Posts Tagged ‘recipes’

PF Weekly Reading List #18-Come Hang Out In My Closet, I’ve Got Beer and Breakfast!

Posted: May 3, 2013 in PF Weekly Reading List
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
44

men's closet

Hanging out in my closet sounds silly and it probably would be if you saw the size of our walk in closet. As a guy who enjoys ripping things apart and creating new spaces I’m the first to admit the closet is NOT at the top of my remodel list.

I’m afraid there are many people who beg to differ with me and have taken what to some is just an obvious hole in the wall with a door to a WHOLE new level. Gone are the days where closets were just for hanging our clothes in, it’s party time, so come hang out in my dream closet, I’ve got beer and breakfast.

Most women and plenty of men would love to have a chef’s kitchen that really is GOURMET. I’m not talking about the rubbish you read in some of the MLS or For Sale By Owner listings that have a bog standard kitchen with a refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, island, microwave about the stove and granite counters.

That is FAR from a chef’s kitchen to me, I’m talking about a real fancy gourmet kitchen with a stone work-top, walk-in 2 storey pantry, climate controlled wine cooler, Sub Zero refrigerator and other built-in top of the line appliances surrounded by solid wood cabinetry with the finest of details and accessories. That to me is what screams Posh!

The other wow-me-now room is the bathroom and although I like a nice bathroom I’m sure my arse and bubbles will never see the day soaking in luxurious bath layered with marble, a gold bog  surrounded by a gas fireplace, flat screen TV and heated floors so my tootsies don’t get cold in my bathroom.

Renovating a home in other cases a mansion is a big business not only for the homeowner but for many élite designers around the world. No matter what your budget is some people have an even bigger budgets with bigger desires to frost their homes with luxuries that us regular folks would think of as plain strange and over the top. Although strange is intriguing we certainly would soak it all up if the offer was on the table.

Gone are the days where the kitchen and bathrooms were the top luxury spots for men and women. Forget about inviting your mates over to check out your granite counter-tops and built-in appliances. Put all that silly talk behind you and get with the modern times my friends.

Masculine Closet

 

Via Pinterest

The Closet AKA. The Dressing Room

Let’s all put our hands together and welcome the new and exciting walk in closet (OK, dressing room) and we’re not talking just any closet. We’re talking you need a few minutes and an escalator to get to the top-level where some designers are sparing no expenses for some of the wealthiest in the country.

Some of the wealthiest people are  spending from $50,000 to 2.5 million dollars according to The $100,000 closet. You heard that right, 2.5 million dollars spent on a bloody high-end designer closet. Some of these closets are bigger than my own home, hell ya! Give me 2.5 million dollars and you can bet I won’t be hanging out in someone’s closet with it.

“We don’t call them closets anymore,” says Los Angeles-based contractor Gary Drake, who says the preferred term for such spaces among the designers and clients he works with is now “dressing room.”

A Peek Into Mariah Carey’s Closet

mariah-carey-closet

Via- Trends Hairstyle

Sexy Ladies Closets

Best of it is, it’s just not the ladies who want to showcase the sexy, open concept, dressing closets with refrigerators for champagne, televisions,  custom cabinets, sinks for beauty and cosmetics, purse and shoe racks, computers, TV’s and enough amps to think you were in a night club. (because the closet is where all the action is happening!

If you have kids and you want to get away simply retreat to your secret closet getaway big or small for some hot, steamy… well whatever you do in your own closet is your own business. You don’t have to be rich or a celebrity to hang out in your own closet.

Sounds like one heck of a kinky night if you ask me though. Hanging out in your woman’s closet, sipping champagne while munching on strawberries and playing dress up or dress down in this case. It’s like you are in your own movie but in a dressing room where all the action happens.

The Masculine Closet

A man's dream closet

Photo Via McGraw Designs

It’s not just woman though, oh no we can’t give all the fancy pants credit to the ladies, us men need our own private extravagance and we are sparing no expenses. The man has his own space, I’ll call mine “the closet cave” except you won’t find any power tools, tires or window washer fluid nor the distinct smell of motor oil in this cave.

Hell no, your butt will be stolen sitting back massaged on leather couches watching tennis on the flat screen television with a racket in one hand and a glass of the finest wine in another.

Don’t worry about staying up late in your closet and being too tired to head into work the next day either. You can easily stay in your closet and work from home in your custom closet office on your computer. When it’s break time just swivel over to your custom breakfast bar to fill up on some good eats (because that’s where I want to eat my eggs and bacon, in my closet). I wonder if I open door number 10 in my closet if I will find a maid, a cook and a butler.

