Columbus Day Weekend on the Cheap

4 Years ago today Columbia and I got married. Every year since then we have gone away to celebrate. This year is no different (well, a little different, but that's okay), meaning we'll miss all of the fun and free activities in NYC. Such is the bane of having a (semi)romantic weekend away (with a now 19 month old).

• TONY Kids has posted Free Events for Columbus Day Weekend. This is a great list, divided by day to help with planning.
• Don't forget Open House New York is this weekend. There are still LOTS of amazing tours available. Check out their list here.
• Just incase you need a new dress shirt (ehem, Columbia), shoes or a cute Martha Stewart baking dish, Macy's is having a big sale. You can take an extra 15% off with this to help keep your wallet a little more plump (or that credit card bill a little lower).

Happy long weekend and Happy Anniversary Columbia!

A Housing Update - meeting the loan counselor, more paperwork, and lessons learned

Did you all know? I feel like we should have known. We had to send in all of our recent financial paperwork, and we did. 6 weeks ago. Of course we'd have to give them all of our updated numbers. Why didn't we think of this ahead of time?

Besides our obvious omission, the meeting with ACORN Housing's loan counselor went well. She threw some numbers around (ones that we can work with), told Columbia what else we needed to bring in and gave us a lot of hope. The meeting also gave us some answers to those nagging questions. We will continue to work with ACORN, at least for now. The benefits they offer (no PMI, help with closing costs, etc) do seem to be worth the hassle. Also, the timing might be perfect. When we give them the newest papers (end of next week, I think) they send our packet to Citibank. Citi gets back to them in 2-3 days with the pre-authorization. That lasts for 90 days. Our lease is up in 4 months. We can always stay here a few extra months if we need to, but it would be nice if that didn't have to happen.

Here are a few things we learned from the meeting about looking good to lenders:

- Credit Cards are Important to Have: While many frugal bloggers sing the praises of cutting up your credit cards, it turns out having credit cards demonstrates responsibility to lenders. As Columbia only has 2 credit cards, we have to show proof of 'soft credit.' Thankfully our phone company and ConEd are willing to send out letters stating that we pay our bills on time.

- Credit Cards are Important to Use: While Columbia and I are longtime users of credit cards, it turns out we only use 1 now. The loan counselor knows this, as does anyone who looks at Columbia's credit report (i.e. the bank). The counselor said that not using a credit card could actually work against us. While having a card demonstrates a companies trust in us, lenders want to know we can use credit responsibly. We are going to purposefully charge on both cards each month from now on.

- Don't Cancel that Overdraft Protection, Just Make Sure You Don't Use It: Columbia and I were not on top of our finances a few months ago, and didn't transfer money to the checking account (from our high-yield savings) when we needed to. Overdraft kicked in. In the past it had not been a problem when this happened, but our bank charged us this time. Everyone's trying to earn as much as possible in this economy, I guess. We decided to cancel overdraft and be vigilant about watching our account balances (setting up reminders to do so on our Google calendar). If we could have turned back time... Overdraft protection is another form of credit and would have worked in our favor.

- It's Important to Check your Credit Reports: While Columbia has an awesome credit score (yea honey!) we didn't actually know the number until he went to the meeting. It would have been nice to be prepared. Also, there's an address on one of the reports that is inaccurate. Columbia needs to have that removed. There could have been other inaccurate information on the report that could have weighed against us. Periodically checking your credit report is not only wise, but free. Our goal will be to check every 6 months.

We have more work to do, but we also have a lot of hope. It seems like we are headed in the right direction to be home owners. The biggest challenge now seems to be not getting caught up in looking for apartments online - incase the bank's numbers are different from the loan counselor's. Oh, Street Easy, you do know how to tempt a person...

Says Food to consumers, "Rescue me before it's too late!"

You had great intentions for that rice, right? "Oh, I'll just eat the rest tomorrow," you said. Then tomorrow came. You took a bite of what used to be soft and fluffy rice and instead nearly broke a tooth at the dry and unappealing cold, sad rainy-day-in-a-bowl staring you in the face. What to do when life gives you old rice? Make lemonade! ...um, rather in this case, "fried rice."

A NY Times article from last year claims that we throw out about 27% of food that could otherwise be eaten. Some is discarded after being put on a plate, and some never makes it there to begin with. Since this equates to cash-in-the-trash, JC and I have three ways to keep this number much lower: The Weekly Plan, The Deep Freeze and Improv Night.

