Houston Dollar Stores reviewed

Heidi, I didn't forget you. I was thinking and trying to make time for this.

My safety talk here won't make much sense for a bit. Once, on my other blog, I had a horrifying experience. I had confided in a fellow Houstonian. I shared the location of "my" Starbucks. She blabbed it on the public format of my blog. I was horrified.

For a driving person, it wouldn't matter, but I was sitting out at the bus stop near this Starbucks everytime I had a Day Out. Someone could easily FIND me based on this information. I went screaming to a moderator, begging her to please delete this information. I did not react kindly to the divulgence of this information. The poor woman is probably still curled up somewhere, whimpering.

Personally, I think she liked the IDEA of "Coffee with Heather". She could think "Wouldn't it be nice to have coffee with her sometime?" without actually doing it.

As you know, I had a horrible experience witnessing the felony acts of an insane stalker when I was a young teenager. I saw the damage it did to my Dad, who managed to escape the slaughter. I heard, again and again, protect your personal information.

Someone I knew, who believes he loves me, got personal information, including my street address and married name, off the internet. I actually let my website "go" as a result. It creeped me out to think of him downloading personal photos; especially since he isn't entirely in reality and is an avowed pagan.

So, on the one hand: I try to be careful about sharing personal data. But then I hear, with an email people can get your home address and probably pull up your last income tax. Most public records are just that - public. I admit I have looked people up on public websites and gotten alarming amounts of information about their homes.

Where's the balance? Do I divulge my location in Houston? Do I give a N-S-E-W "quadrant"? Do I say "Southwest, outside the Belt?" Obviously, I don't post my home address; although from what I read a determined person could get it.

As a woman, I have to be careful. Ron suggests a clamshell approach. I'm trying to tread the line between "paranoid" and "practical".

UGH. Boy, I had a "discussion" with Ron. I don't know, never will know, how much of it is head injury and how much is just insensitivity and lack of respect: He thinks it is fine to just dump a subject on me without even asking if I'd like to discuss it - today's being his views on the Devil and why God is "stupid" for "Not fixing the Devil". I tried to change the subject - he didn't want to listen. It didn't matter that he was interrupting my privacy and cutting me off when I tried to talk.

Why am I ANGRY? AAAGH.

Anyway, now you understand why I will not share one Dollar store location: too close to personal. I WILL be adding in some Thrift Stores.

[Ron came and apologized, gets the Good Husband award.]

I will review some chains and share my opinions:

LOVE 'EM
1. My number one all-time favorite thrift store: Savers/Value Village. I have built fantastic work wardrobes out of $20 and a trip to Value Village or Savers. When I lived in CA, I had prayed and asked God to guide me if he wanted me to move to Houston. I was The next time I went to Saver's I saw a huge locations map inside the door - with a big star highlighting the Houston area. If I could only go to one thrift store for the rest of my life, this is it.

2. Dollar Store: Dollar Tree. Unlike many "so-called" Dollar stores, DT has every item for a dollar. Plus tax. Great cleaning products, sanitizers, candy, and seasonal items. Worth the stop. I seldom walk out empty-handed.

3. Can't talk about it. Locals, both of them.

4. Giant $ - odd but true. They have a wide variety of "stuff" for $1.09. I have gotten cleaning products, slippers, and other items. I found the $1.09 (twelve-pack) condoms almost as funny as the $1.09 pregnancy tests - you'll probably need the one if you use the other!

Those are the "big ones" that come to mind offhand.