If you're just tuning in, I'm mentoring Nicole in The Drugstore Game. If you've always wanted to play but weren't sure how to get started, follow along with Nicole as she becomes a Drugstore Game Master. You can read all of the posts in this series here, in reverse chronological order. Please read my Drugstore Game Primer and Common Sense with Money's FAQ to get an overview of the Drugstore Game and definitions.
A price book is simply a list of the price per unit of items you use regularly. For instance, my price book has an entry for trash bags, and shows that last May, I bought a box of 45 bags at Pavilions for $5.99, using a $1 off coupon during a "get a $10 catalina coupon for a future purchase when you buy $30 of qualifying products" promotion. So after the $10 catalina, which was basically a 33% off discount, the box of trash bags was $4.01. After the $1 coupon, I paid $3.01 for 45 bags, or 6.7 cents per bag.
That price is now my target price for trash bags, and since I bought approximately twelve boxes last May, I’ve only bought trash bags since then if they cost less than 6.7 cents per bag. (Which has only happened twice.)
I’ve previously written a more detailed explanation about price books, and reiterated their importance. But I’m not sure that I can emphasize the value of a price book enough.
This week’s Drugstore Game Padawan planning is a good example. Nicole has expressed interest in the Fiber One and Revlon deals. The Fiber One deal is for a double pack of bars: buy a bonus pack for $6.99 and get $3 ECBs. The Revlon deal is buy $15 worth of cosmetics and get $7 ECBs.
Both deals will cost money, because there’s no $/$$ coupon, like the $5 off $20 purchase coupon that was available for a short time last week. So then the question becomes, are the items worth the money?
The only way to know for sure if something is a great deal is by keeping a price book.
I know, based on past experience, that it’s possible to get Fiber One bars for $1 or less per box of 5 at the grocery store, by combining sales and coupons. The picture of the bars in the ad is fuzzy, but it looks like two boxes of 5 bars for a total "cost" of $3.99. There was a 40 cents/1 coupon in the 1/3 GM, which would bring the cost down to $3.59, or $1.80 per box.
If Nicole wants those bars right away, and there isn’t a better sale going on right now, then she may want to spend $1.80 per box. But, knowing that a better deal may be right around the corner, she may decide to wait.
Unfortunately, I can’t help her with the Revlon deal because I don’t know much about makeup. I have no idea if the deal is a good one or not, or if there are often better sales.
And that’s something everyone has to deal with when they first start playing The Drugstore Game or pursuing any kind of deal regularly. It’s impossible to know if a price is low without comparing it to another price. And the only way to know more than one price is to look around.
I created my first price book in 2001, and after I had my target prices memorized, I abandoned it. Two years ago, when prices on many items were rising, I went back to basics and started a new price book (click through to see how I minimized the work).
It may take some time to create a price book, but you’ll save a lot of money by having one.
Note: An anonymous commenter kindly pointed out that the Target web site has a manufacturer's coupon for $1/1 Almay, to go with the scenario I posted yesterday. And Adrienne, who works at CVS, kindly reported that the Bonus ECB UPC code only has to be scanned once during the promo period - but get it scanned as soon as possible, because the bonus will not be applied retroactively.
Jan 25, 2010
Ways to Make & Save Money #4: Cook More & Eat In
You can read the rest of the Ways to Make & Save Money series here.
Unless you already eat in every meal, the easiest and biggest savings in your monthly budget will probably come from food. When you eat out, you pay a huge markup for the convenience of having someone else buy, prep and cook the food for you.
Sometimes, that's okay. When the boys were younger and the before-dinner hour was a nightmare, we made a conscious decision to spend more on food to save our sanity. We also spent a lot of money on takeout and fast food during last year's hospital crisis.
But most of the time, it's best for your wallet and your health to eat in. It's just not that easy to do – and especially, to maintain.
The two keys to eating in consistently are menu planning and cooking ahead.
Even if you never shopped a sale and didn't use coupons, your bank account would be better off if you planned your meals and had a few extra meals in the freezer. Add in sales and coupons, and you can save a ton of money. I've discussed saving money and other benefits of menu planning here.
I wrote a beginner's guide to menu planning that's a few years old but still applies. I've been planning my menus weekly, because my attempt at planning monthly menus hasn't gone well.
I do have some things I keep in mind as I plan my menu:
Variety. We get sick of eating the same foods pretty quickly, so variety is key. I'm very lucky that my husband is quite tolerant of experiments, and very understanding when they don't come out great. I have a huge stack of recipes to try, and that helps keep the meals fresh and interesting.
Time requirements. I am very careful to plan meals that don't take a lot of time or that can be done mostly ahead of time. I try to get dinner on the table within an hour of walking in the door after I get home from work, and that hour includes changing my clothes, checking my personal email, and so on.
Use what I have. I'm trying to make the switch to buying only sale items, plus perishables, each week, and basing my meals on what I've already got on hand. Some bloggers who do this extremely well are A Thrifty Mom and Money Saving Mom.
Make extra. Even as I use up what's on hand, I try to fill up the space in my freezer with ready-to-go meals, like baked pasta and meatloaf. Being able to pull a couple of meals out of the freezer each week makes my meal planning that much easier.
Leftovers. On weeknights, I try to plan for leftovers so that we can brown bag our lunches. If you figure lunch costs at least $5 per meal, the savings really add up!
Unless you already eat in every meal, the easiest and biggest savings in your monthly budget will probably come from food. When you eat out, you pay a huge markup for the convenience of having someone else buy, prep and cook the food for you.
Sometimes, that's okay. When the boys were younger and the before-dinner hour was a nightmare, we made a conscious decision to spend more on food to save our sanity. We also spent a lot of money on takeout and fast food during last year's hospital crisis.
