Category: Money

Mistakes made by other people

Last week, we had two experiences where we derived benefit from the mistakes of others:

Story #1:

We were at one of our local department stores, buying pieces for a halloween costume.  We went as convicts, which was simple to do: scrubs with a number painted on, and some makeshift waist-chain handcuffs.  We found the scrubs, but the top didn’t have a price tag on it.  No big deal, we assumed it was the same price as all the other tops, which was $10 or so.

When we went to check out, the cashier rang up our things, and when he got to the scrub top, he started looking for the price tag, which was nowhere to be find.  He looked a bit perplexed and annoyed, and Marcia said “it must be free!” (This is something we often say when a price isn’t immediately apparent, and doesn’t usually get much response from cashiers, especially at this store that doesn’t like to give up a cent if they can avoid it.)

The cashier looked at Marcia, and then said in a rather pathetic I-have-a-cold-and-feel-like-crap voice, “And I’m gonna give it to you free too, because I’m sick and don’t want to be here.”  And then he put the scrub top in the bag without another thought.

Free scrubs! Score one for Marcia and the sick cashier.

Story #2:

Saturday night, we decided to order pizza.  We had a coupon: Buy an extra large specialty pizza at regular price, get a large one-topping free.  We thought that was a pretty good deal, so we called and ordered.  This particular pizza place has a specialty pizza that Marcia really loves.  To protect the innocent, we’ll call it the “spinach” pizza.  We ordered an extra large spinach pizza, and got a large pizza with tomatoes (yes, tomatoes are excellent for a one-topping pizza) free.

We went and picked up the order, and when we got home and opened the pizzas (ALWAYS check the order before you leave the store… I know better), we found that the spinach pizza had onions and mushrooms all over it – both things that Marcia doesn’t like on her pizza, and which I didn’t remember ordering.

I called back to the pizza place, and explained that I thought there was a mistake.  At first, the guy said “that’s what comes on the spinach pizza, which is what you ordered.”  Then he realized what had happened: There is also a “spinach DELUXE” pizza in their computer system, and he had printed a ticket for the deluxe, when we had only ordered the regular.  He asked if I wanted a regular spinach pizza instead, and I said yes.

I went to exchange the corrected pizza (they did offer to deliver it free, but it’s faster to just go pick it up), and when I took the original offending pizza in, they said I could keep that too, since all they would do is throw it away anyway.  While Marcia won’t eat the mushrooms and onions, I will, so free pizza for me!

So, TWO extra large pizzas and one large for the price of one extra large – that’s a pretty good deal.  Score two for me and the pizza guy with marginal reading comprehension skills.

We got gas

A few years ago, when gas prices crossed $2.00/gallon, I decided that gas cost too much and I was going to save money by buying a bike and riding it to school and for other transportation around town.  Of course, I discovered that I really enjoyed riding the bike, and became a pretty hardcore cycling enthusiast.  I bought a nice racing bike, have discovered the wonders of spandex cycling shorts, and have legs that are disproportionately strong when compared to the rest of my body.

But I digress… The point is that yesterday, more than 3 years after $2.00 gas prices prompted me to make a major lifestyle change, we filled up our cars for $1.93/gallon, a price unseen since early 2005.

Here’s how:

We have a local grocery store that has an associated gas station.  If you buy items at the grocery store, you get a discount on fuel from the gas station.  The discount is progressive – spend up to $50, get 3 cents off; up to $75, get 5 cents off; up to $100, get 8 cents off; and if you spend more than $100 at the grocery store, you get 12 cents off of each gallon of gas.

What enables this whole plan is that the grocery store’s customer service counter will accept payments for our gas/electric company.  So yesterday, we went to the grocery store, paid our utility bill (which was well over $100), and got our reciept, complete with 12 cent gas discount.

Gas prices have fallen pretty dramatically over the last few week.  The going rate for the cheap stuff in town was $2.05/gallon yesterday.  $2.05 – 12 cents is $1.93!

So we, filled up both cars for under $2.00/gallon.

Arrr I Kick Me In The Seat Of Me Pants

Yesterday was “Talk Like a Pirate Day” and I missed out until 9:30 pm.  This makes me sad-ish.  I still had 2 hours to play. 

I bought pants onWednesday.  They fit nicely.  I decided I needed a second pair, as pants rarely fit me nicely.  I went back yesterday to get a pair.  The label looked exactly the same, when I got home to compare them.  I tried them on, the new ones didn’t fit so nicely.  Baffled, I looked at the tag again.  They looked identical, or so I thought.  The first pair was made in Pakistan.  The second pair was made in Egypt.  Apparently Egypt has smaller inches than Pakistan.  When holding them next to each other I see that there are two inches in difference.  I took the second pair back for the Pakistan made jeans.  I like my jeans loose.

