Well Heeled Blog > Food

How Much Would You Pay For a Scoop of Ice Cream?

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ice cream How Much Would You Pay For a Scoop of Ice Cream?

As the temperatures hover around the triple digits in many parts of the U.S., I imagine all the ice cream shops are doing brisk business. Did you know that Americans eat more than a billion gallons of ice cream and frozen desserts every year? I am quite contribute that I more than my fair share to that figure.

Last night CB and I could not stand the heat any longer, so we ventured out in search of something cold and creamy – ice cream, gelato, or frozen yogurt would all hit the spot. We headed to an ice cream parlor called Fosselman’s, which has been family-owned and operated since the 1919. Fosselman’s has a charming old-timey feel and very generous scoops – 2 handmade scoops plus a waffle cone only cost $6. It also has a 4.5 star rating from 1,200+ reviews on Yelp.

When CB saw the prices, though, he said, “oh, that seems more expensive.” Which made me think – what’s our reference for “expensive” or “a good deal” when it comes to ice cream? (CB’s reference, apparently, is the Baskin Robbins – Fosselman’s is more expensive, but only by about 20-30 cents a scoop. And I suspect the scoops may be bigger. It’s certainly cheaper than Coldstone Creamery). I am a sucker for cold, sweet and creamy on a hot day, and so have never thought of ice cream pricing too much. As long as it seems reasonable (under $4 or $5 a person), I don’t pay much attention to the prices.

Last summer we were frequent visitors to a place called Handel’s, which has been written up in National Geographic as one of the best ice cream shops IN THE WORLD. Some Handel’s locations have $1 scoop days, and if you are willing to wait in line with half the population of Southern California, it’s one of the best deals – best things – ever – on a hot summer night. I am too afraid of the crowds, however, and gladly pay $2 per scoop with only a 10 minute way during the normal price days.

I’ll be the first to pay extra for organic, handmade, artisanal ice cream that tastes amazing. After all, ice cream is a once-in-a-while treat, and it’s not more expensive than a Starbucks drink. Your direct pay-for-happiness ratio is pretty high with ice cream, in my humble opinion. But I probably wouldn’t hand over my money for something that’s more gimmicky or designer. A blogger, All That Glitters, mentioned a designer ice cream shop called Ice Cream Lab in Beverly Hills that cost $5 for a 5 oz. ”small” and concludes it was pretty expensive. I agree - $5 can get me a pint of Haagan Daaz!

It’s cheaper to just buy a pint of ice cream, even from a smaller shop, than buying scoops. But I’ve discovered – the hard way – that I can’t keep pints in my fridge. They’d all be gone in a day.

What is your favorite ice cream shop (and flavor)? How much would you pay for a scoop of ice cream?

Cooking From Scratch… Made Easier

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I love to watch cooking shows. More importantly, I’d love to be able to cook like chefs on cooking shows – with ingredients neatly presented in clear glass bowls, sauces and spices pre-measured, veggies pre-washed and pre-chopped, and of course, no thought of cleaning up afterwards.

Alas, that’s not how cooking goes for normal people. But can it be? I recently stumbled upon a review of ScratchDC on a fashion blog, and completely fell in love with ScratchDC’s concept of taking all the work out of cooking and letting me of indulging in my fantasy of being the next Julia Child. ScratchDC is a meal prep and delivery service – you can order a bundle filled with pre-chopped ingredients and a recipe, and it will be delivered to your house at a time of your preference the same day. A meal for two costs between $22-$30 depending on the day, and apparently provides ample portions for two adults and even some leftovers. (click on the picture below to access ScratchDC’s website).

scratchdc Cooking From Scratch... Made Easier

I have never used this service before – and it doesn’t look like I will anytime soon because Scratch is only in D.C. right now – so I can’t personally vouch for its quality or service. BUT, I have to say that this is a genius idea. Families are busier than ever, and unfortunately making a meal from scratch, while cheaper and healthier, is just not realistic for many folks. So I think it’s great that there is a company out there who can help us strike a balance between nutrition, convenience, and budget. This service might also be great for a small dinner party – 2 bundles will serve 4-5 people. At $30/bundle, you are still only spending $12 per person. Even TheBillfold’s David Tao can’t do it for that cheap.

CB and I might be in D.C. in a few months for vacation, and if we are, I am sorely tempted to order a Scratch bundle in lieu of a dinner out. Even though the bundles are definitely not cheap, they are still much more economical than comparable meals in a restaurant would be. And if CB does the dishes, I will be able to act out my dream of cooking like a chef on TV shows. All glory, no guts. icon wink Cooking From Scratch... Made Easier

Would you use ScratchDC or a similar service? If so, would you use it in place of a restaurant meal, or would you incorporate it into your grocery budget?

Is There a Stigma Against Separate Checks?

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I ask because I saw an advice column in SELF magazine on how to deal with dining-with-friends-and-money situations, especially with the sticky situation of a friend who ordered a pricey entree and wants to split the bill with someone who munched on a salad. I don’t disagree with SELF’s advice, but perhaps dining out is more awkward then it has to be.

