Saturday, December 31, 2011

Hitting the Road for NYE

Bourgie Saturday is hitting the road this weekend for NYE. Stay tuned for Bourgie Saturday: NYC NYE edition!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Bourgie on a Budget: Email Coupons!

Some people pooh-pooh coupons, but if you're going to live a bourgie lifestyle, the smartest way to do it is by being smart with your money. Now, you don't have to be one of those crazy extreme couponing ladies, but you should know how to get great deals -- especially in stores where you're a regular customer.

You know how every store under the sun seems to ask you for your email address? And you may get an attitude sometimes and tell them, "I don't need any more junk in my inbox!"? Well, stop doing that! So many stores (AND restaurants) give you free things for your birthday, frequently shopping in their store, and sometimes even for NOT shopping at their store very often (I just got a coupon from Sephora for not shopping there in like a year). So here's what I do (recommended for smartphone users):


  1. Set up an email account with Yahoo!, Hotmail, or any other provider that doesn't do such a great job with filtering spam (hey, I'm just keeping it real!). If you already have an account with one of these providers, but you don't check it very often or use it for anything important, just use that one.
  2. Make sure you have your account synced with your phone. 
  3. Get your shop on! 
Even if you don't check this email account often, you can search your phone when you're in a specific store to see if there are any deals. Also, you won't be getting these coupons (stop calling it junk!) sent to your work/personal email address. Most stores honor the coupons on your phone. They usually just need to get the code from the email. 

You will be amazed by how much you can save!

Bourgie Dining: Bourgie Burgers

Let me start out by saying that the mall is like Satan's bowels this time of year. People who are only allowed outside of the house one month of the year wander aimlessly through the mall, stopping at random points, blocking the way of anyone who is there for a purpose. Children run amok. The clerks at the recently-installed kiosks try to sell you every type of tchotchke known to man. Basically, this scene from Wednesday's "Up All Night":



That being said, I was in desperate  need of a Bourgie Saturday evening.

To Bourgify my Saturday, I joined my family at a gourmet burger establishment. That's right, people. Gourmet burgers!

Red Robin!


Red Robin has some pretty delicious burgers, drinks (particularly of the non-alcoholic variety), and appetizers. Not typically a red meat eater, I was delighted that I could get any beef patty substituted with turkey, a BOCA burger, or a Gardenburger.

*I know what you're thinking: Pictures on the menu and bourgieness don't go together. It is a family-friendly establishment, so they kind of have to have pictures on the menu (though, I can't picture children eating any of the photographed items, but that's beside the point).

After much debate, and asking our waitress if this whole substitute thing was legit, I decided to go with the Bleu Ribbon Burger. It was really good! Heck, even the onion bun was good!

Bleu cheese, onion straws, lettuce, tomatoes, chipotle mayo...mmmmmm! With all of that in just the burger, the bottomless steak fries were an afterthought (which explains why I only had two - though they were yummy too).

Fact: The bourgier the burger, the more toppings. This automatically means you're not bourgie if you add anything to it (i.e. ketchup, mustard, mayo), because that's just tacky. Plus, where are you even going to put it? 

My grandmother ordered the fish and chips, which were as good as fish and chips anywhere; my brother ordered the Whisky River BBQ Burger; my mom ordered the Bruschetta Chicken Sandwich; and my cousin had the BLT Croissant. Everyone enjoyed their food, as well as the Game Day Nachos. FYI, if you sign up for the customer reward card, you get a free appetizer the day you sign up!

In conclusion, go to Red Robin and love it.



 8WGN6YF46FG7

Friday, December 9, 2011

Bourgie Song of the Week: Bourgie, Bourgie

We wish you a very Bourgie Saturday!

Enjoy!

Gladys Knight & The Pips
Bourgie, Bourgie

Official Bourgie Saturday #1 - Type D for Disaster

When I first came up with the concept of Bourgie Saturday, I found few friends who were interested in participating. There was a lot of whining, a ton of excuses, and some unreturned facebook messages (you know who you are). The date was set, the theme and venue chosen, and off the four of us went to plan our first Bourgie Saturday.

Picking the Theme


Bourgie people love theme parties. Whether they're ugly sweater parties (more on that later), dinners with a specific TV show theme, or a night out on the town dressed a certain way, bourgie people love them!

My three bourgiest friends and I went through several ideas before finally landing on what we thought was the best idea for our first outing: A bourgie hike, followed by a bourgie picnic. We decided, since the weather last fall was pretty mild, doing something outdoors would be a fantastic idea! And who doesn't like a picnic? I mean, really.



Bourgie Picnicking


If you're going to have a bourgie picnic, you need to make sure you have the essentials: wine, cheese, and various dips. For our adventure, we decided to venture into the Dutch Country Farmers Market in Laurel, Maryland. (If you live in the Washington or Baltimore Metro Areas, you must schedule a trip!)

