Iron Gym pull-up bar

As a frugal guy starting an exercise program, I didn't want to spend $45 on the pull-up bar available from the local Sports Authority store.  Checking on Amazon, there are many less expensive products available.  There are tension bars, which are supposed to stay up because of tension place on the door frame.  These cost about $15, but many people complained that they come loose too often.  The other style of pull-up bar is the frame hook, where you use the moulding around the door frame to hook the device on.  Prices for these are generally in the $25 range when shipping is added.  After reading the comments on several of these, I decided on the Iron Gym for $27.50.  It doesn't look as fancy as some of the others, but it should fit my 24"-wide 6"-deep door frame.  We shall see if the quality holds up to the praise.

Swivel Cushioned Barstool from Big Lots

Since my only chair broke, I have been looking for a replacement.  My tables are high, so I was looking for a barstool.  While shipping at Big Lots today, I found a 24" swivel cushioned barstool.  The 24" height is not available online, but the 30" version is and can be found at this link and is pictured below.

Now, I don't really have any qualms about buying something made in China.  My objection is to the lack of quality allowed by companies, like Big Lots, that use the inexpensive labor.  This tubular metal chair had flaws.  First, the leg walls were used as the nuts for the bolts.  Not really a problem, except that the bolts included in the kit only fit one specific hole!  The Chinese factory could not even get screw thread tolerances correct.  In fact, one of the bolts is still not in all the way because the threads were beginning to strip.  Tolerances were also off on the lengths of the chair legs.  One of the legs is much shorter than the others, causing a rocking of the chair while in use.  Third, the last step in assembly uses screws instead of bolts, and one is to screw the frame to the cushion without starter holes or self-drilling screws.  Who designed this?  There are unprotected screws inside my cushion that I eventually expect to feel jabbing my butt.  And these screws were Phillips head screws, so I needed to get another tool to complete assembly.  Fourth, the swivel assembly is very tight.  I have to use quite a bit of effort to get the seat to actually swivel.

What does this all mean?  It means that Big Lots should do a little more quality control on the items it sells or advertise that it is selling crap on purpose because can be obtained cheaper.  The quality of the chair itself is below my expectations based on comparison to the floor model and the assembly difficulties above.  The $30 I paid, in my opinion, was more than I should have.  Only time and the lifespan of the chair will ultimately determine if this opinion remains accurate.

Progresso Soup - Cream of Mushroom

Our local grocery store, the King Soopers, is having a sale on Progresso Soups at $1 per can; so I thought I would give some of them a try.

The Cream of Mushroom is one of the most horrible soups I have ever eaten.  The base looked more like paste water than cream, and it had almost no taste whatsoever.  The pieces of mushroom had the texture of pencil erasers.  All in all, I will never be eating this soup again.

Progresso Soup - Hearty Tomato

Our local grocery store, the King Soopers, is having a sale on Progresso Soups at $1 per can; so I thought I would give some of them a try.

This can was the hearty tomato, although I fail to see what is so hearty about it other than it has chunks of tomato.  It had a pleasant taste but was nothing to brag about.  All in all, it is a passable soup for the price.

Progresso Soup - Minestrone

Our local grocery store, the King Soopers, is having a sale on Progresso Soups at $1 per can; so I thought I would give some of them a try.

The Vegetable Classic Minestrone is the best tasting of the Progreso soups I have tried to this point.  There is a distinct flavor of black pepper.  However, I am disappointed by the appearance.  For a soup with such a fresh name, one would like to see more vibrant color, but that is probably not possible in a processed canned soup.  All in all, I would buy more of these for $1; I am not sure I would pay full price, which is currently more than $2.

Nose Hair Trimmer, the purchase

I just ordered the Panasonic ER-GN30-K Vortex Wet/Dry Nose and Facial Hair Trimmer from Amazon.  When it arrives, I will provide a review of the item.

Solar Car Fan, the set up

I thought being homeless and sleeping in my car during the winter would be a problem.  Thanks to the Cascade -40 sleeping bag, this was never an issue.  However, summer has come, and it is getting very hot in the car.  Therefore, I have decided to purchase one of those solar car window fans, the Solar Powered Car Auto Cool Air Vent Cooler Cooling Fan.  (Believe it or not, that is the name of the product listed on Amazon.)

While waiting for the fan to arrive, I am going to test the interior temperature of my car compared to the exterior temperature.  On Friday, I am going to stop by my storage locker and pick up my temperature and humidity gauge, which I previously used to make sure the temperature and humidity was acceptable for candy making.  On Saturday, then, I will start creating a spreadsheet monitoring temperatures.  I will repeat this when the item arrives.

