Down side to buying in bulk

Even though Zac's doing it... and despite having posted an article previously touting the benefits of shopping at wholesale places like Costco or BJs, I still wanted to share the following article with you as it presents an interesting, although contradictory view to buying bulk vs. conserving resources (money): Worst Stuff to Buy at BJ's Club and Costco

Personal finance gurus Ken and Daria Dolan weigh in on what you really shouldn't
buy at warehouse clubs like BJ's and Costco.

Their list, from a WalletPop post, includes gasoline (which they say is quicker to increase prices than other gas stations), fresh produce (which probably costs or less the same at a local grocery store if we're talking about in-season fruits and veggies), toilet paper and paper towels (just not that cheap at these stores), and jewelry and designer clothes (the poor quality often doesn't justify the "discounted" price).

Frankly, I question the gas thing. We belong to BJ's, and at least in my experience, the gasoline prices there are always substantially cheaper than stations down the highway. I've always assumed the store uses a cheap gas price as a ploy to get shoppers to come in—and it works. It's the same reason that eggs and milk are cheaper at these stores. BJ's attracts shoppers to come in and buy these items for less than they'd pay at a standard grocery store. It's no coincidence that the items being discounted are things that people need regularly. Therefore BJ's gets these shoppers in the door regularly, hoping that they'll look around and buy more stuff that they probably don't need. You're already there, right? Why not browse a few aisles? That's exactly what stores want you to do.

The Dolans also bring up the question of big versus many:

What's the better deal?

Just because an item is three times the size of the one you'd find in the supermarket, doesn't necessarily mean it's a bargain at the warehouse. In fact, many times that massive one gallon container of ketchup costs more than the shrink-wrapped bundle of six smaller ketchup bottles.

Not only can the multi-packs be the real bargain, they can also be much more
convenient. Those smaller containers can be much easier to use, to store and to
finish before they go bad.

Very true. One thing not on their list: stuff you really don't need. Go to the store with a shopping list—and stick to the list. Otherwise, you'll come home with an odd assortment of items you had no intention or need to buy. And that is the worst stuff to buy at BJ's, Costco, or anywhere
else for that matter.

Move over Prius

Honestly, cars are not my thing—and yet within the last 24 hours, oddly two auto-related items caught my attention:

First— this cute, albeit kinda bizarre looking electric car from Peugeot:

Probably don't need to explain the theoretical advantages of electric cars over the current gas-guzzling machines of today, but briefly will anyway; no gas consumption means less dependence on the Middle East, less pollution, and less household money spent.

To this effect, Peugeot recently updated the look and mechanisms of their vintage 1940’s electric car design. The newly unveiled space-age looking model is getting lots of attention in the automotive industry, and based on appearances alone it’s understandable due to its awkwardly appealing aesthetics. (Anyone else think the front seems like it should be the back?)



This innovative electric car is tiny, and yet fits four. (The catch is that to save space, the person in the back seat has to spread their legs around the front seat, old school sledding style.) Reverse opening doors, and handle-bars instead of a steering wheel (in order to conserve space), this unique vehicle still features all the amenities we have become spoiled by; Bluetooth phone capabilities, navigation, Internet access, MP3, and a USB connector.

A super attention getting car with the reverse stigma of a Hummer… I like it.

Obviously this next car bit appeals to the ever-present 1st grader in me; how could I resist reading an article titled “the car that uses urine to save the planet”? Exactly—I couldn’t.

In all good faith, I tried to really read the article, but... it was filled with all kinds of boy goobledy-gook. What I was able to glean on the subject though is that Mazda’s new CX-7 model uses a man-made urine-like liquid to somehow reduce nitrous oxide emissions. This is already being done in the trucking industries in Europe and Australia, but this is the first time the science is being introduced to the masses.

Although an intriguing idea, the article is kind of a tease because it doesn’t talk about pee that much. (And the car they show isn't even yellow!) I am left wondering if real human waste could be used for this purpose, I mean— how much more man-made-urine-liquid-like could you get?? It will be interesting (for first graders and adults) to see how this idea progresses— will toilets someday be upgraded into holding tanks for such a purpose? If going #1 was no longer cause for flushing, water consumption would be cut down drastically, so that'd be a pretty big *YAY* for the environment in addition to the benefit of reducing NO2 emissions.

Maybe someday (as I stare off wistfully at the horizon) they could even come up with a way to make cars run off poop…. water consumption would be cut even more drastically, and (bonus!!) the expression “skid marks” could be reborn, reused, and recycled.

Energy Jerk #2: Go take a cold shower

When it’s cold outside, unless I am under extreme time duress, I can’t help myself from being an “energy hogging jerk” by drastically abusing rule number two: taking really long hot showers.

As discussed before, I hate taking showers due to the time consuming rites and rituals that are involved with being a girl. Shaving, exfoliating, body lotions, blow-drying, ugh... With so many unpleasant parts of the bathing process, I try going to enjoy the parts of it that I can, i.e. feeling as warm as possible, for as long as possible, under a hot cascade of water. During the winter, it seems like any time of day, taking off your warm clothing and getting in the shower is an assault to the senses. Being cold is such an unpleasant feeling… but the worst part is getting out of the shower and standing dripping wet and shivering. (Hopefully NOT underneath or near an air-blowing vent.) To stave off the inevitable shivering bout, I of course put off this worst part of an evil shower for as long as possible… I mean talk about an unhapy ending!

