Karmic Bank Accounts and Thoughts on Retirement Living

My frugality is so deeply ingrained that I get a thrill not only from saving myself money but also from saving other people money. In fact, I started this blog when Friend-of-Frugal-Son asked me to help him save money on groceries. Well, said friend was premed and didn't have time to read the blog. He's a doctor now, by the way, and working at Walter Reed in Washington DC.


We recently hosted a Roommate-of-Frugal-Son. He was a guest at a wedding in our town. I suppose he lamented the $200 a night hotel rate and Frugal Son offered up our house. Happy to do it! I told him that in addition to saving him (a young fellow in his 20s) $400 for the two nights, I had made a deposit of $400 into my karmic savings account.


We enjoyed having our guest. He was not around very much for one thing. It was nice to chat now and again and to hear about his adventures at the wedding events.


It occurred to me that a young guest--or even roommate--would be a cure for some of what ails many of the elderly. My own mother --an extreme extrovert without a lot of "alone" interests--has been miserable in her widowhood. She lives in a large community in Florida with many activities, but the activities are skewed to those in their early 60s--the age of my parents when they moved there. She is thinking of moving to an independent living community near my brother and his family. That is probably what she will do. However, that involves leaving her Florida cohort, which is, perforce, growing smaller.


I suggested that she think of moving in with one of her children (with the houses modified for separate quarters). She was horrified. A roommate? That would be even more out of the question. I think these things are coded "poor" for members of that generation. 

Of course, if you present the issue of a lonely elder to someone of Asian, Serbian, or XX (the list goes on) descent, he or she looks at you in astonishment.  Of course! 

And of course when we told our guest that fancy weddings (rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, service, shuttle buses to reception, with various luncheons in the interim spaces) were a relatively recent "tradition," he was shocked. 

Like many people my age, I'm thinking about retirement living in all its senses. What the new "traditions" will be. At the moment, it seems easier to keep working.

Gift Giving Experts: Here's a Tough One

OK. Here's a gift-giving quandary. Frugal Son wants to buy a gift for his across the street neighbor (the grandmother of the young fellow who will be getting the computer). She is on public assistance.  Frugal Son's go-to gift has been homemade bread plus some cheese from a fancy cheese store.

But--said Frugal Son--while the bread seems good, the cheese seems superfluous to someone who has plenty of food (and often brings a covered dish over to him). The neighbor has enough of the necessities but has NO MONEY. Seriously. He has no idea of what she might want or need. He is thinking of BREAD PLUS...in a basket. PLUS WHAT?

P.S. Thank you readers for your comments on my sporadic posts. While I think of responses to each and every one, I have had a hard time actually typing them up. This is perhaps because I have spent the past few weeks grading papers, writing comments on the work of the 109 students who remained in my care, AND sending email responses to queries about final grades. These last, as one might expect, are often heart-rending. So thank you, one and all. Maybe I'll attempt a few today...

Does anyone out there know about copper cookware?

About a week ago, when I asked Frugal Son what he wanted for a present, he--as usual--replied "Nothing." What is this, King Lear?

A few minutes later, he said, "One day I'd like some copper pots." He IS the best cook in our cooking family, slightly outpacing Miss Em (who is best at  attractive "plating") and far outpacing me (and I'm pretty good, though prone to too many shortcuts). Little does he know how expensive copper pots are.

I always like a project, so I began to do research. My head started spinning and not just at the steep cost.

Could anyone provide a sort of Sparknotes to copper cookware? Does one go for the traditional tin lining or the sturdier stainless steel? What would be the best pot to start with? Is it worth it to shlep it back from France? That would give me an excuse to enter the famed E Dehillerin shop in Paris. As with Hermes, I've always been too timid to do anything other than peer at--and in--the windows.

Even though I am a well-known cheapwad, I rather like the idea of getting him one piece a year. After a few years, he would have a nice set.

The Avocado Quest

Frugal Son and I both love to scan grocery ads. In fact, he sometimes gets annoyed when I send him a list of bargains, thereby depriving him of the pleasure of discovering them for himself (isn't that a continual problem for parents?? Doing too much for the kid? See below. I did it again).

