Rough week. My boss is on vacation, so probably not much time to post anything this week. But I will be back next week with an amazing, thrifty, house-cleaning recipe!
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Archive for August, 2007
Terrifying adventures in thrift
I learned a few months ago that my friend K., she of the super-slick asymmetrical bob, actually cuts her own hair. “The salons never make it short enough,” she explained with a shrug. I knew then that if she could reach around to the back of her own head with a clipper and do a pretty awesome job, there was no reason why my own low-maintenance hairdo couldn’t go homemade.
So I went out with some birthday money and invested in a pair of good hair-cutting shears (above – yeah, that’s right, that’s my photo illustration!), which cost about half as much as a haircut at the most expensive place I’ve been to in this area.
It took several weeks of convincing Mr. L that it was only as simple as cutting a straight line across the back (I can take care of my own bangs, now that I finally have the right tools). He was extremely nervous. Finally, after much poking and prodding, he agreed to do the deed.
I’ll point out here — and this was a big part of my case — that I’ve never been one of those girls. Example: My junior year of college, I was living with several girls I didn’t know too well; it turned out I didn’t have much in common with them, either. One of them, whose hair was very long, got a haircut of several inches that gave her some layers, too. She looked beautiful. She was in the middle of telling my housemates how much she loved it when she broke down in sobs. The other girls hugged her and cooed, “Oh, I know! I always cry when I get my hair cut, too!” I was left standing there wondering what planet they were all from. Hair is just hair, is it not? It grows!
So, Mr. L, feeling somewhat convinced that I would not cry, took scissors in hand — and did an excellent job. Much better than, say, a discount salon. He took off a good inch and a half, which was very brave, and was exactly what I needed. It looks pretty great, if I do say so myself.
I told him that he did such a good job, he’s on the hook for this duty for the next 50 years. Because every time he does it — at least in this expensive area — he saves us somewhere between 50 and 100 bucks! Not bad for a few minutes in the kitchen, some concentration and confidence.
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This could also be a drinking game
Wisebread has an interesting would-you-or-wouldn’t-you post called ‘Frugal… or just plain wrong?’ (It’s over a month old, but hey, I only just discovered the site a few weeks ago.) I thought I’d try it myself, pitching my frugality against my morals in a battle royale.
So, would you…
1. Sneak into a movie?
I’d be too paranoid about getting caught to enjoy myself. (BTW, this was how my mother got her brush with the law. She cried and the police called her parents to come get her.)
2. Download music online? For free?
I used to, when Napster was around. I’m still on the fence over the rightness of this, but for now I’m going to say no, because you’re more likely to get a virus with some fly-by-night free provider.
3. Freeload off your neighbor’s TV channels?
TV isn’t important enough to me to go to these kind of lengths. (A more passive approach is my style, apparently.) I don’t feel sorry for cable companies, though — especially the monopolists where I live.
4. Siphon your neighbor’s wireless internet?
Why sure. Especially if I had their permission.
5. Keep the incorrect change?
Never ever. The cashier can get in trouble if their drawer is off at the end of their shift.
6. Underpay if you are undercharged?
If it’s a clear error, see above. Sometimes things ring up for less than I thought, though — sometimes they are on sale, and sometimes I don’t ask.
7. Take the money that your bank accidentally deposited in your account?
No way — you’re sure to get caught.
8. Scalp tickets?
Nah.
9. Accept freebies for listening to a timeshare spiel?
I can’t imagine any freebies are worth listening to a timeshare spiel.
10. Expense a non-business dinner?
Again, sure to get caught. Our accountant is scary.
11. Treat the medicine cabinet at work as your own free pharmacy?
I take the Tylenol when I have a headache, if that’s what this means, but I don’t grab big handfuls and take them home.
12. Fudge coupon codes?
I always Google for coupon codes whenever I’m shopping online, and it usually works.
13. Go grocery sampling?
Yes, but I’m always buying something, if not the exact thing they’re giving away. (Except wine, where I have a 1:1 try-to-buy ratio.)
14. Cut-n-buy? (as in fennel tops and carrot tops — buying only the part you can eat)
This has never occurred to me, honestly. I haven’t bought fennel yet and I don’t generally buy carrots with tops.
15. Take home office supplies?
Absolutely. But only because I work for a corporate death star. (Only small stuff, though — see above re: scary accountant.)
16. Read all your magazines at Barnes and Noble?
Hanging out at Barnes and Noble all day is a little bohemian for me… plus I’d probably just eat my weight in muffins.
17. Sell your neighbor’s garbage?
Nope. I once took in a rather nice CD rack that my neighbor was putting out on the curb, though. I’m not above that.
