reviews | Well Heeled Blog

Santa dropped by with a Kindle Fire

Written by WellHeeled on November 27, 2011 · 11 Comments

By Santa, I meant my fiance. He snuck out of the house yesterday morning and came home with a Kindle Fire for me – happy surprise indeed! We had talked about getting an e-reader or a tablet this year, but I have been hemming and hawing about the price. I guess he got tired of my indecision and made a judgment call.

So far, I really like the Kindle Fire. I’ve been playing with the tablet all day. At $199, it’s much cheaper than the iPad (of course, with fewer capabilities, apps, etc.), but for my needs – light blogging, reading, web surfing, it is perfectly adequate. In fact, I am typing this post on the Fire right now. I haven’t completely ruled out returning the Fire and getting the $99 Kindle Touch instead, for the e-ink and the longer battery life. But it is nice to get wifi and be able to read content online. Either way, I will have to watch out and make sure I don’t go crazy with buying $10 books every week. Given that I can go through normal paperbacks in a couple of hours, I will have to stock up on free books as often as I can.

Do you have a tablet or an e-reader (or are you getting one this holiday season)? If you have good sources for free reading material, please share in the comments!

iDine Review & Giveaway: Money Back for Eating Out

Written by WellHeeled on October 31, 2011 · 10 Comments

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.

What 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:

You have to sign up and opt in to marketing emails from the network.
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.
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.
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!

Walt Disney World Dining Plan Review: Worth The Money?

Written by WellHeeled on December 30, 2009 · 8 Comments

This post was Consumeristed! Woo.

I’m back from the Most Magical Place on Earth! It was a wonderful trip, and the food was surprisingly good – I’ve always associated theme parks with run-of-the-mill, overpriced fast food, but I’ve had a couple of really amazing dining experiences (albeit still with the Disney premium) at Disney World. Because food is such an important part of any vacation, let’s talk about a review of the Disney Dining Plan.

For my first trip to the Disney World Resort, boyfriend and I have decided to purchase the Disney Dining Plan (a feature available to guests staying within a Disney World Resort hotel). Would we do it again? As you’ll read on, although overall I was fairly happy with the plan, I have to say…. there are a few caveats.

Mickey Waffle 300x238 Walt Disney World Dining Plan Review: Worth The Money?

Mickey is magically delicious!

Basic Dining Plan Information

We got the Basic Dining Plan (there are also Dining Plans a few tiers up, which offered more options but of course also cost more), which gives 1 Quick Service meal, 1 Table service meal, and 1 Snack per person, per day. The fee was $40 per person, per day. We spent 5 days at Disney World, so our total Dining Plan cost was ~$400. The Disney Dining Plan includes taxes but not tips or alcoholic beverages.

Quick Service = counter-service meal (think fast-food / food cart entree combo types) + 1 drink + 1 dessert. Usually around $10 - $20.
Snack = 1 dessert, drink, or pastry. Usually around $2 – $5.
Table Service = sit-down meal (entree + 1 dessert + 1 drink) or a buffet. Usually around $30 - $45.

Is the Disney Dining Plan Worth The Money?

If you select an expensive table service dinner (above $40), you will usually come out ahead of the Plan than if you had purchased the exact same meals not on the Dining Plan. But you’ll see that the Plan is very heavy on dessert – if boyfriend and I were purchasing our meals with cash, we wouldn’t be getting a dessert with every. single. meal.

That is one of my biggest problems with the Dining Plan – it would be much more convenient if we can choose either an appetizer OR a dessert with the Quick Service or the Table Service meal.

The first day we were there, we had dinner at Les Chefs de France, where we selected a prix fixe menu for $37 (soup + entree + dessert) and a drink (~$3). Total for the two of us including tax came out to around $85+. This means that we made back our $40/person Dining Plan fee that day. The last day at Disney World, we ate at Teppan-Edo, another delicious meal that cost us $80+. The other dinners during our stay ranged from $60-$75. Those days we probaly went $5 or $10 above the $40 / per person Dining Plan fee.

To truly take advantage of the Dining Plan, you MUST make advanced dining reservations (ADRs in Disney parlance). People make these reservations several months ahead of time. I made our reservations about 3 to 4 weeks ahead of time, and had to settle for very early (4pm) or late (9pm) dinners because all the other times were taken already. While at Disney World we’ve encountered many families turned away from sit-down restaurants because all the spots were taken. The chances of you getting a walk-in table is very very slim.

