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23 Aug 08 - 10:55 AM (#2420665) Subject: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: GUEST,leeneia Some months ago, the US government sent a lot of people a few hundred dollars to spend. They called in 'economic incentive' payments. Supposed to pep up the economy, I guess. I let mine sit in the bank. If I spent it, I would have another thing, and I don't actually have the room for another thing or the desire to take care of it. However, 8 months ago, I received a gift certificate to an upscale kitchen store. I decided that I should use it before it expired, so yesterday I ambled around the place, looking at overpriced and useless things. Did I want a jar of cranberry-Dijon sauce? No. A hand made of cheap green glass, whatever it might be for? No. Eventually I realized that I could use a good bread knife. I have three bread knives, all of which shred the bread and tend to cut crooked. So I used the gift and $46 of my own ($46!) to buy a splendid bread knife. You could do brain surgery with this bread knife, and it cuts bread be-a-u-tee-fully. It was made by Wusthof. (In your mind's eye put the two little dots, the umlaut, over the u in Wusthof. The umlaut adds $10 to the price.) Some people buy Ferrari, Armani and Subzero. I buy thrift shop, Target, and supermarket. It is a big deal to me to spend money like that and buy the the best. The knife is such a joy to use that I stood around cutting up bread that didn't need it, just to watch it in action. The DH was amused. We had a conference on Care of the Knife ('Do not leave it the sink to soak.') and where to store it. Now I think I better get a knife-holder. More economic incentive! The Republicans are probably reading this with great joy. |
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23 Aug 08 - 11:08 AM (#2420672) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: gnu Soak? A bread knife should, 1) never come in contact with the cutting surface while in motion, and 2) be wiped with a clean dry cloth (T-shirt in my case) and never ever come in contact with water or soap. |
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23 Aug 08 - 11:08 AM (#2420673) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Sandra in Sydney A Good Knife is wonderful - I really must get my Good Knife sharpened again. Strangely enough, mine is also a Wusthof - Le Cordon Blue tho it only cost $100 cos it was on sale! Maybe you can find a knife block in a thrift shop? My block was a supermarket/chainstore find. sandra (the Google ad below doesn't have an umlaut over the u in Wusthof, but I'm not clicking on the ad to see if the webpage does!) |
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23 Aug 08 - 11:22 AM (#2420677) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: pdq "Maybe you can find a knife block in a thrift shop?" A good lumber store should have end-grain maple made speciffically for butcher blocks. Not unreaonabley priced considering what it is. Often several thickness available and "cut to size" at the store. |
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23 Aug 08 - 12:00 PM (#2420697) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: bobad I got one of these for my knives, best 10 bucks I ever spent. |
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23 Aug 08 - 12:28 PM (#2420713) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Bee-dubya-ell What? You spent that much money for a knife and ignored your spatulas? Withdraw some more of that economic incentive money and get back to that store today! |
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23 Aug 08 - 12:31 PM (#2420716) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Barry Finn If you've got a butcher block counter or table drill a hole in it & then use a saber saw or sawsall & put a cut in it as wide as the bread blade, makes a very convenent knife holder. If you're good at sharpening old blades a flee market is a good knive source for some really nice blades. Barry |
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23 Aug 08 - 12:38 PM (#2420723) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Newport Boy If you're good at sharpening old blades a flee market is a good knive source for some really nice blades. No good, Barry - I reckon Leeneia would run away (from a flee market). Phil |
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23 Aug 08 - 03:12 PM (#2420805) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: CarolC We used our economic incentive money to pay taxes. |
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23 Aug 08 - 03:17 PM (#2420814) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: CarolC However, on the subject of fancy-pants kitchen tools, we splurged a while back on one of those new fangled can openers (the kind that cuts the lid from the side of the crimp instead of from the top of the lid). It's the best can opener I've ever had. It never comes into contact with the contents of the can, so it never needs to be washed and it never develops any rust, and there's never any sharp edges on the can or lid. Now I'm thinking about bread knives. |
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23 Aug 08 - 03:42 PM (#2420823) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: heric I hadn't heard about those. I do remember in microbiology class the professor saying that that little point on the standard automatic can opener was an almost inconceivable orgy of microbial acivity. |
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23 Aug 08 - 03:56 PM (#2420831) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: CarolC This is the one we got (at Williams Sonoma no less... we were in the vicinity and needed a can opener quick, but we should have gotten it from Amazon)... http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Good-Grips-Smooth-Opener/dp/B000079XW2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1219521021&sr=1-4 The problem with food on the cutter is compounded in our house because as a veggie terian, I was always washing the old opener after it opened a can containing any kind of meat in it before I would open anything else, and that was a bother. |
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23 Aug 08 - 04:06 PM (#2420836) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Donuel No splurge for me. My wife and I got no economic incentives= checks. They were seized by an unknown bank to go toward a student loan. Banks are allowed to sieze your IRS refund for any outstanding student loans that they have bought, but I did not no they could take your economic stimulus checks too. It turns out I had $230.00 left pay off the sstudent loan when I moved and lost touch. The loan was sold innumerable times from bank to bank all adding fees and higher interest rates. They now claim I owe $54,328 dollars and change. |