However, I didn’t fully realize before that by prolonging my warm showers, I was being a jerk too? (Like my grandmother always says about the theme of Harry Potter, "evil" is contagious… figures that instead of the shower cleansing me like its meant to, it just makes me as evil as it is. Get thee behind me, shower.)

Here’s the expert’s take:

A long hot shower may be a small luxury, but those extra minutes spent
escaping with your thoughts under the body-warming water stream can quickly earn you some icy glares. For starters, hot-water tanks are finite and nobody enjoys a cold shower. What's more, hot-water heaters account for about 15 percent of an average home's energy bills, according to the Alliance to Save Energy.

Try to limit yourself to five minute showers to make your housemates and bank
accounts happy. If that doesn't work, at least invest in a low-flow shower head,
Rogers said. Another option is a so-called tankless water heater. These
appliances generate a continuous stream of hot water when they are on –i.e. the
hot water doesn't run out – and when the hot water is turned off, it is off. The
devices do cost more than a tank, but tend to last longer and consume less
energy so they pay for themselves in a few years.

I feel like in a fluffy way—the point is made: take shorter showers; the less water used, the better. This one sounds easier in theory than it may be in actuality, but I’m willing to give it a try. I guess on the bright side, less time in the shower means more time and money to spend on the après-shower routine… (Which is good, because rubbing a rose on my face alone takes at least 40 minutes.)

Juicy and Bloomingdales "reinvention" FAIL

Even though my beloved Olsens stopped wearing them over ten years ago, and laugh and laugh and laugh about the idea of it now—I have still have a pile of Juicy Couture zip-up hoodies in my closet that I am not giving up anytime soon.

Velour, terry, cotton knit, waffle knit, cashmere, fur lined, and in every color of the rainbow; pink, blue, green, pink, gray, camouflage, cream, pink, black, pink, white, pink—over the past decade I’ve garnered quite the collection and still find them to be the perfect outfit topper for many an occasion, despite what the Olsens might think.

Obviously driven by the goal to “SELL MORE HOODIES!!!” Bloomingdales and Juicy are currently staging a campaign trying to show you ideas on how to “reinvent” the idea of wearing a Juicy hoodie. For real. They’re calling it, “the new way to wear Juicy Couture!” I feel like, if it ain’t broke, (and how can throwing on a sweatshirt ever be broken?) wtf are you doing?

While I had no intention of buying anything (I was mildly open-minded though, Juicy has pleasantly surprised me many, many times in the past) I clicked away, viewing all the “new” looks, curious as to how the heck you can wear the hoodie in a new way. I was so hopeful that I would be inspired by something I saw, and be exposed to new styling options for the collection of hoodies I already own… I always love and appreciate inspiration on how to recycle the stuff I already have into new and interesting things.

Expecting urban, subversive and inspiring looks (maybe how to wear a hoodie like a diaper, in a cool way? Or, velour turbans? Studded, jeweled hoodies? Liquid leather hoodies and matching leggings?!) what I instead got was this look: 12 year old tomboy forced to dress up for synagogue.


Yawn. Pairing a zip-up with a skirt is their awesome new styling idea? Um, SO not impressed…

Not wanting to judge too quickly, I frowned and continued clicking through every outfit shown. As I studied the plethora of pictures depicting the alleged *super-cool, new 2009* ways to wear Juicy hoodies, all I could think was—do Pam and Gela know about this?? Do they?? Really?? Who was the eff was the stylist for this?? For a boundary pushing clothing company (I know, I know, seems weird to define the bubblegum trappings of Juicy Couture as “boundary pushing,” but they really are the ones who started making leisure-wear acceptable and attractive enough to wear everyday. Without them, Soffee shorts and old sorority t-shirts’s might still reign supreme for casual weekend attire... ugh.) this was so common-place, and...boring?

My gut tells me that Pam and Gela know naught of this lame sales attempt, and the whole thing is probably masterminded by Bloomingdales. (Also weird though, Bloomingdales usually gets so much right?)

But I mean, really. Jeans a sweatshirt?? What a novel concept. (Open-toed booties do not make this outfit "new.")

Juicy sweats and doc martens? Good god I hate this:


This one is ok.... but even still—kind of on the boring/generic side from two companies that are usually dictating the hottest of hot new trends. AND, not 100% sure why this outfit was even shown, because unless the sweater is gray terry cloth, or the leggings are black velour, this outfit doesn't even feature any components of the classic Juicy tracksuit?

This is the only one that gave me moment to pause, because while not amazing-- it still introduced to me the idea of wearing a tracksuit with heels. Like, if this girl was confident enough, this is an outfit she could wear out to a happy hour-- and I'm not sure there are many other ways to make tracksuits bar appropriate?