Last week, I spotted a great sale at Savalot, a little discount grocery that does not have an outlet in my town. That doesn't stop me from looking. I noted that the New Orleans stores had a three day sale (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) that included avocados for 50 cents and grapes for 89 cents.

I alerted Frugal Son, for whom a trip to Savalot is a bit of a schlep, especially since he gets around by bike.

Emergency email Sunday morning! Frugal Son says he can't find the avocados in the ad!!! Oh no!!! They changed the ad! I told him I was sure it was till Sunday and--mom-like,  for my little guy--called Savalot to ask. Of course, no one answered the phone.

Frugal Son was unsure what to do. Later, I sent him this email:

How was the avocado quest?

This morning came the laconic reply:

Got a few. Only 30.

Newsflash: According to the experts, you can freeze avocados. The texture is compromised, but they are still ok for guacamole.

Image from Tate Gallery.

Reality Show Opportunity: Not Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Backstory: We bought a house in New Orleans in Spring 2013, using a small inheritance from Mr FS's parents. The house is a rental, occupied by Frugal Son (in the tiny room with no closet) and two other fellows, one of whom does occasional work in the tv biz.

New Story: Roommate with occasional work in tv biz meets someone who does reality show featuring Amish carpenters. That someone's interest is piqued by three 20-something fellows with a big screened porch. They are thinking of building a bar on it.

Of course, I would prefer a bathroom remodel (the house needs it). Or how about....oh, zillions of things.

Frugal Son and his roomies seem a bit interested. They would hang out with the carpenters and that would be filmed too.

If an offer comes through, should Mr FS and I say OK if the fellows want to do it? Or are there a million unforeseen bad consequences I'm not thinking of?

Win-Win-Win: Energy Bills

Sometimes it's hard to measure savings because there are so many variables. Frugal Son has provided me with a case where savings can be measured. Remember about a year ago, we were looking to buy a house in New Orleans with the money Mr FS inherited when his father died? We wanted a place Frugal Son could live 9his living circumstances were not great at the time0 and we figured he could find some roommates.

Well, we did buy a house and good thing, because prices have soared and we could not buy the same house now. A near twin next door (25 sf bigger and fixed up a bit more nicely) just sold for more than 20% more than what we paid. And FS is happy with his two roommates and also cool with having the tiniest and least desirable room (and hence the lowest rent).

Frugal Son is also frugal in both practical and philosophical ways. We hit on a way to get the roommates to be mindful of energy consumption. They would pay based on the previous owner's bills and we would reimburse them the difference if it was lower.

Note: the figures below are a bit off because Frugal Son also urged us to install solar. Which we did. Solar adds $45 a month to the utility costs. (Louisiana has very good tax credits for solar. The solar companies sell the tax credits to no doubt horrible companies. We were too nervous to purchase the system ourselves--it's a big investment).

Add about $200 to the lower number. Isn't that amazing? And one roomie just moved out. We returned his deposit with a nice "energy" bonus.

The below numbers reflect both saving through consciousness (TRYING to use less) AND through technology. In New Orleans the big energy usage comes in summer. This past winter, we had horrible cold, so the bills may be even lower next year if we have a more normal winter.

 Email from Frugal Son:

On the Entergy bill from June 2013:  "Current 12 months actual bill: $2,658"

On the Entergy bill from May 2014:  "Current 12 months actual bill: $806"

That means we're PAYING less than a third compared to previous owners and since the cost / kWh actually goes down with higher consumption it means we're probably using about 1/4 as much energy!

St Patrick's Lost and Found: Geaux Saints

As we await our certified letter's redelivery, we continue to suffer dental stress and distress. How about St Patrick's Day (and the traditional New Orleans parade the Saturday preceding) as a stress-reliever? Celebrations were marked by things lost and found, but the stress of the lost was far outweighed by the de-stress and delight of the found. This is turning out to be a year of saintly interventions: I can now add St Patrick to St Anthony (the prayer of a thrift store customer to St Anthony led to immediate recovery of my grandmother's bracelet.) As the signs and tee shirts of football fandom proclaim in New Orleans:

