Interesting article from cnn.com about the impending demise of Red Lobster and the continued squeeze of the middle class.
Reading the author's experience about going out to eat at Red Lobster as a kid, I thought back to my own experiences. While I was raised by professionals, college professors, and we had a vacation home (cabin), we actually had very little free money growing up. I think that was due to the fact that my parents income was somewhat sporadic in that Dad was paid only 9 months out of the year and Mom's income was based on then number of courses she taught. We also probably spent more money on housing and recreation than a normal family in that we had a house on the water, the vacation cabin, and my parents prioritized experiences over things. So, we did lots of camping, sailing, skiing, traveling and that all cost money. They also were doing the right things with money, putting it away for college funds and their own retirement. As a result, we didn't have free money for eating out. Eating out was for super special occasions and mostly when Grandpa was in town for business. I can remember Grandpa taking my brother and I out for dinner. As a family, I remember just a few times going out to some kind of all you can eat buffet (I also remember getting sick b/c I ended up eating too much or the foods were too rich). Mostly though if we ate out it was never at a chain restaurant. As a result, I don't have the fondness or nostalgia for chain eating.
Today, we eat out quite a bit (an issue I am always working on) but we still hardly ever eat at a national chain. I much prefer eating at mom and pop places.
Did you have a favorite chain restaurant when you were a kid?
Showing posts with label Foodie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foodie. Show all posts
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
2013 Goals - May Update
(1) Max out 401k(s) - $15,736 (45%) (goal is $35,000)
(2) Max out IRA(s) - $6,013 (55%) (goal is $11,000)
(3) Add to e/r fund - $3,600 (36%) (goal is $10,000)
(4) Pay down mortgage - $1,660 (25%) (goal is $5,000)
(5) Trading account fund - $50 (1%) (goal is $5,000)
(6) House projects - $900 (30%) (goal is $3,000)
Total: $27,959 (41%)
We are about $1400 ahead of where we should be.
Otherwise, we continue to chug along. I've got some unbudgeted car expenses coming up, new tires, new breaks, tune up, etc. which is likely to run more than a thousand. My eating out/ordering in expenses continue to be high. The busier I am at work, and I'm super busy right now, the more I spend on eating in because I don't have the time or energy to prepare food. Last week I spent close to $100 on eating in (yikes!) which is way too much.
I was trying to get into networthiq today, and its not working. Another yikes! I love that site and I have a lot of data stored in it, so I'm trying not to freak out and hoping it will be back up and running shortly.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
You know its spring in Florida when . . .
You know its spring in Florida when you are at the Super Wal-Mart at 6:00 a.m. buying rat traps.
Now I'm not in charge of rat wrangling, rather Mr. Sam is takes care of this landlording task (thank goodness). So, he was at Super Wal-Mart early this morning buying traps.
Here in Florida we have problems with roof rats due in large part to our climate and the abundance of fruit trees. And, at one of our rental properties, we have a beautiful, big mango tree that produces tons of fruit. This tree produces so much fruit that its more than our tenants or ourselves could ever eat.
I've heard about some food pantries that run back yard fruit drives so I'm looking for an agency that is local to us where we can donate these mangos. In the meant time Mr. Sam is over at the property setting up traps.
Now I'm not in charge of rat wrangling, rather Mr. Sam is takes care of this landlording task (thank goodness). So, he was at Super Wal-Mart early this morning buying traps.
Here in Florida we have problems with roof rats due in large part to our climate and the abundance of fruit trees. And, at one of our rental properties, we have a beautiful, big mango tree that produces tons of fruit. This tree produces so much fruit that its more than our tenants or ourselves could ever eat.
I've heard about some food pantries that run back yard fruit drives so I'm looking for an agency that is local to us where we can donate these mangos. In the meant time Mr. Sam is over at the property setting up traps.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Happy St. Valentine's Day - Part I
Happy St. Valentine's Day to you!
What are you doing to celebrate heart day? Are you sending flowers, going out to dinner, buying gifts for your spouse, your children or your dog? Do you boycott Valentine's Day as nothing more than a Hallmark holiday?
The Atlantic has a great series of charts showing how much is being spent for today and on who. Not surprising to this dog owner, a lot of people buy gifts for their pooches.
Besides a few heart shaped dog treats for Snarfle I "spent" the following for Valentine's Day. First, one of the organizations that I support has run a Valentine's Day fundraising event for the last few years. Donate $20 and they'll send a Valentine's Day card to someone in your honor. I did three of those cards, so that was a total of $60.
Then I sent my nephew, niece, god-daughter and her sister Valentine's Day cards which enclosed checks. $50 each for my nephew and niece, and $30 each for my god-daughter and her sister, so that is a total of $160. Then I send a few regular cards out to a few folks, so I'll say $5 in additional cards and postage. That gives me a grand total of $225.
You'll probably notice that Mr. Sam is not on this list . . . Like Christmas, we don't gift to each other on Valentine's Day either.
How about you, how much did you spend on St. Valentine's Day?
What are you doing to celebrate heart day? Are you sending flowers, going out to dinner, buying gifts for your spouse, your children or your dog? Do you boycott Valentine's Day as nothing more than a Hallmark holiday?
The Atlantic has a great series of charts showing how much is being spent for today and on who. Not surprising to this dog owner, a lot of people buy gifts for their pooches.
Besides a few heart shaped dog treats for Snarfle I "spent" the following for Valentine's Day. First, one of the organizations that I support has run a Valentine's Day fundraising event for the last few years. Donate $20 and they'll send a Valentine's Day card to someone in your honor. I did three of those cards, so that was a total of $60.