Perhaps it’s because we are poor grad students, but my friends and I almost always ask for separate checks at restaurants (unless what we’ve ordered are really comparable, then we split the checks down the middle). I haven’t felt any stigma against getting separate checks, either from the waitstaff nor from my friends.

Ask Metafilter has a great thread on why separate checks for large groups can be a pain in the a– for waiters, however, we don’t typically have a problem getting separate checks, especially if we ask at the beginning of the meal. There’s nothing embarrassing about asking friends to pay their share, it’s not as if you are asking them for a cash loan!

Here is what SELF says and my take.

1. They got bubbly and oysters. You, a friggin’ frisee salad. Now they want to split the bill.

What SELF says:

You don’t want to seem like a tightwad, but if you’re broke, you’re broke. Say jokingly, “That salad was good, but not $40 good!” Next time, announce when you sit down that you’re ordering small.

My take: It’s not a matter of being a tightwad. No one likes to pay bubbly and oyster prices for a salad -unless your intention is to treat your friends, in which case, let generosity lead the way! I would just say, “why don’t we ask for separate checks” and then flag down the waiter. If that doesn’t work and you have cash, put down cash for your portion (including tax and tip, of course).

2. One person is clearly skimping on her share.

What SELF says:

Rib her gently. (“What else is hiding in that Marc Jacobs wallet, girl?”) In the future, offer to tally up shares–an app like Billr.me makes it easy–and ask another diner to collect so you don’t become the dinner-party pooper.

My take: In big groups, an easy rule of thumb is to take your dinner cost and add 30% (10% for tax and 20% for tip).

3. You didn’t research and chose the $$$ place.

What SELF says:

Sorry, this is your bad, so you have to make it up to the rest of the group. Offer to cover desserts or at least a round of post-dinner drinks. And for your next pick, might we suggest cheap and cheerful burgers and beers?

My take:

It’s up to someone in the group to speak up if the restaurant is too expensive, so I don’t think the person who selected the restaurant should have to pony up for more than his or her fair share. Of course, my friends and I have walked out of a restaurant before we even opened up our napkins once we realized how expensive it is, so it may be that we just have no shame…!

Do you usually ask for separate checks when you are out with friends? And has anyone had a friend gutsy even to suggest an even split when he/she ordered champagne and lobster while you munched on bread?

Foodie Finances: The Monthly Food Costs of Folks Who Love to Eat

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foodie finances receipt Foodie Finances: The Monthly Food Costs of Folks Who Love to Eat

A foodie and her money is soon parted

If there is one thing on which I spend most of my waking hours thinking, planning, and dreaming about, it’s food. I don’t have a food blog, I don’t take pictures of food, and I’m not a food purist in the sense that a locavore or a vegan or a Michael Pollan devotee may be. I’m not even particularly adventurous when it comes to food (foie gras, yes, fried locusts, no). I have equal love for hole-in-the-wall places and chain restaurants – as long as I think the food is yummy, I will eat there. Basically, I love to eat and I don’t particularly like cooking after a long day at work. Ergo, money = consumed.

As a personal finance blogger, my ears also perk up around anything that ties money in with food. And so it is with great interest that I read New York Magazine article that featured food lover Diane Chang, a 27-year-old digital strategist who admits that she spends most of her available money on the procurement and enjoyment of food. Diane makes $70,000 a year and spends around $1,100 a month in rent in Park Slope (which is actually an extremely reasonable amount of rent for New York City). Aside from student loans, most of her money goes to food. The week that she kept a food budgeting journal for NY Mag, she spent $350 on food and related purchases, a number that she has mentioned is on the high side of what she typically spends.

In March 2012, my fiance and I spend $814.93 on food between the two of us.

2 person food spending Foodie Finances: The Monthly Food Costs of Folks Who Love to Eat

After I read the article, I added up what CB and I spent on food last month. Food – groceries, take-out, restaurant meals, coffees and snacks – constitutes the majority of my monthly discretionary spending BY FAR, but I had thought we might be in the $500-$600 range. Once we ran the numbers, we looked at each other and mouthed HOLY… We have crossed into the $800+ territory. Granted, March was fairly atypical in terms of our spending – we had two very nice meals that cost $200 total, and those were both special occasion meals to celebrate our entrance into grad school. Still. $800. Quite a wake-up call.

Of the $814.93, 14%, or $117, went to a 5-course tasting menu at a pop-up restaurant. That was our most expensive meal. The cheapest prepared meal was $6.69 at Trader Joe’s, where I got a chocolate bar and a miso salmon salad. Sprinkled in between those two extremes are $30 bills at our favorite ramen noodle shop and twice-monthly Costco runs where we get a dozen individually-packaged Greek yogurts for $10 and cooked chicken breast strips for $5 per package. Our normal monthly food costs is around $600-$650, which is what March would have been had we not gone to those two nice restaurants.

A couple years ago, before we moved in together, I’ve had the romantic notion that we’d just spend just $300 a month for the two of us. Obviously that has not gone to plan! Our spending is not only high by personal finance blog standards, it’s just high. Period. A 2009 The Nest article says that a couple typically spends $531 a month on food. And according to the USDA, as of January 2012, a family of two who spends $481.30 is considered to have a “Low Cost Food Plan” and a couple who spends $597.40 is considered to have a “Moderate Cost Food Plan.” (Check out this site for more fascinating information on U.S. average food spending for different family sizes).

