back scrubber for myself and the lady

for getting those hard to reach places

wrapping up
461.40 at the start
a buck99 spent
the kitty stands at 45cent

maximum spending tomorrow

2buck9

i can spend that much

you can't stop me.

day 60- sometimes she needs a new paint job.

it's been a rainy day here in the city. all our plans to go to the beach were foiled, which is probably not the worst thing as people seem to be dying a lot more at the new york city beaches than is normal. it seems the ocean is taking it's due. rip tides are sucking the people out to sea. it's kind of sad when you think about it. you go to the beach to have fun, enjoy the sun and sand. not to be worried that you are going to get sucked under like your in some sort of bad scifi channel saturday horror movie.

personally i am not a fan of the nyc beaches. they are pretty horrendous. too many people all crammed into small swimming areas so that the lifeguards can maintain watch over you. the water is usually a brownish grey which is not all that enticing to me.

neither is the diaper you see floating by in the water.

unless someone pops up from onder the water to find a new hat on their head.

it seems everyone wants to go the beach to have some fun, but no one is paying attention to how their fun is affecting everyone else.

a friend of mine, who was once employed by the dep, warned me that although the water is deemed "safe" by the city, you should think twice about heading into the water at say... coney island. her suggestion was that if any coney island water were to touch any part of your body, then said part of your body would highly benefit a dousing of kerosene. if at all possible it would also be good to light said kerosene and let it burn. this should keep you safe from anything that "might" be in the water.

this keeps me from the beaches in and around the city. the water does get surprisingly better the farther east you go on long island. you really don't have to go far, but coney island is just not going to happen for me. besides getting hot dog and some boardwalk fun-i suggest you stay away.

as for the riptides that seem to be taking people out to sea.. there really should be more education about them. rip tides are not that deadly. they don't suck you out to bermuda, just quite a bit away from the beach. when they suck you out, you are supposed to just let it take you and when the pulling stops you are to swim down the beach a bit then head back. at your leisure.

lastly.. the undertow. if you are sucked under around nyc no one is going to see you. the water is so murky that you could be swimming next to a huge shark and never see it. how is anyone going to see you?

better to just hang on the beach amongst the dried seaweed, the gulls and the cigarette butts. get some sun and enjoy the cool showers that are available. someone is going to walk by and offer you a heinekin. it's going to be cold and appear as if by magic from from your surprise waiter's suitcase, wrapped in newspaper. five bucks and your in heaven.

today's purchase has nothing to with the beach. i had originally planned to scour the beaches for buck64aday purchases that would excite and wow you. sadly i could not do this. instead a little something for the lady. she often has nicely manicured nails, but eventually the "lunchtime manicure" fades, cracks and becomes for her an eyesore. she has often asked me if i had any nail polish remover around the house, to which i have always said "uh.. no." now when she asks i can say, "why of course i do. it's in the bathroom in the secret compartment behind the mirror."

for a buck83 i think many a faded 15dollar manicure can disappear into the paper towel...

or whatever it is she uses to get that stuff off.

i think i will be soon informed that a bag of 99cent cotton balls would compliment the gift quite well.

wrapping up

503.44 at the start

a buck83 spent

the kitty now stands at 1cent

maximum spending tomorrow

a buck65

i can spend that much tomorrow.

you can't stop me.

day 36- a middle of the road razor in pink. for the lady.

it can be a little sad when i go out there shopping for the day's purchase. really, what is out there for under 2 bucks? what can you really get that you need. everybody needs a razor.. every once in a while.

it would be more economical to buy these in a bulk pack. problem is, a bulk pack is a bit out of my price range.

i challenge you.

get out there and see what you can get for cheap. what you can get that is "good" for cheap.

if you live in a big city like i do, then it can be a bit difficult. food and snacks are easy, but things for the home at a bargain require some searching. one razor comes up to a buck63. i have some cash in the kitty. i could have gotten something "bigger", but the point is not to max out the kitty spending kitty "just because" it's there.

the idea is that you buy what you need.. or want. try to get it for a buck64. frown when you can't. smile when you can afford something because you have that little bit extra.

times are gonna get rough.

