Category Archives: 25th Hour Gal TimeSaver

Yikes! The Holidays Are Just Around the Corner

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How does it happen every year?  I think there is some sort of conspiracy that the days get shorter around October 1st and then the holidays just suddenly are upon us.  Consider this your warning….in a little over eight weeks we will be celebrating Christmas.  Don’t take me wrong, I love this time of year.  I just wish my new iPhone assistant Siri could take over and do the prep work for me!

On a recent beach trip with some college friends of my husband’s, one of the wives was in charge of breakfast the first day.  We always sleep in on vacation so Mr. 25th Hour Gal and I were the last two up that day.  We were told that the Beach Breakfast Mix was in the refrigerator.   I was really hoping it wasn’t something healthy.  Not that I have anything against healthy eating, I just wasn’t in the mood that Saturday morning for granola and fruit.

The Beach Breakfast Mix was a wonderful mix of eggs, bacon, cheese and spices.  You spread this on an English Muffin, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and broil it for about 5 minutes or until it is golden brown.  I loved it and it was just what I needed that morning.  The best part was that everyone had a hot breakfast whenever they woke up that day.  No cold leftovers for those late risers.

After returning home, it dawned on me that this would be perfect for the holidays when we have a lot of family in town and everyone seems to eat breakfast at different times.  Especially great for Thanksgiving morning when Mr. 25th Hour Gal is preparing the Turkey and I am making endless casseroles and desserts (I don’t want anyone to go hungry at my house).

So, here is the recipe.  Thanks to Mary E. for sharing.

Breakfast Mix
  • 12 Hard Boiled Eggs Chopped
  • 1 lb Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 6 oz. Bacon, Cooked & Crumbled (You can also use the “real” bacon bits as a short cut)
  • 3/4 cup Mayonnaise
  • 2 Tablespoons Spicy Mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
  • 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 Small Onion finely diced (if desired)
  • Pepper to taste
Mix together and refrigerate.  When ready to serve, spread on a split English muffin.  Top with grated Parmesan and place under the broiler under golden brown.  Enjoy!
What is your favorite holiday recipe?  I would love to have a few new recipes this year ~ 25th Hour Gal.

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25th Hour Gal TimeSaver – Got Gold?

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Unless you have been on a very long vacation without access to the news, you know that gold has recently hit an all time high.  On a recent episode of Good Morning America, they talked about how to sell your gold jewelry.  When I heard that an earring back was worth $53 based on the gold price that day, I stopped what I was doing and went straight for my jewelry box.  I had some assorted broken jewelry, my add-a-bead necklace from the 80’s and some jewelry from old boyfriends.

Now…where to sell?  This is the big question and I hope to save you some time here.  My line of thinking was that all of these stores that had banners up saying “We Buy Gold!” would probably offer the best price since this is all they do…Buy Gold!  I decided to get three estimates all on the same day so the price of gold wouldn’t fluctuate too much.  I went to my favorite jewelry store in Roswell, then I checked with a jewelry store in Cumming.  I was pleasantly surprised by the quotes offered and both quotes were within $40 of each other.

My last stop was at a “We Buy Gold” (WBG) place.  I have never been too fond of patronizing establishments that have people dressed in costumes or waving signs on the side of the road but I thought I would make an exception.  I had already checked out this business on the Better Business Bureau website.  The process to receive a quote was much different at WBG.  First, they didn’t take my word for the fact that all of my jewelry was 14K gold.  The first jewelry store I went to had already confirmed this fact.  WBG even went so far as to put a scratch in the surface of a bracelet and put a drop of solution on it to see if it turned bronze which is a sign that it is 10K.  She informed me that if it turned bronze the color change was permanent!  This process confirmed that my jewelry was in fact 14K.  They then quoted me a price that was about HALF of what I had been quoted an hour ago at the two jewelry stores.

The next step of the process was interesting.  The sales person told me that she was going to call her manager to get me the absolute best price possible.  After that phone call, I was offered a “Friends & Family” gold rate.  I guess it was my lucky day!  This new rate was less than fantastic and still more than 20% below the other quotes I had received.  I told the sales person that their quotes were very low compared to the other quotes I had received.  The sales person then told me that they would beat any other quote and offer an additional 10%.

I don’t tend to do business with people or companies that do business this way.  If they could offer me more, then they should have offered it up front.  I don’t have time to waste and I don’t like to do business with people who seem to want to play games and waste my time.

So lesson learned for me.  Get your gold price quoted from a reputable jewelry store.  I still recommend getting a couple quotes but hopefully the 25th Hour Gal has saved you from wasting your time at an extra stop.  Now you have time for an extra glass of wine this holiday weekend!  Enjoy!