Mainstays Is Walmart's Private Label

Mainstays is Walmart's brand of home goods offered at affordable prices. A wide range of furnishings includes bedding, bath, furniture, home décor, kitchen, dining, patio and garden, mattresses, and arts & crafts. The products are probably made by different vendors for Walmart.

In helping my senior Mom, I've had to buy several home goods that she has overlooked in her elder years. I found some of her kitchen tools to be either outdated, inconvenient to use, or simply in need of replacement. So, I've become familiar with Mainstays' line of kitchenware and am duly impressed! You get decent quality without breaking the bank. In making decisions for her, I am relearning a lesson in getting good value for the money! 

A Mainstays kitchen tool is a great deal! Buying the top-of-the-line isn't always the right decision. Good value for the money is based on an item's purpose and frequency of use, as well as our judgment of "do we need the top-of-the-line or an item that's good enough?" If a good enough article can be replaced 25-30 times before reaching the top-of-the-line's price, we will come out ahead even if we must replace it.

Speaking from experience, we've replaced 2 12-cup  programmable Black & Decker coffeemakers with a 12-cup programmable Mainstrays coffeemaker which was offered for a rollback price of $12. The former is a great brand and we can say the same for Mainstrays, which was 1/3 of the price. Our latest coffeemaker does everything a customer needs it to do! You couldn't pay me to be in the same room if my mom sips anything less than a hot cup of good coffee in the mornings!😳

Some of Mainstays' prices seem too good to be true. We haven't tried its full line of products, and yet we haven't bought anything from the brand that has disappointed us! I'd recommend Mainstays as comparable to name brands of like commodities. When we need good enough housewares, we'll always consider Mainstrays.

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Dry Food Storage Containers & Cookie Jars

THE SAVVY SHOPPER loves to write about jewelry, luxury bags and the occasional fad, but it's the less costly, less sexy (to borrow a financial writer's term) things we buy every day that can raze through our paychecks!

If you need dry food containers or cookie jars, you don't always have to buy them. You can easily repurpose the containers from some of the food items you buy. Occasionally I buy tomato sauce that is sold in a Mason jar. Repurposing it is one less Mason jar, I have to buy. As it turns out, I already use Mason jars to store my rice, dried pasta, cornmeal, oatmeal, and ground flax seeds. They work very well to keep bugs out and the grains and ground seeds fresh! I also like the transparency of seeing the contents to know what to grab.

Glass jars with screw-on lids are my preferred dry food storage containers, but lately I repurpose Premier Protein Powder plastic cylinders to hold 4 pounds of white sugar, 2 pounds of dark brown sugar, bags of chocolate chips, bars of baking chocolate, and 64 ounces of dried powdered milk. I'm a buy-in-large-sizes to forget about it for a while type of gal! Like Mason jars, these much bigger plastic cylinders with screw-on lids keep my food items fresh and free of pests that crawl into dry food boxes. I like the ease of unscrewing the tops and scooping out the dried food when cooking or baking. Larger with a bigger opening and lighter than glass, the plastic containers are easy to lift from my cupboard.

Lacking counter space, I don't have to worry about the uniformity of my storage food containers, however, if you collect Mason/Bell jars or one type of plastic receptacle, you can achieve a uniform look. An Ambitious Artistic Repurposer can also decorate a set of repurposed plastic tubs. I can't claim to be so ambitious, but I do have a helpful tip. If you write the name of the dry food you're storing on the lid instead of on the side of the cylinder, you can simply replace the lids and not the containers if you change the food inside in the future. Nonetheless, whenever you wish to replace the tubs, they're free after you consume the protein powder!

Buying a set of specially made storage containers isn't cheap. Repurposing is good for the environment, your time, and your wallet! Use the money saved for a rainy day, a more expensive need, or a fun splurge!!!

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AOHI 240W Modular-Extension Fast Cable Set

In life, we all have things that annoy us. As an adult, I try to grin and bear bigger things as I work towards solutions, but the little hassles of life can drive me crazy! Today I'll share one: Apple devices (the MacBook Pro, iPad, and iPhone) have 3 separate-sized cables, so one cable never fits to charge a 2nd type of device. Your MacBook Pro's cable can't charge your iPhone or iPad. 

