It’s like a restaurant but without the tip

I love to eat at restaurants. Rather, I used to love restaurants. With the exception of some sushi places, and a few small chef-owned jaunts, it’s just not worth it. I’m especially tired of eating at the chain restaurants. The quality of the food, and often the service, has declined while the prices have gone up! Everything looks good on the menu but the real dish never measures up. Don’t even think about the ridiculous amounts of fat and calories. Then there is the sticker shock of the bill and you still feel obligated to tip a less than attentive waiter. Lately, I’m just finding restaurants to be disappointing and expensive.

There are lots of ways to save on eating out. Order water instead of soda or pricey drinks, skip dessert and stop for ice scream on the way home etc. Many blogs and articles have been written on early bird and coupon dining. Instead, I’ve been looking at recipes for my favorite dishes and stepping up my cooking skills as a way to enjoy good food without the cost of a night out. So far I have found allrecipes.com to be the best recipe site. The instructions are generally easy to follow and the reviews are really helpful. I also love thekitchn.com. Faith has a great writing style and interesting recipes.

I’m a huge fan of ethnic food. Italian is really easy to make. In the summer, tomatoes, peppers and squash are easily found at farmers markets and local stands. In the winter, you can pick up canned tomato on sale and still reap the benefits. Ratatouille and great sauces are not difficult. Make a big pot of really good tomato sauce on the weekend and you have a couple of dinners for the week. You can have spaghetti with sauce one night, then make an easy eggplant or chicken parmesan another. Pan fry thin slices of eggplant or chicken thighs till they are cooked through. Then then place them on a sprayed baking sheet. Top with mozzarella or provolone cheese and bake at 350 till the cheese melts. Top with some warmed up sauce and shredded parmesan and your done. Actually, most leftovers topped with cheese and a good tomato sauce are tasty.

Asian and Indian are two of my favorite restaurant standards. I’m working on gaining some skill at these. I found a fabulously easy recipe for Chana masala, a chick pea based Indian dish that is easily made spicy or mild. There are, as with any Indian dish, some spices you don’t have in your pantry, but if you like Indian food, you should invest in them. Get familiar with small ethnic grocery stores. Many “exotic” ingredients or spices can be found really cheap there.

Japanese Soba noodles with peanut sauce is really good, and easy to make. So are stir fried frozen veggies with curry powder and coconut milk.

Check the web. Look for a good recipe book at the library or thrift store, or dust off one of your own. You’ll be surprised at what you can do in the kitchen.

On the subject, some recipe sites have an ingredient search. You enter the ingredients you want or have on hand, and the search will return results based on your entries. This is really helpful when you are on a budget and trying to cook from what you have without an extra trip to the store.

10 Things to do Instead of Shopping

It’s so tempting to shop during the holidays, you are bombarded by media: radio, tv ads, the Internet, even friends. There are sales, events and specials everywhere. The holiday’s are upon us and in much of the country it’s cold and the weather isn’t cooperating, tempting you to go to the mall. DON’T! I’m always barking about  the psychology of shopping. This is the time of year that marketing goes into full force. It’s safer to stay away. Here are some alternatives to mall mania.

1. Go to the library. Head straight for the self-help or finance section and look for books that will help save you money. I recommend these. (Your money or your life; Don’t sweat the small stuff; Tightwad Gazette)

2. Clean your house. Whether you have company coming or not, cleaning up will make you feel good about what you have and less likely to want more. Clear the Clutter

3. Take care of those small details. Little things bother us but we don’t realize how much. I was always annoyed that I couldn’t find the cordless phone.  The base would ring and all of the handsets were dead or missing. I finally put an old-fashioned wall phone in the kitchen. Now, when the phone rings at least I can answer it. If something is broken, get it fixed or get rid of it. I don’t really need a clock in my office. I have a computer, a watch and my cell phone. Broken clock = gone.

4. Clean up your email, address book or do some computer maintenance or other task you’ve been putting off. Perhaps that half finished craft needs to be done, or pile of Christmas cards.

