http://theshoppingnazi.com Fri, 18 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://theshoppingnazi.com/gas-grills-win-again/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/gas-grills-win-again/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 12:00:47 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=7758 The aroma from steaks cooking rises from the grill and migrates over to my nostril. The noise of children playing in the background. Adults laughing over something funny. Country music playing. All of these individual things brought together making the Saturday afternoon barbecue  perfect. If I was to tell you the grill generated its’ heat from a short fat white tank of propane, you may discount the whole barbecue experience. I know other folks who would raise their voices in protest. They would complain saying the steaks should of have been cooked on hickory wood chips or charcoal briquettes at the very least. Anything less would be an abomination to the meat. I must confess there was a time when I would of have been in that number of purist. I thought natural wood or charcoal was a must to enjoy the only true barbecue experience. Now like so many others I have surrendered to the little white tank filled with the flammable gas called propane. In times past I attended a gathering, where salmon was taken fresh off the boat, driven 30 miles in a cooler and placed on a grill. That grill was fired by a special blend of oak and hickory [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/gas-grills-win-again/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/plans-for-the-summer/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/plans-for-the-summer/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/plans-for-the-summer/ This last winter I read Innocents Aboard by Mark Twain. The book is about one of the first luxury curses made from the United States through the Mediterranean region, and on to the Holy Land. Mr Twain documented his side trips and adventures with is unique sense of humor. Realize it took place a more than a century and half ago. We have come a long way in our vacation travels since then. Back then many countries did not like the idea of welcome American vacationers visiting. Today, we are welcomed with open arms. Talking with various people who take a vacation abroad have told me it can be less expensive than taking a weeks vacation at a Disneyland resort. The numbers I have ran show it to be pretty close. In the last couple of years I am seeing more and more people starting to really travel, again. One individual I know spent last week on a Norwegian Cruise  for the technologically minded. A fellow writer will in a few weeks be taking a week long vacation with his wife traveling throughout Ireland and England. I have talked to another individual who is taking his entire family to Costa Rica for a family vacation. All this global [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/plans-for-the-summer/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/7-top-shopping-myths/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/7-top-shopping-myths/#comments Sat, 14 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/10-top-shopping-myths/ It always amazes me how easy myths, misconceptions and just out right false hoods get started. All it starts from some parent, or authority figure make what sounds like a reasonable statement. Then with good intentions that false statement is accepted without any critical research, by other people. If the untruth concerns a any product or service will lead to loss of precious hard earned money. It does not take any college degree to do some critical thinking, and discern what is true. Just by taking lessons learn from science class about the scientific method along with good old fashion math is the place to start. All the tools needed is a calculator, some paper, and a pencil. You  can confirm what I have listed below by a little observation and reducing costs to the lowest common denominator. 1. “Cheaper by Bulk” I will admit some things are cheaper in larger quantities, but not everything. Consumer Reports project editor Tod Marks agrees smaller sizes may actually be cheaper. It can be as high as 25% of the products on grocery store shelves. That is why it is best take a calculator with you shopping. By simply figuring the cost to things like the [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/7-top-shopping-myths/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/if-i-were-single-again/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/if-i-were-single-again/#comments Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:00:28 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=7101 I want to start this post stating, by saying I do not wish to to be single again. I am perfectly happy being married. The whole reason for this title and this subject is what I have heard from young, middle aged. and older people who find themselves without a partner for one reason or the other. I have seen several single people with interesting attitudes toward money, and saving money. I thought back to my own time when I as single. As a result of those attitudes money was wasted and not saved. It got me thinking about things I could of have done differently. By doing those things differently would of have made it easier for when I got married. Budget - It is great to be young with the only real concerns is food and shelter. Maybe it was because my parents did not emphasize the importance of a budget, or it was I just did not listen. The end result it took me a long time to figure out I needed a budget and I had to stick to it. Even a simple budget like 10% into saving, after bills were paid would have made a big [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/if-i-were-single-again/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/valentines-day-the-perfect-gift/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/valentines-day-the-perfect-gift/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:00:47 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=7165 Valentine’s Day is one of those day’s we must not forget, or else! Or else a loved one, or mother maybe hurt, disappointed or upset at the very least. We do have help in not forgetting. Television commercials, displays in stores, and email having been reminding me for almost a month. February 14th is Valentines Day, and we should get our loved one some gift. Now we know we got to get our wife, mother, or our special loved one something on or before February 14th. We got to find that perfect gift that will make them happy. If the gift is really special then their eyes will burst out in tears of joy. Over the years I have given some really bad gifts. Most of those gifts were given with the idea of practicality in mind.  