day 68- noodle bowls... what... you don't have one?

i really need to learn how to focus my camera. you can hardly tell what this is.

well i guess you really can.

the title says it all. noodle bowl. 2buck10 from the grocery store on ludlow st. it is one of the last small time, but attached somehow to a big time grocery store... it might be called shop smart. i can't remember. they do have a circular and they have the sales, but they offer up primarily asian products. this is fine by me. i am not one to discriminate on nation, creed or color. food is food and well i have to say that for the most part american "continental" food can be a bit boring. this store i think will be a place i shop more often. while there is very little in the way of produce or foods of the fresher variety, the boxes and cans are cheap cheap cheap.

so back to the noodle bowl. do you own one? i think every one should. it should be the right size to hold a decent size of ramen noodles and all the water you are supposed to add as per the directions on the package. it should not spill as you take the finished ramen product to the table to eat it.

this is a noodle bowl of correct size.

maybe you are not all that into the noodles, and to this i say "you probably have not had the right ones!". noodles are cheap, tasty and so simple to make.

in a hurry? make some noodles.

got no money? make some noodles.

while you can't live off them for a long period of time without getting that "broke college student pall" about you, they can be a nice food addition to someone who is single or for the more adventurous couples cook. you know, the kind of person who orders unsauced wings from the take out place, has them delivered and then makes his own sauce for said order. just add some peas and shrimp to your noodles while they are cooking... oooo it's magic.

this would be me. it could be you as well. you just have to get the right noodles. the five for a dollar will not cut it. not at all. try the three for a dollar. those are better.. much better. they also have a wider variety of flavors. like curry chicken... mmmmm good.

i wish i had a noodle bowl back when i was younger. though i did not eat the noodles all the time i did every once in a while partake in the brothy goodness.

i was a bit turned off by them though.

the problem? i did not have a bowl big enough to eat them with. i tended to eat them in the pot i cooked them in, which is quite useful and from a utilitarian standpoint much easier for the cleaning.

i just personally do not like eating from the pot.

when i moved out form the parental's i was given (as i am sure many of us were) a small dish set... you know a starter set. mine was pretty extensive though i must say. my aunt norma had given to my mother a set of dishes when she was changing over to a new set. the set was pretty much complete and so i got a full set of dishes which i still have for the most part all these years later. a couple of pieces have broken, but i very much enjoy the fact that this dish set would be remembered by my aunt and uncles.

only one problem with the set. no noodle bowl. i would make noodles and then spill a good amount of the contents onto the floor on the way to the table to eat them.

someone should make a rule. noodle bowls need to be a part of the "classical dish set". really the world is changing. food has become more cosmopolitan and really as a salute to our asian brothers and sisters across the sea, a set of 8 noodle bowls should be a part every dish set.

think of the noodle parties the newlyweds could have with their noodle bowls that come with the china. (errr the fancy wedding dishes) there will be less spillage and cheaper meals on the go.

how about it people? for those crazy kids who are about to get married.. a set of 8 noodle bowls. chopsticks included. now that is something interesting. something unique.

something to talk about.

wrapping up
489.62 at the start
2buck10 spent
the kitty stands at 68cent

maximum spending tomorrow
2buck32

i can spend that much

you can't stop me.

day 62-scrubbies

the dish sponge... how many do you have hanging out in your kitchen? three? four?

one for washing the glasses, one for scrubbing pots and one for those heavy duty jobs perhaps?

we all have them hanging out around the sink. i know i do. the big problem is knowing when to get rid of them. they seem to stay way past their expiration date around my house, which is expected. we are not the best housekeepers, but we do try to wash our dishes as often as we can.

my philosophy with the old sponges is to just use more soap. in my own mind the soap cleans not only the dishes, but the sponge as well.

after a while the old sponge disappears and a new one is there. hopefully it has a scrubby side. sometimes it doesn't. either way it's a new addition to the house and may be "with us" for a while.

this time i picked up the sponge tab. i did not realize how expensive sponges could be. i was thinking.. "hey, it's time for a new scrubbie. a buck64 has got to cover a good one right?"