If you think I’m inviting my mates over to come and rifle through my closet with me while chugging back a beer you’re sadly mistaken. I’m afraid I don’t have a full sneaker line either to proudly showcase in a lighted glass display in my closet. But wait, What I do have and this might change your mind is a few pairs of “vintage discount shoes” if you should so dare have them grace your space. (nothing a little Febreeze can’t handle, right?)

If that’s not enough let’s show off  what luxury and money can buy with the lighted clothing rods and remote control revolving clothes and shoe racks because it’s just far too difficult to flip a switch or clap on a light to see what the heck you are doing while moving a hanger.

As funny as I thought about all of this while reading the post about the $100,000 closet was it’s simply a life that I likely will never be exposed to. For me this seems so surreal but I know it’s out there and for others it’s their way of life and just the way it goes when you have money to burn and a desire to hang out in your closet.

I’m far from envious because you can’t miss what you don’t have especially if your budget is far from “without limits”. I’m sure that if I had that kind of cash I too could come up with all sorts of crap to do with it even if it is over the top and in a closet.

If you’ve got the cash and you have too much of it you might as well find some way to spend it because what’s silly to one is luxury to another. If you really want to chill out in my closet be my guest, just make sure to leave the empties in the corner!

What would you have in your dream closet and would you spend $50,000- $2.5 million if you had the pocket change to do so? 

PF WEEKLY READING LIST

Here is this weeks reading list which includes some of the best blog posts from many blogs that I interact and comment on and who also have a common interest in CBB.

Mr. CBB’s Top Read of The Week
  • Should I Implement The Smith Manouver- My Own Advisor – The Smith Manouver was something that Mrs.CBB and I were contemplating with our mortgage and investments. It’s certainly worth it if you can handle the risk and are very organized and on top of your game. Some have used this manouver successfully. Thanks Mark!
Top 7 Blog Posts Of The Week
Recipes/Frugal Blog Posts of the Week

Chocolate Cookie Brownies

Top Recipe
  • My mate Lindsay at Pinch of YUM creates some of the best recipes so please head over and check them out. She really captured me this week with her Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie recipes.  All my fans know I have an obsession with brownie and created my own signature brownie and called them Mr.CBB’s Fudgy Brownies.. so check them out if you dig brownies like I do!

New Foodie Blog- Manila Spoon!

  • I’ve found a new friend to Follow and her name is Abby at Manila Spoon. She runs an amazing website where you can find a variety of recipes and some of our favourite Filipino recipes as well like today’s recipe of the week Ultimate Pork Adobo Chinese Style! Check out her page for some outrageous photos and great recipes. Enjoy!

Top 20 Things Money Can't Buy v.2 wm

Inspirational/Funniest/Scariest/Motivational Post of the Week

Inspirational: Things I Need To Add To My To Do List- Money Beagle

Life Lessons: The Worst Job I Ever Had-Budget and The Beach

Entertaining and Educational: How Much Money Should You Have Saved For Retirement At Age 30-Money After Grad

Unique/Odd/Different: Pizza Gift Basket Idea- Unique Gifter

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PF Weekly Reading List #17-Customer Service, Business Suicide And Social Media

Posted: April 26, 2013 in PF Weekly Reading List
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
28

bill pad

 

Customer service and business dealings have changed over the years where many now turn to social media such as Twitter and Facebook to vent frustrations both from a business and customers perspective. From a consumer’s perspective I know it’s likely only going to get worse instead of better, especially for those that feel their voice is much more powerful via social media.

The Good Old Days

There used to be a time where we filled out a “customer satisfaction” card at a restaurant or business, talk to a manager or simply make a phone call but these tactics are not as common any more. Now you can read the back of your receipt or bill and go on-line to leave and fill out a survey to leave the good, the bad and the ugly comments about the service you received.

Some people go as far as to Tweet a business that is not giving them the service they were  promised or the answers they need in a timely fashion. If a customer doesn’t receive the service they expected it’s important for business owners to know so they can improve.

Without this information it’s difficult to know what direction to take to make customer service better for the customers. How far is too far when it comes to getting your point across? Should business owners take social media call outs seriously? I’m going to answer that with a yes.

The Present

It seems like calling out a business is the way to get what you want these days, even if you aren’t in the right. Organizations scramble to save face, deal with issue that might have been overlooked or potentially give in to the individual to sort the matter privately.

Some have to go as far as to post a public statement to respond to these matters. Maybe it’s a wake up call for an organization that their customer service solutions centre isn’t quite working as well as expected and may need to be monitored more accurately or investigated for further improvements.

I don’t think we are ever going to stop people from using social media as hard as we try. We’ve created this monster, now we have to live with it. I’m a big fan of Marketplace and even they go as far as to bust businesses and get them to own up to their faults publicly so why not let the customers do the same if it gets their message heard.