Having these different-sized cords gets annoying!! 

Sometimes you can create a neat workstation for all your separate cables to charge your devices, and at other times while in the middle of a job, you have to get up and move your lazy ass across a room to charge your will-die-soon device. Annoying, right?!

I have no doubt that in the near or distant future, a tech genius will develop a simple universal cable and charger to fit and charge all our unique devices. I've googled around the internet to see if I missed its invention. I haven't. However, I came across an extension fast cable set that simplifies charging our multiple devices with fewer accessories using adopter cables and 3-in-1 multi-ports. Rather close! It's more convenient and compact making it appealing to buy. I will hold off since it benefits me to get off my duff and walk across a room. It's not like physical limitations stop me from moving, it just feels like a nuisance.:)

This super cool modular-extension fast cable set comes with (at $129) or without (at $89) a MacBook charger. For comparison, here it is on Amazon. Depending on the sellers at the time you shop, you can sometimes save a few bucks on Amazon. Always worth a look!

Technology and skin care are two areas worth keeping up-to-date with so we're not lost when it's time to make a purchase, as well as, to know about innovations and progress. We wait for some things and buy others. Decisions and compromises are based on what we know and need at the time of temptation while wisely keeping the Big Picture (i.e., not going broke) in mind.

😐😐😐😐😐

Additional irritants I'd like resolved by re-designs are: (1) Bathtub/shower stalls -- Enlarge the space to hold family-sized bottles of shampoo, hair conditioner, and body wash, etc.; and (2) Refrigerators - Rethink the layout of space to make the width wider and the depth shallower. Nobody likes digging in the back to find the food they remember putting in there. Also, tall bottles of condiments and an opened bottle of wine should fit inside those refrigerator doors! Sheesh, there's lots of work ahead for geniuses to improve our gizmos.

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Sterilite Drawer Carts Make Organizing A Breeze

In a small New York City apartment, organization is the key to maximizing space and keeping it free from clutter and chaos. Everything I own has a place, its own home so I can find and use it. I don't have spare bedrooms or a garage for storage and yet I need the same amount of things to cook, clean, and entertain friends as the lucky people who live in large apartments or houses.

Still, we shouldn't overspend on organizers! It's much better to purge than to buy pricey organizers. That said, every necessity should have a designated place. I love ♥Sterilite Drawer Carts♥(and plastic clear shoe boxes for small items). Not only are they inexpensive but they're relatively strong, a somewhat flexible plastic, durable, and well-designed for the task of keeping things compartmentalized and grouped together.

Sterilite Drawer Carts come in a few sizes to fit larger or smaller spaces. The medium cart that measures 14 1/2" (D) x 12 5/8" (W)  x 24" (H) fits best in my small apartment. I bought 2 of this size and they sit perfectly side by side on the floor of one of my closets to give me 6 good-sized easy-to-open and close plastic drawers that I can see-through to know what I stow inside. I like to put small hair tools such as a curling iron, hair straightener, and crimper inside one drawer, and personal care or household items such as extra tissue boxes and lightbulbs or even gifts I aim to give to friends in separate drawers. If these objects didn't have a drawer of their own (i.e., a home) they'd be piled up inside my closet and I'd have to remove everything to find what I need. What a waste of time!

The drawer carts are also perfect for seniors who have trouble walking for keeping their essentials such as tissues, napkins, or moisturizers next to their chairs. Mothers of infants have inexpensive storage to neatly keep diapers and baby wipes. They provide plenty of storage at a low cost.

Four wheels make moving the cart effortless to vacuum. 

The plastic cart is also suitable in a bathroom, office, or craft room. The carts come in different colors and opaque textures but I like to see-through the drawers identifying their contents before opening them.

A Sterilite Drawer Cart hack for customers who need to use vertical instead of horizontal space: You can remove the top panel of one cart to affix a 2nd cart (snapping them together) and thus make one secure tall 6-drawer cart! Oh, genius. Perhaps I love these storage drawer carts, inanimate objects that they are, a little too much.♥ You'd think I was writing about fine jewelry! :)

Walmart offers the lowest prices on Sterilite Drawer Carts, but do check Amazon and hardware stores!

