Sorry I’m a little late on posting this – it’s June! Who knew?
Amazon offers 100 $5 mp3 albums every month, and this month is by far the best selection I’ve seen. There’s John Mayer’s Continuum (yes, he’s a douche now, but Continuum is his best album and I recommend it), Kings of Leon, Silversun Pickups, Rihanna, Arcade Fire, Corinne Bailey Rae, the Once soundtrack, Radiohead, Dixie Chicks, Coldplay, Spoon, Jeff Buckley, Damien Jurado, Gossip, Beach House, Nada Surf, Shout Out Louds, and more!
Barsuk Records Amazon Spring 2010 Sampler featuring Pearly Gate Music, Rocky Votolato, David Bazan, Viva Voce, and more. That’s a pretty good group, though I expect nothing less from Seattle’s own Barsuk.
This is how I feel about what I just made:
!!!
Intrigued? Check it: Frozen Peanut-Butter-Chocolate-Chip Milkshakes
Peanut butter milkshakes are my favorite, so I was very excited to try this somewhat healthier version. And I have to say it’s pretty darn good. It’s not the same as a regular milkshake, but it’s a lot closer than I expected it would be. I definitely recommend giving it a go, and I definitely plan on making it again. I’m not a huge chocolate chip fan, so next time I’ll probably use chocolate syrup. Actually, now that I think about it, Nutella would be amazing. But Nutella is amazing on everything – which is why I have banned it from my apartment.
The recipe also gave me a chance to use my food processor for the first time. The food processor I got for Christmas. Yes, six months ago – that food processor. The one I was dyyyyyyyying to get and was so excited about that I let it collect dust for half a year. There’s a needs vs. wants lesson in there somewhere.
To recap:
Delicious “milk”shake? Check.
Food processor does in fact work? Check.
The recipe made two servings like it said it would? Check.
Pretended like it was one serving? Check.
Thanks for being loyal readers! I apologize that I haven’t been posting as much lately. I just haven’t been motivated to blog about cheap stuff lately. I’ve actually been thinking about expanding what I say here beyond financially-related things. It may not exactly go with the cutecheapstuff name, but whatever – it’s my blog! 
But that won’t be happening yet, as I’m about to head off on a vacation to….. (drumroll)…. Hawaii! I’m very excited, as I’ve been dying to visit for a long time, and it’s finally happening.
For the next week, I won’t be posting. But I’m hoping that when I return and get settled in, I’ll feel bloggy again.
(Sorry to be one of those people who talks about how they don’t post on their blog and life is so busy, blah blah blah. My life isn’t really that busy – I’m just lazy!)
Cheers to Freelance Whales for a fun band name! For a limited time, you can download “Hannah” for free from iTunes.
And I can’t think about whales and not think about a certain narwhal:
More free music via Amazon!
4AD Sampler featuring Camera Obscura, The National, and more
Dangerbird Sampler featuring Sea Wolf, Silversun Pickups, and Hot Hot Heat, among others
Matador Records Sampler featuring Cat Power, Interpol, The New Pornographers, and more
Rock on, kids!
Merge Records 2010 Digital Sampler featuring Spoon, She & Him, Shout Out Louds, and more. It’s free!
Like free music? Check out Digital Bang: The 2010 Sub Pop Sampler for Amazon. It features Beach House, Blitzen Trapper, The Album Leaf, David Cross (!), and more.
Josh Ritter has a new album out! And you can get it at a discount price! For a limited time, it’s $7.99 at Amazon.
If you’ve never listened to Mr. Ritter, you’re missing out. But there’s hope for you yet – you can download “Rattling Locks” for free. What have you got to lose? He’s a good artist and a nice guy. I met him very briefly one time and he was the nicest person ever. Let’s support the nice people of the world!
It’s May! This year is going by sooooo fast. I can’t believe it.
With a new month comes new $5 albums from Amazon. This month includes: She & Him, The Bird and the Bee (covering Hall & Oates!), Spoon, The Hold Steady, and more. Happy shopping!
I already own this one. Ain't no shame...
Hey Seattle friends, this weekend is Half Price Books’ Washington Warehouse sale, where everything is $3 or less.
!
It’s Saturday (today) and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Greenwood.
9241 Greenwood Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
Let’s talk about cell phones.
My 2-year contract with Verizon ends in May. Right now I pay $40 for 450 minutes and another $5 for texting. Add in fees, etc. and an employer discount and I’m paying around $47 per month.
$47 isn’t bad, but I don’t talk that much on my phone. I mostly only use it for texting, which is why I’ve been thinking about trying a pay-as-you-go plan.
My questions to you:
For Seattle friends:
The Friends of the Seattle Public Library book sale is this weekend. It started today for members, and Saturday and Sunday it’s open to the rest of us. Click for more info.
Saturday, April 17, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday, April 18, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
These are my favorite posts, and fortunately they happen quite a bit: You can get free shipping at fredflare.com by using the code Lace. It expires Wednesday, April 21, so don’t delay.
Mother's Day is coming up!
For a limited time, you can download “Sing My Lonesome Away” by Matt Wertz from Amazon for free.
I think I’ve talked about Matt here before, but just in case, he’s pretty cool.
