Fresh World supermarket--a fresh concept (aka eatin' good in the 'hood)?

It's still a relatively new store, this Fresh World market. A friend said a mutual friend comes here weekly to get stuff; I said I heard about it from someone else, which brought on a trip to this market on Marlboro Pike (in a former Giant supermarket), a spacious experiment of a store. Experiment because I don't know of any other international food store of this size in Prince George's County, and certainly not inside the Beltway, and not providing such a variety of foods, at reasonable, often less expensive than elsewhere. Which is saying something, considering there's an Aldi's in the next parking lot!

One (gawking) trip turned into another, and another. When you hear that Asians tend to eat more fruits and vegetables than Americans, you get visual confirmation merely from stalking the produce section, with its array of both exotic and familiar edibles, often at nice prices:

The produce sale prices here are cheaper than Shopper's--and the regular prices, too!

More fresh herbs for the same price as other grocery stores (even if the herb's name is sometimes misspelled).

Some of the wide variety of Asian vegetables, especially greens such as yu choy.

Korean cabbage, large and flat, next to "regular" cabbage, both at a great price. There's also lots of packaged tofu at inexpensive prices.

On the left is lemongrass, and on the right is fresh turmeric--how often do you find that? (Of course, I had to get some turmeric.)

Even frozen durian--which is not for the faint of heart! (Not that I've personally tried fresh or frozen durian, but made the mistake of buying (but not trying) durian-flavored wafer cookies; couldn't eat them because of the stench that flew out when I cracked open the wrapping. And this was a dried, processed durian product!) No way I'd try a fresh or frozen durian, as it would make me faint outright from the smell.

And that's just the produce section! Don't get me started on my favorite section, the tea area (and its reasonable prices for good-quality ordinary green tea):

There is also a wide variety of Thai tea, as well as more tea and coffee than you can shake a stick at. Oh, and there are aisles of Jamaican/Indian food, as well as Latin American/Peruvian food, Japanese and Korean noodles, Asian snacks and desserts, as well as American breakfast cereal, sundries, Mexican cheeses and beverages, seafood (which was larger than the meat section), and the wonders of the frozen food aisles. There's also a pasta section, which even includes whole grain pastas, as well as pizza and spaghetti sauce, as well as breads (with a focus on Latin American breads and pastries), with a smattering of Filipino breads. Hey, where'd the yummy Filipino purple yam bread go?

Not sure if they're pictured here, but I enjoyed the black sesame frozen pops--tempted to try varieties like the taro and jackfruit flavors shown above.

Now, you hear complaints about some international stores about the smell, especially from the seafood. There are occasional problems with that here, but as the store is fairly large (and relatively neat), you only notice it when you get close to the seafood section. Even Mom mentioned that other grocery stores had this problem at times, if the seafood's not also kept on ice.

With its wide variety of foodstuffs, and the diversity of clientele, as well as neighborhood people shopping, this store has potential to be an asset to its community. It's in a fitting locale, in the same shopping center as a large (and also reasonably priced) gym, the Capital Sports Complex, the former Run 'n' Shoot. Speaking of the nearby fitness center, seems that many of the fitness minded flock to this market. Hope that many more join them.

Free food?

On occasion, I've been able to accidentally score free (non-fast or processed) good food. Like today, when I went to my friendly local health food store, Brown's Market, to buy Morningstar riblets. (Haven't tried this new product yet.) Now, the riblets were not free, but, because two of the store's freezers need to be repaired, after I paid for the faux ribs, Jay literally pushed (cool, shrink-wrapped, date-stamped) sandwiches into my hands, because they have tomorrow listed as the expiration date. Not being a complete fool, and lazy to boot, I took them. (Which also means no cooking tonight, as these hearty sandwiches will go well with homemade Asian cabbage coleslaw.)

Now, I realize that the reason I got free food was that the sammiches were close to expiring, and I happened to be at the right place at the right time, but also because I'm a semi-regular customer. Whether at small grocers or fine dining establishments, the "regulars" get the occasional freebie and discounts that less frequent customers do not.

