New York Renovator

Whoa. I thought I had seen it all. When I think of “stainless steel,” the kitchen sink comes to mind. And maybe silverware. But this store, The Stainless Steel Store, has EVERYTHING. Even the website is designed like stainless steel!

Although I don’t like stainless steel because it is rather cold-looking and uncolorful, I like stainless steel because it is more sanitary than plastic or wood. Stainless steel is not porous, which means that it doesn’t harbor germs in microscopic crevices like plastic and wood. And the reason they call is “stainless” is because the metal is an alloy with a composition less likely to rust. So you can disinfect it easier. So I like some things in my kitchen to be stainless steel– I like the refrigerator doors to be stainless; stoves look terrific in stainless steel; my favorite “silverware” cooking utensils are stainless steel.

But this store has a TON of stainless steel stuff. It’s neat!

This is a flexible trivet. So cool!

I especially like the blomus stainless steel flexible trivet– just what we need to protect our new countertops. The site has, amongst a million other unique things, teacups and saucers, coffee measuring spoons, tape measures, coat hooks, staplers, pencil cups, soap dishes, toothbrush holders, etc. There’s also blomus stainless steel mailbox, and blomus stainless steel fireplace accessories. Just tons of stuff, some for everyday and some for quirky things. Since the holiday season is coming up, you may want to check it out.

Hey! I have some great news for you online shoppers and deal hunters! Buy.com has a new department called Household Essentials! You can buy household cleaning supplies, dry goods, bath and shower supplies, baby stuff, pet supplies and more in the department. I LOVE it. I dislike shopping at retail stores very much– the traffic (which is INSANE around here), the crowds, the cranky people, the rush-rush-rush of the rat race…. I like to buy stuff online as much as I can. Buy.com has been a Godsend during our renovation– I’ve ordered quite a bit of stuff from them. It not only saves me money but saves me time, too.

Buy.com combines the bets of the best in online household stores: Alice, ANTOnline, Baby Universe, Tool District, UnbeatableSale and others. The prices are very good and the shipping is free. Plus, Buy.com provides some really nice specialty items for great prices! There’s Starbucks coffee and exotic herbal tea like Numi White Rose tea and more. If you like to make gift baskets for the holidays, you can order all sorts of delectable, exotic products and have everything shipped to your door. Can’t beat that!

And this is all on top of their other stuff that they always have on sale. And then there’s the outstanding customer service and fast shipping. Buy.com is the way to go!

We finally got some snow in Upstate New York! The Mohawk Valley got about 4 inches over the weekend (just a spit o’ snow– I grew up in the Snow Belt between Lake Ontario and Lake Oneida; four inches is like a dusting there). The snow was wet and heavy, though, and still needed to be moved. Here’s a little tip for any of you novice snow shovelers out there.

Spray your shovel with non-stick cooking spray before you begin shoveling. This will make the snow glide off the shovel. It works for spring digging, too! WD-40 is not a good idea to use outdoors, as it will get into the ground and contaminate the snow and soil below. Non-stick cooking spray is great because it’s a food product (veggie oils). Plus, you’ll be ravenous for popcorn when you’re done shoveling.

Non-stick cooking spray has other uses, too:

• After applying nail polish to your nails, spray a very light coat of non-stick cooking spray onto them. The polish will dry much, much quicker!
• Spray the cooking spray on the underside of your snow sleds. Wheeeeeeeeeeee! Hang on tight, boys and girls!
• Instead of melted butter on your popcorn, lightly spray your cooked popcorn with the butter-flavored spray.
• Spray plastic containers before you store your food leftovers in them. It will make the containers easier to clean later.

Have fun shoveling!

Look at this gadget! I was shopping the deals at Buy.com– their weekly sale page– and saw this really nifty gadget!

It’s an Audiovox Digital Message Center! Isn’t it pretty? I love organizers like these. Right now, I have my organizers all over the place– a digital voice recorder in my purse (never leave home without it!), my sticky notes on the desk (and all over everyone else’s, too!), my corkboard by my shelf, calendars, etc etc. My home looks something like an office building… except… messier. My birthday is coming up, this Digital Message Center looks mighty nice!

It’s really neat– you can stick it on the fridge, or a wall, or have it stand freely. It has a dry-erase board, a spot for Post-It notes, a DIGITAL voice recorder (love that!), a magnetic strip to hold coupons, a digital photo display, and– best of all– a calender that plays voice memos on a specified day!! Very cool. This would make a migghty fine gift, don’t you think? The retail price is usually $140 (gulp), but at Buy.com it is selling for $35 and free shipping!

Now you understand why I love Buy.com so much! They have EVERYTHING and the prices are outstanding. Be sure to check their sale page regularly for good deals. They often have big sales on computers and computer accessories.

OMG!! I found a really cool gadget website– specifically, a site with some extraordinary Alessi-design gadgets. Totally cool! Look at this floss holder! I think I love it!

Here’s a banana boat Salt & Pepper shaker set! [...]