Andrea, could you get your Costco to do round cakes, or did your sister have sheets? I ask because I like Costco so much more than I like Sam's, but they wouldn't make my round cakes ;(
I bought my first car last year, and got a bunch of extras that I didn't need (warranty, Lo Jack), and what they kept giving me was the monthly payment info, which barely goes up as you add thousands of dollars to your final price. I was supposed to get away with an out-the-door price of $17K plus my trade-in, but I ended up with a loan for $21K. NEVER let them pull that whole "monthly payment" crap on you.
Also, I regret not selling my car on craigslist on my own. I would have had $5K in cash rather than a trade-in valued at just above $3K. It would have taken some extra work, but I could have done it.
Don't worry - WiseBread authors are a diverse bunch, from all over the place. But the one thing that we have in common is that we are all raging alcoholics.
And Will, same here: in my family, once the wine starts flowing, things get dangerous. A canasta tournament was destroyed when one family member got sick of being unable to meld and through the decks of cards across the room. Other ugly incidents involve Pictionary and liberal use of the one-fingered salute.
Super list there, Mrs. Frugal. My sister did some similar things with her wedding - we made the invites and the programs, which rocked, she had her dress made by our favorite aunt, and we got the huge chocolate cakes from Costco for, like, $13 each.
She hired a wonderful woman from our hometown farmer's market to do the bouquets, so for a couple hundred bucks, we were decked out in all kinds of fragrant lillies. Each centerpiece was a bouquet in a stainless steel bowl (bought at Target for, like, $5 each), and it looked awesome. Not reusable, mind you, but gorgeous, and good gifts for the staff that helped serve the wine at the venue they had hired.
I've been browsing through Wisebread and notice that you guys cover wine and beer a lot more than the other personal finance blogs. Are you guys European or something?
I meant "cars" of course. Not cards. Sorry. A bit of background, I'm four years out of college with an ok job (making about 50K) with no family. I want to get something that is not as boring as a Camry or Accord, but also don't want to get something completely impractical. Advice?
From my experience kbb valuations are at the lower end of price range. Make sure to use a few resources, plus do your own research.
Coincidently I just wrote about buying a car yesterday on my blog. I hate dealers just as much and prefer doing negotiations over email. I just don't feel comfortable at that table!
Here are a couple more interesting related car buying resources:
Hey Cindy,
Thanks for sticking around for part 2. It took a lot longer to think through and prepare this article, but I think it was worth it. I don't want anyone out there feeling daunted by doing battle with a dealership. Please check back in and tell us how you got on. I'm sure you'll get a deal.
paul I liked your first car post so stuck around for the second. while I am not sure a broker is for me I think your current information applies to me. this information definitely helps. I will check back with you and let you know what kind of car I get.
Regarding mochi, a couple things: As Andrea said, the ice cream ones at Trader Joe's are not the traditional ones, but rather a fun recent variation. The ones I'm talking about are balls of rice dough with a small amount of sweet red bean paste in the middle. They are squishy, chewy, stretchy, and delightfully soft to the touch due to the starchy coating. It's a texture I've not seen in any other foods. And yes, they are traditionally Japanese, but I was first introduced to them through Korean avenues, and I always find a wider variety at Korean stores. Not surprising though -- there's plenty of overlap between those two.
And Jessica, you know, my mom dragged us to middle eastern stores all the time and my sister and i HATED them. People were rude and pushy, they smelled weird (the stores, not the people! well... sometimes the people), they weren't pristine and sterile like the supermarkets our friends surely shopped happily at. It's funny how eventually, we do turn into our moms though.
As someone who only drinks wine for health reasons I fully embrace the growing popularity of box wines. They are more convenient and easier to keep. I've never heard of boxwines.org. Thank you for the tip.
I couldn't agree more - those of us with frugal tendencies need to make room for some materialistic pleasure in our lives! Otherwise, life becomes a bit of a death march - a never-ending grind; endless self-denial.
We all go through times where we have to go to our own personal extremes of frugality. When there's only $3 left in your bank account, you might skimp even on going to the library because of the price of gas. Or, when you're unemployed, you may wear your last pair of contacts for several months on end. Or, when you have credit card debt, you eat many meals of lentils with rice; or ramen; or canned tuna.
So it's kind of weird when you're fully employed, fully out of debt and realize you can buy higher quality ingredients at the grocery store if you want! Or indulge some other materialistic want, like an MP3 player. There is definitely a personal balance we need to strike in order to be financially healthy yet enjoy our lives; allow ourselves some new non-Walmart goods once in a while but not get swept up in materialism!!
