A Review--Smarterbucks

I heard about a website called Smarterbucks a while back, and was immediately curious about it.  It works similar to Ebates, which means that when you shop online at certain retailers, you first log into their site (Ebates or Smarterbucks) and they track your purchases giving you back a percentage of what you spent.  Ebates gives you back cash, but Smarterbucks makes a payment on your student loans.

I was intrigued.  After all, if I'm going to be spending money at certain retailers anyway, it's always nice to get some back, even if it is a mere 2%.  So I signed up, and played around with it for a while.

The Good:

• I think this is a good system, and it's nice to get something back in exchange for letting your purchases be tracked.
• It's really nice to have small payments made to your student loans that you don't even have to think about.
• Something for nothing! Who doesn't want that!?
• They also have the new option of taking online surveys to earn cash toward your loans.
• They have a debit card option that nets you more cash back since you get cash back for everything you purchase and aren't limited to their pool of online retailers.

The Bad:

• Unlike Ebates, which posts your cash back within 24 hours, Smarterbucks takes FOREVER.  It takes literally a month before anything posts to your account.
• They are very aggressive about getting you to sign up for their debit card, which I don't want to do though that seems like the best way to get more free money paid to your loans.  Has anyone done this?  Care to comment?
• Ebates tells you when your next payment is coming, and I couldn't find that info on the Smarterbucks site at all, so I guess it will just be a surprise.
• I didn't find a lot of retailers I wanted to buy from, so I just placed a few test orders with Old Navy, which was only 2% cash back.
• Naturally, getting cash back for spending might make you buy more, so it's a bit of a Catch-22, but when you're spending money you would have anyway, I see no harm in it.
• I tried to take about 20 of their surveys to earn extra cash, but I got kicked out of each one for not meeting the criteria and earned nothing.

Overall, there's no reason why I would discontinue doing this, since it really only works in my benefit.  I'm never going to buy enough stuff that it will have a significant impact on my total student loan debt, but every little bit helps.  It's not a perfect system, but it is new, and they seem to be improving it pretty quickly.

Anyone else have any experience with Smarterbucks?

*This is not a paid post and Smarterbucks has no clue who I am, I just wanted to let people know it exists.

Food Waste Friday: The Trifecta

I am sad to report that this was not a super successful food waste Friday for me, but an example of the times when you just can't help but waste food (unfortunately).

That's 1/2 a tub of cottage cheese, a jar of hot fudge sauce and a small amount of broccoli slaw that turned strangely pink (but still tasted ok).

In the case of the cottage cheese, buying it was a bit of an experiment.  I love cottage cheese, but I'm super picky about it.  To date, the only brands I like are Cass Clay (available only in the midwest), and the Stop and Shop brand.  I can tolerate the Friendship brand, but it's way overpriced.  The one pictured above is Target's store brand, and it just didn't do it for me.  I gamely ate half of it, and meant to choke the other half down, but it was starting to go off and therefore goes into the trash.

The broccoli slaw was good, but I just didn't get around to eating it.

The hot fudge was the most disgusting thing I've consumed in years.  I had borrowed a yonana from a friend, and wanted to make hot fudge sundaes.  I got a really good hot fudge recipe from my mother, but the day I set out to buy the ingredients, I was all overwhelmed and could not bear the thought of searching the whole store to find sweet and condensed milk.  So, I bought Mrs. Richardson's hot fudge, and I'm here to tell you: DO NOT DO WHAT I  DID.  It tastes like brown plastic, and it settled into my stomach like a brick.  You microwave it, and then it immediately solidifies into a hard lump of awful.  I kept it around for a few weeks thinking that maybe I would want to eat it again, but I just don't.

How did you do this week?

Minimalist Inventory--Kitchen

This is not my kitchen, but it's similar

In my increasing push to be more minimalist, I've purged a lot of items from my home, or just not acquired them.  I love the test of ingenuity that comes from not having something, but then finding a way to work around it.  My rule, for the most part, is that I only want to have things in my house that I actually use.  That said, there are allowances to be made for things that don't serve a real purpose but have sentimental value.  Probably the easiest way to do this is to break it down room-by-room.  We'll start with the kitchen, since that's a room people like to buy a  lot of gadgets and just stuff for.