But most of the time, it's best for your wallet and your health to eat in. It's just not that easy to do – and especially, to maintain.
The two keys to eating in consistently are menu planning and cooking ahead.
Even if you never shopped a sale and didn't use coupons, your bank account would be better off if you planned your meals and had a few extra meals in the freezer. Add in sales and coupons, and you can save a ton of money. I've discussed saving money and other benefits of menu planning here.
I wrote a beginner's guide to menu planning that's a few years old but still applies. I've been planning my menus weekly, because my attempt at planning monthly menus hasn't gone well.
I do have some things I keep in mind as I plan my menu:
Variety. We get sick of eating the same foods pretty quickly, so variety is key. I'm very lucky that my husband is quite tolerant of experiments, and very understanding when they don't come out great. I have a huge stack of recipes to try, and that helps keep the meals fresh and interesting.
Time requirements. I am very careful to plan meals that don't take a lot of time or that can be done mostly ahead of time. I try to get dinner on the table within an hour of walking in the door after I get home from work, and that hour includes changing my clothes, checking my personal email, and so on.
Use what I have. I'm trying to make the switch to buying only sale items, plus perishables, each week, and basing my meals on what I've already got on hand. Some bloggers who do this extremely well are A Thrifty Mom and Money Saving Mom.
Make extra. Even as I use up what's on hand, I try to fill up the space in my freezer with ready-to-go meals, like baked pasta and meatloaf. Being able to pull a couple of meals out of the freezer each week makes my meal planning that much easier.
Leftovers. On weeknights, I try to plan for leftovers so that we can brown bag our lunches. If you figure lunch costs at least $5 per meal, the savings really add up!
Jan 24, 2010
Meet my Blogroll: Baby Toolkit
I've been reading Baby Toolkit for a few years now, and I love the sense of humor that Adrienne and Jim bring to their blog. Check out their recent post mocking the CPSC's holiday safety warning. I also admire and envy Adrienne's sewing and crafting ability, as demonstrated by these cloth crowns she gives out as birthday gifts. Don't you wish she knew your kids so they could have one of these beauties? (This is slightly off-topic, but a while back, we saw a boy – about 6 years old, I'd guess – in medieval costume at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Apparently it was the boy's favorite outfit and he insisted on wearing it wherever he went. Somehow it was more unexpected than the 4-year-old muscled Spiderman we saw at the dentist's office. Talk about a child who'd love to receive one of Adrienne's crowns!)
Adrienne and Jim also share their passion for family game nights (read their reviews), which is useful if you want to know if a game is appropriate for your child. They also share random useful tips, like how to involve your pre-writing child in sending thank you notes and using vinegar to combat hard water issues in the dishwasher.
And back in 2008, Adrienne had an article published in Parents magazine. It was very cool to open up the issue that arrived in the mail and tell everyone that I "knew" the author!
Previously: Meet other blogs on my blogroll
Adrienne and Jim also share their passion for family game nights (read their reviews), which is useful if you want to know if a game is appropriate for your child. They also share random useful tips, like how to involve your pre-writing child in sending thank you notes and using vinegar to combat hard water issues in the dishwasher.
And back in 2008, Adrienne had an article published in Parents magazine. It was very cool to open up the issue that arrived in the mail and tell everyone that I "knew" the author!
Previously: Meet other blogs on my blogroll
Jan 18, 2010
Ways to Make & Save Money #3: Paying Ourselves First
You can read the rest of the Ways to Make & Save Money series here.
It's a favorite saying of personal finance advisors and bloggers alike, and for good reason. Paying yourself first is the single best way to build up your savings.
What it really means: The first thing it means is that you have to have some kind of budget so that you know how much you can afford to put into savings in a given time period. If you bring in $2,000 a month and spend $1,800 but budget $500 for savings, you'll end up discouraged because you'll never be able to reach your goal.
The second thing it means is that once you set a realistic amount to set aside, you put it into savings before you have a chance to spend it. In the example above, a realistic amount would be $200. That $200 should go into savings as soon as it's received - that's paying yourself first.
I have to admit that I've gotten away from a regular monthly budget the last few years. I know that we spend well below our income, and I've had a rough idea of how much could go into savings. But this year I sat down with Quicken and created an up-to-date budget that gives me a clearer picture of our monthly spending. This is especially important because we're starting to incur more child-related expenses as the boys get more involved in more activities, like soccer and T-ball and karate.
It only took me an hour or so to create our new budget, since I have a good grasp of our expenses and didn't have to look up too many numbers. It was simply a matter of inputting the data to get a look at the whole picture. And now I know where I have room to cut back, and how much room there is, and how much I can put into savings each month to start.
Approximately 30% of our savings goal will come from automated savings. So unless something costly happens this year, we're guaranteed that much success. The rest of the savings will have to come from the other methods I've been discussing, and will continue to discuss in the coming weeks.
Pay yourself first.
It's a favorite saying of personal finance advisors and bloggers alike, and for good reason. Paying yourself first is the single best way to build up your savings.
What it really means: The first thing it means is that you have to have some kind of budget so that you know how much you can afford to put into savings in a given time period. If you bring in $2,000 a month and spend $1,800 but budget $500 for savings, you'll end up discouraged because you'll never be able to reach your goal.
The second thing it means is that once you set a realistic amount to set aside, you put it into savings before you have a chance to spend it. In the example above, a realistic amount would be $200. That $200 should go into savings as soon as it's received - that's paying yourself first.