it's time to practice. think about what it is you need. don't go over unless you can extend the use of what you are purchasing.

i like to think of the utility of the items. sure food is fun and tasty, but fleeting. it sustains, but you cannot (unless its a calorie loaded fast food sandwich you will be burning off for the next five years) use it again. a razor can be used over and over. if your not to picky you can use the same one for a year. sure the shave will not be a clean one, but if you are like me and have white facial hair, then who is going to notice? this razor is not for me. its for the lady. she's showers here at the pitt. sometimes she forgets her razor? now she has one. she can use it over and over again.

it's got value. utility.

with june having ended and the year half done it always means it's time for the 4th of july. time for cook outs, fireworks, and if you are in a lucky year (and we are folks.. we are) a three day weekend.

who is working tomorrow. raise your hands? not many. what with the weekend right ahead of us we are all in for what could be a great three days. i am pretty sure that for the next three days i will be writing and no one will be reading. that's ok. just have a miller high life for me and a spicy hot dog to go with it. enjoy your weekend. you've earned it.

the job loss numbers for june came in today and it looks like we lost some.

62,000 jobs gone. half a mil for the year. as i said a few weeks ago, we are always losing jobs. its the new ones that help keep things going. america is just not creating new jobs.

this is a problem.

maybe not for you, but for someone out there. the stimulus package was supposed to help. but how does it help with jobs? i mean really help. if we all get some cash and then we spend it all at once how will we be helping the job market in the long run? companies will just keep the staff they have, run a better profit and a lower labor cost and when the cash is all gone and the stores slow down again they will lay off even more people. they will have a couple of good periods under there belt to make good for the year. what do they care?

it seems like it we are just extending our problems. taking a rain check. till the fall.

the cash does however give us a decent summer. a decent summer is important. a great summer would be fantastic. it can get hot out there and it would be nice to just have to worry about the heat and not stress about our jobs. that is what summer should be about. slowing down and enjoying the best part of the year.

this is not a good time to hate your job. not a good time at all.

i don't really like mine.. i could walk out anyday.. at any time... but i need to pay the bills. i can look, but the lookin' is hard.

i am concentrating on the good parts of the summer, and this weekend i am gonna forget about this whole economy thing. i'll still be out there spending a buck64aday. i have to do that, but i am gonna enjoy a little time in the country. massachusetts country.

i hope they have fireworks there.

big ones that explode right above my head.

they always seem to have those in the country.

wrapping up

541.58 at the start

a buck63 spent

the kitty stands at 62cent

maximum spending tomorrow

2buck26

i can spend that much tomorrow

you can't stop me.

day 33- flossin with the swine

mmm pork sung. ever had it? love this stuff. when i go get some dim sum from dim sum go go down in china town, it is always there on the side. i pretty much eat it all up before the waiter brings the real meal.

granted if you are a bit timid around pork that has been cooked like 18 times and when dry kind of looks like meat cotton candy, then you might want to abstain, but for my money (which of course is not a lot) i will totally go for this stuff.

spend a buck49 at your asian grocer. mix it up with a bit of spicy sesame oil and you have a tasty snack or a nice condiment to your home steamed dumplings. i have also thought about using it as a pork chewing gum. if you put a lot in your mouth. you can chew it for hours.

there is nothing like a meat product that last forever out of the fridge after its been opened.

nothin'

we used the bamboo steamer i picked up last week in nc and made some tasty dumpling treats. of course we bought frozen and cooked it up, but it was damn good. if you and yours don't do the dim sum then i recomend it. it can be a very cheap meal., and with these hard times ahead we need some cheap meals i think. with the cost of oil rising, and the cost of food going up we are need of some cheap eats that won't make us feel like we are eating ramen noodles all the time.

can you believe the price of corn a year ago was over 100% less than it is today? corn is up to 7.50 a bushel. that means 56 lbs of corn used to cost about 3 or so bucks. (makes us wonder why we are all not growing corn in our back yards. three rows for a crop people)

consumer prices were up .4percent in may. that's a lot, but it you take out the cost of food and gas then its only a .1 percent increase.

this was written like it was positive news...