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23 Aug 08 - 09:15 PM (#2420954) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Sorcha Don, I swear...if there is gonna be shit falling, it lands on you! |
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23 Aug 08 - 09:24 PM (#2420963) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Sorcha Ours is in the savings account. Going for a new roof next month. I don't think that is what they had in mind. |
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23 Aug 08 - 10:25 PM (#2420982) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Rapparee We spent ours paying off the bills from out trip to Ireland. 'Sokay, it was either that or bank it. So I added something to the economy of Ireland. So shoot me...or rather, try to. I shoot back. |
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23 Aug 08 - 10:28 PM (#2420985) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Rapparee By the way -- never, never, never put a knife in the dishwasher. I shudder to think about it. And you can do a wonderful job sharpening them yourself. A diamond stone is about USD 30.00 (or less, or more, whatever you want to pay) and will last a very long time. You clean it periodically with soap and water. Learning how to sharpen a knife well is a technique everyone should know -- it's a safety lesson. |
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23 Aug 08 - 10:47 PM (#2420997) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Q (Frank Staplin) Alberta (the oil sands province) gave each citizen a similar 'incentive.' What we really need are more doctors, nurses, hospital beds. I dutifully gave my liquor store an 'incentive' by buying some good wine and single malt. Knives- I have a Henckels bread knife, probably not as good as a Wusthof, but is works well. As gnu says, never let water near it. I have a couple of old high-carbon steel knives that see a sharpening steel, but are never washed, only wiped with a damp cloth. They are hard to find since most people like their knives bright and shiny. One was a lucky find at a thrift store. |
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23 Aug 08 - 11:25 PM (#2421007) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Barry Finn My grandmother had 2 items mounted next to her kitchen sink. I don't know how young I was when I was 1st aware of them but I was just a little kid. A can opener & a jar opener. They were there until she died (in her 80's). She never replaced them or any part of them & they never failed, they outlasted her. Below is a can opener that pretty much the same as hers & the jar opener is the same idea only her's was mounted & perment & made of steel, the jaws were serated& you only needed to push the lid of the jar into the "V" shaped jaw & twist, it open everything, all the time. Can opener Jar opener I love a good knife. If you don't know how to keep them sharp there a sharpener that's like a double wheel where the blade fits in at the right angle & you just roll the blade. Bread knives are a different story though. Barry |
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24 Aug 08 - 04:13 PM (#2421359) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Bat Goddess We used our incentive check to pay down the homeowner's line of credit that we have for emergencies -- such as my being out of work for six months. Part of it also went to pay the mortgage that month. I am now working as an optech-trainee at Sears Optical at Fox Run Mall. A friend asked if I was tempted to spend money by being in the mall all day. No way! The only items in the mall that I'm tempted by (and succumb) are necessities of life purchased at CVS so I don't have to stop at another drugstore on the way home. There is absolutely nothing else sold at the mall that I'm even the slightest bit tempted by, at least not at retail prices. I'm just totally amazed that people spend that much money on such ...crap. (I was looking for another word, but that's the only one that seems appropriate. Okay, the books at J. Dalton aren't crap, but I really try not to pay retail even for books -- there's the library sale, yardsales, thrift shops, etc. for most of my reading needs. My wardrobe and most of our household items come from yardsales, thrift shops, etcet etcet. Less stuff in the landfills and more money for me to do silly things like eat, pay the mortgage and utilities, heat the house this winter (omagawd, I don't even want to think about it) and put gas in the car to get me to the lowpaying job which enables me to put gas in the car... Sorry. I'm a bit depressed about finances right now. "I bought my wife a brand new bread knife, hollow ground, hollow ground." -- Kipper Family Linn |
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24 Aug 08 - 05:51 PM (#2421417) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: GUEST,leeneia Thanks for the responses, everybody. I'm pleased to hear that catters are far more intelligent than the people who used their money for internet porn. Bobad, I like the magnetic holders, but can't find one right to hand. I have one at my sewing machine, where it holds needles, screwdrivers, etc. A knife block would probably be the best thing for my small kitchen, but I hate to give up the elegant beer mug from a thrift shop which serves as a knife holder now. It's cute. When do you ever see anything cute in a kitchen in a decorating book? (There's a layer of soft material in the bottom of the mug to protect knife tips as they go in.) My husband and I tend not to throw money around, but we do enjoy travelling and have started spending money on travel in recent years. We are heeding the advice of an old lady who said, 'Go while you can still walk.' Bat Goddess, I know what you mean about the stuff in the mall. I haven't been in a mall in years. |
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24 Aug 08 - 07:42 PM (#2421468) Subject: RE: BS: splurged with economic incentive money From: Sandra in Sydney Last week I went to malls in 3 suburbs (well, 2 suburbs & the CBD) chasing one product - 3 doses of the same shops, cos all the Malls have the same retailers, with a few small local ones in each suburb. If I'd seen staff to ask at the first store I might have been able to miss the second & gone straight to the one that held what I wanted. At least the 3rd Mall is in an area with a Chinese & south-east Asian population so they have some great supermarkets & food markets, but I was collecting a humungeous woolly underblanket with electric blanket so I couldn't buy any yummy groceries. I like some shopping (craft shops!) but I hate huge malls, especially the ones that are odd-shaped where it's hard to find individual shops. The first Mall is divided by a street & after I'd escaped, a lost woman asked me which side held the shop she wanted. I apologised cos I knew how to find it when I was inside, but had no idea which entrance she wanted. So I wished her luck. sandra |
