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« Previous EntriesDo you do much coupon shopping? Do you look for online coupons?
My wife and I stopped at our usual grocery store this morning to pick up a few things before taking her to work, and my mind was turned toward coupons and coupon shopping. We bought twice the amount of one product as we needed because she had a serious discount coupon on the product.
Okay, okay, I can understand that. We had the money; she had a great discount coupon. And the product was one which has great shelf life (canned soup), so I was good with that.
She has one or two websites she goes to and prints out coupons, but not many and none are the more popular “one size fits millions” coupon sites. We’re far more likely to use regular coupons for soup, salads, and sandwich bags than hiking gear or nordic track coupons.
I suppose I might look for an online coupon for a specific major purchase or from a regular off-line store where we shop regularly. And I’m happy that my wife enjoys going to some sites for online coupons, even though I don’t.
Couponing of one sort or another is frequently in the news, though. People love to find ways to save a buck or two, and why not. I saw one really “Xtreme” couponer a couple of weeks ago on one of the morning network news (?) programs. This woman had online and off line coupons down to an art (or science). She went to her usual grocery store, bought $100+ worth of groceries and other stuff — and showed off a register slip after all her discounts and coupons were deducted. SHE BOUGHT THE WHOLE CART FULL OF STUFF FOR A QUARTER. Yes, 25 cents.
The more I think about that, the more it makes me think 1) something’s really messed up about consumer pricing on so many levels, and, 2) I’m keeping my eyes open for more coupons!
Did shoppers do their job over holiday shopping season?
Did all you shoppers out there do what you needed to do during the just-ended holiday shopping season to get us out of this recession? Well, did you? No? Why not?
I’m beginning to think consumer spending and retail shopping numbers are about as worthless as wings on a caterpillar: If you put ‘em on, he’d just shed ‘em in a few weeks for natural wings anyway.
It’s exactly like that when you try to track retail shopping and consumer spending. Whether we’re talking about television sets, luxury cars, bicycles, gourmet food baskets, weight loss supplements, sofa cushions, or anything else, it all comes down to this — until consumers stop fearing recession and start spending money regularly again, we’ll never see the recover we need.
Does that mean we all need to get out there and spend, spend, spend? No, of course not. But it DOES mean those who have jobs and have money need to quit letting fear paralyze them. They need to get on with life. And then more of those who do not have jobs or spendable income may actually see jobs start opening up again.
Hey, I’m no economist. I have little or know investing “savvy,” and most of my income right now if from Social Security. So take most of my advice on such things with a big grain of salt, dose of skepticism, or whatever.
But I do suspect things will only truly turn around in this country when people start making decisions on jobs and on consumer spending based on serious reflection, not on fear and panic.
Oh, and my answer to the question in the title of this article — nope, I really didn’t do MY part to get out there and shop. Humpf — I couldn’t afford it!
How much online holiday shopping did you do in 2009?
How much online shopping did you do for the holidays? And how much do you normally do during the course of a regular year? Does your online shopping increase or decrease for the holidays?
I ask because there’s always a lot of news each year anticipating increased Internet shopping overall and especially for the holidays. And one of the ways I make a living is by marketing stuff online, so I’m always interested in people’s online buying habits — or “non buying” habits if that’s the case.
I bought a few things on Amazon this year, but they were mostly for myself and not for holiday giving. I find they have an excellent selection of stuff of all sorts and much of it with free or very low cost shipping. I’m becoming a real Amazon convert.
I also pick up stuff once in awhile at eBay, though I am NOT the sort of person who enjoys auctions. My eBay purchases are almost always “Buy It Now” options, instead of auction bidding.
Between Amazon and eBay, it’s hard to think of a product you can’t find online. Then there are specific websites for everything (literally) from “soup to nuts” as the cliche goes — including home furnishings, pets, pet supplies, toys, nutritional supplements, hair potions and lotions, youthology 90 second eye serum, garden tools, footballs, 3-person arctic tents — you name it, and you can probably find a way to buy ANYTHING you might want online.
So as a little “survey,” with absolutely no rewards or prizes of any kind if you respond, let me ask for your comments to answer this question: What was the 1) cheapest, and, 2) most expensive single online shopping purchase you made between Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2009? Leave us a comment and tell us, please. Thanks.
Remember when toys actually taught kids how to play?