Dishes:  As I've mentioned before, I only have four dinner plates.  This means that if all four are dirty, I have to wash one, but it honestly hasn't been an issue at all.  I have six salad plates that get more use, seven bowls (I'm more than certain I will break one in the coming year, I break a bowl at least every nine months).  I have too many glasses and mugs right now, but I'm deciding which ones to get rid of.  Ultimately, I'd like to have about four mugs--one for coffee, one that's a good size for tea, and two backups for when other people come over and want a hot beverage.  I also have various food storage containers, of course.

Pots and Pans: I have one medium sized sauce pan, one bigger pot that I make mashed potatoes in, and one large frying pan.  The bigger pot gets used the least, but I do like having it around.
In the move, BF took both of the cookie sheets we have (one was good, the other was pretty gross), and I took the pizza pan.  At first I was really worried I'd have to buy a cookie sheet, but I just use the pizza pan for everything.  I don't do much baking, and you can roast vegetables on a pizza pan just as easily as a cookie sheet.  I also have a glass baking dish and a round pie dish that I use for quiche (note to self: make some quiche).

Appliances:  I have a coffee maker, microwave, electric tea kettle, coffee grinder, toaster oven, foreman grill, stick blender, food procesor and crockpot.  With the exception of the crockpot, stick blender and food processor, I use all of those nearly every day, and I got rid of my regular toaster when I realized that I didn't have the counter space for it.  The toaster oven does the same thing.  I don't really use the food processor, so I may get rid of it.  I bought it because I (for some reason) had a giftcard to Sears and had no idea what to buy there, and to make hummus.  Turns out, I have never made a batch of hummus I've actually enjoyed, and I hate cleaning the thing when I'm done with it.  We shall see.

Two other things that I don't use much, but that I haven't gotten rid of yet are my stovetop espresso maker and my French press.

This is because once upon a time, I broke the carafe for my coffee maker and had to rely heavily on the French press.  For some reason, instead of having a backup coffee carafe, I have a backup French press even though I don't really like French press coffee.  I may have also kept it because I kept thinking there would be a time when we didn't have power, but I would need to have coffee.  Now that I've ditched the stovetop kettle for an electric one (faster and more energy efficient), I can't really live that survivalist dream anyway.  Also, I buy my coffee whole bean and wouldn't be able to grind it without electricity--man, I just didn't think that through at all!
 I kept the stove top espresso maker because BF would use it occasionally, but I think it might just be time to say goodbye to that.

Cutlery:  I have about six each of knives, forks and spoons; a pizza cutter, can opener, bottle opener, large and small paring knife and a steak knife that I bought at a rummage sale in 1996.  Yes, there was one time someone brought a pineapple to a potluck I was hosting and we had a hell of a time figuring out what to cut it with, but other than that, I have pretty much exactly what I need.  I initially wanted to get a better knife for cutting vegetables, but the large paring knife works just fine.

One thing that I have in the kitchen that is utterly ridiculous is a pizza dough docker:

It's the very definition of a uni-tasker, but I made pizza professionally for five years, and grew super attached to this little gadget.  Plus, I use it just enough that it proves its worth.

Obviously, your minimalist kitchen will look different depending on how you use it, but this is really working for me.  The dishes can't pile up because there aren't that many, and I don't have a bunch of stuff stored away collecting dust.  I've never read a recipe or had a notion of something I wanted to eat and been unable to prepare it, so I'm doing pretty well, though when I look at this list, it does still seem like a lot of stuff.  Probably a true minimalist would say this is not a minimalist kitchen, but I'm operating on the principle that I use everything I have and that justifies keeping it.

I Did It!

This is my third blogathon in the books, and my second successful one!  It feels pretty damn good.  Because this is the last day, it's also Word cloud day!  I love messing around with wordle, and I couldn't pick just one design, so I did four.  After all, if you're going to be a hoarder, be a digital one.

Happy 2013 Blogathon, everyone!  Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Blogathon Link love #3

We are nearing the end of yet another blogathon, and I have to say, this one has almost been easy.  Yes, there are moment when you panic and think I have nothing left to say!! But then you regroup, and write a rambling post about trashy tv, so it's all good.  Now, here's some link love.

--Bea Johnson, of Zero Waste Home fame is quickly becoming a hero of mine.  Not only did I read her book and come away with all sorts of new ideas for reducing my trash output, but now I'm taking a much harsher approach to managing my closet, which is the area I struggle with the most.  Presently, she is undertaking a book tour in France, and doing it with one black skirt.  She is going to be showing up 30 Ways to Wear a Long Skirt, and I'm already inspired to go back to my own closet and get back onto the outfit revamp bandwagon.

