Sifting Through Trail Mix

I know the latest rage is creating your own personal granola, trail mix or energy bars for those long excursions across the woods and road trips to visit friends and family.  Sometimes it's best to just pick up a big bag of trail mix to have on hand or maybe there isn't the desire to make a big production when you're buried in planning and preparation for that long weekend getaway.

At one of my local grocery stores, Winco Foods, there is a significant bulk foods section, which has a number of various trail mix types, including traditional to more exotic mixtures and varying prices.  Today, I grabbed a selection of four and thought I'd share a little bit about them.

4 Trail Mixes

Super Deluxe Trail Mix 

Ingredients 
Raisins
Pinepple
Peanuts
Papaya
Dates
Apricots

Caribbean Trail Mix

Ingredients 
Honey Roasted Peanuts
Honey Glaze
Pineapple
Peanuts
Papaya
Dates
Apricots
Coconut
Almonds
Pumpkin Seeds

 
Mt. Hood Trail Mix

Ingredients 
Toffee Peanuts
Yogurt Raisins
Yogurt Peanuts
Chocolate Peanuts
Coconut
Almonds
Pumpkin Seeds



 

Mt. Rainier Organic Trail Mix

Ingredients 
Cranberries
Raw Sunflower Seeds
Raw Almonds
Raw Cashews
Raw Pumpkin Seeds
Raisins






Now, taking a look at these trail mixes, you'll see that some are a probably considered healthier than others.  I prefer the Mt. Hood mix when I'm looking for something sweet, but I wouldn't recommend that as a health recommendation just because it's labeled as a trail mix.  Some of the benefits of a trail mix are obtaining a quick snack to provide energy in the form of proteins, fats and sugars when energy stores are low.  Getting a solid snack with almonds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and sugars from friuts and a boost from chocolate can give you the energy needed to continue that last mile or recover some before moving on to your next game plan.

Winco Foods does offer quite an array of trail mixes and as you can see from the picture to the left, there are many more to try.  Additionally, there are other quality products and that are a great value including Costco's Kirkland brand trail mix which comes in a 4lb. bag, or as snack packs ready to tear and share.

Have a look at your favorite store and see what is offered in bulk; it is often quite a better deal than finding the packaged products on the cereal or health food aisles.  Enjoy!

Costco Kirkland Signature Coffee

Several years ago I started my quest to brew a great tasting consistent cup of coffee at home every morning. I was tired of making a fresh pot of coffee that smelled great but tasted as though it was filtered through my gym socks. So I started my quest at the supermarket trying all of the normal offering; Yuban, Folgers, MJB, etc. I carefully measured and charted the amounts of coffee that I used for each pot as I worked my way through the supermarket offerings. I never found a consistent pot. So the next step was whole bean coffee including Millstone, Kivu, Starbucks, etc. At this point Starbucks was the frontrunner albeit at $12.99 per pound, so my search continued.

Enter Costco Wholesale. While I was in the middle of my research Costco started offering whole bean coffee. So I worked my way through every type of whole bean coffee offered by Costco. Many tasted good at first but the consistency was not there. I would have a great pot on Monday but the next two pots on Tuesday and Wednesday would not taste as good.

My last great hope was Costco Kirkland Signature pre-ground 100% Columbian coffee in the 3 pound can. It took me a couple of weeks to test this coffee. As I worked my way through the quest for the perfect amount of grounds to make the perfect cup, my wife and I were both getting excited. Why? Because we were enjoying almost every pot as we worked our way through the  process of adjusting the amount of grounds in each pot. Some pots might be weak or strong, but the rich coffee taste was there without bitterness. We found our coffee!

So here I sit 4 or 5 years later and we are still enjoying a great cup of coffee every morning. I use a Cuisinart pot from Costco set on Medium heat. I scoop 2 rounded (not heaping and not level) ¼ cup scoops of grounds and place them in the white cone filters purchased at Costco. Every morning, every day, every can produces a consistent delicious cup of Joe. The best part? Right now a three pound can is $9.99, or $3.33 per pound. I dare you to find a better deal than that! This price varies for $8 to $15 depending on the current coffee market.

If you are looking for a great cup of coffee look no further that Costco. (by the way, Starbucks roasts this Costco) Shhh. It’s a secret.

