Tea Exchange

Here's an idea for all of you tea lovers out there...
Do a tea exchange!
Myself and some girlfriends at work today did one and its a great way to try new teas before you go out and buy a whole box (without knowing whether or not you will actually like it).
Here's the idea. You and your friends agree on a date and on that day each of you brings in a tea bag for each of the other people. Depending on how many of you decide to do this you could end up with a box chock full of varying teas to try.
Today I ended up with Green Tea, Ti Kuan Yin Tea, Lipton Tea, etc.
It's lots of fun and a great way to get some super sampling on with little effort/cost...

Give it a try, maybe you will end up finding your new favorite tea flavor!

Enjoy!
D of J.A.D.E.

Cappuccino in Italy!

I'm just back from a great trip to Rome and one of my favorite parts of the trip was getting a Cappuccino every morning at the local caffe! One of the greatest parts about this morning journey was that in Rome the Cappuccinos ranged from .90 to 1.40 euros which is approximately the equivalent of 1.05 to 1.85 cents! I was in heaven! How tired are you of paying over 3 dollars, many times closer to 4 or 5 at Starbucks!

My main message in this blog is that it's important to travel and when you do, it's important to seek out the bargains!

If you happen to find yourself in Rome or any part of Italy for that matter, be sure to wake up with a nice Cappuccino, the taste will please you and the price will please you even more!

A true European treat!

Enjoy!
D of J.A.D.E.

Heading to a Far Away Land??? Pack Light!

Since I am about to leave on a trip to Italy I thought now would be a great time to talk about packing light and saving tons of money on checked bags.

So many of you are over packers...come on, you know you are...don't try to deny it!

The thing is so often we think we will need all of these items that we never will during the length of the trip, while on top of that it's so rare that you will be traveling some place where you wouldn't be able to buy something you might need in a pinch.

Think of it like this...just because you are going away for 10 days does not mean you need ten pairs of shoes. Really, when you are home do you wear a different pair of shoes everyday? Probably not, so why should it be different when you travel? When you are home do you change your clothes three times in a day or more, again, probably not! So really you don't need a million outfit changes.

We so often get consumed with what we need when in truth all we really need for a trip, or life in general, can fit into one suitcase.

Before you pack two toothbrushes because well you might lose one, really think about it...when was the last time you lost a toothbrush?

Before you pack the skirt you haven't worn in ten years, the heels that hurt your feet, the camera that you don't know how to use, the blow dryer that wont work cause you are going oversees, the ten books that you wont read, the 12 extra pairs of socks and underwear that will return home clean...take a deep breath. You are not facing the end of the world, you are going away for a week.

Trust me you will be so much happier when you and your one bag walk onto the plane and you don't have to pay a fee to check bags or have to wait for that bag to be the last bag off the shoot at baggage claim, or worse yet, your bag gets lost!

Much like family and good friends...if you always keep everything you need close to you, you will never have a problem.

xoxo

D of J.A.D.E.

Free music!

Summer is here and there's nothing better than going to a free show, especially during the warm summer nights! I always check out KCRW sponsored shows as most are free and the music is always good:

http://www.kcrw.com/events/summer-nights-2011

Also, I'm a fan of Grand Performances. They have world music and often give free instructional dance lessons on Fridays. Check out their July schedule especially for the free noontime concerts for the lunch crowd:

http://grandperformances.org/en/gp/events/calendar.html?month=6&day=3&year=2011&langId=en

To top it off, I often get ads for free downloads from:

http://www.emusic.com/

Right now they offer a $20 credit (which is pretty much 20 songs) that you can d/l legally and for free. Their cancellation policy is really easy. Trust me, I've tried. ;)

Enjoy and happy grooving!

A of J.A.D.E.

Sangria Recipe

For all holiday weekends, its key to have fun!
Usually that fun involves good friends, food and drinks and maybe even an out of town trip.
As the summer time quickly approaches and with the first warm weather three day weekend upon us, I thought this would be a great time to share an inexpensive sangria recipe.
It's the perfect drink for a backyard bbq, a beach party, sitting on the porch and kicking back...hanging on the terrace or rooftop...you get the idea!

Simple and cheap sangria:

Carlo Rossi Sangria Wine (large jug only 6 dollars, serves many many people!)
Handful of strawberries
Handful of blueberries
One lemon
One orange
One mango
Small bottle of ginger ale

Poor the Carlo Rossi Sangria Wine into a large jug, dice up the fruit and toss that in, then add all of the ginger ale. Let your Sangria sit in the fridge for about an hour or two and then you are ready to serve!

Have a great holiday weekend and be safe. (this recipe is only for those 21 and over!)

D of J.A.D.E.

Thrifty gifties :-)

Along Dana’s day-old-bagel lines, I too like to make off-peak purchases especially when it comes to gift supplies. I was finding the thrill of buying the perfect gift for someone at a bargain price was quickly diminished after the cashier rang up a card and gift wrap and the total was close to half the amount of the gift itself! Now I keep a container in my closet where I store gift bags, wrapping paper, tissue paper and ribbons. I stock up on these after Christmas, buying the most neutral ones I can find. I’ve noticed that many stores discount not just the Christmas-themed paper and bags but also solids as well. So I snatch those up and use them year round.

You don’t have to wait until Christmas to build up your supply. Today I found greeting cards for $1 so I stocked up on birthday, anniversary, thank you and congratulations cards. When you compare this to the $4+ they charge at Hallmark, it’s a steal! I keep them all in a shoebox (sorted by category) in the same closet I store my wrapping supplies. With cards for all occasions, I’m always prepared when a card-worthy event pops up and I’m no longer caught off guard when my husband informs me that dinner we are on our way to is actually for someone’s birthday. The important thing is to get the most generic cards (not directed specifically at the sender’s sister, for example) so you’ll be sure to be able to use them.

Some other cheap options:
The 99 cent store is another place to turn when you need gift bags or tissue paper.

When people give me a gift in a bag, after I open the gift I fold up the bag and add it to my arsenal. Most people don’t even bother to write on the tag attached to the bag and if they do, I tear it off.


What do you do to save on gift wrap expenses?

What other items do you buy off-peak?

E. of J.A.D.E.

Pandora Radio

Who can get through a day of work without music???
Not me!
Not any of us J.A.D.E. girls for that matter!

This is where Pandora internet radio comes in. Pandora offers 40 hours of free music a month! Plus the best part is that you can create your own stations based on artists you like. Are you a Moby fan, a Rush fan a Rascal Flats fan? No matter what type of music you like, type in the artist/group's name and Pandora will create a station for you featuring that artist/group and other bands/musicians with a similar sound.

This is also a great way to get to know the music of other artists who you may not have heard of before but who have a sound you enjoy.

Click the link below to get your Pandora stations going!

http://www.pandora.com/

PS - My Pandora station is currently playing Massive Attack :)


Rock on!
D of J.A.D.E.