I've taken advantage of end-of-day food store discounts, and have, at times, helped others to them. For instance, when I worked at the downtown Firehook location, on Fridays the remaining food that couldn't be taken to another local branch was (and still is) discounted by 50% in the final hour before closing, because that particular store is closed on the weekends. So, as a customer, I've periodically mozied down there to bring home tasty goods for the weekend, like cornbread (which is not painfully sweet like Whole Foods').

Of course, small restaurants like the Vegetable Garden (yum!) and chains alike offer loyalty cards, in which you get a card stamped after each visit, and get the number "x" purchase free. Of course, the best way to save money overall on food is using careful observation of prices and food amounts at all food stores and restaurants in your area.

Not-so-free food...

I got roped into baking loaves of the fabled, admittedly delicious Amish friendship bread (pictured above) after a friend handed me a giant ziploc of the infamous beige goo. One problem with this cakelike quickbread was simply the timing--it's not the right time of year for baking, especially sweet spicy cakes (or chocolate desserts). For some reason I assumed the friendship was a true sourdough. NOT. Thus, why all the fuss?

My real gripe with the fussy treat is not the number of days (10) or steps required, but the sheer number and variety of ingredients used, which boggles the mind. For instance, because the starter contains yeast, why the need to add both baking powder and baking soda? Also, since the recipe calls for eggs and oil just before baking, what's the point of adding instant pudding mix (which is mostly sugar and cornstarch)?

Granted, the final product tastes like cinnamon doughnuts in loaf form, but I've had, and baked from scratch, other delicious cakes that took a lot less effort and fewer ingredients. Hmm, I guess this bread was not so "free" after all.

My Own Private Earth Day...

The other day, when the weather was cooperative (hours before drenching rain fell), I performed one of the rites of spring, cutting the first grass of the season. What makes this ritual green? Well, when you cut grass with a manual lawn mower and leave the clippings behind, you have grass cycled. Grass cycling occurs when you leave the clippings behind on the lawn; when done frequently enough, the clippings decompose into the soil, nourishing it.

Not only did this make the lawn look better, but because there's a small hill, the task also helped tone my glutes, making it unnecessary to go to the gym early in the week. (A small blessing, for it took long enough to recover from my recent gym visit, the first in years!) Knocking out two tasks at once--that's the easy earth friendly way to do things!

* * *

Pamper yourself for Earth Day, part II

To replenish some items running perilously low, I made one of my occasional trips to Whole Foods (occasional because there's not one close to me); I was disciplined enough to buy everything on my list, but not disciplined enough to limit my purchases to things on the list! This is a perennial temptation with that store, because it has vegetarian items at the lowest prices around, sucking you into its vortex of buying more, more, more! Even worse (or better, depending on your view), there are gobs of appealing petroleum-free products (if not their packaging) that look and smell good which I feel I must purchase while there. Prime suspects include the wonderful Badger line of lip balms, particularly the lemon-ginger flavor, which keeps lips wonderfully moist, and even gives a nice hint of flavor, in contrast to the common petro-balms.

Now, I couldn't stop there with the eco-pampering; I just had to buy the Burt's Bees grapefruit and sugar beet shampoo, after swooning over the refreshing fragrance. I don't feel guilty with these "splurges," because frankly the cost of many of these products is comparable to their drugstore and grocery counterparts.

Oh, food. Bought that too, along with supplements. The store brand has the cheapest price on grapeseed extract (100 mg. veggie capsules), so I scooped that up. Also had good prices on organic citrus, bags of lemon and lime in particular, so into the cart they went.

When you can find organic citrus at a good price ($3.99 for a bag of lemons), go for it, because most pesticide ends up on fruit skin. The skin of fruit like lemons (aka zest) is used extensively to add flavor, so the organic version is a good thing. (This is for pampering of the taste buds.)

Another enjoyable eco-splurge (well, not so much of a splurge, because it's only $8.95), is the solid perfume from Pacifica--yes, the candle people. The gardenia scent smells just like the candle, so you can imagine how good it smells! Best of all, it comes in a small, portable container and lasts a long time, months in fact, even when used every day. Bought it from an unusual source, though, Borders Books. (Then again, I've also bought many Pacifica candles there--wonder how long the store will keep that up. Particularly because the same store seems to have a problem with having bookstands in stock, as using bookstands is a good way to pamper your neck and shoulders while reading!)

