59th Penny PInching Party

Click HERE to enter the EcoSmart Giveaway! Not very many people have entered, so your chances of winning are pretty good at this point. I will randomly choose a winner on November 19th.

Have you seen the new "Shape Ups" by Sketchers?

When they first came out my husband was appalled by them. Every-time we were in a store and he saw them he would dramatically cover his eyes at their hideous site. I didn't think they were great looking, but I also didn't think they were that bad, but he forbade me from having any because they are such a monstrosity.

Yesterday we were out tennis shoe shopping since the last pair we both bought are 10 years old now. Right in the middle of the store was a BIG stack of the "Shape Ups" and he wanted me to try them on as a joke. I am all about comfort first and looks second and wanted some shoes that wouldn't hurt my feet after several hours at the Zoo or other excursions with my kids. The "Shape Ups" had to be the most comfortable shoes I had EVER worn! So the joke was on my husband because I had to have them. They are a bit expensive ($90), but we got my husband's shoes 1/2 off and I had a couple of coupons as usual. Since I only buy tennis shoes once every 10 years I felt I could splurge a little too. What I like about "Shape Ups" is that the balls of my feet don't carry all of the weight. At the end of the day that is the area that is most sore. I actually think they are even kinda cute. I got the black ones in the picture above because that was the only size 7 wide in all of the 20 different styles they had. I usually just buy a size 7, but when I want my shoes to be really comfortable I have to have wide.

So what do you think about "Shape Ups?" Do you care more about looks or comfort in a shoe?

So what does this post have to do with being thrifty and the 59th Penny Pinching Party? I don't know. I did use a coupon and you could argue that these particular shoes promote good posture which promotes good health which saves money in Dr. bills.

So what great Penny Pinching ideas do you have this week?

I was not paid or compensated by Sketchers, this is just my own experience I wanted to share.

59th Penny PInching Party

This is a blog party that anyone with thrifty ideas, tips or projects can join. Thanks for linking up!

Rules:

*Add the permalink to the specific blog post, not your general blog address.

*Link back to the party from your post so everyone can join in the fun!

3 Knives You Must Have!

Last month CSN Stores gave me a $60 gift certificate to buy anything I wanted at any of their 200+ stores. This was the post I did about it: Tons of Unique Items at CSN Stores. I had a very hard time deciding what to get, but it finally became very obvious to me what I really NEEDED to get.

Next month I will have been married for 14 years and I have never boughten myself a good set of kitchen knives. I have been using the same $10 Walmart chefs knife for 14 years and I have never had it sharpened. I have always been afraid of having sharp knives because I am a bit of a klutz and being the thrifty person I am I have never been able to justify hundreds of dollars on a nice knife set. I have spent a lot of time deciding where to put my dull knives and even did this post last year:

Where Do You Keep Your Kitchen Knives?

An an anonymous commenter pointed out to me that most kitchen knife accidents are caused by dull knives.

It was very obvious to me that I needed some new knives with my $60 gift certificate. I spent several hours researching which knives to buy and this is what I came up with:
All of the cooking blogs love Victorinox and the best part is that they are affordable! Just do a google search for "victorinox reviews" and you will find a ton of cooks praising them.
Victorinox is by the inventors of the Swiss Army knife and they have a whole line of kitchen knives. I knew that I didn't want a big block of knives and after some more research I found out from the professionals that I only needed 3 knives.

1. A chef's knife. I really wanted a Santoku knife for this. The santoku knife is a modified variation of the chef's knife with origins from Japan. It has a finer edge which allows for finer precision-cutting. The blade width and weight usually matches that of the handle so if feels more balanced in the hand. It is also made from harder tempered steel. It is shorter, lighter, and easier for smaller hands (like mine). I also love the divots on the sides of the blade that help prevent the vegetables from sticking to the knife.
I got this one for $34.99 at CSN Stores Cookware.com

I am LOVING this knife! It fits perfect in my hand and feels so light that I can cut a ton of vegetables without cramping. I can't believe how thin it cuts too. I did cut myself the first time using it though. I was used to my very dull chefs knife so when I used my fingers to slide the vegetables off of the knife it sliced my finger a little. The blade is VERY sharp. I have learned my lesson and am more careful now, so hopefully I won't have any more accidents.

2. An 8" or larger bread knife. I mostly use this for bread, but it comes in handy for slicing pineapple and other fruits.

I got this one for $22.99 at CSN Stores Cookware.com

3. Paring knives are great for fine precision work like peeling, coring, etc... I got a set of 3 (you really only need one, but they are so cheap and often come in sets). I have used these quite a lot and have enjoyed how easily I am able to core, peel and make precision cuts.

I got these for $12.00 at CSN Stores Cookware.com

Thank you to CSN Stores for my new knives that didn't cost a fortune! I wish I would have done this research 14 years ago, but better late than never.

The Thrifty Home Featured at Today's Creative Blog

My blog is still fairly new, just a baby really. I started this blog just 3 months ago, so I was shocked when I got an email from Kim over at Today's Creative Blog informing me that I was featured today. I blushed when I read all of the nice things she wrote about me and had to read it a few times to be sure she was writing about my little blog. I was looking at her list of blogs she has featured and it is a good sized list of some really great blogs. If you are looking for some good blogs to read, go visit her site.

To see her post about my blog click HERE

12:34:56 7/8/09

"For the digitally inclined, Wednesday marks a cool spot in sequential history. At exactly 12:34:56, the time and date will be 12:34:56 7/08/09. That only happens once -- or twice -- every 100 years, so for some, it's worth celebrating."

To read the rest of this article from the Chicago Tribune, click HERE

So my question to all of you is this:
What were you doing at 12:34:56 on 7/8/09?
Leave a comment and share with us.
I don't know what I will be doing (it is 11:10 AM for me right now), but I will most likely be putting my son down for is nap.