The Chronic Consumer

Okay, I really need to start looking for a real desk for my home office. Currently, my computer just sits on one of those cheap huts with casters, but I prefer a wood or glass-top desk that doesn’t move around. I don’t need anything fancy or super expensive, but I do want my desk to be a little more…substantial than the makeshift hutch I’m using right now. Unfortunately, home office furniture isn’t a top priority in our budget these days, so who knows how long it will be until I can get the upgrade I’m looking for!

In a couple months I’ll be getting together with some friends that I haven’t seen in more than 10 years. I already have my outfit picked out for the occasion: it’s this J. Crew three-quarter sleeve “perfect shirt” paired with Italian wool trousers. The outfit will set me back close to $260, and I want to look great in it!

But to pull off those particular trousers, I’m going to need some help. I will need to go on a major diet and crank up my exercise intensity for the foreseeable future. Shopping around for the best fat burners on the market wouldn’t hurt, either. It’s going to take a lot of work for sure, but the last time these girls saw me, I looked great and I definitely want to get at least somewhat close to that again. Vanity? Yeah, probably. But wouldn’t you at least try to look your best too??

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s post about wanting a helmet cam for motorcycle rides, I discovered these very cool camera goggles that I also want to add to my Wish List! These goggles make it easy to take both video and still images underwater while leaving your hands totally free. I don’t dive at all, but my husband does, so I know he would LOVE to own a pair of camera goggles. They’re actually pretty cheap, too, which means I now have a fabulous idea for his next birthday!

Wow, I totally want one of these things!!! I checked Amazon, and the current price is about $269, which is not bad at all for HD. Gotta start saving for this helmet cam!

Have you ever wondered what a $2,600 bottle of water might look like? Well, now you know! That bottle of Bling H20 to the left there will set you back nearly three grand. Why? Not for the water itself, certainly, which just comes from the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. I guess it’s for the bottle, which is custom made of Swarovski crystals. I don’t know about you, but that still doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. Crystals? Really? Even if they are Swarovski, that just feels so … meh.

I guess this is the kind of product meant especially for people who want to say, “See how much money I have? I can afford to purposely waste $2,600 on something that you and I both know is worth far, FAR less than that!”

So hot on the heels of my Eat This, Not That purchase, I also bought a book called Cook This, Not That by the same authors. The Cook This book is subtitled “Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals,” which of course was an intriguing premise for someone interested in dieting.

First, I want to say that the recipes in this book truly are easy. I am not a good cook by any stretch of the imagination, but I was able to prepare each recipe I tried from this book with great success. Granted, I haven’t tried them all, but still… I think the fact that I was able to make any at all speaks volumes about how easy the meals are.

Second, almost everything I tried really was delicious! Remember, this series is billed as a “no-diet weight loss” program, so the recipes aren’t limited to veggie burgers and low-fat salads. There are big, greasy burgers involved, as well as a whole host of other food that would not be on anyone’s diet meal plan. I have so many new additions to my regular rotation from this book that I can barely keep track of them all!

The only real quibble I have with Cook This, Not That is the fact that hardly any of the recipes are for legitimate “meals.” To me, a meal consists of a soup or salad, a main dish, a side dish, and a vegetable. But the recipes here were either for a main dish or an appetizer, not a complete meal. Obviously the authors did this so they could splash that eye-catching claim about “350-calorie meals” across the cover of the book, since it would be practically impossible to get an appetizer, main dish, side, and vegetable for 350 calories. Nevertheless, I found the title a bit misleading. Fortunately, the food was so good that I ended up not caring much about that part.

Anyway, I think Cook This, Not That was a terrific purchase. The book has helped me discover many new recipes, as well as healthier alternatives to stuff I usually eat. This one is a keeper for sure!

One of my friends is trying to get me involved in Amway. I am not a salesperson at all, though, and doubt I could ever build any kind of network with the company. But I wonder if it would be worth signing up just for the discounts on all the products. I have tried a few Amway things over the years, but nothing really stands out as being high-quality. What do you think? Do any of you use Amway products regularly and do you think their stuff is better than regular store brands?