Time to step it up...

Tonight's the night. Yes, the President is finally giving a speech outlining what his Administration plans to do regarding the Gulf oil spill cleanup, as well his plans for an energy policy.

It's about time. However, the President, and the government in general, can only do so much. We as individual citizens have to get serious about reducing energy consumption and resource waste. It's ridiculous for Limberger to attempt to blame the spill on "environmentalists," as the need to drill deep comes not from BP's caring about anyone's opinion, but rather the need to go (as all oil companies do) where the oil is.

What can I do, you say, to cut down the use of petroleum? Any number of things, which may be easier to implement in your life than you might imagine.

If you must drive a car, don't be a leadfoot. Seriously, again according to tests done by Edmonds, easing up on the accelerator alone can cause you to save, at minimum, 20 percent gas (and lives), no matter where you drive. For city drivers, there's still significant savings in easing up, as you're not stomping down on the brakes so often (or so hard); being easier on the brakes also saves petroleum, and reduces wear and tear on your vehicle (which is also composed of petroleum, in large measure). Please, drive the speed limit. (On the highway, drive 55). It's not a communist plot--the federal speed limit was passed, in fact, during the original oil crisis of the 1970s, to save gas. Oh, and you're not saving that much time when you speed, weaving in and out of lanes, etc., particularly when you're not driving on the highway.

We've all heard the saying, "reduce, reuse, recycle," which has always struck me as an updated version of the old saying, "waste not, want not."

To reduce means to look at whether we need to buy something in the first place, whether we'll actually use what we buy. We also need to look at product packaging, as some packaging is excessive, and other packaging is easily reusable. For instance, I've kept certain candy and cosmetic tins, glass jars, and the like and reused them, to use for office products (e.g., pen and pencil holders) and other uses. Sometimes that's the reason I've bought certain mints, because I could see that I'd be able to reuse them (in addition to the delicious candy, of course).

Look at what you use most often--can you use less of it? Be it paper, laundry detergent, or something else, chances are you use way more of it than you need. For instance, with laundry detergent, for one load, you don't need to use the entire scoop, only up to the first fill line. You might find that using this reduced amount not only saves money, but gets your clothes cleaner. I have found this to be the case when doing laundry, particularly for my dark clothes.

Perhaps the last part, to recycle, is not done as often as possible is that often, municipalities make it as difficult as possible to do so. Thankfully, in my part of Prince George's County, officials have made it easy to recycle, ever since single-stream recycling has been implemented (as I mentioned in an earlier post, of Jan. 7, 2009). If you live in PG and don't have single-stream recycling yet, it will be coming to your neighborhood sometime this year. If you don't live in Prince George's County and don't have single stream recycling, contact your local public works and ask why it hasn't implemented single-stream recycling; perhaps contact P.G. County yourself and ask how it came to be put in place. Remember, plastic is made from petroleum, so when it's recycled to make new products, less petroleum overall is used in the process.

Of course, it makes sense to complete the circle, and purchase recycled goods, when you need to buy things. It's almost too easy to buy 100% recycled paper for writing or printing/copying, and the quality is the same. Actually, someone mentioned to me that the 100% recycled copy paper by Staples is better in quality than the 30% recycled version, that it was more trouble free with office equipment. If you think you can't swing the price of the recycled product, and you have a Staples rewards card, bring in your used inkjet cartridge or toner cartridge for recycling next time you go shopping there, and soon enough, you'll be getting coupons for $3, $5, $6, or more off your next purchase. Easy. Without a button.

Costco--to go or not to go, that is the question...

When Sis asked if I wanted to go with her to Costco (so she could pick up a decoration she saw there previously), I said yes, because I had my short list of stuff I was interested in, to do my buying in volume. So, on to Brandywine we go.

Yes, Costco has its Christmas decorations up (although to be fair, there were more at the nearby Target and Jo Ann's Arts & Crafts). Mom, though she says she doesn't like the place, asked me to pick up raisins. OK, fine. But then I also had to get her her honey, because it has the big jug that's cheaper (at $9.59) than the health food store price.

As Sis cruised by the jewelry (and we oohed and aahed over the cheaper and more expensive pieces--it was all I could to do tear myself away from the $59 onyx-pearl necklace), we finally parted ways to do serious shopping. There were way more clothes than last time (not interested), although last time (a few weeks ago), it had lots of regulation Redskins jerseys for $59, which, unfortunately, is fairly cheap for real NFL merchandise.

While it did have the Aveeno, there was no coupon book; currently, it's the going price per bottle (wait, it's a better price, since the twin-pack is for 2 18-ounce bottles, and the stores generally carry the 12-ounce ones--oops), I scooted past this aisle to go to the packaged foods aisle. This was where I saved money, as it had the giant size (9 ounces) of ground nutmeg for $7.39, just in time for holiday baking season. (In a previous visit, I bagged the 16-ounce bottle of vanilla for $5.39--woo hoo--as well as a 4 lb. bag of Wyman's frozen Maine blueberries, for $9.99. Those blueberries seem to be a staple of Costco, but I'm not complaining.)

However, two other bargains (they were truly lower in price than at grocery stores), were for items that I might not normally buy, at least not in those quantities, so I ended up spending more this visit than I planned to, though not a ridiculous amount.

No, you're not going to find 65 ounces of artichoke hearts in oil for $7.85 at any grocery, as they run for $4 for a tiny jar; it was a great deal, since I heart artichokes. However, since I was not expecting to find it, buying it made a slight dent in my budget. This is probably how Costco gets shoppers to spend more than intended--in addition to items it keeps in stock, it also sells a number of "surprise" items that you don't know how long will be there. Fortunately, I was somewhat able to keep this kind of spending under something resembling control, as I had been in local Costcos a couple of times, and have an idea of the kinds of things they keep stocked, although different stores may carry different items. (For instance, the one near the Pentagon stocks Bocaburgers, but Brandywine does not; Brandywine has the three-pack of Silk [at the lower Target-style price], but I didn't notice it at Pentagon. Also, the Pentagon store has beer and wine.)