1. The Weekly Plan. We look at what's on sale or what is in the house, and try to build a weekly menu out of it. We've found that if we don't know what we're having by about noon, we're probably going to pay for take-out. It's nothing too fancy, just enough to help us prepare for our week, what needs to come out of the freezer the night before, etc. What's "nothing too fancy?" Here's last week for us:
   
   
   (click for a larger version)
   
   (Lunches with "L.O." means left-over from the dinner before. In that case, we plan to make enough dinner for the next day's lunch.)
   
   
2. The Deep Freeze. This one takes a little effort, but we've found that it's well worth it. Rather than buy small portions of food for a night of cooking, we try to buy family packs when they're on sale. For instance, 3-pound family packs of sausage were on sale at Pathmark last week for $1.99/lb. This is about as cheap as we ever find it, so we bought three. We wrapped them in 3's in saran wrap, then put them in Ziploc freezer bags. When we need sausage, we easily pull 3 links out of the bag, or more as needed. Since we only take out what we need, we're not left trying to make additional sausage meals, or worse -- Throwing out meat due to spoilage.
   
   
   Measure twice, cook once: Want to only eat 4 cookies? Don't make a batch, just pull out cookies (ready in 14 minutes), sausage or a meal of chili. Want not, waste not. I'm sure I could think of more cliches that are apropos, but you get the idea.
   
   

   We do the same thing with ground chicken/turkey/beef (flattened bags of 1.5 lbs, which thaw very quickly), larger batches of crockpot meals (chili, tomato sauce, etc.). There's no (apparent) loss in quality in using frozen meat, and the savings in cost combined with the convenience of a mini-supermarket in your freezer makes planning meals so much easier. An added benefit is that the sales for these items usually coincide with our stock, so when the sausage is out, it's usually on sale again.
   
   

   Super space-efficient, the right side is a stack of 1-Gallon Ziploc bags with ready to thaw: Chicken breasts, sausage, ground beef, Chili and more.
   
   
   
3. Improv Night. The idea for this post started when JC and I were making a fritatta for dinner. That meal should have lead to a post about kitchen safety and 2nd degree burns, but I digress. We had some cooked string beans from the previous night, and thought -- eh, throw them in! It got us thinking about meals that can be made with leftovers. Leftover white rice from Chinese take out? The next day it' perfect for making a quick Fried rice. Are your strawberries or bananas starting to head towards the light? How about making fruit pancakes (and freezing what's left) or making a batch of fruit muffins? Leftover steak/roast/london broil, etc? Cube it and toss it into a chili and making it what what we call "Cowboy chili". The idea is to find a way to save the food before it winds up in the trash. Be the "Cinderella Man" of your kitchen, and give those onions one last chance in the ring....
   
   You can google what to do with your leftovers, or check out sites like Love Food Hate Waste for suggestions.
   

Change of Mindset Yields Change of Pants Size

A funny thing happen on the way to the scale -- I lost about 45 pounds.

It's funny, because I didn't really diet, per se. I didn't head off to the gym each night, and I didn't take the latest and greatest pills. I didn't starve myself and I didn't join weight watchers. I just lost weight.

Around the middle of the summer, I hit the scales at the heaviest I'd ever weighed. I was in a rut at my job, and had little energy to make a change in my life. Luckily, change found me. Maybe I got caught up in politics, but lets just say I was overwhelmed by this phrase I kept hearing, "yes we can!". So I did. Weight loss has tapered recently, but it hasn't gone back up yet, so I'm happy to be in a healthier place and state of mind.

If you're reading this for weight loss tips, here are the things I found helped me to lose weight, but with this disclaimer: Without the change of mindset to want a better life for myself, any attempts at change would probably have been given up on after a week.

1. I started walking more. I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I think it was a critical early effort to raise metabolism. Get off at one subway stop further from your house or job, if it's a possibility. Or just walk anywhere. Walk to the movies, to the park, to the next post office, to the further Starbucks. We all have to walk to get where we're going; my advice is to just walk more.
   
2. We started cooking almost every meal. JC is home with the Pumpkin, and has taken on the duty of head chef. Cooking at home has done three things:
   
   
   
   • We eat healthier. Fewer oils, fewer preservatives, fewer ingredients that sound like they were made in a laboratory.
   • We eat less. Take-out portions are huge, but if, like me, you eat with guppy mentality, "everything is servings per container: 1"
   • We don't have to buy lunches. Lunches are packed when dinner is dished out. This means smaller portions than take out, with the added benefit of massive savings, the amount of which I can't imagine.