More Information About Food Spending Statistics

With this nifty interactive app, you can enter in your spending and see how it stacks up against other people in your demographic, your city, and among your income level. According to the app, a married couple without kids spend around $8,000 a year on food, or around $666.67 on month (see below).

household type spending Foodie Finances: The Monthly Food Costs of Folks Who Love to EatHow much do you spend on food in a month? And if you remember, I’d be interested to hear about your most expensive and least expensive meals in the past month.

Bacon Makes It Better: An Ode to My Favorite Food

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Did you know that March 18-March 25 is Australia’s National Bacon Week?

It is, it is. Even though I am not Australian, I stand with my fellow bacon-lovers from Down Under. Bacon is possibly one of my favorite foods ever. I try not to over-indulge (and oh it would be so easy to over-indulge), but I find that just a little bit of bacon adds a whole dimension of crunch and flavor to almost anything: salads, sandwiches, soups, even crumbled over chocolate cakes!

In honor of this week, a short little ditty.

The salt of wisdom
The crunch of youth
Bacon makes it better
And that’s the truth!

What’s your favorite bacon-related recipe?

 

Giveaway: Ghirardelli Gourmet Milk Chocolate Gift Packs

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Is there anything in the world that’s better than rich, indulgent chocolate? (OK, maybe, but not many…).

ghirardelli chocolate giveaway Giveaway: Ghirardelli Gourmet Milk Chocolate Gift Packs

That’s why I’m so excited to be working with Ghirardelli on a giveaway to promote their new Gourmet Milk line of “upgraded milk chocolate.” Two lucky winners will receive a gift pack includes 4 bars of each of the following flavors: Gourmet Milk Creamy Devotion with rich and creamy 32% cacao milk chocolate, Gourmet Milk Sea Salt Escape with sea salt and roasted almonds and Gourmet Milk Coconut Rendezvous which features toasted coconut flakes. That’s 12 bars in a gift pack!

One of my favorite things to do is to kick back at the end of the day with a good book, a cup of tea, and a bar of chocolate or a few pieces  of truffles – purchased with my chocolate budget, of course. It makes me feel positively indulgent when I do that, and it’s much cheaper than going out. Besides, life is just sweeter (pun intended!) when it includes chocolate. And you better gather ye chocolates while ye can – after all, our favorite cocoa treats be as expensive as caviar in 20 years.

Please see the Rafflecopter form below (click here to see the permalink) for ways to enter.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

I Can’t Buy A Regular Cake Because I Am Having a Wedding (or, My Time In The Wedding Twilight Zone)

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The title says it all. A bakery refused to sell me one of their regular cakes because I told them I am getting married. Hence begins my experience in the Wedding Twilight Zone.

white cake I Cant Buy A Regular Cake Because I Am Having a Wedding (or, My Time In The Wedding Twilight Zone)(This is a plain white cake, much like the cakes that the bakery wouldn’t sell to me once they found out I was having a wedding).

Here’s what happened. As a devout cake-lover, I knew that I wanted my guests to have a delicious cake at the wedding. So I found a well-regarded bakery and reached out to the owner. The website shows two pricing schemes: one for wedding cakes ($5.50 per person or around $150 for 28 people) and one for “event” cakes ($45 for a cake of comparable size).

Here’s how my conversation in the Wedding Twilight Zone went:

Me: Hi, I’d like to ask you a couple of questions about your cakes. I am looking for a cake next year.
Bakery owner: Oooh, how wonderful! Are you having a wedding?
Me: Yes, actually, so I just had a few questions. In my head: oops, should I have said that? But I don’t want to LIE to her. I was wondering what’s the difference between the wedding cakes and the event cakes.
Bakery owner: The wedding cakes are a nice two-tier cake. There is a $150 minimum order.
Me: Oh, okay. I am having a really small, casual wedding. Can I buy a regular event cake instead?
Bakery owner: Oh, no. The event cakes are a completely different look. They are like.. birthday cakes! You’d need to get the wedding cake. Then there’s the delivery fee…
Me: I understand. But I’m not asking for a wedding cake for the price of a regular cake. Can I just buy a regular cake?
Bakery owner: No… wedding cakes and event cakes are completely different. You’d have to get a wedding cake.
Me: Fine, can I just get a regular cake for a ah, regular event, then? I can even come pick it up. 
Bakery owner: awkward silence
Me: All right. Thank you very much. Let me think about it.

What Is The Wedding Twilight Zone?

The wedding twilight zone, I propose, is that weird disruption in the space-time continuum where once a store hears the word “wedding”, it will refuse to sell you, the customer, anything that is NOT wedding related. Despite your insistence to the contrary. Despite you asking them what is the difference between wedding vs. non-wedding. (See this BBC video for an illustration).