I have to admit that I've gotten away from a regular monthly budget the last few years. I know that we spend well below our income, and I've had a rough idea of how much could go into savings. But this year I sat down with Quicken and created an up-to-date budget that gives me a clearer picture of our monthly spending. This is especially important because we're starting to incur more child-related expenses as the boys get more involved in more activities, like soccer and T-ball and karate.
It only took me an hour or so to create our new budget, since I have a good grasp of our expenses and didn't have to look up too many numbers. It was simply a matter of inputting the data to get a look at the whole picture. And now I know where I have room to cut back, and how much room there is, and how much I can put into savings each month to start.
Approximately 30% of our savings goal will come from automated savings. So unless something costly happens this year, we're guaranteed that much success. The rest of the savings will have to come from the other methods I've been discussing, and will continue to discuss in the coming weeks.
Jan 15, 2010
Artisan Bread Update: Still lovin' it!
Background: For Christmas, I received a book about making artisan bread in five minutes a day. You can read my progress thus far here, in reverse chronological order.
I've been baking bread almost every day for nearly three weeks now, but I feel like an old pro in some ways. I've been making one batch of dough every week, and that's about how long it lasts. This week, I'm going to make two batches of dough so it lasts longer.
I have a few different updates:
Pizza dough: I used the master recipe as pizza dough last week, and I thought it was just okay. The dough rose more than I like, since I prefer very thin pizza crust. It was still good, but I prefer my usual pizza dough recipe. However, this one is easier by far since I just have to pull the dough out of the fridge. I may make a batch of the olive oil version for our next homemade pizza night.
Pizza wheels: Speaking of pizza, over at the Artisan Bread web site, they have a recipe for pizza on a stick. It looks like a cinnamon roll, but made with pizza ingredients instead. The notes at the end made me realize that these would be fabulous to keep in the freezer for the kids' lunches. I'm sure you could do the exact same thing with any pizza dough, including the store-bought kind.
Brioche: Since the first disappointing loaf of brioche, I've baked two more loaves from the same batch of dough and they both came out beautifully. Now that I've had a little more experience, I think my first loaf was too big, didn't bake long enough even though it was a beautiful golden color, and perhaps rose too long. I love this dough so much, in fact, that I'm determined to keep some in my freezer at all times!
Whole wheat bread: I haven't made the 100% whole wheat bread yet, but I did substitute in some white whole wheat flour for the unbleached all purpose flour in the master recipe and it's totally fine.
Proper rising and steam do make a difference: On weeknights, when I'm more rushed, I tend to make small rolls, cut rising times short, and bake in my toaster oven without steam. The bread that comes out is fine, but not superb. The bread I make on weekends, with a full 40-minute rise, and baked with steam, is definitely better. The crust is more crisp and the crumb is lighter. Plus, I make full size loaves, which we do prefer. Still, there is nothing like having freshly baked bread on the table every night!
I love this book!
Disclosure: I'm an Amazon affiliate, so any purchase you make after entering Amazon through a link on Chief Family Officer supports this site at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I've been baking bread almost every day for nearly three weeks now, but I feel like an old pro in some ways. I've been making one batch of dough every week, and that's about how long it lasts. This week, I'm going to make two batches of dough so it lasts longer.
I have a few different updates:
Pizza dough: I used the master recipe as pizza dough last week, and I thought it was just okay. The dough rose more than I like, since I prefer very thin pizza crust. It was still good, but I prefer my usual pizza dough recipe. However, this one is easier by far since I just have to pull the dough out of the fridge. I may make a batch of the olive oil version for our next homemade pizza night.
Pizza wheels: Speaking of pizza, over at the Artisan Bread web site, they have a recipe for pizza on a stick. It looks like a cinnamon roll, but made with pizza ingredients instead. The notes at the end made me realize that these would be fabulous to keep in the freezer for the kids' lunches. I'm sure you could do the exact same thing with any pizza dough, including the store-bought kind.
Brioche: Since the first disappointing loaf of brioche, I've baked two more loaves from the same batch of dough and they both came out beautifully. Now that I've had a little more experience, I think my first loaf was too big, didn't bake long enough even though it was a beautiful golden color, and perhaps rose too long. I love this dough so much, in fact, that I'm determined to keep some in my freezer at all times!
Whole wheat bread: I haven't made the 100% whole wheat bread yet, but I did substitute in some white whole wheat flour for the unbleached all purpose flour in the master recipe and it's totally fine.
Proper rising and steam do make a difference: On weeknights, when I'm more rushed, I tend to make small rolls, cut rising times short, and bake in my toaster oven without steam. The bread that comes out is fine, but not superb. The bread I make on weekends, with a full 40-minute rise, and baked with steam, is definitely better. The crust is more crisp and the crumb is lighter. Plus, I make full size loaves, which we do prefer. Still, there is nothing like having freshly baked bread on the table every night!
I love this book!
Disclosure: I'm an Amazon affiliate, so any purchase you make after entering Amazon through a link on Chief Family Officer supports this site at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
Jan 13, 2010
Meet CFO's Drugstore Game Padawan: Nicole
Update: If you're joining this series in progress, be sure to also read my Drugstore Game Primer and Common Sense with Money's FAQ so that you can understanding the abbreviations and terminology used in the subsequent posts.
Last week, I asked for someone to become my Drugstore Game Padawan, and I got some really fantastic applications. It was incredibly hard to choose, but I'd like to introduce you to Nicole. I asked her to write up a little introduction, to give some context to what we'll be doing in the coming weeks, and here's what she had to say:
As Nicole said, she works near a Walgreens so it's easy for her to go there. She's planning to stop by tomorrow to do the following transaction to get her feet wet:
1 Thermacare Pain Relief 1ct $2.49
- $1/1 printable coupon
Pay $1.49 plus tax, get back a $2.50 Register Reward
I also asked Nicole to take a look around the store and see if they have any good clearance sales going on, since some blogs are reporting a few good finds. We'll keep you updated on how it goes!
