The Frugal Chicagoan

If you ever bike, you need to go to this workshop this Wednesday. You won't regret it, I promise.

West Town Bikes is a small nonprofit based in Bucktown that provides incredible and accessible educational opportunities for the community. A few weeks ago I attended one of their Winter Bike Workshops. In one evening, I learned the basics of my bike's parts, as well as how to maintain a healthy bike, fix a flat tire, oil my chain and tighten my breaks. The instructors, Lauren and Martin, were informed and fun. Lauren even brought beer to share--Fat Tire, appropriately--though I can't promise that will happen every time. These two bike experts spent three hours with the small handful of us who attended the class. All West Town Bikes suggested in return was a ten dollar donation.

Beyond the intrinsic value of learning all the geeky parts of bikes, this workshop is a great investment. Bikes are fairly simple machines, and learning how to maintain your bike, even on a basic level, will save you money. Getting a bike shop to fix your flat may cost $20. But you can fix several of your own with a patch kit that costs $5. You'll learn how at this workshop this Wednesday.

It's the dead days of winter and resolutions to be better shape for 2009 may already be dying. With this bitterly cold winter, it can be hard to muster the energy to workout outdoors. Yet gym memberships can be expensive. Not all of us can afford the luxury of a place like the Lakeshore Athletic club, where monthly fees can run close to $100 a month. Yet no time like the present to commit to being fit. What else are you going to do when the cold makes it unpleasant to venture outside?

Below are five approaches to affordable fitness. When considering the options, be sure that you are considering the cost of transportation and parking, which can add up quickly.

1. The YMCA--There are numerous YMCAs throughout the city, and by getting membership at one you have access to all. Even better, certain Y's will adjust their rates depending on your income. I have a friend who is a student and he pays $15/month at the McCormick Tribune YMCA location. There, if you make less than $55,000 a year, you may be eligible for an adjustable rate.

2. XSportFitness--This gym offers some very good deals for teachers (as low as $32/month if you pay in full for the year), families/couples, or those willing to pay in full in advance for the year. Furthermore, they have lots of classes and exercise machines, a beautiful pool and sauna. The downside is that it can be very, very crowded.

3. Cardinal Fitness. Monthly fees can run as low as $20, and $30 for couples. They require no long term contracts, so you can cancel at any time without a fee. You can't beat this.

4. Consider buying a yoga pass. If you want to build muscle tone, consider buying a yoga class package, and supplement the yoga with the occassional run. There are several affordable package options in Chicago. Two of my favorites: Bloom Yoga in Lincoln Square offeres $12/class for students or affordable packages of 10 or 20 classes;  Yoga View in Bucktown offers similar rates.

4. Find a way to work what is free. Find a running partner, go on daily walks after work, commute with a bike, use one of the city's many (free!) indoor pools.

Instead of giving friends items that they may not even want, give something you know will satisfy: food. There are many recipes that are inexpensive to make but will impress and please your friends.

These thoughtful gifts take little time to make and can be created in large batches. If you have little extra time, attention to presentation can make these gifts especially beautiful--check out these tips.

Below are a few of my favorites food presents.

1. Chocolate truffles. These homemade candies look impressively difficult but are actually quite simple to make.

2. Homemade Kalhua. By making your own, the price per pint is so much cheaper than buying the brand. And it is so easy.

3. Homemade Baileys. Same as Kalhua: easy, delicious, relatively cheap. Perfect gift for entering the winter season.

4. Peanut brittle. With the exception of your nut allergy friends, who doesn't love peanut brittle? You will need a candy thermometer for this one and two people for spreading out the liquid candy, but it is worth the effort.

5. Fudge. This is ridiculously easy. Fudge is delicious.

6. Candied pecans. Again, very easy. A little more expensive than the other options, but candied pecans are a unique treat associated with the holidays.

7. Homemade hot chocolate mix. Dress up a mason jar, and your friends will think of you all winter long.

8. Chocolate chip cookie mix. Enough said. You may may not be helping with New Year's resolutions to lose weight, but who doesn't like a mix of chocolate chip cookies, ready to bake at any time?