I really am getting old, I guess, when I look around at today’s toys for kids and compare them with what I had as a youngster in small-town Nebraska. But do you remember back when toys actually taught kids how to play? Toys stimulated our imaginations, built our bodies, taught us to socialize, and, well, were fun to take outside and play with??
I just saw a disturbing toy someone has put out — it’s called “pole dance doll,” and the picture I saw of the box shows a small child doll grabbing what looks for everything like a, uh, stripper’s pole. I don’t even know how to begin discussing the many ways THAT toy is wrong.
The good news is that there are still good toys out there. You can find everything from old-time dump trucks to water slides (when I was a kid, I would’ve given all I had to own one of those plastic sheets you draped over a grassy hillside, hooked up to a hose, and slid down) to full-blown activity and playsets and even bounce houses you can install in your backyard.
Oh, sure, some of the electronic/computer games are good. There’s the whole line of Wii stuff which actually encourages kids (and adults) to move around and exercise. There’s also some pretty vicious, graphic computer games I personally wouldn’t have in the house.
Maybe a big question would be — can we ALL, kids, adults, liberals, conservatives, etc., just learn to get along better and “play together” better? I hope so!
Are you a key loser? Try ‘The Ultimate Key Finder’ for your problem
Are you the sort of person who constantly loses your keys, or the TV remote? Try “The Ultimate Key Finder” as a solution for your problem.
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The “Ultimate Key Finder” could be a real problem solver for many of us. Yes, I’m talking about myself, too. Okay, I don’t actually do much “affiliate marketing” in such a direct manner from this blog, but “The Ultimate Key Finder” is such a nifty little gadget, I had to share it with you. (And, yes, of course, if you decide to buy one of these goodies, I earn a very small — VERY small! — commission. Which does, of course, help pay the website rent.) Do you habitually misplace your keys, or even just once in a while? I won’t name one of my family members (you know who you are!) who sets things down and they immediately vanish into a parallel universe where he forgets all about them. Do you put your keys down in one place, but they are always gone the next time you go for them? Does your couch not only eat the remote but anything that even resembles a key? Some products designed to solve this lost-key, lost-remote problem have you walking around clapping and whistling to activate your keys. That’s not only embarrassing but will lead to mocking by witnesses, and horrible impressions of your drunken chicken act. With the Ultimate Key Finder, you simply grab your credit card size remote, from your protected safe spot, far out of reach of sticky fingers, (you DO have at least one such spot, don’t you??) and press the button to activate your keychain. Even in the dark, your keys will be quick and easy to find as they flash and beep waiting your retrieval. This is a perfect gift for busy, on the go people who have a habit of forgetting the little things like, “Where in the world are my keys?!”–or moms and dads with sticky-fingered children, and those with keys that just won’t stay in their pockets. Buy now and save the frustration for the TV Remote that can’t be found! |
How cool is this — ‘Allio’ is an all-in-one HDTV with built-in, quality computer
How cool is this — I just ran onto an All in one HDTV / PC: a 32-inch or 42-inch LCD HDTV television with a “Intel Atom 330 Dual Core processor, 2GB of high-speed DDR2-800 memory, and a massive 250GB SATA II hard drive” computer built right into it. It comes complete with USB ports and an ethernet or wireless Internet capability. It also has surround sound, home theater speakers — and the unit is wall mountable.
This beauty sells for between $1,299-$2,799.99, depending on the size and quality of the screen, the options you choose, etc. This could just be the REALLY absolutely perfect home entertainment center and combined computer workstation. Although I don’t — yet, anyway! — own one of these beauties, the Allio is carried by Visionman, an online merchant I’m familiar with and which has been in business supplying great deals in computers and electronics for 15 years.
You’ll be impressed and amazed at all the features in the Allio and the multitude of options and price options available. If you’re considering replacing a home computer and/or home entertainment center, you owe it to yourself and your family to go take a look. Go ahead. I’ll be here when you get back.
Now, if I can just convince my wife that we really DO need to replace our television — actually, we really do — and our old desktop computer (okay, maybe the current desktop will have to stay for now), maybe, just maybe …
Anybody following all the gadgets, goodies at CES?
I never pass up the chance to spice up the blog with some techie sounding jargon. So I couldn’t resist using CES instead of Consumer Electronics Show — the annual gadget’s galore presentation that just wrapped up its 2009 installment today in Las Vegas.