Last week, I asked for someone to become my Drugstore Game Padawan, and I got some really fantastic applications. It was incredibly hard to choose, but I'd like to introduce you to Nicole. I asked her to write up a little introduction, to give some context to what we'll be doing in the coming weeks, and here's what she had to say:
I'm Nicole, a newlywed student living in East Central Iowa. Just before my husband and I got married, we decided that I would be going to school full-time, and working part-timeish. This was a HUGE cut in our total income, but I became determined to not let my studies impact us financially. Also around this time, we took a major look at our finances, and decided to go with the Avalanche approach to paying off our debt. It was at this point that I turned to couponing.Thanks, Nicole - I'm really looking forward to working with you!
I've got a pretty good handle on how to deal with the grocery shopping end of it, despite our limited selection of stores. I am ALWAYS in awe of the people that have mastered The Drugstore Game, and when the opportunity came up to be CFO's Padawan, I jumped at the chance. I work very close to a Walgreens, and go to school near CVS. I look forward to learning The Drugstore Game, as it will allow me to shop for things that we need/want, and settle a bit of my urge to go shopping, even when we're working towards some large financial goals. Currently, I'm shopping for myself, my husband, 3 dogs, and 3 cats. Since we have a smaller family(the pets are a pretty consistent expense), I wanted to see how The Drugstore Game could apply for us. We don't have a lot of the kid related expenses that families do, but I still want to save us as much money as possible. I'm excited to see where this goes. :)
As Nicole said, she works near a Walgreens so it's easy for her to go there. She's planning to stop by tomorrow to do the following transaction to get her feet wet:
1 Thermacare Pain Relief 1ct $2.49
- $1/1 printable coupon
Pay $1.49 plus tax, get back a $2.50 Register Reward
I also asked Nicole to take a look around the store and see if they have any good clearance sales going on, since some blogs are reporting a few good finds. We'll keep you updated on how it goes!
Jan 11, 2010
Ways to Make & Save Money #2: Use Swag Bucks as your default search engine
You can read the rest of the Ways to Make & Save Money series here.
In the summer of 2008, I found a nifty search and win site called Swag Bucks. I joined, used Swag Bucks as my default search function online, and within a month, I had earned enough Swag Bucks to redeem for a $5 Amazon certificate. It truly was free money!
In a nutshell, once you've joined Swag Bucks, every search is an opportunity to win random "Swag Bucks." Usually it's 7 to 10, but sometimes it's more (I recently got 28 for a single search). Swag Bucks can be redeemed for various prizes, including gift certificates, gift cards, books, posters, concert tickets, music and sports memorabilia, and much more. In fact, Swag Bucks has really grown in the last year and a half, and they seem well on their way to getting even bigger.
My favorite thing about Swag Bucks is that it's effortless. I have to search the internet anyway, so why not make money in the process?
In addition to searching, there are other ways to earn Swag Bucks. You can use the site as a shopping portal (similar to Ebates), or take advantage of special offers, which include Coupons.com, if you want to print your coupons through Swag Bucks. You can trade in video games, consoles, cellphones and MP3 players. And there's my favorite, free Swag Codes, which are case-sensitive codes that you enter into the box on the homepage.
I bring up Swag Bucks today because today through Friday, Swag Bucks will post a daily Swag Code in their free downloadable toolbar. Look for it in the "From TSG" button (TSG stands for "The Swag Guy," who is the voice of Swag Bucks).
Thanks in large part to everyone who's signed up for Swag Bucks using my referral link, I've earned hundreds of dollars in gift certificates. So I have to thank all of you who've used that referral link, because you've already helped me on the path to achieving my New Year's resolution.
If you haven't signed up for Swag Bucks yet, of course I'd appreciate it if used my referral link. You'll get 30 sign up Swag Bucks to get you started, and you'll be on your way to earning free money. And you'll have my thanks for helping me reach my goal by year's end :)
In the summer of 2008, I found a nifty search and win site called Swag Bucks. I joined, used Swag Bucks as my default search function online, and within a month, I had earned enough Swag Bucks to redeem for a $5 Amazon certificate. It truly was free money!
In a nutshell, once you've joined Swag Bucks, every search is an opportunity to win random "Swag Bucks." Usually it's 7 to 10, but sometimes it's more (I recently got 28 for a single search). Swag Bucks can be redeemed for various prizes, including gift certificates, gift cards, books, posters, concert tickets, music and sports memorabilia, and much more. In fact, Swag Bucks has really grown in the last year and a half, and they seem well on their way to getting even bigger.
My favorite thing about Swag Bucks is that it's effortless. I have to search the internet anyway, so why not make money in the process?
In addition to searching, there are other ways to earn Swag Bucks. You can use the site as a shopping portal (similar to Ebates), or take advantage of special offers, which include Coupons.com, if you want to print your coupons through Swag Bucks. You can trade in video games, consoles, cellphones and MP3 players. And there's my favorite, free Swag Codes, which are case-sensitive codes that you enter into the box on the homepage.
I bring up Swag Bucks today because today through Friday, Swag Bucks will post a daily Swag Code in their free downloadable toolbar. Look for it in the "From TSG" button (TSG stands for "The Swag Guy," who is the voice of Swag Bucks).
Thanks in large part to everyone who's signed up for Swag Bucks using my referral link, I've earned hundreds of dollars in gift certificates. So I have to thank all of you who've used that referral link, because you've already helped me on the path to achieving my New Year's resolution.
