Rose Schmidt, Beverly
Molly Katholi, Edgewater
Laura Giampino, Edgewater
Richard Vittach, Edgewater
Bonita Mall, Uptown
Angel Ysaguirre, Andersonville
Joanna Friedman, Ravenswood
Sharon Steffensen, Edgewater
Donna Burch, Edgewater
Jean Dutiesne, Andersonville
Judy Hensen, Edgewater
Mike Dempsey, Edgewater
Lorena Velazquez Rumback, Albany Park
Katrese Kirk, Rogers Park
John & Mary Lusak, Andersonville
Leia McWhorter-Pusateri, West Rogers Park
Elsa Reyna, Uptown
Helen Peck, Ravenswood
Piotr Kielbasa, Irving Park
Dana Lair, Ravenswood
Ronna Pritikin Berk, Evanston
Edith Muniz, Rogers Park
Sean Murphy, Lakeview
Jen Pagan, Albany Park
Elizabeth Rossi, Andersonville
Alyson Lippman, Andersonville
Kristina Garvey, South Loop
JC Chang, Edgewater
Eric Kean, Uptown
TJ Brennan, Uptown
Joanne Gannett, Uptown
Dave Devaney, Andersonville
Darnella Ward, Chicago
Karen Bantle, Sauganash
Sarah Kobs, Edgewater
Holly Weitendorf,Andersonville
Michelle Miles, Edgewater
Jennifer Ftacek, Ravenswood
Stella Kestell, Edgewater

Congratulations everyone, and thanks for spending your 20 bucks in Andersonvile!

Tell us how you spent your 20 bucks in Andersonville in the comments below!  To learn more about Andersonville 20/20 or to take the 20/20 Challenge, click here.

It’s time to annouce the winners of the Andersonville 20/20 Display and Promotion Contest, where Andersonville’s businesses went head-to-head to create the best Andersonville 20/20-themed displays and promotions!

Didn’t hear about the contest?  You should have signed up for Andersonville 20/20.  Only registered Andersonville 20/20 Challengers were able to vote for the best Andersonville 20/20 displays and promotions.  As a thank-you for voting, Challengers also recieved a FREE raffle ticket in the 20/20 Sidewalk Sale raffle (winners will be chosen this Friday, August 7th).  View pictures of some of the display and see who won the contest after the jump!

BEST ANDERSONVILLE 20/20 WINDOW DISPLAY: The Swedish American Museum Store, 5211 N. Clark St. The creative use of Andersonville 20/20 buttons gave the store display at the Swedish American Museum a playful quality that edged out the competition.

The Swedish American Museum Store covered a dress form in Andersonville 20/20 buttons as part of its window display.

BEST ANDERSONVILLE 20/20 INTERIOR DISPLAY: Women & Children First Books, 5233 N. Clark St. It’s hard to argue with so many lovely books on display for under 20 bucks…

So many books, it would be easy to complete the Andersonville 20/20 Challenge without leaving Women & Children First.

BEST ANDERSONVILLE 20/20 PROMOTION: In Fine Spirits, 5418 N. Clark St. The great everyday value of In Fine Spirits’ tables of wine under 12 bucks (available all the time, not just for this contest) was a Challenger favorite in the category.

These great wine values under 12 bucks are available every day (and not just to Andersonville 20/20 Challengers).

STAFF FAVORITE: Room Service, 5438 N. Clark St.  Room Service’s baby buddha banks for 20 bucks made all of the staff want to take one home.  Sorry, there’s no prize for this category, just our love and devotion.

The pricetag on these baby buddha banks makes it hard to resist taking one home with you.

JUST BECAUSE: Even though they didn’t win, I still thought these displays were lovely and wanted to put up some pictures in recognition of a job well done.

The in-store display at Green Genes

Lovely things under 20 bucks at the Landmark of Andersonville

Flowers from Marguerite Gardens are always a nice way to spend your weekly 20 bucks.

GreenSky's favorite items under 20 bucks

To learn more about Andersonville 20/20 or to take the 20/20 Challenge, click here.

Jason's favorite sight, the His Stuff sidewalk sale.

Now that we’re recovering from the Andersonville Sidewalk Sale (where we found some great deals) this past weekend, this combined post will catch us up to date on our weekly Andersonville spending (and no, it hasn’t all been at the Andersonville Farmers Market…). See our lists for weeks 10 & 11 after the jump.

JESSICA

Week 10 – This was a light week because I had spent quite a bit the week before and I wanted to reserve some funds for the Sidewalk Sale.  However, my monthly payment for gym membership at Cheetah was processed this week, so I ended up spending $50 in Andersonville.