Update; In my research, I've discovered another company to buy storage containers at low prices ($10 for the medium drawer cart!!) -- so I've written a part 2 to this blog. Check back on Monday for it to post.

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My Little Man Broke!

 

James the Butler has served me well for 30 years. He brings an element of whimsy into my home. Sometimes, if a visitor mentions his cuteness, I like to say he's the man I live with and I explain how cooperative James is. He never gives me any trouble! Often, James the Bulter holds food or drinks for guests who sit on my coach. 

About a week ago, this hardworking, poor little wooden bulter fell off his stand! It's a tragedy that surprises me! At first, I couldn't figure out why. It turns out that the wooden dowels (know that "dowel" is a word I just learned, replacing "thing-of-ma-jig") weakened and deteriorated. A friend told me this is common with today's wood. Nowadays furniture is made with more inferior wood than 50 or 100 years ago. He likes to buy retro and antique furniture to get sturdier furniture that is durable.

I wonder how much it would cost to repair James. I dislike handyman work because I don't know what I'm doing and usually I don't want to learn. But! As it turns out, I can buy the wooden dowels for $5 to $15 for a bunch of different sizes. However as I tried to remove the broken dowels, they didn't pull out in one piece, and now I must locate and borrow a tool (that I hope exists) to get the remainder of the wooden dowels out of James' feet since they no longer protrude to grab onto for pulling out of the holes. If I can do this task myself it will be cheap to replace dowels and attach James back on his platform but if I must take him to a repairman, I'd have to find one, then I believe I'd be charged anywhere from $50 - $100 for the labor.

So for now, I disassembled James the Butler's wooden body from his serving tray, which unfortunately caused his arms to detach and fall off (old dowels again!), so I'm hiding him under my bed for safekeeping until I work out the details of how to make him whole again.

Meanwhile, shhh! Please do not inform New York's Finest, the NYPD about the body under my bed! I don't want a detective ringing my doorbell asking any questions. 😳

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Happy New Year 2025

Photo: iStock

Here we are again starting a brand new year. Truthfully, I'll live the new year much like I did the old one. No monumental changes that I can predict.

For several years now, I've been on a reduce-and-organize kick. I don't deprive myself of things that make my life better, easier, or happier, yet for sure, I've become a more mindful shopper. Call me an under buyer as opposed to an emotional buyer. Beautiful, impractical things stay on a retailer's shelf even if I fall in love while standing in front of them! I do that plenty of times! Still, if I don't have a place, budget, or need for ''it'' (whatever it is) I move on. [↑Photo of fireworks above left: Istock] 

Rockefeller Center tree taken on December 30, 2024

I also take stock of what I already own such as articles of clothing like t-shirts, leggings, or shoes; scented soaps; skincare products (retinols and moisturizers are a weakness); or makeup from eye shadows to lipsticks and have formed the habit of using up what I have at home before adding new products. Over time I've learned our lives get simpler if we're not always out and about looking for more commodities to haul home. When we do replace possessions that either run out or wear out, we can fully enjoy new purchases. It turns out that buying more than enough doesn't tend to save us money or increase our happiness. So my motto is: Always buy enough, not more than enough!

Photo: Dreamstime

There is an area of life where spawning more than enough rocks ... and increases happiness. It's showing kindness to our fellow humans. We can't shower others with more than enough kindness. If you can help someone do it. Little appropriate kindnesses can make a huge difference in the lives of other people. Judge people less. Assess your time and energy to know what you can give. Be generous with your time, acceptance, and hospitality. There are no small gestures only overthinkers who are afraid of extending themselves. In instances when your goodwill isn't received well (as there are all kinds of imperfect people in the world) remember you're only responsible for your good intentions, not someone else's reaction. Move on to the next human, chances are s/he will be on the same page as you! Surround yourself with positive, generous, kind people.

So in 2025, let's rekindle our best efforts from 2024, 2023, 2022, etc. ... and continue growing wiser and better at connecting with one another.

Happy New Year🎉, Readers! Now and then drink the champagne. Know that I love and appreciate you! Many thanks for your support!!

