The GauchoBlog » MarvPratt

GauchoTV: More Miles to the Gallon!

MarvPratt — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:00:26 +0000

Marv is back in the car for another way to save money. Don’t you wish that your gas, like your Taster’s Choice Coffee, was “good to the last drop”? Of COURSE you do. But are you maximizing your fuel efficiency? If you’re driving around with a bunch for bricks in your trunk and four flat tires, the answer is no. But this week we focus on the long-running debate about running your A/C in the car, versus putting your windows down. Which is better on your fuel economy. The answer may surprise you. How’s that for setting up an M. Night Shyamalan twist? (I might be building this up too much.)

For good measure, Marv tacks on a few extra money saving in-your-car tips so you can get your maximum dollar value out of your vehicle. With money as tight as it is these days, don’t you think that’s a good idea? Hint: The answer is “yes.”

GauchoTV: The Dirty Dozen!

MarvPratt — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:00:21 +0000

Are you health conscious? Of course you probably THINK you are. I mean, after all, you work out (good!), you eat right (good!) and you take lots of herbal health supplements (WAIT! WHAT?!?!). Oh well, two out of three ain’t bad. Actually, it could be worse than bad. It could be dangerous.

This week on GauchoTV, Marv takes a look at Consumer Reports “Dirty Dozen.” 12 “health” supplements that could actually be hazardous to your health. Since Marv has been on a health kick lately, he’s been supplementing his diet with products to help him lose weight, have better workouts, etc. Are those supplements dangerous? Well, everything is dangerous if applied correctly, but tune in to find out the exciting answer. (Actually, the answer is no. But watch it anyway.)

Also you’ll learn where Marv buys his supplements online – for less (of course), and get a blenders-eye-view of a protein shake. Will it blend? Yes. Yes it will.

GauchoTV: Retro food!

MarvPratt — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:00:23 +0000

This week, Marv is talking about retro food (instead of singing in the rain, which he probably should be doing). Wondering what we mean by retro food? Well, in short, it’s all the junk food, processed foods and fast foods you grew up with that aren’t available anymore and it makes you sad. Even though you are now a grown up with the common sense not to eat such horrible foods. But back when you had an unstoppable metabolism? Man-oh-man, were those things tasty. Unfortunately, we all grow up and develop tastes for more esoteric things, meaning that we romanticize how good these discontinued foods were, so if we have an opportunity to taste one we usually say something along the lines of “that is way too sweet.”

But of course, this is GauchoTV, and therefore it’s not just a polite chat about foods you can’t get anymore. It’s also about how and where to buy those foods that you had forgotten about. In some cases available in bulk! So when you get a gross of [fill in name of junk food here], you can not only say “that’s too sweet,” you can also lament having 143 more of that particular item.

Yes, undeniably this week’s episode is all about bringing up nostalgia then smashing those memories on the rocks of reality. Life is like that sometimes. At least we still have access to some tasty cabbage.

GauchoTV: Christmas in July

MarvPratt — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:00:52 +0000

Have you got the creeps? Marv does. Specifically, the CHIRSTMAS CREEPS! Yes, it’s that time of year again. Actually, like every year, it’s even EARLIER this year – again – when Marv gets a chance to report on businesses going rogue and putting out their holiday displays early. Real early. In this case a major department store put out a display last week! For Christmas stuff. It’s not even Labor Day yet! What is the world coming to?!? It was bad enough when there were jack-o-lanterns out with snowmen, but this is just downright ridiculous.

Also this week, Marv takes a peek at the Peek. Which isn’t as clever as it sounds. It’s a reasonably new handheld device that does a bunch of smartphone stuff, EXCEPT have a phone, which is an interesting new twist. And Marv also weighs himself and for some reason admits his weight on camera. It’s all in the name of science. Or saving money. Something like that. Maybe both!

GauchoTV: Weird Products and Bad Breakfasts

MarvPratt — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:27:53 +0000

You know that feeling you get when you see a strange new product advertised on TV and you think, “Who would buy this?!?” Well, Marv gets that feeling all the time. Putting together episodes of GauchoTV gives him the opportunity to run across all kinds of weird items. When he sees them, he saves them and tucks them away for episodes like this week. That’s right, it’s Weird Products Update! And there are some weird ones. For some reason, the most disturbing items are always food. Because while a Snuggie may be weird, a sandwich in a can (spoiler alert!) is way, way weirder. But the Candwich is just the tip of the iceberg!

This week Marv also gives you the Top 5 Worst-for-you/Grossest Fast Food Breakfasts. You probably won’t be surprised by the results. Also, there’s an update on Marv’s Lose Weight 4 Less. It’s only been one week, and Marv was still getting over that chest cold, so it’s been pretty dicey getting back into the gym. But despite all that, denial of food and even a modest increase in cardio has already shown results. 16 weeks to go! Join him on this journey of making his jeans fit again.

