Apology and Gift: Sanita Clogs (Dansko twin?) at a good price

Dear Readers: I have not yet recovered from processing 200plus pieces of work. I completed the task, but remain wiped out. That is why my responding to comments left by my wonderful readers has been so slow. I respond in my head, but typing is soooo much harder.

I will respond! In the meantime, good deals of the consumption sort keep wending my way. I will not succumb, at least not right now. First I will make more progress on my decluttering/donation project.

So here's the good deal, for those whose feet hurt and whose closets are not overflowing with stuff. Footprints, a lovely business, has Sanita professional clogs for under $70. You can also get adorable sandal clogs for even less! Sanita and Dansko are--or used to be--related, though I can't remember how.

If you have teeny feet (36!), you can browse the sale section and get Camper shoes for reallllly cheeeeeeep.

Hope someone can make use of this tidbit.

We're going to Nantes for a French Vacation

Sooooo, our tickets have been bought. Poor Mr FS (or, should I say, pauvre M FS?) has been toiling away communicating with our hosts and dealing with transportation and hotel issues. When we met, I found his knowledge of French swoon-worthy. As it turns out, that knowledge has a pragmatic element as well.

To wit:

Bonjour,

Nous sommes très contents de faire bientôt votre connaissance.
Pour nous, il n’y a aucun problème quel que soit le moment où vous arriverez, voyez ce qui est le mieux pour vous. Vous nous direz quand vous aurez décidé.

Je vous donne tout de suite notre numéro de téléphone, ainsi vous pourrez nous appeler de Paris s’il y a un retard ou changement.


Now I can read that, but it would take me ages to produce the email that elicited that response.

As for the French vacation. I picked up (at Goodwill, natch) one of those "inner French girl" books, a veritable genre. There was a section on French vacations. The American vacation is short and very intense. The quintessential American vacation would be a few days at Disney, with all the trimmings. Very expensive too.

The French vacation is five to six weeks. It can't be intense or super-expensive, at least not for most people. The quintessential French vacation takes place at some family house in the middle of nowhere. Daily activities consist of walks, lounging about, reading, cooking, and so on. So said my book (which unfortunately I misplaced). My French friend confirms the accuracy of the picture.

Although Mr. FS and I are teachers and have long breaks akin to those available to everyone in France, we have tended to be pretty intense. This will be our first conscious effort at a European-style vacation.

Ah ha! This is the book. Not a great purchase, but an OK library acquisition.

Have you ever had a French-style vacation?

Customer Service and two bits of Consumption News

MAny moons ago, I wrote about writing to the Asics shoe company about some shoes my son had that fell apart. Then I wrote about how they never responded (neither did the other company--Asian Food Grocer--I had a gripe with about short-dated food).

Eventually, Asics did respond. The rep invited me to return the shoes for inspection with the caveat that the company is the sole and final arbiter on the issue of whether the shoes fell apart too quickly. And no, they would not send me a pre-paid mailer. And no, they will not return the shoes (shredded as they are) if my plea is turned down.

Well, of course I am wary of spending $8-$10 to ship the shoes under such conditions. Companies set such terms so that you won't return an item.

So, in memory of my good consumer father, I'm sending the shoes back. What do you predict Asics will do?

Just in case you want to spend some money, the OTHER company that gave me bad customer service is having a good sale via a code. I am, of course, talking about Chico's. With code 4505, you get $25 off $50 and FREE SHIPPING. I don't think I'm getting anything, but they may have some of their ponte left. You can use it on sale items too, which makes for a tempting deal.

LL Bean is trumpeting its free shipping to US and Canada. I've gotten free shipping with their Visa--the visa lets you return for free.

That's it on consumer news for the day. I'm going to do a little spring closet cleaning instead.

Frugal Day Every Which Way: Library, Cabbage, Cookbook

As I think of my little adventures, I realize that frugality is woven into my life. This morning, I headed to the public library (very close) to return a few DVDs. While there I picked up a few books that were being held for me. I also perused the Cook's Illustrated that was on the shelf.

Hmmmm. II wonder if one can compute the savings from this one errand.

DVDS: save $7.50 on 3 rental fees.
Books: I requested two books on braising, and the accommodating book buyer, bought them! Let's see how much they are on Amazon: Molly Stevens: All About Braising.

I also picked up Jean Anderson's Falling Off the Bone.

As usual, I am drawn to the cheapest recipes. While I may make duck ragu one of these days, right now I am putting this cabbage recipe on the menu. Molly Stevens calls it World's Best Braised Green Cabbage.

Total time: 2 1/2 hours



1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 pounds)

1 large yellow onion, peeled and thickly sliced

1 large carrot, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch coins

1/4 cup chicken stock or water

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly oil a large gratin dish or baking dish (13-by-9-inch works well).