  • Cheese: The H&S Cheese stand inside the market has an incredible variety of cheeses. (Make sure you sample some of them. You'd be surprised by some of the more unusual flavor combinations.) For our trip, we picked up about 4 cheese, one of which was the spicy Buffalo Cheddar. Yum!
  • Dips: They have amazing dips in the Farmers Market as well! It's basically a one-stop shop for deliciousness. Like the cheeses, you can also sample dips!
  • Side note: This is going to sound weird, like a soundbite from Snooki, but they seriously have the best pickles I've ever tasted in my life. Ever. There are so many different kinds of pickles. It's like pickle heaven for any pickle-lovin' girl!
While you can't get wine in the Dutch Country Farmers Market, you can get delicious hot meals and beverages. The Lantz Restaurant -- located near the exit -- has a great menu. I got a hot turkey sandwich, and wished I had ordered three of them! They are famous for their fried chicken, so make sure you order some on your first trip! They serve both breakfast and lunch, so you can grub regardless of when you're shopping.

  • Wine: For this important element of our Bourgie Saturday, we came prepared. We packed up some  red wine in a fancy wine cooler (to keep it classy), and added it to our growing collection of picnic goodies in the trunk. I'm going to go slightly off topic here for a moment, because I have to share info on where we often purchase wine. 
    • One of our favorite places to purchase wine is Corridor Wine & Spirits (or, as one member of the Bourgie Saturday crew dubbed it, "Liquor Mart"). It is like the Target of spirits. Domestic, import, wines, champagne, prosecco, beer, vodkas - you name it, they have it. I have tried some great local wines at Corridor, as well as some unique imported beer. The staff is very knowledgeable, and they even have wine tastings on the weekends for those looking to try something new.
Go Take a Hike

Since we decided to go hiking, we had to get dressed for the great outdoors. This is where things started to go wrong...

One of these outfits is not like the other ones...
Having gone hiking many times, I know that, regardless of temperature, you want to make sure to have your legs and arms covered when traipsing through the woods. Ticks and other insects live in these places, and poison ivy/oak are found in abundance in our region. I find that dressing in layers allows you to cool down, but ultimately, you want to make sure you're covered. (Check out this expert advice from REI)

Footwear is another important element of any hike. If you're hiking on an actual mountain (like we did), you want to make sure you have supportive shoes that aren't going to slip on rocks or leaves. I have this awesome pair of Merrell hiking sneakers that, though they appear bulky at first glance, are perfect for a low-impact hike. Hiking isn't about looking fly anyway...

To merge the hiking with the picnicking, make sure you pack a sturdy backpack, but more importantly that you check the policies of your hiking destination to ensure that you are not getting ready to break any. Which brings me to my next point...

You Can't Drink Wine at Sugarloaf Mountain
This was kind of a shock, considering there's a winery right at the base of the mountain. It also sucked because it meant that we couldn't drink any during our picnic. Which brings me to yet another point...

Stink Bugs Suck. They Can and Will Ruin Your Picnic!
You can't see them, but the stinkbugs
are definitely there...waiting for you!

Now, I'm not one to be afraid of insects, but stink bugs are pretty awful. It's not that they're going to bite you or anything, but they're just a nuisance. We have our share of obnoxious insects in our area (including cicadas every 17 years), but those stinkbugs are some of the most obnoxious. They're hard and crunchy, which is not something you want to think about when attempting to picnic (which is why we had to take our picnic inside).



So here's how our hiking trip ACTUALLY went down.

Yogi and Boo-Boo? No Thanks!
  1. Went to pick out the food at the Dutch market. Got hungry from sampling so many different foods (how does that even happen?), which set us way back on our trip.
  2. Started down the road to Sugarloaf Mountain, which is on the border of Montgomery and Frederick Counties in Maryland. (One of our Bourgie Saturdayers kept referring to it as Sugarfoot Mountain.)
  3. It was over an hour away, but it was a beautiful trip to the mountain. The Agricultural Reserve in Montgomery County is absolutely gorgeous.
  4. Pulled up to the base of the mountain, and saw a sign that said something to the effect of, "there was a bear cub spotted on the trails today." 
  5. Convinced one member of our group to keep driving. 
  6. Parked. Truck got covered in stink bugs.
  7. Convinced our designated Bourgie Saturday driver not to turn around.
  8. Some random dude told us which trail
    was the best for us. He was wrong.
  9. A couple of us checked out the map so that we could pick a trail. 
  10. Walked around the picnic area. Observing a gazillion stink bugs, we took our food back to the vehicle (after already having to leave the wine in the truck).
  11. Proceeded to walk the trail. It was a pretty steep slope. We later learned that the "helpful" gentleman at the map had identified the most challenging trail on the mountain.
  12. Climbed about a half mile up the mountain (much of which was literally climbing), turned around, and headed back to the start of the trail.
  13. Tired, sweaty, hungry, and dirty, we decided to do the most logical thing: Have the picnic inside one of our apartments.
  14. Reflected on the day. Decided that, although it was a bummer that we didn't actually picnic during our hike climb up the mountain, it was a win because we had fun, got some fresh air, and had tons of laughs. 
  15. Vowed never to plan a hiking trip during the peak of "stinkbug season."

We will be planning another hiking trip at some point in the future. At least now we know the do's and dont's!

