How to Save Money When Eating Out March 19, 2009

I love eating out.  Especially now that I’ve assumed more of a traditional role where I’m responsible for putting dinner on the table every night, I love the thought of not having to worry about it and making my way to a restaurant instead.  Sure, there are the times we’ve gone for broke and enjoyed every last expensive gluttonous minute of it, but there are many more times when we’ll go out and try not to do any significant damage to our savings account.  How, you ask?

• Restaurant.com:  These guys have been running regular specials on their already-discounted gift certificates recently.  Normally, you can buy $25 gift certificates for $10, but lately I’ve seen them offered for as little as $2!  Sign up for their mailing list to ensure you’re getting updates about their latest specials, or do a quick search online for promotional codes.  Once purchased, they are good for a full year – just be careful to check the terms of usage (e.g., some are only good through the week or stipulate that you must spend at least $35).  I normally find that you’re better off sticking with  the ethnic cuisines or lunch hotspots in bigger cities (the certificates available for other restaurants are usually for places that are just okay), but smaller cities have a decent selection of very good restaurants available.
• Ebay:   Another good place to look – search for your city in the category “Gift Certificates” to see if anyone is trying to unload some unwanted Christmas or birthday gifts.  Ebay is also a good source for discounted gift cards to any of the national chain restaurants.  While I don’t condone the patronage of said restaurants, I understand that there are still times when it is necessary to go these places.  Couple that with some cashback through Microsoft’s Live.com or Ebates, and you’ll save even more.
• The Entertainment Book:  Again, much better selection of good restaurants for smaller cities, and good for ethnic/lunch options in larger cities.  We normally buy our Entertainment book in January or February, once there are some really good deals to be had.  The books are typically $20-$40, depending on where you live, but you can always get some sort of additional discount by purchasing through FatWallet or another cashback site.  The books contain a wide variety of coupons in addition to food & dining options (e.g., dry cleaning, golf, theatre, movie tickets, and more).  Make sure you register your card on the website to take advantage of printable online-only discounts as well.
• Make reservations online:  OpenTable offers a rewards program for making your reservations online – search for restaurants, book your reservation, then receive 100 points once you show up at the restaurant.  For every 10 reservations, you will earn a $10 gift certificate good towards any of the participating OpenTable restaurants.  Some restaurants even offer 1,000 points (that can be cashed in for a $10 certificate) just for eating there at certain times.

Ok, so you’ve checked out the above and have found the restaurant you want to go to.  Now what?  I could give you the usual tips here about saving money by ordering a few appetizers instead of an entree, skipping the soda or alcoholic beverages, and having dessert & coffee at home, but I honestly don’t believe that the key to enjoying a meal out is pinching a few pennies.  Enjoy yourself!  Personally, I consider the main entree, the service, & the atmosphere the crux of my visit, and consider everything else (appetizer, dessert, drinks) bonuses from which I can pick and choose to enhance my experience. With that said, here are a few tips to consider while enjoying your steak au poivre.

• Consider B-ing Your Own B: Beer & wine is notoriously over-priced at restaurants – you can expect to pay anywhere from 2-4 times the actual retail value of the bottle.  Call ahead to see if the restaurant allows patrons to BYOB, and if so, what they charge for a corkage fee.  Most restaurants will be fine with you bringing your own bottle of wine, and I have even been to a few places that encourage it!  I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re dining at a very nice place (again, you will not enjoy a very expensive meal any more by saving a couple bucks), but most places won’t care if you’re supplying your own vino.
• If not, buy by the glass:  There usually isn’t a significant savings when you buy wines by the bottle versus by the glass.  Unless there’s a special wine only offered by the bottle, or you and your dining companion(s) are into the same wine to complement your meal, then buying by the glass may help you save money by not forcing you to finish the whole bottle.  Personally, my husband and I never seem to have any trouble finishing the alcohol placed in front of us, but it’s sometimes nice to be able to try a few different wines instead of committing to one type.  Buying by the glass may also earn you a healthier pour than you would have normally gotten.
• You can take it with you: Think of giant portions as a possiblity to enjoy the meal tonight for dinner, and tomorrow for lunch.  Even if you only save a little bit of food, you can always add vegetables, rice, pasta, or make it into a salad for an easy lunch the following day.  I’ve also requested that leftovers like rack of lamb or other meat on the bone be wrapped up so I can make stock out of it later.