Then I sent my nephew, niece, god-daughter and her sister Valentine's Day cards which enclosed checks. $50 each for my nephew and niece, and $30 each for my god-daughter and her sister, so that is a total of $160. Then I send a few regular cards out to a few folks, so I'll say $5 in additional cards and postage. That gives me a grand total of $225.
You'll probably notice that Mr. Sam is not on this list . . . Like Christmas, we don't gift to each other on Valentine's Day either.
How about you, how much did you spend on St. Valentine's Day?
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Debit Card Diversion
We use our debit cards for 95% of our day to day transactions (the other 5% is cash). As a result, I review our accounts online at least two or three times a week.
In the middle of last week I noticed a "funny" transaction that was in my pending transactions. What was funny about it? First, it was a debit card transaction and I do all of my transactions as check card (meaning I don't enter my PIN code). Second, it was an online transaction for an entity that I did not recognize. So that would mean that my PIN code would have been used for an on-line transaction, something that I never do. I checked with Mr. Sam, as he sometimes uses my debit card, and he didn't recognize the company name either. But, since the details on my pending transactions become clearer when they are no longer pending I figured I would give it a day or two.
So on Friday, at happy hour, I went to pay the check with my debit card and it was declined. Yikes! First, having my card declined embarrasses me no matter what. So I called Wells Fargo and it was tough getting past the questions they use to verify that I'm me. Besides giving them the charge/debit card number, my on-line id, the answers to my security questions, they also had to verify recent transactions not just on my personal account (the one tied to my debit/charge card) but on my other accounts.
Once I had verified that it was me, the representative from Wells Fargo indicated that my card had been flagged for fraud based on recent transactions. She read through the transactions, totaling almost a $1000 and I confirmed that those transactions were not mine (the charges took place at stores that I don't shop at and further took place in another state that I have not visited recently). So my card was canceled and my friend paid the happy hour bill.
When I got home I went through my online history and called Wells Fargo back, as instructed, and challenged the other transaction that I had eyed earlier in the week and another pending transaction that had occurred in Ohio (I live in Florida). The transactions that the Wells Fargo representative had covered with me on the phone had all been trapped by the fraud algorithm so that money was never debited from my account. The second Wells Fargo representative that I spoke to flagged the pending transaction and indicated that they would give me a conditional credit on the first transaction that had gone through and debited my account.
The next day, on Saturday, I visited my local Wells Fargo branch and they gave me a temporary debit/charge card while I await my new card. The pending Ohio transaction never debited my account and has disappeared as of this week from my online statement.
In the many, many years that I have had a debit/charge card with Wells Fargo (f/k/a Wachovia and First Union) this is the first time I've had a fraud problem. I was impressed that Wells Fargo's fraud alert system caught the vast majority of the fraudulent charges before they made it to my account and the money was debited. I was also happy that Wells Fargo promptly provided a conditional credit of the one debit card transaction and that money was in my account the next day. I am also happy that I have a temporary debit/charge card to use while I wait on my new card.
In the middle of last week I noticed a "funny" transaction that was in my pending transactions. What was funny about it? First, it was a debit card transaction and I do all of my transactions as check card (meaning I don't enter my PIN code). Second, it was an online transaction for an entity that I did not recognize. So that would mean that my PIN code would have been used for an on-line transaction, something that I never do. I checked with Mr. Sam, as he sometimes uses my debit card, and he didn't recognize the company name either. But, since the details on my pending transactions become clearer when they are no longer pending I figured I would give it a day or two.
So on Friday, at happy hour, I went to pay the check with my debit card and it was declined. Yikes! First, having my card declined embarrasses me no matter what. So I called Wells Fargo and it was tough getting past the questions they use to verify that I'm me. Besides giving them the charge/debit card number, my on-line id, the answers to my security questions, they also had to verify recent transactions not just on my personal account (the one tied to my debit/charge card) but on my other accounts.
Once I had verified that it was me, the representative from Wells Fargo indicated that my card had been flagged for fraud based on recent transactions. She read through the transactions, totaling almost a $1000 and I confirmed that those transactions were not mine (the charges took place at stores that I don't shop at and further took place in another state that I have not visited recently). So my card was canceled and my friend paid the happy hour bill.
When I got home I went through my online history and called Wells Fargo back, as instructed, and challenged the other transaction that I had eyed earlier in the week and another pending transaction that had occurred in Ohio (I live in Florida). The transactions that the Wells Fargo representative had covered with me on the phone had all been trapped by the fraud algorithm so that money was never debited from my account. The second Wells Fargo representative that I spoke to flagged the pending transaction and indicated that they would give me a conditional credit on the first transaction that had gone through and debited my account.
The next day, on Saturday, I visited my local Wells Fargo branch and they gave me a temporary debit/charge card while I await my new card. The pending Ohio transaction never debited my account and has disappeared as of this week from my online statement.
In the many, many years that I have had a debit/charge card with Wells Fargo (f/k/a Wachovia and First Union) this is the first time I've had a fraud problem. I was impressed that Wells Fargo's fraud alert system caught the vast majority of the fraudulent charges before they made it to my account and the money was debited. I was also happy that Wells Fargo promptly provided a conditional credit of the one debit card transaction and that money was in my account the next day. I am also happy that I have a temporary debit/charge card to use while I wait on my new card.
Monday, January 7, 2013
January 2013 Spending Fast
We spent a ton of money in December and we also saved a ton of money in December in order to stretch to try and meet some of our 2012 savings goals.
December included two trips for me, one was solo and less expensive, but the other was with my husband and another couple and was pricey. The solo trip was unplanned so that means unaccounted travel expenses in December.
