As you can see from the picture of my son eating his PB, I should be so lucky if jelly was the only weird thing in my PB. I'm not surprised that I may find sand in there!
but I'd like to offer a defense. I have been a member of several deals forums for years. Usually, when a deal of this caliber has been discovered, it gets plastered all over several websites within minutes. Four of the deal sites I had visited had this info out BEFORE Wise Bread. So, the deal hounds were already unleashed.
And there are instances of legitimate "too good to be true" deals. Secret savings happens all the time. The Children's Place has 39 cent clothing deals on a whim, and people go crazy trying to scoop up everything they can. The same goes for retailers like Sears, American Girl, and a few regional online retailers that I shop. These sales are not mistakes, but rather really, really clearanced items.
Paul could have called to see if this was a fluke, but what reasoning would he to do this? By the time he heard back from them, the item could have been sold out. Unfortunately, when it comes to good deals, the early bird is the ONLY one getting the worm.
See's decision not to honor the deal is their decision alone. I'm a bit bummed that it wasn't a legit deal, but I wouldn't liken Paul to a meany. Anyone who tries to share really good, low-priced chocolate with the world should be canonized.... :)
I saw the heading for 4 lbs. of See's for a buck yesterday, and after having just visited See's this weekend and noting the real prices of these things (we got a whole 8 pieces of candy for $8 and change), I immediately filed the "offer" in the too-good-to-be-true category of my mind. I figured it was some sort of scam that involved buying magazine subscriptions or the like.
Yes, merchants should honor their advertised prices, but when you take advantage of what is clearly an error and invite everyone on the internet to capitalize on it as well, that's just plain mean. Sh*t happens; errors are made. People get burnt out over the holidays and someone obviously entered the wrong information. It might have been a bit nicer to have contacted the company and asked them if they could verify the price before placing your order -- not to mention sharing it with the world.
I agree with Amanda, there is no harm in filling out the FAFSA. You can qualify for grants and your school uses the EFC to determine your financial aid package. Or you could receive work study funds.
And if you don't qualify for anything, it's not like it takes up too much time.
Come on -- you said yourself at the outset that you thought it was a mistake, and thinking that you sicced your thousands of readers onto them. To what end? To drive them out of business? That's not frugality. How does it help your economy or anyone else's?
One must remember, that filing a FAFSA does not only give you the chance to get loans, but also the chance to get grants. It may not be a ton of money, but it $4000 less that you won't have to take in loan form.
I use a regular water filter - the old fashioned canister type. $30 or so for one from ACE, and $25 a year for filters.
Prepaid cellular is around 12 cents a minute through Tracfone, if you purchase the double-minutes card, and buy at least 200 minutes at a time. I spend about $20 a month.
"We" are not in a recession, but that's the national "we", not the community "we" or the family "we". There is definitely a recession, even a depression in the housing sector in the big cities - prices are down, and sales volume is down. On the other hand, in the manufacturing exports sectors, we're probably growing, because the dollar's not worth so much today. The happiest person will be the person who can move from one sector to the other, or the construction company that happens to also build or renovate factories. :-)
The 50 year old builder with a mortgage isn't going to be very happy.
The people with the least, who work in the worst jobs for the lowest wages, who can't save up for a potential recession because they not only live paycheck-to-paycheck, but already live frugally, suffer first.
Nice job Paul! I agree with Lana that some sort of coupon would be the appropriate compensation. While technically they don't have to do anything, the See's Candy brand is a fairly prestigious brand name. It should be in their best interest to honor their deals.
Although I haven't personally run the figures in the example given above (and copied and pasted, below), I presume the difference between Bach's calculation and Dunn's relates to compounded interest.
He argues that if you take the cost of a latte and muffin each day ($5 x 7 = $35/week, $150/month) and invest this money at a 10% rate of return, after 40 years you would have a whopping $948,611. (Interestingly when I plugged these numbers into his personal latte factor calculator , the number instead came to around $880,000).
Of course there are a lot of assumptions. How often are deposits made? Is interest calculated daily, weekly, monthly? But the point remains... delayed gratification can have its benefits.
(Okay so I couldn't help myself and DID run the calculations with the use of an online calculator. Assuming $150 a month at an interest rate of 10%, the calculator suggested the final amount would be: $948,611.94.)
I think this gets into muddy territory in the online world. On the one hand, companies should stand by their offers. On the other hand, a single keystroke error could subject an online company to hundreds or thousands of dollars of loss before the error is fixed. I've read about consumers who exploit online errors or lag-times between redeeming gift cards online and in-store (they buy something online with the gift card, then turn around and go to the store the same day and use it again, before the computers can catch up). There's a big potential for abuse in the online world from both ends. However, I do think it would be appropriate for See's to give a better explanation for their error and/or offer some sort of coupon as an apology for the inconvenience.