Week 11 – Spent quite a bit this week because of the Sidewalk Sale – $60 at His Stuff for a couple great shirts and some nice underwear for my husband. $14 at the Wooden Spoon for a great knife-sharpener (We’ve been cooking so much because of the Farmers Market that I’ve really noticed how dull my knives were getting). $17 at Piatto Pronto for some yummy smoked Cheddar, pita chips, and other muchies for various picnics over the weekend. $14 at In Fine Spirits for a lovely Moscato that I took to dinner with a friend on Friday night.  Yikes!  I don’t even want to add that all up…

JASON

Week 10 – There is a special time of year for me in Andersonville that is as beautiful and magical as Midsommarfest or St. Lucia, and that would be the start of the His Stuff summer sale.  And seeing as though I work about a block away, I am able to get there when they open at 11 am on Friday for the unofficial start of the sale.  As it happens, I had just been invited to a swanky fundraiser at The Peninsula that evening and found myself with just nothing to wear!  That, combined with the fact I had my eye on a beautiful seersucker suit at His Stuff for a beach wedding in Mexico in October, sent me over the edge to shopping nirvana.  I bought the jacket, and the pants, and a shirt to go with it.  And I saved so much I also bought the matching shorts (for the beach!), a new swimsuit (40% off) and a couple pairs of underwear (50% off).  So it isn’t really important exactly how much I spent.  All I will say is that I not only hit my goal for the week, but pretty much spent enough to satisfy the entire 20/20 campaign in about a half an hour.  Good times!

Week 11 – Unfortunately I had used up a fair chunk of my disposable income the week before and didn’t get to do too much shopping at the Sidewalk Sale.  So I stuck to essentials this week.  A falafel and hummus wrap ($3.79) at Taste of Lebanon, a mixed 6 pack of beer (Domaine Dupage and Bell’s Oberon – $12) at In Fine Spirits and a couple of Dolce Iced Teas ($2.50) from The Coffee Studio and regular iced teas ($2.50) from Kopi.

ELLEN

So I’ve had this little cactus plant for probably 20+ years. It’s a little tiny plant — about the size of a film canister — in a little tiny square pot.  A couple of years ago, for the first time, it started to sprout beautiful little pink flowers every once in a while! On the rare occasions that I remember to water it, I almost always end up knocking it over because it’s so top heavy. For probably a decade, I’ve had in the back of my mind that it would be a good idea to re-pot it in something larger, but given that it’s one of the only plants I’ve ever not killed, I’m terrified to mess with success. However, this week, at the Andersonville Sidewalk Sale, I found a large, pottery coffee mug on the $5 table at Sunburst Flowers that I think will be my cactus’ new home. If anyone knows anything about cactus welfare, please share!

Besides that, as usual, I continue to support Andersonville extremely well with lunch & dinner purchases. Favorites in the last two weeks include veggie chili dog at Hueys, Croque Monsieur at Kopi, and sauteed spinach and dill rice at Andies.  Also picked up a new scarf at Presence for about $5, as my summer hair is, well, sort of like a big curly cactus.

SARA

Week 10- I needed good olive oil to go with my fresh lettuce, tomato, mozzarella salads, a product of the farmers market. I bought a bottle of EVOO from City Olive ($14.99) I also checked out La Tache’s new makeover with Sunday brunch! We sat in their sidewalk cafe, and I had delicious eggs benedict over crab cakes & brioche topped with a homemade hollandaise sauce. Mmmm! ($14.00)

Week 11- sidewalk sale!!! I bought a skirt and shirt from Presence ($46.00 total); a large wicker basket from Brimfield for my soon-to-be-adopted dog ($20.00); picture frames from Urbanest ($9.00 total); and two potted plants from Gethsemane Gardens (pots $8.99 each, plants $6.99 each).

Tell us how you spent your 20 bucks in Andersonville in the comments below!  To learn more about Andersonville 20/20 or to take the 20/20 Challenge, click here.

Jessica shows off her new market basket and her weekly CSA share at the Andersonville Farmers Market.

Week 8 of the 20/20 Challenge saw the 3rd Andersonville Farmer’s Market and some rather unfortunate cool and rainy weather.  However we still had good crowds, delicious fruit and vegetables and fun entertainment for the young and less young.

Not counting the money that the staff has been spending at the market, below is how we met our 20/20 Challenge during week 8.

JESSICA

$22 at Scout for an amazing Moroccan market basket that is just roomy enough to hold my CSA share with a little space left over for extra purchases (see above).  The leather handles make carrying it easy on my hands.  This basket was so perfect I couldn’t stop thinking about it – and the affordable price made it impossible to resist!