5. Phone or visit a relative or friend. This could be a nice thing to do for someone you haven’t spoken to in a while, a friend who is ill or an older relative who you would love to hear from you.

6. Get out – anywhere but the mall. If you have nice weather, take a walk, a hike, a picnic or other activity. If the weather is bad, get a group together and do something fun. Bowling and ice skating rinks can be relatively cheap if you have a group. Or just invite a friend to a local independent coffee shop.

7. Do something selfless. Pick a local charity or church group and volunteer. This time of year they need more help than ever. Food banks and other services are swamped. Offer to babysit for a busy mom or do some chores for an elderly neighbor. You’ll feel good about helping others.

8. File that pile of paper you’ve been avoiding and start getting your financial info together for next year. It’s close enough to the end of the year to organize and get ready for your taxes. If you have most of it together, you will be less stressed come tax time. Now is also a good time to start your budget for next year. Review your spending and see where your budget needs revising. Don’t have a budget? You already have most of the year’s receipts, credit card bills etc, so start on the road to living within your means.

9. Try some new recipes. See what you have in your pantry, then come up with new ways to make frugal meals. Need help? Check recipe sites on-line. Avoid the ones with exotic ingredients. Or, you could just organize the pantry or fridge. Clean out the freezer and get ready for the holidays.

10. Take a break. Take a nap, do some yoga, meditate or just read a good book. Find something a bid self-indulgent. Try a home-made facial recipe. There are plenty of recipes on-line with things you already have at home.

If you absolutely have to shop, go online. Look for coupon codes and discounts. You shouldn’t pay anything for shipping this time of year. Make your list, figure out your budget and decide where you are going to shop. Find you must go to the store? Take one day, preferably not the weekend if you can manage and choose one store. Go to the thrift store, local boutiques or discount department store (ie marshalls or tjmax) and get all your shopping done there. Or, choose a local craft fair. Whatever you don’t find at that store, on your list, go home and do the same on-line. Choose a site like Amazon and order whatever gifts you need to. Make sure you stay in your budget and set a time limit.

iPad 2 (refurbished) is on the Apple clearance rack!

The online Apple store had lowered it's prices on the iPad 2.
I'm surprised to see a price drop but I have to admit, its a really good deal, for Apple that is. I have an iPad 2 and really love it. If you are looking to buy one, now is the time. These will go fast. As for the refurbished thing, it's a no-brainer. I bought my iMac 3 years ago from the refurbished section and have never had a problem. I bought my first iPad refurbished and it too worked perfectly. I have also bought ipods refurbished and only had good experiences. They come with the same warrantee as the new ones, and are just as good. Ah, but where to find these secret deals?
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad

Organic Produce, is it worth the cost?

Organic food can be expensive. I can’t always afford to pay extra even though it’s supposed to be healthier. However, sometimes it isn’t necessary to buy organic.

For produce, I use this rule of thumb: anything that has a thick skin you are going to peel or remove doesn’t really need to be organic. Bananas are a common one. There are very few pests that bother bananas so there aren’t too many pesticides used. You are going to peel it and eat only the inside anyhow, so why buy organic? You can save a few cents per pound by buying the regular ones. Oranges and other citrus are typically peeled so buying organic citrus is not that important. Just wash them before you slice them. (actually you should wash all produce, then wash your hands before eating, but I’m not always that neurotic)

Thin skin fruits and veggies are a better place for you to spend your organic dollar. Berries, carrots, celery, broccoli and the like may get sprayed more often because they have more pests to combat. If organic cucumbers or carrots are too expensive, I buy the regular kind and peel them well.

The most ridiculous organic item is real maple syrup. To make any real maple syrup, the sap is drained from mature maple trees and cooked to bring out the sugar. That’s it! So there is no point in spending extra money for the organic label when it’s probably the same syrup.

Organic canned and frozen foods as well as pasta can be more expensive than the regular versions. I look for the store brand organics first. As with anything, if there is a sale, stock up. Organic canned diced tomato is usually cheaper than organic tomato sauce. I buy these from Costco by the case and use them to make an easy tomato sauce, or just drain the liquid and throw them into pasta just as they are. You can also use them in many recipes that call for fresh tomato.