One thing I have already learned:  Always read the entire add before buying something on Amazon.  The second last sentence of the description states that the item will not work on dark tinted windows.  That must mean the solar panels end up inside the car, which is a pretty stupid design decision.  Anyhow, we shall see how the thing works when it gets here.

Thermometer ready

Well, I picked up the thermometer today, so tomorrow I will start a temperature log spreadsheet and put a link to it in the next post for this product.

Kaloric stick mixer

I recently read in a magazine I bought about using a hand blender, also know as a stick mixer, to help create healthy foods, such as whipped fruit toppings for pancakes.  Therefore, I ordered the second least expensive hand blender available on Amazon.  This model also had a 5-star rating from the one person who reviewed it.  Hopefully, it will be a purchase of value rather than a pig in a poke.  We shall see.

Metallic food color

I just ordered some metallic food coloring from Amazon.com.  It will probably be some time before I work with it, but I needed something to order to get free shipping.  When I work with it, I will post more at that time.

Solar Car Fan a bad buy!

The Solar Powered Car Auto Cool Air Vent Cooler Cooling Fan (Believe it or not, that is the name of the product listed on Amazon.) has arrived.  My initial impression was how extremely light the unit was.  In my mind, that meant cheap.  After taking the car's temperature for about a week, I hung the fan in my car's window.  Nothing happened.  The fan did not move.  I decided to test it in direct sunlight.  The fan moved.  Therefore, the unit could not get enough sun through my slightly tinted window to run.  My first caveat, therefore, is do not purchase this item if you have tinted car windows.  Pay no attention to the item description that says "dark" tint. , my light tint did now work either, and I live in Colorado, where we have 300+ days of sunshine every year and are a mile closer to the sun than most of the country.

Be that as it may, how did the fan perform when in the sunshine?  Awful!  The blades ran so slow there was no air movement at all.  I took a feather duster to the fan, and the feathers did not move, either on the intake side or the output side.

Maybe I had a defective unit, but I don't think so.  Hence, I decided to return the $15.99 item to Amazon.  That is when I discovered I wold have to pay return shipping of "up to $5.84" because the problem was not Amazon's fault.  Well, at least I should get $10 back for this piece of crap.

Nose hair trimmer arrived

The Panasonic ER-GN30-K Vortex Wet/Dry Nose and Facial Hair Trimmer has now arrived.  It comes in 3 pieces: The main body, a protective cap, and a small brush.  The machine has a 2-year parts and labor warranty, so I have to keep that on file in case the thing stops working.  It runs on AA batteries, which I have purchased from Dollar Tree.  It is just lucky that I got a Panasonic trimmer and Panasonic batteries.  I will also be testing the batteries; you can read that post at this link.

The battery cover is the bottom part of the curved handle.  It twists open and pulls off.  Battery insertion is easy, and the cover only fits on one way, so putting it back on is simple.  There are two blade settings: Run and Wash.  The trimmer also comes with an 8-page manual written in English, Spanish, and Portugese.

The blade is a rotary blade, not like the combed blades of some other trimmers.  This makes deep insertion almost impossible, which is good because there is a warning in the manual not to insert the blade too far.  My first trim yielded nice results in the nose but less than stellar results in the ears.

Also, the unit takes an AA battery.  I bought the battery at Dollar Tree; it was also a Panasonic.  I paid $1 for 3 batteries.  Walking through the King Soopers, their comparable alkaline battery price was $2.84 for 4 batteries.  We shall see how long this low-price battery lasts and then get the others for a comparison.

Target shopping

I noticed a hole in one of my shirts, so I headed to Target to purchase a new one.  Since I already knew of a hole in another shirt, my goal was to buy a long-sleeve t-shirt and a polo shirt.  Unfortunately, neither item was on sale.  That means the frugality factor will depend entirely on the longevity of the items.

For the polo shirt, I got the Mosimmo Supply Company Polo Shirt for $14.99.  Funny how this shirt with less material is almost twice the price of the long-sleeve t below.  I purchased some Walmart polo shirts not too long ago, but I apparently did not enter them into the blog.  I have a 7-shirt rotation, so each shirt will average 1 day per week of wear.  It will be interesting to see if the Walmart brand, Faded Glory, outlasts the Target brand.

The brand of long-sleeve t-shirt was Jerzees.  I paid $7.99 for it.  Again, the average wear on this item will be 1 day per week, and I will post again when the shirt falls apart.

While I was there, I checked the clearance rack, and what should I find but a pair of khaki pants in my size.  The cuff of my current khakis is beginning to fray, so for $12.38 (30% off), I decided to pick up these pants as well.  I'm not sure when I will start wearing them, but I am sure I will keep you informed.