Peel off and discard any bruised or ragged outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut cabbage in half, then into 8 wedges. (Don't trim away the cabbage heart.) Arrange the wedges in the baking dish on their sides, overlapping a little but trying for a single layer. Scatter the onion and carrot over the cabbage. Drizzle with stock or water and oil. Season with salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Cover tightly with foil and transfer to the oven.

Braise for 1 hour. Uncover and gently turn the wedges with tongs, keeping them as intact as possible. Add a little water if pan is drying out. Cover pan and return to oven. Bake 1 hour.

Remove the foil, increase the heat to 400 and roast until vegetables begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Not only is braised cabbage the cheapest of the cheap, but also I still have 4 cabbages that were thrown to us during the St Patrick's Day Parade.

I guess I saved a bunch on the cookbooks. My cabbage dish will be almost free. Molly Stevens is an eater after my own heart: she suggests serving the cabbage with mashed potatoes as "an appealing vegetarian supper."

The Cook's Illustrated had this on the cover: Is a toaster oven really worth $250.00? You may remember my toaster oven dilemma, followed by a toaster oven disappointment. According to the magazine, the desired-by-many Breville toaster oven is indeed a wonder. Can't wait till the death of my Black and Decker.



My little adventures, which involved less than $1.00 in gas, should, if I put the savings in a jar, add up to that expensive toaster oven in a year or so.

Root Canal: Whatever: Frugal Ratios

For some time now, I've been dreading an inevitable event: my latest root canal. It's not the pain, since, unlike in days of yore, root canals are now relatively pain free. No, it's the money. About $1200, I think. That's without the crown. Luckily, as my dentist said, I already HAVE a crown on the tooth in question, so that's a savings (so to speak) right there.

Of course, my flex account will be out of money, because we had to contribute for 6 months only this year. I don't know if I can hold out till July 1 (when I may be in France! Maybe I should have my root canal there).

So, why does the cost of dental work make me so miserable? All my acquaintances are resigned to the inevitable. I am miserable BECAUSE I am frugal. Yes, dental work wreaks havoc on my frugal ratios.

To wit. A normal person rents a tuxedo for son's prom. Cost: around $100.00. The ratio of tux to root canal is 1:12. that seems right.

I, in contrast, got that tux at a thrift, and spent $20.00 on the whole outfit. Therefore, my tux to root canal is 1:60.

Then, I got my daughter some Citizens of Humanity jeans for $5.00. Retail is about $150.00. So, while the regular ratio is 1:8, my ratio is 1:240.

Even food gets into the act. I've been spending only about $100/month on food, since I am still trying to use up all my stockpiled foods (plus, we have garden greens). I can buy a YEAR OF FOOD for the price of the dental work.

And, saddest of all, I don't even want to think of how many hours I must work to pay for the procedure. It seems that my frugality on zillions of little things makes the cost of things that are out of my control (and for which there is no easily available frugal substitute) seem even more expensive. Oh, misery.

Do you ever figure frugal ratios? Watch out. It's addictive and--sometimes--dispiriting.

Food Inflation: Any Strategies?

Even I, the Pollyanna of inflation, see the dreaded signs. Mostly, I see that the advertised sale prices are what used to be regular prices. Now I remember, from my reading of that inspirational tome Your Money or Your Life, the idea that we need not fear inflation. The authors said we were SMARTER than inflation: if apples go up, eat oranges. Changing behavior can help to a certain extent.

I also remember that the authors said that merely being conscious about spending would save the average person 20%. Well, I already am conscious. Do you think that being even more conscious will save me an additional 20%?

Right now I am insulated from food inflation because I have amassed about 40 packs of coffee, 15 jars of peanut butter, 20 cans of tomatoes, and more. But when I run low, I will have to use my wits.

Like: drink less coffee? That's the only thing I can think of right now.

What are your strategies? I need to expand my consciousness.

Living like the Wealthy and Influential

I love to read a column in the New York Times that details the weekend activities of the wealthy and influential. To wit: Paul LeClerc, head of the New York Public Library. Yes, Mr LeClerc and his spouse (head of a foundation) have the sheen of wealth, influence, and culture, and no doubt live in an unattainable apartment in New York City; nevertheless, we can emulate their weekend activities.

Yes: he cooks from Marcella Hazan (ME TOO); he bakes (Mr. FS does that); he watches Netflix movies (WE DO THAT TOO); he moseys around a bookstore (DITTO); he reads (WEll, YEAH). Other luminaries I've read about take walks. You won't see me and Mr FS dressed up in formal wear at various functions attracting the powerful, but still . .

Yesterday, Mr. FS and I endured our 12-hour at work day. Sadly, we were away from Miss Em, who is home on break. She emailed us with an account of her day: going to a downtown coffee shop, where she got started on a paper. Then she did something M. LeClerc et femme (he has a doctorate in French lit!) probably don't do: headed to our wonderful Goodwill where she scored a blouse by Elie Tahari.

If you want to live like the influential Mr. LeClerc, you can get a Marcella Hazan book too. He recommends the pasta with cauliflower.