Water Cooler Tip of the Day

So the cold tab broke off your water cooler, what are you to do? Or better yet, what would McGyver do?

He's stick a fork in it!



All credit here goes to Dave!

Cow Tip of the Day

Chick-Fil-A's cow appreciation day is today.

Dress like a cow from head to hoof for our 4th annual Cow Appreciation Day® (July 11, 2008) and get a complimentary combo meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner) from Chick-fil-A.

Not up for sporting the full cow look? Partial cow attire will still get you a complimentary entrée. Request a tall, cool Dr Pepper with your Chick-fil-A and complete your meal.

Cow dressing tips at cowappreciationday.com

Chick-fil-A Tip of the Day

Chick-Fil-As in Lexington, KY are at it again. This week they are (again) giving away free breakfast.

Here is the menu:

• This morning - Sausage Biscuit
• Wed and Thurs - Chicken Minis
• Fri and Sat - Chicken Biscuit

Coupon Tip of the Day

So the savvy shopper picks through the coupons they get in the mail and throws out the rest. But sometimes the coupons are so good and they are to places you would visit anyway that you wish you had more. Well now you do. If you get Family savings Magazine in your area, they reprint online. (Just click on the "Now in Digital Online" button.) Love getting a Burrito from Sonic for 99¢? Now you can get one every day! You are only limited by your printer paper!

Sonic Tip of the Day

Sonic – Americ'a Drive In, is obviously a sucker for praise. One time I noticed on my reciept, that they, like many other places these days, have a phone customer satistfaction survey that they would like you to complete. And instead of entering you in a drawing (lame), it said that I would receive a coupon code for $1 my next visit. I throughly enjoy their sausage breakfast burrito - not the SuperSONIC Breakfast Burrito mind you, just the regular one. Unfortunately, its price has risen in recent months, up from $1.29 to $1.89. So I thought, it may be worth the 5 minutes to get the price of this thing under a buck. So I called the number and pressed 1 through 5 of my touch tone phone, it was relatively quick and painless. Happily got my code and the end and used it. Much to my surprise, when I got the receipt for my 94¢ burrito (after tax), there was another invitation to fill out the same survey!

As of this moment, I am on my third dollar off coupon, and plan to eat 94¢ breakfast burritos every Friday for the rest of my life.

McChick Tip of the Day

Tomorrow the 15th, McDonald's is giving away their McChick sandwiches (with the purchase of a medium or large drink, of course). In the afternoon it is a regular bun style sandwich, and in the morning it is a biscuit variant.
While this these sandwiches are a rip off of Chick-Fil-A, you do have to give McDonald's some points for originality, they put the pickles on the top, instead of the bottom.

Bonus: If you want your coffee cold, stop by Dunkin Donuts for free Iced Coffee Day, which is also tomorrow. With this one there is no purchase necessary.

Lemon Tip of the Day

Is there anything in the world worse then sipping on your water and having a lemon seed slide right up the straw with your sip? I'm sure there is, but maybe not for everyone. That particular someone came to his/her own rescue by investing the lemon shower cap. For those times when you want to get wet, but don't want you're seeds falling out…er or something like that

McSkillet Tip of the Day

Today and tomorrow morning, buy a medium drink at McDonalds and get a McSkillet Burrito free. It's kind of like a good coupon, except you don't need a coupon.

Coffee Guide of the Day

Caffe Latte

A Caffe Latte is a single shot of espresso with steamed milk. There is notfrothed milk in this drink. A Caffe Latte should have approximately a 3:1 ratio of milk to coffee. Note: ordering a Latte in an Italian restaurant may get you a glass of milk so be sure to order Caffe Latte.

Cafe au Lait

A Cafe au Lait is similar to a Caffe Latte except it is generally made withbrewed coffee instead of espresso in a ratio of 1:1 milk to coffee with sugar added to taste.