The big score among these good scores (one of which was Charmin--how cliche, I know), was this find, which I had to brew as soon as I got home...

Matcha green tea, 100 bags, for $12.99, packaged by the Ito En company (a brand recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil), is an absolute steal. (Anytime you see matcha for under $30 is time for celebration.) While it seemed odd that the matcha was bagged (in sturdy polyester bags), the tea is certainly high quality, with a rich taste and deep green color. What more could you ask?

By splitting the membership (the second cardholder doesn't even have to list the address) the damage is only $25 each, you can easily score savings of more than this amount, and find more than Nine things that are worth buying at Costco, even us single folk. However, you want to make sure that, perishable or not, the things that you buy you have the space for, as some things are easier to store than others. However, although I don't have, say, a huge home or stand-alone freezer, the savings has already been worth it, and I don't leave with a huge haul.

However, if you tend to be an impulse shopper, or a clutterbug, it might be a good idea to stay away from these big box stores, as they can be too much temptation for some. As they say, different strokes for different folks.

Comfort eats on the cheap--indie edition

(View from the Amsterdam Falafel Shop.)

Sure, most of us have been metaphorically tightening our belts, as money's been tight. But sometimes even budding chefs want to get away from their own kitchens. Of course, there are choices for cheaply treating yourself without picking up food from a national chain, which often don't care what's in their food.

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The hearty aroma of fried food that a family was eating outdoors lured me to the Amsterdam Falafel Shop (although I actually ate elsewhere that evening), so I decided to quaff the in-house lemonade, for three bucks. While waiting for my liquid refreshment, I practially drooled at that giant salad bar, aka toppings bar, with all sorts of unusual things to top the fried garbanzo cutlets--fried squash, eggplant, beets, as well as the usual toppers. I have to go back--fried nutritious food and french fries (to be followed with delicious lemonade)--is too much to resist forever. After all, a half pita filled with three spicy fried bean balls for $5.50--with three kinds of salads, two kinds of sauces, and assorted pickles--this could fill you up for a couple of days.

Instead, I went to the bar down the street, the venerable "dive," Madam's Organ. Of course, the music playing and the company was all great, and it's a decent sized space, but the food and drink are, shall I say, the right price, with considerably sized portions. (What else could you expect from an establishment with its famous mural?) You can mix and match with the veggie plate, so I chose coleslaw (they don't stint with the cabbage, although it's a bit sweet), fried okra (just so-so), fries (I don't care for batter-fried fries), but the homemade cornbread is awesome. All at close to $9. However, cornbread and beer sounds like a good way to pass the time while there, so that's what I'll get next time, although the macaroni and cheese is calling.

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To fortify myself for a rough day, I recently headed to the Teaism at Penn Quarter, this time to get lunch (usually breakfast is my meal there, of ginger scones and anxi oolong tea). The time I came was the sweet spot, early, so it wasn't yet crowded. Thus, it only took five minutes for my sweet Japanese green tea (only $2) and stir-fry seitan (just under $10).

If you're thinking there's a lot of food on that plate, you'd be correct. Spinach, macadamia nuts, chile pepper, seitan, and brown rice, in a slightly sweet and spicy sauce equals yum. Again, no skimping on ingredients (although there was slightly less spinach this time than a previous visit, but I quibble). That also means that after this delicious, filling meal, there was no room for dessert, which was a shame. Maybe next time. (I haven't had the chocolate torte and green tea ice cream in a while. Uh oh.)

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Haven't had pizza in a while, so a craving may be coming on. I normally make my own, but if I eat pizza out anytime soon, I want one of the fantastic pies at Matchbox again. We had the terrific "Fire and Smoke" pizza (which was preceded by tiny brioche balls as appetizers); not only is that pizza rich and smoky, with a thin crust, but the place also has a reasonable (as in, you won't fall down laughing when you see the prices) wine list.

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I did fulfill my craving for Caribbean food when I went to the local chain, Tropicana, to pick up the small size of the brown stew tofu, a rich, mysterious, delicious concoction which comes with rice and peas and cabbage. Did I mention that I got the small size? For under $9, it was enough for dinner for two, plus lunch the next day for one. I'm curious to see how many people the large size could feed for one dinner!

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Of course, you can't forget Chinese food, particularly the lunch specials, when you want good food cheap. I had reason to scoot near, and have lunch at, The Vegetable Garden in Rockville, which was full, as usual, at lunchtime. (And also does plenty of carryout business.)

The weekday lunch special includes a soup--the spicy hot and sour soup is what I always get--along with the moo shi cilantro roll, which is OK, and some type of mysterious homemade bread, which I can forgo without guilt.

I tried a new dish, the emerald bean curd, which was nice and spicy and also seemed to contain bits of crispy mushroom. As usual, tasty and filling, but again, no room for dessert, which would have been the key lime pie, if I weren't concerned that I might explode with additional food.

The only downside to eating there, if it's rainy, is that in supposedly public transportation-friendly lower Montgomery County, you have to gently wade through this muddy mess to get through the strip mall parking lot, when coming from the subway:

Um, can't one of the most affluent jurisdictions in the nation afford to put a few bricks down to make a walkway from a popular subway stop? Way to encourage people to use public transport, MoCo!

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Periodically, the site Wisebread hosts the blog carnival, Carnival of Pecuniary Delights--I have a vintage post there, but there are lots of other good ones there as well, so stop on by. You can never have enough info on saving money, I say.