The wedding cakes and the event cakes share identical flavors. For the same size, the wedding cake costs more than THREE times as much as the regular cake. From what I can see on the website, the wedding cakes are more beautifully decorated. The regular event cakes, however, are just fine for my purposes. I don’t want to pay an extra $100 for a second tier and more decorations.

So, I understand why a wedding cake – which the bakery prepares with more effort and decor – costs more. I understand that many items have a “wedding premium.” I’d expect the owner to be peeved if I bought an event cake but expected a more elaborate wedding cake. But I don’t! If I just wanted a plain, frosted cake – for WHATEVER occasion (which was really none of the bakery’s business) – why couldn’t I buy it? It is really frustrating. The owner was perfectly polite, but the exchange still left me slightly bewildered and indignant. I don’t want to have to dance around the subject and say it’s a “special event” or a “fancy luncheon” or a “graduation” to buy what I want to buy.

Give customers what they want!

This business owner lost out on my business. I get it – it’s better to sell a wedding cake at $150 than a regular cake at $50. But it wasn’t a matter of whether I will buy a lower cost event cake or an more expensive wedding cake from her bakery. It was whether I will buy an event cake from her. Which she apparently did not want.

CB suggested that we call back closer to the wedding and just tell the bakery it’s for a birthday or whatever. I told him no. The owner sounded like a nice-enough lady and the cakes got great reviews online, but I am not going to jump through hoops for her to take my money if she doesn’t want it. Let her eat her own cakes!

Have you ever been trapped in this Wedding Twilight Zone where once the store finds out you are having a wedding, they won’t sell you any none wedding items?

image source: by Volantra via Flickr

iDine Review & Giveaway: Money Back for Eating Out

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One of my biggest discretionary spending is eating out. I love trying new places to eat and not cleaning up after a meal, so over the years have funneled thousands of dollars to bistros, cafes, restaurants, and creperies. Imagine my delight when the folks from iDine contacted me and told me about a program where I can earn up to 15% money back on what I spend at restaurants. In exchange for my review, I will receive a $50 American Express gift card and will get a $20 gift card to give away to one lucky (and hopefully hungry!) reader.

iDine large iDine Review & Giveaway: Money Back for Eating OutWhat is iDine?

iDine is a rewards network where you can earn money back for eating out at participating restaurants. Once your benefits hit $20, you get an American Express gift card. What sets this network apart from others is that there are no additional cards, coupons, or certificates needed. In fact, the server and dining companions won’t even know you are part of a “discount” program.

How Much Do You Earn?

  • If you spend $1-$250 in a year, you receive 5% back in the form of an American Express gift card.
  • For spending between $251-$750, you receive 10% back.
  • For spending over $750+, you receive 15% back.

For more details, check out the membership chart.

How to get the American Express gift cards:

  1. You have to sign up and opt in to marketing emails from the network.
  2. You also have to put in at least one credit card into the system because that is how iDine track spending. You can add up to 5 credit cards.
  3. iDine has a list of restaurants that participate in the program, of course to receive credit for dining, you need to go to one of the participating establishments.
  4. Finally, you will need to finish a survey within 30 days of your dining out experience.

My experience with iDine

I signed up the Last weekend CB and I went to The Bottle Room in Whittier, CA, after we visited a friend. The restaurant has a cool lounge vibe, and the food (we got a burger and a flatbread pizza) were good as well. This was a restaurant I had wanted to try out.

I was pleasantly surprised at how many restaurants were in nearby neighborhoods, many restaurants we’ve already been to and several more we were thinking of going. We spent around $40 for dinner, which means we would earn $2 in cash back. It doesn’t seem like a big amount, but we probably spend ~$4,000 a year eating out. Even if half of that spending is at iDine restaurants, over the course of a year we would get over $200 back in American Express gift cards.

To enter the $20 American Express iDine giveaway:

  • Sign up for iDine and leave a comment telling me you’ve done so
  • Leave a comment telling me what restaurant you’d like to try
  • Tweet: Win $20 iDine AmEx Gift Card @WellHeeledBlog http://tinyurl.com/3zrw7go

Each entry will be 1 point, so everyone can enter a total of three times. The contest will end at Sunday November 6 at 12pm midnight PST. Good luck!

It’s Expensive Being Social

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Recently I have been seeing many more friends than I usually do, and while I love and enjoy their company, it’s expensive being social!

Sure, there ways to be social without spending a lot of money. I’ve written about those ways before, as have 99% of personal finance bloggers out there. I love those ideas. Most of these ideas (game nights, potlucks, cooking at home), though, work for once-in-a-while get-togethers. But I argue that it is hard to consistently hang out with friends WITHOUT going out, and thereby spending money.

These past few weeks I have caught up with several friends that I haven’t seen in months. We caught over brunches, lunches, and dinners. We caught up over morning coffees, afternoon teas, and evening sangrias. All of this catching up has resulted in some very unusual spending. I don’t even want to look at my credit card bill right now.

For the most part, I don’t mind. I know as long as I don’t make a habit of spending $500 on food every single month, I will be OK. It is really nice to see friends and enjoy a delicious meal together.

It is really nice to be social. But it’s also expensive.