You're right about the way-too-snooty way we look at wine. It's just a drink!
It's fun to consider, but really, we don't need fancy Riedel glasses to enjoy some fermented grape juice. Also, consider the cork versus screwcap controversy. Traditionalists are screaming over the death of corks, but real traditionalists know corks weren't around back in the day.
I am constantly amazed at the prices I come across at my local ethnic shops. For instance a local Mexican farmer's market often has avacados 5 for 3 dollars, and nice one at that. Farmer's markets in general have wonderful prices, and better quality produce.
My favorite Asian supermarket also has wonderful prices. Sriacha sauce for $2.49 vs. $4 at my regular grocery store, huge bottles of good soy sauce for under $2. I can go on forever. Not to mention great prices on knifes and other cooking utensils.
Also I must say these type of shopping excursions are always fun for me as I am a product packaging junkie, and a professional people watcher. If I had kids, I would schlep them along so they could see that there was life beyond the megamart.
Andrea you wrote "where host Pat Verreto’s outdated thumbnail image convinced me that frugality meant that I was doomed to a life of white turtleneck sweaters and large Coke bottle glasses" and I almost choked on my store-brand mineral water.
That poor woman also scared the hell out of me this past year. I came across the same site when I was faced with the sad state of my finances. In fact I recall posting her picture elsewhere. Come to think of it, a large majority of the frugality sites made think I was destined to make prarie dresses at home and hoard empty bleach bottles.
But you know, style goes beyond thrift. There are some very well-to-do folks out there who make her look ready for the runway. If you have an ounce of fashion sense, you can still look good and be frugal.I need to remind myself that next time I find myself wandering into Sephora.
Andrea, could you get your Costco to do round cakes, or did your sister have sheets? I ask because I like Costco so much more than I like Sam's, but they wouldn't make my round cakes ;(
As a rule, I'm afraid to attempt cooking anything that sounds even vaguely French. Thanks for taking the risk out of bisque.
And no, no, I couldn't resist that.
I bought my first car last year, and got a bunch of extras that I didn't need (warranty, Lo Jack), and what they kept giving me was the monthly payment info, which barely goes up as you add thousands of dollars to your final price. I was supposed to get away with an out-the-door price of $17K plus my trade-in, but I ended up with a loan for $21K. NEVER let them pull that whole "monthly payment" crap on you.
Also, I regret not selling my car on craigslist on my own. I would have had $5K in cash rather than a trade-in valued at just above $3K. It would have taken some extra work, but I could have done it.
Don't worry - WiseBread authors are a diverse bunch, from all over the place. But the one thing that we have in common is that we are all raging alcoholics.
And Will, same here: in my family, once the wine starts flowing, things get dangerous. A canasta tournament was destroyed when one family member got sick of being unable to meld and through the decks of cards across the room. Other ugly incidents involve Pictionary and liberal use of the one-fingered salute.
Super list there, Mrs. Frugal. My sister did some similar things with her wedding - we made the invites and the programs, which rocked, she had her dress made by our favorite aunt, and we got the huge chocolate cakes from Costco for, like, $13 each.
She hired a wonderful woman from our hometown farmer's market to do the bouquets, so for a couple hundred bucks, we were decked out in all kinds of fragrant lillies. Each centerpiece was a bouquet in a stainless steel bowl (bought at Target for, like, $5 each), and it looked awesome. Not reusable, mind you, but gorgeous, and good gifts for the staff that helped serve the wine at the venue they had hired.
Thank you Sarah for such a detailed analysis. Sayulita sounds amazing. I hope we get to see some pictures. =)
that's too bad. I would totally buy a car from that guy in the picture!!!
I've been browsing through Wisebread and notice that you guys cover wine and beer a lot more than the other personal finance blogs. Are you guys European or something?
I meant "cars" of course. Not cards. Sorry. A bit of background, I'm four years out of college with an ok job (making about 50K) with no family. I want to get something that is not as boring as a Camry or Accord, but also don't want to get something completely impractical. Advice?
Just wondering.
From my experience kbb valuations are at the lower end of price range. Make sure to use a few resources, plus do your own research.
Coincidently I just wrote about buying a car yesterday on my blog. I hate dealers just as much and prefer doing negotiations over email. I just don't feel comfortable at that table!
Here are a couple more interesting related car buying resources:
10 common car-buying mistakes from ConsumerReports
Best new car purchase tactic from AutoBrokerMagic
I'm not such a handsome devil. (sorry, bad pun)
with the info from your piece I think I will do much better. is that you in the picture by the way?
