Archive for Cheap Ba**ard
So Many Deal Sites – So Many Options
Posted by: | CommentsDaily Deal Sites – you’ve heard of them: Groupon, LivingSocial, BuyWithMe, Deal Find, Eversave, Bloomspot, Angie’s List has one, Travelzoo, Zozi (travel related) - all of these offer deals in various approaches for a limited time to help build awareness for the advertised product. So Are they good? Should you check ‘em out? I’m not sure but I’ve had some good experiences – here’s my say on the matter…
I recently used a teeth whitening special from a Brookline dental office (wow that hurt on the third pass) which I purchased for $99 (sessions typically go for $400-600). I’ve also used numerous restaurant deals originally from Restaurant.com but recently I look more and more to Scoutmob, which doesn’t require me to buy anything first and often offers free lunches! Yelp offers daily deals on restaurants too. And I’ve used a couple of travel/hotel deals which were great.
For a sample of what might be offered, here’s what appeared in my inbox this morning:
Isn't It Better to Eat For Less?
$25 for locksmith service
$40 for five fitness classes
$10 for $20 worth of fare at a restuarant
$75 for teeth whitening procedure
$249 for energy saving packet including door and window sealing
How do I get such a large sample mailed to me? Do I subscribe to all of these sites? No I use a deal aggregator called DealGator, which customizes the deals for each city. It makes it easy for me to scan the deals and see if anything good pops up all in one email. I’m sure there are other deal aggregators and I’d recommend using one if you want to know what’s being offered without 12-15 extra emails each day. And it also saves your email from being listed with 15 more companies (though I’m sure it gets shared somewhere anyway).
A word of caution – some of the above are newer and a few have complaints listed on the web. I don’t know how legitimate the complaints are but be cautious about using these sites. Again, Scoutmob is great because they don’t ask me to pay for anything upfront. I’ve also personally used Groupon, LivingSocial and BuyWithMe without issues.
Always “Count” Your Change
Posted by: | Comments“Wow they sound fake”
~ my friend Joe commenting when I dropped these quarters on the desk
I had lunch today and the bill came to just over $10. I plunked down $15 and the server brought me back my change. When she put down the tray, I noticed the quarters make an odd sounding clang. So I looked closer:
I noticed the dates – a bit old right? And what were quarters and silver (hint) dollars made from before 1965? You curious what these are worth? This site is helpful: Coinflation
Bottom line for me – lunch cost me NEGATIVE 6 bucks:) as each quarter is worth just under $6 with today’s silver price.
The side lesson here is now you know how much prices have risen since 1965. At the time, the quarter had the purchasing power of $6 in today’s money. Inflation destroys purchasing power and makes us all poorer. Right now, in their efforts to prop up banks, the European region, and bond & stock markets, central banks worldwide are printing money, easing interest rates and buying bonds – basically cheapening the currency. Learn to protect yourself.
Interestingly, regarding the headline quote from my friend Joe – isn’t it funny when REAL money sounds “fake” to people and the quarters made from cheap metal sound “real?” Take that into considering when thinking whether or not you are being hoodwinked by government leaders bent on printing confetti money to “solve” our problems.
Bottom line question to ask – if you plan on living another 20-40 years, will your income keep up with cost increases like this (25c to $6 in 45 years)? Take appropriate actions.
Note: for some ideas on financially protecting yourself, go to my company website here: Walnut Hill Advisors, LLC
Bund – New Documentary and A Cool Restaurant
Posted by: | CommentsA new documentary debuted on the history of the Bund, or Waitan – a section of Shanghai in China that was the money center for European influence before WW2. Here’s a preview:
It’s also the name of a cool, inexpensive, little Shanghai-style Chinese restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown. See my Yelp review here:
3 Ways Instant Messaging Can Help You in the Office
Posted by: | CommentsI was questioned for an article that appeared about a week back on the NFIB site on ways that instant messaging (IM’ing for short) can be helpful in the office:
NFIB – The Benefits of Instant Messaging for Your Business
I find it super helpful for example, when I’m on the phone especially, and my assistant needs to ask me something without talking over my phone conversation. This also qualifies undre my “Cheap Ba**ard” category because IM is usually free!
By the way, if you’d like to receive a weekly summary of helpful articles like this one and others like my extremely popular & educational “401k Loans Down but Hardship Withdrawals Up” and “Independent Custodian Is Key to Protecting Your Money”, and my fun off-topic articles like “The History of Hills Brothers Coffee and the Vacuum Seal Mystery,” then you need to join my Insiders’ Club – what is that? With the IC you’ll get a weekly summary of all articles I write here and at my business site Walnut Hill Advisors, LLC. You’ll also get first chance invites to free workshops and educational programs I run along with other benefits. Learn more about the Insiders’ Club HERE.