GauchoTV: Health and Beauty

MarvPratt — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:00:30 +0000

This episode is rated PG-13 for partial nudity. No, seriously, Marv hops out of the shower to review the new Vaseline MENS moisturizing lotion. (Spoiler alert: He likes it!). Product reviews are fun, but instead of picking a more tangible item that you can physically see the advantages of – like a cell phone or a tech toy – Marv chose the considerably more esoteric Men’s Grooming Care item. I guess the moral of this story is: Send Marv more tech toys to review. He really wants to play with a Chumby (chumby.com/), so you can start there.

As the theme for this episode is Health and Beauty, and with the beauty covered by a very well moisturized Marv, it’s time to focus on health. Marv is embarking on a 16 week journey, and you can join him. With the help of the free internet fitness tool Traineo, Marv will try to lose 36 pounds. Sound like a lot of weight? It IS! But he went to the doctor with the cold he had last week (see Episode 29) and the doc was nice enough to mention that Marv has put on a few (read: 20) pounds since last year. So let’s go on this fitness journey together. Follow Marv’s progress at gauchomarv.traineo.com, on Twitter at @GauchoMarv and in future episodes of GauchoTV.

GauchoTV: Generic Meds and Really Bad Food

MarvPratt — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:00:35 +0000

You will have to forgive me. In the cloudy haze of a sinus cold and full of fantastic over the counter cold medications, I can’t really be sure if the camera is even on. Let’s assume for a moment that it is. If that is the case, and you are reading this, then welcome to this week’s Gaucho TV. This week: Generic Medication and how to find the worst food that is super cheap but really, really terrible for your body. But it’s so cheap! But it’s really bad for you. Moderation, Gauchos. That is the key. Please try to keep that in mind.

Marv takes you by the hand and leads you down the dark corridors of his NyQuil addled mind and shows you why you should shake off the strong psychological grip that name brand medications have over you and buy the equally good generic versions. The savings are big. I mean many dollars big. It’s noticeable. This is the kind of cash that when you find it in the pocket of a winter coat of in the bottom of the washing machine you go “hooray!” That is what I’m talking about.

What am I talking about? I’m not sure. I’m going to go take a nap now. Please leave comments on the blog.

GauchoTV: Smartphones and Secrets

MarvPratt — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:00:53 +0000

Full disclosure: Marv is a dyed in the wool, double stamped, Apple fan. In fact, as you watch this episode he is probably STILL standing in line to pick up his iPhone4. But what if you don’t want an iPhone? What if you don’t want to get locked into an AT&T contract? Even though Marv cannot possibly understand what would motivate this kind of insanity, he respectfully offers up one of the more comprehensive Top 5′s he’s ever put together. If you want to get a smartphone, and for whatever crazy reason you don’t want an iPhone, Marv will show you the best alternatives available. While he would never want one for himself, he gives you a “pros and cons” of the best smartphones that don’t have a lower case I in front of their names.

Also in this episode, learn the secrets to getting the best clearance deals at Target. You may think you know when to get a good deal at Target, but Marv goes deep undercover to find the real deal. It’s the secrets that even the most secretive secret keepers have tried to keep secret. But they are secrets no more, because Marv will spill the beans in this episode. Beans will be spilled! I hope you’ve ScotchGuarded your carpets!

GauchoTV: Summer Fun Series Part 3, Loose Ends

MarvPratt — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:42:49 +0000

What is the purpose of sequels? Why to wrap up any loose ends of the story, of course. And what’s the best time of year for sequels? Why summer, of course. And this is Marv’s third (and likely final) installment in the Gaucho Summer Fun series. It’s summer savings on the cheap.

After a Top 5 that is basically an instruction manual in subverting the harsh and draconian laws of first-run movie theaters, Marv ties up the loose ends of the Summer Fun Series. It’s Baseball, BBQ and how to have a real effective vacation at home (AKA STAY-cation). You will learn all kinds of things. How to throw an incredibly cheap 4th of July Party (U.S. viewers only), what baseball games to go to, and what size sub sandwiches will fit in standard cargo shorts pockets. All the information that’s fit to print – or in this case edited to fit. Either way.

Enjoy that summer, Gauchos. And keep more cash while you’re doing it!

GauchoTV: Summer Fun Part 2

MarvPratt — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:00:47 +0000

As the lyrics to the Carpenters classic go, Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. Even though it isn’t Monday, I’ve had two days of continuous rain, which makes it really difficult to do any location shooting for GauchoTV’s continuing Summer Fun Series. So, on this week’s episode Marv talks about the number one activity you do on vacation when it’s raining. No, not ‘go to the mall.’ Although, that would probably be on the list. The answer is, watch a movie. Specifically, Marv breaks down the hubbub around Netflix streaming. If you haven’t heard about it, it’s a way to use the internet to instantly bring movies and TV shows right into your TV, computer, gaming console or internet connected kitchen appliance (preferably ones with screens). What better way to spend a rainy vacation day than watching a classic movie that you love, or a creepy horror movie that will make you want to lock the doors and not sleep. Either way, it’s fun.

All this, plus Marv’s Top 5 FREE iPhone apps for saving money on vacation. This was in part because it’s handy knowledge to have, and in part to celebrate the official announcement of the iPhone4 this week. I’m saving up already to get one. So excited!