Spoon Fed For Free

Today I woke and packed food. Lots of food. I packed up some of that lentil/barley soup I made on Monday night (here's the recipe, (sub barley for bulgur)), I packed up some oranges, threw in some golden raisins, and made two peanut butter and honey sandwiches. No, I wasn't going camping, but 'Spoon'ing rather. And as my pal Gen has informed me, spooning leads to forking.

Tonight in Rockefella' Park, the Austin indie band Spoon was playing outside for free. I've wanted to see them live every since a pal of mine came back from a Guided by Voices concert raving about this opening act. If you haven't heard them, then skip down to your local "cooler- than-thou" indie record store and ask for them. It might even earn you a tight lipped nod from the wildly pierced and tattooed faces behind the counter.

Right after work I took my foodstuffs downtown to watch the show. But the skies had other things in mind for me and Spoon. Clouds were dumping gallons of rain down on the waiting. I stood out in the rain under my umbrella for a little while until I decided being under an open field near water and trees was not the best idea during a lightening storm. So I found shelter in a parking garage until the rain let up. As soon as it got less biblical, I went back to the concert grounds and waited. I stood inside a forest of umbrellas while the rain got less and less and finally stopped. A woman appeared and announced it would be at least a half an hour until the stage was dry enough for the band to play with out fear of electrocution. Then, to wild cheering, they started removing the tarps covering all the equipment.

Until it started to rain again. I started to lose hope. But I munched on raisins and met a few new friends. Sharing is good. Then the rain stopped and stayed stopped. They decided to skip the opening act and Spoon came out and rocked the park. It was great and even better because I didn't have to pay for it, and I felt a camaraderie with the packed park as we had all stuck it out together. Wet, miserable and rocking. Even when it started to sprinkle and a guy who looked like Ben Gibbard's dad would come out between songs, arms crossed, and sternly speak with Spoon's lead singer Britt Daniel, the band continued to play. Electricity be damned. Eventually the forces that be won and Britt informed us "They're telling us to get off the stage." They finished and waved and our encore calls weren't heard. Still aside from "The Way We Get By" I heard everything I wanted to. It was wet, it was loud, it was Spoon.

THE DAILY BREAKDOWN

The only thing I spent today was a few fun hours in the park.

Starting Balance: $19

IN: $10

OUT: $0

Balance: $29

Beat to the Punch, Dodging the Cut, and Meeting the Man

Well, I've never claimed to be much of a genius. Sure, I've had the occasional flash of brilliance, but Issac Newton I'm not. And to prove that I'd like to share this article from the New York Magazine. It appears the author, Jardine had the idea long before me. But read the article and you will see that Jardine lacks vision. Jardine tried it for only a week. Jardine cannot make important sacrifices, like giving up cigarettes. Jardine believes that $8 meatballs are a find. Jardine resorts to begging, she resorts to borrowing, and Jardine, when all this fails, resorts to Craigslist in order to get a meal. With a smile of pure schadenfreude I'd like to report that Jardine got stood up at said Craigslist date.

At the end of her frugal week, Jardine even has a nice little pile of trash to show us which she's artfully arranged. You may feel I'm being hard on Jardine, but I disagree. You see ladies and gentlemen, Jardine is a tourist. And, as is appropriate for all tourists, we should scorn Jardine, or at the very least we should pity her for her insurmountable dullness. The Gotham Frugal is in it for the long haul. This is no fantasy getaway. And to my Hawaiian friend, Kori, who shared this great article with me: "Mahalo, Mahalo nui loa."