If you don’t have an ADR, you won’t come out ahead for the day in terms of Dining Plan costs because basically you will have forfeited your Table Service meal for a second Quick Service meal.

Was the Disney Dining Plan Enough Food?

YES! One thing you don’t have to worry about while on the Dining Plan is going hungry! We were quite stuffed during our trip - good thing we did a lot of walking, or else I might not have been able to fit in the airplane seats on the way back. If you’re not big eaters, two people can even split a Quick Service meal for lunch and be comfortably full.

In Summary: Disney Dining Plan Worth the Money But with Caveats

The biggest benefit of the Dining Plan is the fact that your meals are prepaid and you don’t have to worry about not going to nice sit-down dinner because of money. The Dining Plan is convenient, and, as a big dessert person, I have to say that I did appreciate the fact that we could get desserts with every dinner (although I would’ve preferred the choice to select appetizers).

If you decide not to get the Disney Dining Plan, but you still want to have nice sit-down dinner at the Parks, you won’t save much money – if any – money. A sit-down dinner will cost at least $30 per person, and a fast food lunch will be close to or over $10.

If you are willing to forgo the sit-down meals (i.e. no Table Service), however, you can probably save a little bit compared to the Dining Plan. Assuming 2 counter service meals (i.e. Quick Service) and 1 snack / water a day at $25-$30, you can save $10-$15 a day, per person, compared to the $40 / per person Disney Dining Plan fee. However, for that marginal amount of savings, I’d rather forgo eating out at home and be able to splurge a little on vacation at Disney World.

image source: disneydreaming.com

Get Financially Naked: Money, Relationships, Fun! + Win A Free Book

Written by WellHeeled on December 3, 2009 · 40 Comments

What, fun isn’t the first word you think of when you hear the phrase “money and relationships?” So as I’ve alluded to on Twitter, I’m giving away something that’s educational AND romantic (and rated G).

If money is a source of contention in your relationship, or if you’re simply searching for a more structured framework with which to conduct important financial discussions with your significant other, then you should pick up a copy of the new book Get Financially Naked: How to Talk Money With Your Honey by Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar.

Get Financially Naked is a follow-up to their 2007 On My Own Two Feet: A Modern Girl’s Guide to Personal Finance. GFN is a short book, but it’s packed full of tips and worksheets to help you and your honey go through your financial beliefs, practices, and habits. The book also includes short pieces by Manisha and Sharon (and their husbands!) about their attitudes toward money and their relationships. Those were really interesting to read.

I’m not at a point yet where I’ll be merging finances with anyone, but CB and I do talk about money. Bottom-line: I would definitely recommend this book for any couple who is married, engaged, planning to get married, cohabiting, or planning on moving in together.

Thanks to Manisha and Sharon, I have 5 copies of this book to give away on this blog. I will also be hosting a Question & Answer session with the authors next week.

To enter the giveaway, please do one (or all!) of the following:

1 entry: Leave a comment here with a question for Manisha & Sharon to be featured on the Q&A.
1 entry: Follow me & tweet about it @wellheeledblog with this message: Want to talk money w/ your honey? @WellHeeledBlog is giving away 5 copies of Get Financially Naked here http://bit.ly/5kRu44.
1 entry: Subscribe to my RSS Feed (please leave me comment to let me know)
1 entry: Become a Fan on Facebook (please leave me comment to let me know)
1 entry: Write about this giveaway in your blog (please leave comment w/ URL to blog post).

Everyone person can have submit up to 5 entries. Deadline to enter is Thursday, December 10.

I’ll do a random drawing to come up with the winners, and announce the 4 winners and Manisha & Sharon’s answers to your questions next week.

image source: getfinanciallynaked.com

Review: Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel

Written by WellHeeled on November 17, 2009 · 3 Comments

secrets of a stingy scoundrel jacket art Review: Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel

Phil Villarreal is one consummate networker – his book Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets has been all over the personal finance blogosphere for the past couple of months. And he has achieved one mark of a true celebrity – protesters against his “moral decay” at a book signing!

(signs the ladies are carrying from left to right: —PHIL is Gross, MEAN AND just plain wrong!! —Greedy, Cheap and NO Morals!! —Phil—Have you NO Conscious? [sic] —WHAT Goes around…. comes around)

Ah, the sounds of sweet success.

