Chirky

Several weeks ago, Roger and I canceled our cable service, to my mom's great disappointment. (Hi, Mom!) You see, she came over for a few days to take care of Rayah while I was traveling, and one of her requests before I left town was to teach her how to use our television. I had already anticipated this -- with written instructions -- but I wasn't prepared for her dismay at not being able to tune into FOX news, with Glenn Beck providing constant background dialogue.

Instead, I taught her how to use Netflix, and showed her the extensive collection of movies that Roger has amassed. I explained how to stream news live from the Internet - because we have fast Internet, a benefit afforded us by living in The City. (My mom lives in the country. She has two options for Internet: dial-up (it's true - it still exists) or a mobile broadband USB, both of which are s-l-o-w compared to my connection at home.)

The decision was very easy for us. We never watch television. After months and months and months and years of "nothing good being on", we decided that paying $60/month was ridiculous for something we never used. It would be like - and this is totally hypothetical (wink, wink) - paying for a gym membership each month that we don't use. (Oh. Wait.) Nearly everything we want to see is available live streamed online, or through Netflix, or we already own it. And so we canceled our cable, and we haven't really missed it. In fact, it's been kind of a relief not to sit down in front of the television and mindlessly wander between channels.

With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to share my favorite (instant streaming) Netflix finds, since I enjoy immediate gratification and TV shows so much. In no particular order (if you watch any of these -- even though the shows are designed to be stand-alone episodes -- please do yourself a favor by putting the show into context: start with Season 1, Episode 1):

1. Drop Dead Diva - A cute and funny show about a shallow, aspiring model who came back to life as a plus-size lawyer. It's a total fluff show, and I've loved relaxing in the evenings watching it. (Roger would probably hate that I'm telling you this, so no one say anything, but he's watched a few episodes with me and he totally likes the show, too. Hey - it's easier to get forgiveness than permission.) You'd probably enjoy it if you liked Legally Blonde. Or if you ever worked in a law office. Or if you like fashion.

2. Kidnapped - An intense, heart-pumping drama about a young boy who is, yes, kidnapped. The story unfolds as you learn to suspect everything and everyone. (I told Roger he would also like this one, because it's all thriller-and-intense. He doubts me, because he thinks I don't have very good taste in TV shows. But OMG, I totally do.) You'd probably enjoy this if you liked 24, or Ransom, or investigative dramas.

3. Bones - The show that started it all. I didn't start watching TV shows on Netflix until I discovered Bones, which has maybe replaced CSI (Vegas) as my favorite crime drama. Bones forensically explores death and crime from an anthropological viewpoint to solve mysteries - both recent and from hundreds of years ago. You'd enjoy this show if you liked any other show listed in this post, or CSI, Cold Case, Without a Trace, etc. I love, love, love, love Bones.

4. Veronica Mars - Veronica is a high school student and detective. This show is smart and sassy, and I may have been upset when the series ended. I also might have petitioned Roger for my own pair of binoculars. You'd enjoy this show if you liked Without A Trace, the less gruesome episodes of CSI, Cold Case, etc.

5. Psych - A witty comedy *and* an investigative drama? Be still my heart! The main character is a "psychic" who helps a police department solve crimes. He's not actually psychic, he's just really good at reading evidence. You'd enjoy this show if you liked Bones or CSI, or if you want to sharpen your own powers of observation.

I love detective shows. That much should be evident. (Sidenote: Has anyone seen Veronica Mars who also watched Psych? Am I the only one who thinks Veronica and Shawn would make the *perfect* TV couple?!)

I don't explore the movie section of Netflix that often, though I think I should. Do you have favorites to recommend?

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This week I created my first menu of 2011, which I'm entirely afraid is going to look like every other menu I make this year, each breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Now, I should tell you that there's a service that will do this for you - Jenny pointed me toward e-mealz.com - but I actually enjoy going through my weekly newspaper grocery circulars, so I thought I should take a stab at doing it myself before paying someone else to do it for me. Even if the service is only $1.25/week. But! But that is per store, and I like to take advantage of competitive pricing that Wal-Mart and Target offer - which means they'll match any current advertised price. My method is a bit painstaking, and I may not save as much money as my time is worth for the effort, but it's fun for me and I am saving some money, so I keep doing it. This week's trip to the store saved me about $15 in competitive pricing, which I think is fun. If I save $15/week the entire year, that's $780 annually! And just imagine how much more I'll save when I find where Rayah hid my coupon book!

