Two totally unrelated questions: Good cheap coffee, and flannel sheets?

[melissel]

Does anyone have a good cheap coffee that they like? Like, grocery store-priced coffee? My DH prefers a kind called El Pico. It's cheap and strong, so we use very little per pot of coffee, but it's got a very dark, smoky flavor, and it leaves an icky taste in my mouth now. Is there a decent mainstream brand you would recommend? Bear in mind that my goal right now is to stay cheap--DH is laid off as of Friday, and I'm trying to cut back on what recently morphed into a weekly Starbucks habit

Also, are flannel sheets really warmer than regular sheets? We're going to be trying hard to keep our heating costs down this month, but my girls' rooms are the coldest in the house (no sun except for first thing in the a.m.). DD1 will finally sleep with a comforter on, but the little one won't, and I know she's going to be cold at night. She's also in the process of potty training and wakes several times a night to tinkle (by the way, did I mention, ?), so I can't even use all the hand-me-down fleece footie pajamas we have from DD1. So I'm brainstorming alternatives. Any suggestions are welcome!

TIA

[Paxjourney]

Yes flannel sheets really are warmer than regular sheets. You can sometimes find them cheap at walmart (I know some ppl don't shop there but If its cheap. I've had a pair from there for 6 years and I bought a much more expensive set from Macys the ones from walmart have held up better)

As for coffee Um I just found starbuck for $6.99lbs at fred meyer ($3 savings) My Mum swears by maxwell house.

[rinnerin]

I second the flannel sheets, they really are warmer. We got a great deal at Costco - I think they were less than $30 for the queen size. Also, Costco and Trader Joe's have good prices on really good coffee. TJs is about $5.99/lb, and Costco is about $19.99 for a five pound bag for the good Starbuck's roasted french roast, I know they have a less expensive roast. At the grocery store, I really like Chock Full o' Nuts, and sometimes you can find the Cafe Du Monde brand at the dollar store or at Latin markets. If you are on a budget, I highly recommend checking out your local Asian and Latin markets, you might be surprised at the prices for produce and pantry items.

[imnotsupernanny]

Flannel sheets sure they could be warmer!


I us my Magic Bag! I love it! It's a cheaper version actually,but works great! YOu heat it in the micro wave for 2 minutes and put it in the bed with you. It keeps me warm all night long!

Or you can use a hot water bottle! For the kids you can heat their beds with it a little before they go to bed and take it out when they get in.

I will sometimes wear sweat pants and sweater to bed and socks!

[arahzel]

DH and I love Eight O'Clock coffee, French Roast.

My dad came to visit and commented on how great it was -- and he's lived in Seattle (where apparently there are coffee vendors everywhere).

[hipmummy]

Whole foods has a great organic coffee that is 9.99 fpr a pound and a half. As far as mainstream brands Yuban is okay.

Also flannel sheets are much warmer. I have had ones from LL bean since 93 and they still look like new and they are used a lot as I live in New England. The extra money you spend will save you $$ down the road and $$ in heat as well.

[Tradd]

For better prices on flannel sheets, look at the outlet sections of LL Bean & Land's End's websites.

[BetsyS]

We have flannel sheets from both Target and Macy's. I like the Macy's ones better, but we use them equally, and they both keep us warm in the winter.

For grocery store coffee, we like Eight O'Clock, french roast, like the pp said. We drank this for many years, and I still think it's good. Now, though, we live near an international market, and we buy their bulk coffee. We can get coffee from all over, and it gives us a nice variety. Good prices, too. We get organic Costa Rican coffee (my favorite) for $5.99/lb.

[savithny]

I agree with PP - Eight O'Clock coffee is one of the best cheap coffees.

Buy whole bean and grind it, if you don't already. Much tastier. Keep beans in teh freezer between uses.

Flannel sheets are *really* "All that." Growing up, my grandmother always used them Nov-April. She was widowed with no pension, and she litereally did not heat the upstairs of her house - curtained it off with plastic so very little heat went up the stairs, etc. And kept the thermostat at 60 during the day and 50 at night. It was still pretty cozy when I slept over.

My flannel sheets are Lands End, I think. They were a gift, but I've seen them on sale on their overstocks page sometimes. They are a *lot* nicer and cozier than the ones I bought at Kmart or Target a few years ago - the cheap ones wore out and ripped out within a short time - all the "fluff" washed off the flannel, and then they were just rough, coarse, regular sheets.

[leomom]

I really like Cafe Sonora. It's available at the local store and amazon. It's about 10 per pound, but very strong so you can use a little. It's also chock full of antioxidants.

Here's a blurb about it:

http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/n...ome.d2w/report

I also like Costco's fair trade coffee. It's 20 bucks for a 5 pound bag, I think.

[3boysmom]

I'm not a coffee drinker, so no help there. But, we do have the most fabulous flannel sheets! Northern Nights Super Chunky flannel sheets (I bought them from QVC) are much thicker and warmer than any I have every used. They seem to only get better with each washing - so soft and snuggly! They go on every bed in the house as soon as the furnace kicks in.

[SleeplessMommy]

IKEA coffee!