9. Spice blend. This list of different spice blends gives some fun gift options; cater your spice mix to the personality of the recipient. My favorites are the Garam Masala and the N'awlins Seasoning.

10. Homemade granola. This is my personal favorite gift. On a winter morning, this granola keeps you running. Here is my mom's recipe.

Mom’s Granola

Starter ingredients:

• ½ light brown sugar
• 1/4c. molasses
• 1/4c. honey
• ¼ c. water
• 3 TB vegetable oil
• 2 Tsp. Cinnamon

Mix all the above in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add:

• 1 tsp. Vanilla (some like to add maple flavoring )
• Mix in a large roasting pan: (this can be altered to your taste or whatever you have on hand!)
• 5 – 6 cups old fashioned oatmeal.
• 1 c. wheat flakes
• 1/2c. each walnuts, pecans and almonds (or favorite combination of nuts), chopped
• 1/3c. sunflower seeds
• ½ c. wheat germ
• 2 TB. Sesame seeds.

Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes – stir every 15 minutes for even browning. Add raisins, chopped dates and or craisins to taste.

I like to sprinkle with a little salt when it comes out. Let cool completely before packing in container.

This morning I woke up in darkness, and the voice on NPR notified me that, with wind chill, it's -9 in Chicago. Winter is here. I've gotten out my down coat and furry hats, but one thing is different this year. I am going to try to ride my bike through the season.

The prospect, in many ways, is terrifying. When I walk on the sidewalks an my feet slip on the ice, I get an image of what that would look like on wheels. Not pretty. And then there is the biting wind--on a bike? Will I have a really, really red, wind-burned face?

But the more advice I collect from the pros, the more winter biking seems doable. And though I haven't yet biked in weather below 15 degrees, so far, it really is not so bad. I'd even go so far as to say it can be quite pleasant. Here is some of the advice I have collected, much of which can be accomplished through thrift store visits.

1. Layer, layer, layer. Don't wear your down coat. A polar fleece, with a water proof, wind proof jacket on top. Pros recommend zippered armpits for airing in more intense biking.
2. Get one of those scary face masks. Or at least a warm, thin hat and a scarf wrapped tightly to cover your face.
3. Don't forget fingers and toes. You'll need warm gloves/mittens and a warm pair of socks.
4. Light the way. It gets dark earlier, and visibility is often less. Don't leave home without your front and back light.
5. Get fenders. One of the more unpleasant parts of winter biking is nasty slush splashing up on your legs. Fenders will keep you drier.
6. Don't bike in precipitation. Some will disagree, but my rule (and that of some of my hard core biker friends) is to give myself a free pass when it is raining or snowing. Slippage happens when roads are wet.
7. Find out more, and find a community. Chicago Bike Winter is a meeting place for those who love, not just tolerate it.

What is your advice for biking in the winter?

I wanted to sneak in one last getaway before the cold settles into Chicago.

Biking to work this week, I smelled decaying leaves and felt a cold rush of air and realized it is irreversibly fall. Fall is my favorite season, but it also means the end of easily enjoying the outdoors. My boyfriend Jeremy and I decided to take a weekend trip to get out of town and to enjoy being outdoors before the cold shuts down the city. We planned a weekend fall getaway to Janesville, Wisconsin, taking the yellow metra line to Harvard, and then biking 35 miles to the Scarlett House. Once there, we focused on simple activities: we visited a farmers market and spent most of the weekend being lazy and reading--on Saturday, we biked to a park and read for the whole afternoon. We feasted on amazing homemade breakfasts from our Bed and Breakfast host, and we had picnic lunches of local breads and cheese and veggies.

What felt like a luxurious weekend was actually very affordable. What is important about a getaway is just that--to remove yourself from stultifying daily patterns, to truly unplug from commitments, and just relax. Simply being without obligations is a luxury. There is no need to spend a lot of money on those things we usually associate with luxurious.