If you haven't signed up for Swag Bucks yet, of course I'd appreciate it if used my referral link. You'll get 30 sign up Swag Bucks to get you started, and you'll be on your way to earning free money. And you'll have my thanks for helping me reach my goal by year's end :)
Jan 10, 2010
Quick Restaurant Reviews: Mozza2Go, Bottega Louie, Bouchon
No Morning Coffee Post today, but here's a roundup of some upscale restaurants in the LA area.
Mozza 2 Go – The LA Times restaurant critic called it the best take out in town, and it certainly was delicious. Not quite as good as in the restaurant, but still excellent. My only gripe is that the hostess was a bit snotty, even after forgetting to give me one of our appetizers. She wasn't very apologetic as she agreed to credit my card because I didn't want to return for the item they left out. Funny how you start to get immune to bad service, though – we've had issues in the past with restaurants refusing to credit a card for an omitted item, so I was simply relieved at the time that I didn't have to fight for what's right. And although we haven't been impressed by the desserts in the Pizzeria, the Butterscotch Budino gave us a whole new perspective on butterscotch. (I just realized that they never issued the credit . . . grrr!)
Bottega Louie – I've been wanting to go to Bottega Louie for months and we finally made it earlier last month for lunch. The food was fantastic, as I expected it would be. The service was spotty at times, but considering the upscale feel and relatively downscale prices, I was more than satisfied. The entrees were on the small side, so it was surprising that the chocolate soufflé cake was so big. But I think it's supposed to serve 2, which it certainly did – though it could have used a little more vanilla bean sauce.
Bouchon Beverly Hills - One nice thing about Beverly Hills: Unlike the rest of Los Angeles, you can easily find free public parking. And famed chef Thomas Keller's newest restaurant, Bouchon in Beverly Hills, sits right on top of a free public parking structure. (You can also valet your car. But wouldn't you rather spend the money on dessert?)
I was quite excited about our lunch date at Bouchon, and had made the reservations a month in advance. I've begun to read Ad Hoc at Home,
which was one of my holiday gifts, and Carol Blymire's first blog, French Laundry at Home, has made me familiar with Keller's food. So I had high expectations. And they were met. The food combinations are unexpected, but work well together – like the crab crepe, which contained a filling of crab, marscapone, tiny chopped carrots, and was garnished with pink pickled onions. As a general rule, I hate onions. But I ate every piece of onion that was served to me at Bouchon. The cutting board of charcuterie came adorned with a line of pickled vegetables – adorable florets of cauliflower, tiny carrots and whole sweet pickles, radish, and more. I'm actually considering learning how to pickle.
The only disappointment – and it wasn't really a disappointment, my expectations were just so high – was the bread and the dessert. The bread, because it wasn't anything special – the artisan bread I've been baking is just as good. And the dessert, because I ordered the restaurant's signature bouchons – little chocolate cakes that were just that – little chocolate cakes that were like brownies with a crunchy topping, nothing very special.
Overall, though, the food was good enough to make me put Bouchon on a very short list of fine dining restaurants I'd happily go back to again. (Pizzeria Mozza and Lawry's being the only other ones.)
Mozza 2 Go – The LA Times restaurant critic called it the best take out in town, and it certainly was delicious. Not quite as good as in the restaurant, but still excellent. My only gripe is that the hostess was a bit snotty, even after forgetting to give me one of our appetizers. She wasn't very apologetic as she agreed to credit my card because I didn't want to return for the item they left out. Funny how you start to get immune to bad service, though – we've had issues in the past with restaurants refusing to credit a card for an omitted item, so I was simply relieved at the time that I didn't have to fight for what's right. And although we haven't been impressed by the desserts in the Pizzeria, the Butterscotch Budino gave us a whole new perspective on butterscotch. (I just realized that they never issued the credit . . . grrr!)
Bottega Louie – I've been wanting to go to Bottega Louie for months and we finally made it earlier last month for lunch. The food was fantastic, as I expected it would be. The service was spotty at times, but considering the upscale feel and relatively downscale prices, I was more than satisfied. The entrees were on the small side, so it was surprising that the chocolate soufflé cake was so big. But I think it's supposed to serve 2, which it certainly did – though it could have used a little more vanilla bean sauce.
Bouchon Beverly Hills - One nice thing about Beverly Hills: Unlike the rest of Los Angeles, you can easily find free public parking. And famed chef Thomas Keller's newest restaurant, Bouchon in Beverly Hills, sits right on top of a free public parking structure. (You can also valet your car. But wouldn't you rather spend the money on dessert?)
I was quite excited about our lunch date at Bouchon, and had made the reservations a month in advance. I've begun to read Ad Hoc at Home,
which was one of my holiday gifts, and Carol Blymire's first blog, French Laundry at Home, has made me familiar with Keller's food. So I had high expectations. And they were met. The food combinations are unexpected, but work well together – like the crab crepe, which contained a filling of crab, marscapone, tiny chopped carrots, and was garnished with pink pickled onions. As a general rule, I hate onions. But I ate every piece of onion that was served to me at Bouchon. The cutting board of charcuterie came adorned with a line of pickled vegetables – adorable florets of cauliflower, tiny carrots and whole sweet pickles, radish, and more. I'm actually considering learning how to pickle.The only disappointment – and it wasn't really a disappointment, my expectations were just so high – was the bread and the dessert. The bread, because it wasn't anything special – the artisan bread I've been baking is just as good. And the dessert, because I ordered the restaurant's signature bouchons – little chocolate cakes that were just that – little chocolate cakes that were like brownies with a crunchy topping, nothing very special.
