Cheap fast food. The best, the worst.

I fully admit that over the summer I may have indulged a little more than I should have regarding eating out, specifically fast food. I know there are health and quality concerns that need to be considered, but I consider it one of my precious few luxuries. Even while indulging, I tried my very best to stick to a reasonable budget. When I was with the missus this was difficult, as when we eat out we tend to make it a full meal. But after a number of hard mornings at the office I became quite adept at satisfying my hunger with minimal damage to my budget.

There are certain places to eat for certain things and while sometimes you have a craving you just can't shake, most often than not you can have a filling lunch for two dollars or so, if you pick your poison wisely.

Some places are better to eat at than others when it comes to a limited budget, as I'll explain below.

• Subway: This popular chain has released a new ad campaign, selling $5 foot long subs. This seems fairly reasonable at first glance and it is in the end of things. But in comparison to a lot of other fast food franchises, it isn't terribly great. You're restricted to a set number of sandwiches, and Subway isn't known for piling on the ingredients. After tax you are probably ringing up a fair bit above the advertised $5, especially if you buy a bag of chips and a fountain drink.
  
  Healthier than most other fast food chains, but by far not the cheapest.
  
  
• Dunkin Donuts: Dunkin's has entered the realm of fast food not terribly long ago with their flat bread sandwiches and personal pizzas. But in comparison to other chains they're neither cheap or filling per dollar spent. Delicious? Perhaps. Worth it? Not really.
  
  Money is best spent here with a Munchkin, Small Coffee Combo. Stay far, far away from the budget breaking Coolattas.
  
  
• McDonalds: The double cheese burger reigns king at McDonalds when you're looking for the cheapest, best thing on the menu. Typically selling for $1 it's a pretty good deal. Before you unwrap it and sink your teeth into it's greasy, condiment flavored interior. Any given bite of this baby will either taste like beef-like-substance bread or ketchup.
  
  The four piece nugget is quite delicious, but for a $1 you'll need two or three just to satisfy mild hunger.
  
  
• Burger King: In my opinion Burger King is superior to McDonalds in all ways. This includes their value menu. The best item for your dollar? Undisputedly the Whopper Jr, of course. This tiny version of the whopper actually contains more than condiments, with the full lettuce, pickle, onion and tomato you'd expect on a cheese burger.
  
  Besides that the value menu is pretty lacking. You have the standard chicken sandwich, fries and onion rings, but they're neither substantial or worth the money in a tight lunch budget.
  
  
• Wendy's: Wendy's brings a lot to the table for the cheap grease seeker. It is typically my cheap meal ticket of choice in most situations. Wendy's bread and butter value menu product is the Junior Bacon Cheese Burger. While relatively small, two easily make a filling meal for just over $2.
  
  Several new items to the value menu include a double cheese burger that is fairly decent in comparison to McDonalds and a Crispy Chicken sandwich that is best not discussed.
  
  A small chili without cheese is likely the best value, ringing in at around $1.20.
  
  
• Taco Bell: My holy grail for fast, greasy food on the go. The only reason why I'm not constantly shoveling this down my gullet is the lack of establishments in my area. The food is delicious, dirt cheap (likely because the contents are items that are essentially the cheapest on the planet) and quickly prepared.
  
  The undisputed king of Taco Bell's value menu is the simple taco. Soft flour or crunchy corn you're not spending a cent more than $0.89 for this simple cheap meal. The Taco Bell menu is highly modular, so coupling a single taco with say, the $1.00 double beef burrito is quite easy.
  
  That being said it's quite easy to be side tracked into purchasing one of the more expensive items, such as a Crunchwrap (up to $3) or a Gordita (up to $2.50).

Are there regional favorites like Jack in the Box, Sonic, Chipotle Grill, Checkers and their ilk? Absolutely. But I really can't offer an opinion on many others, despite their regional existence and lack of nearby locations.