And of course, the holidays always fall in December. Despite the fact that we save and plan ahead for the holidays there are still always extra costs that pop up. A new outfit here, an extra dinner out, drinks with friends, etc.
Finally, we do much of our charitable giving at the end of the year. This year, we stretched and gave more than we normally do. I also paid off a charitable pledge to my university two years early, so that was an extra $420 in charitable giving dollars.
Put that all together and I feel like we've been keeping the economy going just with our family's spending. Add in the fact that we doubled down on our December savings to try and meet our 2012 goals and I feel like we have no money because we either saved it or spent it. So, it is time for another January spending fast.
If you've never heard of a spending fast, pick a time period (if 30 days is too long, do a 7 day, a 5 day [work week fast] or a weekend fast) and then simply don't spend money on anything unnecessary. So that means for January, you have got to avoid all the after holiday sales. No eating out, no ordering in, but of course you can still hit the grocery store.
What is your financial plan for January?
December included two trips for me, one was solo and less expensive, but the other was with my husband and another couple and was pricey. The solo trip was unplanned so that means unaccounted travel expenses in December.
And of course, the holidays always fall in December. Despite the fact that we save and plan ahead for the holidays there are still always extra costs that pop up. A new outfit here, an extra dinner out, drinks with friends, etc.
Finally, we do much of our charitable giving at the end of the year. This year, we stretched and gave more than we normally do. I also paid off a charitable pledge to my university two years early, so that was an extra $420 in charitable giving dollars.
Put that all together and I feel like we've been keeping the economy going just with our family's spending. Add in the fact that we doubled down on our December savings to try and meet our 2012 goals and I feel like we have no money because we either saved it or spent it. So, it is time for another January spending fast.
If you've never heard of a spending fast, pick a time period (if 30 days is too long, do a 7 day, a 5 day [work week fast] or a weekend fast) and then simply don't spend money on anything unnecessary. So that means for January, you have got to avoid all the after holiday sales. No eating out, no ordering in, but of course you can still hit the grocery store.
What is your financial plan for January?
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Cooking Baby Steps - Part IV
Tuesday night, before Thanksgiving, is NOT the time for grocery shopping especially for someone, like me, who hates grocery shopping.
Yesterday, I left work early to do some pre-Thanksgiving charitable work. Nothing helps one be thankful for one's financial stability like helping to hand out groceries to working families in need. Then, even though I didn't want to go, I made myself go to the grocery store.
Rather than head to my local Publix, which is smallish, I went to the extra big Publix one town over. Even though I do my best to avoid grocery shopping I'm familiar enough with the big Publix to know my way around.
I arrived about 6:30 p.m. and went directly to the bakery section because I had a birthday cake to buy. But, since I'm a novice grocery shopper I didn't realize I could put in an icing order. So I snooped around the bakery for 5 minutes before deciding to come back at the end of my shopping.
I utilized my Publix shopping list which I created on the Publix web site. I found the list helpful but, as I mentioned before, I'd like it better if I could designate brands. I did
Overall I spent $189 so the list didn't help me save money. The spendy items on my list were: (1) 12 pack Corona Light at $12.99; (2) the birthday cake at $16.99; (3) Gruyere cheese at $12.50; (4) salmon at $15.96; (5) white wine at $9.59. So, $68.03 in extra spendy items. Corona light is actually a staple for us, we buy it regularly. The other items were triggered by guests coming into town, the birthday cake, wine and the salmon (to be used on Friday for a birthday dinner). The pricey cheese is for the Thanksgiving casserole I'm making for our group dinner.
But, I also recognize that I did save money by purchasing the birthday dinner supplies at the grocery store rather than footing the bill for dining out which would have reached at least $100. The salmon was actually on special and I "saved" $8.
I'm thinking of noting the prices in my saved Publix shopping list so I can get better at figuring out what is or is not a good price.
Yesterday, I left work early to do some pre-Thanksgiving charitable work. Nothing helps one be thankful for one's financial stability like helping to hand out groceries to working families in need. Then, even though I didn't want to go, I made myself go to the grocery store.
Rather than head to my local Publix, which is smallish, I went to the extra big Publix one town over. Even though I do my best to avoid grocery shopping I'm familiar enough with the big Publix to know my way around.
I arrived about 6:30 p.m. and went directly to the bakery section because I had a birthday cake to buy. But, since I'm a novice grocery shopper I didn't realize I could put in an icing order. So I snooped around the bakery for 5 minutes before deciding to come back at the end of my shopping.
I utilized my Publix shopping list which I created on the Publix web site. I found the list helpful but, as I mentioned before, I'd like it better if I could designate brands. I did
Overall I spent $189 so the list didn't help me save money. The spendy items on my list were: (1) 12 pack Corona Light at $12.99; (2) the birthday cake at $16.99; (3) Gruyere cheese at $12.50; (4) salmon at $15.96; (5) white wine at $9.59. So, $68.03 in extra spendy items. Corona light is actually a staple for us, we buy it regularly. The other items were triggered by guests coming into town, the birthday cake, wine and the salmon (to be used on Friday for a birthday dinner). The pricey cheese is for the Thanksgiving casserole I'm making for our group dinner.
But, I also recognize that I did save money by purchasing the birthday dinner supplies at the grocery store rather than footing the bill for dining out which would have reached at least $100. The salmon was actually on special and I "saved" $8.
I'm thinking of noting the prices in my saved Publix shopping list so I can get better at figuring out what is or is not a good price.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cooking Baby Steps - Part III
Since its Thanksgiving week and since I will be doing some cooking for Thanksgiving dinner I was checking out the Publix web site to figure out their hours this week.
