Blame supply chains, the housing boom, and too many women of a certain age? I'm not sure. But I AM sure that both shortages are very real.

As someone who is in a constant state of home improvement, AND being a "woman of a certain age", I can speak from experience that both of these (very different) items are in extremely low supply these days.

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The window situation: I need to order 4 new windows for my house. My contractor has already been here, done the measuring, and we've talked about what I WANT vs. other options too.

Long story short: Decent windows are VERY EXPENSIVE now and backordered for nearly 5 months. No joke. I'm no stranger to home improvement or replacing windows, for that matter. In the last 5 years I've had 5 windows replaced in my house along with a decent sliding glass door.

Looking at other window options, availability was a LITTLE better but wait times were still approximately 3 months out. (Under normal circumstances, it's not unusual to have 5 to 6 week wait times...but not FIVE MONTHS.)

photo: Michelle Wolfe
photo: Michelle Wolfe
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As far as the tampon thing goes, it may not matter to male readers of this article but it's a significant shortage. I can't seem to find anything on the internet that explains WHY this is happening to this necessary product but it IS happening. Nearly empty shelves for a few months now, and even big online retailers such as Boxed.com have been out of stock FOR WEEKS. What on earth is going on?

The only "shortage" info I could find was in Mexico. Mexico City specifically. They've put a ban on single-use plastic, which sounds like a good thing to phase out the use of things like plastic utensils. Well, that's also affecting the world of feminine products.

With that said, cardboard used to be the standard...and they still make those...but THOSE are nowhere to be found too. There was literally ONE BOX on the shelf at the store the other day and when I checked just moments ago, that online retailer was still out.

Here's a Bunch of the Ugliest Light Fixtures in My House

What are these things? Why did someone buy them and install them? Here's a before look at this very Bozeman home makeover project that I needed to document.

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