--I have never taken out a payday loan, or a short term loan, because I know that they're just a terrible way to extract far too much money from the desperate or the stupid.  Also, it was once pointed out to me that there is ALWAYS a liquor store right next to a payday loan place.  Check it out, you'll see that's true, and as much as I love a beer, I do not want to pay 700% interest on money borrowed to buy that beer.  So, I've always known these places are bad, but Sean at One Smart Dollar has a post saying specifically why they're bad.  It's always nice to have more information, and to know that I was already right even without having specifics.

--Since being in my new apartment and trying to keep things not only organized and uncluttered, but also streamlined, I have to say, that the fewer things you have, the easier it is to have a clean and organized house.  That's a no-brainer, but something I had never really put into practice before.  Sure, I do dishes every day, but I don't have enough dishes that they can pile up and overwhelm me; I don't have a bathroom lined with bottles and potions that I have to buy a separate piece of furniture to store; and I can see into my pantry and see everything in there.  So naturally, I also love the post How Minimalism Lets you Do What you Love from The Everyday Minimalist.

--This is something I have not yet tried, but am really, really curious about: Homemade Alcoholic Cider.  I've always been fascinated by home brewing because I love beer and the science of it all intrigues me, but I've also always balked at amount of equipment you need and the expense.  Apparently, making homemade cider is incredibly easy and dirt cheap.  I will be trying this soon.

Huzzah for Hoarding!

I may be trying to keep my apartment minimalist, but I have not yet managed to translate that philosophy to my car.  Since I don't have much of a commute anymore, my car is not nearly the disaster zone that it used to be, but I still cringe at the idea of how much extra fuel I'm burning hauling around two camping chairs that I use every other year... Yeah, I should get those out of there...

Anyway, losing things in the trunk of the car actually saved the day the other day.

My new tv is great, and I love it everso.  I got Hulu+ so now my life is dominated by the Real World/ Road Rules Challenge:

Scandal:

And (and I do feel shame at this, but still admit it) The Only Way Is Essex

So much tanning and fake boobs--it's a trainwreck

So, I'm loving my Roku and my Hulu + but I was not loving the sound quality on the new tv.  The speakers are underneath, and despite messing around with it, it was often garbled or tinny or just way too quiet depending on what I was watching.  Then I remembered that a friend had lent me computer speakers for use at a job interview a couple years ago.  Lo and behold, because they were not mine and I intended to give them back, I found them in the trunk of my car!

I plugged them in, and they work perfectly!  Now I can finally understand about half of what the people on The Only Way Is Essex are saying

Yeah, you get hooked on this stuff.

Re-Buying Things

Remember when we used to all listen to music on cassettes?  Then those went away, or just got relegated to the car and we upgraded to CDs.  Then we upgraded again to Mp3s, but, thankfully, that was a less expensive transition.

In the interest of minimalism, I do not really own books anymore.  I have my Nancy Drew collection, because I collect them, but other than that and a few favorites that I re-read over and over, I have very few.  You won't find many other librarians who only have one bookshelf that's not quite full, I bet.

Now I'm taking it a step further, and have started re-buying some of those favorite books, this time for my nook.  I always really struggle with what ebooks to buy because if I'm going to actually pay money for a book, I want it to be one that I'll re-read over and over.  I am a big re-reader, but for some reason I always draw a blank when it comes to ebook buying--probably because I'm just out of practice when it comes to buying books at all.  After all, at the library, I can bring home armfuls of mediocre titles and not spend a dime, when buying books, well, I have to pay for them which just stings.

What stings even more, in this case, is that a lot of the books I'm converting to digital versions are book I actually bought in the first place.  Most of the physical books that have been in my house over the years have been found on library sale racks, where the cost a dollar (or I just take them and bring them back).  Last night I had to pay $9.99 for an e-copy of Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty.

Considering I bought most of her books in hardcover, this stings a bit.  But, my shelf is already slightly emptier, and I do like that.  I'll content myself with the thought that I can now enjoy Jessica Darling's antics wherever in the world I am.