In looking at the Publix web site, I discovered that they have some helpful recipe tools and, more importantly, a grocery list tool. The grocery list tool can be personalized to your specific store and as you add items to the list it populates the location within the store so you don't have to wander around aimlessly. And, you can also add items from the weekly sale list and/or populate your grocery list from their recipe tools. You can also set up a standard grocery list of items that you buy regularly.
Since I am trying to do better on my cooking at home goal, I decided to sign up for a Publix profile. I am not a fan of having corporations track me and mine my data, but in order to save my grocery list I needed a profile. So I used my junk e-mail address (the one I use for shopping on-line) and when it asked for all my data I used my standard fake information which only includes my real zip code.
Once I had my Publix profile set up, I started adding items from my Thanksgiving recipe (I'm making one casserole dish for our group dinner) as well as regular items that I'll need to pick up since I'll have guests in town. The grocery list doesn't have each and every brand which is a bummer as it would be great if I could specify in my list the particular brands that I use (it does have a notes section where you can add that information).
Since we will have guests to cook for on Friday, I also tried out Publix's Simple Meals Recipe tool which is divided among different categories like "main dish" and "celebrations", etc. I clicked on main dish which has different categories like "beef", "vegetarian", "seafood (salmon)" and "seafood (shellfish)". I was already planning on salmon, so I clicked on a recipe that sounded easy and good and then it is one easy step to populate your grocery list with all the necessary items (you can delete those items that are already in your pantry). You can also save the recipes to your profile as well.
I plan to go shopping Tuesday evening, so I'll continue to work on my list between now and then and I'll report back on whether this tool is helpful or not. What do you do to make grocery shopping less painful?
In looking at the Publix web site, I discovered that they have some helpful recipe tools and, more importantly, a grocery list tool. The grocery list tool can be personalized to your specific store and as you add items to the list it populates the location within the store so you don't have to wander around aimlessly. And, you can also add items from the weekly sale list and/or populate your grocery list from their recipe tools. You can also set up a standard grocery list of items that you buy regularly.
Since I am trying to do better on my cooking at home goal, I decided to sign up for a Publix profile. I am not a fan of having corporations track me and mine my data, but in order to save my grocery list I needed a profile. So I used my junk e-mail address (the one I use for shopping on-line) and when it asked for all my data I used my standard fake information which only includes my real zip code.
Once I had my Publix profile set up, I started adding items from my Thanksgiving recipe (I'm making one casserole dish for our group dinner) as well as regular items that I'll need to pick up since I'll have guests in town. The grocery list doesn't have each and every brand which is a bummer as it would be great if I could specify in my list the particular brands that I use (it does have a notes section where you can add that information).
Since we will have guests to cook for on Friday, I also tried out Publix's Simple Meals Recipe tool which is divided among different categories like "main dish" and "celebrations", etc. I clicked on main dish which has different categories like "beef", "vegetarian", "seafood (salmon)" and "seafood (shellfish)". I was already planning on salmon, so I clicked on a recipe that sounded easy and good and then it is one easy step to populate your grocery list with all the necessary items (you can delete those items that are already in your pantry). You can also save the recipes to your profile as well.
I plan to go shopping Tuesday evening, so I'll continue to work on my list between now and then and I'll report back on whether this tool is helpful or not. What do you do to make grocery shopping less painful?
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Cooking Baby Steps - Part II
I have started researching the best (but not super expensive) cooking tools and I found this helpful list from Consumer Reports.
I actually already have one of the tools on the list. The KitchanAid mixer. KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer KSM150PS - Contour Silver - KitchenAid (Google Affiliate Ad) And, while I don't use the mixer on a daily or even monthly basis, it does work very well.
My plan is to take this list and compare it against what I've already got and work on improving our stock of kitchen tools. At present, our biggest issue is cookware and knives, although I could also use some better baking sheets.
I actually already have one of the tools on the list. The KitchanAid mixer. KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer KSM150PS - Contour Silver - KitchenAid (Google Affiliate Ad) And, while I don't use the mixer on a daily or even monthly basis, it does work very well.
My plan is to take this list and compare it against what I've already got and work on improving our stock of kitchen tools. At present, our biggest issue is cookware and knives, although I could also use some better baking sheets.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Cooking Baby Steps
One of my general financial goals for 2012 was to reduce the amount of eating out and ordering in that I do. Clearly eating out and ordering in is more expensive than eating at home or bringing my lunch. Also, eating out during the work week cuts into my productive work time. And finally, eating out and ordering in normally means that I am eating more calories than I would like.
Although we have reduced our eating out, overall I have not been particularly successful on this goal. I have a variety of excuses. First and most importantly, I really do not like to cook. Second, I hate the grocery store. Third, I work a lot and by the time I get home I want to relax not cook dinner and certainly not prep lunch for the next day.
But, recently I made an effort to improve my cooking skills by attending a healthy cooking class. A few things that I figured out from this class. First, we need to invest in a few better pots and pans and a few better quality knives. We also probably need a new set of measuring spoons. Second, I need to reorganize the kitchen. Our kitchen is not particularly large and doesn't really have a whole lot of storage (not surprising since we live in a 1920s home). But, taking a look at what I do have in my kitchen, I noticed that a lot of the space is dedicated to antique glassware, cocktail serving dishes, vases, large serving dishes, our fine china, etc. While I don't like to cook, I do like to party so I have lots of fun party/serving/cocktail supplies. I need to work on getting the special occasion things out of the way and organizing the kitchen so that more of the space is dedicated to cooking tools.
So, I'm going to work on getting our kitchen better organized and I'm going to do some cooking equipment shopping this holiday season. I'll let you know how I do.