Of course I'm in no way suggesting you eat at any of these establishments frequently. I typically limit myself to one excursion a week. Usually to Taco Bell. Used in conjunction with adequate exercise and a bit of self control the value menu at any of these establishments can be a welcome treat to the financially challenged individual.

Cut Costs This Winter: 5 Easy Tips

This time last year the biggest thing on my mind was energy costs. Whether it be electricity, heating fuel, or gasoline for my tiny car the costs pretty much erode my fun money down to pretty much nothing. This issue is only made more critical in the winter, when my relatively poorly insulated, ancient home requires vast quantities of kerosene (because my fuel lines love to FREEZE) and electricity (because my heater loves to work, work, work).

This year, surprise surprise, I find myself in a better financial situation with a worse economy. Energy costs are considerably higher, making that extra change in my pocket more or less meaningless. So, needless to say the biggest concern I have this year is the same as it was last fall.

But there are some various things I've come up with to combat the encroaching frost that don't require much, if any investment in order to get a significant return.

1. Digital thermostat: A lot of homes, older ones especially, have old style dial thermostats. This is where you set a temperature (say, 70 degrees) and forget about it. Sure, you can adjust the dial at your whim. But it requires constant supervision if you wish to best optimize your heating plan.
   
   For example, the house doesn't need to be toasty warm while you're at work. In order to accomplish these savings you'd have to turn down the thermostat every day before you walk out the door.
   
   A couple of years ago we bought a digital thermostat. It cost us $20 and was dead simple to install. We simply unscrewed the old dial and screwed a couple of wires into the new box. Now our heater works in concert with our activities. Week nights after 10:00 PM the temperature drops to a more sustainable temperature. But the heater kicks right back on at 8:00 AM, when it's time to get up. This eliminates human error and insures we never have the heater running unless necessary.
   
   
2. Turning down the heat: It's a painful thing to do, and I swear it's probably changed me in some fundamental Batman villain way. But it works. Your house does not need to be kept at a roasty-toasty 75 degrees in the dead of winter. 68 will likely suffice just fine. Last year our thermostat didn't breach 65.
   
   This year? I might even dip down to a lovely ambient temperature of 60 during the day and 55 during the night.
   
   
3. Focus the heat: This is especially true if you live in an older house with forced hot air ventilation, like my own. Or if you find yourself with more square footage than really required in the dead of winter.
   
   You can find magnetic heater vent covers at your local hardware store. Simply place them over your heater vents and close off a couple of doors. We allow our summer living room (an addition) to fall well below freezing during the colder months. It has no pluming to worry about, is relatively poorly insulated and it goes unused anyway.
   
   If you don't have forced hot air, look into disabling your radiators or closing your central air conditioning vents.
   
   
4. Strategically use space heaters: I'm not saying go out and spend $500 on space heaters and scatter them around your home. But strategically placed, 2 or 3 space heaters can mean the difference between $600 in energy costs for December or $300.
   
   If you find yourself working from home a lot, place one if your office. If you have a relatively closed off living room, deploy one there. So long as you remember to turn them off when you're not around or conscious and use them as a supplement instead of a replacement you should notice a smaller energy bill overall.
   
   
5. Seal cracks, eliminate drafts: You'd be surprised at how many cracks and drafty windows the average home has. Beneath door jams, inside windowsills, unmoved air conditioners from bygone eras.
   
   Try purchasing some weather sealant caulk from your local hardware store to seal infrequently used windows and back doors. You can even go so far as purchasing plastic sheeting (clear, so you can let sunlight in) to block off some especially drafty older windows. Close storm doors and windows. Utilize draft dodgers (neat little tubes of insulated filling) to prevent drafts under more frequently used doors.
   

So long as you use a little bit of forethought, research and common sense the approaching winter shouldn't be as bad as you think it's going to be, even with rising energy costs.