Cappuccino

Cappuccino is traditionally equal parts espresso, steamed milk and frothed milk. Many coffee shops will add much more milk than this in the belief that bigger is better.

Americano

An Americano is a single shot of espresso with 6 to 8 ounces of hot water added. This term was originally devised as a sort of insult to Americans who wanted their espresso diluted.
-Renee

Waiting Tip of the Day

You decide to go to restaurant in downtown Lexington on a Saturday night (first mistake). You are there with fourteen other friends (second mistake). Be ready to wait. You even get a handy dandy pager. After about 45 minutes, you ask the waitress how much longer. You know it's a bad sign if she says, "Didn't we already seat you upstairs?" There was another group of 15 that came after our group and they got our place in line.

Here's the tip - Guard your place carefully. You never know when there will be another insanely large group come roughly around the same time as you and swipe your spot in line. You might also try giving them an unusual number (15.74) - bet no one else will have that number.

Red Robin Tip of the Day

Red Robin resturant has some sort of bottomless fry basket thing, it's like bottomless coffee pot at IHOP where they both really do have a bottom it's just a fancyway to say all-you-can-eat. Well if you are really nice to your waitress/waiter you can ask them for a refill on your fries before you actually get your food. If your server decides to grant your wish, the fries will come to your table approximately the same time an appetizer would, plus you don't have to pay extra for em! Maybe that's what all the burgers are $9.75 there?

Chick-fil-A Tip of the Day

Chick-fil-A sells calendars that have coupons for every month. The calendars are only $5. January's coupon is a free chicken sandwich. You can also purchase a coffee mug for around $20 and get free refills for the year. If you go to Chick-fil-A often and/or like coffee, this is a great deal.

Also, they are serving free breakfast on Mondays during the month of January at the Lexington branches.

Honey Tip of the Day

Get the ruminants out of the honey out of your glass honey jar by pouring hot water in, and then using that to make tea…or crumpets.

Thanks Jen

Shake Tip of the Day

The guy at McDonalds may ask "Are you serious?" But a half strawberry, half chocolate milkshake is actually pretty good. Just ask Steak n Shake. The best part about it is you get a slightly different flavor in every sip.

Say Cheese Tip of the Day

You may have to "say cheese" twice if you're ordering food at Wendy's drivethroughs. Turns out many of the dual lane Wendy's are actually taking your order remotely to be more efficient, more customer-service based, and more likely to upgrade your meal. We heard this was the case, but wanted to verify at a local Wendy's in Nicholasville. Turns out it's true! The employee informed us that our order was taken in Lexington by a call center. So then we got to wondering how the whole 2-lane thing works. How do they know which person gets what? Well, it's because the order taker actually snaps your photo as you order! So, the clerk at the store matches the order up to the photo taken of you! So, if you're adding cheese to your hamburger, you better "say cheese" twice!

Turkey Tip of the Day

If someone pre-cuts the turkey and separates the light meat from the dark meat and tells you that they also took out the tryptophan, one of the 3 isn't true.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Playhouse Tip of the Day

This is first episode of Pee-Wee's Playhouse courtesy of YouTube.



You have now learned the following.

- Foil can be used as a form of currency
- The P is only silent in Pterri not Pee-Wee
- If there's too much chocolate add more ice cream (wonder if "would you like some more fries with your ketchup" ripped off of this.)
- When driving out of your house always use a helmet

Also of notice you can get all the episodes of Pee-wee's Playhouse here for two easy payments of $17.99.

Voting Tipsy of the Day

No booze: Kentucky law prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages while polls are open. So if you can wait until 6pm tonight you'll be all set.

Turkey Tip of the Day

Turkey Pepperoni = Better for you and they taste good
Turkey Hot Dogs = Better for you but they taste bland.

Just thought you should know.

