14 posts tagged “shopping”

One of the parts of semester prep I enjoy is getting teaching tools ready. Unfortunately, any more that also means going to Office Depot or Target and stocking up on things like Post-Its

 

my favorite pens

 

chalk for the blackboard classrooms

 

markers for the dry-erase classrooms

 

mechanical pencils

 

index cards

 

this year, a new paper gradebook (I also keep grades online)

 

spiral notebooks--which I hand out to my playwrights on the very first day of class

 

blue ballpoint pens, which I also hand out

 

My memories of being a student always included new tools. The weirdness of starting classes when the weather is still summer-hot and Labor Day is something to look forward to is somewhat mitigated by these kinds of preparation. That and my semi-obsession with office products.

Pearl

On Thursday, I bought this little chest from a shop here in DFW.

I am in love with it. Obviously, it needs some work: a new handle on the third drawer, some adjustment in the lower left rear, and I do plan to paint it (come Labor Day). But it fits perfectly in this spot, it is reasonably clean prior to final repair and painting, and the drawers pull in and out smoothly.

It also has a smaller footprint than the two-level table I previously had in this space.

Wow! Does this mean my apartment is actually falling into place? Finally?

Pearl

...was get a new couch.... DONE. Well, sort of, as life teaches most things are, nowadays.

Yesterday I took the Big Trip to Frisco... to IKEA Dallas. Armed with catalog and list of names/numbers/sizes, I travelled north on the Tollway to the Big Blue Box I love so much.

 I got there early, too, as is my practice, for the breakfast deal: a regular breakfast and bottomless coffee for $1 from 930-10, when the store opens. The eggs an bacon are okay, the potatoes iffy, and teh French toast sticks... well, I skip those. But the coffee: good, and bottomless, and good.

For a Tuesday, it was jam-packed with women, children, grandparents, and the occasional beleaguered father. Yikes. The cafe was CRAZY with noisy families, more than any Friday or Saturday in my memory.  

I sat at a window table--again, my usual practice, so I can enjoy the landscape; at the next table, a mother spent all breakfast texting, while her two-year-old ate butter pats and her two pre-teens ate and entertained themselves. Mother totally pre-occupied with texting... one of the pre-teens cleaned everything up and was clearly the responsible one. The other moped. Mom looked up every once in a while and said someting nonsensical, like "Good kids," then went back to texting. There's a future therapy bill. Or three.

But I got it done. My new sleeper-sofa, the Ektorp version in basic black cotton duck: 

Yeah, that tiny thing.

It will be delivered on Friday, "some time" between 9 and 9. Old couch will be removed by Salvation Army on Saturday, "some time" between 8 and 6... so there will be an overlap of 24-33 hours where I have two couches in what is decidely a one-couch apartment. Oh, well. The real trick will be getting the Ikea men to a/ move the old couch and b/ put the legs on the new couch. And should I tip them? Such many questions!

Regardless, I have a new sleeper sofa, which is great after 13 years of my current one. Admittedly, the current sofa has a great mattress, hidden by an increasingly faded outside. Incredibly comfortable, without good looks. I hope it finds a new home. It may be joined by a wicker chair and ottoman I inherited from a friend, but have never quite settled on.

Ikea is always an interesting trip for me, here in Dallas. Since my first trip to Ikea was in Paris, round about 1999, the contrasts are really strong in my mind whenever I go. In Paris, one must take public transpo (Metro, then bus), while in Dallas I drive $2.80 worth of Tollway to Frisco. In Paris, the Box is located near the airport, in the 'way out 'burbs; in Dallas, Frisco--and the Ikea stop--used to be out in the middle of deserted Texas farmland, but now the store is surrounded by strip malls featuring other chains (Container Store, low- to high-end furniture and home deco stores, and lots of eateries, if you don't like the limited choices at the Ikea cafe). The open, brown prairie that surrounded it: GONE. More roads, more chain/box stores, more stuff growing like a rabbit colony... or Starbucks franchises in the aughts.