Best Men's Tees

Nothing beats wearing a favorite pair of blue jeans and a plain white tee shirt.  If you are looking to get rid of your grungy old graying t-shirts that you've been using for lawn mowing, running, and the occassional undershirt, I recommend picking up a fresh premium t-shirt from Costco.  The Kirkland Signature Men's Premium T-shirt is a great shirt, and the quality by far outshines that of the Gap, Old Navy, Hanes, or any of the store brands offered by Target, Walmart or Fred Meyer to name a few.

The Kirkland Signature Premium Tee is 100% Pima Cotton, which is considered to be one of the superior blends of cotton and is extremely durable and absorbent according to WiseGeek.com.  All aspects of these shirts indicate quality from the thread count down to the stitching.  As with most cotton clothing, it is recommended to wash in cold water and dry on low heat in order to increase the overall life and reduce the harsh wear caused by the washing cycle.  The shirts at Costco run approximately $12 each, which is about 3 times the cost of your Hanes shirt at Walmart, though I say after buying many Hanes tees, you get what you pay for.

To reduce your cost, locate a liquidation center that specializes in obtaining returned items or items that are unsold at Costco warehouses.  In Spokane, you will find Spokane Discount, where you can purchase the Kirkland Tees for up to 70-80% off the listed price, bringing your total each shirt closer to $3-4, which for the quality is a great deal.  Be careful when searching through that you don't pick up an item that is permanently stained or has a hole, which can happen in the large quantity of liquidated products.

All-in-all, the Kirkland Signature Premium T-shirt is a great product that is highly recommended.  A follow up will be written after a few months to address the overall wear and any discoloration that may be seen, in order to provide additional information to the reader on the lasting quality of the product. 

Costco Mortgage Loan Service

In June of this year when mortgage rates dropped to historical levels I thought it was about time to run the numbers again on mortgage refinance options. At the time I was locked into a 5.5% 30 year residential mortgage that still had 20 years of payments left. I had been paying extra towards the principal every month to pay it off early but it was still a slow slog. As mortgage lending rates continued to drop over the last few years I would run the numbers occasionally to see if it made sense to refinance my residential mortgage. I probably looked at the numbers differently than most people that are looking at mortgage refinance options. I was not looking for a lower monthly payment or starting over on a 30 year mortgage. My goal is to pay off my home as quickly as I can, while not raising my payment to a level that will strap me to a high mortgage payment. I have been waiting for the 15 year mortgage rate to drop to a level that would allow me to refinance and not raise my monthly payment above what I am was currently paying. In June of this year that happened! I was listening to the news and heard that the 30 year rate was down to 3.69%. I immediately looked into the 15 year rate and discovered that it was 3.125%. I called my bride and told her what I was thinking and she said go for it. I made a few calls and requested a couple of good faith estimates. In the past I have always used a friend of mine named Paul Ramsey, who owns Quantum Mortgage Northwest. He always has the best rates, lowest costs and is a joy to work with.

Paul had the best offer like usual but then I thought of something. Why not check Costco? Years before I secured a 3% car loan through Costco. I jumped on the Costco.com web site and looked under the heading ‘services”, Low and behold they offered a residential mortgage service and if you are an Executive Member the loan “fee” is capped at $600 ($750 for Gold Star Members)! Most lenders charge a 1% loan origination fee, in my case that would have been $1300. (Of course Paul’s fee was less than that, at $995.) It takes about 2 minutes to enter the information needed online at the Costco web site. Typical things like name, address, mortgage amount, etc. and then you hit the send button. This is no exaggeration, I received a phone call in 60-70 seconds from the time I hit the send button! I was greeted by a very helpful loan officer from Central Mortgage Company. After a 20 minute question and answer session, I was pre-approved over the phone for a 3.125% 15 year mortgage! I received two additional calls from other mortgage companies within the hour, but the rates and fees were lowest with Central. After talking to my bride about the details I moved forward with Central Mortgage Company. Communication with my loan officer was very efficient and everything went so smoothly that I was that it exceeded my expectations. Everything was done via fax or e-mail with the exception of the closing which needed to be done by a local closing agent. The total process from initial phone call to closing was 28 days. I could not have been more satisfied with Costco or Central Mortgage Company during the whole closing process.
Here is what I ended up with:

15 year loan at 3%

Previous payment             $1243 per month         New payment     $1248 per month

Principal gain                      $300 per month                                  $600 per month

So my cost to live in my home (before maintenance) is $648 per month, since the rest is going to principal! I can’t rent a nice apartment for that price. And I live in an above-average home and neighborhood.


