I know a few people who tried to buy a shovel recently only to find that all stores seem to be sold out. I had the same experience when trying to buy a snow roof rake. So I went browsing on the good old Internet and found the Sno-Knife. I've ordered it and I will try it on my roof where snow has accumulated to 4 feet high in one area! I'll let you know if it works well or not.
A lot of us are in spending mode right now, buying gifts that are bigger and bigger. iPods, digital cameras, LCD high def TVs, cars in some cases! I used to want those. It's funny though, since my son's birth 3 months ago, my priorities have changed quite a lot.
First of all, I don't have much time to watch TV, so there goes the high def TV! But that's not the main reason ... my focus has changed from myself to the cute little guy that appeared in our lives.
What's my new wish list for Christmas?
Before I commit the ultimate sin and spend more than 30K$ on a new Hyundai Santa Fe 3.3 GL AWD, 242 HP, anybody has any words of wisdom for me?
ps: I've been frugal all my life on the car side (driving only used Corollas :-)
I've always wanted to have a GPS (yes I'm a gadget lover on top of being a savvy investor) :-) . I travel a lot and hate having to look at maps and waste time (time is money after all!)
So I went to my favorite store, Costco, and looked at what they had: the Cobra and the Magellan Roadmate 800. The electronic guy on site said the Magellan was much better. So I bought it. I also looked online at Costco.ca and found many models but the one that stuck out was the Garmin Nuvi 350 (I had read about it on CNET already). So I ordered it. Here I am with two GPS models (click the link for their full CNET Reviews):
After some tests, here's why I found the Garmin is much better:
A few bad things I've noticed with all models:
On the plus side, all models recalculate the route if you miss a turn. They can tell you which restaurants, hospitals, banks, etc. are close to your current location. They will bring you anywhere in North America with the out of the box maps.
Overall though, I found that a GPS is very useful and I will keep the Garmin Nuvi 350.
And as always, I buy electronics at Costco because they have a very generous added warranty and you don't have to buy an extended warranty.
I received a call from a meat reseller that obtains meat from organic farmers. They asked if they could provide us with a free meat sample and talk to me and my wife about what they offer. Being interested in eating more organic foods and wanting to find out more (and always willing to experiment for my readers :-) , I agreed to meet with their sales representative. The way they operate is to sell meat in bulk, it comes individually packaged in small frozen portions once a year. They can provide you with a freezer free of charge, on loan for the year. They let you chose from a list the types of meats/seafood/fish that you usually buy and they send you 4-6 weeks later meat to last you for a year (roughly) according to the number of people in your household. For 2, we were told that this comes to 4-6 lbs of meat each week. They state that the quantity of meat depends on the type chosen so if you choose mainly expensive cuts, you get less of it. They state they guarantee satisfaction and that if you don't like your selection or certain cuts, they can modify your order once. The catch?
1) You have to spend 3000$ on their meat minimum for the first 12 months (up to 18 months, that's as long as they guarantee their meat to last in a freezer).
2) They encourage you to select as many types of meats as they can. This probably ensures that you don't only select filet mignon.
3)They do not sell meat per pound. They chose how much meat you get and in which proportions (so you may get as much pork, as lamb and beef).
4) They do not give you details of what you will receive until you receive it. They say that would be too complicated. Hence you have no idea how much you pay per lb of each type of meat.
5) They are anxious to make you sign, give a deposit on your credit card right away, that it can be canceled and reimbursed later on... (a sales tactic I really dislike).
Conclusion?
1) It would cost us 14$ per pound of meat regardless of what meat you get (chicken, lamb, ground pork or beef... This seems excessive even for organic stuff and even if we included stuff like salmon, lamb, filet mignon... I am always weary of companies that do not give me details of what I am buying. After all, when you buy a 3000$ item, don't you want to know it's specifications to shop around and get the best price? How is meat any different? Wouldn't you need to know how much you get of what before signing on the dotted line?
2) You clearly pay for your free freezer on loan if you pay so much for your meat especially since they remove the 150$ bonus if you take the freezer!
3)THIS IS MY PERSONAL MOTTO: NEVER EVER sign a contract right away when it involves large sums of money. Always take a minimum of 24 hrs to think about it (that was my dad's advice, thanks dad!) . Any business that tells you that you won't get the same price or promotion the next day or week does not deserve your patronage (this was not the case here but I have seen this with gyms). This 24 hr window to think can save you many headaches, what seems like a good idea at the time often is not when you think about it longer.
4) My wife's take on the issue: Doesn't this take the fun out of cooking, choosing a recipe and going out to buy exactly the cut that you want for a dish? Isn't nice to chose the specific piece of meat that you want?
So, I am not saying that these businesses are bad, only that my analysis indicated that this particular way of operating was clearly not worth it for my wife and I. As I always say, you need to do your own research of course to make up your own mind.