Although we have reduced our eating out, overall I have not been particularly successful on this goal. I have a variety of excuses. First and most importantly, I really do not like to cook. Second, I hate the grocery store. Third, I work a lot and by the time I get home I want to relax not cook dinner and certainly not prep lunch for the next day.
But, recently I made an effort to improve my cooking skills by attending a healthy cooking class. A few things that I figured out from this class. First, we need to invest in a few better pots and pans and a few better quality knives. We also probably need a new set of measuring spoons. Second, I need to reorganize the kitchen. Our kitchen is not particularly large and doesn't really have a whole lot of storage (not surprising since we live in a 1920s home). But, taking a look at what I do have in my kitchen, I noticed that a lot of the space is dedicated to antique glassware, cocktail serving dishes, vases, large serving dishes, our fine china, etc. While I don't like to cook, I do like to party so I have lots of fun party/serving/cocktail supplies. I need to work on getting the special occasion things out of the way and organizing the kitchen so that more of the space is dedicated to cooking tools.
So, I'm going to work on getting our kitchen better organized and I'm going to do some cooking equipment shopping this holiday season. I'll let you know how I do.
Monday, November 5, 2012
2012 Savings Goals - November Update
(1) Max out 401k(s) - $31,379 (92%)(goal is $34,000)
(2) Max out IRA(s) - $5,829 (58%)(goal is $10,000)
(3) Add to e/r fund - $8,400 (84%)(goal is $10,000)
(4) Pay down mortgage - $2490 (50%)(goal is $5,000)
(4)(a) Savings for goal (4) - $415
(5) House projects - $1,200 (24%)(goal is $5,000)
(6) Trading account fund - $50 (1%)(goal is $5,000)
Total - $49,763 (72%)
I've added a sub goal to our list, since at present, I'm allocating our mortgage paydown money to savings until I figure out how to prepay our new mortgage.
At present, we are approximately $9,900 behind on our 2012 goals and the gap is approaching $10,000.
What can I say about our current savings deficit and the fact that it continues to grow?
I can tell you that (1) we've spent thousands on certifications for Mr. Sam this year (to improve career opportunities); (2) I can tell you we spent thousands on refinancing our primary dwelling and (3) thousands on fixing our our primary dwelling for the appraisal for the refi; and (4) recently a few thousands on some projects at Rental # 3.
But, I can also tell you that in the face of the above we have failed to change our lifestyle in any significant manner. We continue to eat out more than we should. I just booked a girls weekend in South Beach, Miami and, of course, I just bought some fabulous art.
So, with two months to go, including the expensive holiday season, it seems doubtful that we will reach our $69,000 number. Rather, at this point, while I'm not amending our goals, I'm hoping to meet and surpass last year's savings number which was $60,060.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
I Hate Grocery Shopping
I have never ever enjoyed grocery shopping. In fact, grocery shopping is my least favorite chore. As a result, I generally refuse to grocery shop and that chore has become Mr. Sam's responsibility. He has learned over the 6 years of marriage and the 8 years of cohabitation that if he wants to eat he has to do the shopping. Similarly, I've learned that Mr. Sam hates to pay bills and if I want the bills paid I've got to pay them. Marriage - divide and conquer.
Being that Mr. Sam has been deep into renovations and projects at Rental # 3, he has been slacking on his grocery responsibilities. And, being that it is Halloween, I figured I needed to at least swing by the grocery store and pick up some candy for the kids. And, if I was stopping by to pick up candy, I might as well pick up a few things.
Reason # 1 that I hate the grocery store, a few things turns into a $150 in groceries. And really, I only picked up a few things, fruit, salad stuff, milk, juice, cereal, bread, bagels, cheese, sandwich meat, peanut butter, cream cheese, butter, a few frozen dinners (for my lunches), yogurt, beer and the aforementioned candy. Honestly, I have no idea how a few things, plus Halloween candy, can turn into $150.
I'm sure if I were a regular shopper I would have a better handle on what things cost or should cost at the grocery store. And, I further recognize that it is certainly cheaper to buy my lunches at the grocery store than order in at $10-$12 on a daily basis.
Reason # 2 that I hate the grocery store, it is close to impossible to be an informed shopper. It is difficult and time consuming to compare prices among similar products. The prices on products change from week to week. The sizes for items are not standard, you have to study the little per ounce shelf tags to try and get a realistic sense of pricing.
Reason # 3 that I hate the grocery store, the pricing game. There are special prices for people with savings cards and the like. Ugh, I hate those cards and I don't use them. If I shop at Publix, which I prefer, then I don't have to worry about the preferred shopper game. But, I was at Winn Dixie which utilizes a customer reward card which just adds a whole extra level of pricing complications. As I mentioned, I'm not a fan of customer cards, I don't use them but Mr. Sam has a Winn Dixie reward card and I figured I would take advantage of it.
Now, I don't go out of the way to buy certain products because they are on special, but if I was already buying a product I might opt for the one that is on special and that is what I did last night. I am a fan of the Chobani greek yogurt and I often eat the non-fat varieties for breakfast or afternoon snack. I noticed Winn Dixie was running a special, buy 10 Chobani yogurts and they would be a $1 each. I made sure to select 10 to get the deal. I also opted for a buy one get one free on bagels and a three for something special on the sandwich meat.
And, therein lies the problem, by the time I get to checkout I can't recall or keep track of the various specials I'm trying to take advantage of. The only specific special that I remembered at checkout was the yogurt and can you guess what happened at check out? The cashier rings them each through and I'm watching and seeing that the ring up at $1.34 each. I'm thinking that maybe the price will be adjusted when all 10 are rung up since the special required me to purchase 10. And, drum roll, nope didn't work. So then I'm that person telling the cashier that I'm not getting the special price and she has to call a supervisor over, she has to void all 10 and then just ring them through as a flat $10.
