the freeze(r) stands alone

Ever since we moved over here to the condo on Fenton PL, I've been buzzing like a fridge about the need for an additional freezer. I've wanted one for years but my desire has intensified since we now have a smaller (yet lovely) fridge with a baby freezer on the bottom. Back on Westbury, we had a side-by-side and now the freezer is what lies beneath. And that's pretty scary to me. Scratch that. It doesn't really scare me at all. But it annoys the heck out of me and THAT probably scares my husband. 

Speaking of the devil, it's my husband's fault that we have never purchased that standalone objet du désir. When he reads this he will likely say that he never realized how important it was to me or he would've told me years ago to just go ahead and get the thing. True statement, because he pretty much gives me what I want. But my version just makes for a better blog post and sometimes it's all about the ratings, you know? And besides, not only is he generous, he also rarely holds a grudge. Therefore, I'm willing to take the risk here and make him the fall guy for the sake of a laugh or two.

Back to the story at hand. In reality, we BOTH have been annoyed with our situation but it was the fries that sent me "over the precipice and into the abyss," to quote my college economics professor. We're not talkin' just any old run-of-the-mill frozen fry. These are sent-straight-down-from-heaven SPECIAL. We (loosely) follow the Paleo way of eating, so we don't often eat those Idaho spuds. It's the Alexia sweet potato fries that have recently grabbed our attention and captured the affection of our primal taste buds. And when my grocery store recently offered them for $1.60 off the normal price of $4.59, I heard the heavenly hosts singing on the soundtrack of my life. Then came the scraping sound of the record player needle (a la Ally McBeal). jerking me back to my reality. SNAP! I only had room for three bags at a time in my dinky freezer. Three measly bags = a mere $4.80 of potential savings for me. And I wanted more.

I researched and I took the plunge. I would've been happy with the smallest el cheapo chest type but the husband convinced me that an upright was the way to go here. There was a big difference in the price but when we look at long term purchases, we also take other things into consideration. The higher price for the Maytag model we bought also gave us about 10 cu.ft. more space, Energy Star rating and no manual defrosting (YAY). It's much easier to organize than the deep dark hole of the chest style so (hopefully) we won't be throwing old freezer-burned food away because we can't SEE it. Sound familiar...;-)

I managed to save almost 30% off the full retail price by spending some extra time to sniff out some great online discounts. To begin with, it was on sale at Home Depot for $96 off. I made my purchase through Ebates, which gave me an additional 3% cash back (hey, it ALL counts) and used a discounted Home Depot gift card I bought through Cardpool to save me another 8.2%. Free shipping and delivery saved us the time and hassle of having to haul it home in the truck. And, of course, before I made my final decision I checked product ratings and customer reviews.

Honestly, I'm in this for more than the fries. Eating well DOES require some extra effort, unless you have the kind of budget that allows you to hire a personal chef. I don't. Sometimes cooking is a joy but many nights it's more of a chore and, as my husband says, "It's the clean up that'll kill you." True that. My response is to cook in big batches. Any time I can, I double the recipe because nothing makes me happier than to open that freezer and be greeted by the sight of what I made two weeks ago or a month ago. I can HAVE it again without having to COOK it again! Or what about all those amazing summer fruits that you can buy in season when it's fresh and cheap? How fun is it to pull them out of the freezer in November? Or February?

Are you beginning to see things my way? I thought so.

Time to load it up! According to my calculations, we should break even on the 225th bag of sale-priced sweet potato fries. Hmmm....I DID mention we were looking at this for the LONG term value, right?? I see lots of fries in my future.

the lynette effect | part 1

Ever had a friend who has influenced you to purchase something you never expected to buy or even knew you wanted? For example, in the midst of a joint shopping excursion with said friend, she spies something that you completely overlooked. And because she has convinced you that it's a "must have," it has now somehow made it's way into your shopping cart. Unless, of course, there was only ONE left or it was a one-of-a-kind treasure, in which case it has made it's way into HER shopping cart because it was her keen eye who saw it first, after all.

Well, that friend for me is Lynette. We've been friends for longer than some of you have been on the planet, so let's just say we've got a pretty good handle on what makes the other one tick. We have years of epic shopping experiences under our (animal print) belts and the stories to go with them have far out-lived many of the actual items that were purchased. We are different. 

While I might  favor a more relaxed, modern, whimsical and slightly bo-ho flavor, Lynette is drawn to high-fashion and design with lots of flair like a moth to a darn flame. I lean toward minimalism and she, the consummate maximalista without being overdone. However, there's this huge overlap in our individual personal style circles. It's where we operate and it's where the MAGIC happens.

Recently, a diverted flight due to engine trouble unexpectedly landed Lynette (safely) right here in MY town and the 20-hour delay gave us time for a little shopping joy ride. I mean, when the situation presents itself, you put the pedal to the metal and floor it. Right? A round of Missoni-for-Target madness and a short romp through West Elm proved to be quite productive, shall we say. I'll save the Missoni tales for another post but the West Elm excursion netted me an awesome pillow cover that I'm sure I would never have noticed, had I not been with...(insert "Lynette effect" sound effects here) Lynette. I had already perused that shelf in the clearance corner nothing appeared interesting to me but when I heard her utter that oh-so familiar phrase, "these are cool," my head snapped back around so fast I nearly cracked a vertebrae. "What????" I said, afraid I might be missing out and, frankly, afraid she had found the only one of whatever it was.

In the end, she decided against it but we both agreed it would be the perfect finishing touch in the "Hollywood glam" room back at the condo, with a bit of a  Kelly Wearstler flavor. She was completely convinced but, because there were 10 of them left and it wasn't returnable, I decided to think about it for a few days. I did, I still wanted it, and when I went back it had been marked down even further. SCORE! 

So what is the point of this story and really, do I need to even have one? It's just a silly blog post, for crying out loud. Truth of the matter is that I could take this in any number of directions. It could serve as a warning, as in "don't try to be someone you're not" or "don't waste your money on things you never really wanted anyway." Agreed and agreed. But it can also be said that the way we influence each other can challenge and stretch us, taking us to places we couldn't quite muster up the courage to go. That little extra nudge from someone we love and trust often makes all the difference. Where it might serve some of us well to edit (Remember Coco Chanel's advice to look in the mirror and take one thing off before we leave the house?), others of us tend to quit a little too soon so we miss that finishing touch that completes the room or outfit. For me, Lynette is the friend who encourages me to put a cherry on the top. Voila!

Who is your Lynette and, more importantly, will you choose to be generous with your own wisdom and advice? Don't hide it under a bushel and keep it all to yourself. That being said, YOU can also enjoy the "Lynette effect" right here. She deserves to be shared.

But I made sure I got MY pillow first...;-)