THE LOST: The New Orleans St Patrick's Day parade is huge and noted for its throws: in addition to the usual beads and flowers, spectators vie for cabbages, potatoes, and carrots. So exciting! A frugal parade! Unfortunately, the parade was running rather late and Mr FS and I had to head home before the big floats with the cabbage-givers rolled by. Not to worry: we had Frugal Son in attendance. He wanted cabbage for his homemade kimchi, which is not a traditional Irish recipe. But Poor Frugal Son. He had a bag of seven cabbages. He walked a few steps away for a few seconds to say hello to a friend. When he turned around, the bag was gone. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

THE FOUND: As our group of four crossed Magazine Street en route to our chosen parade spot, I felt eyes upon me. I looked into the eyes of a young man. We were locked in a stare. Finally, he mouthed "Dr Frugal???" I ran over and he gave me a hug, reminding me that he had taken classes from me. I asked him to remind me of his name and he said "My name is Josh, but you always called me another name, which you said suited me better." As we walked away, I retrieved my memory from the file cabinet in my brain. Josh was a psychology major who took one of the dreaded (to many students) required literature courses. He was very smart and more interested than most. He fell in love with Paradise Lost and always vowed he would take a Milton course if it was offered while he was in school. A few years later, the course was offered and--lo and behold--there he was. He held his own with the advanced English majors too.

As we walked back from our stint at the parade, we came to Magazine Street once more. And there he was again. He came over and said "I always loved you as a teacher." And I said "I always loved you as a student." Another hug and then I remembered. I said, "Isn't funny? I always called you PATRICK."

LOST AND FOUND: A few years ago, I was whining in this very space about how I wanted a second Hermes scarf. Amazingly, a blogger with a beautiful spirit sent me one and, also amazing, it arrived on my birthday. The scarf was designed by Kermit Oliver, the only American to design Hermes scarves. When you read about him and view his artwork, it is clear that he too has a beautiful spirit. In addition to gifting the world with remarkable images, he has suffered tragedy beyond my efforts to process. Any powers of empathy I possess are not sufficient.

This scarf has come in handy. I wear it when I teach Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, whose plot hinges on the gift of a green scarf. I also wear it on St Patrick's Day. And when I looked for it in my scarf area, IT WAS NOT THERE. I looked and looked. Even though I am a certified slob, I always keep my two Hermes scarves in their place. This one is especially valued because of the giver and because of the artist.

I suffered through several hours before and after work of looking in various unlikely places. Then I found it. It had slipped from its spot (HOW???), crossed to the other side of a small closet, and ended up next to Mr FS's socks. Oh, how I hugged that precious piece of silk to me! Just like poor Sir Gawain, for whom, unlike for me, taking the scarf was a sin.

I'd say that in the LOST AND FOUND of St Patrick's celebrations, I have received much more than I lost. Frugal Son mentioned that the mom of one his friends might give him a few cabbages from her parade stash. So we may have kimchi after all.

When is it "Worth It" to Save Money??

As a frugal bargain-hunting type, I take note of opportunities. Some, I'm too lazy to partake of; others--like coupons--make my head spin. Other opportunities--like the 30% off one book at Amazon that I posted on yesterday--take no time at all.

Today another Amazon deal passed across my purview: if you link your Twitter account with your American Express card and spend $75 at Amazon, you get a $25 statement credit. Go to American Express's facebook page to see for yourself.

It just so happens we want to buy something that costs $80 on Amazon (see below--another exciting holiday purchase). We don't have a twitter account. We do have an American Express card. Should we do it?

As often with these quandaries, I emailed Frugal Son and asked him. Now I'm asking you.  (Hmmmm. The item we want has gone down in price, perhaps for Cyber Monday??)

So What Is It I Want? Not a Handbag!

The last few whirlwind weeks have been instructive. Teachers know that the last six weeks or so of a semester are a nightmare of exhaustion. Students start yelling at teachers (I had that happen yesterday). Seniors lose momentum and you have to keep them on track to graduate. Piles of papers teeter. Excuses and requests for extensions roll in. Meanwhile--we have been looking at houses. An hour away.

