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The Savvy Life

Written by Melissa Tosetti
Tuesday, 21 May 2013 07:47
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In Defense of Keira Knightley...

Written by Melissa Tosetti
Wednesday, 08 May 2013 10:23
By Melissa Tosetti Did you hear that British actress, Keira Knightley got married over the weekend? Unfortunately, the bigger story was the speculation that she wore a "used" dress for the occasion. I love reading about celebrities like anyone else, but find it frustrating when they're spotlighted for wearing an item more than once. Several publications even have columns dedicated to celebrities being photographed in an outfit on multiple occasions, or heaven forbid, for using the same purse! I appreciate the fashion industry as a source for personal expression as well as it's contribution to the business industry. However, I get angry at the media for calling celebrities out when they choose to reuse an item. From a financial and an environmental angle, putting a negative connotation on wearing an item twice is dangerous! Write comment (2 Comments)

Road Trip Snacks

Written by Melissa Tosetti

Monday, 29 April 2013 10:54

By Melissa Tosetti

I've been on the road for the last two weekends in a row and am facing much more travel in the next six weeks.

On the way back from a speaking engagement in Granite Bay on Saturday, I lucked out and found a Subway sandwich shop next to the gas station I stopped at. I was starving at the time and about ready to eat anything I could find, no matter how many calories it entailed. Having the healthier alternative of Subway was a blessing.

The experience was a reminder that I need to swing by Trader Joes in the next few days and stock up on Road Trip Snacks.

Having healthy snacks in the car for when I'm hungry will save me time by not having to stop for food.

It will save me calories, because it's much easier to make healthy food decisions when I'm standing in the aisle at Trader Joe's rather than driving past billboards covered in burgers.

Stocking up on Road Trip Snacks will also save me A LOT of money - especially for those trips that Paul and Dante are with me. For the cost of two fast food meals for the three of us, I can purchase enough Road Trip Snacks for all six of the trips I have on my calendar.

If we stop twice during each trip (once on the way out and once on the way in), I would likely spend $45 - $50 per trip or $270 - $300 for all six trips. I would much rather save that money for two or three really nice meals while on our getaways than suck down another burger on the go.

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A Fast - Slow Meal

Sunday, 20 September 2009 16:00

I'd like to say that I spent most of Saturday in the kitchen cooking, but that would be a lie. I used my crockpot to convert an $8 three pound roast into a delicious pot roast using an envelope of onion soup mix and two cans of Coke.

I used my breadmaker to convert three cups of flour, a few teaspoons of yeast, oil, sugar and water into dough that I then baked in the oven for mouthwatering homemade bread.

I cubed four small potatoes, doused them in olive oil along with fresh rosemary from the garden and a little salt and pepper before roasting them in the oven (once the bread was done).

I chopped four enormous carrots into bite sized pieces and cooked them with butter, orange juice and a few spoons of brown sugar.

With dinner I enjoyed a frosty glass of Gordon Biersch's Marzen ale which was on sale and is one of my favorites. It was a feast! It took all of my willpower not to go back for seconds.

I estimate that I spent about 40 minutes in the kitchen preparing everything, although that 40 minutes was spread over an eight hour time period. I also estimate that the entire meal, including beer cost $12. The beauty of it is that the leftovers will last for several days. Pot roast sandwiches are a favorite in our house! Especially with homemade bread.

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The Drip Coffee Factor

Written by Melissa Tosetti

Saturday, 20 April 2013 08:28

By Melissa Tosetti

Fifteen years ago, Paul gave me a beautiful Krupps Coffee Maker for Christmas. I was more than a little heartbroken yesterday when it stopped working. After thorough investigation we came to the conclusion that it was not repairable.

I headed to Target and picked up a nice little Black and Decker 5 Cup Coffee Maker for $16.95. Because I brew just one cup at a time, the smaller size suits me perfectly and I like that it takes up half the space of its predecessor.

If the new coffee maker also lasts 15 years (5,475 days) its price per use will be $.0003. That’s pretty good!

No offense to Starbucks or Peets, but I really do prefer the taste of the coffee I make at home. I get San Francisco Bay brand at Costco for an average of $16 for a three pound bag which typically lasts me a little over two months. It costs me about $.27 a day to keep me caffeinated.

Because I like to crunch numbers for fun, I decided to see how much money I save by brewing my own coffee at home.

If I were to go to Starbucks and get a tall drip coffee, I would pay about $1.65. Since I drink two cups of coffee per day, that’s $3.30. By brewing my own, I save $3.03 a day over buying it at Starbucks.

That’s a savings of $90 a month and $1,080 a year. Multiply that times the lifespan of my last coffee maker (15 years) and the savings comes to $16,200.

If I turned it around and put that $90 a month into an account that earned a humble 3% interest, in 15 years I would have $20,620.

This is not an original concept. Personal finance author, David Bach, made it famous by calling it The Latte Factor. In my case, I’ll call it the Drip Coffee Factor.