MATT LAUER, co-host:
No, it's a good question,
Meredith
. We've assembled four experts to tackle the question. Let's start with bedding.
Robyn Moreno
is a lifestyle expert.
Robyn
, good morning. Nice to see you.
Ms. ROBYN MORENO:
Good morning.
LAUER:
You spend a third of your life in a bed.
Ms. MORENO:
Yeah.
LAUER:
Splurge?
Ms. MORENO:
Totally splurge.
LAUER:
Why? What do you look for?
Ms. MORENO:
You look for support, you look for comfort, pressure relief. But it's really the homework. It's very subjective. So, for instance, these
Memory Foam
beds are really, really popular, but not everybody likes them. So what you need to do is test-drive this
mattress
.
LAUER:
Nothing worse than getting a
mattress
home, it's yours, and it's not right for you.
Ms. MORENO:
No. So you need to go in there and you need to actually lay in a
mattress
store in the position that you sleep in. So if you sleep on your stomach, dive in, lay on your side. You're going to get a really good sense of what that bed is like.
LAUER:
If you splurge and buy an expensive
mattress
...
Ms. MORENO:
Mm-hmm.
LAUER:
...how long should it last?
Ms. MORENO:
It should last about 10 years.
LAUER:
Flipping it over, do you have to do that?
Ms. MORENO:
You can -- you know, this one actually has a 25-year warranty. The flipping helps, but a really good
mattress
that you spend a lot of
money
on, at least 10 years.
LAUER:
People are talking about bedbugs now unfortunately. If you splurge on the
mattress
, how do you protect yourself. Is there any way?
Ms. MORENO:
Well, you know, there's actually no point in spending so much
money
and not spending the $60 on getting these encasement sheets. When you get bedbugs it's so expensive and it's really stressful. The best $60 you will ever spend.
LAUER:
All right. Encasement sheets.
Let's talk
about regular sheets.
Ms. MORENO:
Yeah.
LAUER:
Splurge on good ones? Is that a good place?
Ms. MORENO:
Yeah. People tend to look for thread count. I say go for the thread, the actual fabric. So if it's a good cotton like Egyptian pima, it's going to be luxurious and also long-lasting.
LAUER:
OK. And how long should sheets last you?
Ms. MORENO:
They -- depends what it is. Like, for instance,
organic cotton
, which are more expensive, they last much longer than regular cotton. And also, it's -- you know, if you don't want, like, pesticides in your food, why would you want pesticides, like, in your bed?
LAUER:
If you've splurged on a great
mattress
, splurged on great sheets, you'd
better buy
a nice pillow.
Ms. MORENO:
It makes the biggest difference when you sleep, really, for your neck. So this is a $40 pillow; it's hypoallergenic.
LAUER:
Mm-hmm.
Ms. MORENO:
Really, really nice. This one is $240, but you're going to only buy this...
LAUER:
It's nice, though.
Ms. MORENO:
You know, it's hand-filled.
LAUER:
Yeah.
Ms. MORENO:
It's customized for you, to your support. So if you want it squishy, supportive, it's going to be the only thing -- the only pillow you'll buy your entire life. So you know what? Buy it once, buy it right.
LAUER:
All right,
Robyn Moreno
.
Robyn
, thanks as always.
Ms. MORENO:
Thank you.
LAUER:
Let's go
up to
Meredith
.
VIEIRA:
All right,
Matt
, thank you. When is it
worth
spending more on a winter coat?
Bobbie Thomas
is TODAY's style editor.
Bobbie
, good morning to you.
Ms. BOBBIE THOMAS (Today Style Editor):
Good morning.
VIEIRA:
And you definitely think it is
worth
it if you live in an area where winter really is an issue.
Ms. THOMAS:
Absolutely. You don't need to break the bank. This jacket is a great example. It's $199.
VIEIRA:
Now this is subzero-type weather.
Ms. THOMAS:
Subzero, especially if you're here in frigid temperatures. This is great. It's the
Yukon Classic
by
Eddie Bauer
. And what I like is that there are so many jackets out there that look like jackets, but they're faux jackets.
VIEIRA:
Right.
Ms. THOMAS:
They're not really filled with something.
VIEIRA:
This one is.
Ms. THOMAS:
So you do want to make sure -- this one's filled with down. Feel the collar. It's lined with
Sherpa
. It has a detachable hood and it even has heat warmer pockets.
VIEIRA:
And it's lightweight, which I love, so.
Ms. THOMAS:
Very light. So this is great and it won't make you feel too bulky, which is the big key.
VIEIRA:
And price range on this one?
Ms. THOMAS:
Hundred and ninety-nine dollars.
VIEIRA:
OK.
Ms. THOMAS:
Great investment.
VIEIRA:
Moving on, this for sort of cold dry weather.
Ms. THOMAS:
Yes.
VIEIRA:
Sort of a traditional peacoat look.
Ms. THOMAS:
The classic peacoat. I mean, you can't go wrong with tailoring. I liked this because it was only $89 from
Chadwicks
. It has a hood. You can find some without a hood, but I liked the idea of a hood.
VIEIRA:
It's...
Ms. THOMAS:
The pockets are great, nice detail.
VIEIRA:
It's not wool, though. It's faux wool, right?
Ms. THOMAS:
Exactly.
VIEIRA:
Is that warmer than wool?
Ms. THOMAS:
It's just as warm. I think it's adequate. It's for people that -- especially if you're allergic to wool, a lot of people have sensitivity to it. But the best part, it's machine washable...
VIEIRA:
Which is great.
Ms. THOMAS:
...so you can throw this in the washing machine. Great for $89.
VIEIRA:
Now, if your winter is really wet...