Overall, though, the food was good enough to make me put Bouchon on a very short list of fine dining restaurants I'd happily go back to again. (Pizzeria Mozza and Lawry's being the only other ones.)
Jan 7, 2010
Ways to Make & Save Money in 2010 Series
As I mentioned earlier this week, every Monday, I'll be sharing one way that I will be making and/or saving money this year as I strive toward my 2010 goal of saving a large cash cushion. I decided I needed a place to compile the posts so that it's easy for you to go back and read the series any time you want. I'll add this post to the header right underneath my logo so it'll be easy to find.
Here's the post that started it all:
Chief Family Officer's New Year's Resolution: Save a ton of money in 2010
And here are the Ways to Make & Save Money:
Here's the post that started it all:
Chief Family Officer's New Year's Resolution: Save a ton of money in 2010
And here are the Ways to Make & Save Money:
- Play The Drugstore Game
- Use Swag Bucks As Your Default Search Engine
- Pay Yourself First
- Cook More & Eat In
- Use MyPoints
- Use the Snowflake Method
- Tax-Deductible Donations
- Instant Cash Sweepstakes
- Sell on Amazon Marketplace
- Enter Blog Giveaways and Instant Win Sweepstakes
- Communicate With Your Family
- My Survey
- Keep a Gift Wrap Center
- Adjust as You Go
- Pinecone Research
- Daily Deal Sites
- Keep a Gift Box and Wrapping Center
Jan 6, 2010
Send a Package Through AnySoldier.com
I'm guessing that many of you are like me and have a lot of things you don't need or won't use. Last month, I sent a package for the first time through AnySoldier.com, and I included many things that I picked up free or super cheap, like cereal bars and instant noodles. I'd like to ask you to consider doing the same, but the site is not the most intuitive so I thought some explanation was in order.A little about AnySoldier.com: It's a not-for-profit organization that serves almost like a bulletin board for servicemen and women to post about anything they might need. As I understand it, they sign up from their location, write an introductory paragraph, and (hopefully) list the things they'd like to receive. Some of them seem to understand how this works better than others – I've seen listings that only say "please send stuff," and I've seen much more detailed listings that state what amenities they have and the items they could really use. I'm not sure if packages are just handed to someone who doesn't get a lot of mail, or if the contact opens them up and distributes the contents – it seems like it depends on a number of factors, like where the unit is, its size, and the amenities available.
I recommend starting with the FAQ and reading the "How Does This Work" section as well as the "What to Send" and "How to Send" sections.
Then, head over to the "Where To Send" page and click on any one of the names listed on the left side of the page. The default setting is by most recent email. You can read the various messages and requests to see who wants things that you can send. Most of the contacts seem to be in Iraq or Afghanistan. Once you've picked a contact to send a package to, you can request their mailing address by clicking on the link.
Yesterday, the message from Cpl. Robert Cochrane got my attention because he's asking for basic school supplies like pens, pencils and coloring books to give out to Iraqi children. It just so happens that I have boxes full of school supplies from my shopping this past summer, so I hope to get a package off to him soon.
I shipped my package in a Flat Rate Priority Mail box, because it was so easy to do. (You can pick up different sizes of priority mail boxes at the post office for free.) You do have to fill out a customs form, which is a little tedious. I picked up extra forms so I could do it at home. Right before you send the package, you must check the web site to make sure the contact is still listed, since their status can change without notice at any moment. Once you have a contact's name, you can sort the list by name to make it easier to find in the future, so this part is very easy to do.
Here are some of the items I've seen requested that you may have extras of:
- Feminine products
- Baby wipes
- Travel size toiletries
- Ready-to-eat or instant foods, like nuts, energy bars, mac & cheese, and noodles
- Air fresheners
- Batteries
- Crystal Light or other drink sweeteners
I haven't heard anything from the recipient(s) of my first package, but that's okay. As it said somewhere on the AnySoldier web site, these men and women have a lot more important things to do than send thank you notes. I just hope I was able to brighten their day a little bit, and that you'll join me in doing the same!
Jan 5, 2010
My Artisan Bread Experiment: Update #2
Background: I just started baking with the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking.You can read my intro post here and my first update here.
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Dayis quickly becoming my favorite Christmas gift of all time. The bread is so good, and I still can't get over how easy it is to make. Seriously – mixing the dough in my stand mixer takes all of five minutes (if that), and shaping the dough takes about 20 seconds. That is pretty much all of the work that's involved.
My temperamental small upper oven and I are on pretty good terms right now. I know its quirks, so all of my breads have come out quite good. I've just been using a cookie sheet and parchment paper, and the bread quality has been great. Someone recommended using an inverted cast iron skillet in place of a baking stone, which sounds brilliant, but unlike my oven, my cast iron skillet and I are not on good terms . . .
We had incredibly warm weather this past weekend – on Sunday, we hit 80 degrees. (Yeah, that's why people pay the high cost of living in Southern California!) And I was reminded that I am not going to run my oven every day in just a couple of months. In fact, if the weather's warm enough that we need the air conditioner, I only use my oven once or twice a week.
So I decided to experiment with baking bread in my toaster oven, without steam. I shaped my loaf a little flatter than usual, and it baked up quite beautifully. I'm very pleased, because this means we can now have fresh bread all year round!
The toaster oven experiment also had the unexpected benefit of solving one of my minor problems. Last week, I found it was a little hard to get the bread baked by dinner time since I couldn't start the rising process until I got home from work. While it takes me only seconds to shape the dough, it does have to rise and then bake – depending on the size of the loaf, that can take up to an hour and a half. I cut the rising time by making rolls, but it turns out my family prefers a full size loaf over rolls.