This morning I stopped by the grocery store to buy yogurt and I caught my reflection in the store window. It was then that I decided to get a haircut, and being on the low rent tip I went to Supercuts after work. Before going I even printed out a $2 off coupon. When I got to the Supercuts location, I approached the counter, and was told by the fat, smug, gay man "You can have a seat on that bench." I thought 'Oh, can I? Will you allow me the honor of placing my tuckus on this fine cube of plywood and pleather? How privileged I feel." I sat for a moment and watched a young lady hack at man's head with the basest of styling tools, the clippers. I can't tell you how many haircuts have taken a sour turn once the barber turned on that buzz saw of death, and on the way over I prepared myself for telling some underpaid, under trained hair tech how I won't allow them to use their favorite tool. I watched as the man who 'sat' me plunged a straw into his Starbucks frappuccino and began to rehearse my instructions, then I spied the price chart. It was $22, where I expected something closer to $12. Then and there I decided that I'm just going to have to let my locks hang during the wedding, come what may.

I decided to walk the 30 or so blocks home keeping an eye out for a bus I could catch. It was hot, it was East Harlem, and I didn't know the area that well. Plus I always seemed to be a few blocks ahead or behind the limited stop bus that could deliver me to my door. But then, after walking almost all the distance, a little less than a block away from my apartment I saw a familiar looking man step out of a cab. It was, to my delight, none other than Dominic Chianese, better known as Junior Soprano, no doubt headed to the nearby, ultra-exclusive, Italian restaurant Rao's. Our paths crossed and I gave him a casual "Love the show." It didn't quite register, I think he was trying to get his bearings having emerged from the cab, as I got a sort of nod. But then it must've hit him, he'd been payed a compliment. I crossed the street he looked back and gave me a very un-Junior like smile, but warm all the same. The best things in life just may be free.

THE DAILY BREAKDOWN

Starting balance: $11.25

IN: $10

OUT:
Yogurt: $2.25

Balance: $19

Free Furniture, No Interest, and Sangria Times

Well, it's a little past check in time and I've been at a bar, drinking. "How?" you may ask, well generous friends who happen to know generous bartenders is one asset I have acquired in my short time in the city.

Today I wanted to explain a bit about my credit card bill. You know, the one I'm trying to pay off. You see, I don't pay any interest on the current card. This is because credit cards often run promotional rates that are nil for the first twelve months. Almost all banks in the credit card business do this. They offer you an easy year, expecting you to go hog wild and leave them with a heap of owed money that they can then rape you with using interest. But banks are egotistical enough to believe that there is no competition. To prove my point, I have on at least two occasions, called my previous credit card company and asked them to drop my interest rates to zero. My thought process was, "Hey, I've been with you for years, I'm just asking for a twelve month suspension of interest charges. Every time I log on to your account, you're offering every johnny-come-lately a no-interest special. I've been with you for years, why not offer the same deal to a friend rather than a stranger?" I've tried this tactic a few times, the most I ever got was a few points reduced on my over all interest rate, which may help you if you don't feel like switching cards. Keep in mind that switching cards can affect the quality of your credit rating, an important number when you want to take out loans or buy a car. Needless to say, I've transfered my balance to a bank offering no interest for 12 months, and, much to their chagrin, I plan on paying it off on time. If you have some spare time, I highly recommend wrestling with your credit card company over the same issue. Explain to them that you could easily switch over to a no interest account and that they should give you the same deal or lose a client. It doesn't work well at all. But it's fun to listen to phone clones stutter.

Today I had the most marvelous piece of luck. I went to my super to ask if she had a vacuum cleaner I could borrow. The answer was, as always, long, complicated, and totally my fault. In this case the problem was that I didn't ask four days ago. Apparently there was a brand new vacuum cleaner available because a tenant recently vacated their apartment and left nearly everything behind. I was led upstairs to an almost fully furnished room and told that I could have what ever was there. By simply inquiring, I managed to snag a book shelf, a coffee table, and an entertainment center. My apartment is beginning to look practically respectable. Lamenting my loss of the vacuum cleaner the landlady said, "I put it out on the sidewalk and a half an hour later, that shit was gone," The last word was accompanied by a dramatic spreading of the narrator's arms. You'd think that vacuum cleaner was gold, the way she fussed. I love my super. How many New Yorkers can say that?

