Showing posts with label spend or splurge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spend or splurge. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Are Bake N Serve Doughs Worth the Expense?

Photo: Edgar’s Bakery
I understand the convenience of buying already prepared Bake N Serve bread, biscuit, or pastry doughs. No mixing, rising, or kneading necessary. I, too, have occasionally bought canned biscuits and pizza dough. So after a purchase or two, the following is what I’ve decided ... 

Photo: Lysnoj
When I can’t make a food better or cheaper, I do buy it readymade. Pecan pies from either Fairway or Edwards are examples of what I always buy and never make. And yet IMHO, this isn’t the case with Bake N Serve bread, biscuit, or pastry doughs. A cake from a cake box is inferior to cakes made from scratch, and my above examples are often several times more costly, so I don't buy them as Bake N Serve food.

Still, we aren't martyrs. Sometimes we either aren’t motivated or don’t have the time to make bread, a cake, a pie, or pizza dough from scratch. In such instances, I go to a good bakery, pizza parlor, or Fairway in Manhattan and bring home my bread, pizza, pastry, or pie, ready to dig right in. 

Unlike when you take the time to make bread, pizza dough, or pies from scratch, I find the cost of Bake N Serve treats is nearly the same as when you simply bring them home ready to eat. Why would I pay extra to haul the treat home and still have to finish the work myself? At least if I buy it already to eat from a good bakery or Fairway, it’s of superior quality, and there’s nothing left for me to do except serve it!

If we don’t make it ourselves and aren’t saving any money, why settle ... when we can go all the way and let a professional do the work for us? 

So in my home, it’s either make it from scratch or purchase it from a deli, bakery or pizza parlor. The times you decide to splurge and pay the piper, you can have your cake and eat it too. No effort necessary! How about you?

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Friday, November 14, 2025

Bakeup Beauty


Bakeup Beauty is a brand started by celebrity makeup artist, Jo Baker. She sells an edit of 12 high performing staples she says we can’t live without. According to Jo Baker, 
"Makeup should take no longer than five minutes. It should perform, last, and make you feel like yourself - just with a bit more confidence.” Yes, I agree!

When you have a celebrity following it puts your company on the map! So what are those 12 beauty essentials? I’m linking them up here so you can check them out. Featured in Vogue, People, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar and Instyle magazines, the colors remind me of a youthful California girl look.


So here’s what I’d buy. The neutral hues eye palette called Desert Road Trip - Micro Palm. Unlike foundation or cover stick, eye shadow is a cosmetic item you can either splurge or save on when purchasing. Makeup artists recommend having one expensive palette with rich pigments that have staying power so you don’t have to reapply the shadows as often, but for trendy colors the less expensive palettes are fine too. Tip: Maybelline is a budget-friendly eyeshadow with rich pigments as good as the luxury brands.

Once you are introduced to various beauty brands, you can watch for deals, and when you stumble upon one, you’ll know whether to snatch the products up!


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