The Shop Cop - Jennifer Litwin

MY SUMMER SPENT TRAVELING, ON THE REQUEST OF MY KIDS

Because I’ve spent the past many years traveling for work, I haven’t had much time or desire for leisurely travel.  And traveling with little kids wasn’t always the easiest.  But this past summer was different.  My son, Edward, told me last year that he wanted to travel, to see the world.  Planning the trips wasn’t easy, as I wasn’t sure which hotels to stay in, which places offered the best values, and best times and ways to book our trips.

RECENT TRIP TO THE REGENCY HOTEL IN NY WAS AN EYE OPENER

My brother and sister-in-law recently took my nephew, Justin, to NY for a weekend.  They were so proud of the amazing rate they were able to get through Orbitz.  For somewhere in the low $200′s, they were able to get a room at one of my favorite hotels, the Loew’s Regency in NY.  I couldn’t believe the rate–a rate that I hadn’t been able to secure in years, since right after 9/11.

THE ARTIFICIALLY LOW HOTEL RATE QUOTED BY ORBITZ

Orbitz said in fine print that upgrades may be available upon arrival, but that they couldn’t guarantee the room you get when you book through them.  Unfortunately, when my brother, sister-in-law and nephew got to the famed Regency Hotel, they discovered they would be sleeping in a room with 2 twin beds—something unacceptable for the 3 of them.  So they went to the front desk, spoke with a reservations clerk and were able to upgrade to a room with 2 doubles—for an extra $100, of course.

PROBLEMS WITH ORBITZ, EXPEDIA, PRICELINE AND OTHER ONLINE TRAVEL COMPANIES

We’ve all had the same complaints when booking trips with the online travel companies, as Consumer Affairs reports:

1) The rate you are promised promises you nothing—wait til you see your room.  No online or in-person guarantees of a room type or that your view won’t be the parking lot!

2) When you need to change your travel plans, good luck finding someone who picks up the phone to help you.

3) Changing your travel plans will require you to spend a hefty change fee, with no added benefits.

4) With online travel agencies you won’t usually be allowed to take advantage of all the freebies, miles, rewards and other ways the travel industry is extending to nearly every human being on Earth right now.

5) Travel websites are hard to use and are inefficient when you need to change your plans.

CONSIDER USING A WORLD-CLASS TRAVEL AGENT

I recently asked my friend, Erin, how she always plans the best trips, and how she keeps her kids so happy on vacation, even when traveling great distances.  Erin was excited to share her little travel secret with me.  As Erin travels all over the world to spend time with her husband and children, as her husband travels a lot for work, she has found that having the right travel agent is key to happy travels.  Erin referred me Paul Klein Travel, in Chicago, a corporate travel agency, where I turned over my business and headaches.  Through using Paul Klein Travel, I have been able to secure the best seats, best rooms, best hotels, best upgrades and packages, and yes, best prices.  I have tried to comparison shop the trips I have taken using Paul Klein, in almost 100% of the cases, Paul Klein Travel has beat everyone.

CORPORATE TRAVEL AGENTS’ VOLUME BUSINESS GOOD NEWS FOR VACATIONING FAMILIES

The beauty of traveling with a corporate travel agency is that you can book great vacations at well-known hotel chains and resorts, and take advantage of the corporate travel agency’s great rates.  Paul Klein, as it turns out, is one of only 80 travel agencies that “partners” with hotel chains like the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton, among many other great chains–chains that are often expensive and have little in the way of a rewards program.  Through Paul Klein, we were able to stay in some great spots and take advantage of the opportunities to see different places we may not otherwise know about.

BENEFITS OF USING A CORPORATE TRAVEL AGENT–WHAT YOU SHOULD ASK FOR

1) Alerts if prices drop or are about to go up so you can secure the best air/hotel packages

2) Resort credits that average between $100-300 per trip—credits that may include meals or spa packages; even high tea and room service breakfasts—free with your travel agent relationship.

3) Instant phone calls made to the manager of a hotel to request a room change or upgrade on your behalf–something you may not be able to secure on your own.

One of my favorite things to do in the Fall is to take my kids to the apple orchard.  We each have our own favorite kinds of apples.  My favorite is the Honeycrisp, a man-made apple variety.  If you go to the orchard, you need to know when the different apples will be ready for picking.  The span is 3 months for most varieties in the midwest.

Radke Orchards is located in Northwest Indiana, just across the border from Illinois.  It takes about an hour to get there from Chicago.  Radke Orchards is more reasonably priced than comparable orchards nearby.  Radke doesn’t have much in their tiny store, but their trees are all tagged well, your kids can take an open truck ride through the orchards, and there are ladders for easy access.  I also love the homemade caramel, coming in every variety—watch out for kids with braces!

