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Post by disorganizeddragon on Apr 16, 2010 8:15:15 GMT -5
Okay, I've stayed out of this thread because, until recently, I also had a problem with making impulse purchases I didn't need. (My downfall was usually garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets.) I'd gripe and whine about stupidly spending money I didn't have, then I'd go out and do it again. My roommate finally got tired of listening to me and in the middle of one "I-can't-believe-I-did-this-again" rant, asked me one simple question: "How committed are you to stopping this behavior?"When I indignantly answered that I was very committed to stopping this behavior, he asked exactly what steps I'd put in place to insure that I'd stop buying things I didn't need, regardless of how much they cost. (Most of my purchases were very small pricewise, but even those add up.  ) When I thought about it, I realized I had not done one single thing to really change my behavior other than grouse about it on a continual basis. So I put together my own little action plan. I stopped going to garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets. (I allow myself to go now, but I only go to one once a month and I never carry more than five dollars.) Whenever I went to Target or the grocery store, I put together a list that I stuck to religiously and didn't buy anything not on the list, even if it threw itself into the aisle and begged me to take it home. And if I gave in and deviated from the list, I had to take the item back the very next day. The inconvenience factor of that last step alone was enough to make me break the habit of buying things that weren't on my list very quickly. The last thing I did was to put a little sticky note in my wallet. On it is the question my roommate once asked me: "How committed are you to stopping this behavior?" Every single time I open my wallet, I see it and it always makes me stop and ask myself, "Do I really need this or am I just making excuses in order to buy something?" It's amazing how many times the answer has been no, I don't really need that item, and yes, I am just making excuses to buy something to make myself feel better. I can't tell you how many times that simple note has not only stopped me from buying more garbage I don't need, but it's also stopped me from buying stuff I thought I needed, but really didn't. It's just my opinion, but I think in the long run, you will feel better if you return the ice tea maker. (I, like you, was born and raised in the South, and Southerners have been making superior iced tea long before they ever invented ice tea makers.  ) This isn't about not drinking soft drinks (although that's a wonderful goal and a really difficult habit to kick--I fight the Coke battle daily). This is about taking a significant first step toward stopping a behavior that you yourself have admitted is a problem and is standing in the way of the life you want for your family and yourself. And just to demonstrate how all those small steps to stop destructive spending added up, now, except for my monthly living expenses, my car note, and one credit card, I am debt-free. If I did it, anyone can. |
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Post by cando on Apr 16, 2010 11:12:32 GMT -5
I hope that nobody thinks that I'm mean. But you did ask for our help a couple times in the past with pointing out the quote at the bottom of those posts asking for help. So, I'm simply here to say, "I'm NOT taking any excuses! Take the dang thang back and find alternative ways to make the tea!" Stop thinking about it... just DO it! You haven't used it yet which shows that you CAN live without it!!! You don't NEED it. No excuses, DMisc... I am just doing what you asked, Misc. I need someone to do this with me, too. Luv and hugs, CD    |
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MiSC
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Posts: 1,611 
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Post by MiSC on Apr 16, 2010 13:57:11 GMT -5
I posted yesterday (the day before?) that I was in the middle of 3 different "anonymouses," Clutterers Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, and Debtors Anonymous.
This tea maker, which I still really do want and would put to use (if I could ever bring myself to take it out of the box), is running counter to two of the efforts -- CLA and DA.
In honesty, it might be a tool that would help me reach some of the end goals of OA, but since we're low on space and high on debt right now, it needs to go back.
I can't believe I'm actually typing this. It feels an awful lot like accountablility. (Yikes!)
Now, I don't know when I'll be taking it back, because I'm not often in that neighborhood, but I can certainly put it back in the van.
I wonder what Mr. MiSC is going to make of this.
DDragon, I'm glad you didn't continue staying out of the thread, 'cause your post really hit home.
Thank you all for the different POVs.