The view from the entrance: left, center, right. I admit, it doesn't look like there is much here, but believe me, this is like downtown Times Square compared to opening weekend a few years ago. And the Ikea parking lot is HUGE. 

In Paris, Ikea is one of those places where French people shop to find space-saving items and inexpensive kitchen goods that are still (and necessarily) practical and stylish. In Dallas, few people shop for "space saving" items: our houses have too much space, usually.

I am always pleased to find things that are cost-efficient, useful, and attractive--like yesterday I bought a small white ceramic flowerpot that I'll use as a pencil cup, prettier than the black mug I have now. But also inexpensive white magazine folders, glass plates to match my white ones that are in a discontinued style (oh, well), an espresso cup and saucer, a rubberized placement for using my laptop on the dining room table, wooden hangers, a cheap towel to keep in the car to cover the steering wheel and my seat during summer months, new shower curtain, black iron hooks for everything around the house, and a second Arstid lamp, this one for my bedroom. Besides the couch and cover.

A delightfully successful day.

Pearl

Ok, I am obsessed.

I looked back over the last two frugality posts. These are not revolutionary ideas (no fooling: and for the record I never thought so) and they need a little perspective.

Obviously, although many of us have ignored the facts, these basic ideas for saving money have been around for a while--at least since the Depression--even if most of us have played fast and loose with them. I certainly have.

Perspective on my New Frugality (which is very personal, by the way): Despite having now spent more than half my life working and earning a salary (and that includes the years in grad school when I had university-sponsored jobs and also worked part-time outside jobs to avoid racking up too many loan dollars), I have played fast and loose with my earnings. I did not live within them (that's why God gave credit cards to recently graduated students) and I did not deny myself things I wanted, although I flirted with the notion that I was responsible with my money.

Not so much. Not as bad as some, certainly but not as bad as others. Sort of like an addiction, where one manages it by being sort of honest (but not completely, so not really).

My personal point about the New Frugality is that the time has come to stop being "sort of honest," for me and to deal in the Real World. Seeing my IRA drop by 1/3, my My U retirement fund drop by a very similar percentage, and my credit card daily % rise to over 20%... that has made me get real. I called the credit card companies and "negotiated" a lower % -- by only a couple of points -- but I know they will pop back up right damn quick. I have no control there.

I hear our annual raises will be miserable -- and that admission comes from our administration, not rumor -- and I have no control there.

Until the stock market does something positive again, for an extended period of time, I cannot improve my retirement fund or my IRA... I have no control there.

Where do I have control? My spending, my saving activities, my lifestyle.

Let's talk coupons, for example.

I used to play fast and loose with coupons... sometimes I used them, sometimes forgot them, who cared? Save $.30? Who cared?

Here's my new attitude: Since January I've saved close to $400.00 by using coupons, store cards, EBates, shopping sales... and mostly from grocery, healthy, and beauty items.

How do I know? I opened a savings account, at a different  bank -- one that offered nearly 3% (last May) and a $25 bonus for starting an account with as little as $2... which is what I deposited. Other than that initial $2, since I opened the account I've banked my weekly savings -- which I can document from the register receipts I used to ignore. I've banked two EBates checks and the third will come in May.  I include everything, including the $.20 discount I get at Whole Foods for using my bag instead of theirs... yep, carry in in your own bag and you make money. Carry in two bags... three... See what I mean. Of course you do have to fill those bags, but still.

So my savings are no longer invisible, not just a pat on the back as I walk to the car and forgotten. They're adding up, more rapidly than I thought. Some weeks I've banked as much as $20-some while spending only $50... that's smart.

A good part of that is coupons. Specifically, manufacturer's coupons for products I use or want to try; store coupons for products I use or want to try for a specific store; or, like CVS, "extra savings" dollars I can use to discount my total receipt. Grocery stores triple or double some coupons: that's turning $.30 into $.90, or $.50 into $1. Hey! Or $1.50 off my total bill.