Avoid Getting Ripped Off: Buying High Ticket Items

I married my long time love interest on August 2nd. We've been through a lot together and in a lot of ways we're already like an old couple. While we just got married we had been living together for years and before that we were in a relationship pretty much since early 2000. The word marriage wasn't so much important to us as the benefits of being married. We're both very nonreligious people, but the legal system is designed to protect those who share a union. Since she is now a federal employee and receives significantly better health coverage than yesteryears and I'm technically an independent contractor it was the only logical decision. So we had a tiny super cheap wedding.

The one thing that we decided to spend an appreciable amount of money on were our wedding rings. Being a salesman in a former life and having dealt first hand with a number of overly pushy commission based retailers, we weren't exactly looking forward to shopping. Picking them out, yes. We loved that part. But we loathed dealing with the phony in your face sales sharks who simply saw dollar signs.

We went into the situation with a mindset that we were not going to be ripped off. Believe it or not, we actually drew up a list beforehand to help us in our shopping excursion. These tips should work for any high ticket item, be it a computer, car or wedding ring.

• Don't deal with sales people (at first): Yes, they're there to help you. But they also have their own bills to pay and their own agenda. Any advice they give you might be tainted with their own best interests in mind instead of yours. So research the field you're looking to buy into. Utilize the internet to narrow your selection and needs down to a general price range that you find acceptable.
  
  
• Command respect: Don't let them do all of the talking. When you are finally ready to engage a sales person, do just that. Engage them in conversation. Ask intelligent questions as to the nature of the product you're thinking about buying. Make them explain themselves if they're not entirely clear. If you appear docile and meek you might just find yourself in the hands of something who thinks you're an easy paycheck.
  
  
• Dress right: And by this I do not mean "dress for success." If you look like you're capable of dropping a lot of dough, you're likely going to give the sales clerk that image as a first impression.
  
  So leave your expensive inherited gold watch, Coach purse, fancy leather jacket and other assorted bling at home. If you have one, put your wedding ring in your pocket. These are all things sales people immediately key in on.
  
  Dress decent, but over all pretty casual. Like you were going to a movie with a couple of friends.
  
  
• Bring a partner: Whether you bring your significant other or a friend, two heads are better than one. You'll have someone not directly invested in the purchase to bounce logical ideas off of. You'll also have someone to remain an outsider in case you start to be drawn into a sale that you may regret later.
  
  
• Don't talk to your partner (too much): Whether you're shopping with your boyfriend, wife or best friend don't talk to them too much while the sales associate is hovering around you. Make sure you're both crystal clear on this subject. The last thing you want is your wife saying "You should get it, you know you want it." in front of an already pushy commission shark. You'll find yourself pressured from two sides, instead of just one.
  
  Instead politely excuse yourselves to discuss the issue at a nice distance.
  
  
• Be wary of expiring offers: Be careful associates informing you that "this bracelet is the last one we have.." or that "this sale is for this afternoon only." It's a common tactic to introduce time limits on things. It encourages impulse buys. Which is not what you want to do with a high ticket item. Take advantage of them, but don't do so simply because of the fact.
  
  
• Don't be scared to walk away: Arguably the most powerful tool in your arsenal. Competition breeds low prices. We all know that a monopoly (the economic situation, not the board game) is a bad thing. Regardless of the item, you can probably find it elsewhere cheaper. The only thing that differs is the effort put into the search.
  
  So if a sales person is pressuring you to make a decision before you've had time to logically think out the pros and the cons of the price, politely thank them and go catch a cup of coffee. The sales associate will know you're capable of walking out on an offer and you'll have time to logically think out the situation on your own terms. If you decide to go back both parties will be aware of just how far the other is capable of going.
  

This is not a catch all, but instead a general outline with a couple of things that can keep you protected. So long as you remain smart and don't allow yourself to be manipulated you'll be able to get your high ticket item at a fair price well within your budget.