Itemize Tip of the Day

Tipping at restaurants is incorrectly called "gratuity." Gratuity implies you are GRATEFUL for your service, not obligated to leave an obligatorily obligatory 15%. Sometimes you want to leave more if your server does a good job, but often you'd prefer to leave less, but want to avoid being, "that guy". So, I'd like to introduce a new concept known as "Tip Itemization." On the little tip line on your bill, break down your tip to show how good or bad the service was, and what, specifically you're leaving money for. Example, on a good server:

Amount: $15.75
Tip:$2.25
For bringing refills quickly: $1.00
For being pleasant: $0.75

For a bad server:

Amount: $15.75
Obligatory Tip: $2.25
Refills: $0.00
Pleasantness: $0.00
Order accuracy: $0.00

That'll show 'em! If they're good, they'll get a kick out of you recognizing them. If they're bad, well, maybe they'll do better next time.

Shrimp Tip of the Day

Don't eat three dozen shrimp before the invention of 21st century food safety and drink a quart of milk.

Thanks Jean

American Gladiator Tip of the Day

Friends, today is your lucky day, because NBC is bringing back American Gladiators, and they want you to try out!

The only requirements are:
- Must be a "warrior type," i.e. no Canadians
- Must be "BIG" (I hope they don't bring spandex back)
- Must be "bad," ex-cons feel free to apply
- Must be "athletic," so lay off the biscuits & gravy
- Must have "heart," sorry Tin-man
- Must have "skills," presumably with a bowstaff
- Must have "a desire to COMPETE," i.e. would you kill a man for a Klondike bar?

You will be tested in areas such as strength, speed, balance and agility. Also, you have to bring a non-returnable photo of yourself. (Ugly people need not apply!)

Go get 'em, tiger!

Scotland Tip of the Day 3

When going to a Scottish pub, it's a good idea to ask them how they got their name. Many of these pubs have very interesting stories behind their name. For example, Maggie Dickon's pub was named for a lady who was hanged in the square across from the pub. She was charged with concealing a pregnancy and hanged for the charge. As her friends were taking her body to the grave, they heard a scratching inside the box. As it turns out, she was only knocked unconscious from the hanging. It was determined that she'd been saved by God and when she was tried again, she was set free. From that point on, she was known as half-hanged Maggie. There is also "The World's End" which was named because it use to be on the edge of Edinburgh when it was walled in, so those from Edinburgh wouldn't have wanted to go beyond that wall. As far as they were concerned it was the World's End. Then there is the one pictured here...Deacon Broadies. He was a craftsman by day and a thief by night. He was executed for his crimes, but would live on in infamy in a story called "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".

Scotland Tip of the Day 2

Scotland has its own native dishes. One such dish is haggis. With any breakfast it may look to an American as a common sausage, but rest assured, it's not. It's made mostly of lamb intestines/stomach and such organs along with some barley and spices. If it's coming with a buffet breakfast, because it's a native dish to the Scot's, it's probably worth a try, but if you really want to spend money on something truly Scottish, I'd recommend Irn Bru before I'd recommend haggis. Irn Bru is the native Scottish soft drink. It actually outsells Coke in Scotland. It's like an orange cream soda, is quite good if you ask me, and is available at any pub you'll find.

Free Tip of the Day

We interupt our regularly scheduled London tip for this important announcement.

You can't even believe it, unless you first saw it on Facebook, but TODAY, at the University of Kentucky campus Chipotle, you get a FREE burrito! It's all day long! (Well, from 11:00 to 10:00). The best part is, there's no gimmicks, nothing to pay for, no dressing up as a burrito or any other crazy nonsense. Just show up, and eat in glory.

NOTE: This is only going on at the UK campus Chipotle, don't go to the Mt. Tabor or Hamburg locations thinking it's going on there too.

Thanks Jay & Facebook

Cashew Tip of the Day

Every Last Kernel Tip of the Day

If you're like me, it fills you with unquenchable anguish every time you make microwave popcorn, and there are dozens of unpopped kernels in the bottom of the bag. Surely popcorn science has more to offer than this mediocre effort! In the meantime, there's a pretty easy way to get a few more handfuls of popcorn.

