food
Staying at The Atlantis
Last night I spent the night in The Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno. I had some work to do nearby and my company has a corporate discount there. The discount made the room price low compared to anywhere else in the country, under $50. The view of The Atlantis from the outside was amazing.
I checked in and expected a regular room like everyone else and was told my room was on the 26th floor. Thinking nothing of it, I went on my journey to the third set of elevators to the top floors. After walking past rows upon rows of slot machines (one-arm bandits), I had to ask someone working the floor where the “hidden” elevators were.
Finally I found the elevators and I had to swipe my key in order for the elevator to let me up to my floor. (It still hadn’t hit me yet!) Going that many floors up quickly was a little disheartening since it had a glass front and OH do I love heights! I got off the elevator, went to my room and had a shocking discovery…
It was a Suite! It had a Hot Tub, Huge Comfy Bed, Marble Bathroom and more. The Hot Tub was big and looked like it could fit two people comfortably. The hot water and bubbles can really relax you after a long day. The white robes with slippers were great. I almost thought of keeping one, but there was a little note that said they were available for purchase in the Logo shop.
The dark wood bed had about 10 pillows, some of them traditional white ones and other big black soft ones. The bed was comfortable and the black blanket was soft. The spindles on this bed were artistic. It was great.
The bathroom had white marble (probably Carrara marble). The shower was spacious and the double sinks really gave a lot of room to put your toiletries. There was two types of soap, both hand (milk and honey) and body soaps. I forgot to take a picture of the bathroom. In the morning I noticed that the windows of my room were pink (look at the picture above and see the pink window areas).
I also used the internet there which was only $9.99 per day. It was a small price to pay for getting a lot done. Overall it was a great stay. Oh! I forgot about eating breakfast there. Toucan Charlie’s Buffet and Grille was delicious. I love food and could have gone for multiple trips, but I was trying to be good.
I started with orange juice and water to drink. When I headed for the buffet, I expected breakfast only food. I ended up getting- eggs, corned beef hash, a taco, an enchilada and more. They also had omelets, a Mongolian Grill, fruits, and lots of other yummies. On the way out I almost got a few treats from their bakery because they looked so good. I think I need to exercise more so I can indulge on some more treats.
There were also spa treatments, a beautiful pool and many other well done services that I would have taken advantage of if I had more time.
What a great stay, Thank You Atlantis!
Living It Up,
Sam Carrara
Save Money at the Supermarket
Have you ever looked at how much money you spend each week at the supermarket? It’s hundreds of dollars each month and adds up to alot over the year. I think I’ll stop eating, that will solve it. Who’s with me?
I know I need to eat and it can be less expensive in the long run to cook my own food, rather than going to a restaurant. So if you must buy at the supermarket, buy smart! Just an example of one item that we like to eat is Kashi Go Lean Cereal. Each box is 14.1 ounces, has 13 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber and only 1 gram of fat (or as they say “1g of lowfat”).
I like the cereal and decided to do a price comparison between different places selling the cereal. I looked at Target, Lowes Foods and Bloom (Food Lion offshoot). I could have also included Harris Teeter, BiLo and a few more in the area (Charlotte, NC). The results are:
Target- $3.34 per box
Lowes- $3.69 per box
Bloom- $3.71 per box
The clear winner is Target that is 35 to 37 cents lower than the other two. Is this a good metric to decide all of my food buying? I would say not. This Target is farther away than the other supermarkets, so there is a gas cost. (Soon I’ll have a Super Target near me 
)
Here’s my plan and homework-
- I am putting all of my food receipts on top of my microwave for a month.
- Then I will determine the top 20-30 items my family buys during the month. Milk, orange juice, eggs, cereals, pasta, etc.
- I will do a total price comparison with this frequently bought list to figure out where to but our groceries. In it I will include mileage to determine that cost.
- I’ll post the results here. If there is enough interest I’ll create a spreadsheet to help you save money on your grocery shopping.
Supermarket Savings,
Sam Carrara
Disclaimer: I was not paid to promote this cereal or any of the companies listed, nor do I earn any affiliate commissions off this post.
We Were Dumb With Our Money After College
Does the title of this post seem odd to you? I’m actually admitting that I make mistakes… but did I learn from them? Yes I have blemishes and I hope from my mistakes, you will learn.
Let me paint a picture of how this all happened. Both Melissa (my wife) and I graduated college and become officers in the U.S. Army. Starting out as Second Lieutenants wasn’t alot of money (it is now), but we had little bills and a steady income. About 18 to 24 months later we both became First Lieutenants with some nice pay jumps. Sounds good so far right?
Well we loved going out to eat, didn’t save a penny and then decided to buy a house. Not too bad, I’ll give you more details:
1. Going Out To Eat
We love food and going out to eat was easier than making it at home. No cleanup, no cooking and then enjoy the rest of the evening. We spent so much on our credit cards just for this it was amazing. If your credit card does the end of the year rollup by category on what you spent, get it. I don’t remember the dollar figure, but it was large. BUT, we could afford it. Yet it affected #2 below… › Continue reading
