The Addison Cafe

Life isn’t easy. There are bills to pay and mouths to feed. Especially at times like these, people need some solace…some sort of temporary escape; and I know just the thing. Behold, I give you the recliner.

Ever since I was a wee lad I have wanted one. I remember growing up and going over to my grandparents house and watching my grandpa sink into his oversized La-Z-Boy armchair, dog in lap and drink in hand. I could feel the inspiration radiating from it.

Well ladies and gentleman, my time has come. As a matter of fact, I am writing this post from my newly delivered chair this very moment.

Furniture is a tricky thing to purchase; there are so many brands and styles and prices. First, we went to Bob’s discount furniture warehouse (or something like that…which is just short for “junk”). I sat in one of the chairs and told the desperate salesman that the seat didn’t have the best sink factor. We left after he took off his shoes and started JUMPING up and down on the seat in his sweaty socks, telling us that you just need to “break it in”. I am not even kidding you.

Then came JCPenney’s. Great prices, good furniture, and no sweaty feet. I saved money and got the perfect chair. It was definitely worth the hunt.

What furniture piece is a must have to you? And how do you try and save on furniture?

Several weeks ago I blogged about living more simply and getting back to the basics, especially considering the state of the country right now. Well, I spent last weekend at a winter camp with a thousand high school students and they taught me a new game.

It is called “Buffalo” and it is simple to play. First, you have to be in the “Buffalo Club” (which essentially consists of a handshake that guarantees you a lifetime membership).

Once you are in, the fun begins. Any time you drink anything while holding your cup in your right hand, another member of the club can call “Buffalo”, which means you have to chug whatever is left in your drink as fast as you can (watch out when drinking coffee). I know it doesn’t sound like much fun, but it sure is when you are the person calling it. About ten minutes after I joined I caught a guy sipping his freshly filled 44 ouncer using his right hand. He had to down the entire drink on the spot.

And so ensued an entire weekend of paranoia and left handed drinking. All that to say I had forgotten how entertaining small things like that can be, and realized I can have fun without Netflix or Blockbuster.

Bottoms up.

Warning: Personal rant below.

Valentine’s Day drives me nuts. It should be called “Stress Obligation Day”. Why? Let’s look at some pros and cons of the day.

Pros:

1. It’s romantic.

Cons:

1. It’s expensive (especially from the holiday markup).

2. It’s crazy busy (every restaurant and flower shop is packed).

3. There are a lot of expectations (stereotypically).

Turns out I can be romantic and thoughtful any day of the year, and hopefully more than just once.  For instance, I took my wife out last night and not only was it more inexpensive, but there was no mad rush of crazed husbands looking for some place to go last minute.

So what are my plans for Valentine’s day? I will be out of town at something I already had planned while my wife hangs out with a friend and watches movies I wouldn’t want to see.  Am I in trouble for ditching her? No. Why? Because I show her appreciation and love for all year long, not just when Hallmark tells me to.

Note: I understand sometimes V-day is a great excuse to look forward to something special and go all out, and I don’t condemn people who celebrate. To each their own. What are your thoughts?

You know it’s tax time again when you see a commercial to this effect:

“Hi, I work for Glad-You-Are-Intimidated-By-Taxes, Inc. Even though in the most common tax scenarios my dog (which is smarter than your honor student) could do your taxes with inexpensive software like TurboTax and TaxAct, I would like to convince you that you need me to do them for you instead. And for only a couple of hundred dollars!”

True: Taxes used to be a huge pain. With recent software and technology, they’re not nearly as bad as they once were. (The reason I am writing this post is because last year I had to do taxes for 2 states and my wife had 8, yes EIGHT W-2s. I went in and got quoted at almost $300 so I ended up doing it myself with TaxAct for $30.)

False: You will save a lot of time by having them done for you. Actually, you probably don’t save time by having someone else do them for you when you considering all the driving, explaining, and meeting time involved. I think it only took me around 2 hours total.

Note: This is a generalization and word of encouragement to those who have simple tax situations and have an opportunity to save a lot of money. I believe there is definitely great value in having your taxes done for you when appropriate.