You know, I always dismissed the Kirkland brand because it just didn't sound "techie" enough. They need to rename those batteries as "neotech" or "ibats" or something.
As for Ketchup, I never run out because I always save the ones I get from fast food places. =)
I don't believe anyone can match the Heinz Ketchup formula, which is probably just as well as it unfortunately contains the most sugar of any ketchup on the shelves. This is why everyone loves it, including the kids.
back to costco again hahaha... the kirkland brand batteries are duracell with a different label... same quality same EVERYTHING.
that being said i would never buy store brand for things like ketchup. for some reason i just HATE all ketchup unless it is heinz...theres something different. if you know the store brand equivalent please let me know!
i tend to buy most of my groceries at places like whole foods anyways (hey i'm just buying for myself at this point and I dont eat a whole lot anyways...) because most of the stuff sold there is organic and tends to be less processed, have less fat, and have less calories. its also a lot easier to resist temptations such as cheetos and other crap junk food if it isnt even there. the healthier store affects my mindset and i dont even buy the junk food they do carry.
You're right on with this one. It's amazing how many adults actually believe that brand name products are superior. The price difference is all advertizing!
I've had acne all my adult life and spent a fortune on just about every brand of anti-acne skincare in existence. Dermologica, Biotherm, MD Formulations; you name it, I've used it. I used to have regular facials, peels, microdermabrasion, sometimes they'd give me electric rods to hold and 'pass electricity' through my skin (god know what that was about).
And while it did contain the acne somewhat, for the amount of money I was spending, I sure wasn't getting my worth.
Then I read a book by Paula Begoun, tossed out the expensive products and have moved to just Cetaphil cleanser and moisturiser as well as Differin - which is prescribed medication, and you know what? My skin has never looked better.
Don't be a dumb consumer. Don't fall for the pretty advertising & the wild claims. To reiterate another commenter's point, do your own research on what actually works and doesn't. Just because it costs a whole lot more doesn't mean it's better. It just means cosmetic companies think they can get away with charging you more by appealing to your sense of egotism and elitism etc.
God, I wish I had known about the UVA/UVB difference. I went tanning last year to clear up some blemishes, and the woman who sold me the Ultra High Pressure Tanning Package told me that UVAs were GREAT for your skin, and that's what the High Pressure beds offered!
One year later, I look five years older. Vitamin A, here I come.
vitamin C and A have been shown to do wonders for sun damaged skin. vitamin A does on a much smaller scale what peels do - tries to stimulate the renewal of skin cells by getting rid of skin cells on your top layer. the older we get, the slower our skin cell renewal cycles go. so it takes a lot longer for new cells to come up to the surface and replace old and damaged ones. exfoliating regularly and using products with vitamin A will help your skin's renewal cycle ramp up. (vitamin A can be irritating so start at low potency levels first). and of course, a good non-oily/irritating broad spectrum sunblock (most sunscreens only protect against UVB but it's the UVA rays that cause skin cell damage) is a must have in any skin care regiment.
antioxidants are also crucial in preventing more damage - whether you eat foods high in them or use products that have them.
i def don't buy the hype of expensive products being better. it's just as difficult to distinguish an effective product at a drugstore or a department store.
According to the article, some studies had found that cheaper products worked as well as, if not better than, the pricey ones. And they admit that people are more likely to use the expensive products.
I'm not throwing my stuff out yet - I'm just wondering if it's worth the money. Plus, I thought nothing could get rid of sun damage? Besides peels and laser treatments, that is?
It really resonates with me because, let's face it, Chinese people are very into the whole "let me pay, no I said let ME pay!" kind of thing.
Thanks for talking with us Nina.
P.S. With more and more people deciding to be single, I think the issue of same-sex partnerships will become increasingly important for straight people as well.
Hi Jess, do you have any insights regarding the whole Costco return policy? Apparently they've changed their wonderful no-questions-asked-ever! policy for computers to a six-months limit, and there is speculation that they will do the same for televisions.