During this ordeal--which I hope will be oever soon, appraisal and inspection willing--I realized that my desires had shifted. No longer am I thinking about which handbag I should buy for my upcoming 60th birthday in January. No, I am thinking about how to help Frugal Son set up his house. And how to save some more so that we can similarly help Miss Em when the time comes (probably not for a while; she has a different trajectory of ambition).

There's nothing wrong with buying a nice handbag. Or anything really (though I hope I remain more attentive to the human and environmental cost of things). But I see that I get sucked into the consumer maelstrom as much as anyone--though I sometimes don't think I do.

The thing is: it's hard to figure out what you want! Really want.

A House for Frugal Son?

We put in a bid on a house that seems to answer Frugal Son's needs--old, rentable bedrooms, a bit shabby in the kitchen department--and the bid was accepted! I don't want to talk about this too much so as not to bring on the bad juju, so I will just say: an appraisal and an inspection await. Wish us luck.

Another New Orleans House

A week or so ago, I linked to two houses that were available. WERE is the operative word. Each had an offer--or several offers--within a day or so. They were beautifully done. There are many beautiful houses in New Orleans. The ones I most like--small, old, in nice areas--cost about $600,000. Oh well.

Since those first houses, we've looked at several others, all awful in one way or another. The market is so hot that people don't even make an effort to make the houses look nice in some cases. Like this one, which had an immediate offer and then was back on the market. We rushed to see it: the horror, the horror! Let's see: it has an asbestos roof, a squishy floor, a weird floor plan. The front is so cute!

Here's one on our radar.

Rough Housing Math

Since I last posted (yesterday), a few more promising houses have been listed and received offers. Oh well. The question at hand: how can Frugal Son--even with help from Mom and Dad--pay for a house? Here's my rough math: tell me what I'm neglecting to take into account.

Frugal Son is ALREADY paying $600/month for a tiny, shared apartment. He had to find an apartment PRONTO when he got a job. Still, he's in a nice neighborhood, so he wouldn't save much by moving to another apartment.

The realtor suggested that Mr FS and I--with our good credit--take out a mortgage and then SELL THE HOUSE to Frugal Son. We can get a lower rate.

Let's say the house is $300,000. Forget the downpayment. At current rates, the cost for a 30 year mortgage would be around $1200/month. Add about $400 for property tax and insurance...and we are up to $1600.

Frugal Son is currently paying $600 for half of a 600 square foot apartment. If he rented a bedroom in his house to a friend for the same $600, he would be on the hook for $1000.

1. Frugal Son said he could swing that, if necessary.
2. Frugal Son will be making more money soon, probably. He is working on his teaching certification.
3. We're committed to gifting Frugal Son the amount we saved for his education, which we didn't use, owing to massive scholarships. So, if we gifted him the $400/month difference between his current rent and the mortgage on his new abode, we could help him for AT LEAST 100 months.

Now people had these fantasy scenarios during the housing bubble with disastrous results. So to consider possible disasters.
1. Does Frugal Son need a roommate? Yes, but it's not absolutely essential, especially if his house is under $300,000 in the example.
2. Can we help out if roommie doesn't appear or work out? Yes.
3. What if Mr FS and I lose our jobs? We ARE tenured, but I've run some firecalc* scenarios, and we can survive a frugal retirement even if we were both fired.
4. What if Frugal Son loses HIS job? Well, he can make just as much by being a substitute teacher.

What is ALL OF THE ABOVE OCCUR SIMULTANEOUSLY? We have that education fund safety net.

*Firecalc: the best retirement simulator I've ever seen. Check it out!

Am I missing anything here?

Further Housing Bubble Notes: Open Houses

We went to two hastily-called Open Houses yesterday. Hastily-called because a house listed two days ago already had offers THE NEXT DAY. That was the little skinny shotgun house we liked. It looked just as nice in person. The neighborhood is--as they say--in transition.

Then, to make the unexpected drive right after work (car trunk loaded with papers to grade) worthwhile, we looked at another house, very very nicely renovated, also in an up-and-coming neighborhood. (See? I am learning the lingo). The house inside is nicer than in the pictures. Note the lovely garden behind. And see if you can figure out the layout. This was a classic New Orleans double shotgun that was made into a single. Our realtor thinks this will get competing offers and go higher than the asking price. Actually, he thinks the same of the first one.

