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My husband loves the classic beauties– the hour glass figures of the pinup girls, vintage cars, and eating at diners with jukeboxes and soda jerks. He prefers suspenders over belts, low-cut neat hairstyles, cigars and pipes, and mom and pop shops. Even his taste in jewelery is classic– preferring pocket watches over wrists watches any day.
When we celebrated our first wedding anniversary on August 30, 2004, I scoured the Internet looking for a pocket watch that embodied the classic beauty of the old Hunter-case watches worn by the railroad workers of 19th century. It was virtually impossible to find one that had the look and feel of the old-style pocket watches,and the ones that I did find were extravagantly priced. Unfortunately, I could not find one that we could afford– you know, newlywed and barely making ends meet.
This year, however, as we come upon out 6-year anniversary, I have decided to bite the bullet and buy a pocket watch for my husband. I found a great, inexpensive collection of the Jules Jergensent watches for under $300. I plan on getting my husband the watch on the left with a phrase, “my love for you is so timeless” engraved on the back.
I guess this is going to be the anniversary of classic gifts, because when my husband asked me what I wanted, I suggested that he check out the Citizen Watches collection which includes and old-fashion-styled charm bracelet watch. I am normally not a fan of watches for myself, but this bracelet/watch is absolutely breathtaking. It’s going to be a great anniversary!

Let’s face it, the economy has us all suffocating and stressed beyond relief. So, when I was asked to review the new book “Good Housekeeping: Good Deals & Smart Steals: How to Save Money on Everything,” I jumped at the offer. And I am glad I did.
The tiny book packs a huge punch with how to get the most out of your money simply by knowing where to shop. Take, for example, auctions. When we think of auctions we think of Ebay or Yahoo, but did you know that you can find auctions through the United States Postal Service or the United Stated Department of Treasury?
In addition to auctions, some of the other tips include how to save money purchasing big appliances, organizing a clothing exchange with friends, keeping up with car maintence, and even maximizing coupons by shopping on “Double Coupon Days.”
If part of your New Year’s Reasolution is to save money, you will benefit from this amazing tips offered in “Good Housekeeping: Good Deals & Smart Steals: How to Save Money on Everything”. This book gets two thumbs up from my family.
I am always looking for healthier alternatives to my favorite snacks and Lays Original potato chips are by far my favorite chips. They contain 180 mg of sodium (the same as white bread) and with my and my husband’s current high blood pressure issues, I have to avoid them. So, when I was contacted by a representative from the Zócalo Group with an offer to try a sample of the Lays Pinch of Salt Potato Chips, I jumped at the chance to do so– and I was not disappointed.
The chips arrived in a very large box considering the size of the bag (a regular large bag of chips), which made me chuckle. But a big box was needed to contain the flavor of these chips. They were amazing. My husband, who NEVER wants plain chips, enjoyed them as well. And while sodium is still off limits to us, it’s good to know that we can indulge every now and then with a better choice.
I do want to share some nutritional information that Jen, the Zócalo Group representive who sent me the free samples, forwarded to me. I cross-checked this information with the USDA and it is accurate.
SODIUM COMPARISONS OF FRITO-LAY PRODUCTS AND COMMONLY CONSUMED FOODS AND SNACKS
|
LEADING FRITO-LAY PRODUCTS |
AVERAGE SERVING OF COMMON FOODS* |
AVERAGE SERVING OF COMMON SNACKS* |
|
Pinch of Salt Lay’s, Fritos, Tostitos and Ruffles chips (75mg/oz) |
Glass of 2% Milk (100 mg/cup) |
Baby Carrots (66 mg/85 grams= about ½ cup) |
|
Tostitos Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips (120mg/oz) |
Fruit yogurt (140 mg/cup) |
Trail mix (170mg/ ½ cup) |
|
SunChips Multigrain Snacks Original (120 mg/oz) |
Whole wheat English muffin (155mg/half) |
Microwave popcorn (120mg/3 cups) |
|
Ruffles Potato Chips (160 mg/oz) |
White bread (170 mg/slice) |
Graham crackers (190mg/2 sheets) |
|
Fritos Corn Chips (160 mg/oz) |
Angel food cake (210mg/piece) |
Wheat crackers (225 mg/oz) |
|
Lay’s Classic Potato Chips (180 mg/oz) |
Ready-to-eat corn flakes cereal (265 mg/cup) |
Goldfish-shaped cheese-flavored crackers (240mg/oz) |
|
Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips (180 mg/oz) |
Plain bagel (380 mg/3oz)
|
Snack mix [pretzels, rye chips, mini breadsticks, wheat crisps] (380mg/ 2/3 cup) |
|
Cheetos Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks (290 mg/oz) |
Cottage cheese (460 mg/4oz) |
Pretzel sticks (560mg/oz) |
*Data from USDA Nutrient Database