wrong. again the buck64aday has foiled me in the big city. i am sure that if i headed out to my local evil wal-mart, i could find a nice dish cleaner for a buck64. not that i would go to the wal-mart for such a thing... or even anything these days, but it seems that the scrubbers are gonna cost me.

a couple of weeks ago i got a dobie scrubber, but that is for heavy duty jobs. we need the everyday scrubber.

best i could do was a dollar store pack of scrubbers that i liken to a kiddie chalk and eraser set. you know the kind. four colors of chalk and a cheap yellow spongy thing that "might" get the mash of colors off the surface.

not the best purchase ever but for a buck08 we got ten scrubbers to go through. i give us a few weeks to go through them.

i pray that one of the other roomies will get us a good one.


wrapping up


500.32 at the start


a buck8 spent


the kitty stands at 92cent





maximum spending tomorrow





2buck56





i can spend that much tomorrow





you can't stop me

day 40- 40 days and nights of dim sum

it's day 40. for some reason today this feels like a milestone. i am not sure why, but it does. most of the checks are out there. the people are spending their free government cash and it seems like the news stories are cooling down on the whole subject.

sorry you late rebate receivers, you might be assed out. no local news interviews for you. if congress gets another rebate passed then you might get another chance, but with congress basically drawing to a close for their summer break and the election coming up i don't really see it happening. it might though.

it just might.

then again most of them will be the suffering from lame duck syndrome...
right when we the american people need them. need them to do something. anything.

in my book, people will remember what you did last month in congress more than what you did 2 years ago. it's time to take a stand for what's right, and what's right in my opinion is if they all cut their vacations short to show their support for the american people and the issues that are in front of us. not what is appealing for an election year.

a faltering economy, crazy gas prices, environmental issues and of course.. don't forget there are a few wars on.

they will be making their big push and those who are up for re-election will be out there strutting their stuff for us though. that will be entertaining.

a congressional peacock dance.

dancing around the easy issues. issues i think they leave for the end of the year. when we are all watching.

the possibility of a second stimulus, if it ever really gets out of the gates will be big in the news. obama is all for it. mccain, not so much. the extension of unemployment benefits that were extended last month will, i think really be chump change for those who are having a tough time finding work. with the slowdown in progress those jobs are not making themselves.

the dems might be able to pull a second cash stimulus out of their hat. after all it's an election year and no one wants to say no to the handing out of free cash around then. if the republicans want to keep any standing on the hill i think they might just have to buckle. it would just be a shame if it was used by any incumbent to hang on to his or her seat.

for those of you out there who would encourage this second stimulus, just remember. though we get this cash, and maybe in time to make an otherwise dismal christmas better, the cash in the end is not going to make things better.

oh.. and someone is going to get rich off it. these things are paid for with bonds and loans you know.

enough about that what about the buck64 for today?

today's purchase is a trivet/steamer stand. my mini steamer had some issues with the pot i was using as the water well. the steamer kept slipping down into the water.

now for a buck75 i will be able to keep that steamer level and not have it slip into the water, expand and get locked in till it dries and i can pry it out.. i think i am all equipped for the dim sum. now i just have to find some cheap stuff to steam up.

mr. asian grocer.

here i come

wrapping up.
536.21 at the start
a buck75 spent
the kitty stands at 6cent

i can spend that much tomorrow

you can't stop me.

day 35- now its time to scrub out that burnt pot.

these little guys are champs when it comes to cleaning up. they totally beat out any "non abrasive" scrubber i have ever seen. my parents swear by them and so do i. so will my kids and their kids.

if you bought one then you might too.

here is the story and inspiration of the dobie scrubber purchase and how it pertains to a buck64aday.

last week i bought a mini bamboo steamer for making up some dim sum at the pitt. if you are going to have some dim sum you are going to need some pork sung too right? after you steam your dumplings and you commence to the eating you are going to remember to shut off the burner so all that water doesn't boil away.

right?
wrong.