I, of course, was totally enamored of both houses, even though they are very different. I think I have the thrift store buy-it-now mentality, which says, there's only ONE of this item! The broker told me to calm down (don't worry--it takes a lot to make the pathologically frugal sign on the dotted line. Not to mention Mr FS was there, smiling in an understanding way. When the broker tells you to calm down, you know you're getting a little crazy.)

Now we know--a teeny bit better--what is out there. You may ask: how can two English teachers think to help their in-transition son buy such $$$$$ houses? I ask too. I like numbers, but even I can hardly believe in this possibility. But the math works out. I will do some rough math tomorrow.

Beautiful New Orleans

Where even a young fellow, with a little backing from Mom and Dad, can consider a house like this.

Major Decluttering Event Ahead: Happy News

To get right to the point. Frugal Son GOT A JOB. Not a well-paid job, but a worthy job that will look good for the future and will give him a bit of time to see what he wants to do next.

He is working at a lycee in New Orleans, wonderful because he will use his French AND because post-Katrina, New Orleans has attracted the hippest 20-somethings anywhere. Also, Mr FS and I will be happy to visit him now and again: we saw him for 4 days once he returned from his year working in France.

The DECLUTTER EVENT: he will be living in an old half-double in New Orleans so he can take a lot of the excess OUT OF THE HOUSE. One of my friends remarked--apropos her first chronically unfaithful husband moving out and taking half the furniture: At least the house looks better. Our house will look better because of a happy event.

Anyone who knows a 20-something knows what I'm talking about in this long recession: he's lucky to have a job.

Do You Get What You Pay For? AND Alligator Belt Karma

Sort of a double post. Really, one post with two topics.

FIRST: The hackneyed sentence You get what you pay for! Many--even in the frugality corner of the blogosphere--believe in the truth of the statement. Sadly, I generally do not. If it were as simple as that, it would be easy to make purchasing decisions.

Recent Case in Point: a Colehaan Alligator belt. The night before Frugal Son went off for his year in France, he announced that he didn't have a belt. Ergh. He is so disorganized (inherited from me). Luckily, I have a small assortment of belts for such emergencies, so we didn't have to run to Walmart or worse in the middle of the night. There to buy a low quality belt.

No, I had not one but two Colehaan alligator belts that I had acquired for very cheap, as is my wont. They were in Mr FS's closet. Of course, they had never been worn (either by the first owner, or by Mr FS, who likes to age his clothing).

Naturally, Frugal Son picked an alligator over some plainer belts. He does have an eye for luxury. His favorite sweaters are cashmere.

A few weeks ago, he emailed and mentioned that the belt was falling apart! I don't know if CH makes these anymore, but alligator belts cost upwards of $200. Was the belt worth $200--no.

Second part of the tale: how I got the belts at Goodwill. A LONG time ago, Funny About Money pined for a Brighton belt in her blog. I spied one from afar at GW and rushed over. I thought it would be so neat if I could send a fave blogger a present. Alas, though it was a Brighton belt, it was in very poor shape.

But picking it up to inspect its condition uncovered the two unused alligator belts. Mr FS and Frugal Son are always having belt emergencies, so I acquire extras where I can.

Thanks, Funny for the beautiful belts!

So, have you experienced any karma lately?

Can You Return Anything to Walmart? Kettle and Chicken!

I hardly set foot in the dreaded WM as we call it chez nous. That is because I suffer a nervous collapse after each visit and have to lie down for an hour. But last year we bought Frugal Son an electric kettle there for his final year of college. He wanted the WM version because it was made by GE, of which he is a partial owner (i.e. he owns a few shares of stock).

Imagine our annoyance when the appliance stopped working! Less than two years old. One of my former colleagues used to say "You can return anything to Walmart." So, since we were passing by, we put it to the test.

Even though we had no receipt, we were able to exchange for a new one lickety-split. WOW.

Meanwhile, an older fellow at the adjacent register was returning a giant package of partially frozen chicken breasts. From the looks of things, he had forgotten to freeze the meat in time and it was rotten. Seemed to me like he may have been negligent in the chicken department. Nevetheless, they gave him his money back (and he did have a receipt).

