Spending More For Kinder Food

Posted on November 11, 2009 by Her and tagged groceries

Our vacation to Australia has changed the way we eat. When we were in Australia we got to experience so much of our beautiful planet and see wildlife up close like never before. We snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, visited the rain forest, and spent the night on a free-range sheep farm. We ate local, fresh, organic produce and tried native fruits and vegetables. We dined on wild kangaroo and alligator. The connection to nature was overwhelming, and ever since we got back from Australia we have been paying more attention to what we eat.

We used to work hard on spending as little as possible on food. I coupon-clipped like a maniac and a lot of our meals came from boxes and cans. We wanted to make a change to a more local and sustainable diet. So Him did some research and found some local CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture). We signed up to obtain our meats and veggies directly from local farms. We are trying lots of vegetables that are new to us, like kale and dandelion greens. Our meat now comes from animals who live happy lives in fields with their calves. Our eggs come from free-range chickens. We buy locally produced milk in re-usable glass bottles.

Our diet is certainly more varied and nutritious than it used to be. It also costs a lot more. A six-month allotment of meat cost over $500, which was a big leap for a woman who is used to buying bulk bags of ground beef at $1.99/lb. The eggs are now about $5 a carton compared to the $2.59 I used to spend. The only saving grace is that the automatic food deliveries have reduced the amount of overpriced junk food we used to aimlessly toss into the grocery cart.

I am hopeful that our increased spending on food will translate into better health for us and our planet. Have you ever made an expensive change for a good cause?

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Sizing Up Engagement Rings

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Her and tagged wedding

I heard an interesting discussion the other day. A couple is planning to get engaged, and they have agreed to choose the engagement ring together. They both have lucrative careers ahead of them, but are currently in school. The school tuition is being financed by their parents. They set a budget for the ring, and found two options that fall within that budget. One ring is smaller and better quality, and the other is larger and poorer in quality (although not noticeably so). The woman wants the larger, flashier ring. The man is worried that the larger ring may appear to be too flashy and expensive in the eyes of his parents (who are, again, paying for his tuition) and therefore he is uncomfortable with that ring. He would prefer to select the smaller ring to avoid upsetting his parents.

Who do you think should have precedence in choosing the size of an engagement ring? The woman, who will wear it (hopefully) forever? Or the man, who will (in this scenario, anyway) pay for it?

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So the Economy is Kind of Crazy

Posted on July 08, 2009 by Her and tagged economy

So far our jobs have kept us pretty insulated from the ravages of the economy. I haven't noticed much personally, other than what I've seen in the news reports. But this week I finally started seeing changes - big changes - on the street. Last weekend we went shopping for clothes and we both commented on how it seems like everything is marked way down on sale. Not altogether a terrible situation, since we were able to score a bunch of new clothes for cheap. But yesterday I saw something crazy.

I walked into a mall on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago in the middle of a big shopping district...and when I stepped inside I realized the entire mall is closed. The lights were off, the escalators were roped off, the floor was filthy, and the shops were all boarded up. I guess they have the lobby open to service the only remaining store, a department store on the first floor. It was bizarre! It looked like that TV show "Life After People" where they show what cities would look life after humans no longer exist. Seriously, how does an entire mall on Michigan Avenue go under?

I googled the mall when I got home and saw that it actually closed 6 months ago. Maybe the fact that I didn't notice for 6 months points to one reason why it closed...hmmm. Anyway, it still blows my mind that it is gone. Suddenly "the economy" is much more tangible to me.

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Australia is on Sale!

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Her and tagged travel

When we were considering honeymoon destinations several years ago, Australia was a top contender...until we saw the price tag. Package deals for a 2-week vacation were around $20,000 (yes, twenty thousand!). Spending that much on a honeymoon was out of the question. We put the idea aside and chose a $6,000 Greece package instead. Last year, we went on our Greek honeymoon and had SUCH a great time! The trip really inspired Him to love travel as much as I do. So this year we started talking about a one-year anniversary trip. We were having trouble deciding where to go.

A few months ago, I started getting promotions for travel to Australia. The prices had dropped - a LOT. Airfare is about half the price due to the economy, and the Australian currency exchange rate is favorable right now too. So we made a decision to travel to Australia this fall! We'll spend about $8,000 on two weeks, including airfare and some fun tours and nice hotels. It means we will have to delay the purchase of a home for a few more months, but we feel that it's worth it. These prices might not happen again for a long time, and we've been talking about visiting Australia for three years already. We're finally going, and we're really excited.

Have you ever chosen a travel destination based on an airfare sale?

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In Which We Put Our Car in a Pothole

Posted on April 18, 2009 by Her and tagged automobile

We hit a pothole, and the pothole hit our wallets. This morning we were cruising down Lakeshore Drive when we struck a nefarious pothole. It wasn't that wide, maybe only a foot or so, but it was also about a foot deep. We hit it while going about 40 mph. That instant I saw our hubcap go careening off in the distance. When we stopped to check the damage, we saw that there were two deep gouges in the rubber tire plus a huge dent in the rim. After I stopped stomping around the parking lot cursing, we changed the tire. Tonight Him dropped the car off at our mechanic to have it repaired. We're guessing the bill we be around $500. Damn you, Chicago pot holes!!! (okay, so maybe I spent the whole day stomping around cursing).

I did find this nice blog post by The Expired Meter that explains how we can go about trying to get the city of Chicago to pay for half the repair bill (in 4-6 months, blarg!).

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