The Business vs The Customer

No customers means no money for any business, it’s as simple as that. Where it gets a bit tricky is when business owners start fighting back and calling out their customers.

A Yahoo post I read yesterday cemented my feelings on this topic when a restaurant manager from the Padi restaurant in Delaware apparently took aim at Twitter to call out 3 customers. He created offensive postings and racist hash tags towards those 3 that left little or no tip.

I talked a bit about tips and restaurants a week or so back and I believe ultimately it’s up to the customer what they want to leave, if anything at all.

Business Suicide

Where I get confused is when someone who pours their money into a business would risk potential customers NOT wanting to do business with them for fear of reprisal via social media. I know it goes both ways and you are thinking, if the customer can do it why can’t we do the same?

Business owners have everything to lose a customer can go home and go on with their day as if nothing ever happened. One person who commented on the Yahoo article  posted, “this guy just committed business suicide” an interesting way to look at it, but very well may be true.

The restaurant has since offered an apology to their customers.

“We sincerely apologize for those actions, and want the community to know that those actions and opinions are not consistent   with our beliefs and values, nor are they welcome at our restaurant,” Teoh says in an open letter for customers.

“Those responsible for insulting our customers and members of the community will be held accountable, and that we are taking steps to insure that this type of behaviour never happens again”.

Why did they do this? Well my guess is because they have a vested interest in their business, and it may be their livelihood and it’s the professional thing to do. When owners sink their life savings into a business or have built credibility up over the years the last thing they want to see happen is the business die on its arse for having a bad rap.

As much as customers want to complain there are always the customers that are happy customers but certainly don’t want to get caught in the cross fire. Tipping is NOT a reason to upset customers either, it’s pointless, move on.

Sure, customers have nothing to lose when they complain but the reason they take to social media in the first place is likely for their money back, better service or an apology etc. When business owners, team members, management or employees start talking about their current or past customers on a social platform such as Twitter or even Facebook others may slowly turn around and walk the other way.

Customer service to me isn’t great unless, it’s so great you are willing to go the extra mile to let someone know you really appreciate them!- Laurie Linn (CBB Facebook Fan)

Customer Service

My parents owned a business  for years when I was a child and I don’t ever remember them going outside with a billboard (no computers then) saying, “Johnny x didn’t pay his bill” or “Jane x didn’t leave a tip” because customers expect you to protect their privacy as paying or in some cases non-paying customers.

Sure, they had customers that pissed them off, never paid what they owed or simply argued the toss about bills but they also knew that if they wanted to grow they would do whatever it takes to make things right. They didn’t need to be the big bad wolf  in these situations.

If all else fails you put their bill into the credit bureau, let them deal with it professionally and move on. Hatred, is a waste of energy.

They also knew that there are customers that you can’t do enough for them to make them happy. They certainly didn’t take the bad situations and turn everything upside down as there were far more positive reasons then negative.

If you have 1000 excellent customers and 3 bad customers why risk 1000 customers leaving because you get upset and call  out the 3 bad customers. Certainly the masses here outweigh the negative which any business owner should be able to handle professionally if they are a leader in their game.

Maybe customer service response cards are a thing of the past for some organizations and are now left to deal with social media, customer service and the present.

Are business owners committing business suicide by calling out their past or present customers via social media or other public means?

As a customer what do you expect from businesses and would you call them out via social media?

PF WEEKLY READING LIST

Here is this weeks reading list which includes some of the best blog posts from many blogs that I interact and comment on and who also have a common interest in CBB. I hope you all enjoy this weeks round-up. There are a few more than normal that I really enjoyed so I hope you enjoy them as well! -Mr.CBB

Recipes/Frugal Blog Posts of the Week

Homemade Panna Cotta

Top Recipe: My mate who blogs at Nurse Frugal won top score in the kitchen with her creamy Homemade Panna Cotta topped with Strawberries. Yes that is the lovely photo above of what she made and if you head to her blog you can see even more amazing photos of this dessert. You have to check out how easy this recipe is and how you too can Wow, your guests!!

The Frugal Farmer- I’m a big banana bread lover and often make my own but when Nana’s Banana Bread recipe was posted I knew I had to share it with my fans.

Inspirational/Funniest/Scariest/Motivational Post of the Week

Inspirational: The Daily Money Shot- 20 Inexpensive Ways To Be Kinder sometimes a little reminder is all we need.

Funniest/Scariest: A Magical Moment In The Life Of A Bee Keeper- Lil Suburban Homestead- Two words, Not me!

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Photo Courtesy of: (Bill Pad) Felixco Inc /freedigitalphotos. net

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