When Do You Pay Top Dollar?

There are certain things in this world you will buy despite their costs.  If you can't find a discount, you will brace yourself, bite the bullet and empty your wallet because you believe they are worth the expense.

In my opinion, everyone has a list of things he/she will pay top dollar to get -- where quality rules.   You will pay serious money even if it means you have to delay the purchase while you save up, or do without other things in order to afford the things on your list.  Let's make it interesting by sharing some of the items on our lists.  They can be big or small: 

Mine are in no particular order:

1. Pillow

2. Mattress

3. Bed sheets - Must be 100% cotton with a high thread count.

4. A sharp kitchen knife

5. Comfortable walking shoes - When your feet are happy, you are happy.

6. Warm winter coat - Lands' End has quality coats for a good value.  If anything happens to LE, it's back to overpaying.

7. Fancy birthday cake and/or fine chocolate - We all need rewards and special treats to celebrate special occasions.  And, the treat should be worth the calories. 

8. A comfortable home in a safe neighborhood - I have to like the location and layout.  It's where I nest.

9. Education - Look where good schools got Kate Middleton. "A mind stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions."  There are lots of good schools!

10. A reliable car - When I lived outside the city, I drove a Honda Accord LX and liked listening to the radio and music while driving.  It was my nest on wheels and kept me safe and mobile.

Lucky 11 bonus item: Face serum - Stay tuned for a future post, where I'll explain why it's an essential.

That's what made my cut.  Everything else is negotiable.  If you'd like to share a few of your own choices, please do.  Our lists can change as we move through life.  So no need to over-think.  Have fun with it.

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Waste Not Want Not Native American Style

According to editor, Todd Marks, who works for Consumer Reports, we waste 25% of all the products we buy because we can't get them out of their containers.  He says the pumps for personal care items like body lotions and face serums are so poorly designed, you end up throwing away about a week's supply of product -- the stuff that gets stuck at the bottom and won't come out.  I think it's more like two weeks worth– because oh, how I hate when a favorite cosmetic or conditioner is discontinued.  So much so that I'm not above splitting open the container with a utility knife to get to every last drop before it disappears forever!  The first time I was forced to do this I was amazed at how much product was left.  Lipsticks will last many extra months if applied with a lip brush.

When using every last drop, though, be prudent.  Some cosmetics like mascara have a short shelf life.  Mascara should only be kept for 6 months.  Then you have to worry about germs and ineffectiveness.  Safety should always outweigh attempts to save money.  Nonetheless, many other personal care items, like shampoos, conditioners and moisturizers, last a long time.  Using an entire container of these products, including what is normally wasted, will add up to big bucks. 

Consumer Reports magazine's Todd Marks also suggests that we pour apple cider vinegar in bottles of ketchup and barbeque sauce and use the last bits in cooking.  I admit, I don't go that far unless I'm short of the ingredient while right in the middle of trying to prepare a dish.  Even if you choose not to get this extreme, it's not a bad idea to be a little more mindful of waste ... and conserve where you can, a value held by earlier generations, including American Indians who killed one buffalo as needed, then used every part of the animal -- meat, bones, horns and hide -- for a practical purpose.  Nothing went to waste, partly out of respect for the slaughtered animal.

Another idea the editor supports, I do practice:  Freezing very ripe fruit and using it in recipes.  Not only do I stock nutritious strawberries, blueberries and peaches that, otherwise, would  go bad (they make delicious smoothies); I also cut up vegetables like celery, red and green peppers, as well as, meats such as lean roast beef and chicken, then pull them out of the freezer at a later date for quick meals.  The frozen meats and vegetables make tasty soups and stews with a minimum of effort.  Plus, families tend to eat better with a little thought and planning.  Below are links to a couple of earlier posts for quick and easy recipes.  Enjoy!

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The Doctors' Home Remedies

It's great to have a doctor in the house, or at least a few on TV.  This morning I had a chance to watch such a show on CBS.  It was an hour well spent.  “The Doctors” discussed quick home remedies for treating common ailments.  So I'm posting their list, often rewording their advise.  Because that's what I do, fiddle and fuss and tinker with words … and for that, there is no cure.  But the recommendations below come straight from the show:

1. Facial Blemishes: Rub tomato slices on your skin to increase circulation and clear your complexion.

2. Ingrown Toenails: Use Epsom salt and dental floss to treat.
3. Headache: Drink watermelon juice to cure a headache.

4. Plantar Warts: Tape a small piece of a banana peel to a plantar wart overnight, every night until the wart is gone.
5. Body Odor: Beat body odor by rubbing turnip juice on your armpits.

6. Menstrual Cramps: Curb cramps with Cramp Bark, an herbal supplement.

7. Allergic Skin Reactions: Mix crushed poppy seeds with lemon juice and water until it turns to a paste, then rub the mixture on the irritated area.