Other times I ran out to the store to get something out of guilt for not getting anything. Since then I have learn to take a more planned methodical approach. If we walk down the aisles in Wal Mart’s seasonal section, we will find cards, candy, little stuffed animals and more. These are okay for a token gift. If you want to make this Valentines Day really special, then start [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/valentines-day-the-perfect-gift/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/twas-the-night-before-christmas/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/twas-the-night-before-christmas/#comments Sat, 24 Dec 2011 14:00:05 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6823 T’was the night before Christmas when all the last minute shoppers were in a panic. The traffic was congested. The stores had sold out of the most desired items. Still a peaceful look back to well over a century ago brought a us a poem. Now is the time to put away those plastic debit cards. Now is the time forget running to Target for one more item. Now is the time to enjoy what is really important in life. Every time I read Twas the Night Before Christmas I get carried back to a much simpler time. This poem takes us back to a much simpler time. A time where Christmas shopping is over. Children are waiting in their beds for Christmas morning and the opening of presents. My Christmas present to all of you on this night before Christmas is the poem below. May all of you and your have a very blessed and merry Christmas. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/twas-the-night-before-christmas/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/those-little-gifts-that-mean-a-lot/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/those-little-gifts-that-mean-a-lot/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:00:36 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6844 The sad part of the Christmas season is the undue pressure we put on ourselves. When we go out Christmas shopping we try to get a Christmas present proportionality to our feelings for that person. It is much better to step back and look at what we can afford. Then look for that little thing which will make the biggest impact. Well, it is not just at Christmas time. It holds for any other time of the year. We get in this mind set toward our love, our friendship, our caring must be measured by the size of gift we give. That is why, especially at this time of the year, we go into debt finding the perfect gift. That is why people rush around all crazy just to get all the gifts they need to give. One of the big attractions I love about where I live is how polite the drivers are. That is not true when it comes closer to Christmas. The individuals driving their various vehicles get more and more aggressive as it gets closer to Christmas Day.  When I think back to some of the Christmas presents I have been given over the years. Some I wish I could forget about [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/those-little-gifts-that-mean-a-lot/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/shopping-that-satisfies/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/shopping-that-satisfies/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:00:43 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6934 We are only just a few days away from Christmas Day. Christmas Day is the where we celebrate the birth of the Christ. The savior of the world. As part of Christmas we are taught from a very young age that, “it is more blessed to give than receive”. Through out the year we shop for ourselves, food, clothing, shelter, except for birthday, and anniversaries. During the Christmas season we get caught up in buying gift sets, iPhones, diamond necklaces, or various items for a loved ones. All to often we feel there is this obligation to buy and give. For some people it is more than duty, it is an enslavement. Fighting crowds, buying, hoping the person we are buying for will not get the same thing from some one else. The writer Mark Twain loved Christmas, but he hated the shopping. He would describe Christmas shopping as bringing, ” harassment and dread to many excellent people”. Mr Twain saw the result of all that Christmas shopping as, “weeks of hard and anxious work, and when Christmas morning comes they are so dissatisfied with the result, and so disappointed that they want to sit down and cry.” To often I am so looking [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/shopping-that-satisfies/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/christmas-party-trays/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/christmas-party-trays/#comments Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:30:10 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6837 Christmas time means a lot of food and a lot of parties. There will be people having parties at work, at clubs, around the neighborhood, and along with the usual family gatherings. One of the main attractions to a party is the food and drink. Without food, drink and the right Christmas music, some people will show up. Others will just walk in the door, say Merry Christmas and leave. It is human nature. The easy way to serve food at a party is just sitting it on a table in a tray. A good variety of food on party trays can please a multitude of likes and dislikes. A good party tray will have a variety of fruits, vegetables and meats. Hopefully not all on the same tray. One of the most successful party trays I have found has been bread with spinach dip. It can be bought at Winco  for $4.95. I can make the same one for just under $3.00. Besides saving money, people are impressed with making some over running out and grabbing some pre-made. It is easy to go to Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Winco, or whatever local grocery store that has a deli section, and buy pre-made [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/christmas-party-trays/feed/ 0 http://theshoppingnazi.com/last-day-for-christmas-delivery/ http://theshoppingnazi.com/last-day-for-christmas-delivery/#comments Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:00:40 +0000 The Shopping Nazi http://theshoppingnazi.com/?p=6800 Growing up one of my fondest memories of Christmas was getting presents in the mail. They came from relatives who lived across the United States. Aunts and uncles in Arkansas would send boxes of mixed nuts. They had a farm where they grew nuts. Other relatives in Los Angels  would send a box of candy. We could count on grandma to send winter gloves, or a hats to keep us warm. At the beginning of December dad would come home with boxes of towel sets, and other box gift sets. Then he would pull out all those brown paper bags from the grocery store. He had been saving all year. Each gift set was wrapped in brown paper and tied with course brown string. The labels were carefully hand written before being stuck on the package. We are getting close to Christmas. If you have not shipped off your Christmas presents, you had better get them wrapped, and down to the shippers office. Regardless as to what UPS, USPS, or FEDEX tells you. This is their busiest time of the year. Mail it to it may not get there. So in this post I would like us to look at [...]]]> http://theshoppingnazi.com/last-day-for-christmas-delivery/feed/ 0