And finally, a few things to NEVER scrimp on:

• Tipping the waitstaff: Please whatever you do, don’t make up some reason why the waiter or waitress doesn’t deserve at least 15%.  Unless they were truly terrible – which in my experience eating out happens VERY infrequently – they deserve at least 15-20%.  And, if they were terrible, speak to the manager in a polite, business-like manner and you are bound to receive better compensation than if you scream and curse.
• Doing your research beforehand: Trying a new place?  Check out the reviews first and you could save a bunch of money by avoiding a disappointing experience altogether.  I have a paid subscription to Zagat.com for restaurant reviews across the US and beyond, which has helped me decide where to go when I’m in the mood for say, eclectic Pan-Asian French in a lounge-like atmosphere.  For me it is definitely worth the annual fee because I know exactly what I will be getting for my money (plus there are always deals where you can get free access for filling out surveys or entering special promotions).  Also check out Citysearch, Yelp, and your local paper for reviews.

Man, I’m hungry now!  What other tips do you have?

How to Save Money on DIY Home Renovation March 18, 2009

Confession time!  I am addicted to HGTV.  I have been known to watch it for hours on end, just trying to glean more and more ideas from its non-stop litany of shows that turn ordinary rooms into magical wonderlands full of DIY projects.  Couple this with the purchase of a 70s-fabulous house full of shag carpet and floral wallpaper, and I have spent the better part of a year staring at walls and imagining the possibilities.  The possibilities, my friend, are truly endless.  Unfortunately though, those possibilities are also expensive.

Anyone who has tackled a DIY home improvement project in that past can relate here.  Usually by the time I’ve armed myself with all of the tools needed to get the job done, then motivated myself (or someone else) to actually do the work, I’m already a little financially deeper into the project than I had hoped which leaves little money left over for those final homey touches so critical to the finished project.

No matter how you cut it (or drill it, or hammer it…), home improvement gets expensive fast, and even faster if you don’t plan ahead.  We’re about halfway through our major plans for our house.  We’ve done a lot of the work ourselves, and there are a few things we’ve learned along the way.  Ready?

