Mission “use up all fresh food before Christmas” was in full swing at dinnertime in our house.
- Brussels sprouts
- Sweet potatoes
- Onion
- Fresh Italian sausage
All used up!
Dinner included sautéed Italian sausage and onion with roasted Brussels sprouts and sliced sweet potatoes.
A vibrant plate full of flavor!
As everything cooked, I snacked on pretzels. I cannot seem to keep my hand out of the pretzel bag today.
NBA League Pass = Tory Burch Flats
After dinner we took Sadie on an hour walk around the neighborhood. The weather started to warm up again this afternoon, so only a light sweatshirt was needed. It was a beautiful night!
During our walk, Ryan and I started making some deals.
Ryan wants to buy the NBA League Pass so he can catch all of the Chicago Bulls basketball games on television. The League Pass is a whopping $150.
I said that’s crazy expensive… and then said that if he buys the League Pass, I get to buy the super pricey Tory Burch flats I’ve wanted for more than a year now.
These beauties…
Honestly, I’m not liking either of our chances. 
Off to read The Violets of March!
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Well the NBA League is a lot cheaper than the NFL Ticket…hello $350 that we seem to spend every single year. The kickers is Keith always buys the NFL Ticket for me so I can see the mostly untelevised Colts games in my Texas market. I am such a boy.
My husband buys the NFL, MLB and NHL packages every. single. year. I’m not kidding when I say I want to cry when I look at our DirecTV bill. BUT, sports are his passion and he doesn’t have any other expensive hobbies so I try to turn a blind eye.
My parents got me a pair of Tory Burch Reva flats for Christmas. I’ve been drooling over them for far too long, but these reviews have me nervous! Hopefully they’re comfy when I finally get to try them on!
For an ice box clean out meal, that sure looks tasty!
I have to say… The flats and the pass are the same price as the pink gym bag you posted a few days back. You say that you think the pass and the flats are so “crazy expensive” so you aren’t just going out and buying them. My question is would you have paid $150 for a pink pleather gym bag if you weren’t getting it for free? I am a regular reader but that post along with this one made me feel eh about all this. I am not a fan when bloggers promote something to their readers that they wouldn’t be buying under normal circumstances. I can’t believe not one person in that post seemed at all taken aback that a plastic no-designer bag was $150, yet a pass and flats are soooo expensive. For me, I would justify a classic neutral well made shoe that could last many seasons or a TV package for something that I loved over a pink gym bag.
To clarify my issue is that you did not mention the pink bag being expensive at all, but this post focuses on the high price of the two items. And since you got the bag for free, that just makes me feel a little “eh” as a regular reader. This is just some input from a regular reader who has made your pb granola many times and the peppermint bark twice (so no, I’m not just a hater for those waiting to attack).
i am personally willing to pay more money for nice jeans or a nice purse/bag because i use them more than one pair of flats… just like i’m willing to pay $100 for running shoes while i feel iffy about buying expensive heels b/c i know i use running shoes more than heels. do i still think $100 is expensive? yes! but that also doesn’t mean i wouldn’t buy it if i really wanted it and felt like i was at a place where it made sense financially. not sure whether that makes sense but, in other words, yes, i would be a lot more likely to buy an expensive bag over an expensive pair of flats when, in florida, i usually opt for flip flops or sandals most of the year.
I’d actually also be happier spending $150 on a bag made by an independent/start-up designer vs the Tory flats, which are made in China and really aren’t all that high quality (I have a few pairs) – it’s just the name and that little medallion that costs so much $$. Not the point of this discussion but, just wanted to add that.
I actually am not a fan of tory burch’s collections; I don’t get the hype, and it’s not my style at all… because of this, I can’t speak for the quality. I was assuming that since this was a pair of flats that she had been wanting for so long, it was a really nice quality pair of shoes. My comment was to remark that price only seems to come into play only when the item is not for free. I feel like as a blogger, you should be thinking about whether or not this specific item is something you’d have paid the full price for and purchased on your own without compensation before you review it and promote it to your readers. Honesty and integrity is more than a few lines of disclaimer at the end of a post. After all, the readers are the ones who will be spending their money on this product. This is especially important for situations where the company offers the blogger a cut of the profits from whatever his/her readers buy… something like, say, a ruelala referral type of deal.