Yeah, the old PB in the Jelly thing...we have trouble with GLUTEN in everything!! In our house, when we first had to go gluten free, we bought new condiments because everyone DOES just stick the knife in the PB & slap it on the bread...and then back into the PB for a touch more of the yummy stuff--thus contaminating the whole jar! To say nothing of the butter, jelly, mayo, mustard, relish....you get the point! (No, those don't ALL go on PB sandwiches...but all are touched by gluten!)
Our daughter's school is a peanut free zone. I respect that since we have to do gluten free here. I just wish more people were aware of how BAD gluten is to those who have celiac disease too. They may not need an epi-pen, but constant exposure to gluten can cause life-threatening auto-immune diseases. :o( For heaven's sake, PLAY-DOH has gluten, papier mache has gluten, some ketchup has gluten, envelopes have gluten where you lick to stick....Peanuts & other nuts are definitely easier to avoid than gluten!!! I'd take that over celiac disease any day.
PB on gluten free rice crackers rocks! As does PB on GOOD vanilla ice cream! :o) I used to do the PB on a spoon thing...but that was long ago, when weight didn't matter, when I was on a swim team & swam 4 miles/day, 6 days/week!!
There is a free site www.spiralrog.com that has agreements with the music companies. There are banner ads and it isn't the most complete library, but it is pretty decent. I read about it in the Washington Times and have downloadeda few hundred songs.
Years ago, my son's allergist told me to remove all of his stuffed animals to control dust mites. As if! Try telling a five-year-old that you're taking his favorite toys away due to invisible bugs.
What I learned later is that while most stuffed animals can't be washed, they can be put in the freezer. In fact, many unwashable and hard-to-clean household items can be put in the freezer (or outside if it's cold enough) overnight to kill dust mites - books, knick knacks, decorations, lamp shades, bedding, etc.
I successfully put an order through after I saw the deal here, got a confirmation email from Sees, etc. I just received this email follow-up from them:
=========================
Greetings from Sees.com,
We regret to inform you that a technical website error caused the following item to be displayed at an incorrect price on the Sees.com website:
Gift # 182 - 3lb. 15-1/2 oz. Holiday Gift Special - Price $1.00
We are unable to fulfill this item for the incorrectly posted price. Therefore, we have cancelled your order for this item that was placed on January 1, 2008.
At any given time, despite our best efforts, we may have an item appear on our website with incorrect pricing. We do verify prices prior to processing orders and any discrepancy will cause the order to go on hold for further review. We would like to assure you that your credit card was not charged as your order was placed on hold when the pricing error was discovered.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We value your business and hope that you will give us a chance to serve you again in the future.
Sincerely,
Customer Service Department
Sees.com
==========================
I'm kinda bummed, but I suppose this will be better for my waistline in the end.
Serving food that has fallen on the floor will never happen at my house as my Boston Terrier lays in wait for every crumb that touches the floor and sometimes intercepts before it hits. As my grandchildren learn at very early ages, dropping food on the floor for the dog is often more entertaining than eating.
The nurse at the allergist I was seeing kept bugging me about doing saline treatments to my sinuses when my allergies were really bad. They suggested the neti pot also. She said even the saline nasal spray you can buy in the store would work but your paying $2 for salt water in a bottle. I noticed a huge improvement using the spray saline so I was glad I finally tried it.
Another trick an allergist showed me years ago was to get a huge water drop on the end of your finger or underside of your fingernail and snort it. It has helped in a pinch if I got a nose full of something really irritating to flush out your nasal passages.
Another drug that is cheap but is still prescription is Allegra (Fexofenadine). I get it for a $10 copay through our insurance.
I've used the 40%-off Michael's coupons many times. The coupon is only good for one item so if I need more than one item, I just wait for next week's coupon. But I just go to Michael's to restock my sewing supplies anyway so waiting a week is never a problem.
One Great Depression isn't a very large sample, so it's hard to tell if non-intervention would work. But I like the idea of public works projects, such as Roosevelt started in the 1930s. We could restore meanders to rivers, build rail-trails, clean up superfund sites, fix up the lodges in national parks, help poor states maintain their parks, build sidewalks in the benighted neighborhoods and plats of the past few decades where they weren't included.
The problem with this vision relates to the first comment (Barber-Moyers) above. Under current government, probably including a Democratic administration, the work would be outsourced, done by a corporation, perhaps Blackwater, rather than by a government agency as in the New Deal. This, of course, was already happening at least as early as the Eisenhower administration with the make-work Interstate Highway project.
Except for that, such intervention could help a lot of people.
As you can see from the picture of my son eating his PB, I should be so lucky if jelly was the only weird thing in my PB. I'm not surprised that I may find sand in there!
but I'd like to offer a defense. I have been a member of several deals forums for years. Usually, when a deal of this caliber has been discovered, it gets plastered all over several websites within minutes. Four of the deal sites I had visited had this info out BEFORE Wise Bread. So, the deal hounds were already unleashed.