My return to MSB, personal finance, general penny pinching

I've returned to the minus sign blues after a fairly long (3 month) break. While I can't exactly come up with a fancy pants iron clad excuse for my long absence from the personal finance blog-o-sphere, I have to say that I'm returning fairly motivated to share my research and musings with those who may share my unfortunately predicament once again.

In short, I left partly because of time constraints and partly because I had less of a need to write. I started and maintained this blog for so long simply because of the fact that writing helps me organize my thoughts and logically arrange my emotions. It's a type of therapy for me. The warm summer air (and lack of heating bills) made my debt situation a bit more bearable. So I was able to enjoy life a little more and keep those unsightly invoices tamed.

That $500 a month reserved for kerosene went a long way to improving our quality of life and our checking account.

My little summer off was pretty productive. Both American Express cards bit the dust and their sky high interest rates are no longer of my concern. Several other low balance accounts were also terminated with extreme prejudice. Although I wish I could have earned more to put several others to rest, I'm happy with the progress we've made thus far.

But the leaves are beginning to stick to my windowpanes and more and more blankets are finding themselves piled on top of my bed. A recent examination of our finances reveals that once again because of the impending winter we must button up and live a bit less comfortably and a bit more frugally.

This means a serious return to personal finance research, penny pinching and staving off winter-mopeyness. It also fortunately means a return to blogging.

Expect to see some neat things here in the coming weeks and months. I have many things to read and write about.

Beat the heat without breaking the bank

Record high temperatures have slammed into the north eastern United States with a fury. My weatherman is flirting with 100 degree afternoons now and it's not even technically summer quite yet. Right now sweat is pouring down my forehead and I'm armed with a personal fan and an enormous glass of ice cold cranberry juice.

And yet I dread laying down on sticky sheets trying to catch a couple of hours of sleep in this stifling, oppressive humidity. Less than a month ago I was shutting up all of the windows at night and turning on the heater just to keep the temperature of the house at a pretty chilly 60 degrees.

Needless to say because of the equally oppressive New England winters and the cost of running such behemoths many homes don't exactly home standard with central air. While it's true my household has a small air conditioner it's best suited for a single small room at best. And even then it causes our electricity bill to spike dangerously high. Something we clearly cannot quite afford yet.

So, whenever we possibly can we have been attempting to flee our home for cooler pastures. But it's been very difficult to stick to our winter budget in our quest to stay cool. We've gone through a little brainstorming session and we think we've come up with a couple of ways to keep our dollars safely nestled in our bank account and our heads from over heating.

In this post I'll detail frugal beach survival.

• Food. Bring your own: We recently paid a visit to Lake Sunapee on a quest to see how badly we could burn our nearly translucent hides. (I'll give you a hint: Very badly.) The day was crystal clear and in the 90s. The beach was lovely and relatively sparsely populated. And considering the lake was covered with ice in April, the water was fairly warm. (55 F)
  
  But it cost us $8 to park the car and $10 in gas to get up there. We expected these misfortunes, grinned and bore them. To cut costs we made our own sandwiches from scratch, filled water bottles with tap water and loaded up our cooler with ice packs. We knew it would be tempting to go for a slice of pizza or a hot dog from a beach side vendor, but it'd absolutely crush our budget just to fill our bellies.
  
  So we steeled ourselves and committed to our sandwiches and tap water. With the money we saved in food costs we'll be able to pay a second visit much sooner than we otherwise would have been able to.
  
  
• Commuting. Take some friends, share the burden: Gasoline prices are sky rocketing. So why not plan an outing to the beach with a couple of friends instead of just the mister or missus? If you have a fair drive to the local swimming hole, river, lake, pond or ocean and you know you'll be paying an arm and a leg for parking go ahead and stuff as many people in your car as possible.
  
  Most beach goers go in twos. Double it and split up the costs accordingly. And hey, if you don't want to hang out with the people you shared a car with just go your separate ways.
  