A few tips if you are planning a fall getaway and want to avoid spending a lot of money:
1. If you can, avoid driving. Follow any of the metra lines to its end and you can find some pretty remote and interesting places (read: different from city life). Or take your bikes on the metra line and use it as a launch off point: bikes are legit on the metra as long as you don't go during rush hour. Bikes are legit on the metra as long as it is not rush hour on the weekdays or any time on the weekend. Check out the metra maps: in collaboration with google maps, it is easy to figure out how far away towns are from the last metra stop on any given line.
2. Go somewhere rural, where fewer activities require spending money. Enjoy simple activities like walking, reading a novel or the paper, or talking.
3. Stay in a bed and breakfast. I admit, no bed and breakfast can beat $60 motel 6 rate. But consider this: B&Bs include a homemade breakfast and a personal connection to the area. Most are pretty reasonable, and many offer a lower rate during the "off season"--which usually starts October 1. The Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association has an interactive map of all bed and breakfasts in the state, and this map has many options that are within a metra ride or short car ride.

I have been jonesing for some live music, but I haven't wanted to shell out a lot of money to see a show. So when my friend invited me to see the Chicago Civic Orchestra play Dvorak for free in the Symphony Center this past Saturday, I jumped (yup, I am a classical music geek). The concert was part of Macy's free day of music, apparently an annual event. I got to see original hipster band The Sea and Cake perform for free, an oddly hip performance for the formal venue (it was very funny to watch hipsters try to dance in the narrow aisles of the hall).

But with a little planning ahead, you can find an abundance of free or budget music in Chicago every weekend. Just one example: the Chicago Civic Orchestra, amazingly, is a professional orchestra that plays all their concerts for free (okay, you pay a $1 processing fee). And they don't suck like many community orchestras--their performance of Dvorak's New World Symphony was very professional. Here is a link to their performance schedule. I'd love to hear from readers: where do you go for great music at a great price?

Now more than ever, not being safe on your bike could cost you.

In response to a comment a reader made to my previous post: yes, it has long been the law to have a front and back light on your bike. But as the Chicago Tribune recently reported (the story is now hidden in their archives, but you can find the text here), the police are starting to enforce bike traffic laws more stringently.

Last year, my friend Kate and I laughed when she actually got pulled over on her bike by a police car, flashing lights and all. She ran a stop light. Now this seems less the whim of one bored cop and more a new initiative of the Chicago police.

Avoid a costly ticket: follow bike safety laws.

You know you have been meaning to do it.

With gas prices going up, bikes are looking sexier all the time (in spite of all the recent rain).

Just how much money do you throw away in gas? Say the average person drives 100 miles to commute to work each week. Add another 30 miles weekly for having a life, and we are up to 130 miles a week. If the average car gets 24 MPG, then 130/24 = 5.41 gallons of fuel/week. Multiply 5.41 x 52 (weeks) = 281.32 gallons, or about $1,124 a year by today's gas prices. And that doesn't include any longer weekend trips, insurance, or the occasional accident.

Even taking the CTA can add up. If you buy a CTA monthly pass at $75/month, that is $900/year. 

So stop putting it off and buy a bike. Many of the suggestions you will see here on how to cut corners will involve a bike. 

Purchasing a bike, especially a used one, can be overwhelming. The good news is that there are plenty of used bikes available in the city. 

Craigslist has a plethora of bikes, although without a lot of bike knowledge, the postings are hard to navigate. If you go the craigslist route and are lacking bike knowledge, ask a friend who has an expertise to help you find a good fit--and offer to buy them a few drinks in exchange. 

As another route, there are a few good used bike shops in the city. 

Working Bikes on the southside always has a lot of bikes for cheap, and proceeds go to a good cause, but I have heard mixes reviews about the quality of the bikes. The bike I bought there lasted just a year. 

312 Cycles just opened at 2107 Western Avenue. Jonathan, the owner, sold me my bike for $200--a nice Fuji road bike from the 80s. However you get it, when you buy your bike don't skimp on the safety accessories--helmet, front and back light. 

Where do you think the best place in Chicago to get a used bike?