Out of Sight Out of Mind

That is, until you have already arrived home and realize that you left the case of water on the bottom of the cart. I called the “mall” to let them know what I had done, they said no one had brought it in, but that I could bring the receipt in and they would take care of it. That was a nice move, especially since it was my fault. I drove right back across town and parked as close to the same location in hopes that perhaps I would see the same cart untouched (for the last half-hour or so). Wrong. Not a single cart at that return. And I did not see a single cart with a case of water in the stack the cart-collector had gathered. So someone got a free case of water, I hope they needed it. I went in and got a replacement case. Done. I do feel pretty dumb having driven across town to get that, after I was feeling pretty smug about using my cloth bags instead of plastic. Way to be green.

Long Time Over Due Post

On Thursday (now a week ago) I went up to Ronda’s to watch the big girls so Ronda and G1 could get their eyes checked. We had fun. I have pictures somewhere of that. I am not sure if they are still on the camera or on the computer, but I am too lazy to find them at the moment. While I was up, We had some fun conversations with G1.

Conversation 1:

We were dropping Matt’s supper off to him at the rail yard
G1 unbuckled his seatbelt as Ronda started the car to leave
Marcia: buckle that
Ronda stopped the car for him to buckle up
G1: I’ll buckle it at home
Marcia: you’ll buckle it now
He did.

Conversation 2:

Immediately following the 1st conversation
G1: I want to see trains
Ronda: There are trains all around us look out the windows
G1: I don’t see trains
Marcia: (pointing at the engine next to us) What is that?
G1: Not trains
A few seconds lapse.
G1: (points to a long train out the other window) That’s not a train…. It’s cars

Conversation 3:

(Ronda was holding change for a reason I can not remember at this time, we were parked in the car)
G1: I want a quarter
Ronda: I’ll give you a penny
G1: A nickel
Ronda: I’ll give you a penny
G1: A nickel
Ronda: I don’t have a nickel, I’ll give you a penny
G1: Marcia has a nickel
Marcia: Actually I do not have a nickel today
Ronda: Want a dime?
G1: Nnnnnnnnyes, a nickel
Ronda: It is not a negotiation
G1: It a nenanenatin (more or less sounded like that)

Conversation 4:

Not quite sure what started this one….
Marcia: G1 you crack me up
G1: I did not wake you up
Marcia: No, you did not wake me up
G1: I make you happy
Marcia: Yes you do
(This is where I get teary)

And now for a video that I was supposed to post almost 2 months ago of G2 and G3 climbing back and forth in the two cribs when Ronda was in the hospital to have G4.

WARNING the video is 4 and a half minutes long.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFyX-udTaQg[/youtube]

The funniest part of the whole flopping back and forth thing is that in the morning G2 went back to her crib before getting my attention, and stood there looking pathetic trying to get me to believe that she was “stuck” in her crib!

 

*Yes this is the same post I put on the GMF site.

It’s time…

We have avoided anything political on this blog for a while, but the time has finally come…

There were a few candidates of varying persuasions that we felt an inclination for, but most have dropped out of the race, and only one remains: Barack Obama.

We do not agree with everything that Obama stands for, but we agree with most of it:

“I don’t want to just end the war, I want to end the mindset that got us into war in the first place.”

“We are not going to baby-sit a civil war.”

John McCain still thinks the war in Iraq is a good idea.  He wants our troops in Iraq forever, or indefinitely, whichever comes first.

Clinton still refuses to admit that her voting in favor of the war was a mistake.

Obama has opposed the war since the beginning.  We want a president who had the foresight to know that this would not turn out well, and the integrity to stand up for that, even when it was unpopular.

“Let us be the generation that reshapes our economy to compete in the digital age. Let’s set high standards for our schools and give them the resources they need to succeed. Let’s recruit a new army of teachers, and give them better pay and more support in exchange for more accountability. Let’s make college more affordable, and let’s invest in scientific research, and let’s lay down broadband lines through the heart of inner cities and rural towns all across America.”

Obama believes in keeping the internet open and free (did you even know that many of your representatives are under the influence of lobbyists who want to close up the internet and allow your internet provider to charge you extra for visiting any web site that they don’t run?).  Obama believes that education, not war, is our future, and wants to put our money where it will help rather than hurt.