  
• Consider going somewhere more local: As a rule of thumb the ocean is almost always a busier and more costly spot to pay a visit. So why not stick closer to home and pay a visit to a local pond, lake or river so long as local regulations and conditions are permitting? You won't have to worry about crowds, the high cost of parking or getting all that sticky salt out of your hair at the end of the night.
  
  
• Go for the long haul: My logic has always been if you're going to enjoy yourself really enjoy yourself. If you're paying an arm and a leg for gasoline, parking and food just to get a little bit of much needed sun, sand and relaxation make the absolute best of it.
  
  Get there early in the morning, stake out a good spot and set up shop. Bring a book and a stocked cooler. Stay for awhile. Maybe even until the beach shuts down. Squeeze every penny of value from your trip.
  
  If you feel tired of the surf, just take a nap.
  
  
• Bring the right things: Ideally every beach trip should be prepared in advanced, preferably the night prior. To maximize your comfort level a couple of things are pretty much standard. Many substitutions can be made of the fly, however.
  
  
  • Beach Blanket: Can be replaced with an old, clean bed sheet.
  • Beach Towel: Easily replaced by irregular bath sheets.
    
  • Shade: If the beach is open with little to no shade, consider buying a small sun shelter. If you don't have that kind of cash you can always nap under a light cotton over shirt and a baseball cap.
    
  • Cooler: A must if you're planning on spending any appreciable amount of time on the sand. If you've recently lost yours to a tragic party accident a covered 5 gallon bucket with ice packs and a some manner of cover will suffice just fine.
    
  • Sunscreen: Required. Skin cancer goes poorly in a country lacking universal health care with a weak currency. Pick yours up at your friendly local mega-mart or discount big box store (Sam's Club, BJs). Never buy your sunblock at a beach side store or a gas station. Your wallet will thank you.
    
    

So long as you keep your budget in the front of your mind and do a little thought before hand you can escape the brutal summer heat and have a little fun in the process, whether it's at your local pond or an expansive beach.

Do you have some tips for summer beach survival for the frugal fellow? Post them in the comments along with a link to your blog and I'll link back to it in my next post!

Misconceptions about working from home.

I produce most of my income from the comfort of my home office. While it has been one of the best jobs I've ever had the good fortune of stumbling into, I'm often confronted by a number of people who have quite the inaccurate picture of what the home bound tele-commuter has to put up with on a daily basis.

There are a lot of people out there who seem to think that working from home is the best creation of man since pen and paper. I do agree, but I also concede to the fact that it is clearly not an ideal situation for most people. Of course each particular stay at home position varies from one another, but every single one carries several unifying traits and misconceptions that most people who have never done it have trouble understanding.

I'm going to try to break them down to the best of my ability. Tele-commuting can be both a blessing and a curse to the frugal folk of the world. It's important to weigh your options carefully before embarking on a rash career change.

• You are NOT free from responsibility: While you don't exactly have to worry about an over bearing, zealous boss literally breathing down the back of your neck deadlines do exist in every industry, and they are no different when you have the good fortune of having access to your favorite recliner throughout your work day.
  
  In many cases the home worker has to have a great deal more personal responsibility than the office bound employee. You have to manage your time exceptionally well and you have to know when enough screwing around is enough. There's no one around to give you a stern look from across the office. And there are a lot of distractions at home. It's easy to get lost during your lunch break.
  
  
• You don't save as much as you think: I used to chew through thirty dollars a week in gasoline driving my little Chevy Malibu up and down the interstate on a total commute of seven to eight hours a week. I'd often go out to eat every week, and even when I didn't I likely had to purchase specialty food so I could eat on the run.
  
  That changed when I started working from home. I started gassing up once every other week and all of my meals were made from scratch. Since I had access to my pantry and my kitchen I could make whatever I'd like. No longer did I have to chew through an epic quantity of hot pockets and soda.
  