So I suppose I must add Walmart to my list of stores with good customer service.

Would you return chicken?

Frugal Travel with the Recent Graduate: It's Cold!

Frugal Son is en route to yet another vacation spot. A few friends will meet up with him later, but he started out solo and had to spend a night in the airport, owing to his lack of funds.


Hi!

In Vienna and alles gut! Free wifi here! I really think all airports should have free wifi, at least for 15, 30 minutes. Small price, but it really placates crotchety travelers like me. Sleeping in Charles de Gaulle was...interesting. I couldn't go through security (because there were no more flights out of my terminal, although I don't know if they would've let me through anyway) so I had to stay in the outer airport / check-in area. Since it's a public area all the rows of chairs have arm dividers between them. Now I'm sure that in part this is for people's comfort, but mostly I think it's to keep homeless people from sleeping there. As a matter of fact as soon as I did go through security this morning I noticed beautiful, plush (at least compared to where I had slept), leather covered benches that would've easily accommodated me!

Instead I started by sleeping sitting up and leaning to the side to rest my head on a bag. After a little more than an hour, I woke up (at 1.40am) and was too uncomfortable to go back to sleep so I went to a little secluded area behind some airport shops and went to sleep on the floor, again using my bag as a pillow. Again, after an hour I woke up, although this time it was because I was cold. The floors are made of stone and the airport is basically not at all heated! I put on another sweater (I am now wearing a long sleeve shirt, two sweaters, and my wool coat + long johns and jeans and wool socks) and spread my towel down on the floor, which didn't do much in terms of softness, but was incredibly effective at insulating me from the frigid floor! As a final touch I put some socks on my hands. I slept again for a little more than an hour and this time I was so cold I went back to the front of the airport, which was more lit, but significantly warmer. I fell asleep in a chair again, although this time instead of leaning to the side I just put my bags in my lap and leaned forward. I woke up for good at around 5.20am and walked to my terminal. I had stayed in 2F even though I knew my flight was from 2D because, based on my explorations, 2F seemed warmer and like a nicer place to stay.

The walk to the other terminal was freezing even though I never had to go outside. They forced me to check my Rick Steves bag (I think they've shrunk the allowance) so all I have is my backpack, which has everything valuable I brought. Security was a breeze. While waiting I ate some breakfast (a cheese sandwich) and soon we began boarding. As soon as they opened the jetway doors a blast of icy cold air came in to the already cold terminal. The whole terminal is basically single paned glass and rather than central heating they have piddley little radiators near the windows, which are totally ineffective. On the walk down the jetway I could literally see my breath! Fortunately, the plane was warmer and I was fast asleep well before take-off. I didn't really wake up until we touched down in Vienna, though I did wake up briefly to look out the window and see the beautiful snow covered mountains of Austria. It's supposed to be cold in Vienna, but fortunately they've heard of insulation so the airport is a comfortable temperature (though I'm still wearing all my layers...). Guess I'll just kind of wander around til my flight at 13.10 yipee! Typed all this on the iPhone (didn't bring my computer) phew!

A Haircut in France

You may recall that Frugal Son was motivated to change the obsolete 100 franc note for euros because he was running short of money. The euros he got almost exactly paid for a much needed haircut.



Tuesday January 17, 2012: Bref. Je me suis fait coupé les cheveux.
As I’m sure you know, it has probably been about six years since anyone besides Emma has cut my hair (except for once in Nantes, but even so it was a friend who cut my hair) and even longer since I’ve been to a hair-cutting salon. Even when Emma cuts my hair it is normally a traumatic experience for me, although not so much the experience itself as the dread and worrying that leads up to it. It really is silly, since my hair is kind of unruly anyway, and, since I dread changing my hair drastically, I tend to wait too long, which, of course, makes it even worse because it makes the hair-cut even more drastic!

Anyway, I haven’t had my haircut since the last time Emma did it back in August (or possibly September), which means that I’ve gone basically five months without a haircut! Needless to say, I was in dire need of one, and, needless to say, I was dreading it! Especially now that I had to go in front of students who might possibly make fun of me and snigger about me behind my back if I got a bad one! The horror! I finally decided to bite the bullet, and I was hoping to get my hair cut on Friday or Saturday to give me the full weekend (plus Monday) to acclimatize to my new coiffure before going in front of my students.