* * *

The rest of my purse got a break in Whole Foods bulk foods section. Of course, you can save loads of money, as this is the DIY part of the store, where you bag as much as you want of what's in bulk. This type of bulk buying can benefit anyone, from singles to couples to families, because you only buy as much as you want. This time, I went for nutritional yeast, baby lima beans, French lentils, regular oatmeal, and blueberry granola. The last one is one of my favorite cereals, and I prefer to get it at Whole Foods, not only because it's tasty, but because the cost of boxed cereal is beyond ridiculous.

Enough about Earth Day from these parts; I plan to simply enjoy the rest of the day!

Savings are always in season...

Saving money depends on timing, as the prices (and availability) of items varies like the seasons. For instance, late last week, the cheapest items at the grocery were, of course, food in season, so strawberries were three packages for $5, and were snapped up; I've never seen so many containers of fresh strawberries tossed into carts like so many rags! (I couldnt' resist playing the tossing game myself.) Naturally, eggs weren't left out of the festivities, as Easter was around the corner--at Giant, you could get two one-dozen cartons of eggs for the price of one dozen. Great for kids dyeing eggs for Easter, or for adults planning an Easter meal (ahem).

Meal planning around in-season food helps you shop more cheaply (because of supply and demand), more nutritiously (as the food is not trucked from half a world away), more deliciously (also because your food doesn't need to take the red-eye), with less stress (no wondering if you'll be able to find a particular food if you buy with an eye to what's available now). And who needs more stress!

It's easier to save precious funds if you anticipate when certain items may become more plentiful (supply and demand at work again), for when their production is ramped up, they're put on sale. For instance, because there's overlap between school/academic supplies and office supplies, August is an excellent time to stock up on office supplies. As I have an addiction to using the durable, unassuming product known as clear packing tape, I've found that a good time to buy it is in November, when people are preparing Christmas presents to be sent.

Yes, I clip the occasional coupon, which can come in handy (particularly because I carry a small coupon book organized into categories), but I find coupons to be hit or miss--some weeks you find all kinds of products, others none. Attempting to use Internet coupons is even more frustrating, plowing through multiple pages of items in order to see something that might interest me. Ick.

Internet strategies that work better for me include going to the websites of stores I often visit, or are likely to visit, as not all sales are advertised; Whole Foods never advertises sale items, but has them all the same, and I've dropped in on clearance sales at independent stores like Pangea (items that aren't even listed as being on sale on its site). It's also helpful to occasionally browse manufacturer websites to find coupons.

I've also had success with e-mail alerts from retailers; in this way, I'm notified of sales ahead of the general public. For instance, Borders sends coupons approximately twice a month, usually for 30 percent off (and not only for books--I've purchased items like solid perfume there and used a coupon). Around Christmas, their coupons are for 40 percent off! Filene's Basement and Comfort One Shoes also believe in the e-mail love. The latter's products are not inexpensive, but come from quality manufacturers, and with my shoe size and podiatric problems, I need to get durable, high-quality shoes that I can afford. (Ha!) Well, a few months ago, Comfort One had a clearance sale (and could have taught the now-defunct swindlers Circuit City what a REAL sale looks like), for the sale was for 85% off selected items, on top of previous reductions of 40% off. On the first day of the sale, there was plentiful, attractive merchandise, even in my size, so I pounced on a cute pair of comfortable pumps, which were affordable at last (at $50, down from the Olympian heights of $195). Woo hoo!

Many people make the mistake of assuming that a store's looks predicts how reasonable its prices are, and are thus convinced that Target is much more expensive than Walmart because it tends to be neater. Many folks in this area have long made the assumption that Giant is more expensive than Safeway because Giant's stores tend to be cleaner and more organized. The truth is, Giant's prices are often more reasonable than Safeway's, sale or no sale (why else would McCormick flavor extract cost a whole two dollars more at Safeway, when neither store was having a sale on baking products?), and are often comparable to those at Shoppers Food Warehouse, although Shoppers tends to be cheaper for most products.

Shoppers is cheaper for most things, but not everything. Although I'm not near a Super-Target, the Target that's closest does have some food, on shelves and a small refrigerated and freezer section. For some reason, it carries the best prices around on Silk soymilk, consistently selling it for 50 cents less than Shoppers! Even better, Silk is periodically on sale at Target for two for $5. Target also carries some frozen vegetarian items, for a good 50 cents less than Shoppers, and is a good place to buy name-brand grape and/or cranberry juice, as it's noticeably cheaper at there.