3. I rarely drink alcohol anymore. This was mostly a financial decision, but the calories avoided from my nightly beer(s) surely add up. I'll still enjoy a drink with friends, but we almost never drink at home we're really jonesing for it.
4. We eat more fruits and vegetables. I stop in my fruit stand in Elmhurst about twice a week and pick up what's cheap and looks good. I've gotten pineapples for $1, 3 red peppers for $1, and so on. Filling my belly with fruits and vegetables means filling it with less processed ingredients or "bad for you" food.

The recession is hitting everyone hard, but we found ourselves ahead of the curve when we decided for JC to stay home and raise Pumpkin. Who knew we'd be preparing for the storm? We've given up a lot, as I imagine everyone is doing now, but I have to say I really don't miss any of it. Every so often I yearn for a pricey tech gadget, but for the most part I really just stopped "needing" all the things I don't have anymore... including those 45 pounds!

Uncluttering Christmas with Thoughtful Gifts... not just buying 'stuff' so you have something to give

Pumpkin bargain hunting at a craft store.

Yes, yes, I know, last year Columbia wrote a post on uncluttering gift ideas but I love that the topic is becoming more and more popular. Also, who can't use more ideas for thoughtful gifts that don't take up much space?

This is why I salivated all over Northern Cheapskate's post on 7 Gifts for People Who Have Everything. It's not just 7 gifts, by the way, it's 7 amazing ideas that don't just speak to buying for those hard-to-buy-for-friends-and-relatives but also elaborates on being especially thoughtful in your gift giving. It will not surprise you to know that Columbia and I are a big fan of #6: Experiences. This has always been a favorite gift to give each other. A night away to a B&B, a frugal but fun weekend in Boston, a 'Saturdate' with all the trimmings, or tickets to a favorite show or game have showed much more thoughtfulness than just a gift wrapped under the tree. I may have even liked them better than jewelry (Columbia, when you read this, know that this is true but I do absolutely love the above mentioned sparklies).

If you are finding yourself more and more drawn to DIY, then Sew, Mama, Sew has ideas for every person on your gift-giving list. Sew, Mama, Sew is also posting great ideas submitted by their readers, like this one on homemade Irish Cream (scroll down - Yum!), so check their site daily for more ideas.

I have been inspired so much this year that I am not sure how I am going to get to all of the projects I have planned. Putting up Christmas decorations might be a good start, though...

Making the Economic Crisis Work for You

There is no denying that times are rough. Money is in short supply and everything (except gas?) is costing more. However, there are a few ways that all of this can be to your advantage.

1. Ebay
No, not to sell. To buy! Northern Cheapskate posted about Ebay being a buyers market. Everyone is trying to sell they excess and it's a great opportunity to get a few things you need for less.


2. Giveaways
Everyone is blogging now, and most are trying to make a few bucks doing it. One of the ways bloggers are trying to attract attention to their site is by offering giveaways. While I'm not willing to do much for the virtual equivalent to a raffle, I am willing to leave a comment. It only takes a few seconds and it is not as much a waste of my time as watching The View. Some blogs even host space for other bloggers to post their giveaways. You can access lists of giveaways here, here and here.

3. Door Busting Deals
My heart races with thought of those 2 magic words: Black Friday. We've had great success finding deals on tv's and when shopping for items for a large group or charity (if you've ever adopted an entire class of students to provide Christmas gifts for, you'll give me a big 'AMEN!' here). Many sites list Black Friday ads as they are released (or leaked), but here's one of my favorites. Toys R Us has had 2 day sales the past 4 weekends and each one gets a little bigger. With retailers hoping to stay afloat, deals are bountiful. If you need something, there's a great chance you can get it for a good price.

4. CDs
While many banks are going under, others are also looking for you to invest your cash to help them out - while paying you for it, of course. Citibank and AIG are both bouncing between 3-4% interest rates for a 6 month CD. If you aren't going to need all of your savings immediately, why not earn a little bit more off of it? Worst case scenario, you have to withdraw the money from the cd early and you loose a month's interest. Even if your money has been in the cd a month, you'll still at least break even. Check on the rules with your bank, and make sure your bank is FDIC insured.