I don't buy things I won't use or don't like, if I can't use the coupon I don't force myself (saving $.40 while spending an unnecessary $4 is ridiculous), and I have to spend time weekly organizing the coupons before going to the store... or I forget to use them, and that's a waste. There's nothing like having to go back to the store office and explain you want money on a coupon you forgot to hand to the cashier to make you feel both smart and stupid at the same time.

I am also budgeting the time I spend feeling stupid down to a minimum, thank you.

By June I hope to have about $500.00 saved, because... I have a dream.

Not necessarily this bicycle, but a bicycle. So that I can ride it to My U daily in all weathers (possible here in Big D) without having to drive car the 1.5 miles round trip that irritates me as waste of gas, waste of everything. Instead I can ride my bike.

Sigh.

Remember these?

And these?

Of course, I had no idea what bikes cost any more. In that case I will be looking for a used bike in good condition. Because there is stuff that goes with bikes: a helmet, a lock, university registration (of course!), lights, and, purely for aesthetic purposes, a tinkling bell, a silver wire basket for the front, and panniers for the back.

 

 

 

With the basket and the panniers, I can ride the bike to the nearest grocery store, the nearest bookstore, the gym, and other places, thereby using the bike within a two- to three-mile range. Good for my heart, good for my figure, good for the environment... wow, I am being a good global citizen.

So suddenly I am putting in the time to clip coupons, read circulars, sign up for cards and use them... and transfer money into savings.

Rules for me:

• have a motivational and visible goal (benefits: the bike and its stuff)
• think consciously about what I will eat (benefits: health and savings)
• set a weekly time to coordinate coupons, circulars, stocks/necessities, and make lists (benefits: organized shopping where I never come home without things I really need)
• shop the list -- with only 1 extra allowed per store, something not on the list (benefits: I don't feel deprived and don't kick myself over spending)
• keep the savings somewhere I can transfer in easily but cannot get out easily (benefits: no guilt!) 

And sometime in June I'll be pedaling my new bike over to your house to show off my stylin' style and my global goodness. You'll know it is me because I'll ring my tinkling bell as I coast up to your door.

Pearl

This is the second part of my self-examination of my New Frugality policies, as Jack and I ride out the economic crisis on the raft of Hope and Smart Shopping.

Beauty and Health shopping: this is part of regular shopping as well. Isn't there always something you need, like shampoo or bandaids or facial moisturizer? Yes--yes, there is. Always something. So I actually budget for it, in different ways according to my self-categorizing of goods, and I bundle most of it into my weekly shopping.

For me, Beauty and Health supplies include everything from daily necessities, to in-house/on-hand medical supplies. My personal approach is to prioritze where I want to spend money on luxury and where I can be cheap without feeling like I'm cheating myself.

One school of thought suggests making your own remedies (and there are sites online where you can get the recipes for doing so), but while I believe in making one's own cleaning supplies, I feel the opposite about beauty and health products. I think it is fun to do once in a while, but too time-consuming for me to do it every day.

Cheap but satisfying: Daily necessities like shampoo, hair conditioner, body lotion, shaving cream, body wash, toothpaste/brush, mouthwash, cotton balls, Qtips, and so forth. Man, am I cheap--but it is all about brands. I use a combination of coupons, weekly specials, and shopper's cards along with my personal priorities. I buy inexpensive brands that are cruelty-free and have recyclable containers like St. Ives and Freeman. I usually buy at Target but often also at grocery stores, CVS, and Ulta, where I have shopper's cards, when they have specials on these brands, which is about 6 times annually in big stock-up sales. I don't need expensive brands--who does, despite what celebrities tell us--but I also don't have any hair or skin conditions which would require that. St. Ives. for example, has products for all body needs but also across multiple scents, thicknesses, and solutions. They are also relatively cheap in large-size containers with high quality--in my opinion. Lots of manufacturer's coupons, sales, and store specials: in combination, yowza savings that will stock you up for the year to come. (I also have lots of storage for these kinds of things, in a big bathroom cabinet.)