When it comes to saving money, it's like the saying, "don't assume, because when you assume, you make an a** out of you and me."

Christmas sparkle, green edition...

The Internet is brimming with tips on green gifts, entertaining, and the like. Of course, it helps to have your place decked out, the better to get in the mood for seasonal festivities. There's no need to empty an already-thin wallet or further foul the planet to make your abode all sparkly for the season.

Reuse

I was walking, walking down the street...and spied something nice on the ground--a lovely winterberry branch--which I promptly took home to stick in a vase.

[Cost=zero, or the cost of picking up the branch off of the ground.] Also free for the snipping, boughs of (evergreen) holly which I have in the yard. Both the wintergreen and other hollies will keep about a week or so indoors.

It doesn't hurt to retrieve a few free finds left over from the year before (or the year before that), such as:

[Cost=zero. However, my chances of finding the above (hickory?) nuts this season would also be zero, because they have been AWOL in this part of Maryland this year!] (Neither have I seen the usually plentiful acorns.)

Recycle

A live tree for a small house--the solution--a small tree! You get the pine aroma throughout the house, but in a size where you can get the tree in the house. (And have a choice as to where in the house to place it.)

When the holiday season is over, this little pine will be broken into small pieces and scattered over the ground to decompose.

[Cost=$10, at Whole Foods. Because I had my own decorations, I was able to stay away from Whole Paycheck's obvious sucker bait, such as the bags of cinnamon-scented pine cones.] However, I wish the store had the little rosemary trees, which appear fuller.

The tiny decorations were purchased last year, from Dollar Tree, which is cheaper than too-chinchy-to-pay-for-security Walmart. (Also, while both chains sell scads of made-in-China trinkets, Dollar Tree has a larger selection of Christmas decorations). Go figure.

All other decorations were saved from the year before--purchased at Target the day after Christmas, at a massive discount, so I spent no more than $6.

Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

In these tough times...

P.G. County is taking extreme measures to attempt to make up its budget shortfall, such as furloughs for county employees, including paramedics! 9News Now obtained a (verified) list of county medic units, which contains many of the dates that furloughs will be taking place. (I assume this means that those units are down one or more persons for those stretches. This means no newbies need cook on those days!)

This is seriously scary--although it appears that at least all units will be at full capacity for Halloween, which, I presume, must be a time when all emergency hands are needed on deck. However, one unit will have furloughs taking place Christmas week, which means don't drink too much eggnog that week if you live or party in the Largo area!

* * *

Speaking of needing to cut back on expenses, I've been able to cut down ~$40 last month on my electric bill, and $40 the month before that, as well as money on the gas bill, dough which has come in handy.

How did I do it? (And yes, I do use lights in the house when needed.) For one, I've become more careful about how lights are used--not every room needs to be lit in the evening; maybe one room in the front, another in the back, but not both back rooms--just the one that I happen to be using.

I also turn off the computer when leaving for extended periods, which means turning off the monitor as well (which people seem to forget to do in business settings), and switching to the "off" position on the PC's power strip.

When cooking, I often partially or fully cook something, like potatoes, in the microwave, then transfer the goods to the toaster oven to crisp. For a household of two, this greatly cuts both time and gas used! I've used that toaster oven to make a small tray of homemade biscuits, homemade cornbread, and other things that I couldn't be bothered to warm up a large over for. Apparently, other folk have latched onto the wonders of the little appliance that could. I consider the toaster oven a wonder of the modern green kitchen...

However, I'm not about to give up the microwave, not when I can use it to make a five-minute miracle like the aptly-named Absolutely Divine Microwave Chocolate Cake. This deliciously rich, yet dairyfree dessert has a permanent place in my culinary repetoire, if only because you can whip it up from scratch from what you may already have at home, and is perfect for any time of year, as there is no need to heat up an oven to make this small cake. (My only gripe is that after the initial 1 minute heating, you need to cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, so that overall cooking time is about 5 minutes. Overall preparation time should be 15 minutes or less.) Yum!

Saving Green, Two Ways!