Furthermore, I continue to pay the additional principal payment each month that I was making before which makes this 15 year loan a 13 years loan. To quote James Brown “I feel good!”


The Costco mortgage loan service is one of many services offered by Costco that a lot of people are not familiar with. Before I make any large purchase or financial decision I always go to the Costco web site to see what they have to offer. Typically they offer the best product or service for the best price. When you are shopping for something go to Costco.com first. I can almost guarantee that you will leave happy!

Preparedness

Everyone can remember the devastation and chaos following the flooding in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. Very few people were prepared for the aftermath of such a large storm surge battering and breaching the levies surrounding the city. After all, they were many prior storms that had not caused that much destruction. This is one of many natural disasters that have hit America in the last decade. Usually people are not very well prepared for the smallest interruption in their daily routine. The US government, state governments and the American Red Cross have been trying to educate Americans about the need to have some basis emergency preparedness items on hand in case of a disaster, power outage, terrorist attack, etc. Most Americans ignore this education effort thinking that it will never happen to them…

I am not talking about going overboard and building an underground bunker with 5 years worth of food and water. The most realistic scenario will be 3-5 days of supplies to provide for your basic needs while the infrastructure and utilities are repaired and put back in order. It takes very little time and money to prepare your home with 3-5 days of supplies. The American Red Cross has already made a list that you can print from their web site. Personally, I have a longer term kit ready to go in my garage. Having lived through a couple of events myself, I feel that 3-5 days is a good start and 20-30 days gives me additional peace of mind, just in case.  As always, check out what Costco has to offer!

I can remember three major events that I have lived through here in Spokane. May 18, 1980 Mount St. Helens erupted covering Spokane in 2-3 inches of volcanic ash. On October 16, 1991, a firestorm of 92 fires caused by extremely dry conditions and high winds burned 114 homes and killed two people. November 19, 2006 brought an ice storm to Spokane covering everything from cars to trees to power lines in a thick layer of ice. What do all three events have in common you ask? All three incidents brought the city to a halt, with store closures, power outages, school closures, etc. Having a small cache of emergency supplies on hands makes a lot of sense, especially after living through these three events.

Another important tip to keep your family prepared is to keep your vehicles full of fuel. Try to keep your vehicle half full of fuel at all times and never wait until you are on empty to fill up. If an event occurs that scares the populace there will be a run on gasoline. Everyone has seen the news reports of the long lines developing at gas stations right before a hurricane hits Florida. It doesn’t cost extra to fill up more often and it makes a lot of sense to never letting your tank fall below half way point.

Hopefully you will never need to break into your 3-5 day kit. But should the need arise, you will be thankful that you spent half a day and $100 or so to prepare your family. Don’t delay! Get prepared

What's in the Fridge?

Summer has ended and fall is coming on strong with brightly colored leaves falling to the ground all over our neighborhood. The mornings are brisk and the afternoons are mild, my favorite time of the year. What this means for my household is that we will be making soup and lots of it. Soup, chili and stew are something that we enjoy making and searching for a new recipe is half the fun. But there are times when we are running late or just don’t feel like taking the time to cook and clean up. One of the soups that we often enjoy is Pacific brand organic soup purchased in a 6-pack at Costco.

Roasted red pepper and tomato soup is one of our favorites. It doesn’t contain any harmful oils or high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient. Plus all the ingredients are readily identifiable! (Milk, water, tomato paste, red bell pepper, cane sugar, garlic, sea salt, butter, rice flour, spices and sodium citrate)   The only negative would be the level of sodium that it contains but as you now most processed or canned foods have a large amount of sodium. This soup is delicious and has a home-cooked taste of tomato as well as sweet roasted red pepper flavor. It is a great accompaniment to toasted cheese sandwiches or wonderful by itself. The packaging is more convenient than a can as it can be resealed and saved in the original container for use later in the week. Pacific brand soup can be found at most grocery stores for $2.75 to $3.25 per container. Plus there are lots of different types of soups available from Pacific and we have enjoyed them all. But once again Costco comes through with the best value. $10.99 for a 6-pack makes this $1.83 per container and one container will feed my family of three. Sometimes we spiff the soup up with fresh croutons, oyster crackers or some cooked macaroni noodles. My bride loves to add a can of diced tomatoes which gives the smooth soup some texture. If you have not tried this soup I highly recommend it. Fall is in the air and nothing is better in the fall than a hot cup of soup!