http://theshoppingnazi.com Fri, 18 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://theshoppingnazi.com/usda-terms-and-their-meaning/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/usda-terms-and-their-meaning/#comments Sun, 15 Apr 2012 13:00:08 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=7406 The meaning of words give us a clean expectation as to what we are purchasing. Without clear definitions we are set up for disappointment. That is why it is good to periodically review the definitions of words used to describe what is inside the packages of meat. I can tell you I am going to give you a hamburger. That does not tell you if it is going to be a hamburger sandwich or just a hand full of raw meat. I can tell you I am going to give you a cooked hamburger in a sandwich. That does not tell you if is going to be a thin hamburger patty or and one pound of hamburger in the the sandwich. I can tell you I am going to give you a hamburger sandwich with a whole pound of hamburger meat inside. Still I have not told you what the quality of that hamburger. It could be pure beef or pink slime. Since I live in the United States, I am going to pull my definitions from the United States Department of Agriculture. Today, we are going to look at buying meat, and the labeling concerning it. Here’s the basic USDA definitions you should see on every package [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/usda-terms-and-their-meaning/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/tools-for-the-kitchen/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/tools-for-the-kitchen/#comments Sun, 25 Mar 2012 14:00:32 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=7426 What was I thinking? This week I have been doing a week of basic tools. The basic home tools turned out okay. The basic car tools was not so bad. Tools for our tech was easy. Tools for the kitchen should be a book. There are so many tools used in the kitchen! What was I thinking? Here goes! A rule of thumb for purchasing anything is comparing quality with the price. Then you factor in how often you will be using the item. There are certain pans we use everyday, then there are items we may use once a month. If you remember a while back, I wrote a post about a The Grocery Shopping List. In that post I wrote how important it was to input from the entire family as to what they like to eat. Just as important is having input from the entire family is how they like certain things fixed. Our daughter likes pulled pork. We have found it is easier for the cook it in the slow cooker. The taste along with ease of cooking has made it a family favorite. The reason we do this is because some like their pulled pork [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/tools-for-the-kitchen/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/healthy-food-are-cheaper/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/healthy-food-are-cheaper/#comments Sat, 28 May 2011 13:00:48 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=5531 When I was young, I would hear that healthy foods were more expensive than junk food. It was rumored that a loaf of whole wheat bread with fiber in it was actually sawdust. Only rich people could afford fresh vegetables. That was why we only ate canned vegetables. I know we have come a long way from as far a food nutrition. It was in 1990′s when it became a mandate to have on all package foods a list of nutrition facts is a fairly simple readable label. Today, most all of us read those labels before we buy. In my research I found an article from 2007, it stated, “That’s what University of Washington researchers found when they compared the prices of 370 foods sold at supermarkets in the Seattle area. Calorie for calorie, junk foods not only cost less than fruits and vegetables, but junk food prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation.” Two year later, in 2009, there was an article American Feast which stated, “a well-balanced diet is just too expensive will be surprised to learn that healthy eating is actually cheaper, according to research conducted by the State University of New York [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/healthy-food-are-cheaper/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/restaurant-star-ratings/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/restaurant-star-ratings/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:08:52 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=3393 A few weeks back I wrote about the star rating system for hotels. Today, I want to look at the star rating system of restaurants. The reason why I am writing about the rating system for restaurant’s is I want to know and I want you to know what to expect when you walk into a restaurant. Are you getting your monies worth in terms of food and service? A quick search at Google.com revealed the Mobil Star Rating system. It is recommended because to get a rating form Mobil the restaurant has to pass a rigorous inspection and service evaluation. This includes cuisine, service, décor, and presentation. The Mobil rating system was started in 1958. The ratings were given by anonymous, paid staff members. A star ratings were to be from one to five stars, with no half-stars or zero stars. These star were to be based on objective criteria. A four or five-star rating was a considerable honor, with only a very few getting the top rating. Today it is managed by the same people who manages Forbes Magazine. I found a detailed explanation of  the Mobil Star rating system at ForbesTravelGuide.com. Below is where I summarized those