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Merry Christmas Everyone

Adoration of the Christ Child (1620) by Gerard Van Honthorst at The Uffizi Gallery in Florence Italy

Merry Christmas from THE SAVVY SHOPPER. I hope the week fills your life with love, peace, and joy. Whatever your faith tradition is or wherever you live on our globe, everyone is equally valued here, where we can share or learn about each other's cultures and holidays.

Inside my kitchen for Christmas ...

I made a Kentucky bourbon fruitcake (with walnuts, pecans, dried apricots, pineapples, cranberries, raisins, frozen cherries, and fresh blueberries). I baked the cakes the first week of December and have been soaking them with bourbon every few days, aging our treat for Christmas Day.

Know that I baked all these cookies in 2024, then returned to older blogs to switch out the Google images I originally posted, so don't be confused.:)

Four batches of cookies will do this year - Springerle, Scottish shortbread, pecan cookies, and coconut macaroons are enough for family, friends, and building staff.

We're keeping Christmas 2024 low-key. I'm happy to spend it with my senior mother and whoever drops by for homemade low-fat eggnog and treats. During Christmas week I'll walk with a friend down to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree but plan to stay close to home.

A neighborhood friend has her heart set on making us chicken coq vin as a Christmas dinner which we'll gladly accept. Usually for Christmas in my childhood home, my mom made a roast beef dinner. She grew up eating a stuffed roasted goose for Christmas but didn't carry on the tradition of serving any special meal. On December 25th, we simply ate a hearty balanced dinner often roast beef with either potatoes or 

Kartoffelklöße (potato dumplings), gravy, vegetables, and a salad with a loaf of grainy rye bread heated in the oven. It's still one of my favorite meals although I don't eat as much red meat as I did growing up since it's no longer doctor-approved. How we stayed healthy in the past is a mystery.:) 

In celebrating Christmas around the world ... or just joining your friends who do🎁👑🎄: 

Merry Christmas in 25 different languages

• Arabic: عيد ميلاد مجيد (Eid milad majid)
• Chinese: 圣诞快乐 (Shèngdàn kuàilè)
• Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest!
• Farsi: کریسمس مبارک (Krismas Mobaarak!)
• French: Joyeux Noël!
• German: Frohe Weihnachten!
• Greek: Καλά Χριστούγεννα! (Kalá Christoúgenna!)
• Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka!
• Hebrew: חג שמח (Chag Sameach!)
• Hindi: क्रिसमस की बधाई (Krisamas Kee Badhaee!)
• Irish: Nollaig Shona!
• Italian: Buon Natale!
• Japanese: メリークリスマス (Merī kurisumasu)
• Korean: 메리 크리스마스 (Meli keuliseumaseu)
• Latin: Felix Nativitas!
• Polish: Wesołych Świąt!
• Portuguese: Feliz Natal!
• Russian: С Рождеством (S Rozhdestvom!)
• Spanish: ¡Feliz Navidad!
• Swahili: Krismasi Njema!
• Swedish: God Jul!
• Tagalog: Maligayang Pasko!
• Turkish: Mutlu Noeller!
• Vietnamese: Giáng sinh vui vẻ!

If your native tongue isn't on the list, please add it in the comments below. May the season's goodwill touch the world and last in the hearts and deeds of people throughout the year! 

Merry Christmas Everyone!🐑🐪

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5 Things I Love But Won't Buy

THE SAVVY SHOPPER is a lifestyle blog that focuses on good decision-making on a budget. It requires that we ask ourselves, do we need the item or simply want it. Why are we tempted to buy it? When an article makes our lives happier, easier, or better, often we should buy it. But if what we have works, maybe we should let "it" go. Moreover, sometimes we should buy the top of the line, and at other times we could settle for good enough to have funds left to cover emergencies or more important things in life.

