nm

Yeah, it really is about the trip. For example, one place
I do splurge is on does darn little Frappacinos put out
by Starbucks. I have started buying them in quantity
lately, even though they are pretty expensive on a per
oz. basis. But then I think that it means little in the big scheme of things and I get a lot of enjoyment. Guess
I will cut back elsewhere.

John Galt

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Used to love those things.

I did make up a concoction of a shot of espresso, some half and half, a little nestles quick and a couple of spoons of sugar that made a close enough result for about 1/4 the cost.

Now I go for the quick and easy. Yesterdays strong coffee (chilled) mixed with sweetened condensed milk and poured over ice. An "Asian Coffee" by some of the local coffeenerd places for $3-4 a pop.

[JonnyM]

Yeah, it really is about the trip. For example, one place
I do splurge is on does darn little Frappacinos put out
by Starbucks. I have started buying them in quantity
lately, even though they are pretty expensive on a per
oz. basis. But then I think that it means little in the big scheme of things and I get a lot of enjoyment. Guess
I will cut back elsewhere.

John Galt

John Galt, I feel your pain, er ah enjoyment. Is it not about making choices, setting your life's priorities. I grab that Venti Frapp, She gets a Jamba Orange Dream (did you ever notice how often those two stores are right next door) and a couple of pretzels, and we're set. That's why it's good to be free, we get to pick or own poisons. I plan on having a wine cellar to last me for years by the time I ER. I will never give up the joy of a great blended drink, a fine wine, a great beer on tap, or tasty food. On the other hand look at the savings from never having picked up a Golf Club. Surely that isn't really considered a sport?




Life is short, enjoy the ride.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Well I was down in excramento...err...sacramento yesterday and stopped in at trader joes to refill my freezer with tasty bags of bits. Also got a few bottles of the Chuck. The merlot isnt that great, not as good as it was, but one bottle may vary from the next. They have a shiraz now, I just opened that and its decent. Not as good as that yellowtail from last week, but half the price.

[BigMoneyJim]

Sooner or later I'll have to try some of these value wines. But I have Chateau Thomas Winery just a couple of miles down the street.

I strongly favor the sweeter wines ("fruity" for the wine experts). Currently I have a muscat canelli, vintage port wine, port-style late harvest zinfandel and sweet sherry.

Does anyone know of good low-cost brands for these types of wines?

[brewer12345]

Can't offer suggestions on brands, but if you make your own with a kit (pretty darned easy), you get pretty decent wine for $3 a bottle and under.

[unclemick]

The Safeway supermarket used to have a homebrew section in my corner of the Pacific NW in the 1960's. Made many a bottle of elderberry and concord grape wine and beer(got yeast from a German neighbor). Like snow sking, these are hobbies in the past. I even had a small library on brewing and was sending away for foreign malts in the 1980's. Kits have probably improved greatly since I gave it up.

[Skylark]

Not to mix beer and wine, but...

Homebrew beer ingredients cost about $25 for 5 gallons of beer. This is for top quality malt extract, hops and yeast.

It does cost a bit to get the equipment to get started.

This is my current supplier:

http://www.northernbrewer.com

I've got a batch bubbling away in the basement right now. When done right, homebrew is excellent quality beer, equal to the $10 a six pack stuff.

[charlie]

My dad was into home brew back in the late
60's. The first time I brought my future wife, Lyn,
home to meet the folks he was in the process of
caping off a batch. We waited about 1 hr to let
the bottles age in a tub of ice and then had a
blast of a party. The beer tasted awful but we
were young and had a good time.

Cheers,

Charlie (aka Chuck-Lyn)

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Oboy, I'll bet taste wasnt the biggest thing there

Theres a place in sacramento where you can go and use their equipment to brew your own beer. They can even provide bottles, custom labels and cold storage. Not worth it unless you're making several cases, but a lot of guys I used to work with had a steady supply of "<their name> Beer". Kinda cool I guess.

My girlfriend has a huge growth of grapes along one fence of her yard, and she made wine one year. One word describes it. Actually several single words describe it. Most of them no longer utterable on national television. Some also mimic bodily rejection sounds.

One of my friends and I bought a little home brewing kit, complete with its own cute little barrel. Results of that expedition were about the same.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Having accidentally fallen face down in an unidentified mushroom patch once or twice in my youth and seeing the results, yes I getcha.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Linka no work.

Dammit, I cant waste any more time here. Have to go install a new fixture on the kitchen sink.

Plumbing. One of my very most favorite things to do in the world. If you live in Yuba City and have small children that are unaccustomed to the type of language emitted by the saltiest of sailors, cover their ears for the next 60 minutes.

[BusyMom]

Black Swan Shiraz is very nice - more flavor than the Yellow Tail-IMHO.

John - don't give up those Frappucino's...you're funding my ER.

Hello busymom! Yep, Starbucks stock should soar.
I found a local store which has the best price I have
seen on Frappacino. I intend to buy out their entire stock.

John Galt

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Costco around here sells those for just under a buck a bottle.

[BusyMom]

I will always have room in my budget for my coffee and my red wine...and both are a necessity with my kids & schedule. Now tho' I have to drink the coffee in order to be awake for wine-time!

Really am glad I stumbled onto this site with all the experience and info' shared by everyone. Thanks...and now I have to refill my glass.

[ESRBob]

Love the Yellowtail Shiraz and going to try Black Swan. My brother says we like the australian wines because they can do filtration things to them to take out tannin and put back regular water that the BATF won't allow here. Whatever.

I wanted to share my newest find at $5-6 per bottle (nothing is ever cheaper than that in NY -- thanks to our mafia liquor distributors here) that stacks up against anything I've ever tasted at $20+. Portugese reds are coming to a store near you -- they make them with the same grapes as Port and now they've figured out how to make a decent wine from them. My find is Evel Douro Vinho Tinto 2001. See if your local carries it. I found it at a wine tasting and liked it best vs 50 other wines that night.

btw, I was pleased to find that despite my mere wannabe status in the dryer sheets department, my wife has been recycling them for years, using them to clean her computer screen. I told her about the ant repellent qualities which she liked now that its ant season. I guess that is why we were able to ER -- my wife recycles dryer sheets! The best I can do to balance the budget is buy cheap wine.

[ESRBob]

One other tip: buy a vin-o-vac if you don't have one -- sucks the air out of your half-open bottle. i've found with the cheap hearty reds (california cabs like beringer and australian shiraz) that they taste even better the second or third day -- mellow a bit and taste downright classy. all for 7 bucks or so

[Whakamole]

Trader Joes now has a Chilean Collection that is inexpensive (I think $4 a bottle.) I'm having a glass of red now that's excellent.

[BUM]

One other tip: buy a vin-o-vac if you don't have one -- sucks the air out of your half-open bottle.

Whats a half-open bottle? Vin-o-vac?
How about wife-o-vac?


BUM