Things that are worth the money. . . and things that aren't.

[beefche]

As for margarine... I might use it in baking, but I was always taught margarine was bad for you in comparison to butter.

You use margarine in baking?????

[Iggy]

I will go store brand on an awful lot of things, but not on:

1. Ranch dressing (It must be Hidden Valley)

As for margarine... I might use it in baking, but I was always taught margarine was bad for you in comparison to butter.

You use margarine in baking?????

1. Ranch dressing - have you tried Uncle Dan's? It is the original and the best.

I am with Beefche on this. There is just too much water in margarine to use for baking. I use crisco - butter flavor if the recipe calls for butter. Crisco or lard for pie crusts.

But butter for everything else. I buy it on sale - with coupons and store in the freezer. Fred Meyer aka Kroger/Fry's Marketplace/QFC, always has their brand on sale, plus because I use by Rewards card, I also get coupons in the mail that are $0.40 off a pound of butter. Right now they have Darigold and Challenge butter on sale.

My skin reaction to the elastic in the bra ended when I received my endowment and the garments. The elastic in the bottoms of the garments still bother me, but I tuck the tops into them. Also, don't put your bra's through the dryer. I hang mine from a hanger in the bathroom - air drying them. They will last for a decade or longer.

My older sister had to have her bra's custom made she was so huge. The company told her to never put hers through the dryer - only air dry them. At $156.00 each (back in 1978) you better believe she air dried them. 5 siblings, three sets of Aunts & Uncles, 1 Grandma and Mom & Dad - gave her the money at Christmas and her birthday to purchase 6 of them. They lasted her 25 years!

[Backroads]

You use margarine in baking?????

When I am desperate. But yes, it's so hard to measure properly to be an ideal substitute.

My new favorite alternative to butter is coconut oil.

And yes, lard for pie crusts!

Edited December 8, 2013 by Backroads

[NeuroTypical]

After over four decades of honestly not really caring one way or the other, I've finally decided that I like Diet Pepsi more than Diet Coke.

As someone who went through his formative years during the cola wars, this actually gives me a slight twinge of guilt, coupled with worry that my peers will think I'm not cool.

[skippy740]

Men's dress shoes: It's Johnston & Murphy... with the sheepskin leather insole or nothing!

Men's clothes: JC Penny or Jos. A Banks - depending on what I'm looking for.

Cars: Must be a Japanese import brand that holds its resale value well.

Electronics: Dell Latitude business-class laptop computers.

Food:

- Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios are much better than "toasted oats".

- Butter always!

- Clausen Pickles in the refrigerated section.

- Tostitos chips and salsa... not "Mission Chips" or other store brands. Blech!

Remember: Buy cheap, buy twice. :)

Edited December 9, 2013 by skippy740

[dahlia]

When I am desperate. But yes, it's so hard to measure properly to be an ideal substitute.

My new favorite alternative to butter is coconut oil.

And yes, lard for pie crusts!

Coconut oil rocks for cooking! And for skin cream. I used to make chicken tenders for the elders with coconut oil and panko crumbs. They loved them so much i used to make deliveries so they'd have them around the apartment.

[talisyn]

Quote by Terry Pratchett: The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes re... Pretty much explains why we buy butter, even if it's 3x that of margarine.

“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.”

It's a good day when I can quote Terry Pratchett :)

[Guest]

I grew up with margarine. As a young adult, I tried butter, and said, "What?! Why haven't I been eating this all along? Life is too short to eat margarine!"

In the Vort household, we use only butter.

In my mother's house, margarine and butter are not synonymous... So, it has to be Star brand margarine and Anchor brand butter. When you're making sugar sandwiches, you can't use butter. Has to be margarine. And you have to use a toaster oven, not the regular oven, the toaster, or a pan. If you don't have Star margarine or a toaster oven, you're not making sugar sandwiches.

[Guest]

Shoes.

Wearing ill-fitting/ill-balanced shoes is like a toothache. It affects your entire body and mood.

It's not really the specific brand. It's the specific shoe for your specific feet. But, I found that Asics has the perfect running shoes for my feet and Michael Kors has the perfect high heels. If I can't run on my high heels then it is ill-fitting and/or not perfectly balanced.

[applepansy]

bamboo knitting needles!!! :)

[Traveler]

I am beginning to wonder if money is worth money????

The Traveler

[Guest]

What's not worth the money - Megabloks. Yep. Halo is only on Megabloks. Star Wars only on Legos. So, the kids dealt with both. The frustration after trying and trying and trying to wiggle Megabloks pieces so they will fit right and not fall apart has sworn my kids off of Megabloks... so they stayed away from Skylanders and went full-blown on Minecraft because it's on Lego.

[NeuroTypical]

I actually understood every single word in anatess' last post. I think that indicates I am able to stay relevant in my kids' eyes.

[prisonchaplain]

Toilet paper and tissue. Sometime earlier this year, my mom sent my dad to do some shopping. He came back with a Costco-sized package of single-ply generic brand toilet paper. While he hardly noticed a difference, my mom and sister (who lives at home right now) sure weren't happy about it.

This is a man-thing. However, I am so glad I finally gave in at got--not 2 or 3-ply toilet paper, but a heated Coway bidet. $600 and worth every cent!

[prisonchaplain]

Lately, I've equated money with a means of debt, labor and bondage.

Oh I think I'd compromise on money. Dollars, Yen, Won, Yuan--even the Canadian monopoly-colored stuff--it's all good to me!

Oh wait...maybe that's not what you were getting at???

[prisonchaplain]

Cars: Must be a Japanese import brand that holds its resale value well.

Oh, I don't know. My Buick has held up its value just fine.

... of course, I paid $500 for it!

Edited December 10, 2013 by prisonchaplain