i left the burner on and all that water boiled away. they say nyc water is clean and healthy. a good friend of mine, who worked for the d.e.p. , always told me this. so then how come when the water boiled away it left this crazy burnt residue on the bottom of my pot?

ok maybe it was particles of the dumplings that fell into the water, but might it have been from the croton water that flows down to the lower east side?

it might. in the fall my water turns a brownish green color. it's the algae in the water. i am told it's safe.

send in the dobie scrubber. a little soap, water, a bit of elbow grease and the residue is gone. no muss, no fuss. thanks dobie. for a buck92 you kept my pot from being a throw away.

these thing are great not just for dishes, but for any kind of cleaning. they are even good for the exfoliating. it's a bit of a painful scrub down, but still very effective. with your dollar shrinking it's best to find ways to make do with what you have. no more disposable lifestyles.

we cannot afford them environmentally or monetarily.

really i would not throw away a pot until i was sure it is not salvageable. it's just not my way. actually i have a hard time of getting rid of most things. for some reason i think i might need it later. this is a great idea you would think, but although i save, save, save. my organization could use a little help.

really we should think about what we are throwing away and where it goes when it hits the curb. what is the impact?

it's easy to forget about it, and most people do. when you put your old couch out on the curb it usually disappears like magic in the next two hours. what about the junk? the stuff no one wants? it heads right off to the landfill with the baby diapers, the pringle cans and all those other non recyclables. take the time people. put it in the right place. give it to the right people. we can do it if we try.

its a good thing our lifespans are only 70 or so years. if we lived to be 200 we would all get to see the planet wrecked. the majority of the human race would sink into depression. visions of all the trash they "mishandled" running through their dreams like a kid's nightmare boogeyman.

think about the lcd tv revolution. last christmas i walked around brooklyn parts and everywhere you looked you saw big screen tv's on the curb, the packaging for the 32 inch lcd tv next to it like a beacon to anyone who might want to break into your apartment.

those tv's are piled high somewhere and mixed in with the tubes and wires are the coffee grounds and the diapers.

what a mess.

we really should have thought about tv disposal better. sure there are places you can drop off your old tv, but it would have been really cool if we put them all in one place. in the desert. lined them up as far as the eye could see. someone could have called it t.v. land. people would have come, they even would have bought tickets. i know i would.

your old tv has it's uses. turn it into a planter, a fish tank even a coffee table. i am still hanging on to my old tube. i don't need hdtv yet. i'm not there.

when i am, i'll dispose of it properly. i just wish the government would make it easier.

wrapping up.
545.13 at the start
a buck92 spent
the kitty stands at 61cent

maximum spending tomorrow

2buck25

i can spend that 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 28- the hunt for the laptop that does not exist and fresh chips.

i am a big fan of the corn chip. these guys to the right will help me keep my chips fresh, and from falling all over the floor and shelves when they are haphazardly thrown aside in the mad dash to rush out of the house. of course i will have to remember to put the clip on the bag. this will take discipline. spending the buck64aday and writing everyday is really helping me find it.

at a buck33 it was a bargin, though i will be hating myself as i lug my buck64aday treasures home on sunday. it seems i have once again packed a little to much stuff for this week long trip. i might have to make the rest of the purchases consumables just to save space. this will mean trips to the convenience store and possibly the dreaded fast food value menu. i really am trying to avoid that. i know it will be unavoidable at some point over the next 300 something days, but there is probably a whopper jr. in my future i am sure.

today was "hang out with dad" day. mom and dad just got their check in the mail. they are retired so they each only got 300bucks each. so did they decided to join their son in the buck64aday quest?



of course not.

they were happy to get their check and my father needs a new laptop for his computer repair business so we were off on a father/son tour of electronics in durham. i call this part.