5. Etsy

With a possible return to DIYing, many are trying to sell their handmade goods on Etsy. If you're looking for a special handmade gift, but don't have the skills (or time or desire or...) Etsy shops might be able to help you and your wallet out.

Have you found other ways to make the economic slump work for you? If so, let us all know!

Leaving a tourism short list for visiting friends and family

My sister and her family are coming to spend the weekend at our apt for Columbus Day. We won't be here (more about that tomorrow) so we wanted to leave them a few neighborhood spots to visit. Here's what's making the list:

• Bagel Talk bagel shop
  It's not H&H, but it's not H&H's prices either. While a bit divey, the bagels are great (the ones that Zabar's buys even) and they have a huge selection of cream cheeses, including tofu.
  
  
• American Museum of Natural History
  Yes, it's a huge tourist destination, but there's a reason for that. It's AWESOME! It's also close by. As a "suggested donation" entry, it's the perfect spot to stroll around and pass some time on the cheap. I've also found that if you're not careful, you might just learn something. Consider yourself warned.
  
  
• Buttercup Bake Shop
  The cupcakes are delicious and reasonably sized at this West 72nd street cupcakery. We used to frequent Crumbs on Amsterdam, but you could choke a horse with their oversized $4 cupcakes. The cupcakes at Buttercup are about half the size, with a price that matches. Buttercup was a refreshing change, and they offer a 20% discount for teachers (which will come as a nice surprise to my bro-in-law).
  
  
• Riverside Park, during sunset
  It's such a beautiful stroll when the weather is nice. It's probably getting too cold now. As a reformed Long Island boy, my heart will always have a soft spot for beaches and waterways and after summer the park's groupies make their exodus.
  
  
• The playground at 77th and Amsterdam
  We've been itching to take Pumpkin here since before we were even expecting her! My 9 year old niece and 3 year old nephew are going to have such a good time!
  
  
• Arties
  Arties pseudo-authentic Jewish deli, that has some eclectic foods, great soups and enormous onion rings. It's is a fun place to go and has a little something for everyone. Plus, it's fun to sit in their solarium and watch the passers-by.
  
  
• Central Park
  Pack a picnic and find a patch of grass. Head over to the CP zoo, or just find yourself lost in this 843 acre oasis.
  
  
• IMAX Movies
  Who doesn't want to see a movie on a 7-story tall screen? If the weather punks out, it might be just the thing to do. Head down to 67th and Broadway on a Friday morning or weekend morning and see that first-run IMAX movie at a discount.
  
  
• Jeckyl and Hyde Club / Mars 2112 / Other theme restaurants
  While these aren't everyone's favorites (I think it's something New Yorkers or adults are too cool for) I would have killed to eat here as a kid! The closest I had to a theme restaurant as a child was Chuck E Cheese, a restaurant who's theme is "Mice"... Ummm, yeah, well we have some of rodent themed eateries too, I guess...
  

As I make this list, I realize there are so many more places to share and love in this great neighborhood and city! I'd love to hear what's on your short list for when company visits.

Small steps to a smaller you

I saw this ad on Amsterdam and 67th last week and thought I'd take a shot of it. I had only seen it once (June, LES) and thought it was very clever and memorable. The text along his "profiles" reads (from outermost to innermost):

- - - Started getting off bus a few stops early and walking to work - - -
- - - Gradually worked up to walking 30 minutes a day 5X a week - - -
- - - Has co-workers wondering who the new guy is - - -

I seemed to match JC pound-for-pound during her pregnancy weight gain. When March rolled around, she suddenly lost a lot of that weight, and I still looked to be with child. I ballooned up the heaviest I'd ever been and thought -- enough is enough. Time to do something.

The change for me really took:

1. A desire to be more healthy
   It takes a lot of honesty to understand why your dress shirts don't fit so well anymore. I knew I was balooning up, and my life needed change. I started to internalize that change is possible, and that I have the ability (responsibility?) to make it happen.
   
   
2. Cooking at home more often
   It helps to know what's in our food. I think the last time we ordered chinese, there was more oil in the bottom of the tray than I could comprehend. I have to believe that even with the olive oil that we use, there's no way it's near the amounts of fat, butter, oil and god knows what that take-out restaurants use to make the food taste "better".
   