After installing the new furniture and cooking a lentil/barley soup, (for which I had to buy a $2 bag of onions) I got a call from a friend urging me to come down to Union Square. Fortunately, she understands that I am now THE Gotham Frugal and offered to buy, so I got down there to get fairly buzzed off of some strong sangria.

Eventually I made it home, desperate as always to bring you...

THE DAILY BREAKDOWN

Starting balance $3.25

IN : $10

OUT:
Onions: $2

Ending balance $11.25

Your Bank Hates You...Fire Them

As wise man fond of cliches once remarked, "A penny saved is a penny earned." I'd like to think he was referring to the fact that looking for bargains and not giving into the temptation to spend signified an effort that could in effect double your money. But it was hard to tell seeing as how he immediately followed with, "An apple a day keeps the crabs away." Wise though he was, the old man often confused things. As far as the former statement goes he could also be referring to a saving man's good friend, Interest.

It's nice that banks pay you to hold on to your money, very kind of them. Of course some also charge you to take your money or move your money around; think checking costs, transfer fees, and those roguish ATM charges. And when you're dealing with one of those brick and mortar, Greek column, bedrock facilities of finance (which often fold like a deck of cards) you should know that you're not getting paid enough. Today I looked at two such institutions to see what they were offering in way of interest for saving accounts. If you're a small fish you might get .2%, if you can afford to leave $25,000 rotting in a savings account, then they hop you up to .45%, almost half a percentage point, which will yield you a whopping $112 dollars at the end of the year, and they said the first the million is the hardest. Of course there are CDs but they require large opening balances and you can't touch your money for 8 months, or whatever.

Well ING is here to save us from the tyranny of our banks. They ask for no minimum balance and offer ten times the other banks' high-roller's rate. And they extend a similar deal even to checking. It's a no brainer. Of course you have to be comfortable with the internet and trust that some cyberpunk won't run off with your funds, but even if such a feat is pulled off, we've got the FDIC to swoop in and bail us out. So barring nuclear annihilation, your money is safe, and safely earning interest. Lots of interest. I opened one less than two weeks ago and have already gotten $1.13. Woo hoo! Bubble gum's on me boys!

I looked into how they make their money. It basically boils down to the fact that you can't play with it right away. They loan your money out and charge someone else twice the interest. They also have a much loved mortgage racket. Added to the fact that they don't have any brick and mortar overhead and you reap the benefits.

So I say dump your big market bank and get with the new wave kids.

Packed breakfast and lunch today. And I used my old bank to turn rolled change into cash. But that won't count towards my bank roll. So on to...

The Daily Breakdown

Starting Balance: $-26.50

IN: $10

OUT: $0

BALANCE: $-16.50

Like Water for Shakespeare

My big plan for today was to feature how attending Shakespeare in the Park is a fun way to do something culturally significant without paying a dime. Apparently some others had this idea much sooner than I did, as they were lined up sometime after dusk last night for the gratis tickets. By the nine in the morning none were available.

Free clearly ain't free. Not in this city. In fact, I think one could make a pretty good living waiting in line. Wait in line for Beastie Boys playing at McCarran pool, wait in line for an iphone, wait in line for Shakespeare in the Park and mark everything up. If you can manage boredom and weather well, this is the job for you.

Truthfully though, this particular Shakespeare in the Park featured Romeo and Juliet as played in a pool of water and I wasn't into it. I don't know what a shallow pool of water has to do with an overrated play. I never thought two teenagers killing themselves over their mutual infatuation was all that sexy. My favorite part of the play is the fact that they know. They meet and their love is a sure thing. They think they can stop looking. That I like. But 'that' is bullshit. Those of us that have had those relationships know how long they last. And if it wasn't for a missed message, well, Juliet would be easily forgettable. Nor would the name Romeo carry the charming association that it does today.

I did get to go to the gym and workout today. I work out at one of the city gyms. It sounds rough and it is, but for $25 you get six months of membership. It's no Clay, but the dumbbells weight the same.