Laine had recently gotten her hair cut and was very pleased with the results and the guy who cut it; plus, if I went and said she recommended me I would get a 20% discount! On Saturday I was planning to go, but Laine called ahead for me and they were totally booked for the day! Devastated (not really, but maybe a little upset) I went over in the afternoon to check the place out and book an appointment. The salon is near Laine’s, in Vieux Mans, and though the salon was rather spacious, there is only one guy who cuts hair (the owner) and occasionally an assistant who makes reservations, handles the desk, and washes hair. Plus, it was a very swank looking joint, complete with halves of classic cars jutting out of the walls for décor, posters advertising fancy hair products, and lots of style magazines strewn about. The guy was also wearing tight pants, shiny shoes, a vest over a short-sleeved tight black shirt, and very stylish hair! I was very overwhelmed and felt very out of place, but I decided to go ahead with it and just try to be a little more daring than I normally am. Unfortunately they are closed on Sunday AND Monday, so I had to settle for making an appointment on Tuesday afternoon, after work.

Tuesday rolled around and immediately after class I washed my hair in preparation for my haircut. When I got to the salon the guy took my coat, led me to the waiting room (more fancy décor and couches to recline on and stuff!) and handed me a GQ to peruse while I waited. Since even in English I don’t know how to describe what I want my hair to look like I had brought some photos of me from shortly after Emma cut my hair, just so he could have an idea of what I wanted it to look like. I only had to wait for a few minutes while he finished up the customer he was working on (who was also getting a very stylish haircut) and then it was my turn. I was afraid he was going to ask me if I wanted to look like someone in GQ, but fortunately he just asked me if I had any ideas for my haircut. I explained to him that Emma normally cuts my hair, and that I had no idea what I wanted. He asked if I had come because I “wanted a real haircut from a stylist” and I explained that it was actually just because it was a bit impractical for Emma to come all the way from the USA to cut my hair. I showed him the photos, to which he responded, “she cuts hair very well!” I told him that I felt like I was a person who wasn’t very stylish or daring, and that although I wasn’t ready for a really stylish haircut I would be open to trying something a bit more exciting than what I usually got. The guy was really nice and said that he had some ideas that would be too drastic, but would still be an upgrade to my look. Even though he hadn’t done anything yet he was already putting me at ease about the whole haircutting situation; I felt very taken care of, which I guess is what most people like and expect about getting a haircut (or doing anything where you spend money).

We started with the hair washing, my second of the day, which was very relaxing, and then I got into the chair. He asked if I styled my hair at all or if I used a blow dryer. I said no and he didn’t seem surprised since, as he said, a blow dryer would puff it up. He asked me if I wanted to read a magazine while he cut, so I took the GQ and just sat there as he snipped away. I don’t know if he was just fast or if I was distracted by the magazine, but it wasn’t long before he was cleaning up the back of my neck with clippers and doing some final trimming snips. He then blow dried my hair (with a diffuser, which would “puff it up, but not as much”), put some product in and styled it very lightly before showing me the final product. I was very happy! It had the same basic shape as Emma’s, but the back was a little more stylish (he left some length but cut more around the ears to give more definition) and he also did a good job with the sideburns (don’t worry Emma, I’m not insulting your haircuts! These are just tips you can use in the future! Plus, he has been cutting hair professionally for 20 years!). I paid, which, with my 20% discount, was only 16.80€, which, though easily the most expensive haircut I’ve ever had, was a lot cheaper than I was anticipating! Plus, if I recommend someone and they mention me I’ll get a 20% discount the next time I go (and MK is planning on getting her hair cut soon)! As I left the salon I felt way more stylish, and I had a new jaunt in my step. I went immediately to this bar on Place de la Republique to meet up with MK and Laine to show them my new haircut, which was met with universal acclaim (that is to say they both liked it a lot). So, the haircut that I had been dreading for so long was actually a great success. Now I just need to get some clothes to match my new stylish coiffe!