when you head to the electronics store to buy a tv, it will cost the same, but if you need to get to work and stay all nutritioned up then its going to cost you more. that's not good. not good at all. glad my tomatoes are coming in. i think i am going to need them.

still, up there in the news is the price of gas. it's going to be a big story for a long time, but how are they going to keep it fresh... keep it new?

well i read one story that does the job. i personally they should have saved it till later on in the year. when they are all tapped out.

apparently along with the economy going down, nevada's whoring industry is suffering. they are experiencing declines as much as 25percent. truckers make up a good chunk of the rural whorin and the rising cost of diesel is of course going to make truckers work harder for their money.

they are going to have to put in extra hours to make the same cash, but with this harder work it means that a stop over in nevada for a little t and a is harder to balance in the budget. not only do they lose "time money" with the stop over, they are going to have to of course shell out that hard earned cash for their "settin' the quilt to quiver" time.

don't worry, the brothels are taking action. to bring john back into the the bosom of the ladies of the night they are offering incentives. gas cards for those trips to the special rooms that cost 300 bucks an up and of course a 25 dollar discount on those 200 bucks for 45 minutes. now only 175!

their prices are insane! (insert crazy eddie here)

as a child of the 80's i pretty much learned all i need to know about the world's oldest profession from from hbo. movies like cannonball run and porky's pretty much tell a kid what is goin' on.

from what i learned on hbo, it seemed like the story was missing something. they are offering gas prizes and cash discounts, but i thought that the real "deal" was the "two for one". didn't see any of that listed.

anyway, i'm not judging. people can do what they want to do, and nevada is usually the place to do it.

just bit of advice to those truckers out there.

keep your money in your pockets. times will get better, and please keep at least one hand on the wheel. your up high. we can't see a thing.

wrapping up
547.70 at the start
a buck49 spent
the kitty stands at a dirty tree cent.

maximum spending tomorrow

a buck97

i can spend that much tomorrow

you can't stop me.

day 29-it's steamy down here

hmm.. that's a bad picture on the left. when i get back from vacation i will be able to make better pictures i suppose. i hope you can wait till then.

a bamboo steamer is something everyone should have. for some reason i don't, and this one is the perfect size. i picked up this little guy at the salvation army thrift store today. at 2buck42 i was really just able to squeeze by. it's brand new and in its original wrapping. a big plus is that the money goes somewhere other than someones corporate coffers. still the money i spend here today will be used by the salvation army to do their good works. i peeked into the back room when the door was open, and did not see the craps game going on. i always think of that whenever i go to the salvation army.

dice games, frank sinatra and marlon brando. my folks would show us some of the classics when we were kids. that one stuck.

with the economy going a bit sour i would think that a lot of people would be heading to their local thrift/second hand shops. while i don't get much of a chance to do it in nyc, i am always surprised at the stuff you can get at these places.

from cheesy coffee mugs to antique wooden tables, your local thrift place has lots of treasures. my buck64 would totally do well on them.

the lady and i love the dim sum, but i did not have a steamer to cook them up. now we can keep a bunch in the freezer and be able to make quick light meals which will be more appropriate for the hot summer months. doin' dim sum yourself is super cheap. you can by enough for 2 people for about 2 bucks, maybe three. this little guy will totally help boost my bucks in the coming tighter months.

just how tight is it going to get? i really don't know and to tell the truth, i don't think anyone else does either. usually a recession is officially defined after the fact. past recessions usually don't last that long. at least the ones we have seen in the past 2 decades. we bounce back and before long we are back to the good times.

still, its the top of the news.

all the time, and we have a lot of news out there. the family just got direct tv down here in durham and there is so much news to choose from. we as americans are so connected now. tv overload and the internet inundate us with up to the minute reports on the welfare of just about everything, and the news is mostly negative. if it weren't we would not pay attention.

just head on over to yahoo.. look at the first five news stories. probably on either controversial side or just bad news. the other two are little interesting fun bits. stuff that's kooky and fun.

folks, it's an election year and the issues are the economy and oil. that's gonna be what its about. that's what is in the news and that is what we are gonna care about.

oh, and health care. we always care about health care.