I did some research and it seems that Costco will try to curb returns with their new concierge service first, and if that doesn't lower the return rate for TVs, they will change the return policy.
Any comments? (sticks microphone under Jess's chin)
Wow, I didn't expect so much response from a first post.
Let me just say, I certainly don't subscribe to the overeating phenomenon that is sweeping most of the western world. As I probably didn't do such a good job of in the article, but will now, I was trying to say that the big warehouse stores are great for those non-perishable items that you will always need from now till the day you depart this life. Namely, things like toilet paper, kitchen paper, foil, clingwrap, cleaning products, soaps, shampoos, that kind of thing. Buy those in bulk, you'll always need them. But please, stay away from anything that will corrupt your good eating habits. No-one really needs an oil-drum sized ketchup supply. Well, McDonalds maybe, but watch SuperSize Me for the dangers of that.
Generic laundry detergent -- sure, why not! But nothing tastes like Coke except Coke.
You know, I always dismissed the Kirkland brand because it just didn't sound "techie" enough. They need to rename those batteries as "neotech" or "ibats" or something.
As for Ketchup, I never run out because I always save the ones I get from fast food places. =)
I don't believe anyone can match the Heinz Ketchup formula, which is probably just as well as it unfortunately contains the most sugar of any ketchup on the shelves. This is why everyone loves it, including the kids.
back to costco again hahaha... the kirkland brand batteries are duracell with a different label... same quality same EVERYTHING.
that being said i would never buy store brand for things like ketchup. for some reason i just HATE all ketchup unless it is heinz...theres something different. if you know the store brand equivalent please let me know!
i tend to buy most of my groceries at places like whole foods anyways (hey i'm just buying for myself at this point and I dont eat a whole lot anyways...) because most of the stuff sold there is organic and tends to be less processed, have less fat, and have less calories. its also a lot easier to resist temptations such as cheetos and other crap junk food if it isnt even there. the healthier store affects my mindset and i dont even buy the junk food they do carry.
You're right on with this one. It's amazing how many adults actually believe that brand name products are superior. The price difference is all advertizing!
I was reading yesterday about how Vons (Safeway) water has a lot less impurities than some of the other more fancy national brands.
Great post as usual.
I heard the name plenty on the news yesterday but I laughed out loud when you had me really look at and appreciate that name.
Doh! I just posted about Momofuku-san as well. Oh well... ramen deserves all this attention and more!
I don't think that my post was particularly sensitive, but his contributions to world cuisine are very much appreciated!
Yeah, there's something so great about egg in ramen. Not sure why.
I read a lot of farewells in the last two days (I'm a bit of a ramen fan) and your post is by far my favorite.
"Mom would top hers with raw spinach, which quickly wilted and became a delightful topping."
I did the same as well. Nothing beats ramen with spinach, egg, and some chili sauce.
Thanks, Will. I'm glad to see that you have my best interests at heart.
And now that I think about it, I'm probably going to go to my favorite Chinese place tonight... hmm... lazi ji... my favorite.
I think a website like this is useful to cut through the crap: http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/art.asp?ID=29
I've had acne all my adult life and spent a fortune on just about every brand of anti-acne skincare in existence. Dermologica, Biotherm, MD Formulations; you name it, I've used it. I used to have regular facials, peels, microdermabrasion, sometimes they'd give me electric rods to hold and 'pass electricity' through my skin (god know what that was about).
And while it did contain the acne somewhat, for the amount of money I was spending, I sure wasn't getting my worth.
Then I read a book by Paula Begoun, tossed out the expensive products and have moved to just Cetaphil cleanser and moisturiser as well as Differin - which is prescribed medication, and you know what? My skin has never looked better.
Don't be a dumb consumer. Don't fall for the pretty advertising & the wild claims. To reiterate another commenter's point, do your own research on what actually works and doesn't. Just because it costs a whole lot more doesn't mean it's better. It just means cosmetic companies think they can get away with charging you more by appealing to your sense of egotism and elitism etc.
When we go out, we'll always dine in style and I'll always let you pay.