Frugal Son Weighs Price, Quality, Value

Another interesting post via Frugal Son, on his own, on a budget for the first time. I loved this one (the sausage post!) because it embodies the kind of process Aristotle discusses in Nichomachean Ethics: when you are searching for the right level of anything, you may overshoot. So, if you are toooooo cheap, you might try to get to "normal," but go too far and be wasteful. Then you have to retract a bit. And so on. So read on to see what Frugal Son thinks about a very expensive sausage he tested.


Sunday January 22, 2012: Bref. J’avais decidé de depenser plus en achetant moins.
Unfortunately it is the month that I have the least money that I have decided to implement a new plan, in which I buy less stuff (mainly to eat, although this really applies to everything) while spending more money. “What’s that?”, you say, “Surely that is a typo! You must mean buy more while spending less, or, at the very least, buy less while spending less, but buying less while spending more?! That doesn’t make any sense!” No, no, you’re eyes haven’t deceived you; I’m trying to buy less but spend more. Take for example the humble saucisse sec. Normally, I buy the cheapest saucisse sec at the Carrefour market, which works out to about 6€/kg. But what do I spend the saved money on? More low quality stuff! What I’m trying to do now is have less stuff, but buy higher quality when I do get it.
I started this plan a few weeks ago when I went to the market in search of an artisanal sausage and ended up spending 11€ (that’s right, 11€, or $14) on 300g of saucisse sec de sanglier from a Corsican charcuter at the market. Admittedly, this may have been a bit over-board (although the saucisse sec de sanglier was very good, much better than my normal Carrefour crap), but it was a step in the right direction. The next week I toned down my sausage expenditures and instead bought a higher quality of saucisse sec at Carrefour (10€/kg), which is noticeably better than the cheapest stuff, but not notably worse than the very expensive saucisse sec de sanglier. That’s my goal: to find an equilibrium between price and quality so that I am eating better things that are still “worth it.”
Next on my list of things to improve was instant coffee. I know many might say that instant coffee is inherently low quality and that if I want to improve what I need to do is buy ground coffee, but I challenge those people to try some of the new instant coffees out there, especially ones made for the European market. My instant coffee of choice since my Nantes’ days was Nescafé’s noir et corsé instant coffee (5.20€ for 200g, 26€/kg), but, since I was running low, I decided to replace it with the deluxe Carte Noire instant coffee (5.40€ for 100g, 54€/kg, made by a Kraft subsidiary). After extensive testing—that is to say two to three cups per day for over a week now—I’ve come to the conclusion that the Carte Noire also isn’t worth the price boost since in terms of taste I find it equal to, or even a bit less pleasant, than my old Nescafé. Lesson learned, and I don’t even feel bad about paying so much more since it still works out to about 11¢ per cup.
I’ve also started to spend more on my butter and daily cheese. Paying more for butter is definitely worth it since the taste is noticeably better. As for cheese, I used to get the cheapest camembert, but now I’ve started spending about 1€ extra so that I can get camembert made with lait cru, as it’s meant to be made. Again, the taste is noticeably better.
The last thing that I’ve “upgraded” so far is cured ham. I don’t usually eat sandwiches, but when I do I like to make them with jambon cru, or cured ham. At Carrefour it can be had for 1€ for 100g (10€/kg) whereas the cured hams at the market run upwards of 36€/kg. Two weeks ago I got 100g of jambon de parme, prosciutto, and boy was it good! This week I got some jambon de Serrano and, imagine, it was even better! First off, 100g of jambon de parme is more than twice as many slices of the jambon cru from Carrefour because the butcher actually slices it for you and he can slice it incredibly thin on his big scary machine. Jambon de Serrano can be sliced even thinner so it works out to three times as many slices! Secondly, the flavor of the Serrano and Parma ham can’t even be compared to the Carrefour stuff. Serrano is, for now, my favorite, though next weekend I’m going to try the top notch stuff, some jambon iberico at 76€/kg! The Serrano is, of course, salty, but it’s more than that, extending into the range of umami savoriness, with notes of butter and even dried apricots! I might sound like I’m giving a facetious, mocking wine review, but that’s really what I taste when I have a little piece of jambon de Serrano; and trust me, a little piece is all you need!
Once I have more money I’m going to start applying this new philosophy to all aspects of my life.