I find the whole process extraordinarily annoying, and I have no idea if I was charged the correct price on the bagels or the sandwich meat.
One of our general goals for 2012 was to reduce our eating out and ordering in costs by doing more grocery shopping. I can't say that I have been particular successful this year, because I can't seem to improve my grocery store experience.
How about you, who does the shopping in your home, do you have a system for making it less painful, do you have a deals and savings system? Please share, I need to learn your tricks.
Being that Mr. Sam has been deep into renovations and projects at Rental # 3, he has been slacking on his grocery responsibilities. And, being that it is Halloween, I figured I needed to at least swing by the grocery store and pick up some candy for the kids. And, if I was stopping by to pick up candy, I might as well pick up a few things.
Reason # 1 that I hate the grocery store, a few things turns into a $150 in groceries. And really, I only picked up a few things, fruit, salad stuff, milk, juice, cereal, bread, bagels, cheese, sandwich meat, peanut butter, cream cheese, butter, a few frozen dinners (for my lunches), yogurt, beer and the aforementioned candy. Honestly, I have no idea how a few things, plus Halloween candy, can turn into $150.
I'm sure if I were a regular shopper I would have a better handle on what things cost or should cost at the grocery store. And, I further recognize that it is certainly cheaper to buy my lunches at the grocery store than order in at $10-$12 on a daily basis.
Reason # 2 that I hate the grocery store, it is close to impossible to be an informed shopper. It is difficult and time consuming to compare prices among similar products. The prices on products change from week to week. The sizes for items are not standard, you have to study the little per ounce shelf tags to try and get a realistic sense of pricing.
Reason # 3 that I hate the grocery store, the pricing game. There are special prices for people with savings cards and the like. Ugh, I hate those cards and I don't use them. If I shop at Publix, which I prefer, then I don't have to worry about the preferred shopper game. But, I was at Winn Dixie which utilizes a customer reward card which just adds a whole extra level of pricing complications. As I mentioned, I'm not a fan of customer cards, I don't use them but Mr. Sam has a Winn Dixie reward card and I figured I would take advantage of it.
Now, I don't go out of the way to buy certain products because they are on special, but if I was already buying a product I might opt for the one that is on special and that is what I did last night. I am a fan of the Chobani greek yogurt and I often eat the non-fat varieties for breakfast or afternoon snack. I noticed Winn Dixie was running a special, buy 10 Chobani yogurts and they would be a $1 each. I made sure to select 10 to get the deal. I also opted for a buy one get one free on bagels and a three for something special on the sandwich meat.
And, therein lies the problem, by the time I get to checkout I can't recall or keep track of the various specials I'm trying to take advantage of. The only specific special that I remembered at checkout was the yogurt and can you guess what happened at check out? The cashier rings them each through and I'm watching and seeing that the ring up at $1.34 each. I'm thinking that maybe the price will be adjusted when all 10 are rung up since the special required me to purchase 10. And, drum roll, nope didn't work. So then I'm that person telling the cashier that I'm not getting the special price and she has to call a supervisor over, she has to void all 10 and then just ring them through as a flat $10.
I find the whole process extraordinarily annoying, and I have no idea if I was charged the correct price on the bagels or the sandwich meat.
One of our general goals for 2012 was to reduce our eating out and ordering in costs by doing more grocery shopping. I can't say that I have been particular successful this year, because I can't seem to improve my grocery store experience.
How about you, who does the shopping in your home, do you have a system for making it less painful, do you have a deals and savings system? Please share, I need to learn your tricks.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
eBay Errors
Now, five years later I have discovered that since my china has been around for so long, I can find it on eBay for prices that are much more favorable. So, what do I do, I get excited and start bidding on my china. Three soup bowls for $30, that sounds like a bargain, bid away. $10 for an egg cup, deal!
Guess what, I am not an eBay expert and I've realized that I've skipped over a very important part of eBay bidding process . . . and that is actually reading the item description. Because, as you may have guessed, I now have three soup bowls, but all three have chips on the rim. And my egg cup has a crack. Luckily, I've only spent $40 on this experiment. But, its certainly a wasted $40 because really, I can't do much with chipped and cracked fine china.
So, what have I learned. I need to make sure I click through and actually read the description, because based on my two purchases, both sellers fully disclosed that the items I was purchasing had flaws. But, since I had bid before I read, that information wasn't particularly helpful. Additionally, a very low price likely indicates a flaw. How did I win the auction for three soup bowls at $30, no one else wanted them because of the rim chips.
At present, I am watching six dinner plates (no flaws) and the auction price is up to $305. I don't expect to bid on the plates since it outside my budget but six perfect plates would be a deal since at retail cost they would run $900.
How about you, have you had success on eBay?
Friday, June 22, 2012
Chase-ing Reward Points
At present, we have one credit card, a Chase Freedom rewards credit card. As you know, if you follow this blog, we don't use credit on a day to day basis. Instead, we use credit for travel and business related expenses. And by business, I mean primarily relating to our full time jobs and not our real estate investments. Although, at present we do have some, rental property related, AC repair charges on the card.
The Chase Freedom card provides a 1% cash back rewards on all purchases, and then 5% cash back on certain category of goods and services changes on a quarter basis. And for the quarter beginning on July 1, 2012 the 5% cash back rewards are for gas and restaurant charges.
