About Our Ratings
Food Ratings:
Food items, such as restaurant menu items and groceries, are rated on a scale of 1 to 5.
- Awful! Take it away!
- It’s okay, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.
- Worth including occasionally in my regular rotation.
- Tasty! I’ll make a point of this now and then.
- Outstanding! I’ll have trouble choosing something else, this is so good!
Our ratings for any food item may be affected by taste, overall appearance, cost, and convenience.
Movie and DVD Ratings
- My eyes! My eyes! Make it stop!
- Why’d I waste a spot on my Netflix queue/money on a ticket for this one?
- I’m glad I saw this, but don’t feel a need to own it. I might put it on my queue again.
- This was worth seeing - and I may buy the disc, too.
- I must own this movie, it’s that good! I’ll even pay full price!
DVD and Movie ratings may be affected by the quality of the film master as used on the disc; the quantity and nature of “extras” on the discs; as well as the overall appeal and quality of the actual movie.
Television Series Ratings
- Don’t even bother.
- Maybe if nothing else was on.
- This is a good show - it’s worth TiVo’ing.
- I hate it when I miss an episode!
- One of the top Season Passes in my Tivo - I’ll even watch duplicates!
Television ratings may be affected by quality of performances by the actors; overall production values and design of the program; and quality of the writing. We will try not to let our ratings be affected by the support, or lack of it, that a Network shows for a program. A quality program that fails to gain an audience because the Network moves it all over the schedule, or keeps putting it on unannounced hiatus, deserves recognition, and may be available on DVD or online for viewing in spite of it all.
Gizmos, Gadgets, & Thingamabobs
Occasionally, Shopping Jen will evaluate things - kitchen gadgets, new packaging styles, household tools.
- Who would ever even need this? It’s just dumb!
- Attempts to fill a legitimate need, but doesn’t work/isn’t worth the price.
- This does an okay job - I’d be happy to get this as a gift, or on sale.
- Does the job well - I’d consider buying one.
- How’d I get by without this? Works well, well-built, good price - a definite must-have!
Gizmos, gadgets, and thingamabobs will be evaluated on the niche they attempt to fill; how well they serve that purpose; how well they’re made; how easy they are to use; and the price they’re sold at.
If you have any questions about our rating system, please e-mail us at: