Roundup: Huge edition

I managed to scroll through a lot of posts this week - here's what caught my eye:

Cereal & Milk Deal at Safeway @ Moneywise Moms - Gina's got the scoop on an incredible milk and cereal deal that goes through July 9. I got three boxes of cereal and had a coupon for each, but the cashier read the fine print and didn't double two of them. I used my milk coupon on a gallon of organic milk, so I paid a total of $4.44 for the milk, two boxes of Cheerios, and one box of Total. I usually pay $5.99 for a gallon of organic milk at Trader Joe's, so this is an exceptional deal. Thanks, Gina!

I want to share two posts from Parent Hacks: High Protein Treat: Cocoa Fruit Dip, which sounds delicious and healthy; and Replace Shoelaces with Elastic to Transform Lace-up Shoes into Slip-ons, which is downright brilliant and has just changed the way I shop for the boys' shoes!

University of Miami Law School Defers 1Ls: This is Not A Joke @ Above the Law - ATL is the best blog for news related to the legal profession, because of reports like this one: a law school frankly tells incoming students that (1) there will be too many of them so some of them need to defer to the following year; and (2) they should think long and hard before entering law school. I think the dean is really onto something, since even when I was in law school, I felt like a lot of my fellow students didn't really want to be lawyers and were just there for something to do that didn't involve getting a "real job" yet. In the current economic environment, I'd bet good money that a lot of these incoming students are hoping to wait out the recession – not thinking through the fact that firms are laying off attorneys nearly every day, and that even three years from now, there probably won't be much of a job market for brand new attorneys with no experience.

Basics: Cold soba noodles with dipping sauce @ Just Hungry - This is the perfect summer dish.

What To Do When You're Tired of Couponing @ Money Saving Mom - Crystal has some excellent advice for those who find couponing overwhelming.

Part 2: Fifth Birthday Deployment + Fort Pics @ Thingamababy - AJ's daughter celebrated her birthday with an enormous and complex fort.

Pillow Talk: Sleep Apnea @ Baby Toolkit - Some potentially life-altering advice.

How to Make it Easy for Someone to Watch your Kids @ The Happy Housewife - These are some very practical tips that apply to everyone from the grandparents to teenage sitters.

The four(ty) hour workweek @ BripBlap - I've heard so much about the Four Hour Work Week concept that Steve's view here was refreshing: why do we think of work as something that needs to be avoided, anyway? Perhaps it's more important to find something that we enjoy so much, it doesn't seem like work.

Rainbow Cake @ Sweetnicks - This is such an eye-catching, happy-looking cake. There were tips on making it in this subsequent post.

Sour Milk @ Frugal Hacks - This is the first time I've seen recipes that actually call for milk that's slightly spoiled. Very frugal.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Bowl Sundae @ Ruhlman.com - Food writer Michael Ruhlman shares a recipe he created with his son.

Be Successful by Learning Delayed Gratification @ Bargaineering - As a parent, I was struck by how important it is to instill a sense of delayed gratification in my children.

Over at CFO Reviews, you can find out how to get a free sample of Kotex Overnight with Wings and a free trial membership to Sitter City, a matching service for parents and sitters.

Here are a couple of giveaways for the Dyson DC25 All Floors:
Dyson: Cleaning your floors and cleaning up at the box office! @ 5 Minutes for Mom
Win a Dyson DC25 just like on Transformers! @ Seven Dogs and a Baby

And here's a giveaway for a Crane Humidifier @ Two of a Kind - I recently got one for the boys' room and it's working great!

Finally, the stockpile pic of the week is for a ton of Tabasco and A-1 sauce, but milk, fruit and other perishables - all for $9.99, down from $126.84.

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

I'd been giving the boys store bought frozen waffles for breakfast on weekday mornings, but since I'm not a big fan of processed food, all of the additives weighed heavily on my mind. Unfortunately, Tyler won't eat plain or fruit pancakes, but I hit pay dirt when I added a little bit of chocolate to a recipe adapted from The 1997 Joy of Cooking.

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes
Makes approximately 16 pancakes

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, very finely chopped (tip: use a serrated knife)
butter or nonstick cooking spray, for cooking

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour through salt) and mix well. In a small mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until flour mixture is just moistened. Stir in chocolate.

2. Preheat a griddle or large nonstick pan over medium heat, and melt some butter on it (or lightly coat with cooking spray). Use a 1/4-cup measuring cup to pour batter onto the griddle. When there are air bubbles popping, carefully flip the pancakes. Let cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until the bottom is the desired color. Repeat with remaining batter, occasionally cleaning off the griddle or pan with a paper towel.

