bargain
Fishmonger Love
November 28th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: bargain, Beauty & Grooming, budget, Health & Fitness, healthy food, simple pleasures
We’re in love with our neighborhood fishmonger.
Yes, they still make fishmongers and since we’re in an anti-meat phase (for lots of reasons: hideous growing conditions, greenhouse gases, we’re grossed out eating flesh) which we don’t strictly adhere to (sometimes we give into temptation) we’re at the fish store a lot.
While our fish guy is the best purveyor for hundreds of miles around, and we do love his glistening, fresh, briny catch, the real reason we’re in love with him is because he noticed our new hair color. We’ve been parading around with a new mop shade for some time and he is one of the few people to take note and approve.
It got us to thinking about how such little things (like being recognized, noticed, complimented) can make someone’s day. All it costs is seeing something and saying something.
So in this overhyped season of forced good cheer and pricy gift giving (or should it be pricy good cheer and forced gift giving)–remember, even though you are a bitch it doesn’t mean you are bitchy, besides it doesn’t cost you anything to be NICE to someone else.
Try it. It’s sweet. It feels good.
Make Holiday Shopping Fun: Etsy Love
November 7th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: bargain, Christmas, Etsy, Holiday Shopping, Shopping
 Do you dread holiday shopping? Does the thought of it conjure up sweaty crowds, feelings of confusion, a headache? It does for us. But, we’ve decided that it doesn’t need to be that way. All that’s required is a little planning and knowing where to go to find fun things.
Let’s just begin by saying that we know a copy of Bitches on a Budget is a given on your list for all your friends and family. Once you’ve checked that off, we’re here to help guide you to just the right places to find fabulous gifts.
We wrote about Etsy in our book and have heard back that many of you are now using the site to buy and sell fantastic handmade and vintage things. We love the original craftsmanship of some of the items and the recycled nature of other products.
Our only complaint has been that it has been hard to squirrel through all the offerings. Yesterday, we were back on the site browsing and it’s a much easier place to shop. Still it can be a bit overwhelming. So, we’ve decided to scout Etsy shops for you and from time to time report back our findings.
Etco is our first recommendation. Their reasonably priced and sophisticated paper bowls and jewelry are well worth a look. We’ve been in the market for a skull necklace forever and have found either cheesy ones for a few dollars or fabulous ones for hundreds. Yesterday, we felt like Goldilocks when we found just the right one for twenty bucks.
(Oops! Don’t tell anyone it’s a present.)
Entertaining and informative, Bitches on a Budget is the perfect holiday present for every woman. An NAL/Penguin release available at all major bookstores and Amazon.
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Buyer Beware: Phony Pricing Comparatives
October 15th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: bargain, Gilt Groupe, savvy shopper, Shopping
In our book (arms crossed, toe tapping–have you read it yet?), we write about the attractive and addictive nature of ‘flash sale’ web retailers like Rue La La and Gilt Groupe. We offer the cautions: buy only a product you’ve seen and loved, and buy only a product you know the retail price so that you are certain that it is a bargain.
Do we always take our own sage advice? No.
We’re really, really busy working on our new book and exhibiting tremendous self-discipline not getting sucked into the daily shopaholic offerings, but someone ruined our resolve today (we won’t name names) asking for our take on an item they were thinking about purchasing from Gilt Groupe. (more…)
Three Foxy Fab Faux Furs
October 7th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: bargain, budget, Fashion, Shopping
We are easily distracted, particularly since we are under contract and on deadline for our new book, Mama B’s on a Budget. Today’s ADD moment came while re-reading a story we wrote a year ago about how to avoid falling victim to passing fads. We admit, the story was a little naughty, involving a devil, a dominatrix, a whip, Twitter and an angel. (Sounds like good material for Reality TV.)
Right after we read the story, we got a little anxious and started to hyperventilate. We haven’t been out much lately. What are the latest fads? Instead of having entire shops devoted to them, we were sure Jeggings would be shrunken and gone by now.
So, our confidence is a little shaky.
Then WHAP!
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Pan-Crisped Chicken Thighs from the book Bitches on a Budget
October 1st, 2010 | 1 Comment
Tags: bargain, budget, budget recipes, cast iron pans, recipes
From the book Bitches on a Budget
Pan Crisped Chicken Thighs
-2-3 lbs skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
-1/4 cup olive oil
-3 cloves minced garlic
-1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock to deglaze
-fresh rosemary
-lemon juice
-salt and pepper to taste
Dark meat is delicious. It holds up to more rigorous searing and braising than white meat, and always stays tender and moist. It’s also the least expensive cut of the chicken you can buy.