BEST VARIETIES FOR FALL APPLE PICKING IN THE MIDWEST (FROM RADKE ORCHARDS, WHO ALSO HAS OTHER APPLE VARIETIES)

Cameo

· Sweet-tart flavor, firm apple
· Excellent for salads, pies, sauces, and baking
· Good for eating also
· Harvest time: mid-October

Cortland

· Sweet with a hint of tartness
· Juicy
· Tender, snow white flesh
· Excellent for eating, salads, sauce, pies and baking
· Good for freezing
· Cortland apples do not turn brown quickly when cut.
· Harvest time: mid-September

Crispin/ Mutsu

· Sweet yet very refreshing
· Very juicy
· Super crisp
· Excellent for eating, sauce, baking and freezing
· Good for salads and pies
· Crispin favorite roast.
· Try Crispins for roasting whole apples or thick slices.
· Harvest time: mid-October

Empire

· A wonderful blend of sweet and tart
· Juicy
· Very crisp, creamy white flesh
· Excellent for eating and salads
· Good for sauce, baking, pies and freezing
· Small Empires are great for school lunches.
· Harvest time: early October

Fuji

· Very mild sweet flavor
· Popular for desserts because of sweet flavor and good texture
· Store well
· Harvest time: late September

Gala

· Mild sweet flavor
· Juicy
· Crisp, creamy yellow flesh
· Excellent for eating and salads
· Gala’s size, mellow flavor and thin skin make them a perfect choice for kids
· Harvest time: early September

Golden Delicious

· Mild sweet flavor
· Juicy
· Crisp, light yellow flesh
· Excellent for eating, salads and sauce
· Good for pies, baking and freezing
· You can cut down the sugar in pies and sauces made from Golden Delicious apples.
· Harvest time: late September

Granny Smith

· Pleasantly tart flavor
· Firm, crisp flesh
· Good for eating, baking, salads, pies and freezing.
· Keeps shape when cooked
· Harvest time: late October

Honeycrisp

· Complex sweet-tart flavor
· Super crisp yellow flesh
· Excellent for eating and salads
· Good for sauce, baking & pies
· This ultra crisp apple is a great way to encourage healthy snacking by children.
· Harvest time: early September

Idared

· Sweetly tart
· Juicy
· Firm pale yellow-green flesh, sometimes tinted rosy pink
· Excellent for sauce, cooking, baking and pies
· Good for eating, salads and freezing
· Idareds are good for making a beautiful pink applesauce.
· Harvest time: mid-October

Jonagold

· Honey sweet with a hint of tartness
· Juicy
· Crisp, creamy yellow flesh
· Excellent for eating, salads, sauce and baking
· Good for pies and freezing
· Jonagolds make great fried apples. Simply sauté in a little butter and add a little cinnamon.
· Harvest time: early October

Jonathan

· Crisp and juicy, tart flavor
· Excellent for eating and baking
· Good for salads, sauces, and pies
· Harvest time: mid-September

McIntosh

· Sweet with a tart tang
· Very juicy
· Tender, white flesh
· Excellent for eating and sauce
· Good for salads and pies
· McIntosh’s tender flesh cooks down quickly. Add a thickener if making a pie.
· Harvest time: early September

Red Delicious

· Sweet
· Juicy
· Crisp, yellow flesh
· Excellent for eating and salads
· Red Delicious apples look great for a long time and are the favored choice for holiday centerpieces.
· Harvest time: late September

GREAT APPLE RECIPES

1) RADKE’S APPLESAUCE

This is our method of producing applesauce. You can make as little or as much as you like.

We wash and quarter the apples, taking out the seeds but leaving the skin. The skin contains the natural pectin that will thicken the sauce. We use our seconds for sauce so we do take out any bad spots from the apples. Place the apples in a saucepan and add a very little amount of water. Cook the apples, stirring as necessary to prevent sticking. We put the mixture through a food mill to remove the skins and any seeds. Wait until the sauce cools before deciding if any extra sugar is needed. We don’t add any extra sugar to our sauce.  We often use a mixture of apples. Golden Delicious apples used alone makes a lighter colored sauce.  We prefer freezing the sauce using canning jars that are freezer safe. We have canned sauce using the hot water bath method.

2)  RADKE’S APPLE CRISP

• 6 cups sliced, peeled apples
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place apples in 8×8 baking pan. Mix remaining ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.

Melt 1/3 cup butter and drizzle on apple mixture. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. This recipe comes from the St. Paul Lutheran Cookbook, Otis, IN through Bonnie Martin’s Aunt, Lois Burge.

Radke Orchard traditions – I’ve seen my mother-in-law, Gladys Radke, sprinkle a little vanilla and/or cinnamon over the apples before she adds the crust mixture. She adds the cinnamon before the crust because the cinnamon on top makes the crust a darker brown. She adds the vanilla because her mother-in-law, Jessie Radke, always added vanilla to enhance the apple flavor. When doubling this recipe, sometimes more crust mixture is necessary. We prefer Ida Red apples, although Golden Delicious work well also. Mutzu makes a crisper crisp, as those apples remain crisp when baked. A soft apple, such as McIntosh, makes a softer crisp. We use enough apples to generously fill the baking dish.