   
3. Eating smaller portions
   This is certainly related to cooking at home, as restaurant portions are usually closer to two meals. I realized recently that I would have made a fine guppy, had that been my lot in life. Eating until it's all gone is a talent of mine. By cooking at home, I'm better about putting smaller portions in front of me, then packing the rest as lunch. This gets the rest of the food out-of-sight, and thus, out-of-mind. There's a great psychological difference in snacking from the food that's resting on the stove versus savagely violating tomorrow's lunch container early.
   
   
4. Snacking less
   This was a hard one for us, and being frugal was the best solution. Post dinner runs to Duane Reade for those decadent Entermann's dark chocolate and pecan Cookies... what was I talking about? Be right back -- NO! Focus! ...right, cookies... Well, it's easier to pass on them when you see it as an unneccesary expense. It took a little while to kill that habit, but we're pretty good now about avoiding snacks. We do have fiber one bars if the crave strikes, which are a much healthier alternative to a package of cookies. I mean a few cookies. Did I say a package?
   
   
5. Looking for opportunities to walk
   This was a little easier for me to incorporate. Two days a week I work 20 blocks away from home, so I've walked home a few times, and I'd like to increase the regularity of that. We'd find ourselves going to the library 12 blocks away, or the supermarket 10 blocks away as having multiple benefits. My fear is that with Winter around the corner, this part of the plan could be seriously impacted. Here's hoping for a dry winter.
   

We've lost a considerable amount of weight in the past month or two, without so much as a gym visit. I know it could bounce back, but I have confidence that the changes we've made are healthy choices, not the results of extreme measures. I also have a guilty meal now and again to remind my body that I'm not in starvation mode. I haven't been overly cranky or tired, and I feel better. Plus, now I'm able to wear clothes on the "too-small" side of my closet. You know, the ones that were too small when I bought them, because I was going to lose weight very soon? Also known as "last year's pants".

Beating the Delivery Boy (and other ways to avoid ordering in)

Does the clinkity-click of bicycle locks outside your window make your heart race and your mouth water? When you hear it, do you instinctively say, "Food's here!" even though you didn't order from anywhere? Does your cutlery drawer have more plastic than metal silverware? If you've answered yes to any of the above, you might be a candidate for delivery detox. Believe me when I say that ordering delivery in this house had all the textbook signs of addiction.

Here's how we're just keeping our local dealers at bay:

1 - Set a limit
If you're going to order in (and enjoy a break from cooking), set a limit and stick to it. Once a week, twice a week - whatever you're comfortable with.

2 - Make a Plan
...and follow through. (ed. That's what Brian Boitanno would do). The weeks that we plan a menu are the weeks that we don't order in. Just knowing what you're going to have for dinner strikes out that dreaded phase: "I don't know? What do you want for dinner." The opposite is also true - weeks without menus are typically dotted with delivery dinners.

3 - Buy Ahead
Having good food in the house helps avoid menu temptation. Make sure the items are in your house the day before you need them. That way if you don't make it to the store you don't run into the the problem from #2.

4 - Destroy the Evidence
In what might be the boldest move, we've trashed those menus! That's right, pitched the whole collection. Ditch your favorites and even the one for that Thai place that closed years ago. (What, it's closed??) If you have the restaurants on speed dial or programmed into your cell phone (it's handy to call when you get out of the train then you can meet the delivery man at the door, right?) - time to delete them. After all, should the Chirpin' Chicken really get priority over your mom?

5 - Beat the Delivery Boy (um, "beat" as in "be faster than"...)

We've had a few times when we've had to wait nearly an hour for the delivery boy. What was supposed to be a quick solution to hunger turns us into zombies at about the 30 minute mark. Don't be afraid to do easy -- grilled cheese sandwiches and a can of tomato soup, Eggs and toast and jam, or a freezer dinner. It's amazing how quickly you can get some sort of dinner on the table when you make the decision to cook.

6 - Have a Contingency Plan
One of the last home dinners where we didn't cook was picking up a rotisserie chicken and some roasted veggies at Fairway. It wasn't free but it was cheaper than ordering from just about anywhere. It was also nice to know roughly what was in our food. If you know you're not going to be able to cook anything, it might be worth checking out the hot food options at your local supermarket.

Photo by Columbia (during the long days and sleepless nights after Pumpkin's homecoming)

Surviving Street Fairs

I noticed that our block had barricades at the end of it this morning, and that meant one thing to me. Riot. Street fair.