Running errands, my Staples Rewards coupons come in handy. Today, they effectively enabled me to purchase an inkjet cartridge for free! Even better is that you get rewards points two ways--by making a purchase, of course, or when you return used ink cartridges for recycling. Actually, I think you get more rewards points for turning in the used cartridges, as you get three rewards points each.

Best of all, the quarterly rewards coupons can be used toward the purchase of practically any type of office supply at Staples. Woo hoo!

* * *

I had stopped using a trusty push lawn mower a few years ago, after a screw fell out. However, in desperation, I tried the old Handy 38 comfort mower again a few weeks ago, in hopes that it might do something. Although it had not only a screw gone, but a wheel had (recently) fallen off, like a Timex watch, it kept going and going! I've used it again a few times since, and am impressed with its toughness, and pleased that I don't have to worry about electrical outlets or batteries for this device, or gas fumes.

Pamper Yourself for Earth Day...

It's easy to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle without a great cash outlay, and be good to yourself at the same time!


Looking good

Zuzu Luxe Cosmetics (found online and at Pangea in Rockville) and Ecco Bella (online and at Whole Foods Markets) make high-quality cosmetics which are equivalent in cost to what you'll find at the grocery store or drugstore, as makeup isn't exactly cheap anymore. The lipstick from both brands glide smoothly and have a wide range of colors for all complexions.


Smelling good

You can smell good and save serious cash by switching the type of fragrance you purchase, from a commercial brand to a fragrance oil. Aromas set in oil last longer than those set in alcohol, as the commercial ones are, so a little goes a long way. The Attar Bazaar line of fragrance oils, available online and at Whole Foods, comes in tiny vials at $8 apiece, but then you only need a drop at a time. You can even try them at the store to see which one(s) you like before you buy. What a deal!


Feeling good

If you enjoy scented container candles, particularly the environmentally responsible soy or beeswax container candles, you can be both frugal and pamper yourself. When the wick is almost burned down to the metal wickholder, where you can almost see it through the wax, light the wick, blow it out, then quickly fish out the wickholder before the wax turns cold; soywax tends to be warm, but not burning hot, so this is OK. [Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to re-use the wickholder.] Put the wax in another container, like your mother did back in the day when she saved bacon grease. Use this wax on your hands for a personal, paraffin-free hand treatment! Of course, other parts of your body would appreciate this spa treatment, particularly when the weather turns cold, as candlewax softens the skin like nobody's business yet is not greasy like baby oil. You can do this with many candle brands, such as Method (whose grapefruit pear scent is now, unfortunately, only available online), not just particular brands touted as being massage oil candles.

This is Earth Day done right: kicking back, sitting pretty, and saving bucks!

Merrier Christmas?

Thanksgiving was great--the folks came to my house, and were satisfied. Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike got along, as all the sides were veg-friendly (the gravy was made with vegetarian bouillon, etc.), and everyone loved the green bean casserole, a recipe which was adapted from the Silk soymilk website. (My change was to fry some shallots separately, and mix half of them in the casserole, and put the other half on top.) To me, however, one of the best things about the whole week of Thanksgiving is having sweet potato pie for breakfast, the best breakfast in the world!

I should have known--they want me to host Christmas, too! Actually, that sounds wonderful, as Thanksgiving went without a hitch because I started planning in October, around Halloween, decorating, and all that good stuff.

I like to decorate au naturel, in part because of principle, but also because it's cheap. I mean, why pay for faux leaves when you can, literally, pick them up off the ground? That's what I do--I walk through the neighborhood, and look for dropped pine cones, and for the tree that's dropped small branches of needles, to use indoors as short garlands. Actually, as long as they're still green while on the ground, the pine branches will look fresh for weeks indoors and, of course, dry pine cones are usable forever. (So, again, why do people buy fake ones?)