star rating the criteria. Let it [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/restaurant-star-ratings/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/how-to-buy-fast-food/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/how-to-buy-fast-food/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:00:33 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=527 How much food do we really need to satisfy your bodies and stomaches requests for food. Like most of us, we head to the local fast food joint, and order according to how appealing the pictures are on that menu board. Most every fast food joint, has their menu board broke up into three basic sections. Comb meals which consist of a main course, a side dish, and a drink. The value items usually include a small sandwich, fries, drink and desert. Each item ranges in price from 99 cents to $2. Then there is the regular price individual offerings. Now, for most of us, a combo meal is more than enough. The average combo meal averages about a 1,000 calories. That is one half of the recommended calorie intake for one day. These supposed money saving combo meal puts us over weight, and puts us in the doctors office. Where a little less will do us a whole lot more good. The basic combo meal costs about $5. Most fast food restaurants will up sale you to a larger size or some extra thus bringing that combo meal to the $6 to $9 range. We comply just because we are hungry. What if [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/how-to-buy-fast-food/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/school-lunch-hot-or-cold/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/school-lunch-hot-or-cold/#comments Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:22:39 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=790 In this post I am talking about lunches for elementary aged children. Why? That is the age range of our daughter. Since school starts Monday, we need to decide if your daughter is going to take a lunch or buy her’s. Last school year, our daughter was happy taking a school lunch. Then about February she started asking for a hot lunch. This year she wants a hot lunch, because all her friends will be taking a hot lunch. Most school lunches run about $1.90. Then those school who offer breakfast for the kids for around $1.25. Those families that are struggles there is a reduced price if not free. For the reduced or free school lunch program, you will need to contact for office at the school your child goes. If you are wondering if it is more economical to pack your child a lunch of buy them a hot lunch, consider the following; Want to known the rest of the story? Want to know the real cost of taking a school lunch?  Just log-in as a member. {+} Lunch box or lunch bag runs about $12.00 (That is if the child does not lose it during the school [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/school-lunch-hot-or-cold/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/lunch-deli-sandwich/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/lunch-deli-sandwich/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:00:12 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=213 If you are like me you get tired to taking peanut butter and jelly sandwich to work. There are times I just want some kind of meat. However, I do get lazy and don’t want to fix a foot long deli sandwich beforegoing to work. A Bologna sandwich is good quick filling sandwich. Whole wheat sandwich bread is 9 cents per slice 2 slices of regular cut Bologna – 50 cents Mustard and Mayo – 5 cents That makes the cost of the sandwich cost 73 cents, along with a soda which is 25 cents. That gives you a light for lunch to cost 98 cents.]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/lunch-deli-sandwich/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/pbj-costs/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/pbj-costs/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:00:54 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=148 There is nothing more that says America than the Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. What makes the Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich so great is its’ nutriutional value at such a low price. Strawberry jelly cost 8 cents per ounce Peanut butter cost 9 cents per ounce Whole wheat sandwich bread is 6 cents per slice I like to have 2.5 ounces of equal parts of peanut butter and jelly. That makes a good peanut butter sandwich cost 54 1/2 cents per sandwich. Now add a 25 cents for a soda plus 54 1/2 cents for the sandwich, that is a nice little snack, for under $1.]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/pbj-costs/feed/ 3 http://theshoppingnazi.com/lunch-footlong-for-less/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/lunch-footlong-for-less/#comments Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:00:54 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=18 When I see major fast food joints offering a large sandwich for under $5, I think what a rip off. I could make that same sandwich for a whole lot less and still have enough money for a something to drink. This is what I mean. Bread – 45 cents 3 different types of meat – $2 Slice of tomato – 10 cents Cheese – 12 cents Mustard and Mayo – 5 cents Pickeles, onions, and peppers – 20 cents I can make a similar sandwich for $2.92. Then I add a sports drink for 88 cents. There you have it a good healthy lunch for $3.80.  I have saved $1.20. That is a $1.20 in my pocket.]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/lunch-footlong-for-less/feed/ 1