We've missed most of the streetfairs this summer, and I'm sure this is near to the last of them. I used to love people watching and enjoying a mozzerepa... oh, heavenly corny goodness. But today, as we take Pumpkin to her first street fair, here's how we're planning to beat the $5 lemonades and !!**CHEAP SOCKS**!!.

Columbia and JC's Three Step Plan to Financially Surviving Street Fairs

1. Eat before we leave
Heck, drink first too. Today on the menu is BLTs on JC's homemade bread, and some leftover "let this cold go away" soup.

2. Plan your attack
Street fairs usually don't surprise folks who have gone before. I know we don't need a Shammy Mop, we don't need a 1lb container of sage, and... well, I might need !!**CHEAP SOCKS**!!, but that can wait. We know we want Mr. Pickle's briney goodness, and hopefully the farmer's market is there too for a couple of squashes. Other than that, it's a no-buy zone. ...wait, are those the sweet sounds of Raggaeton filling my ear cavities??? No, Columbia -- stay sharp.

3. Make a budget
We're allotting $10. In our days of frugal living, blowing $10 seems a little wasteful, as I think those pickles are about $6. But if we go with a $$ amount in mind, we're less likely to walk home with a ficus and a persian rug, both of which will be eaten by our terrorist cats. Bring only what you want if that's helpful to you.

That's it. We're off. ... oh, I did NOT plan on there being zeppolis and Italian sausage...

Getting our ducks in a row (planning ahead to live on one income)

Columbia and I have always thought we would want me to stay at home when we had children. When we started planning for Pumpkin (we apparently are not very spontaneous) we made some preparations for how I might be able to stay at home.

1 - Maxxing that Salary Columbia went back to school a year ago to reach the highest pay possible for his years in the Dept of Ed. To finish by this fall he took 18 credits over the summer. Was it hard? On all of us? Yes, but this was the simplest way to bring in more money continually, even if it meant paying out some in the immediate.

2 - Nesting We built our nest egg. Columbia laughed when I used that term recently, but it's what we have saved. At it's most, it was nearly 6 months of basic expenses. It has dwindled now, but mostly because of Number 1 above.

3 - It Pays to be Healthy I didn't take any sick days last year. Instead I saved them and was able to use them after Pumpkin was born. This was a huge help during our adjustment phase to single income living. Until school started this year we had only had 2 months of single income life. This was due to planning... and Pumpkins timing. =)

4 - Deducting the Kid... and the Wife Columbia and I had both been losing a huge chunk of our paychecks to taxes. I knew that we should change Columbia's W-4, but I wasn't sure to what. Thankfully the IRS's W-4 form has basic directions on it (who've thunk it?). By using an online withholding calculator we were able to see what the change would look like in take home pay. We'll get less back in April but we'll have it now when we need it.

5 - It's All Mental Mentally preparing ourselves for this adjustment made it much easier. We both grew up with frugal parents and were relatively frugal in our lifestyles. We knew that adjustments would need to be made and that we would be sacrificing some (many?) of our creature comforts. It's worth it to us. We may not be able to live on one income forever. We may not be able to live in Manhattan forever, but we are committed to raising Pumpkin here for as long as we can. For the next year, at least, we'll give her the best life we can in our home in the city.

Picture by Columbia at the CP Model Boat Pond.

100 things about me (part II of IV)

What a crazy week!

Friday: 7am at Laguardia for a school tech fair
Saturday: 8am in LIC for school robotics competition
Saturday night: Rent a car, drive to Long Beach Island, NJ
Sunday: Play on the beach on LBI, drive back to NYC...

Today after school we're watching our friends' son for the evening. It's been a busy, but fun weekend. As a Long Islander, I'm legally supposed to scoff at New Jersey. As a New Yorker, I'm socially supposed to ignore it. That being said, I publicly admit that it was a beautiful trip, with much more nature than loading docks to admire. Egrets, hawks and marshy estuaries seemed to abound. The house we stayed at was a 15-second walk to the ocean. Here's the beach at 5am:


Here is the next batch of my neuroses.

1. Recent pet peeve #1: Pump soap that has been watered down instead of replenished.
2. Recent pet peeve #2: People who think pressing both the up and down buttons for the elevator will speed up their trip
3. My first job was a delivery boy for (Thursday local paper) The Long Island Advance.
4. I worked weekends at a seafood store when I was about 13, gutting fish for 10 hours a day.
5. I didn't drink until I was 21.
6. The first beer I bought was just after I turned 21 (a Guiness for an Irish stew recipe)
   
7. I made up for lost time during my mid-twenties.
8. I recently shaved my head instead of waiting 25 minutes for a haircut.
9. At MSG, I've seen Billy Joel twice, and Simon and Garfunkel twice.
   