Take a small skillet and pour just a tiny bit of oil into it - just barely enough to cover the bottom. Heat it over a medium-high heat for maybe a minute or so, then dump the rest of the unpopped kernels in and cover the skillet with a lid. In a few seconds, they should be popping away. Don't take the lid off now, though, or you'll have popcorn and hot oil flying all over the kitchen. I kid you not.

Remove from the heat after most of the popping has died down, then uncover. (Be careful not to burn it, though!) Give it a couple minutes to let it crisp up, sprinkle a little salt, and enjoy sticking it to Orville with your ingenuity.

German Living Tip of the Day Part 3

If you're ever in Germany, living or visiting, and you LOVE 80's music, well, you can simply turn on your radio. You're bound to find some. However, I've discovered an even cooler way to enjoy that retro rock. Look for a banner with the current dates outside any town. That's the indication that a giant "block party" for lack of a better term is going on close by. The Kuzel festival took place June 8-10. They had three different cover bands all playing music from or around the 80's. Folks, I've now seen it all...Germans head banging to a cover band version of Johny Cash's "Ring of Fire"! It's definitely German culture at its, uh, best? No really, it's fantastic. Baumholder is scheduled to hold theirs at the end of June. I hope it's a similar experience...Cinnimon roasted nuts, slushies, cotton candy, bratwurst, some Italian foods, those crazy cover bands, and of course, the beer flows like water well into the wee hours of the morning. Oh, and remember, in Europe, when they mark the date, 8.06.2007 actually means June 8, not August 6.

Panera Tip of the Day

When meeting friends and picking a place to eat, make sure you clarify which restaurant. If you're sitting at the Panera in Regency Center and call your friend who is at the Panera in Palomar, make sure that friend does not try to go to the Panera in Brannon Crossing to meet you. This will result in less time to chat and frustration

Cow Appreciation Tip of the Day

Cowboy (girl) up . . .

Mark it on your calendar now, July 13th. It's your freebie tip 'o the day. In honor of "Cow Appreciation Day," Chik-fil-a is giving out a free combo meal or a free kids meal for anyone who comes in dressed from head to toe as a cow on July 13th. If you come in partially dressed (i.e. a cow purse or a cow hat, etc.) you can get a free entree. There are ideas at this link and more details, too. For instance, they suggest coloring an old white t-shirt with a marker to make cow shirts . . .

From: Cherie

Mo Money Mo Problems Tip of the Day

Looking to save a little more money when eating out? Get gift certificates here for 50% off.

Update: For none Lexington, KY readers, check HalfOffDeals.com

You can save when eating in, too. Couponmom.com has all sorts of suggestions. You don't even have to be a mom to follow them. Here's a strategy: use an online 50%-off coupon to buy gift certificates from a [participating] website where they are already 50% off, and you could turn a $40 meal into a $10 one!


BONUS ETIQUETTE TIP: Please remember to tip your waiter according to the regular value of your meal!

Coffee Tip of the Day

A coffee filter can make a great little snack bowl. It's like a paper towel with edges!

McRunning Tip of the Day

Don't eat McDonald's and then try to run your longest run of the year. Even if its for an early lunch and you're not planning on running for another six hours. Just don't do it™.

Dinner Tip of the Day

Fry up some chicken in something you may not normally fry chicken up in. My favorite right now is putting a big spoonful of garlic mustard in the fry pan and added the chicken. It is super tasty, there all sorts of flavors built into garlic mustard, and less fatty than oil.

