As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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So DH and I went to the store last night since we needed just a few things including thyme.
We have been getting most of our spices from the bulk/natural food section for the last several years. Just seem to be fresher and better. I also knew they were cheaper, but I had never done the math. Anyway, last night I did the math and I nearly hit the floor!!!!
Thyme from the bulk section:
$15.79 a POUND.
We bought enough to fill our spice jar (holds about same as prepackaged jars)
Cost us 79 cents!
Prepackaged jar (on sale) $3.99
Cost per OUNCE $4.99
Works out to $79.84 per pound!!!!!!!!!!
Prepackaged jar (not on sale) $6.85
Cost per OUNCE $9.13
Works out to $146.08 per pound!!!!!!!!!!
So obviously the lesson here is...always look at the actual cost per unit (pound, ounce, etc) and don't be afraid to shop in parts of the store you may have avoided for some silly reason. We paid 80-90% less in the bulk aisle than out of the spice aisle!!!!!!!!!
DH also used the bulk section to make up his own trail mix combo...tailored to exactly what he wanted. He probably ended up with at least 10 cups...cost him around $5 (and he likes some of the pricey stuff). I don't have exactly numbers on that, mainly because he was adding more stuff to his trail mix tub to fill it back up. Gonna have to try to get him to start from scratch and see what it actually costs.
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!!
OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
We have a Mennonite store near us. They have a wonderful selection of spices in containers.
I bought Italian seasoning last week. I got .06 pound at 7.92 a pound for 48 cents.
I buy my spices from https://www.savoryspiceshop.com/ . The spices and blends (they have a ton of blends) are fresh and cheaper than in the store and you they have ones that are harder to find and that I've never heard of. They're a small chain that has stores scattered around the country but you can order online.
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For packaged spices and herbs - I try to go to Aldi's. It's cheaper. For fresh - if we don't grow it, I get it from the store and know I'm paying a ton for it.
For packaged spices and herbs - I try to go to Aldi's. It's cheaper. For fresh - if we don't grow it, I get it from the store and know I'm paying a ton for it.
Buying fresh...it's always expensive...no way around that except growing it yourself that I can think of.
We are currently growing oregano, lemon thyme, basil and (of all things) pineapple sage. I know what to do with the first three...the last one - not so much! I am hoping to move them indoors when fall rolls around.
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!!
OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
We grow basil, thyme, sage, oregano, rosemary, parsley, and chives in large pots around our patio in the spring/summer. I love the fresh herbs. In the winter, I usually have some basil in my window,
I've got several herbs in small pots in a sunny corner of my kitchen- Basil, chives, and parsley. I also have a pot of Thai Basil that looked really cute at Home Depot but I haven't used it yet.
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Margaret and I got to see the Cubs play in October. They won!
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In St. Louis, I see them at Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme and Lucky’s—all natural foods stores. Perhaps at Trader Joe’s, but the small TJ’s near us doesn’t carry them. Haven’t shopped at any other TJ’s.
I tried a few but don’t buy them at any of those as I think Spice Islands bottled spices/herbs taste fresher, expensive though they are.
The regular grocers near us carry quite a range of bulk foods but not spices/herbs.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
I have never seen spices / herb sold in bulk. At what stores are folks seeing these?
We get them at Fred Meyer (which is a Kroger company). We also get them at a Safeway affiliate called Carrs (used to be locally owned). And there are also a couple of completely local stores that specialize in spices and tea where we get some of the more exotic one (when we need them - which isn't often). We go to the natural food section and there is usually a very good selection of basic herbs and spices ranging from cinnamon to basil to thyme to lavender to cat nip.
I've found that I can even make my own blends, such as Herbs de Provence...we use this a lot since we end up cooking a lot of chicken.
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Originally Posted by Her Dotness
In St. Louis, I see them at Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme and Lucky’s—all natural foods stores. Perhaps at Trader Joe’s, but the small TJ’s near us doesn’t carry them. Haven’t shopped at any other TJ’s.
I tried a few but don’t buy them at any of those as I think Spice Islands bottled spices/herbs taste fresher, expensive though they are.
The regular grocers near us carry quite a range of bulk foods but not spices/herbs.
We must have a pretty good turn over at our stores. The ones we have purchased have always seemed fresh and nicely potent, but we are usually getting the more common ones. I will admit that the stuff in the jar is fresh, but so far we have been very lucky with the bulk section. If we want the less commonly used spices, we go to the specialty store...still cheaper and I don't have to buy a whole jar just for one recipe that I'm going to use a teaspoon out of.
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!!
OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books