$9 at Kopi for the panini de Melody Nelson – I’m not usually a fan of meat substitutes, but this sandwich with smoked veggie deli slices, sliced Granny Smith apples, and Camembert cheese was amazing!

JASON

I kept indulging in my $2.76 a day habit for my  Dolce Iced Teas ($2.50) from The Coffee Studio.  I walk by on my way to work – it just happens! I also paid another visit to Mr. & Mrs. Digz and picked up the shirt that I had passed up on last week’s visit but hadn’t stopped thinking about ($24).

SARA

I kicked off last week with a Sunday night dinner on Hopleaf’s patio. My family was in town, and I wanted to show off an Andersonville hot spot! I had a Leffe Blonde and a gooey, yummy, CB&J sandwich (an affordable $10!), totaling about $17.00.  The restaurant (of course) was a hit!

I spent $3.00 at Paper Trail for the perfect card for a friend.

Tell us how you spent your 20 bucks in Andersonville in the comments below!  To learn more about Andersonville 20/20 or to take the 20/20 Challenge, click here.

JESSICA

$6.99 for the lunch special from Ranalli’s – comes with choice of pasta, salad, and a drink.  It’s a great deal!

$5 for a dolci de parma sandwich from Piatto Pronto – I really can’t go a week without one.

$9 for 3 chocolate croissants at the Farmers Market. These croissants are my idea of heaven!

The damage to my wallet was minimal last week, as I spent some time with my in-laws for a couple days and then went out of town for a long 4th of July weekend.  I’m sure I won’t be getting away with buying so little this week!

JASON

The Farmer’s Market + new vegetarianism means that I am loving the new market and have been spending quite a bit of money there getting ingredients to prepare fantastic meals.  But of course I still needed a few other ingredients, so I popped in to Edgewater Produce and spend around $5 to pick up some pickled jalapenos and corn tortillas to turn the beautiful rainbow chard from Grassroots Farm, the garlic from Videnovich Farms and the salsa from Tomato Mountain into yummy soft corn tacos with garlicky greens.  I was looking forward to spending the 4th of July on the beach, but alas the weather did not cooperate.  So instead I walked down to Andersonville for my favorite Dolce Iced Tea ($2.50) from The Coffee Studio.  I popped into the adorable new resale clothing store Mr. & Mrs. Digz and found 3 great shirts for $45. 

ELLEN

Oh Kopi, your lunches are my undoing. Libido Burrito, Monsieur Croissant, Panini de Melody Nelson . . . I’ve been eating dinner from home-cooked farmers market food, but my $20+ a week is still getting happily deposited in Andersonville at lunchtime.  Also a special shout-out to Huey’s veggie chili dog & fries…

Tell us how you spent your 20 bucks in Andersonville in the comments below!  To learn more about Andersonville 20/20 or to take the 20/20 Challenge, click here.

JASON

I bought a t-shirt ($20), a tank top ($14) and what can only be described as a jaunty cap ($20, although in my mind it was priceless because I almost never look good in hats) at Hip Fit.  The tank was great for a beautiful and Sunday Pride Parade party, and the hat has been good for wearing to the beach.  I also used the warm and sunny weather to indulge in a few Dolce Iced Teas ($2.50 for a large) at The Coffee Studio.  And a Garden di Tuscany sandwich ($4.95 for a 6 inch) from Piatto Pronto made for a great vegetarian dinner without needing to turn on the oven.

ELLEN

Well I HAD to get new shoes for the farmers market, didn’t I? Seriously,  I didn’t own a pair of sneakers. Now I am the proud owner of a pair of green canvas Keens from Alamo Shoes, which with the $10 off sale, I think ran me about $50. I took it easy at the farmers market in terms of food purchases, because the farmers sold out so quickly, and I wanted to leave some for the other customers! (At this week’s market, the farmers brought tons more goods, and I bought a LOT. Details about that on next week’s post). Also had pizza lunch one day from Ranallis mmmmmm.

SARA

My money this week was all about food, food, food!

I spent $12.50 at Edgewater Produce after being away for the weekend. It was my holdover grocery trip until Wednesday’s Farmer’s Market.

I spent $20 at the Farmer’s Market on eggs, chives, scallions, spinach, blueberries, Brunkow cheese, and a baguette! (OK, maybe more than $20…)

And then I spent $9.00 at FOURSIDED on silk-screened red, funky letters that spell M-A-N-G-I-A! “Eat!” in Italian. The letters are going to be hung in my kitchen

Tell us how you spent your 20 bucks in Andersonville in the comments below!  To learn more about Andersonville 20/20 or to take the 20/20 Challenge, click here.

