By Mike Thayer Can you eat nothing but fast food value meals for a week on just $50? That’s a budget of just $7.14 a day. Are there enough restaurants out there offering value meals that will fit in the budget? Will there be enough variety? Will I stay full enough, no snacking required? I […]

By Mike Thayer Can you eat nothing but fast food value meals for a week on just $50? That’s a budget of just $7.14 a day. Are there enough restaurants out there offering value meals that will fit in the budget? Will there be enough variety? Will I stay full enough, no snacking required? Can […]

By Mike Thayer Can you eat nothing but fast food value meals for a week on just $50? That’s a budget of just $7.14 a day. Are there enough restaurants out there offering value meals that will fit in the budget? Will there be enough variety? Will I stay full enough, no snacking required? I […]

  By Mike Thayer If you don’t already subscribe to your favorite/local grocery store’s emailed coupon deals and/or online weekly specials, you should.  They really do make it worth your while, providing significant savings over regular prices. Here’s an example, the current weekly special at my local grocery store includes ground chuck for $2.49 a […]

By Mike Thayer I’m not much of a beer drinker, although I will have the occasional Miller Lite or perhaps a Killian’s Red.  When I do enjoy an adult beverage, it’s usually either a mixed drink with blended whiskey or a glass of wine. I prefer sweeter wines over dry, whites over reds, but each […]

By Mike Thayer The freezer compartment in the typical apartment size refrigerator/freezer just doesn’t have enough storage space for a guy like me who likes to cook and grill. So in dire need of more freezer space, I’ve been on a quest to find the best deal for an ‘apartment size’ chest freezer.  It’s a […]

By Mike Thayer Looking outside my apartment window this morning, I see ice covered vehicles, frozen fog….. It’s a work day and part of my job means spending some time outside, it’s going to be a cold one…. Can you say, “Soup for lunch?” Yes, yes you can…. Make no mistake, winter is here and […]

By Mike Thayer Guys, you’re wearing a t-shirt under that dress shirt right?  Nobody needs to see the outline of your nipples…. Don’t be the talk of the office (in a bad way), do some online shopping at Hanes. You can’t beat their prices, they frequently have sales and free shipping.  In fact, I’ve got […]

By Mike Thayer This is another Embrace the Crock Pot moment, give it a Big Bromance Hug! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and typically my biggest meal of the day.  I like a hot breakfast though, cereal just doesn’t cut it for me.  But there are times when I just don’t feel […]

By Mike Thayer With some very chilly weather hitting the area and winter finally settling in, now is a good time to check out plant/seed catalogs and online websites.  Here are some choices that may be of interest to you. Jung Seeds & Plants:  I’ve had a pretty good experience with Jung’s over the years, their shipping is […]

By Mike Thayer Timing is everything when it comes to finding some great deals at the grocery store during the holidays. You really have no choice but to buy items at full price when prepping for that great Thanksgiving meal, the turkey or a ham being a key ingredient. But what about after Thanksgiving? When […]

By Mike Thayer I downloaded Pacer, a walking app, to my phone. A free download, Pacer tracks your steps throughout the day and you can easily track your progress at any time.  The app even indicates stages for you, which is kind of a motivator….  Zero – 2,999 steps = sedentary. Walking 3,000 – 7,499 […]

  By Mike Thayer Keeping your grill clean is a dirty job, but an important job not only because it makes the act of grilling itself easier and far more pleasurable, but cleanliness helps extend the life of your grill as well.  If you’re a charcoal griller, like yours truly, the dirtiest part of grill […]

By Mike Thayer It’s Day three on a small project I’m undertaking, creating an indoor edible garden.  Day one was spent clearing some space for this ‘garden’, doing some cleaning and planning. Day two was spent putting together a shelf unit and rigging it with some lighting. Day three was spent on getting some planting […]