8. Fleas: Spray diluted lemon juice (with water) onto a dog’s back to fight fleas.

9. Bug Bites: Make a paste using Epsom salt and warm water, and rub it on bites to reduce inflammation.

10. Athlete’s Foot: Put apple cider vinegar on potato slices and place directly on the affected area.  The doctors say this works just as well as anything you can buy.

11. Sore Throat: Soothe with a spiced tea. Mix cloves, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and honey in boiling water, let it cool. Drink it.

12. Sore Throat: Sucking on gummy bears can help soothe a child’s sore throat.

13. Bad Breath: Sip and swish with pure cranberry juice.  Also prevents yeast infections.

14. Sunburns: Ease sunburn pain by boiling lettuce in water, refrigerate the liquid to cool and place it on the burn.

15. Unwanted Body Hair: To remove, use Karmissie, an at-home threader.

16. Ragged Cuticles: Dip fingers in (1) a paraffin wax bath or (2) softened soy candle wax to moisturize.

17. Frizzy Hair: Treat with a hair mask made of olive oil, mayonnaise, one egg and beer.

18. Blackheads: Remove blackheads by making a paste consisting of  1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Leave it on your skin for 30 minutes and rinse.

19. Fingernail Stains: Treat yellow fingernail stains with whitening toothpaste.  Brush and let toothpaste soak on nails for about 5 minutes.  Rinse.

20. Wrinkles: Use diaper rash cream to remove fine lines around your eyes. The effective ingredient is zinc oxide.  

21. Indigestion: Eat celery to relieve indigestion.  Has anti-inflammatory compounds.

22. Hangover: Prevent a hangover by eating and hydrating before drinking alcohol.  Try a whole wheat pizza with pepperoni, which contains carbohydrates, olive oil, cheese and pepperoni, to help coat and prepare the stomach for alcohol, and add Bifidus powder, a probiotic, to water to help with digestion. Also, eat a fruit salad of banana, watermelon and crushed almonds to help prevent a hangover.  This puts nutrients into your system that alcohol depletes.

23. Knee Pain: Strengthen your knees by sitting on the floor with your legs in front of you and your heels on the floor, and flex the muscles around the kneecap to create strong musculature around the knee.  This is called the “knee dance.”

24. Congestion: Use vapor rub on the chest to ease congestion.  The Doctors say don't put it above your lip or in your nostrils.

25. Gnats: A dab of pure vanilla extract on your wrist or neck will repel gnats.

26. Smell: Use vanilla extract as an aphrodisiac and natural perfume.  According to scientific studies, vanilla attracts men; it was their favorite fragrance, so the smell may also cure loneliness.

27. Headache: Give yourself a scalp massage to relieve a headache. Stick your fingers in your hair at the scalp and pull. The headache will go away, but once you let go it may come back.  Repeat it every few minutes for more relief.
28. Sun and Age Spots: Use potatoes to lighten age or sun spots on your face.  I wonder why the show stopped at face.  Isn't the skin on hands a bigger age spot problem?

29. Feeling Blue: Go for a walk to combat the blues.

30. Safety: Make sure any home remedy you try is safe for you.

© 2011 Stage 29 Productions LLC 

I favor home remedies because they have fewer chemicals so you don't have to worry as much about side effects.  And I like the simplicity of using items you already have at home.  But conventional medicine has its place.  And not all home remedies work, so a list approved by a team of doctors is good to have.  Always use good judgment:  Go to your doctor if a condition persists.  Keep your doctor informed, and never treat yourself for anything serious!  Wow after finishing this, I need to get up to eat a banana.  Seriously.  Anybody got any plantar warts?


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Happy Birthday To The Savvy Shopper

Dear Readers,

THE SAVVY SHOPPER turns two today.  It's a privilege to have you aboard.  A special welcome to new folks. Your comments, emails and ideas are wonderful to read.  Here's to more wisdom ... and another great year of writing.  Cheers!

Some of the retailers with buttons on THE SAVVY SHOPPER blog are celebrating birthdays too. Philosophy is lucky 15. You'll find extra savings and offer codes this month from the advertisers. 

Fashion At The Academy Awards

The Oscars are over.  Did you watch?  It's THE awards show people all over the world are likely to see.  Naturally, I watch for the fashions, as well as, to see who wins the awards.  Nowadays, celebrities hire a stylist, so there's mostly glamour, instead of mistakes, on the red carpet. Plus, the dresses are custom-made, highlighting a nominee's best assets and hiding any flaws. At 5'8" tall, host Anne Hathaway has the long legs and slender body to make her appear elegant and beautiful in whatever she wears. And was she ever busy ... changing an exhausting 7 times during the show!  She looked gorgous in all 8 outfits.  And now the wait: In a few days, we'll learn which designer dresses will be reproduced for the masses. Meanwhile, below is a second look at some of my favorites from last night's ceremony:

Top: Anne Hathaway is wearing a 1. Lanvin custom tuxedo and Brian Atwood heels made with Swarovski crystals; 2. vintage red Valentino Haute Couture taffeta gown with floral train; and 3. Giorgio Armani Prive custom sapphire satin gown.
Bottom: 1. Mandy Moore is wearing a Monique Lhuillier gown with crystal beads; 2. Hilary Swank has on a silver sequined Gucci gown with ombre feathered train; 3. Halle Berry shows off a Marchesa crystal encrusted gown with a ruffled train.