While disappointed in Juicy/Bloomies execution of project "how to reinvent wearing Juicy hoodies," I'd like to leave on a happy Juicy thought: starting on the day after Thanksgiving, last year Juicy offered a promotion where if you brought in old Juicy clothes (which they would give to those less fortunate) you would receive a discount on your purchase. That is smart marketing, doing something good for the world, while encouraging sales. I'm sure at least that tactic was P&G approved.

Pup culture: hand made Halloween costumes

As the temperature gets cooler, and the leaves start to fade yellow, I am cheered on by the prospect of my favorite holiday getting closer and closer… my endless fascination with zombies, vampires, and anything else that goes “bump” in the night, has made the one eve it’s ok to celebrate all things creepy especially cherished. Oh Halloween…

This year I am extra excited, as I now have a four-legged fur baby to costume as well. (Although I do not want a sissy, clothes wearing dog, a Halloween costume will be the one exception to her “no clothes” dress code.) Throwing some devil ears on her would be too easy—although quite fitting. Determined to find the perfect costume for my bratty puppy, I turned to Etsy.com. Without a doubt I knew that the masses of grass-roots, entrepreneurial spirits that share their wares via Etsy would not let me down. And of course, I was right. Please enjoy the most divine canine costumes that I cherry picked for you. Which one is your favorite??


Big, bad wolf: actually, this is SOOO fitting for my puppy, who if it were up to her, would gobble up EVERYTHING that ever crossed her path. Made by hand, and offered on Etsy, can help your pooch get in touch with their primeval spirit.

Wanna bee: omg, so cute. This would have been perfect for the cuddly lap-dog I thought I was getting…

Called Purple People Eater, but reminds me more of my sparkly "My Little Ponies" from days of yore. So cute!!!

Robin Hood: especially fitting if your dog’s a thief like mine…whether she stole your heart, or your dirty underwear...

Pirate pooch: Arrrrgh! Show some culture, represent Somalia this Halloween with this nifty pirate ensemble.

I will definitely be interested in your feedback, as well as any advice on how once the costume is on her-- to make sure she doesn't eat it? (This being her first Halloween, the concept might be confusing to her, and for all she knows the new outfit is her "treat"?)

Energy jerk: leaving computer on 24/7

One of the articles on my nerdy MSNBC.com homepage caught my attention the other morning. (Yes, at work, my homepage is set to a respectable site, as opposed to the smut I enjoy in my free time.) “Are you an energy hogging jerk?” it asked, in big, bold letters. Intrigued,(“Hmm, am I a jerk and don’t even know it…?”) I clicked on it—and read about some interesting, everyday things that we are all probably guilty of—that are big-time energy sucks. Instead of writing a massive, epic, tome of a post right here and reviewing allll of them, I thought it might be interesting to share the items one by one, so that way I can add whatever personal insights I want to, without having to worry about getting too long and wordy. (You know how I like to include my personal anecdotes.)

So, without further ado, sign #1 that you are an Energy Consuming Jerk: leaving your computer on all the time.

Gulp.

At home and work, I am so guilty of this.( As are many of my family members and co-workers—which really doesn’t make my actions any better, and frankly just makes everything worse overall by increasing the amount of energy being wasted.) In the kitchen at my parents house, the computer is on 24/7. In my apartment, my roommates Apple is always on (can’t miss any possible incoming gmail chat IMs!). And maybe worst of all, only because its compounded by multiple people, our computers at work are almost never turned off at the end of the day. Ut oh…

“Let's face it: Booting up a computer eats time off the clock, an annoyance for everyone from deadline-pressed cubicle warriors to retirees eager to logon to the Eons social network. But that's no excuse to leave your computer up and running 24 hours a day – especially when power-saving options are built in to the machine.

Almost all computers come equipped with energy-saving sleep or standby modes, which can be set to automatically kick in when the computer is idle for awhile – say 20 minutes. Usually, a toggle of the mouse or tap on the keyboard is sufficient to snap the computer awake.
After a long nap, some computers will delve into an even-deeper energy-saving hibernation mode. But even then, the computer is still sipping electricity.

Energy experts recommend turning the computer off overnight and longish breaks in the day. Contrary to popular belief, this will not harm the computer's lifespan, noted Rogers energy-efficient jerk, noted John Rogers, a senior energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists in Cambridge, Mass.”

Even though simply turning off a computer seems like such a small gesture to make, it oddly will be a significant habit to change. Yesterday afternoon when the clock struck 5pm, I took the time to close out of all my applications, and powered off my computer. At home I turned off my lap-top when I was done uploading some pics. Small gestures for sure, and yet I oddly felt better knowing that it all adds up, and it all helps...

Free People "Freecylcing" old clothes into new looks?

Following in the footsteps of sister company Urban Outfitter's “Urban Renewals” line, it seems as if the whimsical/bohemian Free People may also be jumping on the transforming-old-clothes-to-make-them-cool-again band-wagon.

So, basically, yay!

I love this concept—and love being able to obtain totally unique articles of clothing, while doing some good for the environment.

Check out the revamped work shirt, that is now magically a cropped, slouchy over-shirt:

Based off the one cryptic blog posting, it seems there may be more of this to come. Fingers crossed...