10. I've seen Weird Al in concert, and considered going again this summer.
11. I went to my first Yankees game this year, and at least two more are upcoming (one at Tampa Bay)
12. We sat down the row from some weirdo banging on a frying pan. (DW banged Freddy's pan before she met me.)
13. I can drive a manual stick and ride a bike, but I can not sail a boat.
14. I love puzzles, riddles and drinking-game-type group games.
15. I never know how best to help a homeless person on the street.
16. I love to travel outside the US.
17. I love being a tourist in NYC.
    
18. I love helping lost tourists in NYC.
    
19. I don't know how to choose steaks, shirts or Indian food.
20. I don't keep a sketchbook anymore, but I'm not quite sure why.
21. I don't play the guitar anymore, but I'm not quite sure why.
22. I'm a snob about paper quality and art materials.
23. I enjoy programming, though I don't do it at a very advanced level.
    
24. I'm a decent speller but sloppy typist.
25. My shortcuts are rarely shorter.

Too good to be true

Over at wisebread there's an article about the morally gray areas of frugality. The things that your average joe might partake and question if he or she is a dirty rotten thief. "Borrowing" wifi, "downloading" music, "getting" free cable... Or "stealing." Sometimes people call it that too.

DW's old apartment got cable. There was a jack in the wall, it was the world series and the bunny ears just weren't cutting it. I saw, I tried, I conquered. The one thing I didn't do is tell Time Warner. We assumed there was a great antenna on the roof. This is NY afterall, and the empire state building's antenna is barely a stone's throw away, so it would make sense. She didn't get HBO or anything fancy, so.... must just be a great antenna! ... a really, really, good antenna. Yup.

Morally gray issues are all around us. I returned some unused CFs to target, which I had bought with a coupon. I brought in the receipt, yet was refunded the original pre-coupon price. This seemed too good to be true possibly dishonest, but coupons had already been submitted. What was I to do? Let Target be the thief? I couldn't have that on my conscience.

The list is a good one, and food for thought. I come from a family of teachers, so frugality runs through my blood. My additions to the list, NYC style:

• "Free" cable
• Showing up late or leaving early from work
• Mis-marked produce (ie. filet mignon with a sticker reading "ground beef")
• Excessive pre-weight tasting. (I recently saw a woman nearly empty her sack of bulk granola before bringing it to the scale, mouth covered in oat bits.)
  
• Purse snatching. Do people still consider that a crime? ;)
  

link: Frugal, or Just Plain Wrong

100 things about me (x.25)

This idea most recently stolen from Two Write Hands and Susan's Sister. So sue me. I'll try to fit the 100 items within the theme of a home in the city.

1. I grew up on Long Island, but I don't tawk funny, thank gawd.
2. I moved to Brooklyn in 1995.
   
3. I moved to Woodside in 1999.
4. I moved to the East Village in 2000.
5. I moved to the Upper West Side in 2001.
   
6. I left the city on September 11th and felt like I was abandoning it.
   
7. I used to be a big time Flash developer for a company in Brooklyn.
8. I quit to become a teacher.
9. I once lost a lot of weight and then put it all back on.
   
10. My wife met me when I was skinny.
11. She married me when I wasn't.
12. We taught in the same school in the Bronx.
13. Some days I taught art.
14. Other days I called in sick.
15. My cats are cuter than your cats.
16. I took a girl geocaching on a first date.
17. Two and a half years later, I married her.
    
18. When DW is sick I make her Italian Wedding Soup.
    
19. I love The Cottage on Amsterdam.
20. I used to love the Chirping Chicken on Amsterdam.
    
21. I now love Lite Delite on Amsterdam.
22. I have no clue what's north of 81st on Columbus.
23. I make the best tasting yogurt.
24. I have good veins for giving blood.
25. I'm terrified that someday I'll have to leave Manhattan.

Kitty at NY Portraits posted this humbling NYC observation:

There’s the feeling that there are 10 people waiting for you to leave, whether it be your place on line, your job or your apartment. [link]

>sigh< There are the first 25, in no coherent order. More to come.