eliminate sales
taxes on things on a more permanent basis.

Since necessities like food will be bought anyway whether they're
taxed or not, including them in tax holidays won't benefit stores
much. But if you have a tax holiday on things like electronics,
furniture, etc., then people may be encouraged to buy things that they
otherwise would not have bought.

It's not fair or anything, but that's generally the rationale. Plus
the usual political considerations.