• Plan (and budget) for the unexpected… sometimes you can get off easy – the ‘unexpected’ is something you can fix with a bit of extra time and elbow grease (and some added frustration).  When we tore out the old warped pine planks in our house, we realized that the installer had both glued and nailed the boards to the subfloor, meaning that each individual piece had to be scraped off by hand, adding 2 weeks and a lot of splinters to our project.  Other times, the situation ends up costing more money, like when I stripped the wallpaper in the bathroom and realized that the walls underneath had never been primed or painted first.  The walls were damaged beyond repair, so I opted for a more-expensive-than-paint Venetian plaster application to cover up the various pits and holes.  Regardless, something is not going to work out how you envisioned so plan for it upfront.
• Wait for the right deal… We’re lucky to have a wide variety of home improvement stores near us – Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Ace Hardware, among others.  We’re regularly in and out of these stores anyway which has afforded us the luxury of cherry-picking items we love when they’re on sale.  Home Depot runs a Behr paint sale nearly every 3- or 4-day weekend, which has probably saved us a couple hundred dollars over the past year.  Home Depot & Lowe’s offer regular specials where you can receive a gift card of a few hundred dollars with any major appliance purchase.  Ace Hardware runs a free rewards program that allows you to earn points for your purchases, then receive monthly gift certificates to use toward your next purchase.  In addition, there are some “outlet” stores near us that buy seconds from the bigger stores, then sell them at a discount.  We bought a brand new dining room light fixture for $17, and enough marble to cover 2 of our bathrooms for about $300!  It’s worth it to take your time with your projects if you can – we’ve gotten some amazing deals just by forgoing the vision of a big “reveal” a la HGTV, and instead gradually adding/replacing as we go.
• Get discounted gift cards…. There is a bit of a risk involved here, but the payoff can be very worth your effort.  A few months ago, Microsoft’s Live.com cashback program was running a cashback promotion on Ebay purchases – purchase any item through the “Buy It Now” feature and you would receive 30% cashback on your purchase.   I was lucky enough to catch this promotion just at the right time, and ended up purchasing a $500 Home Depot Gift Card for $550, then receiving $165 back from Live, making my net cost $385, or about a 23% savings on anything purchased using that card.  You may not be able to find a deal like that, but you can still get some decent discounts with a little effort – there are still many sites that offer cashback for your online purchases through Ebay, or even directly through the home improvement store.  Also, check your airline and hotel reward programs to see if they offer gift cards in exchange for any ‘orphaned’ points you may not use anyway.
• Use what you have… Repurposing or reusing existing items can help you save a load of cash.  For example, we ended up giving a fresh coat of paint to things like bathroom vanities & cabinets, wall-mount toilet paper holders, ceiling medallions, baseboard trim, doors, and anything else that was still in good shape but needed to be freshened up.  We also tried to fix or adapt things to fit our needs instead of replacing it outright.  The existing sinks & cabinets in the bathrooms looked brand new once we updated the faucet and hardware.  Same thing with the freshly painted doors when we added new doorknobs and hinges.  And, when none of the above applied, we had a garage sale and actually recouped a nice sum for ourselves!
• Make quick fixes until you can afford what you really want… We based a lot of our home improvement timeframes around which rooms needed to have the ugly beaten out of them first, and trust me when I say there was a lot of ugly!  Sure, the kitchen is not my favorite, but then again it’s not my least favorite either.  To make it a little more palatable while we put aside money for a major overhaul in a few years, I made some simple fixes like switching out the cabinet hardware and covering or distracting from the color scheme with houseplants, wall decor, and a new light fixture.  In other words, unless it makes your skin crawl to even look at it, just go with it for a while.  In the end it’s worth it to have what you REALLY want and can afford, instead of going for the cheapest, fastest fix upfront, only to hate that in a few years and want to do it all over again.
• Don’t be afraid to buy used… especially when it comes to large furniture items and accessories.  Craigslist is perfect for discounted furniture and other household items – we bought a brand name, solid wood armoire for our living room for $350.  Sure, we had to pick it up and unload it ourselves, but it’s perfect for our room and we would have paid twice that for the most basic model available brand new.  Consider this:  like cars, the majority of furniture loses value the minute you buy it.  Styles change, your taste evolves, things get damaged, and suddenly that gorgeous dining room set that used to the centerpiece of your house looks tired and dated.  Scouring the local classifieds, garage sales, and thrift stores is a great way to save money AND inject a little personality into your place.  Who needs matchy matchy sets anyway?  Same thing for accessories – you’re bound to be tired of your displayed wall decor & knick-knacks even quicker than your furniture.  Thrift stores are especially good for finding frames, original art, material for reupholstering furniture or making pillows, and glass items like vases and candleholders.  Be creative!
• Lastly… Take a break.  Ask for help when you’re in over your head.  Make sure you always have a room free from any signs of renovation to relax in at the end of the day, because it can get pretty stressful at times.  Oh, and realize that the people on HGTV have a whole army of people off-camera who are helping to get these projects done!

Despite the setbacks, the injuries, the sleepless nights, and yes, the tears, I would buy this house all over again because the end results to our efforts have turned out pretty darn amazing.

Off-Topic: Selling my wares on Ebay June 25, 2008

Sorry I’ve been away.  Sorry to both of my loyal followers (thanks Mom & Grandma).  I’ve been busy trying to get rid of my stuff on the garage sale of the information superhighway, otherwise known as Ebay.  Not the porcelain doll you gave me for Christmas though, Grandma!  I will keep that for always.

Folks (mom and Grandma), Ebay ain’t what it used to be.  Previously, you could sell any old thing on this fabulous website without needing to know a thing about it.  Buyers were flocking to the site in search of a good deal, looking for things like ’1976 alien ashtray’ or ‘used Palmolive dish soap’ – there was little marketing, gimmicks, or internet salesmanship required.  In a 2-month span in 2004 when I was unemployed, I made enough money to live off of, just by selling the stuff I already owned to ravenous buyers in search of a good deal.

Now, however, the buying public has come to expect too much.  Online giants like Buy.com have joined the ranks, and sooner or later, Ebay will become just another website that helps you spend your hard-earned cash without any chance of snagging a good deal.  Let me start off by saying that out of 450+ transactions, I have received 2 negative feedback comments - one from a guy who never shipped my stuff (and gave ME a negative), and one from a Canuck that didn’t get their $5.99 book from me (after I faithfully shipped it using USPS) and was unhappy that I “only” refunded the entire purchase price plus half the shipping cost.  Other than that, I’ve done pretty well feedback-wise as both a buyer and seller.

I currently have about 30 auctions listed, rotating through some 1st edition books and other items I’ve accumulated.  It’s relatively cheap stuff as far as auctions go (not quality-wise) – everything I sell is less than $15 plus shipping.

