This Weekend's Weird Bargains

Some therapeutic shopping went down this weekend. For most people, that means splurging. Not for the frugal one. No, I get all twisted with my purchases in order to blog blow off steam. It all started at Ross Dress for Less in Willow Lawn. Yeah, I know. The place totally sucks. It's not half the discount store that Marshalls or TJ Maxx are, and it doesn't even compare to it's Northern Virignia counterparts. I don't know why Willow Lawn seems to require suckiness (also evidenced by my latest Hair Cuttery do - the one next to Ross). It's just a fact of life in Richmond.

First off, I found a Penguin brand sweatshirt for $13. It's not really my style, but since it probably retailed for $135, I think I can adapt in order to increase my NYC fashion cred (goes great with Chacos and socks, right?). One isle over, I happened upon some really obnoxious MMA fight-gear brand clothing from "One More Round" (round of beer?). The t-shirt I bought for $5 looks about like this one. the tiger-headed dude in the lotus position is probably supposed to be the fighting spirit of the MMA guy whom the shirt was designed for. This shirt was designed for a guy nicknamed "gumby." Two days after buying it, my new joke shirt gets nominated as an example of "worst MMA clothing company of 2008." Well, you can forget about seeing me out in this thing anytime soon. Someone might think that I'm the baddest man on the planet and therefore I'd be up for a barroom scrap... at which time, I'd have to buy everyone "one more round " of beer to get out of fighting. All this for a $5 t-shirt. But, I'm wearing it now. It fits good and it's comfy. Perfect for watching Fedor/Arlovski on Saturday. That's all I wanted it for: to look silly while enjoying my silly hobby.

On Sunday, Karen went to Trader Joes while I walked Jasper to Stakolee's house after stopping at the "Guns and Amoco." Predictably, the BP at Cary and Meadow serves crappy coffee (my only reason for going). But, there's no other options closer to Byrd Park (we usually walk 10 minutes to Carytown). Maybe one day a locally owned coffeehouse will decide to rent one of the empty Cary/Meadow storefronts that haven't attracted any businesses in the year or two since they were built (brilliant development planning, Richmond).

Karen brought surprises back from her Trader Joes trip. The one I want to share with you is this four pack sampler of Spanish cheeses for $5. There's a manchego (flavorful, but relatively mild and kinda dense,), a curado (creamy and salty, almost ocean-like, exciting to nibble), a semicurado (a lesser version of the full on curado, still good tho), and a tenero (had a delayed effect, plain and then strong, like swiss). The pieces aren't big, but we went through each of them five or six times without eating more than half of the stuff. Okay, they were little slivers for each bite, but we're not schooled in cheese tasting. We're cheapskates and this is how we do it - satisfying, nonetheless. After that fun bit of cheese comparing, Karen and I agreed that we'd had our $5 worth already and plenty more cheese to nibble. Jasper liked each of them as well, by the way (even tinier bites). Anything dairy is okay by him.

Hey, you see those pizza crusts up there in the cheese picture? I don't know why Karen doesn't eat her crusts when I make the pizza from scratch. Well, no longer do I have to give them to the dogs or eat them myself. I've got a little helper now (your surprise is the picture at the end).

The other surprise that Karen brought me was from Marshalls in the far West End. We never get to go to that one. It's not so hot, because the people out there grab the best brands before they go on clearance (the only section I shop). Southpark Mall's Marshalls in Colonial Heights, on the other hand, is overflowing with high end stuff that hangs out untouched for weeks before being reduced a couple more times for quick sale. I guess the folks down there don't have the same tastes as I do.

Wait, where was I? Karen brought me a thoughtful and totally selfless surprise (she won't watch this stuff and I don't blame her). Never before have I seen a UFC dvd at a discount department store (it was $3 on clearance). This one is UFC 56 from 2005, featuring the fighting math teacher (and holder of a Masters of Education), Rich "Ace" Franklin. In the headlining fight, the devout creationist, Frankin ,punches his reformed Jehova's Witness opponent, Nate Quarry, in the face so hard that Quarry goes stiff and falls over like a piece of lumber. In an earlier bout, two guys who may have 1% body fat between them both (GSP/Sherk) wrestle to the ground to make an especially homoerotic muscle sandwich. Well, in all the excitement, one thing leads to another and the smaller guy's nose gets broken (you can hear him go "aaaaaaahhyee!" as it happens and similar sounds are heard with each successive shot). As blood starts running the way broken noses tend to do, the ref jumps in and stops the fight.