My 21 Day Detox

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Detox diets and cleanses are big business, especially among young professional women. Prices can range up to hundreds of dollars a day, with organic juice cleanses delivered straight to your door. But I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars to go on a detoxification diet. With so many resources available, I can design my own detox diet (which will be MUCH more lenient than any of these detox diets I’ve read about), which won’t cost me any money at all.

From tomorrow Monday, April 18 to Sunday, May 8, I am embarking on a self-style detox.

As someone who is utterly devoted to epicurean pleasures, I won’t be going on a fast or a liquid diet- I fear for the safety of those around me if I were to stop eating! Instead, I’ll make my 21 day detox period a time to develop cleaner, leaner, and healthier eating habits.

My dietary habits range somewhere between lackluster and atrocious. They are not healthy for how I feel on the inside nor how I look on the outside. I hope that 21 days of detox will kick start a better eating regime, which should in turn give me more energy.

Here is everything I am giving up on my detox:

  • Caffeine (including lattes and black tea)
  • Red meat – this will be difficult as I am a HUGE meat-lover, so I’ve built in a cheat day (see below)
  • Alcohol
  • Cookies and cakes
  • Crackers
  • Cheese
  • White bread
  • White rice and pasta
  • Any drink that is not water, milk, soy milk, or tea
  • Fries, including sweet potato fries (my absolute favorite)
  • Butter
  • Airline salted peanuts
  • Jam
  • Bacon (again, I love bacon, so this will be hard)
  • Pizza
  • Ice cream (sob)

Here is what I will allow myself to have:

  • Fish
  • Chicken 1x a week
  • Red meat (probably a burger!) once during the 21 days
  • Unsweetened oatmeal
  • Water (hot, cold, with lemon, etc.) – I will drink 8 oz a day (6 if I drink a lot of tea)
  • Green tea and white tea
  • Low-fat milk, soy, and yogurt
  • Vegetables (preferably steamed)
  • Fruits
  • 85% dark chocolate (hey, at this concentration, it’s practically an antioxidant!)
  • Whole grains
  • Brown rice
  • Eggs
  • Baked sweet potatoes
  • I can cheat on the sweets / cookies / cakes ONE TIME

Originally, I had thought about delaying this detox because I will be traveling heavily for the next 3 weeks. But when is it EVER a good time to change one’s diet habits? If I use the “it’s  a bad time” excuse, I will never start. For some people, my “detox” might be a day of exceptionally bad eating, but for me, it’s truly a 180 in how I eat.

Aside from the physical benefits, I also hope this detox will also confer financial benefits. I should be more limited in going out to restaurants. Even if I do go out to a restaurant, I’d be ordering steamed veggies, which should be cheaper than steak and potatoes.

If you’d like to join in on the detox (or have previous experience with detoxes), please chime in!

Starbucks Rewards Card: A Good Deal for the Frequent Drinker

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Starbucks, you win.

My coffee shop fix has been a little over the top lately. I go to Starbucks about 3-4 times a week, in addition to sprinkles of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Nordstrom Cafe visits.

starbucks rewards Starbucks Rewards Card: A Good Deal for the Frequent DrinkerCB and I like to go to coffee shops during evenings and on weekends – he studies for his GRE, I work on my freelance work. All those $5 here and there adds up, and we show no sign of quitting the java. So night I finally caved in and signed up for the Starbucks Card rewards program.

With Starbucks Rewards, you will earn 1 Star every time you pay with your card. Once you get up to 5 Stars, you get a small offering of free services, such as free flavored syrups, free soymilk, free refills on iced tea, etc. I am probably most excited about the free soymilk, as I love my chai soy lattes. For every 15 Stars, you will get a free drink. You also get a free drink on your birthday. Plus, you can you can always exchange gift cards in case you want to get another one.

Since the Stars are based on per transaction, I wonder if I can break up all my purchases into separate transactions. icon wink Starbucks Rewards Card: A Good Deal for the Frequent Drinker In any case, I have sort of admitted defeat to the lure of Starbucks.

Anyone has a Starbucks Card and is earning the rewards?

photo courtesy of Starbucks.com

Edit: The winner of the Cholula 4-pack giveaway is Julia C! Congrats Julia. Winner is Hedy. Thanks everyone for entering!

Food Budget Inflation Rampant: Time to Wave the White Flag or Double Down and Try Harder?

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In the Me vs. Food Spending competition, the statistics are currently thus: Food Spending 10, Me -3

Fighting a never-ending battle with food costs

In November 2010, I spent $336 on Food & Dining ($185 groceries / $151 restaurants). In December 2010, I spent $297 ($78 groceries / $219 restaurants). In January 2011, I spent $279 ($20 groceries / $259 on restaurants). Granted, some of these splits might be biased because CB tends to pick up groceries on his way from work, and I will often pick up the check at restaurants to make up for the difference.

food 300x145 Food Budget Inflation Rampant: Time to Wave the White Flag or Double Down and Try Harder?

via flickr/clspeace

Still. For someone who had a ~$200 food budget just a few years ago and who had expected cohabitation to decrease food costs (because we can split groceries! and magically bond over cooking like characters in romantic comedies! – I was obviously not in my right mind), these numbers are a little hard to accept.