I cannot even begin to describe the questions I get from idiotic buyers, but I’ll try.

• You mentioned in your listing that the zipper is slightly “stuck” when you try to zip it up, but that it still works just fine - can you send me a video of you zipping and unzipping the [$8.50 name brand] down vest you’re selling?
• Just wondering if you can tell me how many color illustrations are in this [550 page illustrated] book?  You mentioned that there’s at least 1 illustration on every page, but I want to know exactly how many.  Thanks.
• [Background:  Person bids on item Day 2 of auction for $25 (including shipping), emails me Day 4]  Hello, I wanted to know if you’d end your auction now and sell me this item for $20, shipping included?
• Why $6 [shipping] to Canada?  I want this [$2 coffee mug], but not at that price!
• Hello [my Ebay username], Sir.  We see your auction and thought you might be interested in knowing that you can to purchase the items wholesale at [sketch-O website] and sell them to customers anywhere in the global.  Just kind regards to fill out the online form and send us a money order for the price initiated, and we then will ship your items complete to your customers without any further actions needed from you…

The thing is, I have faithfully answered every single one of these dumbass questions (declining the video portion of the “zipper” question and instead offering a more descriptive verbal illustration and marking the last question as “Spam” in my inbox)… but not ONE of the above mentioned culprits have actually bid on my items.  I’m friendly, I’m honest (including the history of where I acquired the item), I use Auctiva so I can list my items with multiple pictures free of charge, I sell things at prices I consider very reasonable (again, less than $15), AND I sell things that I personally think are worthwhile (mostly, new or like new clothes from reputable manufacturers or vintage/antique books from notable authors).  Why are people willing to shell out half their paychecks at cheap quality Christmas Tree “Made in China” Shops or Big Lots “of Crap” and not buy used, older, Already Manufactured And Not To Be Replaced on the Store Shelves Immediately items instead?  I will never understand.

On top of all of this, Ebay has upped their already-substantial fees.  I won’t get into the details of this (check out any of the Ebay forums if you’re truly interested), but basically you can list items at a cheaper price (a.k.a., more crap available), but Ebay takes a bigger cut out of the items that actually sell (a.k.a., getting punished if you’re offering items that people actually want to buy).  Add in the cut that Paypal takes, and it’s increasingly harder to make any money off the “retail website that’s changing the face of the economy,” as it was previously called.

At times I wish I were smart enough to create my very own Ebay website, where I would personally get to pre-approve every item that was auctioned off; though if I did, I’d probably be sued for copyright infringement and end up writing a blog about my time in prison.  On second thought….. I know I’d lose my core demographic (mom & Grandma), but maybe gain a whole new following of readers….?  Any other casual Ebay sellers out there?  What are your thoughts?

How to Save Money by Not Buying Crap June 14, 2008

This seems so simple, really.  You walk into a store – maybe you have a certain goal in mind or maybe you’re just browsing, when all of a sudden something catches your eye.  You look at it and think, “I never even knew something like this existed!  I could use this to….”

And that’s where you make a terrible mistake.

It’s not something you ever knew you wanted, but all of a sudden you’re in the store and it’s in front of you, and it’s all you can think about.  You could, if you wanted (and assuming you have cash or a credit card handy), take this object of your here & now desire home with you this very day.  Fast forward 6 months later and you’ll find this object either (1) still in the original packaging/still with the original tags, untouched or (2) shattered to pieces/torn to shreds because it was poorly made in the first place.

Long uninteresting story, but today (unintentionally and for 2 hours) I found myself stuck at a craft/antiques store with a lot of - well – crap.  Old trinkets, outdated gadgets, stuff stuff stuff just waiting for their next unsuspecting victim.  I almost gave in on a couple of occasions – after all, who wants to feel as though their 2 hours at a store were completely in vain?  I resisted though, and you know what?  I actually felt better for not having anything to show for my time “shopping,” as though I have very high standards (maybe I do?) and this stuff just wasn’t worthy of my money.