And there are instances of legitimate "too good to be true" deals. Secret savings happens all the time. The Children's Place has 39 cent clothing deals on a whim, and people go crazy trying to scoop up everything they can. The same goes for retailers like Sears, American Girl, and a few regional online retailers that I shop. These sales are not mistakes, but rather really, really clearanced items.
Paul could have called to see if this was a fluke, but what reasoning would he to do this? By the time he heard back from them, the item could have been sold out. Unfortunately, when it comes to good deals, the early bird is the ONLY one getting the worm.
See's decision not to honor the deal is their decision alone. I'm a bit bummed that it wasn't a legit deal, but I wouldn't liken Paul to a meany. Anyone who tries to share really good, low-priced chocolate with the world should be canonized.... :)
We got 12 pieces of candy for $8 and change -- I forgot about the 4 lollipops.
I saw the heading for 4 lbs. of See's for a buck yesterday, and after having just visited See's this weekend and noting the real prices of these things (we got a whole 8 pieces of candy for $8 and change), I immediately filed the "offer" in the too-good-to-be-true category of my mind. I figured it was some sort of scam that involved buying magazine subscriptions or the like.
Yes, merchants should honor their advertised prices, but when you take advantage of what is clearly an error and invite everyone on the internet to capitalize on it as well, that's just plain mean. Sh*t happens; errors are made. People get burnt out over the holidays and someone obviously entered the wrong information. It might have been a bit nicer to have contacted the company and asked them if they could verify the price before placing your order -- not to mention sharing it with the world.
Bad form, seriously.
I agree with Amanda, there is no harm in filling out the FAFSA. You can qualify for grants and your school uses the EFC to determine your financial aid package. Or you could receive work study funds.
And if you don't qualify for anything, it's not like it takes up too much time.
Come on -- you said yourself at the outset that you thought it was a mistake, and thinking that you sicced your thousands of readers onto them. To what end? To drive them out of business? That's not frugality. How does it help your economy or anyone else's?
One must remember, that filing a FAFSA does not only give you the chance to get loans, but also the chance to get grants. It may not be a ton of money, but it $4000 less that you won't have to take in loan form.
I use a regular water filter - the old fashioned canister type. $30 or so for one from ACE, and $25 a year for filters.
Prepaid cellular is around 12 cents a minute through Tracfone, if you purchase the double-minutes card, and buy at least 200 minutes at a time. I spend about $20 a month.
"We" are not in a recession, but that's the national "we", not the community "we" or the family "we". There is definitely a recession, even a depression in the housing sector in the big cities - prices are down, and sales volume is down. On the other hand, in the manufacturing exports sectors, we're probably growing, because the dollar's not worth so much today. The happiest person will be the person who can move from one sector to the other, or the construction company that happens to also build or renovate factories. :-)
The 50 year old builder with a mortgage isn't going to be very happy.
The people with the least, who work in the worst jobs for the lowest wages, who can't save up for a potential recession because they not only live paycheck-to-paycheck, but already live frugally, suffer first.
Nice job Paul! I agree with Lana that some sort of coupon would be the appropriate compensation. While technically they don't have to do anything, the See's Candy brand is a fairly prestigious brand name. It should be in their best interest to honor their deals.
Although I haven't personally run the figures in the example given above (and copied and pasted, below), I presume the difference between Bach's calculation and Dunn's relates to compounded interest.
He argues that if you take the cost of a latte and muffin each day ($5 x 7 = $35/week, $150/month) and invest this money at a 10% rate of return, after 40 years you would have a whopping $948,611. (Interestingly when I plugged these numbers into his personal latte factor calculator , the number instead came to around $880,000).
Of course there are a lot of assumptions. How often are deposits made? Is interest calculated daily, weekly, monthly? But the point remains... delayed gratification can have its benefits.
(Okay so I couldn't help myself and DID run the calculations with the use of an online calculator. Assuming $150 a month at an interest rate of 10%, the calculator suggested the final amount would be: $948,611.94.)
Jill -
How clever! How often did you freeze these items?
I think this gets into muddy territory in the online world. On the one hand, companies should stand by their offers. On the other hand, a single keystroke error could subject an online company to hundreds or thousands of dollars of loss before the error is fixed. I've read about consumers who exploit online errors or lag-times between redeeming gift cards online and in-store (they buy something online with the gift card, then turn around and go to the store the same day and use it again, before the computers can catch up). There's a big potential for abuse in the online world from both ends. However, I do think it would be appropriate for See's to give a better explanation for their error and/or offer some sort of coupon as an apology for the inconvenience.