  But those savings were offset immediately. It costs a significant amount of money to work from home. Instead of running up the utility bill of a faceless office condo I found myself home 24 hours a day, racking up a good deal of my own utilities. The most expensive definitely being heating oil.
  
  
• You people skills suffer: I've never pretended to be a people person. I'm a very quiet, private individual. I enjoy being alone most of the time and left to my own devices. But I even felt the crunch. Sure, conference calls and emails are a dime a dozen. But even the most anti social person on the planet will still get a little lonely.
  
  
• People think you're always on the clock: Unless you keep strict office hours and routinely remind your less fortunate comrades of your set schedule, people are always going to think you're capable of doing "one more quick thing" for them before the end of the work day.
  
  In a traditional environment once you've left the building, you're gone. People are used to the fact that if you're not there, you're not available. This goes away when you're on speed dial and your face is your email signature. I've often found myself working into the early morning on long projects.
  
  
• People think you're always OFF the clock: Everyone you work with always thinks you're on the clock. But everyone you don't work with thinks your "scam" is the best thing ever. While it's true that working from home comes with a certain freedom to manage your time as you please you'll find yourself besieged with honey-do tasks and stern looks when the dishes are left unwashed throughout the workday.
  
  Unless your partner and friends understand that you work just as many hours as they do (if not more) they're going to assume your life is nothing but beer flavored lunch breaks and Married With Children reruns.
  
  
• Loss of connectivity gives you the chills: Last week I was busy working away when, boop, my internet connection died. With it went my broadband phone line and my digital cable. The cable I can handle.
  
  If this would have happened in an office environment I likely would have shrugged, kicked up my feet and started to chat away with my coworkers. But when you're isolated from the whole your connectivity is your life blood. Sure, there's probably something you can do in the mean time. But what if it takes your ISP 24 to 48 hours to come out to your neck of the woods to resolve the issue?
  
  Say hello to two full sick days used because of a burp in a fiber optic line a hundred miles down the road.
  
  
• You need certain equipment: Chances are if you're on someone's payroll as a tele-commuter they're going to meet you part way with office supplies. But if you're self employed as a freelancer or if you own your own home business you're going to need to fork out some cash for certain necessities like high speed internet and a reliable computer. And even mundane junk like paper clips and thumbtacks.
  
• Communication is sometimes... difficult: It's likely that if you're reading this it's easy to communicate with you through written word. But with a lot of people, especially older people not exactly proficient at typing, communication begins to break down. Often enough email is the life blood of the home worker. And when it takes someone two hours to draft a paragraph reply or can't be reached via telephone immediately things begin to grind to a stand still.
  

Is a stay at home job ideal in some situations? Absolutely. Can it lead to an incredible sense of self satisfaction and relaxed outlook? Definitely. Will it help the frugal fellow looking to line his pocket book and keep the costs of commuting at bay? Not always.

So long as the situation is carefully constructed anyone can work from the comfort of their own home successfully, if they have the right type of personality and know about the trials ahead of them.

How to successfully raid a farmer's market

Spring is here and now we find ourselves flirting with the gorgeous girl that summer is, however fleeting she may be. Eerily pale New Englanders are beginning to stumble into the daylight, only to discover their chalky white skin will offer absolutely no protection against the growing day light. Floridians are slathering on the SPF 9,000 and Californians are now switching from red to white wines and from blue tinted sun glasses to the more stylish green.

I can say from first hand experience that last winter was hard and brutal. I thought I'd lose my mind on the fourth or fifth midnight furnace watch when the mercury started to dip below -15 F and our kerosene tank started to freeze. But if one thing kept be going through the long, hard winter it was the promise of one thing and one thing only.

Food.

In the frozen wasteland that is New Hampshire during the deep freeze of winter everything is either canned, frozen or imported from third world countries below the equator. Which is fine. I like being able to eat, even if it has to either taste like salty mush or come from Brazil with a price tag that'd put hard liquor to shame. But summer offers something different.