That's pretty big of you.
Of course, if you ever want to write an expose on the dirty underbelly of Costco's employment practices, keep us in mind!
With regards to you Myspace quote:
"if you dont know where you are, then you won't know where you are going..."
I counter with: "Wherever you go, there you are."
pretty much. i still love costco as a store though....hahah
I agree with your comment regarding the pie and the TV. People who do those returns only make things harder for the regular consumers.
I'm sorry to hear about the bad working environment at Costco. Is that the reason you left?
hmm...i dont work there anymore but i can only assume the returns were getting out of hand...
in my opinion it is a little ridiculous to refund a fully eaten pie or a big screen tv with what looks like a hole kicked in the screen...
one thing i liked about costco is that they are pretty willing to work with the customer.
that being said the one i worked at was the most sexist environment i'd ever been in. (i've heard this is a rare case though...)
God, I wish I had known about the UVA/UVB difference. I went tanning last year to clear up some blemishes, and the woman who sold me the Ultra High Pressure Tanning Package told me that UVAs were GREAT for your skin, and that's what the High Pressure beds offered!
One year later, I look five years older. Vitamin A, here I come.
vitamin C and A have been shown to do wonders for sun damaged skin. vitamin A does on a much smaller scale what peels do - tries to stimulate the renewal of skin cells by getting rid of skin cells on your top layer. the older we get, the slower our skin cell renewal cycles go. so it takes a lot longer for new cells to come up to the surface and replace old and damaged ones. exfoliating regularly and using products with vitamin A will help your skin's renewal cycle ramp up. (vitamin A can be irritating so start at low potency levels first). and of course, a good non-oily/irritating broad spectrum sunblock (most sunscreens only protect against UVB but it's the UVA rays that cause skin cell damage) is a must have in any skin care regiment.
antioxidants are also crucial in preventing more damage - whether you eat foods high in them or use products that have them.
i def don't buy the hype of expensive products being better. it's just as difficult to distinguish an effective product at a drugstore or a department store.
According to the article, some studies had found that cheaper products worked as well as, if not better than, the pricey ones. And they admit that people are more likely to use the expensive products.
I'm not throwing my stuff out yet - I'm just wondering if it's worth the money. Plus, I thought nothing could get rid of sun damage? Besides peels and laser treatments, that is?
I picked up that habit in China - I always insist on paying for everything when out with friends. REALLY hard to break.
Great interview! Queercents is one of the most insightful PF blogs out there and I'm thrilled to learn more about Nina and her blog.
Paula's Picking Up the Tab is one of my all-time favorite articles.
It really resonates with me because, let's face it, Chinese people are very into the whole "let me pay, no I said let ME pay!" kind of thing.
Thanks for talking with us Nina.
P.S. With more and more people deciding to be single, I think the issue of same-sex partnerships will become increasingly important for straight people as well.
Sorry, I didn't mean "you", Paul, I was talking to an over-consuming reader. Your (Paul's) article was just great!
Hi Jess, do you have any insights regarding the whole Costco return policy? Apparently they've changed their wonderful no-questions-asked-ever! policy for computers to a six-months limit, and there is speculation that they will do the same for televisions.
I did some research and it seems that Costco will try to curb returns with their new concierge service first, and if that doesn't lower the return rate for TVs, they will change the return policy.
Any comments? (sticks microphone under Jess's chin)
Wow, I didn't expect so much response from a first post.
Let me just say, I certainly don't subscribe to the overeating phenomenon that is sweeping most of the western world. As I probably didn't do such a good job of in the article, but will now, I was trying to say that the big warehouse stores are great for those non-perishable items that you will always need from now till the day you depart this life. Namely, things like toilet paper, kitchen paper, foil, clingwrap, cleaning products, soaps, shampoos, that kind of thing. Buy those in bulk, you'll always need them. But please, stay away from anything that will corrupt your good eating habits. No-one really needs an oil-drum sized ketchup supply. Well, McDonalds maybe, but watch SuperSize Me for the dangers of that.