The only thing you need is enough beer coasters to cover a table. You can ask a server for them or you can bring some from home (beer coasters are cheap)

The rules

Here is how the game works:

–Someone goes first and places a coaster anywhere on the table

–The other person goes by placing a coaster anywhere else that’s open on the table

–The game continues with each player moving in turn to place a coaster on the table

–The winner of the game is the person who puts down the last coaster, i.e., there is no more open space on the table

To make it interesting, you can play with a rule that the loser has to buy the next round.

It’s a simple game, so what’s the best way to play? Is it better to go first or second? Is there a winning strategy?

I don’t think it matters if the table is round or rectangular, nor does it matter if the coaster is round or a square. My answer for the two-person game is in the comments.

Variations

The two person game is fun to analyze but perhaps that makes it less fun to repeat. Here are a few ways to spice up the game:

–Start the table with a random configuration of coasters and then flip a coin to see who goes first.

–Play this game with more than two players–the strategy quickly becomes more complicated!

–Try this game at a dinner party using small plates on a dining table.

Try this game and its variations out and let me know what you think!

(Just be careful if your opponent also reads this blog and you’re doing the two-person game)

Do you know of a cool bar game? Let me know and I’ll feature it so you can share your game.

I have amassed a decent collection of shot glasses. One day it bugged me that the shot glasses primarily got used on weekends. They simply occupied cabinet space on weekdays.

In the spirit of frugality, I thought about extra ways I could use my decorative and ornamental shot glasses. I was amazed at how versatile shot glasses are, and now my shot glasses find daily use. Here are 5 extra ways to use shot glasses:

Snack or appetizer holder

I like honey-roasted peanuts, but I can’t stand how messy my fingers get. It’s especially embarrassing at a party, where I have more than once avoided a handshake when meeting someone new.

The shot glass is a nice solution. Food can be eaten simply by “drinking” from the shot glass without the need to get one’s fingers messy. I especially enjoy do this if I’m at my computer or watching TV.

The shot glass also works for appetizers at dinner parties. You can put soups or even desserts in it. The possibilities are quite interesting. Here is a nice list of 34 appetizers served in a shot glass to get started.

Sauce or salad dressing holder

Yes, I like-a the sauce. I like extra ketchup, bbq sauce, honey mustard, ranch, and more. But I hate dolloping the sauce on my place because it invariably spreads all over and creates a mess.

I took inspiration from the tiny plastic cups you get at restaurants, and I realized that the shot glass was the perfect home equivalent. Putting sauce into a shot glass is great. The shot glass has a wide mouth so it’s easy to dip food into. The dining experience is much cleaner.

As an added bonus, I pre-fill a few shot glasses with sauce for my dinner parties so guests can take extra sauce rather than having to request it or pour it from the bottle at the dinner table. This tip works equally well for chutneys and salsas.

Pen and paper-clip holder

I know, the shot glass is not a great pen holder. But it is a decent one. Plus, there may be some historical background to this use.

One story holds the shot glass originated as a quill pen holder. Over 100 years ago, according to this theory, the term shot glass was used to describe a such a small thick glass that people would have on their writing desk. The cup would store small pellets of lead BBs or “shots,” which could conveniently hold a feather writing quill.

So give it a try. At a minimum, you might get a kick out of having a shot glass at your desk, which might be convenient at the end of the week before happy hour.

Paperweight

Another fun way to get the shot glass into the office is to use it as a paperweight. This is a self-explanatory use.

Some ideas are you can use the shot glass to display your alma mater or to highlight your most recent vacation.

Spice holder when cooking

TV cooks seem to have tons of those small bowls to hold spices and ease cooking assembly. I don’t have any of those, but I do have enough shot glasses for this purpose.

I like to pre-measure my spices especially when cooking soups or stir-frys. I have found that one shot glass holds about 3 tablespoons of spices, so I often don’t even need to get out my measuring spoon.

Bonus use: drinking chess

image credit: puyol5 at http://weblog.ch/

This is just for fun. I’ve never played drinking chess, nor do I intend to play a game where I’d have to take a shot each time a chess piece got captured…

Tip: Oh, and if this list has inspired you to buy more shot glasses, you can often get good prices from Amazon.

What are your ideas?

I’m always looking for more ways to utilize items around the house. What are you inventive ideas for using shot glasses?

In such times, it is useful to remember that money isn’t everything. There are many things that cannot be had for money. Here’s an inspirational passage from the writer Arne Garborg that hits the nail on the head:

It is said that for money you can have everything, but you cannot. You can buy food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; knowledge, but not wisdom; glitter, but not beauty; fun, but not joy; acquaintances, but not friends; servants, but not faithfulness; leisure, but not peace. You can have the husk of everything for money, but not the kernel.

The passage reminds me that the essence of virtually any enjoyable activity depends on non-monetary factors. On that note, here are a few more comparisons that came to my mind:

• You can buy a college degree, but not an education
• You can buy insurance, but not safety
• You can buy jokes, but not laughter
• You can buy a bed, but not sleep
• You can buy a house, but not a home

I suspect you’ve thought about this topic at some point too…any ideas you’d add to the list?

