yolio's Profile

Mint is great for tracking spending habits. I am also pretty fond of the online banking tools offered by BofA. I can do all of my bills electronically, and it makes planning and keeping track so much easier. Also, I think you just have to automate saving. Auto-transfer that money into a savings account and pretend like it was never there in the first place!

I don't enjoy watching my money like a hawk, it really drags me down. Fortunately, my spouse is diligent and does a lot to keep us on track. One thing I have found that helps me is to make budget planning not only about how to save money but also about making plans on how to spend money. I think of something big that I want to do and I plan those costs at the same time as I am planning the little sacrifices that make those costs possible. This really helps me out, psychologically.

I agree this is an important health issue and have taken measures to cut back on sitting in my work. Still, it annoys me when yoga instructors and the like admonish the sitting. It is easy for you to say! You are a yoga teacher!! Some of us have professions that make it very difficult to minimize the sitting.

The single use tools make sense as long as they get a lot of use---and what gets used just depends on the cook (see the lady above who is addicted to her quesadilla press).

In my kitchen, the frivolous appliance is probably the most multi-use of all: my food processor. There is nothing that I do with it that I couldn't do without it. And it is a pain to clean, so often I don't even bother with it. I could definitely live without it. But I keep it, despite my small kitchen, because occasionally it makes an easy task out of what would have been a hard one.

I am probably more a meh-ist than any of the others. But it isn't like I don't have a storage ottoman filled with random cables that I'm not sure what to do with...It is kind of unclear to me how to get rid of my tech that has no resale value.

We have used the naturemill for about a year. It took a little effort to get it set-up in the first month. But otherwise is basically no-maintenance, which is pretty much what I am looking for in a composting system. Our only problem is we make way more compost than we can use!

So what about smoked salmon?

I am very curious about this, because while I frequently like lox in restaurants I often don't like the various cured salmon that I buy in the grocery store. I am trying to figure out what to shop for.

We once painted a windowless bathroom bright, bright yellow and it was a huge success. The room was so dungeon-y before that. We lit it softly with a chain of christmas lights. I couldn't believe that a bright color light that just seemed to generate light all on its own.

Interesting. I find coconut flour to be quite fussy. It absorbs a lot of liquid, and so 1:1 substitution usually yields a very dry result. I tend to use coconut flour in much smaller quantities. And you really need to pair it with a lot of eggs, which yields a not-unpleasant spongy quality. When I bake with coconut flour, everything tends towards the texture of angel food cake but more filling, due to all of the eggs.

I like coconut flour, and it has its place, but I don't consider it to be a happy substitution in most recipes. I find almond flour to be a lot more forgiving. The downside of almond flour is the high calories, but the food comes out yummy.

It is always interesting to see how nasty and judgmental commenters are when it comes to martha stewart. People are so over-the-top about her.

I agree, having it is fine, insisting on it is rude. It is the same with any such list. It is better form to wait to be asked for it or leave it where it can be discovered, rather than directing people to it yourself. But, this etiquette can introduce some silly logistics, so I don't really mind being offered an unsolicited link.

I am amused by how judgmental people get on this point. It is awfully easy to slip into "horribly rude." For the record, I think a registry should have gifts at every relevant price point. Some people want to buy a big thing, so big things should be on the list along with plenty of under $30 options.