So this is what I do:
1. I arm myself with a Sharpie and every local grocery circular that comes in our newspaper - Kroger, Tom Thumb, (Wal-Mart and Target if they're available), Sprouts (my favorite!), Aldi, Fiesta, and Albertsons. (Dallas/Fort Worth area)

2. I circle everything that I think is a good deal, and only the things that our family actually uses.

3. After I've gone through every circular, I make a detailed grocery list including the item name, restrictions (such as 4.6 oz or larger), advertised price, and grocery store.

4. From that grocery list, I create a menu for the week. I take this extra step for two reasons: (a) to ensure I'm not buying things we won't use, and (b) so I don't end up standing in front of the fridge every night, staring into space, wondering what I'm going to cook.

And then I go grocery shopping! Now, to use the competitive pricing method you actually have to take the circulars to the store with you, which is why it's helpful to write down the price and store on your grocery list - it makes separating the items from your cart to the conveyor belt less painful, and helps you stay organized and on budget when reducing prices at the cash register. It also helps if you find a knowledgeable cashier and go through the same line each week. Because if you find one of these gems, she'll admit to you she does the same thing on her lunch break and has many price items memorized, so you don't have to use your circulars as much. And when you buy a 3-pound bag of Cuties clementines for $3.75, and forgot to note that another store had it for $2.99, she'll make the adjustment for you just because she's awesome.

I posted my first menu earlier this week. If you have menu ideas to share with me, *especially* side veggies, please do. I'm painfully uncreative in the vegetable department, and my family could use some help! What are your favorites to serve, or recipes to share?

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If you (a) have kiddos or are pregnant and (b) are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area this month, I have a special treat for you today! Twice each year, HUGE consignment sales crop up in the metroplex. Forget church garage sales or Craigslist - these are more like warehouse events, with every toy, activity equipment, stroller system, brand of clothing (and sizes to match!) on the market -- and more! And the prices? Well, those are generally pretty awesome.

Whether you're shopping for fill-and-spill toys, boppy pillows, summer frocks, sweet purses, cargo shorts and graphic shirts, an extra stroller, books, more crib sheets, exersaucers, kid-sized activity tables (or nearly anything else), these consignment sales are THE place to go for gently used, inexpensive items.

And I've got all the info for you...

Continue reading "Frugal Fridays: On Consignment" »

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The first time I ever saw a woman Price Matching was during a Back-to-School sale in 2008. I don’t remember why I had gone to Wal-Mart – I didn’t shop there often – and somehow I found myself in line behind a woman whose shopping cart was brimming with paper and pencils and rulers and backpacks and crayons. And more. Oooooohhhhh, was there more. She pulled out circulars from local stores and began going through them with the cashier. Suddenly, she turned to me.

Now, let’s stop for a second and discuss Wal-Mart. Admittedly, I used to be a little prejudiced. I really disliked shopping at the store. I don’t know why that is, because they carry just about everything under the sun, and if there’s one thing I like (especially as a working Mom), it’s convenience. If I could go through a drive-thru to purchase sunblock, I would. [Note to Wal-Mart: You know what would be awesome? Having the ability to order 20 items or less online, and then swing through a drive-thru to pick up my order. Please consider beta-testing that in Plano, Texas.] [Second note to Wal-Mart: The entrance to your store in Denton, Texas carries the overwhelming stench of vomit. Please send help.]

Anyway, so this woman just turned to me and said: “I’m sorry – this is going to take a while for me to check out. Price matching is something I do to help our family afford for me to be a stay at home mom.”

I just smiled and dismissed the issue, telling her I was fascinated by what she was doing. And really, I was. For the next five minutes, I stood there watching her flip through circulars and compare prices. I watched the cashier ring up the purchase. I watched as this Mom surrendered coupons. And I was stunned. I never knew that you could take an advertisement with lower prices from Tom Thumb or Sprouts or CVS or the dollar store and get that same price at Wal-Mart.

Continue reading "Frugal Fridays: Grocerying at Wal-Mart" »

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Last week, I read about the Pantry Cleanout Challenge and thought: Hey. I should do that.

And then I forgot.

But when a reader commented that she recently cleaned out her freezer and fed her family of four for the next month, plus spent only $100 at the grocery store on items like dairy and fresh produce, I knew I had to do it, too. And this time I didn’t forget.

So this weekend I emptied out my freezer, took an inventory of every item, and re-organized it all. It was a little embarrassing to discover I had more than 15 pounds of pork, turkey, chicken and beef – that is: the meat in our freezer weighs as much as our daughter – plus bag upon bag of frozen veggies, fruits, cheeses and puff pastry dough, as well as three pounds of butter. Seriously, who am I? Paula Deen?

Continue reading "Freezer Cleanout Challenge" »

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