18. Pick from your neighbor’s fruit tree?
Only with their permission. (I feel like that’s in the Bible somewhere. Something about figs, maybe?)
19. Be a cheap-ass at Starbucks? Order an espresso shot. Go to the condiments counter, fill the rest of your cup with milk, and take it home and nuke it.
Again, I never thought of this! But don’t the espresso shots come in teeny tiny cups?
20. Lie about your income to get cheap medical services?
Generally I don’t do things that might land me in jail.
So what do you think? Feel free to chime in on the comments!
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All for the convenience of not using your own plastic baggies
Via Consumerist: Those 100-calorie packs of snacks and cookies are marked up as much as 279 percent over normal-sized packages of the same products.
This changes little for me, since most of these snacks are full of weird crap anyway. But still an interesting factoid. How hard is it to divvy up a box of Cheese Nips if you like them and portion control is important to you?
While we’re on the subject, I’d like to point out that the so-called “cookies” that come in these packs look really gross.
Like trimmed cardboard, with specks of a possibly “chocolatey” substance. (I’m afraid to find out how they taste.) I’d also like to point out that two regular cookies from most store-bought brands are about, you guessed it, 100 calories. Which I think would satisfy your craving a bit more effectively, if you were really in the mood.
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Edited to add: Turns out this report came originally from my friends over at the Center for Science in the Public Interest– I should have known!
‘Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.’
So as I mentioned, my soon-to-be sister-in-law took a look at this blog and sent me a wonderful article, guessing it was right up my alley. And did she ever guess right. It’s a long essay by Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” — which I think I will have to read now — about the overcomplication of our food choices. It’s a refreshing, liberating tract. You really need to read the whole thing, and I know the font is tiny and the background color less than ideal, so I suggest you do what I did: copy and paste into a Word document at 14-point Times New Roman, and curl up.
The idea, as in the great first line quoted above, is to eat food. Not food-like products (energy bars, packets of fruit snacks, Hi-C, powdered protein shakes), but food (milk, eggs, meat, fruits, vegetables). I had never thought about it this way before, but it’s true; the grocery store is full of these food-like products that you don’t really need. Even — or especially, Pollan would say — those with health claims on the box. Fortified with 15 vitamins and minerals! Made with whole grains! (Made with? Like, what, they’re just sprinkled on top?) This is an imperfect science, after all:
Food scientists can add back only the nutrients food scientists recognize as important. What are they overlooking?
I have been starting to suspect these declarations of healthfulness for a while now — I’ll give myself credit for calling out Nutri-Grain bars a while ago — but I’ve never heard this put so simply. What are they missing? And if people have been thriving on food, not food-like products, for thousands of years, why would we suddenly need soy-fortified granola bars (that are mostly sugar and rice) in order to be healthy?
Pollan offers several solutions. My favorite rule, and the easiest to remember, is this: Don’t eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
Now, my Grammy Tice lived in North Dakota and would not have recognized sashimi, edamame or buffalo mozzarella as food, so I’ve modified this: Eat only food that somebody’s great-great-grandmother, somewhere in the world, would recognize as such.
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Coming attractions
You’d think a week off of work would lead to more blog posts, not fewer, but no, not me for some reason. In my defense (sort of), my week alternated between very busy and really, really hot. But! Here’s just some of what I’ve got in the hopper for next week, when I return to something of a routine:
- A wonderful piece of food gospel sent by my sister-in-law Bianca (technically future sister-in-law, but it’s all just technicalities at this point);
- A great recipe for something that works wonderfully (you can’t eat it, though);
- A brand-new money-saving adventure!
See you back here, sooner rather than later!
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‘Look, I made a pretend appetizer!’
That’s what I told Mr. L when I freestyled and came up with this delicious-yet-low-calorie, elegant-yet-super-easy finger food. I’m sorry there’s no photo; I didn’t know they were going to be this delicious when I started, and of course, as soon as I discovered they were, they vanished.
You will need:
- Big slices of portobello mushrooms
- Goat cheese
- Chives
- Olive oil
You can grill the mushroom slices (I believe they are marketed this way), or, if you have no patience for gas/coals, just cook them on a skillet in the olive oil, a few minutes per side. Meanwhile, cut yourself a slab of goat cheese, put it in a small bowl, and start snipping in some chives — as many as you please. Mix.
When the mushrooms are done, put them on a paper towel to cool for a moment (but not too long — no one likes a cold cooked mushroom). Then, top each mushroom with a dab of the goat cheese mixture. You’re done! Neatest/tastiest when eaten in a single bite.
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