The truth is, I don’t like to cook after I come home from work. I find cooking time-consuming and thankless. *CB thanks me when I cook, as I do when he cooks, but on the whole I think this whole daily-grind-cooking (as opposed to special-occasion-cooking, such as a dinner party or a lovely brunch), is one of the most thankless jobs out there. Mom, I don’t know how you did it.

I’d rather pick up extra freelance assignments, or work longer hours and try to get a bigger bonus – in other words, I’d rather make more money to afford buying good food than try to scrimp and budget in that regard. But making more money takes time, while resisting the 6th restaurant visit in one week can be implemented immediately.

Resign to the higher food budget? Or make an extra effort to cook more?

On the one hand, is $300/month food budget for one person really that unreasonable? On the other hand, I can easily cut $50 or $100 out of the budget if I just cooked 3-4 more nights a month. Is cooking 3-4 more nights a month really that difficult? I know CB is also finding that our profligate dining out habits to be a drain on his finances. Given that neither of us lack things to save for, isn’t it worth more effort to cook?

I don’t know the answer to this. But I do know that I am hungry.

The High Cost of Healthy Groceries

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The common perception is that cooking at home is always cheaper than going out to eat. Most of the times, I think this is true.  Lately, I’ve trying to cook at home more, both to save money and to help myself meet my fitness goals. After I started tabulating our grocery bills, though, I’m not sure how much money we are actually saving. It turns out that CB and I actually have pretty high standards when it comes to our groceries: I want items that are healthy, delicious, and convenient (which means pre-cut, individually-packed, pre-cleaned, etc.).

I am trying to incorporate more fish and high quality meats and vegetables into our diet (trying to improve my nutritional intake, from, say, three years ago). These high standards, not surprisingly, translates into high cost of groceries. I’ve been buying a lot of frozen wild salmon ($30 for eight 6 oz. individually vacuum-sealed fillets), frozen Tilapia loins ($15 for 6-8 loins), Greek yogurt (I like FAGE, which costs $1.99 for one small container), and other fares such as organic noodles, pre-cut butternut squash, and brown rice.  CB is resisting it, but I am hoping to move us onto pastured eggs before long.

The fish is especially expensive – I try to have fish (wild Alaskan salmon or Tilapia, although I am attempting to branch out) twice a week. Our monthly fish budget – assuming we get 1 pack of salmon and 1 pack of Tilapia – is almost $45! Yikes. I also like to get a big container of FAGE Greek yogurt for snack during work every week. At $5 a carton, that’s a cost of $20 a month.  If we start buying pastured eggs, a dozen would cost $5 to $6.

I think we need to start really keeping track of our food expenses. Or else, I’m going to eat us out of our house and home. Almost three years ago I asked readers what was your food budget. At that time, my groceries budget was $110. Now, I’ve set our grocery budget at $250-$300 a month for the two of us, although I hope to stick to the lower end of the scale.  A benefit of cohabitation is that we can pool our grocery monies together and buy in larger quantities, so I am hopeful that our money will stretch further.

So, let me ask again – How much do you spend on groceries a month? And, what kind of healthy produce / meats do you buy?

Fitness Boot Camp Journal: Days 4-5

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Day 4 (11/23)

Today was a kickboxing cardio class. Lots of punches, kicks, lateral runs, sprints, and jumping jacks. Then crunches. Remember how I said Day 3 was the hardest workout I’ve ever had? Well, Day 4 is a very close second. Lots of muscles are sore, including many that I have never known existed.

Day 5 (11/24)

More strength, resistance, and balance training with tubing, balance discs, and fitness balls. Have you ever heard of the bridge exercise on the fitness ball with a heel dig? I haven’t. Until Day 3. This exercise works your glutes and forces all the little muscles in your abs and back to kick in action. Then today, we did it again. And maybe I imagined it but I could’ve sworn that I was stronger than Day 3. icon wink Fitness Boot Camp Journal: Days 4 5 For a lot of the exercises, I had to stop briefly to just let myself rest a little or grab a sip of water. After the workout, my thoughts were: 1. every muscle in my body is sore. 2. I have really, really weak arms.

**Day 4 was also my first weighing / measurement. Every six weeks, the trainers will weigh participants and measure their waist and hips, and body fat percentage using body fat calipers. These are small clothpin-like devices that measure skinfolds to calculate how much subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin) a person has.

My initial measurements are:
Weight: 103.6
Body fat as a % of weight: 29%-30%
Waist: 27
Hips: 35

As a note, I am barely 5’1 in stocking feet, and am considered small-boned.

I am not happy with these numbers, and frankly I was a little dismayed at my high body fat percentage. Depending on which body fat chart I look that, 30% body fat is either on the edge of the acceptable / optimal range or has already crossed over into the too-high range. I shouldn’t be surprised though – all those years of no exercise and eating whatever the heck I want (which usually includes fried foods, oily foods, and lots of sugar and sweets) has caught up to me.