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Post by phoenixcat on Apr 16, 2010 14:26:39 GMT -5
I'm not sure if anyone else mentioned this but have you tried "sun tea". I used to have an iced tea maker and as someone else mentioned - the ice was the hardest part. I don't have an icemaker and I never had enough. I also felt like the tea that came from boiling water on the stove or using the tea maker had sort of a "film" on it after a couple days. Maybe I wasn't drinking it fast enough . If you live in an area that is decently sunny - you can make sun tea. Just get a glass jar (they actually carry them at Target  ) for less than 5 dollars usually. You can also use several quart canning jars. Basically anything that can be closed and is clear glass. They do have acrylic ones but I don't think they "cook" quite as well. But I will warn you that the glass jars become slippery and don't use the handle on the top of the lid- it doesn't support it well. They even have some with spigots on them so you can just put the whole jar in the fridge when you bring it in. I use mine a lot for raspberry herbal tea. I use about 8-10 teabags and let it steep outside all afternoon. You can add ice if you want to the jar or in your glass as you drink it. Just a FYI - I don't drink soda at all except soda water and iced tea is my drink of choice. So, good iced tea with some splenda or equal - YUMMY! Good luck on whatever you decide. But this is an option to either reduce your cost or if you have a glass container available - cut cost all together. You might even find one at the dollar store or used. I wouldn't recommend a used one with a spigot - they tend to deteriorate over time. |
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Post by Fivecat on Apr 16, 2010 15:34:42 GMT -5
Misc, take a tea kettle or a small pot, fill it with 2 or 3 cups water, put 4 to 6 reg sized tea bags in it, bring to a boil, remove from heat. Remove bags and discard. Put sugar to taste ( for sweet tea i usually use bewteen one to two cups, depending on who's drinking it, although i drink mine unsweet) in a one gallon pitcher, pour steeped tea into pitcher while hot, stir to disolve sugar, add cold water to fill pitcher. Refrigerate. Voile'. You have tea. You can drink it straight or pour it over ice. Easy to make, easy to clean up, and no unnecessary gadgets taking up valuable counter space or taking money outta your pocket.
I know you love gadgets, but, more often than not, they end up in the small appliance graveyard in the attic or in a future yard sale. Yeah, theyre fun for a time, but after a while, theyre more trouble than theyre worth. I've heard Alton Brown talk about kitchen gadgets and his slant on it, which i agree with, is if it only does one thing rather than be a multitasking item, like one of those fancy dicer/slicers as opposed to a good knife, then it's probably not a very wise choice. So my advice: Give the gadget to Mr Misc and let him return it. That way it's less easy for you reneg.
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Post by eagle on Apr 16, 2010 16:52:49 GMT -5
You can make sun tea in plastic, too. Much safer with kids and pets around. Thus it is safe to set it out on your deck or whatever and not worry the kiddies might knock it over and break it.
I've been using plastic for my sun tea for years since the glass one broke. It works just as well.
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beeble
New Member
Joined: September 2009
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Post by beeble on Apr 16, 2010 21:29:40 GMT -5
Anyone brewing sun tea should be really careful - it can easily harbour and grow bacteria that can make you seriously ill. The water gets warm enough to encourage the growth of bacteria but not hot enough to kill it. Herbal teas are also more dangerous than real teas when brewed like that.
It should only be outside a very few hours and should then be drunk like that day, even if refrigerated. In addition, those pitchers/jars with spigots that many people use to brew it can be quite filthy inside the spigot apparatus unless it's taken apart and cleaned very well.
I think it's much easier to brew tea in a pitcher and stick it in the fridge than to mess with sun tea but I understand people like it - just be very careful if you try it, it can be a bacteria festival.
MISC - If you've decided to return the thing, why not actually make yourself drive over and return it? Especially if it's out of the way. I think forcing yourself to make a trip you don't want, just to return it and not go inside the store past the customer service desk may help you feel you're really making a change. Like snapping a rubber band against your wrist to stop cravings, when you apply an unpleasant consequence to an action, you'll eventually learn to curtail the behaviour that leads to the unpleasant consequence.