"the hunt for the laptop that does not exist."

after picking up a clearwire modem at southpoint mall (dad's verizon dsl sucks.. it always has) we headed to circuit city to get the laptop. its in the sale flyer.. its great.. its on sale. its only available in the store.

and...

it's not there. never was. apparently there might be one in indiana the rep says. though when he thinks on it for a second he feels that it was never available anywhere. the circuit city is dead quiet at 4pm. the store has feel of a major electronics box store chain that is about to go under.

oh wait.. i think it might be.

me and c.c. have had our issues in the past,but to see them offer a top of the line laptop in their sales circular and it not actually make into the store is crazy, and of course.. no rain checks. remember those? those were good. who does those anymore?

retail electronics sales were up in may, up 7% from last year. people spent 5.4 billion on mostly laptop computers and lcd tv's. that's good for the electronics industry, but i saw a lot of what they were offering back then. i am still lcd tv-less and i am always looking to see if i can get a "good" one at a good deal. i could also use a laptop. i just did not really see anything out there that was truly worth while. the good stuff was still priced the same (a bit high for me) and the "crap" was priced to sell.

it still is.

when i make an electronics purchase i think long term. it's an investment and truth be told, for 600 bucks you can't really get a high quality lcd tv. the laptops, though cheaper, are still not a good replacement. my electronics shopping today showed me that the good stuff was unreachable and the mediocre to crap was right there in the "suck your tax rebate dry" price range.

one thing did puzzle me at circuit city today. they had 5 19inch samsung tv's on display, all slightly different models. for three different prices. all those price were within 50 bucks of each other. wtf? from a distance it looked like they had a huge selection for the tax rebate crowd.

really they were just on repeat. and offering me credit at no interest for 3-18 months.

still with money to burn, america has gone out and basically bought some mediocre free stuff.

when the second half of the year comes around i think i will seriously be in the market for a lcd tv. with all the money spent and the economic forecast quite dim for the second half of the year, electronics retailers are going to have to really bring prices down to get people to buy up their goods.

a little bit of patience on my part is, i think, going to give to me that big tv.

i do hope though for the electronics retailer's sake they do bring back the rain check. i can understand having a "limited supply" for black friday, but this has got to stop. if you want to gain some customer satisfaction and retention then have that item in stock. for the whole week or just order it and honor that price and i think you will see the sales go up. i know, i know.. you can order it on the web, but who wants their tv to be sent by mail.

in the end we came back empty handed except for the clearwire box (which works like a champ yeah for being able to blog without seeing the "internet explorer cannot find the page" message), and this picture that i was able to take at the macy's in southpoint.
while this is totally something i would do... someone else did it for me. its late june in durham, north carolina. the kids, ladies and gentlemen, are out of school.

my father is still on the hunt for his "choice" laptop. his rebate money has gone unspent. i did suggest that he spend the cash.. a hundred bucks a month for the next 6, but i don't think he is biting.

wrapping up
556.21 at the start
a buck33 spent
the kitty stands at 80cent

maximum spending tomorrow
2buck44

i can spend that tomorrow

you can't stop me.

day 24- Vacation begins... 9 days of no work and all i got was a bottle opener.

so today my vacation begins. actually it started yesterday at 3:45pm. i squeezed out a little early to head down to the midsummer party. they thought i was just trying get out early to get on a plane. i told them i had a cultural event to go to. still there were looks of dissaproval.

still no work for a week is going to make me a very, very happy guy. i would have loved to be able to do something with jen, but my work makes it hard to pick and choose your vacation time.


here is how it works. the vacation schedule for 2008 began filling up during week one of novemeber of 2007. wtf? the rules are only one person can go on vacation per area per week. and you can only take one vacation every 4 months. i got mine in a little late .

(who plans for july and august in november?)
the only summer vacations left were, this week coming up, and the third week of july. somehow i was able to skirt the "4 month rule" and i think some people are pissed that i did. so i come back from vacation, have a four day week (july 4th after all is on a friday) then i work for a week then i go on vacation again. i am going to head down to durham to see the 'rents. i have not been down there in a while and it will be good to hang out with the family for a week.

i should gotten my license before i left.
i am going to have to chauffered everywhere.

i really look forward to getting my license, but apparently i need to get my "permit" first. that will be fun.

no it will not really.

it just does not seem the same if i get my permit and my mom is not there in the passenger side telling me to watch the side of the road. "watch those mailboxes that are coming up on the right".