However, the tricky plant, at least in terms of trying to keep it fresh when cut, is the holly. Fortunately, I have a decent sized holly right outside, with large, glossy leaves, and its brimming with berries, so I decided to test how to best keep them fresh when cut. Last week, I cut quite a few from this tree/bush, and kept half in a plastic bag; the other ones I applied oil to, in an effort to help them keep moisture, in order to keep them fresh longer. Well, last night I peeked in the plastic bag for the first time in almost a week, and those holly branches look fresher than the ones that I babied with all the oil! [Another year, I tried Future floor polish as a holly preservative, which worked for a couple of weeks, but made a mess in the house, as you can imagine, when it began to dry in the bowl in which I dipped the plants. ]

Let's not even discuss those lovely tiny stone pine and rosemary plants available at Whole Foods for the holidays, as they tempt me to take them home, and promptly kill them with my black thumb! (However, I have found that rosemary branches do quite well when kept submerged in water, whether on the table or in the refrigerator. Just change the water every few days...whether they retain enough flavor to use for potato dishes is another matter, though.)

* * *

This may be the time of year to consider when, and how, to give gifts to colleagues and other business associates. Of course, sites offering gift ideas are a dollar a dozen, but there are also websites with guidelines on appropriate corporate gift-giving (and not just from American Express), knowledge which makes the holidays less stressful already!

Not for Kids Only, Part II, or, the Mo' Money Edition

I'm pleased with myself, finally taking to heart Suze Orman's advice not to spend the change, but save it. The practical difficulty, until recently, has been in finding a good place to park the coins.

A small "toy" (well, that's how it's marketed, unfortunately), to the rescue--the Money Savvy Pig. I got one as a giveaway, at the Wachovia booth at a convention, and I've been using it ever since. A modern-day incarnation of the old faithful savings device, this piggy is translucent, and available in a number of colors to boot. Most important, instead of the one drop-in slot for the loot, there are four slots, as well as four piggy feet that you use to empty the plastic porker, each slot corresponding to a foot, which you open to empty that particular chamber.

Although the four chambers are labeled "save," "donate," "spend," and "invest," I use the compartments my own way, of course, and ignore the labels. Instead, I designated each slot for a particular coin denomination--the first for pennies, the second, nickels, etc. That way, as each compartment fills up, I can open its foot, and slide its coins into a roll or rolls, which will prove a big timesaver over having the coins mixed, which meant having to separate them into separate stacks for rolls.

The pig is available at http://www.toysrus.com/, of course, as well as other Internet sites, for about $15. It's the creation of a company called Money Savvy Generation, a corporation started by a mother wishing to teach her children about money and saving. (It markets another product called 'Cash Cow.')

As great as I think the product is, I think it's a mistake to limit the marketing primarily to the schoolyard set, as people of all ages need help learning how to save, and all the practical encouragement that they can get, if the recent statistics on the dismal American savings rate are any indication.

* * *

Mo' Money, Mo' Money...

A website that generally dedicates itself to the time management principles of GTD ("getting things done") has recently focused on sites that deal with money management--the other side of the coin to time management, so to speak. 43 Folders' emphasis on all things monetary had various strategies for keeping (and even earning) more money. What a concept!

I agree with many of the sentiments in the Free Money Finance article, The Fastest Way to Get Out of Debt, because it works! (I've used the same principles in the past to pay off debt.) I would add that to take full advantage of the timing of your income, particularly to pay off the largest debts (or to make a large purchase in cash), it's best to take a calendar to map out a year at a time, circle every payday, and note the months in which you have more than two paydays. Depending on the day of the week you are paid, the number of months in which you have more than two paydays works out to two to four months of the year! Combine this knowledge with snowballing the payoff of debts, as Dave Ramsey recommends [which, I can say from experience works, and which I did before I even heard of Mr. Ramsey], and you will see great progress in debt reduction in a year's time.

* * *

The most practical book I've read (and, more importantly, purchased) on personal finance is All Your Worth, co-authored by Elizabeth Warren and her daughter Amelia Warren Tyagi, because the ladies tell you which financial moves you should make, and, crucially, in which order you should make them--should you pay off your debts first, or save for retirement first? (Or at the same time?) Warren the Elder and the Younger tell you how, why, and even give permission to have a little fun money! (Thankfully, the book is a no-scold zone.)

Elizabeth Warren, who used to be a Republican until she started research on the reasons that people declare bankruptcy, currently writes a column, Warren Reports on the Middle Class for the blog TPM Cafe, concentrating on financial issues that affect the average person, particularly on how companies are trying to wheedle more money from our pockets. A must-read.