Do you enjoy happy hour? I sure do. It’s a fun way to get to know your co-workers and end a long day of work. That’s why I wanted to make happy hour more affordable and I came up with these ideas.

Before I get started, a word of caution. These tips are only half of the battle. They can help you save money, but they will only work if you can convince co-workers to give them a try. On that note, I’ve also included a few suggestions for how to pitch the ideas creatively. Here are some three ways you can cut costs:

1. Occasionally go to new places (like hotels and lounges)

People often choose bars and restaurants because that’s where happy hour is supposed to be. But a change of venue can be refreshing and help you cut costs.

I can speak from my own experience in San Francisco’s financial district. Near the office, there were a lot of restaurants and bars in walking distance. But just a few blocks away were some nice hotels, lounges, and Chinatown. These places were often nicer, less busy, and came with substantial discounts. All I did was call ahead to check on specials and make sure there was enough room for our group. It was a classic win-win.

Of course, there is a reason why people don’t to this…it’s because the extra hassle of walking deters a lot of people. In my experience, the biggest problem was that some people opted out, particularly if their transit station was en route.

How can you get people to try a new spot? Some people will enjoy saving money. Others are more interested in the novelty. For everyone else, I would suggest a strategy of show and tell. Take a few pictures of the nicer places you try out and share them with everyone the next week during lunchtime. While this won’t work on everyone, it will help some people realize new places are worth a try.

2. Occasionally have happy hour on another night

While Friday afternoon is the conventional time to meet, there is nothing stopping you from trying other nights. One of my friends has his happy hour on Wednesdays as a break in the middle of the week. The best part is he comes home early on Friday much to the pleasure of his wife.

While many happy hour specials are geared for Fridays, there are places that offer even better unadvertised specials during the middle of the week. Often it’s a chance to try a house specialty or a chance to get to know the bartender. I once went to a bar on a Wednesday and since it was empty the bartender poured me generous samples of beer. He wanted to know what I thought of the new imports before he served them to regular customers during the usual happy hour.

Getting people to join you will be even harder than trying a new place. Some people don’t like to break their workweek…and others will worry it won’t save money because it will become an additional happy hour. One way to make the idea float is by feeling out if someone hard to reach is interested (like a traveling executive or a partner). It is always fun to network with new people, and having a distinguished guest may attract more of your co-workers.

3. Have happy hour at home occasionally (or possibly in your office)

It is always funny to hear people say they can’t save as they drink a $4 coffee or a $10 martini. I’m fine with paying for drinks at bars, but when money is tight, it is certainly an area that I can cut back.

Because bar drinks are marked up two to three times their retail cost, hosting your own happy hour has a potential for massive savings.

Another way to think about it is that drinking at home can give you more quality for the same cost. Consider that Coors Light usually costs $2 to $3 at happy hour, versus some of the world’s best beers cost about the same per bottle (my recent delights are La Fin Du Monde and Victory Golden Monkey). To some extent, the same principle can work for wine and liquors. This is one of the best ways to enjoy goods at your highest affordable living standard. You won’t be saving money, but you’ll certainly be living life to the fullest.

There is a fair amount of work to hosting your own happy hour, but it’s all within your capacity. You will need to send out an invitation or e-vite, collect some money (or have the party rotate), buy the drinks and snacks (or ask people to bring), and let the good times roll.

(Some other good ideas are set TVs to entertaining channels, have decent music, have party games, have extra chairs, and set a time limit so people don’t stretch out their welcome…for more, see this e-how article)

The main obstacle is finding a location. If some people volunteer, or if you can do it, that is great. But in the absence of that, see if your office is a possible location. I would definitely ask in advance because some offices have policies against alcohol on their property. But others don’t mind if it’s after work and somewhere out of the way, like a break room or a cafeteria.

This tip is the hardest to execute, but it has the highest potential reward. Even if you get it done once a quarter or once in a year, it will be a nice change and a will help you save.

What are your tips?

I got the conversation rolling and now I want to the great ideas you have. Have you had happy hour in an unusual location? Have you had happy hour on another night? Have you hosted your own happy hour? What drinks are the best value at the bars? How did you get others to agree? How much did you save?

Being appreciated and feeling useful are related but vastly different feelings. Being appreciated means getting thanked for doing your job. Being useful means caring about the change you are making. Investment bankers often tell me they feel appreciated. Teachers, by contrast, usually say they feel useful.

I think feeling useful plays a big role in achieving happiness. The more I examine my own life, the more I see that it’s not about how much money you can make or how many awards you can win. It’s about how many people you can help, and how useful you feel about it. I recently read an interesting quote that captured these thoughts: “The grand essentials of happiness in this life are something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.” While not a formula for happiness, I have yet to find a more concise and accurate description.

This discussion might explain why very rich people can feel unsatisfied. While rich people have a lot of money, this money reflects a net worth and a measure of how society appreciates their services. Deep down their wealth does not necessarily relate to self worth, and they long to feel truly useful.

And so my friend, young as he was, decided to ditch appreciation at a shot for usefulness. He left his corporate job for a teaching opportunity, and he has not looked back. I’m rooting for him.