MerrinDonahue.com

In lieu of the crappy economy, I’ve been compiling a list of my favorite things for under $10 bucks. I started this list well before Christmas, but I never got around to doing anything with it (other than buying a lot of those things for stocking stuffers). I figured I’d better start keeping the list somewhere other than my head, so every once in a while I’ll post stuff here.

For starters, my favorite thing in all of ’08 HAS to be poop-related. No kidding. Poo Pourri will change your life. The business of poop isn’t pleasant, but this stuff absolutely gets rid of any unpleasant….odors…related to all things poop. It REALLY does work. I buy the #2 formula, but I’ve tried all of them. Plus, it’s fun to say “poop”. Poop!

Next on the list are two things that make life so much better: Bacon Salt and Jane’s Krazy Mixed-Up Salt. Bacon Salt is obvious, since there is an appalling lack of bacon in the house since, oh, last April or so. And it really does taste like bacon, which is a plus for me when I’m eating something like broccoli. Jane’s used to be a staple in our house, and then it disappeared from the grocery store for an eternity. I found it again recently when I was picking up some Herbes de Provence, and I immediately pounced on it. This stuff is so addictive that you’ll never use regular salt and pepper ever again.

Finally (for today, anyway), HAS to be the “Eat This Not That” series of books. Technically, the list price of each of the three books is over $10, but you CAN get them on Amazon for less. These books are amazing, and they really will change how you shop at the supermarket, feed your kids, and eat out at restaurants. I’ll never eat a Pop Tart again, since even the whole grain version is horrendously bad for you. Funyuns, however, remain on the good list. Who knew?