3. To freeze these pancakes, cook until lightly browned, and cool completely. Separate with wax paper or parchment paper and freeze. You can defrost these in the microwave (they'll probably take about 10 seconds or so), but I prefer to heat them in the toaster oven to get the edges crispy again.

Safety alert: It may be best to avoid drop-side cribs

A few months ago, the Baby Bargains Book blog posted about Babies R Us's decision to stop selling drop-side cribs. The decision came after more than 375,000 Jardine cribs were recalled, costing BRU a lot of money (they're the exclusive seller of Jardine). The Baby Bargains Book blog suggests that the problem isn't inherent with drop-side cribs, which have been around for decades without the kinds of problems we're seeing now, and that the baby gear industry is motivated by the increased profit they could make from non-drop-side cribs.

I'm no safety expert, but we had two drop-side cribs at one point when Tyler was an infant. His crib was one of the Jardine cribs that was recalled – it cost about $300 and was of noticeably poorer quality than the convertible Simmons crib that we had bought for Alex for almost $600. The drop-side on the Jardine crib worked so badly that I stopped using it – I couldn't use it one-handed, and it was quite loud. And I'm 5'3" so you know the drop-side had to be really bad for me to not use it. By contrast, the drop-side on the Simmons crib always worked great.

From this admittedly tiny sampling, the lesson I draw is that you get what you pay for. Not that $300 is a pittance, but the difference in the quality of the two cribs was dramatic. And, given all of the recalls recently for drop-side cribs, it may be better to play it safe and avoid drop-side cribs simply because the hardware is more complicated. (By my count over at the CPSC site, there have been six recalls involving drop-side cribs since last fall.)

At the very least, if you have children still sleeping in cribs, you should read this warning from the CPSC about cribs. It includes this list of safety tips for all cribs:

• Parents should not use any crib with missing, broken or loose parts.
• Hardware should be inspected from time to time and tightened to keep the crib sturdy.
• When using a drop side crib parents should check to make sure the drop side or any other moving part operates smoothly on its track.
• Always check all sides and corners of the crib for disengagement. Any disengagement can create a gap and entrap a child.
• Do not try to repair any side of the crib without manufacturer approved hardware or with tape, wire or rope.
• Putting a broken side up against the wall does not solve the problem and can often make it worse.

Two recalls today: Cribs & baby floats

If you think you have the following item(s), click through to the CPSC press release for more details:

Simplicity Drop Side Cribs Recalled by Retailers Due to Risk of Death from Suffocation - Click through for more photos.


Aqua-Leisure Industries Recalls Inflatable Baby Floats Due to Drowning Hazard - Click through for photos of other float styles.


As always, I highly recommend signing up for recall notifications by email at the CPSC web site.

News Roundup

Here are some news articles that caught my eye:

"Organic" label doesn't guarantee quality or taste - One of my favorite LA Times food writers says that flavor is the most important thing to consider when selecting a food, and asserts that most farmers, while not totally organic, incorporate sustainable farming practices that make them "good farmers."

Recipe: Spicy mac and cheese - One of the perks of being the LA Times is that you can get restaurants to cough up their recipes. This one is from the Purple Palm restaurant in the Colony Palms Hotel in Palm Springs, and sounds like something Marc would love (the kids, though, not so much).

California chain restaurants must fork over calorie counts under new law - Chain restaurants with at least 20 locations in California must now supply calorie counts for their menu items in a brochure (alcohol is exempt for some reason). Restaurants that fail to comply face a $50 to $500 fine, followed by other charges, such as unfair business practices. I'm waiting for 2011, when restaurants will have to post calorie counts directly on the menus.

Finally, is it because I live in LA that the local news cast has been dominated by Michael Jackson coverage? I mean, I know he was the king of pop but enough is enough. I don't need a news flash every time someone talks to the media. Even a local reporter agrees.

Earn cash with Swag Bucks

I'm still loving Swag Bucks, through which I continue to earn Amazon gift certificates. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that they've added a true cash option for redemption. Eighty Swag Bucks will now get you a $5 deposit into your PayPal account.

For me, Amazon gift certificates continue to be the better option since a $5 certificate code only costs me 45 Swag Bucks - and I know I'll spend the money at Amazon for sure. But, if you're looking for cash, this is certainly a very easy and totally free way to earn some.

Back in my original Swag Bucks review, I said that it took me about a month to earn 45 Swag Bucks. But it seems to me that I'm earning Swag Bucks a little more frequently through my own searches, so it might not take you that long these days.

Of course, you'll earn even more Swag Bucks if your friends sign up using your referral link. So I want to thank everyone who's signed up using my referral link, because of course, I've earned those Amazon gift certificates a lot faster thanks to you!

