Cheap Weed & Feed: Does it Work?

Can you tell where the weed and feed landed?

Do you always buy the top name brand yard care products because you are afraid the off-brands won't work as well? Or are you cheap like me? I find most products to be way too expensive for what they do. I live in a rural area and my yard is very large. So the money adds up fast when buying yard treatments. I've used liquid sprays in the past and the results have been less than impressive (or even noticeable). Finally I decided to give the granular dry stuff a try. I started by only purchasing one 14 lb. bag from Lowe's for about $15. It was the least expensive stuff available, marketed under the name Sta-Green.
Since I haven't had noticeable results in the past, I started by spreading it in the area of my yard with the most weeds and the thinnest grass. My spreader is old and didn't seem to be working all that well, so I couldn't tell if it was dispensing it properly or not. I walked back and forth in uneven squiggly rows that were separated by a couple feet or more, leaving untreated areas between the treated path, mainly just trying to hit the worst spots. OK, this is a good example of how NOT to spread your fertilizer. But it made for a great demonstration.
A few days later, the results were amazingly clear! Just look at the photo. The wobbly green path is where the weed and feed did it's job. There are no weeds in this area and the grass is a nice deep green. The down side? It grows taller much faster and has to be mowed more often. Also,  there was one area where I over-treated by going over it more than once. That area turned brown and died. But that was my fault for forgetting where I had already treated.

Overall, the results were remarkable. I can't think of any reason to spend more on Scott's Weed & Feed when this less expensive brand works so perfectly. Don't throw your money away! Get the Sta-Green Weed & Feed from Lowe's and save a few bucks.

Best BBQ in Indiana?

Pendleton, Indiana. I've been driving past it for years on my way to Indy. It's just a little roadside restaurant with a walk-up window, a drive-thru, and a few indoor seating booths. Oh, and a sign out front that reads, "Jimmie's Dairy Bar, Best Bar-B-Q in Indiana." Well curiosity finally got the best of me (and my kids were complaining of dying from hunger and thirst).
So we go in and take a look at the menu. We asked a few questions like, "Is the fish a sandwich or a plate of fish? What comes with the BBQ?" The fish is a sandwich and all their sandwiches come plain. Nothing comes with any of them unless you add the basket for about $3 more. My first impression was that the prices were quite high for the type of food being offered. Most items were $3 to $4 each, including the hot dog. But I figured if it turned out to be really good, maybe it's worth it. But, alas, it was NOT.  We ordered 1 hot dog, 1 BBQ sandwich, 1 fish sandwich, 1 tenderloin sandwich, 1 order of fries, 1 cole slaw, 1 order of mushrooms and one coke. The total was about $25.
The fish was the worst. It was so fishy tasting that we were afraid to actually let my daughter eat it for fear it would make her sick. It was a basic bread crumb breading on a hogie bun and it was quite dry (and did I mention too fishy tasting?). The tenderloin was nothing special either. Just your basic frozen breaded tenderloin dropped in the deep fryer and placed on a hamburger bun. I asked for tomato, lettuce, onion, pickle and mayo to be added. Otherwise, it also would come dry and plain. That made it somewhat tolerable.
Believe it or not, the hot dog was probably the best item we ordered. It was very large and split down the middle. My son actually didn't care much for it, but my daughter chose to help him eat it in lieu of the extra fishy fish. Our sides of french fries and mushrooms were a real rip-off. For almost $3 each, the quantity was ridiculously small. The fries came in a small paper sleeve with about as many as you would expect to get from the dollar menu at McDonald's. There were only 5 or 6 mushrooms in the entire order and they were nothing special.
Finally, did the BBQ live up to its claim? Well, I will say it was not bad. But "the best in Indiana" is a pretty big claim. I've made better in my crock pot at home and for about the same price as one of their sandwiches. It was just a little pulled pork on a hamburger bun. The flavor was good, not too sweet or vinegary with a very mild warmth to it. Is it worth stopping there just to get the BBQ? Definitely NOT. The coleslaw came in a little cup and was average at best. My husband added it to his BBQ sandwich after we had all had a taste of the sandwich.
I noticed that almost everyone else coming in only order ice cream. Maybe it is better than their food. I don't know because we didn't get any. We felt so cheated by our experience with their food that we decided to spend our money elsewhere for desert on that hot summer day. If you're looking for something good to eat, SAVE YOUR MONEY. Go elsewhere.

Introduction

Do you ever wonder if a restaurant is really as good as it claims to be? Or if one brand of food or cleaning product is truly better than another? Well, I do. And from time to time, I will buy several of the same items to compare them. Or I will eat at a whole-in-the-wall restaurant that's sign says it has the best something-or-another around, just to see if it is true. So I've decided to share those results with you.