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.
But Koreans make it cheaper. A word to the wise - the thin mochi with ice cream in the middle? Delicious. But not traditional.
Traditional mochi (which is usually made by pounding cooked rice with a giant mallet for several hours) is filled with red bean paste or sometimes lotus paste, and then covered with either corn starch or a variety of other flavorful powders (peanut powder, cinnamon, ground sesame seeds, cocoa powder).
I really love traditional mochi and the other rice-based squishy treats, but they don't last long - once opened, they should be consumed within 24 hours or they dry out.
I love the local Japanese market. I don't have a clue what most of the stuff is, yet I could wander around for hours :) So fun! You can also score a variety of sake. I really need to explore some of the other ethnic markets.
You said you could get mochi (which I love) at the korean markets. Some random knowledge I just found when looking up mochi on wikipedia: Mochi is a Japanese food. The Korean name for the nearly identical food is "chapssaltteok". I'm curious how does the Korean mochi compare to the Mochi you get at Trader Joe's? Mango mochi rocks :)
That was Tannaz's great post - I just had a comment.
I emailed JList, and they said that the matcha MeltyKiss chocolates are "not out this season". I didn't quite catch if that meant that they are seasonal, and will be out again sometime, and they didn't urge me to check back anytime soon.
I tried to get Babelfish to translate the Meiji homepage, but no luck. If someone else has better Japanese translation skills, they might want to try, although I don't know if you can buy them directly from Meiji or not.
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.
But Koreans make it cheaper. A word to the wise - the thin mochi with ice cream in the middle? Delicious. But not traditional.
Traditional mochi (which is usually made by pounding cooked rice with a giant mallet for several hours) is filled with red bean paste or sometimes lotus paste, and then covered with either corn starch or a variety of other flavorful powders (peanut powder, cinnamon, ground sesame seeds, cocoa powder).
I really love traditional mochi and the other rice-based squishy treats, but they don't last long - once opened, they should be consumed within 24 hours or they dry out.
I love the local Japanese market. I don't have a clue what most of the stuff is, yet I could wander around for hours :) So fun! You can also score a variety of sake. I really need to explore some of the other ethnic markets.
You said you could get mochi (which I love) at the korean markets. Some random knowledge I just found when looking up mochi on wikipedia: Mochi is a Japanese food. The Korean name for the nearly identical food is "chapssaltteok". I'm curious how does the Korean mochi compare to the Mochi you get at Trader Joe's? Mango mochi rocks :)
.... scene stealer. *tsk tsk*
No wonder Sarah didn't invite you to her wedding!
That was Tannaz's great post - I just had a comment.
I emailed JList, and they said that the matcha MeltyKiss chocolates are "not out this season". I didn't quite catch if that meant that they are seasonal, and will be out again sometime, and they didn't urge me to check back anytime soon.
I tried to get Babelfish to translate the Meiji homepage, but no luck. If someone else has better Japanese translation skills, they might want to try, although I don't know if you can buy them directly from Meiji or not.
Great post, Andrea. I think I'll head down to the markets right now!