Since Julie says that, yes, she would have bought the gym bag for $150, then it’s fine.
Do you see my issue though? The bag was not once mentioned as expensive yet shoes and the pass that you would be buying yourselves are such a huge deal that you’re not ready to commit to either. I’m guessing that this reply means that last week you would’ve dropped $150 on the gym bag, so ok.
yes, yes i do and, in retrospect, should’ve mentioned the price of the gym bag as a “con” in my post. to me $100 is $100 and spending $100+ on anything feels expensive! thank you for your respectful comment, m!
early V-day gifts (since his does have to start early to make it worthwhile)????
I have been so in love with those flats since I first saw them… but I’m struggling to justify them too. We are funny creatures as runners and fitness minded people, aren’t we? A few years ago, I would have said “Skip the cross trainers, BUY THE FLATS!” And now I’m willing to drop $150 (that hurts to write out) on my running shoes so I can make it through 10 miles without crying, but normal shoes? When am I even in normal shoes? I can’t justify that!
I asked for that same pair for Christmas. I tried to convince my mother that they go with EVERYTHING. Although really hard to break in, they are the best flats ever and my collection seems to be growing…which is a really bad expensive habit.
I say get them both! You guys work hard, are obviously responsible with your money if spending a combined $400(ish) makes you need to discuss it this much. And if you’re paying cash, and not putting them on credit…even better! What if you forgo your January monthly date for a shopping trip and coffee (or dessert!)?? Treat yourself…you deserve it.
coming from a household that demands the football package from direct tv … I say that it’s a fair trade off between you and Ryan.
plus all of my TB shoes have been super comfy. definitely a worthwhile investment 🙂
LOOOOVE those flats! I’ve been wanting some Tory Burch flats for forever, too.
I really need to propose this deal to my husband!
hahah her flats get me every time.
Oh my goodness I wish the NBA had stayed in their deadlock! I do not like basketball season in my house, haha. I also hate the look of flats/ballet shoes so I almost fell out of my chair at the price of those ugly things. But I’m sure there are many things I own people would view as ugly too. 😆
Life is short, go for it!
It’s hard when a guy can’t watch his hometown team! If we ever left Cleveland, which I hope never happens, I would have to get Mrs. Frolicking Fell to agree before the move to allow me to get NFL Sunday Ticket so that I could watch the Browns. I can’t imagine not being able to watch the Browns every week!
Honestly, that’s not a bad price for 82 games of basketball. Let’s say you guys went to see the Bulls play twice in person when they visit Florida. You might wind up spending $150 total for the tickets!
Obviously, as a diehard sports fan, I’m biased. But from a guy’s perspective I can tell you that he would be beyond thrilled if you agreed to this. If Sheila did something like this you’d better believe that her share of the household chores would mysteriously shrink down to cooking and not much else!
HAHA, my Dear and I make those kind of “compromises” all the time- like his monthly Netflix subscription validated my my monthly Sbucks spending 😛
I’m glad others have chimed in about the comfort! Not only are they THE MOST uncomfortable shoes in the world (and make your feet sweat/stink) they also look SO UGLY FROM THE BACK. Seriously, next time you see someone wearing them, please look at the heel. The elastic cuts into the persons heel and then there is this big POUCH underneath it with all of this extra material. SO SO SO UGLY. I cannot stand these shoes. Spend your money wisely, from one shoe fanatic to the next!!!!
i have three pairs, so obviously i’m an advocate for the TB. however, i’ve gotten all of mine on sale or on ebay. you can find flats for under $50 if you’re persistent! i find them incredibly comfortable, but they do stretch out. my beloved leopard print pair tends to fall off in the back. i should have gotten half a size smaller. 🙁
I’m a late starter in the Tory Burch Reva flat department. I just got my first pair 3 months ago. But now I’m addicted to them. I’ve got…*GULP*… 5 pairs. I just got the royal tan ones and they are soooo comfy right out of the box. My patent ones took forever to break in and my classic black with gold took there sweet time to get comfy. I hope you get yourself a pair, it’s such a great color. Think of it as an investment. They are a must have pair of flats for any girl or guy that loves Tory Burch. These are mine http://www.flickr.com/photos/39715038@N00/6770394059/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39715038@N00/6770394193/in/photostream/