The Chronic Consumer

It’s time to replenish my undergarment supply, so I visited a few different websites today to see what kinds of styles are popular now. At one site I went to, I noticed a page for corsets and decided to check it out. I mean, no one has worn a corset since Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind, right?

Wrong. Today’s corsets are much sexier than anything Scarlett ever got her hands on, but they apparently serve the same purpose: to make you look slimmer through the tummy and waist.

Hmm… I could definitely use something like that, so maybe I’ll throw one into my order!

I’m not the kind of person who can eat plain steaks. I have to have some kind of marinade or sauce on them, and would even go so far as to use ketchup if nothing else is available. My preference, however, is for Heinz 57 Sauce, which I like far more than A1 or other steak sauce brands.

I like the fact that Heinz 57 Sauce is thick and has a rich flavor. I cannot stand those watery, runny sauces that hardly add any taste at all. If I’m going to put something on my steak, I want the taste to be noticeable, know what I mean?

I’ve also been known to add a bit of Heinz 57 to my baked potato or dip my fries in there. Yes, the taste can get overpowering after a while, but as long as I don’t drench my food in it, Heinz 57 is great.

The only problem is that this stuff is pretty expensive. It’s nearly $5.00 for a 10oz. bottle, which is more than other brands charge. But I guess it’s worth it, since I can’t really eat steaks any other way now!

I bought one of those View-Master 3D Slide Viewers for my son a few months ago, and in my November 11 review of the product, I told you that he didn’t much care for the toy. He was amused by it for a few wekks, but after that, it was relegated to the bottom of his toy chest, and he hasn’t really touched it since.

Apparently, my mom missed that review, since she bought my son a similar toy for his birthday last month. She went with a slightly different version, though: the Super Sounds model that has the ability to play sound effects, music, and character voices.

The Super Sounds viewer comes with a demo reel with a few different pictures to give you a taste of what kind of other slides are available. For example, it had a dinosaur, Sponge Bob Squarepants, and a couple of other characters. This demo reel had a soundtrack as well, so it was possible to hear a few different sound effects along the way.

The Super Sounds viewer is supposed to play special reels that come with their own audio cartridges, but I guess my mom didn’t read the packaging too closely because she ended up buying extra reels that were intended for the regular 3D viewer. So while it’s still possible to see the pictures on the reels, it’s not as much fun without a soundtrack. Worse yet, the demo reel soundtrack plays while viewing standard reels, which is very jarring and discordant. (That’s obviously not the fault of the manufacturer; I’m just telling you of our own experiences.)

Anyway, I haven’t bothered to buy any actual Super Sounds reels and audio cartridges yet (mostly because my son hasn’t even asked), but I will likely do so soon. I just checked on Amazon.com and it looks like these are available for between $8-$9 each, and come with 3 picture reels (21 images in all) plus the soundtrack. That’s not a bad deal.

Overall, I think the Super Sounds 3D Viewer is a cute toy, and the soundtrack certainly spices up the viewing. Nevertheless, I still feel that this kind of thing is a bit simplistic for kids these days. I wish that wasn’t the case, but unfortunately, it is.

My 12-year-old miniature Dachshund has been suffering from canine arthritis for about three months now. This started out as a problem with his hind legs, which really slowed him down and limited his mobility. The vet prescribed some meds for a while, and also recommended that I start feeding my dog special food meant for elderly canines.

But I soon realized that the medications and new food were just the tip of the iceberg as far as canine arthritis products were concerned. I discovered a bunch of other great items that would help my dog do many of the things that were becoming impossible thanks to his arthritis.

For example, there are special pet ramps and stair lifts that make getting into the car, on the couch, or up the stairs a lot easier; there are elevated feeding bowls that make mealtimes less stressful on the joints; and there are disposable diapers for those times when my dog is not able to make it to the backyard quickly enough.

I’ve got to say that it’s sad to see my little buddy age like this, but at least I know I’m doing everything I can to make him comfortable.

If you’ve ever shopped at Amazon.com, then you probably notice how they try to push you into buying extra stuff by recommending an accessory or something at a discount price. For example, if you look at an iPod page, you’re likely to see a “Better Together” suggestion for a protective case. If you look at Season One of a TV show on DVD, the “Better Together” suggestion will likely be for Season Two.

However, sometimes the recommended add-ons make no sense at all. Today, I was looking at Cherry-flavored Vaseline Lip Therapy, and saw that the companion product suggested by Amazon.com was… corned beef!

How they made this connection, I’ll never know!! Take a look:

Although I haven’t received official word yet, I’m 99% sure that my husband and I will qualify for one of those rebate checks that the government is planning to send out as part of a nationwide stimulus package.

That money would be very welcome right now, as there are plenty of things that we’d like to buy but simply can’t afford at this point. Assuming we do get a couple of checks, here’s what our Wish List would look like:

• A new Sony VAIO TZ series notebook in pink (that would be sooo cool!)
• A portable DVD player to replace the one that recently broke
• A 2nd Gen iPod Nano (8GB)
• A memory foam mattress so I can finally get a good night’s sleep
• A family vacation to Disney World in Orlando
• A new bedroom set for my son

I know that this stuff costs way more than the $1,200 we’re likely to receive, so obviously we can only get one or two of the smaller items from this list. But still… it’s just nice to dream about going on a big spending binge like this!