Works for Me Wednesday - Summer Recipe Edition: Couscous Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes

This week's Works for Me Wednesday is the Summer Recipe Edition. I'm contributing a recipe I created a few years ago when Alex was just a baby:

Summer Couscous Salad With Heirloom Tomatoes
Serves 6-8

1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
3 cups chopped heirloom tomatoes (or halved cherry or grape tomatoes)
1 15-oz. can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the couscous. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
2. In a large bowl, combine the basil, parsley, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, and stir with a whisk.
3. Add the couscous, tomatoes and garbanzo beans to the dressing and toss. Taste and add more salt and balsamic vinegar to taste.

More Quick Product Reviews

Here are a few more products we've tried recently:

30 Day Shred- This is the latest workout DVD from The Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels. She's not too annoying and I liked the workouts, which felt effective. But I don't understand why manufacturers create DVDs so that you can't skip the minutes-long opening. I don't have five minutes to listen to Jillian's spiel every time I work out. So I sold the DVD on Amazon. I guess that's the barometer - I liked the workouts, but not enough to endure the intro every time I exercised.

Bic Soleil razor - I hated this razor even more than I hated the Schick Intuition. With the Intuition, I felt like I was getting a good shave, but was afraid that I would cut myself because of the way it was shaped. With the Soleil, I felt like I was scraping sandpaper up my legs. Needless to say, I tossed the razor immediately.

Oreo Cakesters - Marc described these as "stale Oreos," which I found to be quite accurate. They're not unpleasant, but we both prefer regular Oreos to these.

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Cajun Style Chicken & Shrimp - I don't like frozen entrees very much, but keep a few around for quick meals. They pretty much get divided into two categories: I'd buy them again or I wouldn't buy them even if they were free. This particular entree falls into the first category - I was pleasantly surprised.

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Sweet Spicy Orange Zest Chicken - Although this dish doesn't have the crunch of traditional orange chicken, it was perfectly edible and I'd buy it again.

Previously: Tips for Selling on Amazon and Earlier Quick Product Reviews

Guest Post: Types of Reward Credit Cards and How to Evaluate Them

This is a guest post by Mr Credit Card from www.askmrcreditcard.com. Mr Credit Card reviews credit cards. He has also compiled a list of what he thinks are the best credit card deals available.

Firstly, I would like to thank Cathy for giving me the opportunity to write this guest post.

If you are like Cathy and have no credit card debt (or rather, you pay off your credit card bills in full every month), then you should be taking advantage of rewards that credit cards offer. In this post, I'm going to run through the types of rewards (mainly reward programs and cash rebate cards) that are available and and how to evaluate them.

But first, let me just say that there are probably three types of reward cards that folks should consider. And your choice really depends on how you would use them.

The first category are airline credit cards. These cards (to be honest) are only for those who are true frequent fliers of a particular airline. For example, if you are always flying on United, then there is a case to be made for getting a United Airlines credit card. The advantages of getting an airline card are:

• Most will allow you to earn double miles for every dollar you spend on the card when you buy their airline ticket
• The higher end cards allow you to earn points towards elite membership status
• The higher end cards also have perks like free companion ticket once a year
• Allows you to use your card for club lounge access

The main disadvantage of these cards are:

• They charge an annual fee (sometimes over one hundred dollars)
• Their interest rates aren't particularly attractive (never carry a balance with airline credit cards)

It is obvious that unless you are a jetsetting business executive or or business person that flies a lot, you are better off getting regular rewards credit cards.

The second type of reward cards are those offered by the credit card issuers themselves. Most credit card issuers have reward programs that are more well rounded and cater to those who want to earn points for rewards, but are not exactly frequent fliers. Here is what a typical reward program would look like:

Typical Reward Program - A typical reward program has a few types of rewards. They are :

• Travel Rewards
• Gift Cards
• Merchandise
• Cash Rebates
• Charities

Travel Rewards - Let's start with travel rewards. Traditionally, this has been the most popular form of rewards. After all, who would turn down a free airline ticket? There are a few types of travel rewards that are available in any given reward program.

• Transfer points into air miles- Only a couple of programs allow you to transfer reward points you have earned to air miles. Examples would be the American Express Membership Rewards Program and the Starwood Preferred Guest Program. This form of travel rewards would suit those who are members of multiple airlines' frequent flier programs.
• Use Points and Book Flights - This is the more traditional way of using points for air tickets. With a frequent flier program, you are subject to the airlines' blackout dates and quotas for that particular flight for those who redeem air miles. The credit card reward programs always say that their has more flexibility because they do not have to use a particular airline but can use any airline. An example of this system is to use 25,000 points for a round trip domestic economy flight.
  
  But this system is not all rosy either. Very often, you have to book your flights 21 days in advance, stay a Saturday night and very often, you will not get your preferred flights.
  