still i look forward to it. i am going to get me some tan, give jogging a try and see some friends out in greensboro.

today's purchase is a 4 in one bottle opener. the pitt roof deck tends to be the place to hang out in the summer and when people come over they bring their bottles of beer up and then we always have to go downstairs to get the bottle opener. this bottle opener is going to "live" on the deck.

its safety orange plastic casing will be easy to find even in the dark. one of my neighbors tends to be out there at all hours with one or another of his ladies, and i think this will be a big help to him. he does not need to have his "lady of tonight" going downstairs to get a bottle opener, only to bump into his "lady of the day" going to the bathroom.
(i am totally serious. this has happened)
this will save me from having to listen to any more yelling or banging of doors at 5am, and also keep my nicer more elaborately decorated bottle openers from falling prey to the "sorry man it fell off the roof" apologies, which i have heard more than a few times.

at a buck41, i think this will lend me some happiness for the rest of the summer

well we are off to see polvo at the bowery ballroom. they broke up about ten years ago, but got together for the all tomorrows parties festivals this summer. i have high hopes for the show. there should be a bunch of people from greensboro there as well as a crowd of people the median age of 33.

wrapping up.
562.62 at the start
a buck41 spent
the kitty stands at 57cent

maximum spending tomorrow

2buck21

i can spend that tomorrow

you can't stop me.

day 20- i think i bought stolen goods

remember when these things were free? or at least you thought you were getting away with murder as you walked out of the bar with your pint glass?

maybe it was in your pocket. maybe you had your girl put it in her purse. hopefully you emptied it so it did not make her birth control pills run like some wet sweet-tarts. maybe you did not and you had a nice surprise 9 months later.

everyone knows the guy who walks out of the bar and when he reaches the parking lot; he pulls his 3/4 full pint of beer from his pocket and sips on it like a bad ass.

for all your hiding and "living on the edge", you have to remember that these branded beer glasses are given to the bar from the beer distributor. they were free. its the perfect marketing scheme.

while getting blitzed at the bar on carbombs and shots of jager you settle down to a nice pint of beer. said beer comes in a branded glass and when you finish it up the bartender asks you what you might like next. at a loss for words you pull some dough out of your pocket and look at the blurred beer board and then back at the bartender. you hold up your glass and say.

"another one of these!"

sale completed. another keg tapped, a call to the distributor for more and your tender brings you another one of "these"

i do miss my pint glass collection. they were the disposable silica cups of my youth. they would break and without much grumbling.

swept up without a thought.

after all its just sand right?

the best part was that they were free

they still can be you know.

who needs to go on down to the target or wherever to get some new glasses for the house. just make a few trips to the bar, leave your sensibility at the door and after a couple of weeks you got yourself a nice set of glasses. if you try really hard you can get a matched set.

in my mind it would make a fine wedding gift. nothing says love and hope for the future like a purloined set of 8 pint glasses with exciting things written on them like, "miller lite", "guiness", " murphy's irish stout" and "porkslap beer".

have you ever had porkslap? its damn good.

what do you say.. you fall wedding people.. do you want me to buy you something from the registry? or spend weeks collecting pint glasses and then making sure they get home without breaking them. that is almost an art for me.

priceless art it would be.

wrapping up
568.97 at the start
a buck29spent

the kitty stands at48cents

maximum spending tomorrow
2buck12
i can spend that tomorrow
you can't stop me

day 18- don't get burned

the pot holder is possibly on the best inventions ever. here is a small, compact piece of insulated fabric that helps you to pick up hot things from the oven or the stove. there have probably been some sort of pot holders ever since we began cooking on rocks back in the neolithic times. when cloth became available we moved on to using whatever was around.

weaving gave the pot holder a big push as people realized they could make their own pot holders. (remember that weaving set you had as a kid? made a lot of potholders didn't you) these were not just some rag you would grab to keep yourself from getting burned. it was weaved cloth that was to be used only for cooking. now they come in all sorts of varieties. mostly with weird stuff printed on one side, like these hot peppers you see above. i do like the silicone ones cuz they don't have to be dry. i only have a couple pot holders in the house and mostly i use them as trivets. this one will be perfect for pulling the biscuits out of the oven and then holding the cast iron pan while i make the gravy.