The toaster oven baked the bread faster than the regular oven. So, now I know that when I'm pressed for time, I can turn to my toaster oven for faster fresh bread.
This past week, I also tried the brioche recipe that's in the book, and on their web site. The final product was rather cakey, so although it tasted good, the texture wasn't my favorite – plus, it had a tendency to fall apart. This might be because I let the dough rise longer than I meant to. I've got three balls of brioche dough in the freezer, so maybe my next loaf will come out better. I'll let you know in the next update!
Note: I noticed that the authors' web site has an errata page noting the errors in the book.
Disclosure: I'm an Amazon affiliate, so any purchase you make after entering Amazon through a link on Chief Family Officer supports this site at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
You can read my intro post here and my first update here.Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
is quickly becoming my favorite Christmas gift of all time. The bread is so good, and I still can't get over how easy it is to make. Seriously – mixing the dough in my stand mixer takes all of five minutes (if that), and shaping the dough takes about 20 seconds. That is pretty much all of the work that's involved.My temperamental small upper oven and I are on pretty good terms right now. I know its quirks, so all of my breads have come out quite good. I've just been using a cookie sheet and parchment paper, and the bread quality has been great. Someone recommended using an inverted cast iron skillet in place of a baking stone, which sounds brilliant, but unlike my oven, my cast iron skillet and I are not on good terms . . .
We had incredibly warm weather this past weekend – on Sunday, we hit 80 degrees. (Yeah, that's why people pay the high cost of living in Southern California!) And I was reminded that I am not going to run my oven every day in just a couple of months. In fact, if the weather's warm enough that we need the air conditioner, I only use my oven once or twice a week.
So I decided to experiment with baking bread in my toaster oven, without steam. I shaped my loaf a little flatter than usual, and it baked up quite beautifully. I'm very pleased, because this means we can now have fresh bread all year round!
The toaster oven experiment also had the unexpected benefit of solving one of my minor problems. Last week, I found it was a little hard to get the bread baked by dinner time since I couldn't start the rising process until I got home from work. While it takes me only seconds to shape the dough, it does have to rise and then bake – depending on the size of the loaf, that can take up to an hour and a half. I cut the rising time by making rolls, but it turns out my family prefers a full size loaf over rolls.
The toaster oven baked the bread faster than the regular oven. So, now I know that when I'm pressed for time, I can turn to my toaster oven for faster fresh bread.
This past week, I also tried the brioche recipe that's in the book, and on their web site. The final product was rather cakey, so although it tasted good, the texture wasn't my favorite – plus, it had a tendency to fall apart. This might be because I let the dough rise longer than I meant to. I've got three balls of brioche dough in the freezer, so maybe my next loaf will come out better. I'll let you know in the next update!
Note: I noticed that the authors' web site has an errata page noting the errors in the book.
Disclosure: I'm an Amazon affiliate, so any purchase you make after entering Amazon through a link on Chief Family Officer supports this site at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
Jan 4, 2010
Chief Family Officer Wants to Help YOU Master The Drugstore Game
Earlier today, I said that The Drugstore Game is my favorite way to save money – and that’s because I genuinely think it’s fun to be able to go into a store, pay $5, and leave with 10 shopping bags and coupons that will reduce the cost of my next purchase. Even after two years, I still can’t believe I get paid to buy things that I used to pay good money for without a second thought.But I know that getting started in The Drugstore Game can be intimidating. That’s why I’m looking for one CFO reader who wants some help getting started. My hope is that by publishing our email exchanges, we’ll be able to answer those questions that everyone has when they’re not quite sure how to start.
Before you send me an email explaining why you need the help, let me lay out the requirements. To qualify for consideration as my Padawan,* you must:
- Have weekly access to at least two of the following three drugstores: CVS, Walgreens, or Rite Aid.
- Commit to acquiring at least one copy of the coupon inserts from Sunday’s newspaper every week, whether it’s by purchasing a paper or getting them from a friend or some other means.
- Be able to print coupons from major sites like Coupons.com, SmartSource, and RedPlum.
- Have read The Drugstore Game Primer, as well as Common Sense with Money’s FAQ.
- Be willing to have our email exchanges published here at CFO, to help other readers. (Your name will remain private, if you wish.)
So . . . if you meet all of the requirements above and are interested in mastering The Drugstore Game, fill out this form by 6 p.m. on Saturday, January 9.
*Padawan = Jedi Apprentice (my boys are obsessed with Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate and/or referral links, and may refer to items that were sent to me for review. However, all opinions are my own. You can read Chief Family Officer's full disclaimer and disclosure policy here.
Ways to Make & Save Money #1: Play The Drugstore Game
You can read the rest of the Ways to Make & Save Money series here.
I wouldn't call The Drugstore Game the most important way I'm going to save money this year, but it may be my favorite way. I've been playing The Drugstore Game for almost two years now, and it's absolutely transformed the way I shop. I can't believe how much I used to pay for every day items like shampoo, toothpaste, and toilet paper. These days, I have a list of items that I will only buy if they end up being free, and I have much lower target prices on other everyday items, like toilet paper, tissue, and dental floss.
If you're new to The Drugstore Game, read my Drugstore Game Primer first. (Even if you've played the game for a while, you may want to read it again as I updated it for this post.)
I play The Drugstore Game at the three big chains: Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid. I'm fortunate, because all three chains are pretty ubiquitous in the Los Angeles area, so it's quite easy for me to shop at all three stores each week (though I rarely do that anymore).