[swimswamswum]

Trader Joes is a good source for coffee. It's inexpensive and there are many fair trade, shade grown types from which to choose.

[Yooper]

Yes, flannel is great. We are switching over for the season next week. We have a very old house and the upstairs in not insulated very well. We have frozen water in a glass on the coldest nights even though the downstairs temp is 50 degrees. I also had a cover-thrower who could not wear footie PJs. First, we use flannel sheets. We also use old wool blankets as mattress covers (under the sheets). We all wear hats to bed. Dd often wore sweats AND long undies when she just would not keep her covers on. We each also have a corn bag that we nuke before bed to pre-warm the beds. It seems to work well enough.

I make our toilet wipes out of flannel sheets that I find and second hand stores. I never fail to find them. Even really nice ones which I keep for our beds then use our older bed sheets for wipes. I have never paid more than $5 for a queen-size set. If you have the time, check out your local thrift stores. This is also a good place to find old wool blankets on the cheap.

[mum4boys]

Ack I cannot believe some of the advice you have been given! okay so this is coming from a coffee snob

Never ever freeze coffee EVER or at least tell me about it. if moisture is added to the beans, like from freezing, the flavor becomes weaker. The best place to store coffee is in a cool dark place. Basically the freshness gets depleted very fast when it is subjected to excessive air, moisture, heat and light.

I only use whole beans. When you make coffee use fresh cold water that has been filtered which will make a huge difference in taste even if you are using just regular ground coffee.

Good coffee and Starbucks is an oxymoron. They roast their beans at too high of a temperature. In desperation Starbucks will do.

I can get at Costco Coffee that has been roasted in house 2 pounds for $7.99. Its pretty decent coffee.

[DisplacedYooper]

Flannel is great, because it feels warmer when you get in (although it is the temp as regular sheets - everything is at room temp!) and probably keeps your body heat in better. Knit sheets can cheaper than flannel, and still feel warm when you get in, but having used both, I don't think they keep your body heat in as well.

We used Folger's (Columbian or French Roast) as our house coffee for years. It's only slightly more expensive than the other big coffee brands (like Maxwell House) and I think it is less likely to be bitter. Keep your coffee in the freezer after you open it to help keep it fresher and tasting better longer. It doesn't freeze solid or anything, you use it just like you would if it were in the cabinet.

[Starr]

Last winter I bought flannel sheets for our king size bed. I waited until Herbergers had their Goodwill sale, where you donate clothing and get a 20% off coupn. Also the sheets were on sale at 30% already and if I put them on my Herbergers card I save another 10%. So in the end I think I paid $20 or less. They were the only set we used all winter so they got a lot of wear, we did get one small tear in the seam for the corner but its easy to fix with the sewing machine.

[WeasleyMum]

Can't help with cheap coffee- also a coffee snob over here Although come to think of it I think my DH likes Folgers OK.

But I looove flannel sheets. Lived in Vermont for almost 3 years-- flannel sheets on the bed 9 months out of the year there. They're not just warmer, they are soft and comfy. If you wear pajamas *and* use flannel sheets I'd bet that you could turn your thermostat down a bit. I'd stay away from Target though, based on my own experience. Cheap, yes, but cheaply made. It's where I got some of mine and they are not standing the test of time.

[gridley13]

I just wanted to add that it is a myth to keep coffee in the freezer. It should be kept away from heat, light, and moisture.

If you google "coffee bean freezer" you will see quite a few articles on not storing them in the freezer. I never really noticed a difference either way, as long as I am using whole bean and grinding right before brewing it seems to taste fine. But I do hear about not storing the freezer quite often.

I would check thrift stores for flannel sheets, you can often just find the flat or the fitted for cheap if you don't care if they match. I think they are much warmer!

[DisplacedYooper]

Originally Posted by mum4boys

if moisture is added to the beans, like from freezing, the flavor becomes weaker. The best place to store coffee is in a cool dark place. Basically the freshness gets depleted very fast when it is subjected to excessive air, moisture, heat and light.

The coolest, darkest, least humid place in your house is probably your freezer. :

"Average" (quotes because this varies sooo much with your climate) relative humidity in your house is around 50% RH (This can drop to 30% or lower in the winter if you have forced hot air heat) Room temperature is typically 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit)

Freezer compartments are typically humidity controlled to remain at about 50% RH. The temperature is between -10 and 20 Celsius, the colder the better!

If you look at the graph on this page, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_humidity
you'll see that there is much less moisture in the air (the y-axis) for air at -10 degrees and 50% humidity (the green line) than for air at 20 degrees and 50% humidity.

Now, there may be other reasons for not storing coffee in the freezer. (For example, it could be that moisture is more likely to condense on the coffee from warm air entering the freezer when you open the door, since cold air holds less moisture than warm air) but is IS NOT because the air in the freezer is more humid than the air in your kitchen! : You could minimize the condensation effect by wrapping your coffe tightly so that there is not air in the bag that the coffee is in.

For what is it worth, in my experience (and I like coffee, but don't drink it often...) our coffee has lasted longer and tasted better since we started keeping it in the freezer. YMMV.