Need ideas for planning your own Bourgie Saturday excursion? Send us an email or tweet us @bourgiesaturday for free pointers!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Introduction to Bourgie Dating

When you reach a certain age, the dating scene changes. It's not all about bowling or going to see some one-star movie with an ensemble cast of B-list actors. Once you've finished school and begun working a real adult job, dates become more about getting to know a potential mate better by trying something new, and actually trying to woo them. (What? Rental shoes and a pitcher of beer doesn't woo grown women?)

As the notoriously single member of the Bourgie Saturday crew, I have had my share of "grown-up" dates. Some have been exhilarating, some have been mundane, and some have been downright odd. In this series of posts, I will explore adult dating in varying degrees of bourginess.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Bourgiepedia: Black Friday - Parfum vs Toilette

Though the most frightening Black Friday is behind us, more holiday shopping is ahead of us,and many folks are strategizing to get the best deals for their loved ones. Many department stores will be having special promotions on fragrances. Some people find it offensive to receive gifts for personal hygiene, but if you know someone's favorite fragrance, or what types of frgrances they typically like, it can be a very thoughtful gift.

When selecting the perfect fragrances, here are some of the basics you will need to know:

Eau de Toilette vs Eau de Parfume

According to Merriam-Webster online, eau de toilette is defined as, "a perfumed liquid containing a lower percentage of fragrant oils than is contained in ordinary perfume or eau de parfum -- called also toilet water," while eau de parfum is defined as, "a perfumed liquid containing a percentage of fragrant oils that is lower than that in perfume but greater than that in eau de toilette." (Yahoo! gives a slightly longer explanation here.)

If you want to get more bang for your buck, you definitely want to purchase the eau de parfume. Because it has a higher concentration of  fragrant oils, you don't have to use as much, and the fragrance will last longer. My personal opinion is that it truly smells better than the eau de toilette version as well. Keep in mind that, no matter how expensive the fragrance, if you put too much on, you will cheapen the smell. (Those Axe commercials can be pretty misleading.)
My current favorite is Love by ChloĆ©.

Now, if you want to get really fancy, you can try an actual perfume.


Fragrances Can be Expensive, But Most Department Stores Carry Gift (or Value) Sets!


For a quality designer fragrance, you can pay upwards of $85 for a 1.7oz bottle of eau de parfum. One trick I've found is purchasing a gift set. If you don't need the big 2.5oz+ fragrance (and if you use more than one fragrance a season/don't drown yourself in perfume, who does?), purchase the gift set. They usually come with the 1.7oz of the eau de parfum (which lasts longer than the toilette, remember), a travel size bottle (for your car/purse/desk), and either lotion or body wash (9/10 lotion). I rarely use the body wash/lotion that comes with it (the lotion is usually too runny, and the body wash usually doesn't produce a good lather), and I'm less motivated to do so because it's usually just a bonus item. I've found that the best places to purchase these gift sets are at the major department stores (Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, etc). Nordstrom in particular has experts in the fragrance department who can help you pick out a fragrance that fits the taste of the person you're buying the gift for (e.g. if they like rosy fragrances, something sweet yet subtle, citrus smells) so that you don't completely miss the mark. If you're trying to decide between several fragrances, you're going to want to read my next point.

Use the Coffee Beans! They are your best friends in the fragrance department!
Just like ginger helps cleanse your palate when eating sushi, sniffing coffee beans helps reset your sniffer. Taking a nice whiff of coffee beans will give you a better idea of the true smell of the fragrance. Remember, also, not to sniff the fragrance as soon as you smell it. You want to give it a little bit of time to let the smell settle.

A few extra pointers

  • If you are purchasing the fragrance for yourself, remember not to rub your wrists together after you spray it. You will destroy the chemistry of the fragrance, leading it to smell differently than it was intended. 
  • Different strokes for different folks: Remember that not everyone has the same preference when it comes to fragrance. Just because you love every Juicy fragrance, doesn't mean your sister is going to love it too. 
  • Your body is ever-changing, so don't expect to be in love with one fragrance your entire life! This works for some people, but most of us retire fragrances as our body chemistry changes. Think about which fragrances you liked as a child. Now think of which fragrances you like now. Notice the difference?
  • You'll notice there was not an in-depth discussion of men's cologne in this post. The reality is, it's much easier to shop men's colognes than a woman's perfume. If you have any questions or need advice on a cologne for a family member or significant other, comment on this post! 

HAPPY HOLIDAY SHOPPING!


A newer spin on a classic fragrance.
 I'm on the hunt for a good deal on this one!
(COCO Mademoiselle by Chanel)



Get Your Bourgie Up

Did you know that people actually review fragrances? I have read quite a few New York Times reviews of fragrances, and they have way more information than I think anyone would ever need to know about a fragrance; nevertheless, I appreciate the art!
Read some NY Times fragrance reviews here


FULL DISCLOSURE: YOUR FRIENDS OVER HERE AT BOURGIE SATURDAY WERE NOT PAID BY ANY OF THE BRANDS MENTIONED IN THIS POST. WHILE WE WISH WE COULD HAVE BEEN GIFTED FREE DESIGNER FRAGRANCES, WE WEREN'T!