Hey Cindy,
Thanks for sticking around for part 2. It took a lot longer to think through and prepare this article, but I think it was worth it. I don't want anyone out there feeling daunted by doing battle with a dealership. Please check back in and tell us how you got on. I'm sure you'll get a deal.
paul I liked your first car post so stuck around for the second. while I am not sure a broker is for me I think your current information applies to me. this information definitely helps. I will check back with you and let you know what kind of car I get.
Paul, thanks for a great post! I didn't know the dealer was legally required to show you their invoice price. That's really good to know!
Regarding mochi, a couple things: As Andrea said, the ice cream ones at Trader Joe's are not the traditional ones, but rather a fun recent variation. The ones I'm talking about are balls of rice dough with a small amount of sweet red bean paste in the middle. They are squishy, chewy, stretchy, and delightfully soft to the touch due to the starchy coating. It's a texture I've not seen in any other foods. And yes, they are traditionally Japanese, but I was first introduced to them through Korean avenues, and I always find a wider variety at Korean stores. Not surprising though -- there's plenty of overlap between those two.
And Jessica, you know, my mom dragged us to middle eastern stores all the time and my sister and i HATED them. People were rude and pushy, they smelled weird (the stores, not the people! well... sometimes the people), they weren't pristine and sterile like the supermarkets our friends surely shopped happily at. It's funny how eventually, we do turn into our moms though.
We must be playing different games. Because here in the Chen household, the drinking makes board games downright deadly. =)
As someone who only drinks wine for health reasons I fully embrace the growing popularity of box wines. They are more convenient and easier to keep. I've never heard of boxwines.org. Thank you for the tip.
"You are what you eat!"
Sarah,
I couldn't agree more - those of us with frugal tendencies need to make room for some materialistic pleasure in our lives! Otherwise, life becomes a bit of a death march - a never-ending grind; endless self-denial.
We all go through times where we have to go to our own personal extremes of frugality. When there's only $3 left in your bank account, you might skimp even on going to the library because of the price of gas. Or, when you're unemployed, you may wear your last pair of contacts for several months on end. Or, when you have credit card debt, you eat many meals of lentils with rice; or ramen; or canned tuna.
So it's kind of weird when you're fully employed, fully out of debt and realize you can buy higher quality ingredients at the grocery store if you want! Or indulge some other materialistic want, like an MP3 player. There is definitely a personal balance we need to strike in order to be financially healthy yet enjoy our lives; allow ourselves some new non-Walmart goods once in a while but not get swept up in materialism!!
Seriously...I thought this was why we liked them ;)
You're right about the way-too-snooty way we look at wine. It's just a drink!
It's fun to consider, but really, we don't need fancy Riedel glasses to enjoy some fermented grape juice. Also, consider the cork versus screwcap controversy. Traditionalists are screaming over the death of corks, but real traditionalists know corks weren't around back in the day.
[...] Note: This post was inspired by Andrea Dickson’s post Can I Conquer My Vanity for the Sake of My Sanity? at Wise Bread. Thanks Andrea, for your thought provoking article. [...]
I am constantly amazed at the prices I come across at my local ethnic shops. For instance a local Mexican farmer's market often has avacados 5 for 3 dollars, and nice one at that. Farmer's markets in general have wonderful prices, and better quality produce.
My favorite Asian supermarket also has wonderful prices. Sriacha sauce for $2.49 vs. $4 at my regular grocery store, huge bottles of good soy sauce for under $2. I can go on forever. Not to mention great prices on knifes and other cooking utensils.
Also I must say these type of shopping excursions are always fun for me as I am a product packaging junkie, and a professional people watcher. If I had kids, I would schlep them along so they could see that there was life beyond the megamart.
Thank you for the great post.
Andrea you wrote "where host Pat Verreto’s outdated thumbnail image convinced me that frugality meant that I was doomed to a life of white turtleneck sweaters and large Coke bottle glasses" and I almost choked on my store-brand mineral water.
That poor woman also scared the hell out of me this past year. I came across the same site when I was faced with the sad state of my finances. In fact I recall posting her picture elsewhere. Come to think of it, a large majority of the frugality sites made think I was destined to make prarie dresses at home and hoard empty bleach bottles.
But you know, style goes beyond thrift. There are some very well-to-do folks out there who make her look ready for the runway. If you have an ounce of fashion sense, you can still look good and be frugal.I need to remind myself that next time I find myself wandering into Sephora.