Whose dress(es) did you like best?

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Orange Alert ... Even Oprah Is Trendy

I just returned home from a 40 block browse and walk, down Madison Avenue in New York City.  Every designer from  Prada, Chanel and Ralph Lauren ... to Burberry, Hermes and Donna Karen has shades of orange in their collections.  Orange shirts, dresses and purses are hanging on racks at Express, Banana Republic and Coach to name only a few.  To say that orange will be all the rage this Spring just might be an understatement.  Ms. Oprah is wearing the cheerful color on the February cover of her “O” magazine.  And she looks spectacular in it!  Even conservative labels like Brooks Brothers and Giorgio Armani are incorporating a little citrus flamboyance in their mens-and-womenswear.  And Ugg has come out with a tangerine boot.

Unlike baby blue and graceful pink, vivid hues of pumpkin and carrot are clearly not gender specific.  Just like the Sun, itself, orange is warm, bright and full of energy.

Orange can be loud, powerful and impossible to miss.  If you have a dark, or olive complexion, you can wear a wide range of orange, as well as, lots of it from head to toe.  But if you have a delicate or pale complexion, the dominate color will wash you out.  You need to go easy, be selective of tone and don't wear it too close to your face.  After a harsh winter, I can't wait to leave the layers of clothing at home and Spring forward with the vitality of orange. This promises to be a fun trend.

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Waste Not Want Not ... When Less Is Enough

Not long ago my building renovated our laundry room, putting in new washing machines, which require half the amount of detergent to clean a load of clothes.  Use more, and you must run your clothes through a second wash cycle to get the suds out.  Suddenly we learned that less is enough.  And actually, it reinforces a lesson we received several years ago when our building installed new water-saving toilets.  Wad up a big-ball-of bathroom tissue, as some people tend to do, then try to flush it, and you will spend the next 15 minutes with a plunger and an unpleasant task before you.  Many residents in my building needed to replace their old habits with new ones.  Less was enough.

This got me thinking:  How many of us use too much product in other areas of our lives?  As a child, did your parents ever scold you for mindlessly running through paper towels, bottles of shampoo, or using too much electricity, or heat?  Mine were always on my case to turn off a light when I left a room and to use less product when less got a job done.  Figuring out what you need, instead of using too much, is an easy way to save money and the environment.  Not only will we spare a tree and use less gas and oil, but we'll accumulate less garbage and save time by not having to run to the store as often to restock.

Recently, I discovered that my hair looks better if I wash it with only a dime-size amount of shampoo and detangle it with a quarter-size amount of conditioner.  Also, these days I'm less likely to clutter up my bathroom with lots of similar products that do the same things.  I use up what works, before replacing it with something else that works.  Being a little more mindful of purchases and how much you use, simplifies your life and puts a few extra dollars in your pocket.

Although I try to be a careful buyer, recently I was struck with how many bars of scented soaps, pairs of socks and new shirts I have in my closets.  So now I plan to use the soap, socks and shirts before bringing any more of these items home.  It's time to be less of a gatherer and more of a user of what I already have.  Be aware. Use it, or loose it.  Sometimes less is enough.

Click here for The Story Of Stuff.

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Hungarian Goulash Made Easy

What's for dinner?  Well at my house, it's a stick to your ribs meat and potatoes meal, which I first saw on a cooking show, than tweaked and spiced to my liking. Simple, delicious and addicting!

Hungarian Goulash

Ingredients:

3½- to 4 pounds chuck roast, trimmed of fat, and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/3 cup dried sweet paprika

3 large red peppers, steamed in the microwave for 6-8 minutes until tender (You will use them to make 1 cup of paste.)

1/4 – 1/3 cup crushed tomatoes

3 teaspoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 large onions, diced (about 6 cups)

4 large carrots, scraped and sliced (about 2 cups)

1 bay leaf

1 cup water with 1 large beef bouillon cube

Salt and black pepper

1) Sprinkle the beef with 1 teaspoon salt and let it sit for 15 minutes.  Then sear the meat until golden brown.  Set aside. [Hungarians throw the meat in raw.] 

2) In a food processor, mix the paprika, steamed red peppers, crushed tomatoes, and 2 teaspoons of vinegar until smooth.  Set aside.