* * *

Granted, this topic does not affect me, as I use a prepaid cell phone (don't blab enough to justify a bill of $40 a month, at a minimum), but bet'cha didn't know that you can ditch your cell phone contract without incurring the wrath of a termination fee! In fact, you don't even need to give up your phone number. Good news!

Funny Money

Momma always told me to watch those scanners at the grocery store (or to check my receipt afterwards). I recently caught a whopper of a mistake (the store's "mistake") by doing this. I had happily caught some sale items, including Corinth grapes, commonly known as 'champagne grapes'. They, and all the other grape varieties, were .99/lb. earlier in the week, so I grabbed a couple of one-pound clamshells of grapes, and made it to the checkout line.

Now, even when you use one of the store "discount" cards, it's impossible to know if the item's price is properly entered in the store's system, as it shows up as the "regular" price on the screen as the item is being rung up. You only know by looking at the receipt afterwards if the appropriate amount was taken off to provide the "discount." Thus, only after I peered down at the receipt afterwards did I realize that I was charged $1.49 each for the .99 grapes. I wuz robbed! I was also too tired to go back that same evening, so I decided to return the next day.

I'm glad I decided to wait. I don't think I would have had the energy to deal with the clerks' obfuscation and condescension the previous day. First, they tried to tell me that the sale price was only for a pound of grapes, which I knew. I told them that the grapes only came in one-pound packages. For some reason they chose to think that I didn't know what a pound was, and one of them went to the grape display to weigh some grapes. Sure enough, the grapes were all in one pound packages. Puh-leeze!

The (apparent) head customer service clerk then decided that the champagne grapes weren't included as one of the grape types on sale. I said not only that they were, but that they were printed on the in-store signs displayed nearby, and went with her to point them out. I then asked (for the third time) if I could have another package of grapes to make up for being overcharged for two, to which she finally agreed.

The grapes scanned at the wrong (regular) price multiple times, even when the customer service clerk scanned them, which makes me wonder if this was a pricing strategy on the part of the store, to overcharge while claiming a sale price, and not a mere mistake.

Is this kind of behavior what typically happens when a respected regional grocery chain is bought by an international corporation, one whose name, unfortunately, rhymes (in part) with a common unmentionable word?

Arbor Day--Here's to Keeping It Green

You remember when you were in school and when Arbor Day rolled around, you and your classmates planted trees around the schoolyard or in a local park? Those of you still so inclined might want to browse the site for the Arbor Day Foundation, where you can receive great trees for a small donation. Another great arboreal project to support might be to help revive the fortunes of the once-mighty American chestnut, most of them having been felled by disease decades ago, and find out why they were know as the redwood of the East.

My way of observing the day will be to save some trees, by saving paper. To get started recycling paper, you might consult one of the following practical guides: Xerox's Business Guide to Waste Reduction and Recycling, or the Office Paper Recycling Guide. Naturally, you want to complete the cycle by purchasing and using recycled paper, when you do use paper. I like the Xerox 100% Recycled Multipurpose Paper (20 lb.), which is widely available from Staples. I'm able to afford this slightly pricey paper because I've cut way down on both my use of paper and (expensive!) printer ink, saving money as well as natural resources when printing, especially when printing from the Internet.

Paper/Ink/Space/Money-Saving Internet Printing Tips

• The first tip might be not to print from the Internet at all, especially from a site you're not sure you'll visit again. Instead, use an online bookmark manager service such as Furl or Spurl (both are free; you simply need to register and create a username and password). In addition to storing particular web pages, these services archive them (allowing you to create your own Wayback Machine, in effect), eliminating the problem of extinct links. Moreover, you can use them with most browsers, and on more than one computer--like portable bookmarks. (Thus, if your own PC is unavailable, you can sign onto the service on another computer and access your bookmarks from there. [Using Furl, you don't even need to download the software onto another computer--simply go to Furl.net and sign in]).

• One of the most frugal printing habits, if you still decide to print, is to always use the Print Preview, before (and after, when possible) hitting the "printer" or "printer-friendly" type button. It shows the entire number of pages in the file--and lets you know which pages are worth printing. Look at the first and last pages of the preview, so that you can find any mystery blank pages, or extraneous stuff on the first or last page that's not worth printing. That way, you can then specify which pages you wish to print, and leave any pages you don't want to print out of the print range. You can also check margins while in this mode and see if they need adjusting (especially if you notice that the endings of words are cut off near the right margin). If possible, place a Print Preview button on the toolbar of your browser for quick access.
  