I often eat or drink in my car as I’m running errands, driving my son to school, or commuting to my consulting job a few days per week. As such, I run the risk of spills and stains, which can be disastrous if I’m heading into a meeting or whatever. So I decided to buy a Tide to Go stain remover pen to keep in the glove box of my car just in case anything like this should happen when I’m on the road.

Tide to Go has been around for a few years now. I remember back when it first came out because it was featured in one of the tasks on the Martha Stewart version of The Apprentice. When Tide to Go launched, I was under the impression that it worked for a variety of stains, such as grass, blood, ink — the stuff you’d usually come across while doing laundry.

But no. The Tide to Go website clearly indicates that the product is designed to remove fresh non-greasy food and drink stains only.

I was a bit disappointed but I bought it anyway. Of course, I had to try it out at home to make sure it worked before I put it in the car. So I spilled some Diet Coke (what I’m most likely to be drinking in the car), mustard, and ketchup on an old white T-shirt for my test.

I followed the instructions on the Tide to Go pen (blot any excess residue, press the Tide to Go pen to the stain to release the cleaning solution, rub the solution throughout the stain, and let it dry), and waited to see what would happen.

My first test didn’t go so well — probably because I wasn’t quick enough at applying the Tide to Go pen. The packaging clearly says it works best on “fresh” stains, and that really is a key point. In my first round, where I kind of dallied a bit, I could still see a faint outline of where the stains were on the shirt. Tide to Go worked better than, say, just wiping with a wet cloth, but the stains were still noticeable.

In my second try, I spilled, blotted, and applied Tide to Go almost immediately. This went much better, and the product removed significantly more of the stain.

Overall, I do like Tide to Go and will continue to buy/use it. You just have to be sure that you apply it to stains as soon as humanly possible or you might be disappointed in the results.

Some celebrities are notorious for their shopping sprees and spending habits. Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno have massive car collections, while many young female stars seem to do nothing but shop for designer duds all day long.

Take Lindsay Lohan, for example. Apparently, none of those drug rehabs she’s attended have been able to do anything about her well-publicized shopping addiction. In nearly every single paparazzi photo I see of her these days, she’s carrying several shopping bags from upscale retailers.

It actually makes me wonder if these stores PAY Lohan, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and other frequent paparazzi targets to carry their bags around. After all, it would be guaranteed publicity since these young women can’t go anywhere without being photographed.

Hmm, if that’s the case, then I think I’m a little jealous! I would love to get paid to shop!!

My five-year-old son is a huge fan of the Mario Bros. characters from Nintendo, so when his birthday rolled around a short while ago, I figured he would enjoy trying Mario Party DS for his DS handheld gaming system.

I have to admit that I’ve never followed Mario-related game developments closely, so I didn’t realize that this was not the first incarnation of the Mario Party title. Apparently, this series of games dates back many years, and is a fan favorite.

Now that my son has been playing Mario Party DS for a few weeks, I’m ready to share my review with you.

First of all, this is one of the few DS games we have that actually works better in multiplayer mode. As the name suggests, Mario Party is meant to be enjoyed by two or more people, so I’ve frequently been roped into playing against my son.

In Party Mode, players choose a character, and then choose from one of five differently-themed game boards. The object of Party Mode is to have your character cruise around the board (after “rolling” a die) to collect stars, coins, and objects that you can use in your cause. After you roll the die, your character hops across the appropriate number of game spaces, and then either receives coins, loses coins, or goes shopping at the object store.

After each character takes a turn, everyone engages in one of dozens of different “mini games” in an effort to score more coins and stars. The mini games provide quite a variety of challenges, with some being far easier to accomplish than others. One of the easiest games requires that players simply press the “A” button repeatedly in order to see who can push the lead out of their mechanical pencil the fastest. One of the hardest games requires you to maneuver your character in an RC car across a space littered with obstacles.

While the mini games are fun to a point, I thought that having them crop up after every single turn was just far too much. Since there are 10 turns in a game, this made playing one game with just one other person take upwards of 30 minutes — definitely too long. I would rather see the mini games come up after every other turn in order to cut down on playing time.

At the end of the game, a few extra stars are rewarded for accomplishments such as covering the most ground, using the most coin hexes, etc, and then the player with the most stars emerges as the winner.

In addition to playing in Party Mode, it’s also possible to play the mini games on their own. My son loves doing either, so this game manages to keep him occupied.

Overall, I think Mario Party DS is a great game for kids, but a little too basic and boring for adults. I definitely recommend it to those of you with youngsters; just make sure you don’t join in on Party Mode unless you have a good 30 minutes to burn!

The slumping economy is having a mixed effect on sales for U.S. retailers. I read a Reuters article published last week saying that retailers posted a 1.9 percent gain overall, but those that target budget-minded shoppers tended to do better than purveyors of luxury goods.

So Wal-Mart and Costco did well, but retailers like Nordstrom posted losses for February.

Well, this shouldn’t come as any surprise, especially to those of us who shop a lot. When times are tough, we tighten our belts and hit Wal-Mart or Target. When things are going well, we can splurge on more expensive items.

It ain’t rocket science, you know! I just can’t believe that news organizations find this information to be… news.