Meanwhile, Fresh Direct showed around four and I tipped the enthusiastically introductory gentleman $2. Then it was on to cooking. Remind me to buy pre-cut mangos in the future.

The Breakdown
Start Balance: $-34.50

In: $10

Out: Tip to the Fresh Direct Dude: $2

Balance: $-26.50

Fresh Direct and the Great Experiment

This is the first post. The Rules should explain everything. If you have questions, ask. If you have advice, share.

On to the blog.

One of my greatest challenges in these coming months will be feeding myself enough that I don't begin to look like Jeremy Davies in Rescue Dawn. Thus the need for groceries. Recently in the mail I received a coupon from Fresh Direct for $50 worth of groceries, a god send for a man with my mission.

Fresh Direct is a respectable outfit. When I was living in the crawl space above my friend's refrigerator last fall she would often task me with waiting around for the Fresh Direct people. Seeing as how I often got to nosh on her dime, I was up for the challenge. But there are a few problems with Fresh Direct. It takes a lot of planning, it's not very fun, and the value is questionable. I like wandering the aisles seeing what jumps out at me, Fresh Direct robs me of this pleasure. But it was convenient for my former roommate, she got to avoid the PathMark on 125th and Lex (aka Hell on Earth), and she could skip the hauling her goods through the panhandling gauntlet that was the walk home. But for me it's not so convenient.

Sure Fresh Direct has lots of stuff for sale and the food is pretty good, but you have to sit down and think what you want and how much you want to spend. I live down the street from a grocery store, one that happens to be in the Spanish Harlem, or El Barrio, as we will refer to it hence. This means cheap goods. The selection is very Latino centric, which actually is something I'm fine with. But they don't have everything. And I would've gone there to shop anyway if it wasn't for this promotional coupon burning a hole in my pocket.

I had planned out my menu for the week anyway. The signature dish of the week is Mambo Chicken with Mango Salsa. I've made this dish twice before and it's fantastic. One batch can yield four meals for a single, skinny guy like myself. Add some rice and it's enough to make a man chunky. So I ordered the ingredients for that along with some bread for PB&Honey sandwiches as well as some nacho fixins like guacamole and chips.

Part of my problem with Fresh Direct is you have to order $50 worth of food to get a delivery out of them and they charge $5 for the convenience of waiting around for their delivery drivers to show up in the 2 hour time slot you picked. These requirements aren't cool for me seeing as how the price means I'd have to go 5 days with out so much as buying a hot dog. But with the coupon my total was a quarter shy of $32. I figure after the delivery charge and tip, and the lack of discounts on their prices I got about $15 of free groceries today. But I won't get them until Sunday and I have to eat today.

I recently made a chicken cutlet sandwich and liked it. And since I've got a block of pepper jack cheese in my fridge threatening to go moldy on me, I decided I'd make a panini that combined the two. I went to the grocery store down the street, picked up 3 wheat rolls for $1, a small pack of cutlets, a lime and a tomato; all together it was $5. I marinated the cutlets for a few hours with olive oil, lime juice, chopped garlic, chili powder, salt and black pepper. Then I used a cast iron stove-top grill to cook the chicken. Stuck the tomato, jack cheese, onion, and chicken in the whole wheat rolls, stuck those in the press, and presto, Chicken Pepper Jack Paninis.

I have to add that I had a street tamale (so good) with eggs for breakfast. Tamales are uno viente cinco. I also spent $7.50 on beer tonight. Not on bread alone, right? So all totaled I spent $44.50 on food and beer today. Tomorrow will be a lazy Sunday, so no spending will be breeze. It's the coming week that will hurt.

The breakdown:
Starting Balance: $0

In
Money: $10

Out
Fresh Direct: $31.75
Chicken Cutlet Sandwiches: $5
Beer: $7.50
Tamale: $1.25

Balance: -$34.50