Organic or not, it’s generally cheaper to make things from scratch. It’s a good idea to learn to make simple recipes like pasta sauce and soups.

I am lucky enough to live near a farm stand that is open 4 days a week. All the produce is organic and still cheaper than the regular grocery store produce. Check local co-ops. Sometimes they buy local produce and can sell it cheaper. This depends on where you live in the country. Another great place to find cheaper foods is the ethnic markets. I like Asian and Mexican foods. By shopping in these stores you will find certain items much cheaper than the regular supermarket.

In all, I think the health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables probably exceeds the dangers of pesticides. Buy organic when it makes sense, wash the heck out of everything else.

You can't loose weight on the Wii

I use the Wii as a scale to see how much I weigh once in a while. Here's a wakeup call! This is my 1046th day. I did not achieve my goal of losing 10 lbs in a month. I weigh exactly 1.1 lbs less than 1046 days ago. (That's overweight) My Wii Fit age is 32 (that's good news) and according to this stupid machine, whose opinion I seem to care so much about, my body is "still" in good shape. But, my mii has a belly that sticks out. Ugh!

Black Friday is a Farce

Lifehacker’s article on Black Friday is right. It’s just not worth the time to get up at a ridiculous hour on a holiday weekday to get in line to try to save a few dollars on something you don’t need, only to find that it’s out of stock. You should have been one of the first five people in line who were camped out since the night before if you wanted to get that deal. Even if you do get there early enough, how many hours of your life have you wasted waiting? Plus, “special sales” will be running all month. Friday is just the hype.

From my experience, you can easily buy a really cheap tv or computer, but that’s what you will get, a really cheap tv or computer. If you need large electronics, you are better off doing some research, checking reviews and pricing and buying a quality item that will last longer and have all the features you want and may need in the future.

Here’s another trick. Many stores will offer special discounts that last only a few hours. Major retailers have spent many years and millions of dollars in research on human nature and shopping trends to figure out how to get you to buy more. If you can save and extra 25% from 5am to 9am, you will spend more than 25% extra on things you didn’t know you needed. You are tired, or wired on coffee and stressed out and will get caught up in the frenzy these stores create. Uncle Fred doesn’t really need the rainbow gloves and hat, even if it’s 50% off.

Do your holiday shopping the right way. Make a list of the people for whom you want to get gifts. Now, make a budget. Think carefully about each person and decide what to buy. Shop online and use discounts where you can. I use Ebates for savings and search engines for research. Then, when I find the item at the best price, I search for coupon codes. Sometimes it’s easier and cheaper to buy at the physical store, or you just want that Christmas shopping tradition. Stay away from the big box stores and malls and look at Thrift shops, Antique stores and local boutiques. You can find high quality items and some really good deals. Another bonus, you’ll be supporting charity and small businesses. If someone on your list is brand conscious, or for last minute gifts, try Marshalls or TJ Max. Not sure what to get? Check here for some easy ideas.

You’ll be less stressed and your gift recipients will notice the extra attention.

The iPad 3 is coming!

Yes, the iPad 3 is coming out, so is the iPhone 5 and a new updated Macbook Air. When is anybody's guess, but we all know they are going to be announced eventually.

I've been asked a few times, recently, about wether to buy a computer, ipad, iphone, etc. or wait until the new version comes out. No matter what you buy or when, there will always be a better, faster and cooler update that comes out right after you buy it. I recommend buying the latest you can afford when you actually need it. Is your iPhone 3gs working fine? Keep it until it doesn't work, then buy the latest version you can. Who knows, by then the iPhone 5 might be available. Is your laptop failing? Get the best you can afford now. You could wait until the next version comes out, but since there is always a next version, you will wait forever.

I found a quote from The Apple Blog that sums it up perfectly:

"The best gadget in any given category is the one that you can use right now, in terms of most people’s needs."