Summer offers a taste of local foods. Corn that hasn't traveled more than two zip codes and peaches that you might be able to see growing from the roof of your house. The recent Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick off for summer.

So when it's time to honor our veterans farmer's markets and fruit stands begin to set up shop. But this year is different. This year we're finding prices a bit higher than the previous. And with it some yankee traders may attempt to take advantage of fresh food starved, over zealous folk looking to sink their teeth into an affordable habanero pepper.

Some "local" farmers markets may very well be hocking the exact same imported wares that your mega mart was pushing on you during the winter months. Some may provide you with honest locally grown fruits and vegetables, but will put even the most conservative grocer to shame with crazy mark up and substandard quality.

Which is not to say that you should steer clear of the enigmatic farmer's market or roadside fruit stand. You should absolutely support locally owned businesses and reap the benefits of the fleeting summer months, so long as you follow a couple of guidelines.

• Make sure you know what's in season: There's a reason why apples are dirt cheap in fall. That's when they're harvested in most areas, the market is flooded. The same goes for spring. Spring apples are imported from all over the world, so you may very well be paying more on shipping costs (and spent cargo plane fuel) than the actual fruit itself.
  
  So do yourself a favor and look for items that are in peak season and stick to them. Do you desperately want an ear of corn in North Dakota, but it's only June 2nd? Chances are your product was flown it from Florida a month prior. Will it be edible? Sure. Will it be cheap? Not a chance.
  
  
• Examine your surroundings: Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. Are you shopping from a single lonely stand on the highway? Or are you shopping from a group of merchants set up in an empty lot, packed with customers? If business seems steady, the place seems clean and there are multiple vendors to choose from you've almost always found a winning market.
  
  
• Stay away from heavily processed foods: I'm hardly a freegan. But there seems to be something wrong with buying a meat pie from the back of some guy's truck. Plus, buying processed foods takes the point away from the whole concept of shopping at a local market. Who's to say the potatoes and carrots in it weren't canned? Isn't it kind of self defeating?
  
  That being said there's nothing wrong with buying some maple syrup candy for the kids or a couple of simple bread loaves, so long as they are not outrageously priced. Just remember, the more heavily an item is processed the higher price tag it's going to have.
  
  
• Remember your normal budget: How much would you think a pound of peaches goes for at your local mega mart? Is it comparable to the price at your local fruit stand? If yes, it may very well be the same product that's been imported from who knows where.
  
  
• Talk to those selling you your dinner: It'll do wonders. The Farmer's Market is supposed to be a friendly, casual atmosphere usually held out doors. More often than not the people manning the stands are the same people who grew the plum tomatoes you're looking to stuff.
  
  Ask questions. What would they take home today? Where did this head of lettuce come from? How has the harvest been so far? You might make a couple of friends. And as a great man once said, "Friend's don't let friend's buy junk."
  
  
• Come prepared: You're not exactly dealing with a Wal-Mart super center and the stand you're shopping from may not even have an electrical outlet to proces your fancy and likely unnecessary American Express card. So bring a fair amount of cash in small denominations.
  
  And don't forget something to haul away all of your loot. Reusable canvas bags, backpacks and coolers with ice packs are all excellent items to bring to a farmer's market. Always bring more than you think you're going to need, you may very well find a great deal.
  
  
• Steel yourself against things you might not really want: Just because you bring more storage space than you need does not mean you have to leave with sixteen pounds of ruby red grapefruit and four dozen years of corn. If the food is fresh and you find yourself wanting to overbuy, take a break. Buy a small quantity, have a snack and see if it's really worth it. You might find that you were a bit greedy. Or not greedy enough.
  

Just remember to make it an experience worth remembering. Make the trip an enjoyable experience with friends and family. Try not to quibble too much over price. You only live once, and winter is right around the corner. So get your fill while you can.