Wash and thoroughly dry the chicken pieces, then liberally sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the skillet under on a high heat until it gets hot, but does not burn. Place the thighs in the oil, skin side down (depending on how many you are using and how big the skillet is, you might want to work in two batches). After three to four minutes, the skin should be a crisp brown, and the thighs should easily lift off the skillet without sticking. Usually skin stuck to the pan indicates it has not thoroughly crisped.
Turn the thighs over to crisp the other side, but this time, remove the chicken after only two to three minutes. Drain any excess oil from the pan, turn on the heat, and deglaze the pan with the wine.
Add the chopped garlic, a splash more wine or even some chicken stock for moisture, and the rosemary. Put the chicken back in the pan, and leave on the stove at medium heat for a few minutes, or place in the oven at 300 degrees for five to ten minutes.
**BITCHIN’ TIP**
Experience Matters
We love our thirty-year-old cast iron skillet for making this dish. It’s dirty and really well used, like a sensual older man – all seasoned, slick, and tough enough for the hot heat on top or inside. You can buy them pre-seasoned at your local hardware store for as little as ten bucks, or better yet, scour flea markets for more experienced ones.
The Cheapest Beauty Tip, Like, Ever
September 28th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: bargain, Beauty & Grooming, savings
We were thinking about all the money a gal spends on make-up and grooming products. You know: the Sephora binge and shame jaunts; the Duane Reade/CVS/Walgreen hair accessory pick-me-up-basket-fill-ups; the Avon lady calling and you buying all she’s selling visits.
When it occurred to us the biggest error most of us make when applying make-up or styling our hair is that we do it facing a mirror.
Huh? What’s wrong with looking straight into the mirror? Nothing and everything. While you get a fabulous full frontal view, you miss all the nuanced dimensions of how people really see you. (Well, not exactly metaphysically, more superficially and three-dimensionally.)
So, the one key grooming and beauty item you should have in your arsenal is a hand held mirror. It’s the biggest beauty buy of all ($2.99 and up) to make sure the back of your hair is in concert with the front, the clips are pinned straight, and the make-up is blended smoothly back from the jaw into the neck line.
Roots Week
September 19th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: bargain, Food & Spirits, healthy food, recipes, Root vegetable, Shopping, Turnip
Living well has nothing to do with how much money you have, it’s about discovering what roots you and gives pleasure. Things like: spending time with family and friends; reading a book; going for a swim; playing a game; eating well.
While we kid around about most things, (we did write Bitches on a Budget, after all), we never kid around about our food!
Marketing for, preparing and eating delicious healthy food is like a religion to us. We believe that the only thing between being on a budget and eating well is sweat equity. We believe the best food is often the simplest. We believe the best food is always the freshest. The best way to get fresh produce is by buying in season as close to farm as is reasonable. So, we keep a close eye on seasonal surplus to find the best fresh ingredients at the best prices.
Since digging up bargains is what we do best, this fall harvest time we’re rocking out on root vegetables. They are versatile, nutritious, delicious and cheap, cheap, cheap.
First up. Turnips.
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PB&Joe
September 17th, 2010 | 2 Comments
Tags: bargain, Health & Fitness, healthy food, peanut butter
We have a confession to make.
We scoffed at peanut butter and jelly when we were kids. While, on occasion, we could be coerced into a Fluffernutter on white bread (we feel nauseated thinking about it now), the thick gooey peanut butter sticking to the roof of our mouth made us feel like we were gagging. (On reflection, maybe it had something to do with the peanut-fluff-white-bread-glue-mix.)
So it’s kind of twisted that as adults we’re totally crazy about peanut butter. (Although, we never liked hot dogs as a kid and they still gross us out. Ugh, think about what you’re eating and feeding your kids people.)
Anyway, now that we’ve got the peanut butter bug we’ve been searching for the best tasting brand -at the best price. We’ve bought the big guys: Skippy, Jif, Teddies, Reeses. We’ve tried small scale organic brands. We’ve ground shelled peanuts in the machines at Whole Foods and tried making our own. (A tip: Just don’t. Shelling all those peanuts sucks!)
But, leave it to good old Joe to give a gal good, goods. Yup, for our money Trader Joe’s has the best peanut butter in the world. Organic. Smooth or Crunchy. Great price.
Duck, Duck, Cheap Cheat, Duck, Goose
September 10th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: bargain, Food & Spirits, recipes
How often do you cook duck? We bet the answers around the circle are: Never. Never. Not often. Never. Wait! Don’t feel bad. For most of us, duck usually falls into the ‘order in a restaurant because it’s a pain in the ass to make at home’ category of meal.