Picky Stuff

For some reason, I have little items that I buy that I really either pay attention to the price of, or skimp on as much as I can.  These are typically the kind of lame items that you need but don't want, and are not very fun to buy.  One of the first things I thought about when I realized that I would be living alone for the first time in four years and could really let my crazy run free was all those little things that I hate to pay for that I can potentially skimp even more on.

Items I hate to buy:
Toilet Paper--
I'm guessing no one really likes to buy this, but for some reason, I hate it the most.  When I was in college, living in the dorm, I used to sneak a wrapped roll of tp out of the bathroom every day and secret it away in a cupboard.  By the end of the year, I had more than a year's worth of toilet paper stashed away, which I brought to my new apartment.  Yeah, it was 1-ply and poor quality, but who cares, it was free.  BF hates that I buy the cheapest toilet paper (it's actually the 2nd cheapest, but he insists that that doesn't make it good), but now it's my house, my tp!  I also sneak the ends of rolls from work and feel no (little) shame at this.

Pan Spray--
I love pan spray.  Who doesn't want to be able to put something in a pan and not have it stick without using a ton of oil? But I hate to buy it. Whenever I run out, I think that maybe I don't need it, but then I miss it within days and often make a special trip to the store.  I do buy the store brand, which costs less, but I always get really cranky when I have to buy this.

Items I have a price threshold on:
Canned Tuna--
I will not pay more than $1 for a can of solid white tuna.  I'm not picky about brands, but it has to be the solid white kind.  Unfortunately, it doesn't go on sale that often, but when it does, you can bet I'm there like a crazy person stocking up.

English Muffins--
Every now and then, English Muffins will go on sale at my grocery store Buy One Get Two Free.  Because I know that this sale happens semi-regularly, it seems appalling to me to pay regular price or even half price.  Thankfully, I have the deep freeze, so I can really stock up.

Canned Tomatoes--
These have to be on sale 10 for $10 before I would buy them.  Also, I often hesitate if I don't also have a coupon.

Yogurt--
I buy a lot of yogurt, so it pains me to pick it up for regular price.  Usually though I have a coupon, or if nothing else, the store brand is decent and cheaper, so I go for that.


Anybody else have certain items that you're a little crazy about?

Recipe Linkup!

Lizy, over at Adventures in Love, Life and Librarianship is hosting a summer recipe linkup!  She's already got a list of delicious looking yummies, and I'm sure by the end of the day there will be enough to keep everyone busy the entire summer.

Now I'm hungry... and I might make this Ricotta Zucchini Galette for dinner...

Yum

The Play's The Thing!

I've always been very, very lucky in that I've found ways to see cheap or discounted theatre.  A good friend used to work at one of the biggest theatres in the area, and she would always give me free tickets for preview shows--usually ones that included free food and hob-nobbing with actors afterward.  Another theatre used to drop off posters at the library and always gave us a voucher for two free tickets, which made me very happy.

Well, the good times have come to an end.  My friend who worked at the theatre has gotten another job (she's much happier, so it's a good thing), and strangely, the poster guy has stopped coming to the library.  I even called the theatre to ask why we never see him anymore, and they were as confused as I.

I recently looked into buying tickets for a show that I really wanted to see and was shocked to find out that it's $50 for a Sunday afternoon performance!  Who the hell can afford that?  So, I just accepted the fact that I won't be going to any shows for the foreseeable future, and started to make peace with that idea.

Then the universe gave me a sign.

I was having dinner with a friend who is both a librarian and an actress, and she told me that the way she gets to see most shows is by volunteering to usher.  Often you have to commit to ushering at at least two shows, but after showing people where to sit, you get to watch for free. 

I had actually forgotten up until she said this that I had actually done this back in college when the local theatre was showing MacBeth.  We were reading the play in my Shakespeare class, and the professor encouraged all of us to see the production as well. "If you can't afford a ticket, volunteer to usher and you can see it for free."  I don't know why I completely forgot that piece of advice, but I'm certainly going to take advantage now.

Unfortunately, there are not enough hours in the day for me to volunteer at all the theatres and see all the shows, but if I pick the one that's most expensive, I can at least see one season of shows for free!  I have to wait until fall to implement this plan, but I'm still pretty stoked!  Then, like always seems to happen, my friend who used to get me free theatre tickets all the time, asked if I want to accompany her to the shows she will now be seeing as a theatre reviewer!  It certainly pays to let your interests (in theatre and in free things) known.

Have you ever found a way to get free leisure activities like this?  Any tips to share?