Bottom-line: it’s a fun, sardonic, tongue-in-cheek look into the world of “extreme and over-the-top frugality / stingy scoundrel-ness”.

Phil offers information on

…clothing

If you’re looking for a book to teach you how to buy stylish clothes for cheap? This is NOT it.
If you’re looking for a book to teach you how to clothe yourself for free courtesy of credit card companies? This IS it.

…relationships and gift-giving

If you’re looking for tips on how to buy your girlfriend or husband the perfect present? This is NOT it.
If you’re looking for tips on how to minimize your gift-giving costs and extricate yourself from an unhappy relationship (and earn the ire of your SO’s friends)? This IS it.

…engagement rings and diamonds

If you’re looking for information on how to buy a beautiful diamond on a budget? This is NOT it.
If you’re looking for information how to pass off a cubic zirconia for a beautiful diamond? This IS it. (although if your girlfriend has already read the Stingy Scoundrel, you’re toast. Sorry!)

I’ve actually chatted with Phil for quite some time, and the answer to question: Does he really talk like he writes in Stingy Scoundrel? is Yes, yes he does.

Enjoy!

Best Drugstore Foundation I’ve Ever Tried (and it’s only $6!)

Written by WellHeeled on November 5, 2009 · 9 Comments

Normally, I stay away from drugstore face makeup because of some bad past experiences. When I compiled a list of best beauty finds under $10, I didn’t include any foundations because I got tired of buying cheaper foundations that didn’t work for me – I’d rather save that money and put it towards a $30 bottle that I like, I thought.

A few days ago, however, I picked up Jane Be Pure Mineral Skin Perfecting Foundation when I was running errands at Rite-Aid. It was an impulse purchase – the price was only $5.49, which makes it 80% cheaper than the higher-end foundations I usually use.

The price, the generous size (1.7 oz) and the SPF 30 caught my eye. And I am so glad that I bought it! It’s one of the best foundations I’ve tried, and definitely THE best drugstore foundation. With Loreal, Neutrogena, and Almay running $10-$14 per foundation, it’s even cheaper than other drugstore brands.

After a few hours I had some shine, but that happens with every foundation I’ve ever worn, so that’s to be expected. I do think this foundation would work for people with both dry and oily skin – it provides a little moisture and gives a slight glow, but dries in a light, almost powdery finish.

There are only 4 colors available (Medium Fair, Soft Honey, Natural, Dark Natural), fortunately the colors are all good neutral tones. I found a color that suit me very well. The coverage is sheer, almost like that of a tinted moisturizer. The foundation is good for smoothing out unevenness and maybe hiding very very small blemishes, but other than that, it’s not designed to provide much coverage. What I love about it is how lightweight it is and how natural it looks (there’s nothing worse than feeling like you have a “mask” on).

The SPF 30 is a great bonus. The sanitary packaging is another (easy plastic tube with twist-off cap). All in all, especially given the low price, Jane Be Pure Mineral Skin Perfecting Foundation is a great foundation… I’d pay double (maybe even triple) what I paid for it. In fact, I ran back to Rite Aid and got another one, just in case I can’t find it later on.

This just goes to show me that maybe I shouldn’t be such a foundation snob!

(500) Days of Summer

Written by WellHeeled on July 19, 2009 · 6 Comments

Saw the movie today… if you have a chance to go see it, go!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Tom Hansen) and Zooey Deschanel (Summer Finn) make an adorable couple. But don’t get your heart set on their happy ending, because, as the narrator warns you at the beginning of the movie – “this is not a love story.”

The back-and-forth and the ups-and-downs are accompanied by zany sidekicks and a preternaturally insightful kid sister. It’s funny and light-hearted at times, but at others – it speaks to harsh truths of life as an young adult in a big city where possibilities seem to be zooming by you.

(500) Days, in my mind, is really a story about twentysomethings finding their way in the personal and professional sphere. It’s about the discoveries you make as you grow up - that love might not be all that you’ve expected, that following your passion (be it a person or a career) means risking rejection, that life is filled with moments that are inexplicably glorious and undeservedly cruel.

(500) Days is not just a love story. It’s a life story. I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s performance really made this movie. And I’m not just saying that because I have a small crush on Mr. Gordon-Levitt.

If you saw this movie, what’d you think?