“We now face an opportunity — and an obligation — to turn the page on the failed politics of yesterday’s health care debates… My plan begins by covering every American. If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change for you under this plan is the amount of money you will spend on premiums. That will be less. If you are one of the 45 million Americans who don’t have health insurance, you will have it after this plan becomes law. No one will be turned away because of a preexisting condition or illness.”

Imagine that you could provide for yourself any kind of health insurance you want.  You could simply declare “this is my health coverage, because I said so.”  That is what you get to do when you’re a U.S. Senator or Congressman.  As a result, they have pretty good coverage.  Obama wants to give every American the opportunity to have that same coverage, and to ensure that every American has health insurance – that no one will be forced into poverty and bankruptcy as the result of some circumstance beyond their control or their ability to foresee.

“I believe that America’s free market has been the engine of America’s great progress. It’s created a prosperity that is the envy of the world. It’s led to a standard of living unmatched in history. And it has provided great rewards to the innovators and risk-takers who have made America a beacon for science, and technology, and discovery…We are all in this together. From CEOs to shareholders, from financiers to factory workers, we all have a stake in each other’s success because the more Americans prosper, the more America prospers.”

Obama wants to make taxes simpler for the majority of Americans: the middle class.  Obama wants to provide tax breaks to the middle class, instead of the rich upper class, who got tax breaks they didn’t even ask for from the Bush administration.

Now for a call to action:  This week we celebrate the birthday of a laywer from Illinois who, through integrity and hope, made a difference, and saved our nation: Abraham Lincoln.

In the spirit of that hope, we have made a donation to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.  We followed a call to action from dailykos.com, who has asked people to celebrate Lincoln’s birthday by donating a multiple of $5.01 to the Obama campaign (Lincoln appears on the $5 bill and the penny).

We’ve contributed what we could responsibly afford, but it’s going to take more than just us and the others who’ve acted so far.

It’s going to take a movement. It’s going to take millions of people to beat back the avalanche of dollars from Washington lobbyists and special interests, who are planning to spend more money than ever to try to own our political process and dictate our policies in Washington.

Barack Obama will not play that game.

Barack Obama is not taking any contributions from Washington lobbyists or political action committees.

Barack Obama is transforming the political process by bringing together hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans in a campaign that’s owned by no one but the people.

Will you join us by making a donation?  Can you spare $5.01, or $10.02, or $25.05 to show that you have hope for the future?  That you hope for your children to grow up in the land of the free?  That you support a candidate who believes in you?

The future is coming, and it is time to make it happen the way we want.  Please join us:

https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/pf?outreach_page_id=28895

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY[/youtube]

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Today we drove to St Louis to take Erin back to the airport.  We will miss her and hope she has a great semester.  After we dropped her off we went to find the Panera Bread Company and The Viking Store that we found on our honeymoon.  So we took Karen to see the cool store and while there found The Container Store, the ultimate OCD enabler.  And amazingly enough the weather was pretty good.

Also, yesterday our friend Evan did a photo shoot for us (Jacob’s family).

Cardboard And A Roll Of Duct Tape

The last day I have to be able to help Brittany before they move. She is a very brave woman to move with month and a half old twins. They are cute and we all took turns holding the babies and packing boxes.**

FYI Jacob and I have health insurance coverage now! We applied for it quite a while ago, and we finally have it. This stirs up some more feelings/thoughts I have. Because I weigh too much we have to pay extra for me to be covered***. What I want to know, is if I weighed too little would we have to pay extra. I would like to think so, because I clearly do not need to go to the doctor much.**** But a person that is say, anorexic, has many more health problems and is in the doctor’s office much more. Also, I want to know why is it I have to pay so much money for something that might happen,***** and the insurance companies can pick and choose what they pay for. When what I really want is dental care.

*I am writing this after the fact as though it is current, and pre-dating my post. As it is my site, I reserve the right to do so.

**Her parents were in town helping out also.

***This opens a can of worms that I may describe in more detail later but for now we will leave it with “a doctor lied to me and after gaining over 60 pounds in two months hasn’t ever checked up on me.”

****Unless it is to prevent children before we are ready and even that is a nurse practitioner, not that if one came along it would be unwanted, it would just be unplanned.

*****But it might not.

No Bruises To Show Off

Today was an exciting day at church for us.  Jacob was released as the Elders Quorum President. So now he is only the Ward Organist and the Choir Pianist.  I was called to be the Primary Secretary,  Not yet released from teaching the 12-13 year olds Sunday School class, but I am sure that will happen in the next few weeks.

FYI no cool bruises.  So even if I did want to sue the airport I have no evidence to back me up, dang.

*I am writing this after the fact as though it is current, and pre-dating my post. As it is my site, I reserve the right to do so.