Yeah, the old PB in the Jelly thing...we have trouble with GLUTEN in everything!! In our house, when we first had to go gluten free, we bought new condiments because everyone DOES just stick the knife in the PB & slap it on the bread...and then back into the PB for a touch more of the yummy stuff--thus contaminating the whole jar! To say nothing of the butter, jelly, mayo, mustard, relish....you get the point! (No, those don't ALL go on PB sandwiches...but all are touched by gluten!)
Our daughter's school is a peanut free zone. I respect that since we have to do gluten free here. I just wish more people were aware of how BAD gluten is to those who have celiac disease too. They may not need an epi-pen, but constant exposure to gluten can cause life-threatening auto-immune diseases. :o( For heaven's sake, PLAY-DOH has gluten, papier mache has gluten, some ketchup has gluten, envelopes have gluten where you lick to stick....Peanuts & other nuts are definitely easier to avoid than gluten!!! I'd take that over celiac disease any day.
PB on gluten free rice crackers rocks! As does PB on GOOD vanilla ice cream! :o) I used to do the PB on a spoon thing...but that was long ago, when weight didn't matter, when I was on a swim team & swam 4 miles/day, 6 days/week!!
That is www.spiralfrog.com My tying skills suck, sorry.
That is www.spiralfrog.com My tying skills suck, sorry.
There is a free site www.spiralrog.com that has agreements with the music companies. There are banner ads and it isn't the most complete library, but it is pretty decent. I read about it in the Washington Times and have downloadeda few hundred songs.
Years ago, my son's allergist told me to remove all of his stuffed animals to control dust mites. As if! Try telling a five-year-old that you're taking his favorite toys away due to invisible bugs.
What I learned later is that while most stuffed animals can't be washed, they can be put in the freezer. In fact, many unwashable and hard-to-clean household items can be put in the freezer (or outside if it's cold enough) overnight to kill dust mites - books, knick knacks, decorations, lamp shades, bedding, etc.
Jill
Gotta love those Boston Terriers :)
They are better than vacuum cleaners, and you never have to change their belts.
I successfully put an order through after I saw the deal here, got a confirmation email from Sees, etc. I just received this email follow-up from them:
=========================
Greetings from Sees.com,
We regret to inform you that a technical website error caused the following item to be displayed at an incorrect price on the Sees.com website:
Gift # 182 - 3lb. 15-1/2 oz. Holiday Gift Special - Price $1.00
We are unable to fulfill this item for the incorrectly posted price. Therefore, we have cancelled your order for this item that was placed on January 1, 2008.
At any given time, despite our best efforts, we may have an item appear on our website with incorrect pricing. We do verify prices prior to processing orders and any discrepancy will cause the order to go on hold for further review. We would like to assure you that your credit card was not charged as your order was placed on hold when the pricing error was discovered.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We value your business and hope that you will give us a chance to serve you again in the future.
Sincerely,
Customer Service Department
Sees.com
==========================
I'm kinda bummed, but I suppose this will be better for my waistline in the end.
Serving food that has fallen on the floor will never happen at my house as my Boston Terrier lays in wait for every crumb that touches the floor and sometimes intercepts before it hits. As my grandchildren learn at very early ages, dropping food on the floor for the dog is often more entertaining than eating.
The nurse at the allergist I was seeing kept bugging me about doing saline treatments to my sinuses when my allergies were really bad. They suggested the neti pot also. She said even the saline nasal spray you can buy in the store would work but your paying $2 for salt water in a bottle. I noticed a huge improvement using the spray saline so I was glad I finally tried it.
Another trick an allergist showed me years ago was to get a huge water drop on the end of your finger or underside of your fingernail and snort it. It has helped in a pinch if I got a nose full of something really irritating to flush out your nasal passages.
Another drug that is cheap but is still prescription is Allegra (Fexofenadine). I get it for a $10 copay through our insurance.
It's certainly not my father's pesonal [sic] finance blog...he was a much better writer, or at least a more careful proofreader.
I've used the 40%-off Michael's coupons many times. The coupon is only good for one item so if I need more than one item, I just wait for next week's coupon. But I just go to Michael's to restock my sewing supplies anyway so waiting a week is never a problem.
@jkjk
One Great Depression isn't a very large sample, so it's hard to tell if non-intervention would work. But I like the idea of public works projects, such as Roosevelt started in the 1930s. We could restore meanders to rivers, build rail-trails, clean up superfund sites, fix up the lodges in national parks, help poor states maintain their parks, build sidewalks in the benighted neighborhoods and plats of the past few decades where they weren't included.
The problem with this vision relates to the first comment (Barber-Moyers) above. Under current government, probably including a Democratic administration, the work would be outsourced, done by a corporation, perhaps Blackwater, rather than by a government agency as in the New Deal. This, of course, was already happening at least as early as the Eisenhower administration with the make-work Interstate Highway project.
Except for that, such intervention could help a lot of people.
Very clear analysis, Philip.