next sunday morning is gonna be tasty.

wrapping up.
572.19 at the start
a buck61 spent

the kitty stands at a dime

maximum spending tomorrow
a buck74
i can spend that much tomorrow
you can't stop me

day 17-taking measure

my kitchen on the pitt has never been that organized.

we don't really have anywhere to hang pots and pans, and the storage space is rustic at best. it does not help that there is maybe 6 years of "roomate share" kitchen tools floating around the kitchen. that equals to 10 roomates leaving their kitchen crap.

and me not throwing it out.

in the kitchen, i don't really need much.
the big chef knife is actually the only knife i really need, and the big'un measuring cup will do just fine. for the more nuanced cooking though, i thought it was about time to upgrade myself to some real measuring devices.

you know the kind you don't have to hunt around for in a drawer full of duck sauce, old chopsticks and ancient birthday candles. my kitchen has three drawers. two for pots and pans and one for untensils and whatever other crap anyone (including myself) has decided to throw in there.

we all have a junk drawer. admit it..

you do.

i keep my junk drawer very minimal, but it is still where we keep the utensils. sure they are all in the pre formed utensil shaped holder. the mismatched forks, knives and spoons.. a terrible mix of fancy silver and dollar store crap. somewhere in the middle of that ... i'm sure in between the four wine tools and next to the tiny melon baller(that has never been used) is a "half" tablespoon. i believe all these items are also sitting atop a calculator that doubles as a spanish to english electronic dictionary.

at the core of all this though is that fact that i need some new measuring cups, and some new measuring spoons. the best thing here is that they are combined. i won't have to go chasing around the spoons. after all they are attached to the cups.

its so much easier to just look for one thing in my kitchen.

it would be even easier if i actually went in and cleaned out all the crap.

wrapping up.
574.13 at the start
2buck16 spent

the kitty stands at 7 cents.

maximum spending tomorrow
a buck71
i can spend that much tomorrow.
you can't stop me.

day 16- if there is no soap then you have no clean coffee mugs.

i could have been inventive. i could have bought a beer (i should have for the long ass train ride i had going home), but i needed some dish soap. it seems all the busy running around and all my time wasting trying to find out more info in the sprint "instinct" has let the coffee cups go and go.

but we need soap to do the dishes. i tend to use up the soap with my laundry. i know what you are thinking. who would use dawn or ajax on their clothes?

me.

that's who.

you use less soap, and dish soap is a "super wettener" (is that even a word?) if you want to lift out stains, then use some dish soap.

just don't use to much as it won't rinse out making that happy walk in the summer rain a little sudsy. its economical and it works like a champ. in hindsight my purchase of lemon scented ajax might not have been the best choice as it does leave a slight lemon scent on my clothes, but its slight. a ride on the subway will totally help it fade away.

the mom showed me the dish soap trick for the stains. i just took it a step farther.

with inflation jumping up i need to combine the utility of my purchases. we all do. i can use the dish soap for dishes and laundry. what can can do with a can of beer? in vasa park i would use it for target practise with the bb gun.

here in the city.... well i don't know.

inflation is something we are all going to have to be watching. our dollars are already stretched and with the oil shock we just got we are going to be seeing higher prices later this summer. those high barrel costs were for july, not june. you are seeing the high prices at the grocery store. later this year it could get worse. transportation costs are passed on to the consumer. you show me a company that will eat them and i would probably introduce you to ben and jerry's ice cream. if anyone would do it, they would be the guys.

i think our real problem might be the crazy flooding in the mid-west. they are evacuating cities.

that's where our food comes from.

this might just be one tough winter.

wrapping up.

575.75 at the start

a buck40 spent

the kitty stands at 59cents

maximum spending tomorrow

2 bucks 23

i can spend that tomorrow

you can't stop me.