That’s all about to change because we’re going to share our easy and incredibly tasty recipe for duck legs. Best of all, for us B’s on a budget, we’ve been buying them for less than $2 bucks each at our local market and serving them at our fanciest dinner parties.
Start by setting a killer table (hey, you’re cheaping out on the ingredients), find a super bottle of Beaujolais, slow roast turnips or potatoes, grill or roast peaches, and make our favorite green salad.
This recipe is so cheap and so easy you’ll feel like you’re cheating.
The B’s Faking-It Duck Confit*
Set oven at 225 degrees. Wash and dry legs. Salt and pepper generously. Make a spice mix using the following ingredients (add your own favorites or subtract the ones that make your teeth chatter):
-1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
-1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
-1 tsp. Allspice
-1/4 tsp Curry
-1/2 tsp Cumin
-1/4 tsp Five Spice Powder (optional)
Generously season the duck legs on both sides. Place in a skillet in the oven and cook 4-6 hours, turning once. (Truth be told, we’ve let the little suckers go all day without turning and they’ve been terrific.) The skin should be crispy and the meat falling off the bone tender.
The B’s Simple Salad
1 Head Bibb or Boston Lettuce washed and broken into small pieces
-3 tbslp extra virgin olive oil
-1 tbslp aged sherry vinegar
-1 tsp minced shallots
-1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
-salt (to taste–we like lots!)
-pepper
Mix dressing ingredients until emulsified.
(*Not our duck–but you get the drift)
A Clothing Diet? Not for this B* on a Budget
September 4th, 2010 | Comments
Tags: bargain, bargains, Books, budget, clothing diet, Shopping, wardrobe basics
Some things in life are sacred, so we usually make it a rule to avoid mixing religion, politics and fashion. Full burqas, nun habits and total hipster head to toe black uniforms are all equally colorless. We thank the fashion gods that the cold war is over rendering the grey Soviet bloc look and the ubiquitous Mao jacket relics of the past. In fact, is not Michelle Obama on Vanity Fair’s best-dressed list proof positive that we are not a socialist state?
So, all the talk lately about going on a ‘clothing diet’ and paring a wardrobe down to only a few flavorless items has gotten our juices flowing. Trust us, we’re first in line for buying sensibly. Hello! What woman in her right mind would ever pay full price for a pair of Louboutin or Prada shoes? (Okay, maybe you do if you’re one of the billionaires Gates and Buffett strong-armed into giving away half their fortune to charity.)
While we’re all living on a smarter budget, this is not synonymous with a gal starving herself of fashionable clothing and accessories. Being fashionable is a privilege of living in a free society. It is an expression of individuality, curiosity, creativity and art. The question is, what does a lady really need and how does she get it without breaking the bank — or what’s left of it? That’s why we want to share our fashion philosophy:
We believe that fresh, sexy and serious are the building blocks of a modern closet. Whether you want to be the fresh-faced girl in blue blazer and khakis, the biker chick in leather jacket and motorcycle boots, or the power ranger in little black dress and black pumps, a good wardrobe allows you to play out all your fantasies.
Today’s woman knows that monogamy is dead — brand monogamy, that is. So shop around to get what you need. Invest in and hold on to hard pieces like suiting, outerwear and great jeans. Buy investment grade pieces on sale. Play around with soft pieces like underwear, workout clothes and tees. Head to discounters and mass retailers. And, have a little fun on the side with trendy seasonal looks and accessories — think Anthro, the street vendor guy at 71st and B’way, Etsy.
Finally, embrace the religion of the generation that fully understands the pleasures of going both ways: head to a consignment shop, buy and sell on e-bay, take it or leave it at the recycling center. After all, being a green goddess is one sure way to fashion heaven.
In our book, Bitches on a Budget, we lay out the essentials for every wardrobe:
• A great denim jacket.
• A leather motorcycle jacket.
• A navy blazer.
• An all-season trench.
• Blue jeans and black jeans with a perfect fit.
• Khaki trousers.
• Two white shirts: one button down, one ultra feminine.
• A white cashmere cardigan.
• A bright-colored cashmere cardigan.
• A little black dress.
• A sexy party dress.
• A black suit-skirt and trousers.
• Black high heels and flats.
• Metallic ballet flats.
• A great pair of black boots.
• Brown cowboy boots.
• A black hobo bag.
• A black clutch.
• A brown leather knapsack.
• Brown driving shoes.
• A set of X-rated lingerie.
• One hot chemise.
This story first appeared in The Huffington Post.
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