Amazon has a couple nice Sharon Jones deals:
Back in February, Amazon offered for 1-day only Metric’s “Fantasies” for $2.99. Someone over at Amazon must be an Emily Haines fan because they’ve made Metric their daily deal album again.
Today it’s “Live It Out” for $3.99. I don’t own any Metric albums (aside from the awesome mix that my friend Anika made), but I will today! Also, I saw Metric a few weeks ago, and they are super good.
Today’s Amazon mp3 deal is Patty Griffin’s “1000 Kisses” for only $3.99.
I like Patty Griffin, but I don’t have any of her albums. Must do something about this. Also, I used to frequently have a bus driver in the afternoon who reminded me of Patty Griffin. Maybe it was just her red hair. It’s not like she sang to us while she was driving. Although if she sounded like Patty, I would have gladly listened. That bus driver is on my short list of favorite bus drivers, along with the driver who confided in me that she’s NOT a cyborg, and bus driver who keeps iced cinnamon rolls in that locked compartment by the door and gives them to his friends.
Oh, Metro drivers. Anyway, Patty Griffin…
For a limited time, you can download “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (one of my favorite kick ass band names) for free from Amazon.
[cue lame joke about beating the devil and Easter]
Have a good holiday weekend!
Today’s daily deal at Amazon is “Four Thieves Gone” by the Avett Brothers – 17 songs for $3.99.
Express – Select items are now priced at 40% off, and you can also save an additional $15 off for every $60 spent with coupon code 4199. Expires April 5.
New York & Company – 50% off everything on the web site, including sale items. The sale lasts up through Sunday (and in stores through Saturday).
Happy shopping!
Are you: a) a dude, or b) someone who shops for a dude?
If you answered yes to a or b, click to get a free sample of Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort Body and Face Wash.
Body and face wash all in one, people. Apparently men have far better things to do with their time than take an extra minute to use one product for their face and another product for everything else.
I’m expecting a face wash/body wash/shampoo/conditioner/shaving cream/toothpaste combo to hit shelves any day now.
Take 20% off sitewide at Payless by using coupon codes 32586 or 32219.
Shipping starts at $5.95, but you can also choose free site-to-store. Plus, orders over $50 qualify for free shipping. The codes expire April 4.
Did you know that checking your credit score doesn’t lower it? I’ve always heard that and assumed it was true. Thank you, Mint blog, for setting me straight. Check out Credit Scores – Urban Myths Busted! for more credit score truthiness.
Record Store Day is April 17! Click here to find stores in your area that are celebrating the day with sales, special releases, performances, and more!
Here in Seattle, Record Store Day is pretty popular, since music is a big deal, but I’d imagine lots of stores across the country are participating too.
It’s the first of the month, and therefore time for a new batch of $5 mp3 albums from Amazon. April deals include The Shins, Radiohead, Of Montreal, the new Shout Out Louds album, Fruit Bats, Ra Ra Riot, and more.
I’ve made a couple new dishes lately that turned out to be pretty bland, but fortunately I came across one winner: cheese and caramelized onion pizza. It’s sooooo good, you guys. I’ve never cooked caramelized onions before, and while I didn’t do a stellar job of it, the onions still turned out well. (This could have something to do with the fact that I got a new stove/oven, and I’m amazed at how much better it cooks. It’s just faster and cooks more evenly.)
The pizza is not exactly cheap, as prosciutto is rather expensive considering how much you get. And fontina isn’t really low cost either. But I think the cost is worth it, as it’s a nice change from the usual tomato sauce and mozzarella pizza.
Made anything noteworthy lately?
Another free song from Amazon: “Birthday Boy” by Drive-By Truckers. (Don’t be alarmed by the scary album art – it’s still a good song.)
Sadly, my dishwasher did not come with adorable kittens.
One of the things that I really like about my new apartment is that it has a dishwasher. A real working dishwasher! It’s been a few years since I’ve had one, and it’s pretty nice to just turn the dial and let it do its thing. There’s no more letting dishes sit in the sink for way too long – like waaaayyyy too long.
Like you run out of plates and find yourself using a brownie pan to eat dinner out of because it’s easier than washing dishes.
And when that’s not available, you go for a cutting board.
And when that’s dirty, pretty much anything with a flat surface.
Yes, I am that lazy. The nice and not-so-nice sides of living alone are that you have less mess to clean up, but it’s easier to not bother cleaning up when you’re not subjecting anyone else to the mess.
(In my defense, my last apartment had issues with hot water. It literally took 5 minutes from the time that I turned on the kitchen faucet until the water was hot enough to properly clean dishes. That’s a lot of water being wasted, so I tried to not wash dishes as often. That’s a good excuse, right?)
But enough slob confessions and back to the dishwasher: I came across this New York Times article, For the Dishwasher’s Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent (via Apartment Therapy) that affirms both my lazy side and my frugal side. According to experts, you can use less detergent (and save money!) and not pre-wash dishes (saves time and energy!). And the same goes for washers and dryers.
So carry on, cheap lazy people. Carry on.
For a limited time, you can download “Kill Me Carolyn” by The Whigs for free from Amazon.
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