The new data is pretty fun, no? Early highlights include but are not limited to: discovering that wealthiest folks in the Houston suburbs spend their dining out dollars in a strip club; Michael's lesson in whiskey-drinking, inspired by the popularity of Brooklyn whiskey emporium Char No. 4; Jeremy found a new place to take the missus.
Make it or buy it: That's me up there with my new pressure cooker ($99.99). My justification: having a pressure cooker will enable us to stop buying canned beans at $1.19 per 15 oz. can and start buying dried for $2.09/lb. A pound of dried beans roughly equals three cans, so I'll be saving $1 per pound. Great! Except that means I have to cook 90 lbs. of beans to make up the cost of the pressure cooker ... which now seems less like a money-saver, more like a kitchen gadget I just bought. This is why I'm obsessed with this question of how much, if at all, you can save by choosing to make food yourself, even if it means paying for a little extra equipment up front. Moriah has written about her beer-brewing investment, and Phil, the proud owner of a new seltzer maker, will check in later with a libationary and financial accounting.
Mind your decisions: Bundle community editor Presh is also the math genius behind Mind Your Decisions, a blog that combines personal finance with game theory. Geeky? Oh yeah. Awesome? Is it ever. My personal fave so far is Presh's take on the expected value of your NCAA tournament bracket.
What's coming on Bundle today: The Awkward Dollar addresses out-of-town guests with finicky -- and expensive -- palates, and we'll be running the first of a very romantic series on managing money as couple from Bundle partner Morningstar.
Question of the day: It's been three months since the gift-giving bonanza of the holidays. So: are you still using the gifts you received for Christmas? Do you think the people to whom you gave gifts are using what you gave them? (Shameless plug: While you're at it, check out our new December data.)