3) Combine the olive oil, onions, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large Dutch oven.  Cover and cook 8-10 minutes until the onions are tender, stirring occasionally.

4) Now stir in the paprika paste.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions just begin to stick to the bottom of the pot; takes about 2 minutes.

5) Add the beef, carrots, and bay leaf.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Make sure all ingredients are mixed well.  Cover the Dutch oven and transfer into a heated kitchen oven.  You will cook this for 2 ½-3 hours at 350 degrees F.

6) Check every 30 minutes and as necessary, add water flavored with one beef bullion cube.  You want a finished sauce that is not runny, or dry.

7) Continue to cook until the beef is tender when poked with a fork.  You should have a rich, thickish sauce.

Optional:  I chop 4 cloves of garlic and cook them along with the onions.  I also add parsley and a dash of cheyenne pepper and nutmeg to the dish before putting it in the oven.  I have also been known to throw in peas [last 10 minutes].  I like color and one pot cooking.

Serve the goulash over potatoes, noodles or rice.  My carbohydrate of choice is usually potatoes.  Top with a teaspoon of vinegar.  Enjoy!


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Happy Saint Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is named after several early Christian martyrs.  One of them died, or was buried on February 14th according to different accounts.  The occasion became associated with romantic love during the Middle Ages through the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer.  In a poem depicting the courtship of Richard II and Anne of Bohemia, Chaucer used the images of love birds – who mate for life – as well as, Cupid and Venus.  He also choose St. Valentine as the patron for that marriage.  And so he began the tradition of composing poetry on Valentine's Day.

Other traditions followed, gifts of candy, flowers, jewelry and romantic dinners. Enjoy the day! arrrh♥

“For this was on Seynt Valentynes day,

Whan every fowle cometh theere to chese his make [mate].”

Chaucer, The Parliament of Fowles, 1380

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M.C. Hammer Presents The ZAGGmate iPad Case

Years ago I met M.C. Hammer at MTV, where I worked at the time. Hammer is the nicest man -- polite, friendly and outgoing. After he finished his “Behind The Music” interview, we rode the elevator down 23 floors to the lobby, and M.C. was charming.

On that day I was dressed in black cotton velveteen trousers, with white accents.
Hammer said: “I really like your white socks, dear.”
I replied: “Thank you, M.C.  I've always loved the look of spats.”
Smiling, M.C. Hammer said: “Me too!”
Sweet memory. He is such a people-person!

M.C. Hammer & Stephanie

As the public knows, M.C. Hammer made a lot of money with his music and lost it all. He spent his fortune on family, friends and people-in-need, as well as, lived a lavish lifestyle. What is less known is, M.C. survived bankruptcy to release more albums and become a music manager of other recording artists. Today he's a rapper, entertainer, preacher, long-time family man [married to Stephanie for 25 years] and a successful entrepreneur. As it turns out, M.C. Hammer was an early technogeek and is now an internet mogul.

One of the gadgets he promotes, the ZAGGmate Case, is a (genius!) ipad accessory. It's a strong, thin aluminum case that converts into a bluetooth, wireless keyboard. Used as a protective case, you can drop your ipad without damaging it. Remove your ipad, and the case becomes a stand with an innovative hinge. Prop the ipad up to type on a real keyboard. Now you can send emails, write blog posts, take notes, or use text editing applications with ease, like you do on a laptop.

Place the ipad on the keyboard in portrait and landscape modes. The ZAGGmate runs on a rechargeable battery that lasts for months. It weighs 12.8 ounces. How cool is this case!  Costs: $100 (new).

Update: When I wrote the blog the ZAGGmate iPad Case was new and innovative, and now competitives have developed simiar key board covers too. Choice benefits the consumer!

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Did Your Grandma Wear An Apron?

Loretta G., who is a reader, mother and herself, a savvy shopper, sent me a nostalgic passage called “Grandma's Apron.”  It reminded me that both my grandma and mom wore aprons in the kitchen, while I rarely bother, despite the fact that I own a very nice blue and white stripped one.  And not surprisingly, my apron is still in mint condition.  When I put it on, I do feel more like a serious cook.  

Once, while helping my mother bake cookies, she asked why I didn't wear an apron.  At the time, she probably got an eye-roll.  Now I think I know the reason.  It's because we've become a t-shirt and blue jeans society, and these are easy clothes to clean in a washer and dryer.  But let's go back a generation (or two) to reminisce about a time when life was more rustic and less convenient:

Grandma's Apron (Original poem written by Tina Trivett)

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. Aprons required less material, making them easier to wash.

And along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something to replace that old-time apron, which served so many purposes.

Remember: Grandma set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.  They would go crazy trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.  I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron, but love.

Times change.  My grandma wore her apron around the property, my mother around the house, and me hardly at all.  How about you?


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