today the news was.. oil was up. libya was reducing production and someone from opec said we might see as high as 170bucks or more a barrel later this year. mccain wants to open up off shore exploration to make us more self sufficient.
okay.
great. in 20 years we will really start seeing some changes. someone should have thought of that years ago, but in america we say "not in my back yard." now we have to pay the piper. look at norway. they have been doing this for years. their offshore rigs are modern marvels (no really they were on a tv show called modern marvels.. they must be) and they have not wrecked their environment and those fjords still look as good as ever.

personally i feel that one of the most beautiful things in the world is a wind farm.

those things are free energy once built. free and clean. yet people protest them nonetheless.

for the next year people are going to complain about the economy and for years to come we are going to complain about the cost of energy. that's just the way its going to be. it's our own fault.

until cold fusion arrives. we need to suck it up, and say "yes please in my back yard."

wrapping up.
554.88 at the start
2buck42 spent
the kitty stands at 2cent

maximum spending tomorrow
a buck66

i can spend that much tomorrow

you can't stop me

day 25-tasty treat from sugar sweet sunshine

the polvo show last night was not what i had expected. usually when i band does a reunion they play all the hits(like when journey gets together).. you know make people happy, and while they did make people happy they played mostly album medleys(unlike journey). it just was not the same. they have been playing around for a month or so and i was hoping for something more. they did, i am sure, do what they thought was best, but if you came to the show and had not heard polvo beforeyou were left confused, and probably abandoned by your date who was there as a long time fan and had a good time.

the ladies did not have the best time, and for so much build up i can understand the disappointment. i did get to see a bunch of people i have not seen in a long time, including my old roommate from greensboro the tedder man. if polvo is coming your way and you are a fan then i say go to it, but leave your other at home. if they are not a fan they just would not understand.

today is preparation day for my trip down south. jen and i went to spitzer's for some brunch. they have some pretty good food and she loves to do the brunch thing. brunch is not really my thing, but i do like to go out and eat some good food, as a plus they have the rogue hot pepper beer. its really good. i like the spicy stuff and a spicy beer with my eggs benedict with pork trotter was damn good. the trotter was decadent, but a little unsettling. there was something about the texture. something about it... i just could not tell at the time.

a quick phone google search and there it was.

we should have realized.

trotter is pigs feet. don't get me wrong i did not hate it, but well... there was just something about the texture and the feel that made me uneasy. i'll go back to spitzer's brunch, but i am leaving the pigs feet to the bar.

time for the purchase... sugar sweet sunshine is on the way home over on rivington and essex. we stopped in there for a cupcake. the lady loves the pumpkin cupcake and they are only a buck50 each. in fact all the cupcakes are.

nyc has been inundated with cupcakes over the past 5 years. they seem to be everywhere you look. its a popular treat as it is portable, but for me i usually need more than one. one is just not enough. 4 is good for me, but a buck64 is not getting me 4.

jen is still a bit unsettled from the trotter tasting.. the cupcake still stands.. alone and uneaten.


time for me to finish up the packing. traveling by plane is a pain these days. no pointy objects, no trusty zippo lighters, and no gels or liquids.

i will leave them all in a pile here at the pitt. pick them up when i get back.

just reminding you.. vacation does not stop the buck64aday.

wrapping up.
561.21 at the start
a buck50 spent
the kitty stands at 71cent

maximum spending tomorrow

2buck35

i can spend that tomorrow in durham, north carolina

you can't stop me.

day 22- i thought the highlight of today would be my new phone...

wow! what a day. early this morning i went to get the new sprint phone. the "instinct" is a touch phone, an "ipod killer" or something like that. really, i just like gadgets and when your full 150 bucks come around from sprint you do go out there and try to get the best for your money.

so i get the phone and then i haul the 4 long blocks (those midtown crossing blocks can be a killer) back to work. i can't play with my new toy as i have to pay the rent. i do however get a little time to mess around with it and figure some stuff out.

fast forward to about 3pm. i get a message from the lady saying that i am in the news.

excitement. though i don't know what she means as i cannot get the phone to work yet. i have the internets and i can't get it to go.

