Category: products

Weekly Food Shopping: A Typical Stop at the Local Market

Weekly Food Shopping: A Typical Stop at the Local Market

I’m often asked how and what I purchase for food each week given my love for food and my desire to save money.  And my answer is: I look for fresh, high quality, food first, then price, and finally food items that gave me pleasure.  My first stop at the local, independent, market is the produce section.  Fresh fruits and […]

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Shopping Tip: The Left Digit Price Effect

Shopping Tip: The Left Digit Price Effect

According to the Journal of Consumer Research, “shoppers pay a disproportionate amount of attention to the leftmost digits in prices and these leftmost digits impact whether a product’s price is perceived to be relatively affordable or expensive” In one experiment, the researchers took two price points ($2.00 and $4.00) and lowered one price by one cent turning $4.00 into $3.99 and […]

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10 Practical Home Products

10 Practical Home Products

Every person has a series of products that they can’t live without when it comes to their home.  For many, it’s a flat screen TV or a backyard Jacuzzi, but being the practical guy that I am my list includes a stainless steel stove and fleece blanket!  Don’t laugh because I can hear you, have a look at my top […]

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Make Coffee and Breakfast at Home – Starbucks Launches New Discount Breakfast

Make Coffee and Breakfast at Home – Starbucks Launches New Discount Breakfast

In yet another move away from its core business, and to curtail increasing losses, Starbucks introduced special breakfast pairings such as a tall latte with coffee cake and a tall coffee with a breakfast sandwich, all for $3.95. The move comes after the chain announced job cuts of 6,700 and the closing of 300 stores. My advice to the average consumer […]

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Top 12 Southern Italian Cheeses – Pecorino, Caprino d’Aspromonte, Provolone, Caciocavallo, Burrata

Top 12 Southern Italian Cheeses – Pecorino, Caprino d’Aspromonte, Provolone, Caciocavallo, Burrata

Unlike other parts of the world, Italy is blessed with varied micro-environments.  The micro-environments help preserve the varied culture, foods, and traditions of the 107 provinces or regions of Italy. Cheese is an ideal example of how each Italian region produces it’s own version of a basic food commodity.  The region of Calabria, and the birthplace of my parents, produces […]

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Italian Specialty Products For Your Pantry

Italian Specialty Products For Your Pantry

italian speciality store, italian foods, pantry, italy food, salame, cheese, olives, breads, capers, olive oil, italy, calabria, siciliy, puglia, espresso, camomile, panettone, pastene, lupini beans, polenta, arborio, anchovies, red wine vinegar, italian cookies

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StoveTop Espresso or Moka

StoveTop Espresso or Moka

How to Make Great StoveTop Espresso or Moka at Home Like an Italian In my view, espresso is the greatest representation of coffee on the planet.  I do enjoy a cup of French Press coffee each and every day but when I crave pure coffee taste, I brew up a batch of stovetop espresso or at times referred to as Moka […]

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Cheap Eats: 4 Recession Proof Ingredients for Cooking at Home

Cheap Eats: 4 Recession Proof Ingredients for Cooking at Home

As I’ve said in the past, eating out/ordering in is a colossal waste of money and beyond the occasional breakdown or special night out I tend not to reach for the Chinese take out menu or make reservations at our local restaurant very often.  My other rationale for not eating out is that I simply will not get the same […]

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Guide to Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Guide to Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Guide to Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Eight Extra Virgin Olive Oil Basics Italians consume olive oil like it’s water and our grandparents, for example, used olive oil for cooking, shining shoes, preserving food, lubricating machinery (including various shotguns), and curing various ailments (including stomach ulcers).  I wouldn’t recommend you use olive oil to lubricate your shotgun, but we’d […]

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Fixing It Versus Buying New: Finding Experts to Make Your Stuff Last Longer

Fixing It Versus Buying New: Finding Experts to Make Your Stuff Last Longer

It’s no surprise that given the current state of the economy people are hanging on to their stuff longer and not opting to buy new.  The events taking place in the car industry currently (with record low unit sales for both domestic and foreign manufactures) serve as a perfect example of individuals not buying or leasing new vehicles but rather […]

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