Things I stock up on: face cleanser, body wash, body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, band-aids.

Things I cannot stock up on: deodorant, shaving cream, cough syrup, cold/allergy remedies (because of expiration dates and storage), sunscreen, mouthwash.

As a treat, I buy Happy Hippy from Lush as a body wash--great grapefruit scent and exfoliation qualities--when I feel me-generous (at $25 for 17 oz, it's a treat... that lasts a long time). Also, cruelty-free and recyclable. As another treat, I buy Body Butter from The Body Shop (two doors down in the mall), also cruelty-free and recyclable... sometimes on sale.

Cheapest: For hand and shower soap, I use hotel soap picked up in my various stays... The benefits are the soap is free and the small cakes fit nicely into my hand. Usually, they smell great. And, see, I throw soap away when I cannot hold it in my hand and not squirt it out helplessly. So "free" makes me not angst about waste.

My favorite store is CVS, because I earn good returns with each purchase; 24-hour service; and large selection. And there is a CVS everywhere, so again I can bundle them in errands wherever I go. I can also stock up on health supplies at the same time, also getting the benefits of my store card, in-store discounts, and manufactuer's coupons combined. 

My second favorite is Ulta, because they carry EVERYTHING St. Ives and Freeman make... so during their sales I can really stock up on EVERYTHING for cheap; but there's only one in town, it is out of my way, and it opens at 11 am on Sunday... two hours after I finish my usual errands. Ulta's store card doesn't give special discounts and the benefits accrue over purchases; they don't or won't add your purchases if you forget your card, but the sales and selection are good enough to work it out, once or twice a year (like Christmas!).  

Necessary Luxury: For expensive daily necessities, like facial moisturizer, eye cream, and skin serum, I shop on-line. I spend money here because it is, truthfully, about the quality of the ingredients and their time on your skin: don't be cheap! Your future self will thank you. Now that I know what I like, I can find it on either Drugstore.com/Beauty.com or Sephora.com, and utilize Ebates as well (double discount).

On Drugstore.com/Beauty.com, I can earn "drugstore dollars," to be added on to later purchases; get free shipping for not only beauty supplies but cleaning and cat supplies (so buying and shipping heavy items like Method or Seventh Generation products or Vitabath for my mom's Xmas stocking is easy and cheap!); use manufacturer's coupons; and save further with Ebates. I have had GREAT experience with their customer service, their ease of ordering, and their quick mailing. Their prices equal those at Target, as least. My only quarrel is their sometimes-quirky inclusion of a particular brand's products... or not. 

Beauty.com is a great sister-site, and you can order together many of the name brand products I use. Right now I am using a Nuxe facial moisturiser I feel in love with in Paris, and this site carries it. I earn free samples, the same bonuses as the first site, etc. This also saves me time, because I know what I want and I did not have to scout town to find my rather specific product needs: it all comes to my door!

And again, by combining with Ebates, I can earn money back with every purchase. And I mean real money back--checks to be put in bank--not coupons. There's no cost, and you simply shop as usual through the Ebates window for nearly everything/anything on line, including Target, Sephora, Barnes & Noble, Kohl's, and Office Max. Seriously. If you sign up for Ebates, use this address to let them know I sent you:

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=8D2PPU1qyZgeGwul5d8BXA%3D%3D 

 Pearl

Having spent this week wrestling with defectives phones, new phones, return policies and the paperwork on my savings/retirement funds, I have also been considering my New Frugality, as I like to call it.

A quieter, more serene name than the "W.T.F. Am I Going To Do Now?" wail that runs through my head nearly daily. A version that suggests I have some control, some survivorship, some future that is not about living in a box.