Anyhow, that was my trip to Target and the start of three more product reviews.

Candy Thermometers

I realize this is not something I needed, but I really wanted one.  You know how it can take sugar up to an hour to get to temperature.  Well, I just don't feel like looking over a kettle that long; I wanted to get a wireless thermometer so I could walk away from the kettle and do other things.  After much searching and review reading, I decided to give the Oregon Scientific AW131 a try.

This little puppy has a transmitter range of 330 feet and a temperature range in excess of 550°F.  In reading the manual, it is programmable to specific temperatures, so I can set it to 310°F for hard crack candy stage and walk away, provided the transmitter remains active through the walls.  The main complaint about this unit, as with most other wired probe units, is how quickly the probe dies.  I did find a site, though, that specifically linked the probe problems to using the unit to monitor smoked meat.  Since I will be using the unit for candy making, I hope it will not experience the same problems.  The one obvious problem with using this for candy making is the absence of a kettle clip.  Therefore, I also bought the Taylor 5911N Classic Candy/Deep Fry thermometer.

This unit also has a 6-inch stem, just like the wireless thermometer, so I am hoping to use the clip from it with the wireless probe.  The Taylor is also NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) approved and dishwasher safe.  That way, I have a good backup in case something on the wireless does not work as planned.  I like the fact that it is all metal instead of having glass that can break with severe temperature shifts, but nothing in the documentation says this unit can be calibrated to proper temperature.  Also, complaints about this unit seem to center around the dial not being plumb, causing the needle to stick.

So, now I have ordered up two potentially faulty pieces of equipment to help me make candy.  I have to learn how to test sugar without needing a thermometer.  This is really something they should have included in candy making class at college.

nose hair trimmer disappointing

I have now used the Panasonic ER-GN30-K Vortex Wet/Dry Nose and Facial Hair Trimmer several times.  While I have no quibbles about function, I do not like the result.  Even after using the item, I have still had hair where I wished none to be.  Also, it leaves behind a feeling of five-o'clock shadow inside my ear right after use.  Calling the item an eyebrow or moustache trimmer is a bit of overselling because the instruction manual states one has to insert the hair to be cut into the middle of the razor's tip.  It also warns there is no method of regulating length of such trimming.  All in all, I am disappointed with the results of using this rotary-style trimmer and plan on searching for a wand-style trimmer to replace it.

Rubber/plastic spatulas from Big Lots

I purchased a set of three rubber (or plastic?) spatulas from Big Lots today, paying only $1.50 (+ tax) for the set.  They are made under the brand name of Sunbeam® and distributed by Robinson Home Products Inc. which is doing business as Jarden Consumer Solutions.  The UPC of this product is 0-73287-61216-7, and the product number appears to be RBN 013106.

There is no indication on either the packaging or the spatulas themselves from what they are actually made.  However, each contains a warning they are not heat resistant, so they are not made of silicone.  This is fine, as they remind me of the ones used by my mother all those years ago.

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As you can see from the photo, they come in three sizes.  I especially like the small one; it will be use to scrape out jars.  They are top-shelf dishwasher safe.  However, I hand washed them, and the handles are a bit flimsy.  We shall see if they will stand up to heavy use or not, but for $1.50, they are currently a frugal buy.

Ice cube trays from Dollar Tree

I bought a pair of blue ice cube trays from Dollar Tree for $1.  These trays are designed, for some reason, with alternating sizes of ice cubes.  This really isn't a problem, because the size of cubes doesn't matter to me as long at they fit in my glasses.  The plastic of these trays are stiff but pliable.  I occasionally have a problem getting a cube or two out of the tray.  Similar trays I have used for about 4 weeks now are showing signs of plastic distress in the form of lightening of the plastic around the cube depressions from all the bending to remove the cubes.  We shall see how long these original trays last.  Until failure, however, I would call these a good buy.

Bees Wax for Thread

I have been looking for a small bit of bees wax so I can wax my thread before sewing on suspender buttons.  This is what the device looks like -->

The thread is run between the slots to coat it.  This makes sewing on a button easier, and it protect the thread from damage so one doesn't have to sew on the buttons as frequently.

Well, I finally found one of these available at JoAnn's Fabric.  I paid $3.99 plus tax.  Shame on me.  I am going to lose my frugalista license.  I was shopping at the Hobby Lobby for non-fabric-related stuff, and hanging in the beading aisle was the same device from a different company but for only $1.99.  Both stores had this item in their beading sections rather than their fabric sections.  Keep this in mind, as I will in the future.