Czech Tip of the Day

Kolaches, the best dessert in the world.
If you happen to be visiting the Waco, TX area, you'll soon find that there's more to Waco than that weird cult thing where people killed themselves with white tennis shoes. In fact, it's a cultural marketplace, with diverse food offerings! If you're in Waco, head 15 minutes out of town to West, TX, home of a very large Czech population per capita. Enjoy sights such as the "Czech Inn," and especially the "Czech Stop," which literally has the finest baked goods you'll ever enjoy. Known as kolaches, these flaky, doughy, fruity little pastries will beckon you for more. You can't resist. And they're sold out of a gas station that is constantly packed, 24/7 with people buying these tasty pastry tschochkes, which I call "kolachkes." Go "czech it out" and tell 'em Pete and Jay sent ya.

BBQ Tip of the Day

If you go to the "Salt Lick" in Austin, TX for the best BBQ in your life, do NOT order water as your beverage. If you do, you may think you've been like Coldplay, "swallowing the sea." Turns out that while they have the best BBQ in the buckeye state, they don't specialize in water. It's "unfiltered" tap water, they'll tell you, and it literally tastes like the Atlantic Ocean.

Ice Cream Tip of the Day

If an place has a neon ice cream cone out front, then history has proven that there will be good ice cream inside. That does not guarantee that you should ever step foot inside the restroom however.

-Thanks Fowler

SXSW Tip of the Day

So among our normal readership, there is perhaps no one who can benefit from this tip, but its the weekend and no one reads Tip O Da Day on the weekend anyway. At South By Southwest, where this particular tipper is on this particular weekend, a lot of time is spent inside of the Austin Convention Center. Acc, as I think I may begin to call it, leaves a lot to be desired, such as water fountains on the third floor. Well those attending SXSW Interactive got a little red card that gives them one free drink a day across the street. Not being one much for beer, I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that bottled water is on the very short menu. That'll help kick dehydration in the acc.

Snack Tip of the Day

Serving sizes are so unpredictable. It may just be two pieces when you're talking about Double Stuf Oreos, or it could be 55 when you're talking about Goldfish. And since 55 Goldfish only have 1g of saturated fat, snack away! Compare that to Samoas, which has 2.5g of saturated fat per cookie, and you might just be telling those Girls Scouts to take a hike this year.

-Thanks Brittney

Keene Tip of the Day

Looking for a quaint little grocery store/deli to have a snackeroo? Check out Keene's very own local grocery store/deli. It is situated in the same building as the world famous post office (right off 169). They have great sandwiches and also serve pizzas.

Tastey Tip of the Day

"Smile, People will wonder what you've been up to"

-The "Promises® Message" in the wrapper of my Dove Dark Chocolate

Artificial Sweetener Tip of the Day

You know all those artificial sweeteners that hog up room in the sugar caddy? Yep those pastel colored packets that taste nasty. This is about the only good use for them:

Purchasing Tip of the Day

Wew, it's Friday again…finally. The weekend is ahead and there are things to do. Maybe you want to go out to eat this weekend, do some home improvement or sign up for phone service. But where should you go, who should you choose? That is the hard part, and that is the newest area Tip O Da Day wants to be helpful. Today we are super proud to introduce the second new spin off site just this week. Pete & Jay proudly present:

Tip O Da Day Recommends…

It's a place where the Tip O Da Day staff reviews and imparts their findings using our patent pending "Recommended" or "Decommended" scale. This makes it easy to spot which businesses and products worthy of your business and which are worthy of collecting dust.

(Ok, so its a shameless plug disguised as a tip, we know, and we're find with that. How else are we going to announce it?)

Cookie Tip of the Day

Cookies are soo yummy hot from the oven, but their are many instances you don't have access to an oven at any given minute. But more often than not you have access the sun. Stick your cookie out in the sun as you each your lunch in the shade and you will have have a gooy warm cookie to cap off your lunch or other eating occasion.