I don't normally chase reward points because it goes against our philosophy of: (1) avoiding debt; (2) no credit for day to day purchases; (3) the zen of our allowance system; and (4) the zen of sticking to present dollars in our present day to day life. So, I never seek out the 1% cash back in day to day transactions, but we do put large purchases on this card, i.e. A/C repair, Mr. Sam's recent certification classes, etc. to get the rewards (thereby getting a discount). We do pay off the credit card in full without incurring interest fees since to do otherwise would wipe out any rewards benefit.
But, I'm tempted on this one (which is, of course, Chase's goal) to at least put gas on my credit card for the next three months. I figure that our gas expenses are not going to be influenced by the carrot of reward points. Our gas costs are what they are and if I'm not increasing my spending in this category, it probably makes sense to get that cash back.
What say you? Do you chase rewards regularly, on a case by case basis, or never?
The Chase Freedom card provides a 1% cash back rewards on all purchases, and then 5% cash back on certain category of goods and services changes on a quarter basis. And for the quarter beginning on July 1, 2012 the 5% cash back rewards are for gas and restaurant charges.
I don't normally chase reward points because it goes against our philosophy of: (1) avoiding debt; (2) no credit for day to day purchases; (3) the zen of our allowance system; and (4) the zen of sticking to present dollars in our present day to day life. So, I never seek out the 1% cash back in day to day transactions, but we do put large purchases on this card, i.e. A/C repair, Mr. Sam's recent certification classes, etc. to get the rewards (thereby getting a discount). We do pay off the credit card in full without incurring interest fees since to do otherwise would wipe out any rewards benefit.
But, I'm tempted on this one (which is, of course, Chase's goal) to at least put gas on my credit card for the next three months. I figure that our gas expenses are not going to be influenced by the carrot of reward points. Our gas costs are what they are and if I'm not increasing my spending in this category, it probably makes sense to get that cash back.
What say you? Do you chase rewards regularly, on a case by case basis, or never?
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Vacation Season
I have posted before about our vacation budgeting/planning system. I have used this system now since 2007 and it continues to work well for us.
We just returned from a long weekend trip and the known costs, the rental cottage and the fishing trip, were prepaid prior to the trip. The remainder of the trip expenses were budgeted, as previously explained, I normally budget $100 day for each of us and we save that up in our ING travel/vacation account. However, this trip was more of a nature/relaxing trip and we didn't come close to spending that much each day. My annual girls trip, over Memorial Day weekend, is coming up so I'll put the money we didn't spend back into our ING account and I have just a few weeks to get ready for the next trip.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Ouch!
Got gas this morning on my way to work. $4 a gallon for regular and $60+ to fill up my tank. Ouch!
Check out this handy county by county map of average gas prices. According to the map, my county, Palm Beach, has the highest average gas prices in Florida, along with Collier County on the Southwest coast. If you zoom in, you can get the actual prices of gas from station to station and I determined that I'm actually paying more at my local station than other stations in the vicinity. But, my local gas station has the best cafe con leche so on an early morning fill up, like today, its worth it to pay more for my gas to get my hands on that yummy cuban coffee.
Check out this handy county by county map of average gas prices. According to the map, my county, Palm Beach, has the highest average gas prices in Florida, along with Collier County on the Southwest coast. If you zoom in, you can get the actual prices of gas from station to station and I determined that I'm actually paying more at my local station than other stations in the vicinity. But, my local gas station has the best cafe con leche so on an early morning fill up, like today, its worth it to pay more for my gas to get my hands on that yummy cuban coffee.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
A Few of My Favorite Blogs (not about money or personal finances)
I am a reader. I read books, articles, blogs, etc. I've gathered up a few of my favorite non-money blogs and sites for your enjoyment.
First off, marriage. I'm married and I believe that marriage, like any friendship or relationship takes effort and work. So when I feel like my marriage needs work or a boost or I just need a reminder as to why I got married in the first place I turn to: Engaged Marriage and Assume Love.
Second, work. When I'm struggling with getting my work done or focusing at work, I really enjoy Dumb Little Man.
Third, home life. I like Lime in the Coconut for Florida decorating and home ideas. I read Real Simple, both in magazine form and online, for decorating, organizing, meal planning, holiday, and for fashion. I also read Fly Lady for cleaning and organizing tips.
And last, but certainly not least, I read the Happiness Project blog for tips on how to get the most joy out of life. I also read the book and I highly recommend it.
Please let me know if you have any favorite blogs that I need to read.
Second, work. When I'm struggling with getting my work done or focusing at work, I really enjoy Dumb Little Man.
Third, home life. I like Lime in the Coconut for Florida decorating and home ideas. I read Real Simple, both in magazine form and online, for decorating, organizing, meal planning, holiday, and for fashion. I also read Fly Lady for cleaning and organizing tips.
And last, but certainly not least, I read the Happiness Project blog for tips on how to get the most joy out of life. I also read the book and I highly recommend it.
Please let me know if you have any favorite blogs that I need to read.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Adventures at Costco
As part of our efforts to save more money in 2012, we have committed to reducing our eating out and ordering in expenses.
Accordingly, I found myself at Costco this Saturday afternoon with Mr. Sam. I really do not care to grocery shop and Costco on a Saturday, during season, was horrible. The place was jam packed and, I swear, half the people in there were just hanging out eating samples. The other half of the people were running into me with their carts. Also, I didn't know where anything was so I found myself walking around in circles wondering why I agreed to go to Costco in the first place.
Not surprisingly, I have decided that Costco is not the place for me. I assumed that I could buy the many Morning Star Farms products that I enjoy - wrong! The only fake meat product that Costco seems to carry is Boca Burgers. While I did pick up a box of the burgers, a gal can't live on fake burgers alone. I also assumed I could stock up on Lean Cuisine products, which I eat for lunch, but again - wrong! Costco only carried one flavor of Lean Cuisine and it was chicken which is not something I eat. When it came to things that I do eat that Costco carries, cheese, yogurt, pasta, the portions were just too large and I had no idea if the prices were a deal or not.