In thinking about the situation (and I had a lot of time to think), here were some of the questions I forced myself to ask:

• Will I, without making a drastic change in my lifestyle, actually use this item?  Think about it – will the number of times I use this item and/or the amount of joy produced by this item actually be worth it on a per use or per moment of happiness basis?
• Is this thing actually worth the price being asked or is this just someone trying to make a buck off of something that is actually just C-R-A-P?  At least one easy way to do this is to mentally link the phrases ”Made in China” with “Made with Lead Paint”.  Other suggestions?  Mentally link “[Insert Your Favorite Overpriced Brand Here]” with “Baby Seals Died For Your Enjoyment”… ok, I don’t know.
• Conversely, am I only buying this because it’s cheap?  Would I still buy this item if it were twice the price?  Quadruple the price?
• Have I done my research?  Am I sure this is the brand/model/color/features I want?  Can I get a better price elsewhere, and if so, is it worth it to own the item here and now versus waiting a week or two to shop around?  Sure, you can “always return it” but let’s face it – it’s easier (and cheaper, since you only stand to make out worse in the deal) if you just never bought it in the first place.
• Lastly, and only to be used in the most extreme cases:  if I were to disappear immediately following my shopping trip, would I be ok with my “Last Known Whereabouts” description reading:  ”Last seen buying a 75% off plastic lawn gnome and discontinued ‘reduced for quick sale’ ground beef from Aldi’s on Route 90″?

This sounds so easy, but it isn’t.  I know!  I’ve been there.  The albino squirrel taxidermy “art” was easy to resist, but there were others that weren’t so easy.  Really think about your purchases though, and hey, if all else fails and you ended up buying that lime green parka only to regret it 3 weeks later, you can always return it.

Splurge: A Really Good Massage June 12, 2008

It’s been quite some time now since that magical day when my life changed for better and for worse.  For better because I felt absolutely amazing – like a brand new person.  For worse though, because (1) I kicked myself for all of the wasted time in my life when I didn’t feel this way and (2) I had just picked up a very expensive addiction.

I’m talking of course, about my first truly great massage experience.  Note to Sickos:  This blog is rated PG, so I’m not talking about that kind of experience…

I had had massages here and there in the past – mostly through gift certificates from others and occasionally as a splurge for myself.  These were the massages where the “therapist” would put on some New Age music, light a candle, then use lavender-patchouli-orange blossom essential oil that is supposed to calm and soothe me.  Looking back now, I realize that these massages weren’t actually worth the money - that dull ache I typically get in my upper back would come back after only a few days, or in some cases a few hours.

Fast forward to a weekend trip I took in January.  A friend and I went to an average-looking place where we handed over our money and waited to be kneaded, prodded, and relaxed into oblivion.

The first thing I noticed when the therapist started working on me was that she skipped all the typical cooing and purring about relaxation, and went straight for the jugular – literally.  Between pinching, poking, and rolling my neck and the back of my skull, she had me wincing in what I can only describe as excruciating bliss.  From there she continued the torture on the left side of my body for the next 30 minutes or so, with a repetitive cycle of my muscles chanting “Hurt!! - Ok… – Ahhhhhhhhh”

She explained to me that she was a medical massage therapist trained in Neuromuscular Therapy and Trigger Point Therapy (a type of NMT).  These techniques isolate muscle groups from head to toe and specifically target the muscles that are tense or misaligned, which usually do NOT coincide with where your back actually hurts.  This is where I had gone wrong in the past – I pointed to a specific spot that was causing me aches and pains, they rubbed my back in that exact spot.

When she was done with the left side, I could actually feel my blood circulating on the side of the body she had just finished – my fingers felt tingly, my neck and shoulder didn’t feel hunched up anymore, and I felt like, if called upon to do so, I could do one-armed push-ups all day long.  She continued in the same manner on the right side of my body for the remainder of the hour until I felt like I was made out of brand new rubber bands.  Highly elastic rubber bands floating on air.  Air in Heaven.  I felt amazing.

It’s at this point that I should note that even massage therapy has its controversies.  From my later research (read:  Googling the words “massage toxins”), the whole idea of toxins being released into your body during a massage is debatable – some will swear that it does not happen.  Let me clear up this debate:  I was 100% swimming in toxins when I left that place.  I had a metallic taste in my mouth that wouldn’t go away, my eyes were puffy, and I felt positively loopy.  My friend had the exact same type of massage, and the exact same type of reaction.  We wobbled home and melted into the couch for about the next 2 hours, drinking as much water as possible.

To make a long story short, this massage changed my life.  The loopy feeling eventually went away (I think?), leaving me with a supreme sense of relaxation and a little bit of (good) soreness the next day.  For the first time that I could remember, I was insanely jealous of people with way more money than I who could afford this type of treatment as often as they liked.  For that day though, and for the next few weeks, I felt like I was living that way.  A taste of the good life, so to speak, which – oddly enough - tasted like the inside of a well-seasoned cast iron pan.  Absolutely worth it in my opinion, and in fact I would pay triple to be guaranteed a replica of the same exact feeling.  How’s that for an endorsement of quality?