The time of the year when you can do this, is hereby referred to "Cookies at Lunch season"

Sweetea Tip of the Day

We all know that sweet tea from Chick-Fil-A is the best on the planet. Just be careful when consuming it in the car. Before placing your cup o' tea in the cup holder, do a quick sweep to make sure no pointed objects are in the cup holder, say for example, a pen or pencil. If so, you'll come to a stop-light, go to take a refreshing swig, and think at first, "hmm, this feels light--have I seriously drunk this much sweetea?" After you pull the cup up and feel it "piddling" on you, you'll realize, "OH SHIZZLE, we've sprung a leak." And trust me, it's not fun cleaning sweetea out of a cupholder. :-(

Education Tip of the Day

Say for example you're still in high school. You don't want to be in class for any longer then you really need to be. I remember when I was back in high school however long they gave me for lunch was not enough. So, to get out of, say your fourth hour, class right before lunch. Cooperate with your teacher and let her get through the material quickly. You never know she might just let you go a couple minutes early and get a break on the rest of the lunch crowd.

The same also applies to those of us who get stuck in 11:00 meetings. Just agree with everyone's ideas and you'll be on your way to an early lunch!

Touring Tip of the Day

If you're ever "on tour," or just on the road for business, keep in mind you're operating on a "per diem" for food and lodging. Of course, this means you're not paying for your own food! If you were back home, you'd be paying at least for some of that food and if you're like many of us in my circle of friends, we dine out very frequently. So, you can either come back home with a large chunk of money that you saved (which would be SMART) or you could use that money to buy cool stuff in the places you're visiting! You can also rationalize larger purchases if, for example, you live alone. You could turn off your heat while you're gone and save a chunk of money on your heat bill! Don't forget gas--we all know that not driving for a week will save you plenty! So, all in all the per diem is worth far more than the amount you're allotted. It's sort of like double money!

Complicated Tip of the Day

Have you ever thought that life is too complicated? Do you often get caught up in the details that just drive you insane on a daily basis? Well, in my experiences over the past month at the United States Navy's Officer Candidate School, my classmates and I have learned to embrace these details. During our inspections, we are required to have our names stenciled perfectly on every article of clothing that we own. Our underwear and t-shirts are to be folded into a 6" square as well as our socks to be folded 6" in length. The list goes on and on and on, but I will spare you the details.

Military life is very regimented and quite frustrating at times; however, it's not that bad. There are little things that are very simple and quite hilarious to keep us occupied. The one detail in particular that I would like to highlight and even challenge everyone to try is a part of our 'chow hall' procedures. From day one at OCS until the end of the show, we eat 3 square meals a day... breakfast at 0600, lunch at 1100, and dinner at 1700. Here's the catch... eat everything with a spoon! No forks or knives, no American or Continental style of eating... simply pull out your trusty 'war spoon' and go to town on pancakes, cereal, chicken, fish, and even steak! You might think I'm crazy... and you would be right in thinking that. But eating with one untensil instead of three is just a small step into making life less complicated.

-OC Calton

Conditioning Tip of the Day

For those of you who's cars' interiors happen to be enveloped in the hide of a once bellowing, cud-chewing bovine, this tip applies to you. We all know that overtime that once soft, plush leather tends to weather and crack. To prevent this unfortunate circumstance we are told by car manuals, dealerships, and car loving fanatic message boards and websites around the world to be sure to condition the leather every so often with some sort of expensive, slippery compound that would have worked great at sending us careening that much faster down the Slip 'N' Slide® in the days when our physique didn't play a crucial role in the bathing suit we bought or how often we wanted to put it on. However, as many of us lead very busy lives and don't have time to lotion the car, this simple tip will actually allow you to kill two birds with one stone. Next time the need to feed yourself strikes, immediately locate the establishment with the greasiest food possible. Go to the drive through and order your next heart stopping meal to go. Here's the catch: don't ask for napkins. After downing your curly fries and double quarter whatever sandwich, simply smear your slimy phalanges around the steering wheel, shift knob cover, or the seat next to you (just make sure no one happens to be sitting there). Oh, and also make sure you can actually maintain control of the vehicle once the wheel has been thoroughly lubricated.

-Matt