• Even if you're about to print from a PDF version of a document, peruse the first and last pages of the document before printing--they may be blank, or have information that is not relevant for your purposes; you can then also decide to specify a print range, and print from there.
  

• Please get into the habit of using Ctrl-P, instead of using the Print icon on IE. This will allow you to choose the thrifty-printing options before printing. Often, clicking on a Print button immediately prints your file, with all the wasteful defaults. (One exception is the Netscape 7.xx Print icon, which always allows you to choose options first, and also contains the Print Preview feature for convenience). Another good practice might be to print from within the 'Print Preview' mode (which also allows you to select the frugal printing options).
  

• Print using black ink when printing text. It's cheaper, prints faster than color, and you don't have to worry about running out of a particular color. My HP printer requires that there be both a color and black cartridge in the printer when printing, but I keep the color one empty and only use (and replace) the black one.
  

• Unless you're printing the final copy of a resume, choose the 'draft', 'fast', or similar print quality print, for you probably won't notice much difference between that and the more thirsty print quality options. Plus, the file prints much faster using the draft mode, and uses much less ink.
  

• Choose a double-sided printing option when printing more than one page. (HP refers to it as "book" printing). This option massively cuts the amount of paper printed for most files, by half for a file with an even number of pages! You access it from the Print menu's Properties button.
  

• If printing a single page that you don't want to waste ink on giant mastheads or ads, after choosing the print-friendly icon (if available), highlight the text you wish to print, then Ctrl-P, click in the Selection button, choose the print quality, and click OK. Selecting text to print is also useful when you have a document that is, say, barely two pages long; by lopping off the masthead and ads, you can often make it a one-page file (putting less wear and tear on your printer). Selecting text is also useful if you wish to print from a site that does not have a "print-friendly" icon. Highlight the desired text, choose the double-sided, draft, and black ink options, and see how the page prints. Often, the site will print the pages just as you wanted. (This is where that middle scroll bar on your mouse comes in handy.)
  

• Some final frugal moves for anyone familiar with bookmarklets might be to use one of the following: Hide Images, whenever the "printer-friendly" button still allows ads through, and Restore Selecting, if highlighting text on a site does not work at first.

Hope this helps ease your paper jam.

Spring...Bargains?

Yesterday being the first day of meteorological spring (whatever that means) means that spring is not far behind, and good eats and good times are on the heels.

I previously opined that it is not difficult to eat well. This can be true even if you are on a budget. Just because you may watch the dollars and cents closely doesn't mean that you can only do food shopping at Walmart, Costco, or Sam's. The fact is, bargains can be found in many food stores, in certain categories, if you know how to look.

Take independent health food stores, for instance. If nothing else, you can head for the bulk section, where you can find both culinary and medicinal herbs. Huge savings potential, for herbs and spices, much of the cost for these items is in the packaging. Once you start scouring this section, there is no good reason not to save money by spicing up your cooking. If these stores have produce sections, peek at them, for you may find bargains on in-season produce.

The other potential giant savings in this area is that you can buy medicinal herbs in bulk, buy the [often vegetarian] capsules in bulk, and make your own herbal supplements! I often do this with turmeric, making my own capsules, and saving tremendously over buying, say, a bottle of turmeric supplements (as turmeric is believed to have powerful anti-inflammatory properties).

This same type of savings applies if you happen to stop in a higher-priced food store. Whole Foods has an extensive bulk food section, and watch to see which produce items are on sale (it is a health food store that has a sales flyer, as do some other health food stores, which may not have the money to widely advertise their specials). Would I shock you to say that you can find bargains even at Dean & Deluca? Yes, it's true. The bargains are in (you guessed it) the herb and spice section, where the items are carried in relatively large metal containers, for reasonable prices (more reasonable than McCormicks, and of comparable quality). Rodman's, the two-store original discount gourmet merchant of the Washington area, has better deals than the newcomer Trader Joe's (as well as a weekly special ad in the Washington Post). Finding good food bargains is often a matter of keeping your eyes open and your preconceptions at bay.