Budget Buys

Local experts give us their top picks for under $20

Most everyone loves a good deal, so we’ve asked a number of area experts for their favorite budget buys under $20. From beauty to baby, and categories in between, here are their top picks.


Home organization

Elisabeth White, the owner of BDivine, is a personal assistant and concierge, and therefore knows a thing or two about getting organized. Here she presents her top budget buys for keeping the home fashionably organized.

Bordeaux 3-Bottle Wine Rack – Black, $12.89 at Target:
A must for any wine lover. Keep your everyday drinkables within reach with this attractive wine rack. Pair it with an inexpensive bottle of wine (see budget buy picks opposite page) and you have a great housewarming gift. Target locations throughout Northwestern Washington or target.com

Circo 7 pc Heart Print Storage Bin, $16.99 at Target:
Teach your kids to be organized. These containers are my two-and-a-half-year-old’s favorite thing to play with. Great for storing anything from crayons, paints, Play Doh, doll clothes, socks and more. My daughter even likes just playing with the containers themselves. Target locations throughout Northwestern Washington or target.com

Whitmor Christmas Ornament Box, $19.97 at Home Depot:
It’s never too late (or too early) to get your Christmas décor in order. Every decorator’s friend, this Christmas ornament box is a quilted fashion color fabric with contrasting trim. Holds up to 24 ornaments, bows, ribbon and more. Removable cardboard dividers create various storage sizes. Convenient handle for easy portability. Home Depot locations throughout Northwestern Washington or homedepot.com

Everything Mary Folding Bead Organizer, $15.99:
This Folding Bead Organizer is wonderful for keeping your supplies organized. The organizer includes one plastic bead box and two detachable clear storage pockets. The pockets attach securely by hook and loop. This could also be used to neatly organize small office supplies such as sticky tabs, paper clips, thumbtacks, stamps and more. Michaels Arts & Crafts locations throughout Northwestern Washington or 
Michaels.com

Fixa 17-piece Tool Kit & Screw with Plugs, both $7.99 each:
The 17-piece tool kit’s hammer can also be used as a rubber mallet; separate rubber casing included. Contains: hammer, adjustable wrench, combination pliers, bit screwdriver with bits for slotted, Phillips, allen screws and an awl. The Screw with Plugs is a 260-pack and is galvanized steel to protect against corrosion. When the box has been emptied, it can be used for storing other small things. Contains: Set of assorted screws and wall plugs for wood, plaster, concrete and brick. ikea.com


Wine

Doug Charles, proprietor of Compass Wines in Anacortes, shares his picks for post-holiday, budget-sensitive Washington wines for the masses.

Challenger Ridge “Block 1” Washington Pinot Noir 2009, $19.99
Yes, they can make some crazy good wine in Concrete! Light and delicate with fresh strawberry notes and aromas of cinnamon, clove and allspice, with crisp acids that are not unlike the tang one gets from the skin of a plum. As close to “real” Burgundy as I have seen from this side of the Atlantic in many a moon. Kind of a no-brainer for salmon, especially if it’s a big Skagit River king!

IQ2 Friends “Twisted Knickers” Columbia Valley White, 2009, $9.99
A fresh and fruity blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling, it has all sorts of tropical flavors, plus pear, melon and lemon zest.  A Double Gold medal at the Seattle Wine Awards (yes, I was a judge there), with a soft and slightly off-dry character, so it appeals to a whole bunch of different wine junkies.

ded. reckoning Wine Co. “Plunder” Yakima Valley Syrah 2010, $9.99
100 percnet Syrah harvested from the Dineen and Sheridan Vineyards, in the wine metropolis of Zillah, just outside of Yakima. Explosive pure fruit with blackberry jam, raspberry scones, cherry pie and a smack of lanolin and smoke from spending a few months in two-year-old oak from Colgin in Napa. A stunning value that will put many a $40 Syrah to shame.

Whitestone Pieces of Red ‘8’Columbia Valley, $16.99
Hailing from just outside Spokane, this traditional Bordeaux-style blend of all estate-grown fruit has quickly become a Washington state “cult” classic. Almost equal parts of Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, it is built to be enjoyed immediately, but has the structure to lay down in the cellar for a few years. A “90” from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate doesn’t hurt either.

Finnriver Sparkling Pear Cider, $8.99
This microscopic producer on the Olympic Peninsula, who also makes fantastic Champagne-style cider and some sinful, sticky dessert wines from blueberries and currants, has now produced a fantastic, very slightly sweet pear cider for the beer crowd. Imagine a chilled Bartlett just out of the icebox on a hot September day add a little grownup kick and you get the picture here.