  If you are a last minute type of person or do not like weekend stays, or if you like searching for your own deals, then this method of reward redemption probably does not suit you
• Do Your Own Booking - To get around the issue of restrictions, many programs now allow you to use points to book any flights you want on your own. You can then submit your expenses and get a statement credit. The Discover Escape Card uses this method, as does the Amex Blue Sky. Some like Citi's thank you network allow you to book any flights or hotels from expedia.com. This method of redeeming points for travel rewards will suit the true bargain hunter because you can hunt for the best deals. This method is probably the most flexible.
  
  However, please be aware that some programs allow you the flexibility to book whatever flights and hotels you want but you have to use their own "in-house travel agent" which itself is subject to the seats and quotas made available to them by the airlines and wholesalers.

Merchandise Rewards - Credit card reward programs also allow you to exchange points for merchandise. Most programs are stocked up with many items from Apple iPods to coffee makers to digital cameras. I personally prefer not to use my points to exchange for such items because I feel you always need too many points for the particular price points. Still, if you do not want to pay for a new coffee machine and you have enough points, that's one way to get a free one.

For merchandise, it is really hard to evaluate which program is better. The items keep changing and the points requirement may change from time to time as well.

Gift Cards - You can also exchange points for gift cards. There are some aspects to consider before you a card. The better programs allow you to exchange for example, 1500 points for a $15 card, or 5000 points for a $50 card. The not so good ones require, say, 2000 points for a $15 card or 6500 points for a 5000 card.

If you are a gift card junkie, then the thing that you want to watch out for is if your favorite retailers are on the merchants list. And also, how many merchants do they have as their partners?

Cash Rebates - If you are looking to earn cash rebates, I would suggest getting a dedicated cash back credit card. That is because most reward programs pay less than 1% cash rebates (you get 1% for the most basic cash rebate cards!) and only pay 1% when you redeem for lots of points! You should not even bother with them.

Charities - There will be some of you who are very charitably inclined and would like to donate cash or points to charities. Well, most reward programs do have charity partners. Some like Membership Rewards and Capital One have over a million charities that you can donate to. Others have less, but may have exactly the charity that you were thinking about.

Other perks - Credit Card issuers have become innovative in the types of rewards that they offer. Citi's Thank You Network for example, allows students to use points to pay off their student loans. They also allow you to use points to reduce your mortgage principle.

Online Shopping - Cathy has pointed out that she uses Swag Bucks for her searches and makes money by referring friends and earning Swag Bucks. Well, credit card companies have the same features. Swag Bucks is essentially a big affiliate shopping portal. Credit card companies have the same arrangements with merchants as well. So for example, if you have a Discover Card and you decide to shop at landsend.com, rather than going to landsend.com directly, you could log in to your Discover account and go to landsend.com from there. If you do that, you could earn 5% rebates off what you spend and charge on your Discover Card.

Other cards like Chase are now beginning to implement such programs. Others like shopamex.com do not let you earn discounts or cash rebates, but allow you to earn extra points or use your reward points to shop for what you want.

How Do You Choose a Reward Card?

The key to choosing the right reward card is to actually know:

• How much you spend a year?
• What sort of rewards you would like to redeem your points for?
• Whether these rewards are available in the program

If you do not intend to use reward points for travel or any of the types of rewards available in a typical reward program, then the third type of reward card to consider are cash back credit cards. In fact, if you combine the right card with coupon clipping, you will save even more at the supermarket.Here are some tips to choose the right one:

• Choose cards that pay more than 1% rebates - Generic cards pay 1% rebates for every dollar that you charge to the card. Avoid these, there are better ones out there
• Look for cards that pay 3% to 5% on things like gasoline supermarket, travel, restaurants etc
• Make sure you can earn unlimited rebates
• Decide how you want to receive your cash rebates - some send your checks automatically, some require that you request a check and some automatically give you a statement credit

How to choose a cash back credit card that's just right for you?

The first thing you have to do is to write down all that you charge to your card. And also categorize your spending into the following categories:

• Travel
• Gasoline
• Supermarket
• Dining
• Internet Shopping

There are other categories that you can slice and dice but most cash back cards come with these spending categories. The next step would be to do research on the cash back cards that major issuers have and see which card will give you the most rebates. The is a very tedious task but well worth it because with the right card, you can earn a few hundred dollars in cash rebates in a year.

So I guess that's it from me. Remember, if you pay your bills in full every month, then take advantage of rewards that credit card companies offer. If you are the sort of person that cannot control your spending when you have a credit card in your wallet, then you should perhaps stop using a credit card and just use cash. Just bear in mind that using cash may not work for everybody!.

Here are some other resources for reward programs:

FlyerTalk Forum
Insider Flyer