I happened upon a how-to website the other day (and I’d put the link here, but this blog-publishing site isn’t very user friendly, even to a computer genius like me), and while looking up info on beer brewing, I noticed a link titled “How to Make Sun Tea”.

“Hmm…sun tea,” thought I, “That brings back happy memories of when my Grandma used to set a pitcher of water out on her back porch and I’d periodically check on it to see when it was ready.” So, since I like my Grandma, tea, and using the word “periodically”, I figured I couldn’t go wrong in trying my hand at brewing some sun tea of my own.

Thanks to reading the book The Tea Companion, by Jane Pettigrew and our recent forays to The Tea Source and Teavanna, I’ve become somewhat of a tea snob. I know, I know, I was already a snob in the first place, but I think “snob” is a term requiring subcatergories: am I a car snob? No. Am I a beer snob? Computer snob? Film snob? Telescope snob? Yes, yes, yes and yes. In fact, my wife even points out (correctly) that I am a Map Snob (I’m thinking of starting a Yahoo Group for other map snobs).

My first task was to find a large container appropriate to the task. I wanted it to be made of glass (see? -snob), and to have a spigot on the bottom. We serendipitously found a very stylish number at a store in Highland Park (more snobbiness). The store was going out of business, so everything was 40% off the original price. So we purchased this very classy looking container; it’s a far snazzier thing than the barrel-shaped/plastic-handle number I recall from my youth.

Anyway, with Owen’s ‘help’, I filled it with water, added some tea bags and set it out on the deck table. We checked on it (periodically, of course). Here’s what it looked like four hours later…

At any rate, the tea turned out find. Some alarmists warn that you shouldn’t make sun tea because strands of rope-looking bacteria grow in the heat of the sun, and this can make you very sick. But I did more research and found out you can avoid this by A) periodically ensuring the container is clean, B) using filtered/bottled water only, C) not leaving the tea out in the sun for more than six hours and D) discarding any tea that does have “ropes” hanging from the surface of the water.

The container is rather large and unweildy, so don’t ask me to bring some to your house (should I be invited). Instead, feel free to periodically come on over and try some straight from our snobby kitchen!

Cheers!

Apparently, when there’s nothing note-worthy to report on (like the latest Hollywood fashion or a 2.0 earthquake), the news gravitates towards money-saving tips. These “tips”, more prevalent in today’s Bush-whacked economy, get my vote for most pointless news items in existence. I mean, at least a report on Hollywood fashion gives us some eye candy, and a report on an earthquake that shook a leaf off a tree might be a harbinger to something we’ll really need to know.

These money-saving tips must work for only two people: People who, up until this moment, have never bothered to attempt to save money, but are now looking to do so and people who are too stupid to think of any way to save money by themselves. I’m talking really stupid, as in: “It sure would be nice if we had more spending money,” said Jack as he rolled up the fifty dollar bill, stuck it between his lips and lit it on fire.

Take this article, for example: http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/105450/Cut-Your-Spending-by-%24500-Per-Month

Here’s one tip they give: Lower your car insurance payments. Okay, who doesn’t know to do that? That’s like saying, “if you want more food in your refrigerator, take less food out of it”. And, anyway, there are good reasons to not go with the cheapest car insurance company. Other so-obvious-they’re-painful tips include: pay off your credit card, don’t go over on your cell phone’s minutes, stop paying bank fees and put more in your 401K (oh yeah, that’s sure to help with the day-to-day making ends meet problem).

Another gem is here: http://green.yahoo.com/blog/greenpicks/191/saving-gas-isn-t-just-for-tree-huggers-anymore.html

To save gas, this article recommends not driving your car to work. It also mentions not idling your car and not going through the drive-through.

I’d like to, just once, see a “money-saving tips” article in which the tips are not 1) simply restating the title of the article; 2) so obvious that everyone already does them anyways (or at least knows they should) or 3) things that you can’t just do even if you want to (such as moving to a cheaper city).

Following the astute insight such writers have in saving us consumers money, therefore, I humbly submit my list of money-saving tips:

1. Don’t spend your money.
If there’s something you want to buy, like food or clothing, don’t. It’s as simple as that. Multi-millionaires don’t want you to know this secret, but now you do.

2. Try to find an item of equal quality but of lower cost.
Why spend $5,000 on a used car when you can spend $500 on a used car? Why spend $10 on lunch when you can spend $1?

3. Accumulate more money.
Stop volunteering! Demand your employer give you monetary reimbursement for the services you provide for the company. Also, if you have something of value, trade it for cash. Or at least for a receipt you can then use when you itemize your deductions.

4. Stop consuming gas and electricity.
Why drive 20 miles to work when you can walk? Why turn on the lights at night when you can sit in the dark? Unplug your refrigerator and your alarm clock. Use your computer as a paper weight.

5. Only do free things.
Don’t invite people to your house, where they’ll consume your electricity, water, toilet paper and put wear and tear on your furniture and silverware. If a friend invites you to go somewhere, decline. If you get invited to someone’s home, don’t offer to bring anything. Ask them to pick you up.