Jasper wants you to know that he likes to wrestle big stuffed animals (and his daddy) and he's ready to bust some moves if you send the people from Social Services over.

A Kitchen Renovation for $129

A better way to describe this would be, "in lieu of a kitchen renovation, get this for $129." The story is that Karen and I have had designs on a new kitchen ever since we bought our house in 2005. Every time we put money in the savings account, we both fantasize about a continuous grate stovetop, or a built-in pantry, or soapstone countertops. Alas, the economic conditions for a major renovation haven't come about. In fact, the housing market has probably stifled the value of our house, and Karen's hours got cut at work (with her boss currently hatching plans to eliminate her position all together), and then there's Jasper's future expenses. It's probably not prudent to drop $7-10k on a chic canteen.

Nonetheless, we must progress. Despite all of the external factors, Karen and I are hellbent on improving the quality of our lives, incrementally, at least. So, to tie us over for while, we decided to upgrade a kitchen accessory that that would be more user friendly and maybe counteract the dumpy feeling that is creeping into our cookhouse (probably due to the black burlap backsplash that's bubbling up and becoming soiled).



It happened at Ikea. We were carrying a fussy Jasper through a throng of shoppers and Karen and I both nearly had a nervous breakdown. We planned on looking at the faucets, but had missed them in the confusion. At this point, we were trying to choose between stopping to feed him or abandoning our energy efficient light bulbs and $5 tupperware and heading home. We chose to feed him and collect ourselves and we were even ambitious enough to go back and peek at the faucets. It was an act of defiance, more so than fortitude.

At Lowes and other stores, the fancy modern faucets are usually over $200 - a real turn-off. But at Ikea, the designs were mostly attractive and reasonable.* We agreed that a single handle would be key, considering that we've often got Jasper in the other hand. The tall arc of the nozzle allows us to get the Brita pitcher under it easily, and stock pots, and the dog's water dish. One night last week, after Karen and Jasper went to bed, I spent some time huffing and puffing under the sink, taking out the old faucet and affixing this new one. Ever since, I've been walking around with a sense of accomplishment. The thing works beautifully. Every time I use it, I am reminded of the importance of periodic upgrades, no matter how minute.

* the link takes you to the model with the pull out nozzel (for an extra $30)

Pepper Soup and Shroom Sammiches, Dot's Pesto, a Worthy Brunch, and a Bargain Knife

I've discovered eclecticity! Last night, I put a bunch of my recent cooking related purchases to work for a tasty, but unspectacular meal. It was a couple recipes from the Top Chef cookbook, veggies prepped with Cooks Illustrated's top-rated santoku knife, and I used a Rick Bayless pepper roaster and griddle in the process (and an immersion blender). The achievement was in the multiple resource utilization and the inclusion of several foodie interests simultaneously. I think that qualifies as blogable.

It all started with the usual... thinly sliced onions. But, this time around, they were a pleasure to chop, because I was using my new Forschner Santoku knife, which glides through most anything with ease. Amazon, has these drastically discounted. I'd seen several magazine reviews that heralded the Forschner chef's knife as the best value of any knife on the market. Their santoku is cut from the same cloth. In the past few years, I've gone through a few Kitchen Aid and Cuisinart knives found at discount stores. It turns out that the cutlery at Marshalls is practically disposable compared to the high dollar stuff. Where for art thou, reasonably priced quality knives?

The Best Knife Deal:
The real competition for these Swiss Victorinox knives are the German forged steel knives by Henckels and Wusthof. At a third of the price, there's hardly a comparison to make for a frugal guy like me. But, they always wind up in the same league when tested by experts. Here are some of the significant differences. Forschner's economical line of knives have Fibrox (plastic) handles and thin metal blades. In your hand, they feel light and cheap. But, don't let these underwhelming traits fool you, because the knives cut like a samurai sword and rarely need sharpening. Hence, the high quality and low maintenance Forschner knives are especially popular in professional kitchens. On the other hand, the prestigious German knives are weighty, require frequent sharpening, and make their owners feel like they're sitting in a sports car at the showroom. That sensation might be worth paying for (if you're an impedent man), but in the kitchen, such pretensions are hardly necessary or practical.