Given my petite build and my weight history, I know somewhere in the mid-to-upper 90s is a healthy, happy, and maintainable number for me. Through the end of high school I was always a steady 96-97 lbs. And I certainly have not gotten any taller since high school!  But my primary focus won’t be on the scale. Instead, I am looking to lose fat to bring my body fat percentage down to 23%-24% and to lose 2.5-3 inches on my waist and 2 inches on my hips. If I meet those goals, the weight will come down naturally. Basically, I want to be my high school shape, but with more lean body mass and less fat.

It’s not just about vanity

A toned midsection is nice, but vanity is not the only reason I want to lose the belly (although I’d be lying if I said aesthetics doesn’t matter at all). Abdominal fat is especially dangerous because it contributes to increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, and certain types of cancers. According to a Harvard Medical School article: “Abdominal, or visceral, fat is of particular concern because it’s a key player in a variety of health problems — much more so than subcutaneous fat, the kind you can grasp with your hand. Visceral fat, on the other hand, lies out of reach, deep within the abdominal cavity, where it pads the spaces between our abdominal organs.” I need to be especially vigilant because the women in my family tend to carry excess weight around the stomach and the hip region.

Hello balanced meals, we meet again for the first time

Exercise is only one part of the equation: I DO know that my eating habits ave to change. I read somewhere that to change one’s appearance – even small changes in tone, definition, losing a few inches here and there – is 70% diet and 30% exercise. It doesn’t matter how much I work out if I just go back to unhealthy eating habits after ward.

Through my boot camp I have a nutritional plan that put my daily caloric requirement at 1,200-1,447 calories a day. I almost cried when I saw that range – it is so small!! I will definitely swing towards the higher end of that range. And, as I hate the feeling of hunger (or even just a nibble of hunger), I will have to be very smart with my food choices and get high density foods that is filling but healthy. I might even get an iPhone app to make sure I am meeting all of my nutritional and caloric requirements through 5 small meals a day.

Slowly, I am coming around to the concept that eating healthy is something I have to do permanently. Every day. For life. As someone who have been able to eat just about anything she wants, as much as she wants, with little “visible” consequences until a few years ago, that realization was a little depressing. I know, I know, the world’s smallest violin is playing for me right now.

The bottom line

In six weeks it will be the start of 2011. In previous years, I would greet January by making an easy-to-break New Year’s Resolution to get “healthier” and “more fit” without any action to back it up. But if I keep up with my boot camp and learn to develop healthier eating habits, I will already be on my way to a healthier lifestyle by January 1, 2011. And that would be pretty great. icon biggrin Fitness Boot Camp Journal: Days 4 5

Chocolate Will Be As Expensive as Caviar in 20 Years

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Remember my chocolate budget? Well, I better start saving much more money because in 20 years, chocolate is going to skyrocket in cost. According to a chilling article by Gizmodo, the world is running out of chocolate!

At the rate we’re going, chocolate is going to be a rare—and extremely pricey—commodity within the next twenty years.

What will the shortage mean? $11 Snickers bars, sooner than you think. Pretzels given out for Halloween. Or more candy made from carob, a poor substitute for the sweet and sticky real deal. And a tectonic shift in how we view our mochas, according the Nature Conservation Research Council’s John Mason:

“In 20 years chocolate will be like caviar. It will become so rare and so expensive that the average Joe just won’t be able to afford it.”

Imagine all the things that would be affected by this shortage: hot chocolates, s’mores, mochas, Spanish mole dishes, Hershey’s Kisses, chocolate croissants, brownies, chocolate cupcakes….

I wish I had something more cogent to say about this shortage, something about market pricing or consumer behavior. But all I can say is…

NOOOO!

Food Waste: Throwing Money Away

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Something I find a little embarrassing is how much food we waste in our home.  There is something unsavory about tossing away food – to have good food to eat is a luxury for many people across the world, and even in America.  Not to mention that I paid good money for the often organic / grass-fed / cage-free groceries I buy and I am literally throwing dollars down the drain (or the trash) whenever I toss another box of barely eaten berries or wilted veggies or mealy apples. At least I have figured out a way for preserving bread.

moldy fruit 300x229 Food Waste: Throwing Money Away When I was living alone, I had to toss out a lot of food because I can never finish them. Now that I live with another person, it is still difficult to finish all the fresh meal, produce and fruits that we buy. Sometimes, we just plain forget about the food that we have, and by the time I remember, it’s already too late. Other times it’s a matter of poor planning – we might shop the Thursday before a weekend get away, and by the time we are back on Sunday we go to dim sum instead of scrambling eggs because no one wants to cook, and the food is spoiled when Monday rolls around.  We are also not big fans of grocery shopping, so my ideal life is to do it twice a month and call it a day. You can imagine how well that works out.

If I am truly honest with myself, I probably throw away $20-$30 a month because of food waste. Looking into my refrigerator right, I see almost a full box of blueberries ($3), a carton of curry ramen ($3), half-eaten rice and beef kebabs ($4), a package of baby bok choy ($2), half a shallot ($1), and half-a-carton of cage-free eggs a week past the expiration date ($2). That is $15 right there, gone to waste.