Someone else made the same point - if you make yourself return the things you don't want to/know you shouldn't have bought immediately, every time, no excuses, it will probably help you stop buying the stuff in the first place.
If it's just in the van until you happen to go back, and then if you happen to remember it's in there, and then if it's returned and you're going in to buy other stuff, you're not feeling any consequence at all, and possibly even getting a reward, if you turn the return into a trip to Target to pick up other stuff.
Oh, and I freely admit I may not get it, as I've never liked sweet drinks or soda at all so I don't drink the stuff, but... if you don't want to be ingesting all the sugar, why not just use an artificial sweetner or agave or stevia or something instead?
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Post by gifted on Apr 16, 2010 23:45:10 GMT -5
I agree with beeble that there may be some risk of food-borne illness with sun tea. Some years ago, I remember reading an account of one death that was linked to sun tea, which I believe was at the CDC (Center for Disease Control) website, which is the premier authority on infective disease in the USA. However, when I tried to find that account, I came up empty handed. But here is a pdf file from a Washington State Extension Office, on their recommendations. clark.wsu.edu/family/specific-foods/BrewingSafeIcedTea.pdf The article refers to an outbreak which sounds like it affected multiple people. The story I had read was concerning one death, and the only risk factor they attributed was the possibility of contamination of sun tea. As a former Master Food Preserver Volunteer, I am always interested in knowing about food borne illness prevention. But I simply cannot find a definitive opinion. Personally, I would bear in mind that tea is grown in many countries where sanitation might be poor. On the other hand, it is a dried product, and few pathogenic bacteria survive dessication, it seems to me. Here is the evidence snopes turned up: www.snopes.com/food/prepare/suntea.aspAnd here is something about trying to track down the information, and coming up pretty empty. www.teageek.net/blog/?p=190Given my tendency toward a squalous kitchen, I will stick to hot brewing, where I am less likely to forget that I have tea brewing. |
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MiSC
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Post by MiSC on Apr 17, 2010 0:15:10 GMT -5
Oh, and I freely admit I may not get it, as I've never liked sweet drinks or soda at all so I don't drink the stuff, but... if you don't want to be ingesting all the sugar, why not just use an artificial sweetner or agave or stevia or something instead? I can't do diet stuff. Artificial sweeteners of any kind leave a foul taste in my mouth. I just can't do them. So I'll just wean off sugar drinks and ignore the diet stuff. |
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Post by mellowyellow on Apr 17, 2010 12:19:03 GMT -5
ETA: For the last few days, all I can think of is tea.. tea... tea... I've been seriously craving it, and it took me a while to realize the reason for tea being on my mind. This thread of course. So I've just made a pot on my coffee maker and am going to enjoy some hot stuff now, and put the leftover in the fridge after it cools down. I second using Stevia. It's a natural sweetener and comes from a plant. It can be bought as a liquid or powder. Some people take a couple drops of Stevia in water, to help curb their appetite. Here in Canada, we can only buy it at health food stores, but I think in the US it can already be found in certain products or stores. (I don't mean Truvia, which is modified Stevia. I mean the real thing.) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevianews.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100328/bs_afp/lifestyleushealthfoodobesitystevia_20100328053624 |
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Post by eagle on Apr 17, 2010 19:18:05 GMT -5
I've been making sun tea more than half my life and I am 61, and have never gotten sick from it. I clean the container thoroughly between uses, of course. In fact, there are no tannin stains in the container I use to make my tea, because I clean it so thoroughly. Sanitation has always been a concern for me when it comes to food. I also drink the tea within 24 hours. In fact today I have already finished off over a gallon of the stuff and it was good. The tea I use for sun tea is always bagged tea, and usually Luzianne, which in my opinion makes the best Iced Tea I've ever tasted. But before finding Luzianne, I used Red Rose tea for decades. There was a study (See: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19157800 ) which suggests that green tea inhibits bacterial growth, so maybe it would be a good option for sun tea. Still, following good food handling guidelines is always important, no matter which kind of tea one chooses to make. Regarding the making of tea in a coffeemaker: The taste of coffee in my tea is a real turn off. Coffee and tea just don't mix well in my opinion. Hot water made in a coffeemaker that has been used to make coffee, always tastes like coffee. Put a tea bag in that water and it still tastes like coffee, but mixed with tea. I just can't drink it like that. The only think I ever liked mixed in my coffee was hot chocolate. |