Do you have a college-bound child that you are doing some last-minute dorm room shopping for? The good shipping deals will expire soon, so you want to get out now to take advantage of the deals.

RETAIL TRENDS FOR COLLEGE SHOPPERS THIS YEAR DIFFERENT FROM LAST:

1. Free shipping offers, as opposed to monthly or weekly sales right now — actually, only a few sales right now—this is the peak season for stores and when they expect to do their biggest business:

• Positive: You’ll save hundreds of dollars in shipping
• Negative: You will have to wait 2 weeks or more to get your goods; you don’t have the time to wait—even with the big box retailers, or discount places, like Wal-mart and Target.  My advice, based on trial and error is to avoid driving to a store to pick up the shipped good, (Container Store) even if the shipping is free—will take too much time. They never seem to have your goods waiting for you when you arrive at your scheduled “time slot”.

2. Assembly required on most items:

• Positive: You’ll save money because you need to assemble
• Negative: Many of this year’s products are not easy to assemble. Also, dorm rules are getting stricter about nailing things into walls—they may fine you and it isn’t easy for college kids to repair walls when they leave.

THE LATEST TRENDS, HITS AND MISSES IN EVERYTHING FOR YOUR DORM ROOM

1. Bedding Sets: Best overall deals in decent quality bedding come in color-coordinated sets this season. Wal-mart has sets from $35-55. Some of their sets include 11 pieces for $55, including a carrying case that doubles as a hamper. If you like color-coordinated sets this is the way to go. Can’t beat the price. Quick-drying towels a must for space-saving, drying quickly and having fewer laundry loads.
2. Skip Decorative Boxes, ranging from $15-25 each; meant to also be used to carry your belongings to and from the car. Personally, I would skip the boxes. For no money you can go to your local grocery store to get big cardboard boxes or go through your garage, and then fill in with some inexpensive Glad or Rubbermaid containers with lids.
3. Functional Wall Accessories: Wall Functionality is key this year, as many of the newest wall and desk accessories provide function and storage.  Pottery Barn Teen is selling a wide variety of fun, colorful accessories.
4. Closets have space-saving rods and places to put sweaters, shoes, and accessories: Hottest trend is extension closet rods, with places for hanging accessories, shoes and sweaters.
5. Decorative, Functional Desks: Cool looking art objects that double have holders for paper, pens, supplies
6. Cooking Ware: Many dorms are no longer allowing microwaves—alternatives are easy plug-in hot pots, and pizza makers—let’s face it, late night studying means pizza in dorm rooms.

SHOPPING ALERT! —Many colleges are trying to save money on electricity –they are prohibiting microwaves and refrigerators for the first time, but are providing things like garbage cans that you don’t need to buy—check with your school ahead of time, and try to coordinate with your roommate to save some money and avoid duplicating and overdoing it.

Some of my favorite dorm room picks, including the latest trends in everything for your dorm room:

FROM BED, BATH & BEYOND:

For the Shower

Hot Pot

Handbag Storage Rack

Hanger Extension

FROM POTTERY BARN TEEN:

Wire magazine rack

Desk Accessories

Closet Storage for Sweaters

Wall Note Holder

FROM WAL-MART:

Pizza Maker

Basketball Hoop for Over the Door

11-piece Bedding Set

FROM THE CONTAINER STORE:

Double Hang Closet Rod

FROM POTTERY BARN:

Photo Rolodex Frame Cadre in 4×6″: $69

HOW THE CREDIT CARD ACT OF 2009 AFFECTS YOUR KIDS AND CHARGING

The Credit Card Act of 2009 went into effect to limit a credit card’s ability to charge high interest rates and service fees.  Kids and especially kids in college were trapped with high balances and high interest rates.  Kids and credit cards have always been a risk to credit card companies, and to their parents, of course.

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If you can’t absorb the cost of going to a $60,000 university right now, you may be looking at your online options for the best value.  Though online education may cost less than an a physical university or college you have to understand what you are getting for your money and how your degree will be perceived.

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According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, hundreds of everyday items found in the home will be recalled just this year alone. How do you know if any of these products are in your home? What do you do if you do own a product that has been recalled? What popular products have been recalled in the past year?

These are important questions that “Shop Cop” and consumer reporter Jennifer Litwin is helping consumers answer to insure that their homes are as safe as possible. She offers these tips:

• Before making a major household purchase, check out the Consumer Product Safety Commission website to be sure that this item has not been recalled.
• If you find that you do own a product on the recall list, contact the manufacturer immediately and have your product identification number handy when calling.
• Register for all product warranties immediately. This is also how a manufacturer can get in touch with you if the product is recalled.
• For major ticket purchases or more expensive children’s toys, look up the name of the manufacturer before buying the item.

Following are some popular products that have been recalled recently, along with suggestions: Continue reading »