Mr. Sam, on the other hand, happily bought chicken breasts, turkey burgers and turkey bacon. We also loaded up on paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies and personal care items like soap and razors. Additionally, we stopped by the liquor store section and got a bottle of rum and a bottle of vodka. The Costco liquor store was my favorite part of this trip.
We spent more than $500 on our trip to Costco. Yikes, how is this saving us money I ask. But, Mr. Sam assures me that he is set for the next two months for food. I, on the other hand, need to hit Publix this week.
Accordingly, I found myself at Costco this Saturday afternoon with Mr. Sam. I really do not care to grocery shop and Costco on a Saturday, during season, was horrible. The place was jam packed and, I swear, half the people in there were just hanging out eating samples. The other half of the people were running into me with their carts. Also, I didn't know where anything was so I found myself walking around in circles wondering why I agreed to go to Costco in the first place.
Not surprisingly, I have decided that Costco is not the place for me. I assumed that I could buy the many Morning Star Farms products that I enjoy - wrong! The only fake meat product that Costco seems to carry is Boca Burgers. While I did pick up a box of the burgers, a gal can't live on fake burgers alone. I also assumed I could stock up on Lean Cuisine products, which I eat for lunch, but again - wrong! Costco only carried one flavor of Lean Cuisine and it was chicken which is not something I eat. When it came to things that I do eat that Costco carries, cheese, yogurt, pasta, the portions were just too large and I had no idea if the prices were a deal or not.
Mr. Sam, on the other hand, happily bought chicken breasts, turkey burgers and turkey bacon. We also loaded up on paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies and personal care items like soap and razors. Additionally, we stopped by the liquor store section and got a bottle of rum and a bottle of vodka. The Costco liquor store was my favorite part of this trip.
We spent more than $500 on our trip to Costco. Yikes, how is this saving us money I ask. But, Mr. Sam assures me that he is set for the next two months for food. I, on the other hand, need to hit Publix this week.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Quick & Easy (& Yummy) Breakfast At Home
In my ongoing effort to eat more meals at home, Mr. Sam bought me these Morningstar veggie sausage, egg and cheese biscuits . I am delighted to report they are a super yummy and quick (50 seconds in the microwave) breakfast.
Calorie wise these biscuits are reasonable as well - 270 calories. Compare to similar products like Jimmy Dean at 490 calories and McDonalds at 570 calories.
If you've never tried veggie sausage, Mr. Sam, who is a huge meat eater, reports that he very much enjoyed these Morningstar breakfast biscuits. He also likes the Boca brand Italian "sausages."
Calorie wise these biscuits are reasonable as well - 270 calories. Compare to similar products like Jimmy Dean at 490 calories and McDonalds at 570 calories.
If you've never tried veggie sausage, Mr. Sam, who is a huge meat eater, reports that he very much enjoyed these Morningstar breakfast biscuits. He also likes the Boca brand Italian "sausages."
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Eating My Way Through Big Bucks
Mr. Sam and I eat opposite diets, I'm eat a vegetarian diet (with fish and seafood, but is low on actual vegetables) and Mr. Sam eats a more Atkins type diet based on animal proteins. As a result, we don't often eat the same meal and in our household, at dinner time, its really every person for themselves. A typical dinner at our house is as follows. Mr. Sam will eat meat off the grill and I'll have a bowl of cold cereal. We also don't normally eat at the same time as I normally arrive home after him and cooking after a long day of the office is not my activity of choice.
When it comes to breakfast, I'll have quick oatmeal at the office or a glass of juice at home.
My big meal is normally at lunch time. But since I don't like to cook and I hate to grocery shop I noticed that the amount I spend on ordering in lunch became unsustainable last year. Ordering or going out for lunch was costing me about $250 a month, or a quarter of my allowance monies. As a result, I am determined to change my ways in 2012. My plan going forward is to limit my eating out or ordering in to once a week. For my career, its important that I go out for lunch with my co-workers and or other contacts in my field. But, once a week should be enough.
The rest of the week my plan is to eat frozen dinner type meals, I'm a fan of Lean Cuisine and some of the steamer bags of mixed veggies and sauce. I'd prefer to eat home made soups and deluxe sandwich creations, i.e. apple, brie and walnut on a fresh baguette, but I need to start small and not over-reach in my goal setting. I'm almost positive that I can manage bringing a few frozen dinners to the office so I'm going to commit to that plan. Perhaps, eventually I'll manage a home made meal for lunch.
When it comes to breakfast, I'll have quick oatmeal at the office or a glass of juice at home.
My big meal is normally at lunch time. But since I don't like to cook and I hate to grocery shop I noticed that the amount I spend on ordering in lunch became unsustainable last year. Ordering or going out for lunch was costing me about $250 a month, or a quarter of my allowance monies. As a result, I am determined to change my ways in 2012. My plan going forward is to limit my eating out or ordering in to once a week. For my career, its important that I go out for lunch with my co-workers and or other contacts in my field. But, once a week should be enough.
The rest of the week my plan is to eat frozen dinner type meals, I'm a fan of Lean Cuisine and some of the steamer bags of mixed veggies and sauce. I'd prefer to eat home made soups and deluxe sandwich creations, i.e. apple, brie and walnut on a fresh baguette, but I need to start small and not over-reach in my goal setting. I'm almost positive that I can manage bringing a few frozen dinners to the office so I'm going to commit to that plan. Perhaps, eventually I'll manage a home made meal for lunch.
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