Here are the items I only buy if they are free:
Toothpaste
Adult toothbrushes (I've found it more difficult to get the kind of toothbrushes my kids use for free)
Mouthwash
Deodorant
Non-dandruff Shampoo
Conditioner
Razors
Sanitary pads
Pantyliners
Lip balm
We are not brand-loyal when it comes to any of the above items, so I buy them when they are free and add them to my stockpile. Not being brand-loyal makes life a lot cheaper!
It's also important to remember that if you can wait for a sale, one will eventually come along. Of course, if it's stressing you out to be running out of something, then by all means, go out and buy the cheapest item you can find. But if you can wait, do. A great sale may be just around the corner.
As I prepared my budget a few weeks ago, I realized just what an impact The Drugstore Game has had on our spending. I spend no more than a third of what I used to spend on toiletries, paper goods, and other household items. Since our consumption of these items is just going to increase as the kids get bigger, it's more important than ever for me to shop smart and keep my stockpile stocked!
Previously:
I wouldn't call The Drugstore Game the most important way I'm going to save money this year, but it may be my favorite way. I've been playing The Drugstore Game for almost two years now, and it's absolutely transformed the way I shop. I can't believe how much I used to pay for every day items like shampoo, toothpaste, and toilet paper. These days, I have a list of items that I will only buy if they end up being free, and I have much lower target prices on other everyday items, like toilet paper, tissue, and dental floss.
If you're new to The Drugstore Game, read my Drugstore Game Primer first. (Even if you've played the game for a while, you may want to read it again as I updated it for this post.)
I play The Drugstore Game at the three big chains: Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid. I'm fortunate, because all three chains are pretty ubiquitous in the Los Angeles area, so it's quite easy for me to shop at all three stores each week (though I rarely do that anymore).
Here are the items I only buy if they are free:
Toothpaste
Adult toothbrushes (I've found it more difficult to get the kind of toothbrushes my kids use for free)
Mouthwash
Deodorant
Non-dandruff Shampoo
Conditioner
Razors
Sanitary pads
Pantyliners
Lip balm
We are not brand-loyal when it comes to any of the above items, so I buy them when they are free and add them to my stockpile. Not being brand-loyal makes life a lot cheaper!
It's also important to remember that if you can wait for a sale, one will eventually come along. Of course, if it's stressing you out to be running out of something, then by all means, go out and buy the cheapest item you can find. But if you can wait, do. A great sale may be just around the corner.
As I prepared my budget a few weeks ago, I realized just what an impact The Drugstore Game has had on our spending. I spend no more than a third of what I used to spend on toiletries, paper goods, and other household items. Since our consumption of these items is just going to increase as the kids get bigger, it's more important than ever for me to shop smart and keep my stockpile stocked!
Previously:
Jan 3, 2010
Chief Family Officer's New Year's Resolution: Save a ton of money in 2010
New Year’s resolutions get a bad rap sometimes, but I love them. My parents taught me that goal-setting is a major key to achievement, and I’ve certainly found that to be true.
I always set a few financial goals each year - in 2009, my big goal was to pay off my student loans, which we did in the spring.
For 2010, my big goal is to save a ton of money because I want the security of a large cash cushion. I’m not comfortable sharing the exact amount, but it’s going to be a huge stretch for us. To achieve this goal, we’re going to have to do all of the things I talk about to save money, from eating in to playing The Drugstore Game to making free money. To be clear, I’m talking about money that’s above and beyond the money that already goes into retirement savings or is otherwise earmarked for another purpose (like the car fund). I'll give you an update each month to tell you how much of our goal we've accomplished.
And starting tomorrow, each Monday, I’m going to share one way that I will be making and/or saving money this year to reach my goal. One of those ways is this blog - your visits and clicks help generate income at absolutely no cost to you, which helps me reach my financial goals. So thank you! Having said that, I want to assure you that I firmly believe that the very best way to make CFO great is to be as honest and trustworthy as possible. I’ve made a conscious decision not to post deals that I see on other blogs if I’m suspicious of the offer in some way. I also try to be as transparent as possible about any benefit I've received or may receive, which is why you see lots of disclosures. You can read CFO's full disclosure and disclaimer here.
As for my other New Year's resolutions, they are much the same as any other year: Be a good wife, mother, daughter, friend. Be kind and generous. And like so many others, lose some weight. Someday, I'll have to examine why it's relatively easy for me to reach my financial goals and so difficult to reach my weight loss goals!
I always set a few financial goals each year - in 2009, my big goal was to pay off my student loans, which we did in the spring.
For 2010, my big goal is to save a ton of money because I want the security of a large cash cushion. I’m not comfortable sharing the exact amount, but it’s going to be a huge stretch for us. To achieve this goal, we’re going to have to do all of the things I talk about to save money, from eating in to playing The Drugstore Game to making free money. To be clear, I’m talking about money that’s above and beyond the money that already goes into retirement savings or is otherwise earmarked for another purpose (like the car fund). I'll give you an update each month to tell you how much of our goal we've accomplished.
And starting tomorrow, each Monday, I’m going to share one way that I will be making and/or saving money this year to reach my goal. One of those ways is this blog - your visits and clicks help generate income at absolutely no cost to you, which helps me reach my financial goals. So thank you! Having said that, I want to assure you that I firmly believe that the very best way to make CFO great is to be as honest and trustworthy as possible. I’ve made a conscious decision not to post deals that I see on other blogs if I’m suspicious of the offer in some way. I also try to be as transparent as possible about any benefit I've received or may receive, which is why you see lots of disclosures. You can read CFO's full disclosure and disclaimer here.
As for my other New Year's resolutions, they are much the same as any other year: Be a good wife, mother, daughter, friend. Be kind and generous. And like so many others, lose some weight. Someday, I'll have to examine why it's relatively easy for me to reach my financial goals and so difficult to reach my weight loss goals!
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