I’m not much of a gadget guy. However, I did battle earlier this year searching for a good quality wireless router for our little 3-computer home network. It turned into a battle because we couldn’t find a combination DSL modem/wireless router to replace the one we got originally from our DSL provider about five years ago. We were having disconnect/slow speed problems and finally concluded we needed a new
router. After several days of Googling and searching local big-box electronics stores, we settled on a newer version of the same modem/router combo we originally got with out DSL package.
Looking around the Internet today I came across a review for a new modem/router that debuted at this year’s CES. It sounds like a much better deal than the one we settled for last spring. But, of course, it probably cost twice as much, and it wasn’t available last spring.
Seems there’s no getting around it — no matter the high-tech gadget, there’s always a newer, smaller, faster, better one coming up just a few weeks or few months down the road. Makes it hard to run an operation on a shoestring budget, doesn’t it?
Now if we can just keep our old, simple minded cell phone running a few more months …
Useful holiday gift ideas for real coffee lovers
Having just posted about the wonders of “real man’s” coffee and made fun of “hoytee-toytee” specialty coffee, I hasten to add that I drink espresso and an occasional latte when I can find a good one. It’s just that where I live the espresso and lattes I find are mostly poor and watery. Unlike the wonderful, heavenly shores of Seattle, Boulder, or even Denver — it’s really hard to find great specialty coffee here in good old Springfield, Missouri. My apologies to all in this town who THINK they offer good specialty coffee, but they just need to get out more to discover the truth.
Being culturally and geographically limited, I therefore have come to prefer just a really good, strong cup of home brewed coffee to any of the coffee shop stuff around here. (Although I DO frequent a place for coffee and bagels many mornings for breakfast. Won’t say which place. Those who know me know they can find me there. LOL!)
With all that in mind, I found a wonderful website which sells some intriguing Capresso coffeemakers and coffee supplies. I am not real familiar with Capresso, but the goodies they offer look wonderful. Go over to that website right away, find something nice, and get it for yourself or all your coffee loving friends.
Just a thought. Just a possibility to help with your holiday shopping and gift giving. Especially if you’re a coffee devotee like me! (Now excuse me while I put on a new pot myself.)
Instead of products — how do you shop for SERVICES?
Continuing with the consumerism theme — do you value or price services in the same way you consider products? Or do you look differently at buying a service?
If you were shopping for cheap auto insurance, for example, what’s the most important thing you would look for? Would you simply buy the minimum legal insurance for wherever you live at the cheapest place you could find it? Or would you think about the possible consequences of buying the least and cheapest insurance available?
I’ve thought about this one a lot, because I spent three years doing office work for a major property insurance company. They sold homeowners and auto insurance, and my job was to transcribe and proofread tons of letters from insurance adjusters to policy holders. Mostly claims DENIAL letters.
What have I learned from that? I’ve learned that I would look very closely at the agent or agency from which I was buying my auto insurance and probably less at the price I was paying for it. Cheap auto insurance is a great idea — but it’s even better to know there will be a trustworthy agent behind the insurance if you need to use it!
How about you? Whether it’s auto insurance, some other insurance, or educational expenses — how do you evaluate your purchases when you’re buying a service instead of a product? Any comments?
Price or quality? Which is more important to you as a consumer?
Just how do you and I, as consumers, put “value” on items we purchase? From automobiles to faucets, why are we willing to pay considerably more money for one item than another similar item?
I live in a very old house, and there always are plumbing replacement and repair items high on my shopping list. I was looking around the Internet earlier and found a site marketing Grohe faucets which, to be honest, I’d never heard of. Most of my replacement or repair plumbing stuff comes from low-end home improvement stores or, uh, well — Walmart. Would I spend significantly more money for a high-end faucet if something more “off the rack” would do the job? Absolutely I would if I could afford to spend the money.
Why? Why spend significantly more money for a Grohe faucet than something from my neighborhood hardware store? Because of the features and benefits I see in the Grohe — assuming I need a new faucet and find a way to pay for it.
So why are U.S. automakers or other U.S. manufacturers losing business to foreign manufacturers? Is it just price?
It’s probably MOSTLY price — but, very importantly, it is the perception consumers have of quality and benefits. Given two faucets or pickup trucks, if money were no object, would you buy the cheapest? Probably not, right? Probably you’d buy the more costly faucet or pickup truck because you would perceive it as more valuable.
What do you think about all this? Leave a comment and share with us all.
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