Me and Jack, sharing cans of grilled shrimp and collected rainwater, a delightful extra-large fridge box and matching foil helmets. Sigh.

The good news is, there is a fair amount I can do, and I'm getting better at it.

For example: grocery shopping. I am a single person with a cat. I want to eat healthy food, have no food allergies, and keep my weight down. I want Jack to eat healthy food, too, for a long life; like other two-year-olds, he wants to eat Cheetos, cotton candy, and Big Macs: tasty food with empty calories. That suggests for me fruits and vegetables, lean protein, brown rice, red wine, coffee, green tea, andd dark chocolate. And for Jack, a 3:1 mix of healthy to cheesy dry food, with semi-healthy canned food he'll eat rather than let sit to dry out, $.65 at a time.

I've got a routine now of building weekly menus based on pantry and freezer holdings, meat and fish bought from Costco in two-months bulk, combined with coupon clipping for weekly specials, grocery cards for discounts (including air miles and gas discounts), organic "bulk" items (like nuts, rice, spices, and flour), and the scanning of four regular grocery papers (two national chains, one local organic store, and Target). I also occasionally receive or buy from a second organic chain, if there are specials, as there was this week, for a $5 coupon off bulk coffee by the pound.

I have a set budget per week. I buy dairy, fruit, and vegetables according to my likes and the weekly specials for my grocery cards. Some weeks, I visit all four stores; some weeks, only one--depending on specials, coupons, and pantry-fill-ins.

I am also trying to eat like the French: fresh food, made every 2-3 days. Meals full of fresh vegetables, fruits, and lean meats. A fridge that is lean and mostly bare, smaller servings (4-6 oz. of anything, rather than 8-16 oz. of everything). No packaged food, no frozen food, no microwave food: ounce for ounce, more expensive and less healthy than cooking simply for yourself. I like cooking, and constantly look for new recipes for soups, chilis, casseroles, and slow cooker options.

I eat eggs for dinner once weekly; despite cholesterol, they are still a great value and healthy as omelettes packed with vegetables and herbs. Also poached: working on finding the perfect poacher.

Jack's expensive dry food is bought with a combination of coupon and special, or through a pet chain where I also have a shopper's card and thus get a discount deeper than the grocery store. Another store to visit, but the substantial savings per can or box of food again make it worth while.

Simply put: set a budget, plan ahead, use coupons and sales brochures, cook for yourself, eat smaller portions. And build in occasional treats--like cupcakes, chocolate, and french fries (my favorites) so I don't feel deprived. And I don't have a husband or children to feed, so I can pretty much please myself--but my procedure isn't much different than most people's, I think. I am also much more conscious of not over-buying produce so that I have to throw things out, like brown bananas (I won't eat them after a certain spottiness) or mushy cucumbers.

And, yes, it is a time-consuming routine and ritual. One where my skill is improving.

My favorite grocery store in this town: Tom Thumb. Their shopper's card not only saves me money on weekly specials, but adds airmiles, gas discounts (up to $.10/gallon), and they double and triple paper coupons so that the savings equal or beat Target's on beauty and cat products, which saves me a shopping trip. There are Tom Thumb groceries all over town, so I can work them into any errand bundling I do, and they offer Starbucks kiosks and pretty much everything I buy, short of certain organic products. The produce is excellent, too, especially in certain stores, which matters a lot to me.

Second favorite: Whole Foods. If their organic produce wasn't so much more expensive, I'd shop there more. And they have no shopper's card, so no extra benefits from buying from them rather than any other organic chain.

This week: Chicken Paprikash with plain yogurt, Turkey Tacos with red onion, cabbage, tomatoes, and hot salsa, and Salmon seasoned with Old Bay and lemon juice.