Check out this website for more information on NMT or Trigger Point massage therapists near you.

How to Save Money when Shopping Online (Part 1) June 10, 2008

The time will come when you will inevitably need to buy something online.  Personally, I like online shopping.  Sometimes I’ll shop in the actual stores, then purchase the item online when I get home because I can get a better deal.  How?  Keep reading…

Note:  This is Part 1 in what will become a multi-part series.  Or not.  I don’t even know.  Onward!

Cash Back websites

The general concept behind these Cash Back websites is that they’re getting a cut of the profit from the store for referring you to that retail site, and they’re kicking a small portion of that back to you.  Before shopping at a retail site, go to the Cash Back website, click through to the store you want to shop at and do your thing.  After a few weeks, you should get some sort of confirmation that your purchase was credited, but that’s pretty much it.  It’s sort of like those “donate food to the hungry by clicking this link” websites, except that in this case the rice is a little extra change in your own pocket.  Greedy bastard, maybe just for good measure, you should click on one of those websites immediately following your own self-serving Cash Back click…

In the interest of full disclosure:  2 of the 3 links below are referral links, but they are also websites I’ve had personal success with.  If you’re happy that I’ve lit the way for you to visit these sites then sign up as my referral; if not, then I actually won’t ever know unless you tell me.

• Fat Wallet:  I’ve been a member of this program since at least 2005.  Great customer support and their payments are always timely.  No referral structure.
• Big Crumbs:  There were a lot of people who thought Big Crumbs was a scam when it first appeared.  I’ve been using it since the end of 2006 without any issues, and have found support to be very good.  Big Crumbs is definitely the best website I’ve found to get cash back on Ebay, Half.com and iTunes purchases.  Sign up as either a CrumbSaver (earn a higher percentage from your own purchases, but don’t get as much credit for referrals) or a CrumbEarner (earn a lower percentage from your own purchases, but get more credit for referrals).  You can always switch from a CS to a CE, but not the other way around.  No matter how much you’ve earned, payments are automatically sent to you via Paypal monthly, on a 2 month lag.
• Mr. Rebates:  You’ll need to accrue $25 before you can cash out.  I’ve personally cashed out once and was paid right on schedule.  Referral structure is one of the best – earn a flat rate of 20% back from each of your referral’s purchases.

One other place to check after you’ve decided what you want to purchase:  Ev’reward is a very useful website for figuring out who is offering the best deal, plus it will give you a list of other rewards you can earn (money toward college savings plans, airline miles, hotel points, etc).  I don’t mess around with the points programs (for the most part… I’ll save that for a later edition of conducting business online), and in my experience one of the above 3 Cash Back sites will usually be offering the best percent back offer.

That concludes Part 1 my friends.  You will NOT:  get rich from using these websites, be able to quit your day job from using these websites, or be able to refer to your children as “heiresses” from using these websites (that’s a good thing, truly).  You will, however, get a little bit of money back on the purchases you were going to make anyway - if you’re smart and avoid the lures of discounts on things you don’t want or other such nonsense.  Found money, woot!

How to Save Money on Coffee Drinks June 10, 2008

Ok, so you knew this topic would come up sooner or later.  Any time you hear about “saving money,” you inevitably hear about doing things like skipping the expensive $3-$5/day habit of buying fancy coffee drinks from Dunkin Donuts, that other coffee place, or your very own local hotspot.  “Just think of how much money that adds up to in a month/year/lifetime!” say the experts while, ironically, frothing at the mouth much like the coffee drinks they are against.

The bad news is that I actually end up following the expert’s advice, for the most part… now.  When I was working my typical 60 hours/week, well, that’s a different story – I was a walking poster child for Dunkin Donuts iced coffee.  Now however, I’m trying to stick to the experts’ advice.  The good news is that I usually end up doing so because I’m lazy.  Hooray!