I'm always tempted by compact, lightweight, or newer things even if what I already own works and is good enough! Let me give you a few examples:

1) The Ankarsum Original Stand Mixer (see top image) - It's a Swedish-designed mixer that is powerful and well-made. But I can't justify spending a whopping $749.95 for a mixer when my 2024 Hamilton Beach 6 Speed Hand Mixer does everything I need it to do. My hand mixer for less is compact and powerful too, and I can't claim that holding it is inconvenient or tiring. So I think it's the idea of a stand mixer being so compact that entices me. But at the end of the day, my hand mixer will hurt less to replace when one day in the future, it dies, so I prefer to admire rather than own the Ankarsum mixer. (BTW: A 30-year-old $12 Black & Decker handheld mixer would still be running strong if I hadn't stuck a fork in cake batter that snagged and broke one of the beater holders.)

2) Uniqlo's Seamless Down Coat - Regular readers of this blog know I love Uniqlo's basics and the Seamless Down Coat is no exception. I already own a different Uniqlo coat, the Ultra Light Down Long Coat which keeps me warm and toasty in winter so the reason I'm passing is I just don't need a new coat. I can't buy clothes every time I see something I love as there'd be no room in my closets. Both Uniqlo coat styles are beautiful coats for the money. The Seamless is a tad warmer for those of you who live in Boston or Chicago. The Ulta Light Down Coat is warm enough for New York City winters. On the coldest below zero day, I wear a sweater underneath mine. Still, the Uniqlo Seamless Down Coat is sooo gorgeous that the id in me wants to run right out to buy one!

3) I love lean tall leather boots with flat heels for comfort like these Stuart Weitzman boots. Already I have at least 5 pairs of boots of different heights that I don't wear much, therefore, I have put myself on a boot diet! Boots always catch my eye when I'm in a shoe department. Always tempting me, but once I own them I find them to be more constricting than other shoes and don't reach for them. Sometimes you just have to know yourself and stop collecting! Five is my boot limit to stop buying them!

4) Don't get me started on Apple devices. Not cheap and we can't keep up with the newest and greatest operating systems. So I don't replace my laptops, iPads, or iPhones until what I already own coughs and dies. Enough said.

5) Corelle Dinnerware - A topic I addressed in a previous blog. With a do-over, I'd buy a set of 8 Corelle dinnerware to save space in my cupboard instead of the heavier stoneware I have. I've become addicted to maximizing space, yet not enough to replace a perfectly good set of dishes for a new set of Corelle Dinnerware.

What are you tempted to replace that you know you shouldn't based on the need to do so alone?

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Macy's Holiday Lane Is The Best

When I first moved to Manhattan I found my Christmas ornaments and stockings mainly at Saks Fifth Avenue with a couple of radiant ornaments at Bloomingdale's. There was no need to leave my neighborhood to go down to Herald Square for anything. 

Nowadays Macy's is the only retailer I'd consider because for sure, of the 3 stores, it has the most extensive assortment of holiday decor and accessories, including Nativity Scenes which Bloomingdale's and Saks have sadly dropped from their inventory, a decision that makes little sense!

Certainly, I understand people not buying a Nativity Scene who don't celebrate Christmas, but when retailers won't sell the religious artifacts that Christmas epitomizes it's a silly attempt to be politically correct! My Jewish friends love Christmas chorals and celebrating my holiday with me, and they don't feel less Jewish for it. Likewise, I'm honored to be invited to the celebrations of other religions. I never feel disloyal or like it's an attempt to convert me. Hell, we live in a global world and melting-pot country. Everyone should be free to take pride in their ethnicities, cultures, and faith traditions, and we shouldn't be afraid to take a glimpse of the wider world by stepping outside of our rituals.

What's more, Saks and Bloomingdale's don't carry enough of a holiday selection anymore, restricting their holiday offerings to one small area of a floor. Macy's still makes its offerings look like Santa Claus's workshop, which is located on its 9th floor. All of the glitter and gold as you walk the floor helps you understand the magic of Christmas, commercial though it is. You remember the awe you felt as a child when your parents took you out to see Christmas displays where you shopped.

In addition to a wide array of stock to choose from, Macy's offers the best prices and sales on its merchandise so you'll return home happier and less broke.:) Even if you have everything you need from your Christmases past, it's worth a trip to Macy's just to see Holiday Lane. I know from my friends of diverse backgrounds that people of all faiths enjoy it! All are welcome. Who isn't uplifted for a window of time by the sparkle and festiveness!🌍🌎🌏

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