finally, i find out that the cbs news channel in charlotte has discovered my blog and not only do they mention it, but they also chat up about the blog during their story on how people are spending their stimulus packages. you can watch the blog scrolling up and down the screen as they talk about my purchases. terrible picture, beer bottles and all.

one of them said "what fun".

really i am having a blast doing this whole thing. it is a mission, but there is no reason why i should not make it a fun mission. i am just happy to be getting the word out. spreading that word of a buck64aday across the whole world.

thanks wbtv. you have made my stat counter go through the roof.

you can check out the video clip here.

its a bit ironic that it got picked up in north carolina, as that is where i am originally from.

they added it to their blog. you can get all you might need from here.

aside from the moments of fame in the early morning hours of charlotte, north carolina i did a little bit of shopping today. spending that buck64 is what its all about right? thank god for the kitty or i would be in big trouble. i have been wanting to find something for the lady for some time. its hard to get something meaningful/useful for your girlfriend for a buck64, but i succeeded.

whenever she takes a shower at my place she is subject to all my "guy" toiletries. she has really nice skin and i thought she might like this loufa scrubber mit. this way she does not have to use my sad white "suds scrubber". at a buck92 its within the budget and it might give her a better shower. our water pressure is pretty terrible and this might just make a shower at the pitt more enjoyable.

don't worry i'll stick to my own scrubber.

i had a good time seeing the word get spread today and i would like to see more of it. please pass me around. its only day 22. we have a long way to go. a long way.

wrapping up

565.93 at the start

a buck92 spent

the kitty stands at 9cents

maximum spending tomorrow

a buck73

i can spend that much tomorrow

you can't stop me.

day seven- killing 99.9 percent of germs and poison ivy.

there has been a rash of poison ivy going around this week at the pitt street penthouse and even i am not immune.

usually i am.

last weekend jen and i did some weeding out at the "stugan"-that's swedish for cottage- and jen got some poison ivy. i probably got it as well, but usually it does not affect me and goes away quickly.

she developed the poison ivy spots on her arm.

she asked me what she should use.

I said calamine lotion or some other pink liquid that takes to long to dry, and tends to run down your skin rather than hang out on the infected areas.

i also said to use bleach.

either i am a cheap bastard or just know al about the folk remedies. though bleach is not that folky is it?

i know, i know the doctors say you should never put bleach on your skin. its dangerous and it could make you sick, but calamine lotion is a bit pricey and if you want to shell out for the expensive stuff then your gonna be paying 30 bucks or something.

although i am usually immune to the p.i. this morning i got the itchies on my hand.

there is no way i am going to be getting serious poison ivy rash this weekend. so if to the store to buy the bleach.

i poured it on the infected areas. waited a couple of minutes and the itch was gone. an hour later the splotchy skin parts had disappeared. i washed the rest of the bleach off and then knew that i was going to be able to pee without the fear of being mr. itchy pants for the next week.

with the economy flat and costs going up who's got money for silly rashes on the business.

this brings up a good point that we may be seeing later in the next year. if and when recession hits how are we in america going to pay our medical bills. with so many people in america without medical insurance and those who do are seeing higher co pays, it seems we all might need to step back and think about what we are doing in our lives.

a buck64 is not going to pay my doctor's visit, but is buying me some sense. everyday i am out there reading up and learning more.

what have i learned?

it might not be a good idea to let someone shoot me with a bb gun. just for fun.. just to see how it feels. not even after a few beers. (not that this has happened yet, but it could have)

just remember-the doctor can be expensive and so is the witch doctor. chiropractors, though i hear, are quite reasonable.

on the side- the moon flowers from the first purchase have broken through the soil. my first purchase has taken root so to speak. i just hope they grow fast. the summer is upon us here in the city. its gonna be 90 this weekend. i'd like them to get some growth in before the blistering heat takes hold.

time to go and get the lady to put some bleach on her p.i. or at least try to.

whatever is left i will use on my whites in the laundry. i don't know when i did that last.

wrapping up.
590.84 at the start
a buck1.19 spent
589.65 left to go

the kitty stands at a buck13

maximum spending tomorrow 2buck77

i can spend that tomorrow

you can't stop me.

ps. the rain washed out our attempts to watch tommy boy for movies on the roof. next week we will try again.