T.G.I. Not Fridays
I posted earlier about the Rick Bayless line of cooking accessories. For the past month, I hadn't used my $10 pepper roaster (reduced from $60). But, tonight, I roasted three peppers perfectly and then used it as a griddle as well. The recipe I followed was from season two of Top Chef. Betty's portobello grilled cheese and roasted red pepper soup won a childhood comfort food challenge and can now be found on the menu at TGIFridays. But you don't need me to tell you how to make soup and a sandwich, take your instructions from this video on Bravo's "The Wong Way to Cook." We enjoyed the meal tonight, but it was more effort than it was worth. Don't think we'll be going to TGIFridays to try the massed produced version, or for any other reason, for that matter.

Dot's Back On Television
All the bloggers are talking about Richmond's own Dot's Back In being featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Well, I've never been to Dot's on MacArthur Ave, but having watched the episode, I'm dying to go and try those corn cakes covered with beans and salsa. Of course, now the place is going to be so popular that I may never find out if Dot's is a diner or a drive or both. Even though this episode will probably air ad nauseum, it was fun and I'll bet every Richmond viewer saw someone they know during the few minutes of dining room footage (hi Emily and Ethan!). Karen recognized an old co-worker in Jimmy, Dot's new owner, from her days of waiting tables at the John Mashall restaurant. I got so interested in Jimmy's walnut pesto that I made a batch myself, only omitting the cheese (not vegan, just ran out) and mashing the ingredients with my mortar and pestle (hard work if you're spoiled on food processing).

?Donde Esta el Niño?
By this point, many of my readers are wondering where their Jasper Diego update has gone to. I didn't work in any stories about the baby and I'm ready to stop typing. He's generally sleeping, nursing, staring at us and making quizzical faces. But, mostly he's sleeping. On Sunday, we dragged him to Carytown in a stroller. A week after giving birth, and Karen does a three mile walk. Did I mention that she's only one pound over her pre-pregnancy weight? This is Jasper after the long walk. As you can see, his feet are killing him and he wants you to kiss them.

Come to think of it, at one week old, Jasper had his first meal out and it was Sunday brunch at Can Can. That's blogable, right? I was all geared up for a baby hunger tantrum that would disrupt our meal and the surrounding diners. I imagined Karen brazenly nursing amid the clamor and dining chic-ness. Wouldn't that be a provocative post? Karen getting thrown out of a French restaurant with her top half-off? Oh, we'd have fought it tooth and nail, dontcha know. Well, maybe next time.

Jasper slept through the meal and the only news to report is my revelation that Can Can's premium prices buy a hell of a good brunch experience: strong coffee, terrific breads, yummy sides, and attentive service. I'm always cranky as I suppress my cheapskate tendancies and place my order for a freakin' $12 omlet PLUS a $3 side. But, then I'm treated to an awesome meal and I do dig the ambiance (although I fet underdressed). Having our newborn along for the ride, may have also tamed my inner Mr. Cranky. Karen and I agreed that we would have to drag Jasper out again for happy hour sometime. Life is getting sweeter, if you ask me.

Shopping for Internet : Leaving Comcast for...?

I need help. Karen and I are fed up with Comcast. First, we ditched their cable TV signal for Dish Network, but we haven't found a new internet provider. I'm going to run down some of the options we're looking at, but please let me know if there are alternatives that I'm leaving out. Hopefully, this post will help others find the most affordable in-home internet access, but let's start with ME FIRST.

Since we moved to Byrd Park, we've been paying $55 a month for internet and basic cable (combined). Now that the mini-dish is hooked up (200 channels!), Karen went to Comcast to have them take the basic TV cable off of our deal and lower our monthly payment for internet access. And what do ya know? The price actually goes UP if you discontinue the TV aspect of the Comcast bundle. It goes up from $55 to $60.

Plus, we don't have a need for a land line since we're content with our respective cell phones: an important point, since this keeps us from benefiting from the economical benefit of bundling services.

Okay, here are the options that I'm aware of:

Verizon: High speed internet is $24.99 per month. The new FIOS (fiber optic 5 Mbps) service is $47.99/mo. Anyone have any experience with either of these? How fast is the non-FIOS cable? The answer: 786 kbps. How does that compare to Broadband?


Clearwire: $19.99 (256 kbps) ($14.99 w/2yr commitment) These guys seem pretty shady with their incessant mailings. The site only quote promotional prices and doesn't include monthly prices after the initial promotional period.

Richmond FREE WiFi: Don't really now how this works, but I'm waiting to hear back from them. Obviously, the best possible option would be FREE internet for my whole neighborhood.

Comcast: $42.99/mo (6 Mbps). What gives? Why am I paying more for this? Is it really faster than FIOS?

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Okay, that's enough research for now. Where do I go from here? Your comments and suggestions are appreciated.