Pearl

 

 

Last spring I bought a set of Envirosax polyester reusable sacks to replace the stained, dirty, crumpled assortment of free sacks I had gotten from various vendors and sources. In part, I was irritated and embarrassed by how messy my old bags were, and in part I was motivated to find sacks that carried enough groceries--to service a REAL grocery Sunday, in other words. I also wanted something I could take on my trip to Oxford and Paris that would work as extra bags for shopping, groceries, and whatever I needed on the trip.

I bought this set of five bags:

It has been a godsend. First, all five bags come rolled and snapped together in a carrier pouch which will fit in any purse... and I can still re-roll them and fit them in that pouch (not always what happens, let's be honest!). Each of these lightweight bags carries the equivalent of two plastic shopping bags (and three if the bags are only semi-full). They do not tear under lots of weight, the openings are big enough for odd-shaped and awkward items to fit inside, and the armholes are big enough to rest them on your shoulder. What more can I say?

They have not faded or stained, and the patterns are graphically gorgeous. They look great (ok, I'm vain) and remain looking great. I am not so crazy about the wavy line one (in part because looking at it too long makes me feel dizzy) but all four of the others are striking.

They come in other colors and styles, from subdued to brights, and are available on several places on the 'net. The price is a little crazy, especially when there are so many free bags (like the collection I amassed), at $30-some. But they look to last forever and I have yet to wash them. Rain doesn't soak them (like canvas) and they do not shred.

I know I sound like one of those TV scream-and-shout salespeople but honestly, there are so many things about these bags that fit my ideal of what reusable shopping bags should be--except free, but hey!--tha's why they are among my favorite things.

Pearl  

Here is the third and final video of the windows outside the grande dame of department stores. Again, tilt your head and don't laugh.

I do not understand why the flamingos are on their heads. I think there is a beach theme here, but... ?

Pearl

I finally got out of the studio and downtown, although I did not get my errands done (translation: there'll be more picture and videos after tomorrow!).

Because I am sort of still in training as a photographer and video-maker, my efforts have a humorous quality I did not intend. Just stop laughing and turn your head!

First, this is what the outside of the Galeries Lafayette looks like at the corner of Rue d'Antin and Boulebard Haussmann.

I didn't realize I was taking videos, so... okay, again stop laughing, and just watch. Jeez.

Then I got closer and watched the window displays (this is the turn your head part).

In both cases, you'll probably want to turn the volume down, as well. I have two more of these scenes, and if you can control yourself, I might share them with you tomorrow.

Christmas at Galeries Lafayette this season is very, very MAGENTA. It's P.I.N.K. This may throw some of you more traditional readers, but I have to say it is festive. The G.L. is just like Macy's Herald Square at this time of year, only 16 days away from The Day: jammed, crowded, full o' people shopping, and busy. I went by and looked at The Bag I covet (but will buy somewhere else) and tried to walk around the ground floor. Im-Possible.

I did meet three charming young men from America who were taking photos by the Bobbie Brown makeup kiosk--not that they were paying attention to Bobbie Brown stuff or makeup in general, but apparently it was a good spot for photos with this:

The sparkling, flashing, giant pink-and-gold floating Xmas tree hanging in the midst of G.L.!!!!!

I ended up by taking photos of the cute masculine trio, who were having way too much fun in the middle of a department store. It was really nice to catch and share their enthusiasm for a few minutes.

Tease! I'll share more picture of the tree and the entire G.L. festive spirit tomorrow.

Pearl  

Today I stopped at the cafe on the top floor of Galeries Lafayette, Paris's biggest and more elaborate department store. Since the line for coffee was so long, I chose something else. Because I am not eating sugar, I decided to treat myself... but only in moderation. (You'll understand later!)

and...

Yeah, went a little crazy. Clockwise, I tried a chocolate mandarine, which ws chocolate mouse surrounding a center of orange marmalade, covered with chocolate sauce and way too rich; an apple tart, which was great; and a torte fruits rouges, with two thin cakey layers and cream. The berries were delicious, but again, too much. I had three bites of each, and that was enough. (Notice the fizzy water, as well.)

Pearl