JESSICA

$50 for a pair of Fit Flops from Alamo Shoes during Midsommarfest on Sunday.  They were 20% off during Midsommarfest, and I had a gift card for Alamo Shoes (a birthday present from the rest of the staff…they know the way to my heart), so I only ended up spending about $25 out of pocket.  I’m really excited to break them in (the upper is black patent leather so they’re still a bit still), but they have one of the most comfortable footbeds I’ve felt in a long time!

JASON

Events during Week 3 and preparations for Midsommarfest during Week 4 of the 20/20 Challenge derailed the Uncle Jason Project.  With the 2nd birthday party for my niece and nephew looming on Saturday, and with Father’s Day the next day, Uncle (and son, and brother) Jay had some work to do!  First the wee ones.  I stopped by Green Genes and picked up a Foogo leakproof bottle with straw  (one pink, one blue) for $18.99 each.  I then headed to Women & Children First and bought a copy of ‘Llama Llama Red Pajama’ by Anna Dewdney ($16.99 – thanks for the suggestion Jill!).  While I was there, I bought a couple of Father’s Day cards ($3) for my brother and my dad and a copy of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan ($15) for my dad.  Realizing that was not the most exciting Father’s Day gift, I once again stopped at In Fine Spirits and got him a bottle of the Arcane Cellar’s 2008 Pinot Gris Rose ($19.99) that I wrote about from Week 4 and bottle of  El Dorado rum ($18.99) for my brother.  He has two year old twins, so I figured he would appreciate a tropical drink after certain fussy children finally go to bed.  Having more than met my 20 buck challenge for the week alas I was out of money and did not get to Toys Et Cetera, so I will need to stop in there at some point this summer for a reprise of the Uncle Jason Project. 

ELLEN

$70 for my post-Midsommarfest massage: Thank you Serendipity Massage Therapy for getting me back on my feet (and back to sanity)! Also, given that right after Midsommarfest, errands such as going to the grocery store have all the appeal of dental surgery, I got lunch from Aville restaurants pretty much every day last week. Thank you Kopi, Hueys, Piatto Pronto,  and Taste of Heaven!

Tell us how you spent your 20 bucks in Andersonville in the comments below!  To learn more about Andersonville 20/20 or to take the 20/20 Challenge, click here.

JESSICA

$5 for another Dolci de Parma sub at Piatto Pronto – this is really a theme for me…

$20 for lots of yummy produce at Edgewater Produce.  I can’t wait for my Farmers Market CSA to start in July!  There’s still time to sign up if you want one too…

JASON

Being that it was my first year running the show, my week before Midsommarfest was a bit of a blur.  I am sure I ate out a few times, but I’ll be darned if I remember.  What I do remember is buying a very special bottle of wine at In Fine Spirits on Friday to celebrate the end of the event on Monday.  Normally I head right for the $12 and under table, but for a special occasion I couldn’t resist.  The Arcane Cellar’s 2008 Pinot Gris Rose ($19.99) is a small production wine from Oregon’s Willamette Valley.  Normally a Pinot Gris is white, but they let it soak for a few days with the skins, turning it a lovely pink.  They only made 60 cases, Chicago got 10 cases and In Fine Spirits got 8 of those 10.  And it is delicious.  It is still at home chilling in a fridge, but I plan on picking up some yummy stuff next week at the Farmer’s Market to make a meal worthy of the wine. If you hurry in there are still a few bottle left.  Now that it is finally warm, this makes a great bottle for sitting on the porch on a warm summer evening.

SARA

During the Midsommarfest craziness, I took a time-out at Alamo Shoes to check out their specials. I took advantage of a great sale on cute Privo!s and came out with a brand new pair for $45.

To kick off Summer (a.k.a bike season here in Chicago), I went over to Johnny Sprockets to get a bike lock for my new bike- a great find at a yard sale last weekend. Bike lock was $46. Johnny Sprockets is located at Bryn Mawr and Broadway– a shout-out to a non-Andersonville Chamber member!

To learn more about Andersonville 20/20 or to take the 20/20 Challenge, click here.

JESSICA

$5 for the Dolci de Parma sub at Piatto Pronto – my favorite sandwich.

$10 at George’s Ice Cream and Sweets for a turkey panini (really good) and a cup of Zanzibar chocolate ice cream (the best chocolate fix ever).