Lately, I have resorted to buy almost all frozen foods – frozen, pre-cut veggies, frozen salmon fillets, frozen garlic naan, etc.  And chocolates.  At least this way I know my food won’t go bad before we have a chance to eat it. But man (and woman) cannot live on frozen meals, chocolates, and wine alone.  I want to have some fresh fruits and veggies in our diet, so I guess I will just have to be more mindful of when to finish food before the expiration date.

What are your tips and tricks for combating food waste? How much money do you think you lose because of food waste?

Coupons on a first date, yay or nay?

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coupon10 300x300 Coupons on a first date, yay or nay?Even romance can’t escape the recession – lately, I’ve been seeing frugal dating tips everywhere. One thing I’ve read is to use a coupon on a first date.

I love eating out, I love good food, and if I can do it for 10% or 20% or 50% off, all the power to me. CB and I have no qualms about busting out a restaurant.com coupon and enjoying a $60 meal for $40, or going to Restaurant Week, or ordering specials. But using coupons on the 293rd date is very different than doing so on a first date.

Using coupons on a first date, especially in a restaurant, a bit awkward to me. ChowHound had a very spirited debate on this matter, with the Yay-coupons coming slightly ahead of the Nay-coupons. I think I’d lean towards Nay to coupons on the first date, and this is why:

  • First date should be the time when you are extra careful to make sure the other person is comfortable. A coupon might give the appearance that someone picked the restaurant only because of the discount, and not because of its great lighting or special tapas or cool drinks menu. Even if that’s not the case (i.e. the asker has a coupon to a great restaurant that he/she already knows and loves), I’d much rather avoid the impression.
  • Most coupons require that you announce the fact that you have a coupon at the beginning of the meal. Some coupons are really hard to figure out. Buy 2 entrees and get an appetizer (but not entrees in the XYZ section) or spend $50 in these categories and get 20% off. The date might feel as if he (or she) must order in a certain way because of the coupon, and that’s not cool.
  • Some waitstaff are not as attentive when you mention that you have a coupon. It’s not right, of course, because people should tip on the original amount so the waiters who provide the same level of service should receive the same tip from a party using a coupon and a party that doesn’t. But I’ve gotten bad service just for only getting water and not the cocktail the waitress pushed, so.. imagine if I used a coupon. Again, having a snippy waiter is something to laugh about when you have been dating the other person for a while, but it can add to the stress on the first date.

The one thing that I don’t like is how using (or not) coupons is seen as an indication of character. For the purpose of simplicity I will make the very general assumption that men tend to ask ladies on dates and women tend to be asked (understanding that there are no hard-and-fast rules and that this gender dynamic rules out gays and lesbians).

In the ChowHound thread most of the comments either said that men who uses coupons are either financially responsible stewards of money or cheap stingy penny-pinchers. And that women who don’t like coupons are gold-diggers who are only out for a free meal ticket. I would never discount someone for using a coupon on a first date, but my personal preference is against it. But coupon is a coupon – you can’t extrapolate that one instance to make assumptions about a person’s whole financial outlook / money management skills (good or bad).

Instead of having my date use a coupon at a more expensive place on a first date, I would much rather have a first date at a cheap neighborhood place or a a taco truck. First dates don’t have to be expensive (seriously – my favorite taco joint sells $0.80 tacos – get 15 of them, grab a bottle of $6 Moscato, and take me on a picnic. I will swoon), but it should be comfortable for both people.

Coupons on first dates can bring mixed reactions, so I say it’s best to wait until the dating relationship is a little further along before those 2 for 1s and buy one get one 50% start coming out. Of course, if both people met on CouponCupid.com, then go forth and coupon!

So.. coupons on a first date. Yay or nay? I’d be very interested in hearing feedback from both guys and gals.

Eating Out On Vacations

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This weekend CB and I traveled to the absolutely beautiful city of Boston and had a grand ol’ time walking around, meeting up with friends, and eating. Lots and lots of eating.

brunch pic 198x300 Eating Out On VacationsAll this eating has turned into quite an expense. We were in Boston for three full days – in those three days we had:

  • 3 dinners, including a grand lobster dinner at Legal’s Sea Food
  • 5 brunches/lunches (picture on the left is of the crab cake benedict at Stephanie’s on Newberry.  They cost $18 but was 100% worth the price. I can tell that it’s all crab, no filler. Thank you to Saving My Bacon for introducing me to this restaurant!).
  • 2 coffee breaks
  • 1 donut run (can’t pass up Dunkin’ Donuts, can we?)

The total cost of all our meals for two hovered around $350, or around $60 per day, per person. That is much higher than we normally spend, but I tell myself it was a vacation.

What is your philosophy when it comes to eating out on vacations?

Forget the budget and satisfy the senses – after all, it’s a special occasion

OR

Keep the wallet in check to avoid a spending hangover after the trip

I’d like to think I maintain a healthy balance between the two, but when it comes to food and touristy experiences (Duck tours – $65 for two tickets, anyone?), I veer on the side of it’s a vacation!  I did stay in one of the cheapest options I could find in Boston ($140/night hotel), so I gave myself a little more leeway to enjoy the culinary delights the city had to offer.