Ms. THOMAS:
Mm-hmm.
VIEIRA:
...you recommend this particular raincoat?
Ms. THOMAS:
Yeah, because this is -- again, this is an anorak. It's sporty and it can be stylish at the same time. This doesn't -- you don't have to go for the trench. If you have a lifestyle that you want work to weekend, I like this, and it's water-resistant. Again, don't buy a faux jacket that's just for fashion. Make sure you get something out of it. This is actually lined, fully lined, and it cinches in at the waist to create a nice shape. So you can put this over a dress or
you can do it
with your jeans and T-shirt on the weekend.
VIEIRA:
And you like it
a little bit longer
.
Ms. THOMAS:
I do like this three-quarter length. It's more versatile and you want to get more
bang for your buck
. It's $130. You can probably find -- this is by
London Fog
, but you could probably find them starting around 79.
VIEIRA:
You could buy all three, actually. It's not bad.
Ms. THOMAS:
Yeah, these aren't...
VIEIRA:
Bobbie Thomas.
Ms. THOMAS:
VIEIRA:
Thank you so much
. And now here's
Al
.
AL ROKER reporting:
OK, thanks,
Meredith
. Are
organic foods
and specialty items
worth
the extra cash? Well,
Andrew Knowlton
is the restaurant editor at
Bon Appetit
magazine.
Andrew
, good to see you.
Mr. ANDREW KNOWLTON:
Good to see you,
Al
.
ROKER:
All right, first of all, you say chicken and eggs really
worth
the
money
to buy organic.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
I think if you're going to buy anything organic, it's chicken and eggs. Antibiotic-free, hormone-free. And the biggest thing is you have the
USDA
label that says
USDA organic
.
ROKER:
Mm-hmm.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
So pasture-raised, natural, all that stuff feels good when you see it, but it doesn't mean anything...
ROKER:
Right.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
...because that chicken might not see outside, so I think that's really important.
ROKER:
Fruit and skin -- fruit with skins on it that you eat.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
Fruit, berries, anything like that.
ROKER:
Mm-hmm.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
Apples and oranges
, not so much, maybe, because you're not eating the skin. But these...
ROKER:
Milk.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
Milk, you know.
ROKER:
You say it's also good to spend extra for
olive oil
and balsamic vinegar.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
Yeah, I think you're looking for extra virgin
olive oil
, first press.
ROKER:
Hm. Right.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
And these are not ones that you cook with, necessarily.
ROKER:
Right.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
These are for finishing salads and stuff. This is the real balsamico.
ROKER:
Mm-hmm.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
You want to look for tradizionale...
ROKER:
Mm-hmm.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
...again, for finishing stuff.
ROKER:
Sea salt and real good butter.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
Sea salt and real high fat content because where there's fat, there's flavor, right?
ROKER:
That's what I've always said. Spend a little extra for the
Parmesan
?
Mr. KNOWLTON:
This is the real
Parmigiano-Reggiano
. You can see the label right here...
ROKER:
Mm-hmm.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
...marked. It's
worth
it. It'll last in your refrigerator.
ROKER:
And instead of regular ham, get some...
Mr. KNOWLTON:
Get some prosciutto
serrano ham
. And then lastly but not least, good coffee, freshly ground. Don't store it in your freezer.
ROKER:
All right,
Andrew Knowlton
.
Thank you very much
.
Mr. KNOWLTON:
Thank you,
Al
.
ROKER:
Ann
:
ANN CURRY, anchor:
Smarts.
Mr. LOU MANFREDINI:
Lou
,
thank you so much
for joining us.
CURRY:
Yes.
Mr. MANFREDINI:
Listen, you say that it's really
worth
the
money
to fix up your front door. It's the first thing people see.
CURRY:
Absolutely.
Windows
and doors are your areas of greatest loss when it comes to
energy efficiency
, and so upgrading those is a
big deal
. But you can also do something that's nicer. And this is a place, the first place that somebody walks up to. Now, it's an expensive proposition. Good quality entry doors can start at $2,000; they can
go all the way
to $10,000. But this is something that adds
real value
, adds big curb appeal to your home that truly makes a difference.
Mr. MANFREDINI:
Gotcha. So what should a door include?
CURRY:
Well, it should be thick. It should be inch and three-quarter thick. I'm a
big fan
of wood doors. This is actually,
Ann
, a fiberglass door, so you get the
energy efficiency
that really makes a difference as to how your home feels as well as looks.
Mr. MANFREDINI:
Another thing you really want to fix up in your home is your windows. And speaking of
energy efficiency
, you can save a lot of
money
with this.
CURRY:
This is...
Mr. MANFREDINI:
What's
worth
the
money
?
CURRY:
Well, the
worth
it to me is a wood-framed window that has an aluminum wrap on the outside. This is the thing when -- value comes at -- there are major brands across the country that really do add value. I want people to look at that. It costs more, but even whether you're going to stay or sell, it ends up on a listing sheet and people will say, 'Wow, you've got these name-brand windows. The house is
worth
more.'
Mr. MANFREDINI:
OK. All right, let's move on to floors. Now, a lot of people choose other materials than wood to save
money
.
CURRY:
Hm.
Mr. MANFREDINI:
But you say it's
worth
the
money
to go with wood?
CURRY:
It's the only renewable flooring that you can put down in your home. This is wide plank-flooring. Look at how beautiful this is. And so this can really add a huge amount of value, $5 to as much as $30 a square foot installed.
Mr. MANFREDINI:
But this is something that makes a statement. Imagine you walk in, you look at these beautiful floors, like, 'Wow, look at how great this is.'
Mr. MANFREDINI:
Lou Manfredini
,
thank you so much
.
CURRY:
“ ”