It’s been ages since I’ve updated the blog. It will probably be ages before I update it again.
If you want to see the most recent addition to the Visit Hudson Valley blog, check out the review on rock climbing at The Inner Wall.
Tags: New Paltz rock climbing, rock climbing in the Hudson Valley, The Inner Wall
Where:
Mavis Discount Tires
1479 Route 9
Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
845-298-9000
Type of Service: Tire Sale & Installation
When: March, 2009
Review:
We purchased 4 brand new Cooper tires from Mavis Center on May 14, 2008. We rotated them as advised. My hubby was never very pleased with the tires. He found that they didn’t grip the road as expected, but we continued driving the car.
This past winter brought quite a bit of snow here in the Hudson Valley, and living on a hill, we found that we frequently had to put the Jeep into 4 Wheel drive just to get out of the driveway. In the meanwhile, our other car, without 4 wheel drive, made it up the driveway just fine.
In February, 2009, we took the Jeep for its annual inspection and we were surprised to find out that it failed. Why did it fail? The tires would not pass inspection. The tread was too worn.
Called Mavis Discount Tires
After looking at the Cooper tire site where they warranted their tires for up to 50,000 miles I was amazed since we only had just under 17,000 miles on the tires at the time. I called Mavis Discount Tires (who sold and installed the tires) and spoke to Frank. He asked me to bring in the vehicle so he could look at it.
I brought the car in with my receipt as proof of purchase. He, too, was surprised at the wear on the tires. He said he would have the “Regional guy” come in and he would call me so we could take care of it. The regional guy was supposed to stop by that same week.
No Response
Not having heard from Frank I called again. He wasn’t in, but I spoke to the attendant on duty and was told that the regional guy hadn’t come by as yet, but I should hear something soon.
To date, I have yet to hear from Frank or the “Regional guy” about my tires. I’ve got a busy schedule and need to use my car. I didn’t have time to wait until someone “got back to me.” It’s not wise to drive around in a car with a failed inspection sticker. In the meanwhile, I had to get new tires for my car in order to pass inspection.
Lesson Learned
Stay away from the Cooper tires and Mavis Discount Tires. I guess the initial sale is more important than quality service and repeat business.
Tags: car service and tire rotation, Cooper Jeep tires, Mavis Discount Tires
Where: Chen Young
1490 Route 9
Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
845-297-5434
When: Sunday, March 8, 2009
Time: 6:30 PM
Wait time to be seated: No wait at all. Chen Young wasn’t crowded. It could be a sign of the current economic times. Fewer people are spending money on eating out.
Food Ordered
Won Ton Soup
Egg Drop Soup
Salad
2 Spring Rolls
2 California Rolls
Green Salad
Shrimp Mei Fun
Shrimp/Scallop in Hot Garlic Sauce
Banana Tempura Ice Cream
Hot Sake
Sprite
The service was good and the food was hot and tasty. My daughter, the California Roll Queen, hummed throughout her entire meal (humming is a good sign). She was like a chemist trying to strike the right culinary balance between the heat of the wasabi and the salt of the soy sauce. After spending a few minutes getting the recipe just right, she began to dip and eat her California rolls.
I, on the other hand, had very little preparing to do. The egg drop soup consistency was perfect; not too watery and not too thick. In the words of Goldilocks, it was “just right.” The shrimp Mei Fun was delicious and plentiful. Remember to bring an appetite when ordering from of the Chen Young dinner menu. The portions are very large.
My hubby enjoyed the shrimp and scallop in hot garlic sauce, but wished that he had not ordered it. He doesn’t like celery and there was quite a bit in the meal. He made a mental note not to order it again, or, request a special order without the celery.
A little About Chen Young
Chen Young is an eat-in take-out restaurant that serves a wide variety of Chinese and Japanese foods. If raw food is your thing, the Sushi is good. For who are less adventurous and would prefer cooked food, you can choose between the tempura or traditional Chinese dishes.
A Few Observations
The dining areas were clean and well maintained. Customers have a choice of sitting at the Sushi bar, a booth or a table. While patrons cannot take a peak at what’s going on in the kitchen, one tell tale sign of a restaurant’s cleanliness is taking a visit to the bathroom (I also have this weird thing about the scent and 
quality of an establishment’s hand soap).
Chen Young’s restroom was clean and the hand soap was pleasant smelling. I was a little surprised, however, at the open display of the bathroom cleaning materials. When you walk into the rest room, the bucket, gloves, cleaning material, plunger, etc were there in full view. This could be a problem for anyone with a young inquisitive child. It’s an accident waiting to happen.
My final review is that Chen Young is a great place to eat, and a definite must visit again (just hope they find a storage closet for their cleaning items).
Cost: $70.93 (excluding tip)
Tags: Chen Young, Chinese Food, Hudson Valley Dining, Sushi
Okay, I’ve watched Oprah and all of the other shows where moms are sav ing money hand over fist with their groceries. So, thinking that I’m of average intelligence, I thought I could do the same thing. Beginning in March, 2009, I decided to start saving money using coupons and pre-planned shopping. I’m sure there are lots of Hudson Valley moms doing the exact same thing.
Stocking The Arsenal
In order to get started on this new way of shopping I needed two things, coupons and a shopping list.
The shopping list was easy; all I had to do was look around the house to see what we were running low or running out of. The coupons, well, that meant that I had to remember to stop and get a copy of the Poughkeepsie Journal after church so I could cut out the coupons. Honestly, I expected to find more coupons, but I had to take what I could get.
First Grocery Shopping Excursion
As a newbie to the coupon stuff, I decided to try it out on Shop Rite and Stop and Shop. I find that Shop Rite has better prices so if I discovered I needed products that were not on my list, getting them at Shop Rite would most likely be cheaper than Stop and Shop.
Armed with my list and my all to few coupons, I managed to save $12.90 in Shop Rite and $3.90 in Stop and Shop for a total of $16.80 in savings. I actually spent $74.94 on groceries that week.
Second Time Better than the First
Happy, but not too impressed with my savings, I tried it again, but this time I expanded the stores. There are tons of grocery stores in the Hudson Valley so I I went to Stop & Shop, Shop Rite, Wal Mart and BJ’s. I managed to cut out the coupons that came in the mail. I usually throw the flyers and BJ’s Journal away, but now that I’m a coupon shopper, I thought I had better review them to see what I could use.
My second trip was better than the first week. I spent more money, but I also saved more. I ended up spending $155.42 but I saved $48.50. Not too bad for a second trip. I would have saved more if I had remembered that my daughter needed to bring cookies to school. At the last minute I had to run out and buy the cookies and spent too much for them. She wanted the ones from the bakery so I spent a bit more than I would if I had baked them myself. Oh well, a lesson learned.
I think This Hudson Valley Mom is Hooked
This coupon shopping and saving can be addicting. I managed to secure two $3 off my next order coupons from Shop Rite. I think combining one of them with the gallon-sized storage bags that are on sale for $1.59 
each would mean that I could buy two boxes of storage bags for 18 cents. That’s a deal too good to pass up.
Share Your Experience
For you Hudson Valley Moms and Dads out there who are experts at coupon shopping and saving money on groceries, please share your tips and tricks. I’d very much appreciate it.
Tags: coupons, groceries, saving money, Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, Wal Mart
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