A few years ago, my husband and I bought a Krups steam espresso machine that set us back about $50.  It’s the most basic of all espresso makers, and even though the true coffee elitists out there will disagree, the espresso that comes out of this thing tastes perfectly fine and has more than paid for itself over its short lifetime.  Plus, instead of getting in my car, driving to the nearest coffee place, waiting in line, then fearing the “barista” might have used whole instead of skim milk, I can just walk to my fridge and make it myself.  Maybe someday I will figure out how much money I’m actually saving per serving.*

Recently I’ve been brewing up a whole bunch of espresso all at once, then pouring it into some sort of container (not a Nalgene bottle) to store in the fridge until I’m ready to use it.  Pour it over ice for an iced coffee, add milk to that for an iced latte, or add chocolate syrup to that for an iced mocha.  Easy!

To avoid feeling too deprived, I allow myself the luxury of buying the good coffee.  We recently moved and are no longer anywhere near a Trader Joe’s which has the best selection for the best prices, but I can usually find a decent bag of 100% Kona coffee for less than $20.  If all else fails, the Dunkin Donuts take-home coffee is also delicious (don’t be turned off by their unfortunate choice for a spokesperson).

*Not actually a likely statement

Off-Topic: What to do with my old Nalgene bottles? June 8, 2008

Everyone has no doubt heard about the latest everyday product that is supposedly doing more harm than good:  that seemingly innocuous, colorful plastic water container we have all come to know as a Nalgene bottle.  While maintaining that their bottles are safe for use, Nalgene still ended up ”phasing out” products containing BPA (any of their bottles with a 7 on the bottom) and the consumer public has begun their quest for a suitable replacement.  Feeling good about choosing a reusable container for my water instead of the “evil” plastic water bottles went straight down the gutter, but at least now I have something upon which to blame those extra few pounds!

A quick search of terms like “what to do with your Nalgene bottle” reveals that many people have the same question as me, but as far as I can surmise, nobody has come up with a suitable answer.  Recycling doesn’t seem to be an option, not being able to use the bottles with food items limits things a bit, and they’re not exactly beautiful enough to display on the mantel (as is, anyway).  One group suggested sending the used bottles to the companies who manufacture these products, to “teach them a lesson” that they need to figure out what to do with them.  Great idea!  Think of all those big, energy-guzzling airplanes hauling your stuff halfway across the country just so you can exact your maniacal revenge on a company that has neither the time nor the money to deal with the problem.

I’ve personally accumulated 3 of these now-deadly bottles and I’m stuck with them.  The media hype about BPA won’t allow me to just toss them into the garbage can and move on with my life, plus to be honest, I like the idea of “repurposing” things into something else.  Since I don’t want this post to end up as just another question with no answer piece, here are my suggestions:

• Use them as a rain gauge.  Who doesn’t want to be the guy with the answer when someone wonders aloud, “I wonder how much rain we got last night…”  They already have the convenient liquid measurements on the side.
• Use them as a container for beads, coins, pens, or anything else small enough to fit inside (except edible items, as noted previously).  Wow, this is easier than I thought.
• Turn them into lanterns using the LightCap 200, manufactured by SolLight.  Too expensive for me at $19.95 each, but these could make… er, campy deck lights if you were so inclined.
• Drill a hole into the cap, put some scraps of food and dirt inside, and turn them into the coolest ant condo anyone has ever seen.
• Gather up a whole bunch (ask your friends, family, and neighbors for help), then weld them into some life-sized avant garde sculpture for your living room, back yard, porch, or anywhere with enough space to fit the sculpture really.  Ugh, unfortunately, I’m pretty sure someone will do this, and will not see the humor in it.

So, those are about it really.  My actual solution?  For now, put them on a shelf in the garage and hope they disintegrate on their own.  In the meantime, I’m thinking about buying one of the fancy Sigg bottles.  Comments?

Splurge: Cooking Paraphernalia Worthy of Iron Chef June 6, 2008

Fine, maybe not Iron Chef (there is no ice cream maker in my kitchen), but at least some decent quality stuff that I’ve accumulated over the years.

The beautiful thing about food is that it is a necessity and sometimes a luxury, depending entirely upon what you make of it 3-5 times daily.  I have a serious weakness for going out to eat, and few culinary experiences can compare to tasting Michel Richard’s Lobster “Begula” Pasta, Daniel Boulud’s foie gras, the Panko-crusted Ahi Sashimi Roll at Hawaii’s Sansei Restaurant, the Chilean sea bass at Alma de Cuba in Philadelphia, or anything related to black cod.