$30 for Sunday lunch with friends at Turkish Cuisine and Bakery, 5605 N. Clark (for both my husband and I). Amazing! Our friend, Burk, is Turkish so he took care of ordering some great dishes for all of us to share. I loved getting to try so many new things, all of which were delicious! I highly recommend it, even if you don’t have any Turkish friends to do the ordering for you.

JASON

They say breaking up is hard to do.  But dealing with breaking up is easy in Andersonville because of the ready supply of comfort food and yummy drinks!  My 20/20 Challenge this week focused on the plight of the suddenly single.  Normally this sort of thing would send me running into the arms of a triple-decker BLT at Pauline’s ($6.95).  Alas I picked a bad time to stop eating meat.  But fear not, a Pesto Caprese Panini ($8.95) for dinner and a Libido Burrito ($6.95) for lunch at Kopi Café more than hit the spot and kept me firmly in vegetarian land.  Same for the goat cheese & arugula brushcetta and the potato and rosemary white pizza at Antica Pizzeria, shared with a wise and sympathetic friend along with a bottle of the wonderful White Wire wine ($11.99) from In Fine Spirits.  And why cry into a beer when the In Fine Spirits bar mixes a killer Manhattan ($8)? Finally, if your friends are going to drag you out to cheer you up,  a couple of strong drinks ($5.50 each) and a really good drag revue at Cattle Call is a great place to end up.  So long story short, relationships may come and go, but Andersonville is always there when you need it.

ELLEN

Gathering strength for Midsommarfest thanks to assorted Andersonville health care practitioners! Thank you Avalon Chiropractic and Julie Brandies Acupuncture  – about $75 total. Also tried the Veggie Panini at George’s — very yummy and well under $10.

SARA

$10 at Paper Trail for a friend’s birthday gift. Paper Trail has more than just cards and stationary- there are tons of great gifts to choose from.

$20 at La Cocina de Frida celebrating said-friend’s birthday. The spacious outdoor patio is officially up and running! We sat outback and split pitchers of margaritas and I got the Enchiladas Enfrijoladas which was amazingly delicious.

To learn more about Andersonville 20/20 or to take the 20/20 Challenge, click here.

Maggie Leigh From Zozo For Kids

We’ve been pretty busy around here getting ready for Midsommarfest (June 13 & 14) and the Farmers Market (Wednesday evenings, starting June 24), but we’ve still managed to get out into the neighborhood and come up with great ways to spend our 20 bucks.  Read our lists from Week Two after the jump. Leave a comment to let us know what you did with your 20 bucks this week!

JESSICA

$20 – Sunday bruch with friends on the back patio of La Cocina de Frida, pototao flautas and chicken tortilla soup (my favorite).

ELLEN

Well, it’s all about food and being short. $11 got me a Panini de Melody Nelson and an “Ellen’s Weird Green Drink” (you REALLY don’t want to know) at Kopi Cafe. $6 for a tuna sandwich at Piatto Pronto (please don’t tell the Veggie Police). And $30 to get a bunch of stuff shortened at Pine Cleaners. Oh, for longer legs.

JASON

Jason MORE than met his $20 challange this week.  As part of the Uncle Jason Project, he bought these adorable Melissa & Doug brand magnetic dress up wooden dolls from Zozo For Kids – Joey for my nephew Aidan and Maggie Leigh for my niece Allison.  Unfortunately, Zozo For Kids is soon closing their store to concentrate on their online business, but those who like a bargain they are having a big sale at the moment while they are still in the neighborhood, and it is worth checking out.  The dolls were $10.50 each, minus a 15% sale on toys.  You would think my 20/20 challange would be complete.  But I had some birthday money left over and needed some retail therapy, so I headed down to Clark Street on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon to buy presents for Uncle Jason.  I got a 12″ non-stick frying pan ($42.99) and some silicone tongs ($12.99) from The Wooden Spoon, a great organic cotton scarf ($19) from Skinstinct, a bottle of my favorite J. LeBlanc olive oil from City Olive ($21.00), a bottle of my favorite summer wine, the wonderful Aveleda Vinho Verde ($7.99) from In Fine Spirits, and a copy of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan ($16.00) at Women & Children First.   In addition, I finally became a member of Women & Children First after reading about them in Time Out Chicago last week.  For only $25, I get 10% off books and get to support a fantastic neighborhood institution.  Did you know you can order any book that is in print from their website?  And you can arrange to pick it up to avoid paying for shipping.  And you can feel good about supporting such an important part of Andersonville.  Talk about win/win/win!

WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR 20 BUCKS?

For information about all of the great businesses in Andersonville to spend your 20 bucks, visit www.andersonville.org.  To join the Andersonvile 20/20 Challenge, go to www.andersonville.org/2020.