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Post by MissABCD on Apr 17, 2010 21:11:28 GMT -5
I have an iced tea maker that I have used only a few times. I prefer Lipton's Cold Brew Tea Bags. I have been paying $2.34 at Walmart for a box of 22 quart sized tea bags. Since I am a hoarder from way back, I start the tea bag in an old empty glass instant tea jar in the refrigerator. I usally start the next jar when I take one out to drink on during the day. It doesn't really take very long at all to brew. I just let mine brew until I have finished the last jar. I sweeten my tea with Sweet-N-Low as I can't use any of the other sweetners. However, real sugar could be stirred in to taste--or the tea is refreshing as is--unsweetened. MissABCD
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Smokey
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Joined: March 2009
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Post by Smokey on Apr 18, 2010 10:40:16 GMT -5
someone has put what I will type here into this thread already but I've missed it. So you get the two-for-one blue light special!
First a note to Misc -- you did not really buy a tea maker. You bought a dream of losing weight. A fantasy of saving money. An idea that buying this thing was going to make your life a happy-ever-after. Buying stuff with the idea that it will fix your life or improve your relationships with family is something we all do. Target and grocery stores and just about any store you go to makes you buy fantasies with serious marketing to make you add items as you go for the items actually on your list.
Second a note to solar tea brewers. If you are super worried about this then brew tea with hot boiling water, use sanitized ustensils the way you would for canning, cool hot tea off in bowl of ice cubes (or hey! liquid nitrogen) and store tea in the refrigerator. If you are not so worried then brew solar tea in the refrigerator -- yes the Brownian motion principle works just fine if you use a jar of water and the eight or however many tea bags you like to use in the fridge. No sitting in the sun needed, the tea will just take longer to brew. Finally, brewing in the sun takes just a few hours so you don't leave the brewed tea laying uncooled for days. Add sugar when you serve the tea. Oh and do remove tea bags or strain out the leaves when the brew is right. You chill the brew. Include tossing tea out as of your regular refrigerator clean out.
Misc stack your test passing odds a little bit more in you favor next time. Tell the mister why you are taking him with you. When you see an "I've got to have it now" item tell yourself that you can come back in two days and get it, just not right now! And do go throw out a few items from your home that have not lived up to their fantasy promises. Right now please.
Sigh, I know Smokese typing I am again. Big hugs to you any way, you know I mean it. I don't see that buying a dream of losing weight and saving money is failing the test you described. It is a wee bit delusional ... but I want my life perfect and buying is so easy. Buying a dream is futile. But it sure is easy.
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Post by shopgirl on Apr 19, 2010 12:12:27 GMT -5
MiSC, returning the tea maker will be an interesting experiment for you!
I can't wait for you to write how you feel afterward.
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Apr 19, 2010 12:39:26 GMT -5
First a note to Misc -- you did not really buy a tea maker. You bought a dream of losing weight. A fantasy of saving money. An idea that buying this thing was going to make your life a happy-ever-after. Buying stuff with the idea that it will fix your life or improve your relationships with family is something we all do. Target and grocery stores and just about any store you go to makes you buy fantasies with serious marketing to make you add items as you go for the items actually on your list.
And do go throw out a few items from your home that have not lived up to their fantasy promises. Right now please.
I don't see that buying a dream of losing weight and saving money is failing the test you described. It is a wee bit delusional ... but I want my life perfect and buying is so easy. Buying a dream is futile. But it sure is easy. Wow. The wisdom of Sky-Smokey. - |
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