Going out to eat, however, is not always a gratifying way to part with my hard-earned cash.  Sure, there are the all-but-guaranteed restaurants that you just know will serve you a wonderful, worthwhile “experience,” but you will pay dearly for them.  There are also the old standby’s that will offer a good meal at a decent price.  Then there are the rest of the restaurants out there that charge you way too much for something that can only be described as mediocre at best.

What’s a hungry part-time culinarian like myself supposed to do?  Learn to cook, of course!  What makes cooking and eating more enjoyable?  Quality little cooking gadgets.  Here are some of my most basic favorites to get you started:

• Santoku Knife:  Anyone who’s seen even half an episode of Good Eats knows that a quality knife set is essential, that goes without saying.  I particularly love my 7″ Santoku knife, and find myself using it to cut most fruits, vegetables, and herbs.  In my humble kitchen, this thing serves as my sous chef.
• Calphalon One Infused-Anodized Pots & Pans:  Ok, so if you know about the knives, you also probably know about how important it is to invest in quality pots and pans.  After all of the reports on nonstick pans and how they could actually be leaching toxins into my unsuspecting body (as opposed to the stuff I’m putting in there on purpose), I was happy to switch to this beautiful, heavy set for most of my cooking.  Not the best money can buy (just guessing), but very good quality that I was happy to pay for.  I still use the nonsticks for omelettes or other delicate items, but cooking meats, soups, stews, and “deglazed” sauces in these babies makes me feel like I could cook a dinner that even Anthony Bourdain wouldn’t be able to snark about.
• Egg Poacher Pan:  This changed the way I eat breakfast, circa 2003.  Gone are the days of fishing eggs out from murky water full of gelatinous globs of cooked albumen – boil the water in the bottom of this little wonder, gently crack your eggs into the perfect-sized compartments, wait a few minutes, then enjoy your easy, healthy breakfast.
• Salad Spinner:  Such a simple concept, but this gadget makes me feel like those awful college Physics courses were actually worthwhile… no, now I’ve gone too far.  I digress.  Anyway, this thing twirls my herbs and various other assortments of plants round & round at warp speed until I’m satisfied with the results.  Wow, centrifugal force has a real-life application!
• Pepper Mill:  Salt & pepper are truly the most versatile spices of the Western hemisphere (and possibly the world… open for discussion), and nothing ups the ante on a simple meal like freshly ground multi-colored pepper flakes from your very own restaurant-quality mill.  (Note:  I have an unholy love of salt, but the salt mill is a little superfluous in my opinion.)

 Wakey, wakey, it’s time for eggs & bake-ey!

How to Save Money on Books, CDs, & DVDs June 5, 2008

I’m an avid reader – I’ll read almost anything recommended to me and find that I don’t easily “give up” on books, even if they’re terrible 99% of the way through.  Coupled with my desire to not let “stuff” pile up around the house, this means I acquire, then want to get rid of, a lot of books.  Everyone is familiar with the online giants (Amazon, Half, etc.), that allow you to sell your new or used wares at a price determined by the marketplace, and these work okay for trading in your old stuff for things that interest you.

In my quest for the most cost-efficient way to offload my unwanted items while receiving something in return, however, I’ve found a new website that yields slightly better results called Swaptree.  Create an account, list the books, CDs, DVDs, or games you’re willing to trade along with a brief description of the condition of the item, then search for some items you’re willing to trade for and voila!  Swaptree magically finds people across the country willing to trade with you.  You pay for shipping the item (use Swaptree’s postage function which will set you back a little more than the going rate plus a $1/month fee, or DIY super cheap if you use Media or First Class mail), and nothing else – that’s right, no point system, no other fees, nada.  You don’t even need a credit card to participate (assuming you’re going to use your own postage).   I’m in love.

Some tips to get you started:

• When you first sign up, you’re limited to 5 concurrent trades.  After you’ve successfully completed trades (i.e., received positive feedback from your trade partners), your limit will increase
• Ensure you are absolutely willing to trade anything on your “Have” list for any single item on your “Want” list.  Move “hot items” (recent CDs, books, DVDs, etc.) to your “Have but Not Trading” list if you’re really not ready to part with it just yet.
• Be careful about turning down swap requests – swaptree is serious about discouraging this behavior and will eventually kick you out.
• Use this link to ship your items via Paypal, which also includes a tracking number.  Remember that it’s actually cheaper to send most CDs via First Class mail instead of Media Mail.

Outside of people who collect 1st editions (I can respect that) or want a book the week it comes out, does ANYONE pay full price for books any more?  Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves while I finish this chapter of my new David Sedaris book.