How Much is a Does it Cost to Make a PBJ?

How much does it cost to make a PBJ?

• 2 slices of bread:$0.20 ($2 per 20-slice loaf)
• PBJ: $0.15 per table spoon ($3 per 20-table-spoon jar)
• Plastic wrap: $0.05

Total cost: $0.40.

vs.

on-campus’ $2.00!!!

Quibids – Class Action Suit?

Via a message posted on this blog, there seems to be a Class Action Complaint in OK.

http://www.beckham-mandel.com/wp-content/themes/beckham/class_action_complaint_11-11-10.pdf … the example proposed is quite powerful [never knew they sell cars too]

Page 2-3:

QuiBids promotes itself (on its website, through widespread internet advertising and emails) as providing an opportunity for consumers to win luxury items at CLASS ACTION significant discounts compared to retail stores and E-Bay, and it claims that winning bidders on QuiBids.com typically save 80%-95% compared to retail prices. In one e-mail promotion, QuiBids cites a customer winning a $20,000 Honda Civic automobile for $1,740.78 in a two-cent QuiBids auction. That price means QuiBids sold 87,039 bids which were used in that auction. At $0.60 per bid, QuiBids grossed $52,233.40 from the bids alone, an amount that dwarfs not only any savings realized by the winning bidder individually, but the retail cost of the car. This illustrates the critical difference between QuiBids and E-Bay – losing bidders on E-Bay do not pay anything.

I can’t find much on this from the internet, but there’s a new coverage on businesswire.com.

 

 

Cash for More Profit

Buy local is a noble cause to help local business and farmers. Although prices may be higher, the products tend to be fresher.

Another way to increase profit to local businesses is by using cash. The more common concern about credit card use is the tendency for credit card users to spend more on unnecessary items and carry credit card balance with interests. The less mentioned aspect of credit card use is on how credit card companies benefit from each credit card swipe and how a slice of profit is taken away from business.

The main costs of using credit cards to merchants or business are the point-of sale (swipe) machine and interchange fees. According to Forbes.com [see article for other costs], a swipe machine costs anywhere from $300 to $800 while the interchange or per-swipe fee is 2% (1.5% -5%) of each bill. Now one could argue that 2% is small and having credit card option payment increases sales but they all add up. As an example of a 2% interchange fee, if you buy a scooter for $1,000, $16.50 (1.65%) may to the credit card issuer and 0.35% to the merchant’s bank. Now, if the profit of the sales was $200, $20 or 10% of the profit was taken away.

One has to take into account that for some transactions (e.g. hotel), credit card may be the better choice of payment. Otherwise, wherever possible, use cash.

THINK LOCAL, USE CASH

Appendix: How Interchange Fees Work?

 

 

Higher-Cost Investments for Energy Efficiency

Some investments on energy efficiency device or practices may immediately pay while others take some time and financial investment before its benefits can be reaped. In the longer-term, consumers who can invest on these healthy energy practice should consider getting ENERGY STAR appliances, low-flow showerheads, low-flow toilets, compact fluorescent light, home weatherization and insulation services, and renewable energy alternatives.

• The ENERGY STAR sign on devices indicates that the devices meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Energy (EPA) and DoE. According to DoE (2010), refrigerators with the sign uses 20% less energy than the ones without the logo, which translates to $165 savings in energy bill over its expected lifetime. Your utility may provide rebates to help you purchase new appliances and recycle old ones.

• Low-flow showerheads and toilets help you save money and conserve not only water but also heating bill. Low-flow showerheads help reduce water use and heating bill by using less water without compensating the showerhead pressure. Since a typical low-flow shower head costs about $10 to $20, consumers should expect an almost immediate payback. Whereas regular toilets use 3.5 gallons of water per flush, the low-flow ones only take 1.6 gallons. Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Usage Authority offers a $150 rebate to replace your home’s current toilet with a low-flow one. Even with its cost ranging anywhere from $150 to $400, expect a long-term return from the low-flow toilets because they have a 15 to 20-year life span and significant savings on water bills.

• Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs use over 70% less energy than incandescent light bulbs, given the same amount of light, and they also run much cooler and last up to 10 times longer. Despite being more expensive, a CFL bulb is expected to save up to $30 in energy costs over its lifetime.

• Green initiatives include solar, wind, water, plants, and the earth’s internal heat (geothermal). Some utility companies may even buy the excess electricity generated by your energy device. New Mexicans should really consider this option because we get a good amount of heat and wind throughout the year although the amount may vary depending on our locations in the state. New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department provide information on residential energy efficiency, clean energy, and rebate programs. Those who are building their house should put extra consideration on including this type of energy resources due to possible tax incentives. As of August 2010, for instance, consumers may obtain federal solar tax credit to pay up to 30% of your solar photovoltaic or solar thermal system.

• Even with the best energy efficient devices, inadequate home weatherization and insulation lessen the impact of these devices. Consumers may hire a professional to conduct an energy audit to detect cool and heat leak sources which are common at ducts, door frames, and window frames. The Weatherization Assistance Program offers free energy audit and other tests to income-qualified customers and may help install weatherization and insulation products.

 

References & Resources

Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority. Showerhead, Toilet, and Urinal Rebates. Available August 10, 2010 from http://www.abcwua.org/content/view/133/230/

 

Energy Solutions For New Mexico. Top 10 Energy Solutions. Available August 10, 2010 from  http://energysolutionsfornm.org/Top10-energy-savings.php

 

New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department. Your Source for Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Information. Available August 10, 2010 from  http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/ecmd/

 

New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. Energy Efficiency in New Mexico. Available August 8, 2010 from http://www.nmprc.state.nm.us/energy/low_income.htm

 

U.S. Department of Energy (2010) Energy Savers: Tips on Saving Energy and Money at Home. Available June 18, 2010 from http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/pdfs/energy_savers.pdf

 

Coupons

Suggested Websites for Accessing Online Coupons

Aside from product companies and grocery or food stores, coupons may be obtained from other websites that gather coupons from various sites and information supplied by other consumers. Some of these sites include RedPlum.com, Coupons.com, CoolSavings.com, CouponMom.com, SmartSource.com, CouponSurfer.com, OnlineCoupons.com, CouponCabin.com and Valpak.com. There are even sites such as HeyItsFree.net that offer free samples and product updates.

For Twitter users, “CheapTweet” and “Coupon Tweet” accounts gather coupon codes and deals from Twitter merchants and other Twitter users. The coupons and savings are published in a user-friendly manner with options for users to tailor the sites according to personal preference, to vote on the coupons, and to comment on them. Also, “heyitsfree”, “freestuffrocks”, “freenology”, and “fstimes” provide updates and news-feeds on free goods.

Many of these suggested websites are supplied with other types of news-feed options such as Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail subscription, which require minimal effort provided the user has these news-feed accounts set up. Some of these sites require a ZIP Code to be entered in order to personalize money-savings coupons geographically, such as states or counties.

ADDITIONAL COUPONING TIPS FOR SAVVY SHOPPERS

• Use multiple coupons for an item whenever possible. A typical scenario here is combining a grocery store coupon with a product discount coupon. Check out the store policy regarding combining coupons(. E.g. multiple coupons, doubled savings) as not all stores participate in these cost-saving practices.
• Buy only what you need. Don’t buy the product only because you have a coupon. However, you may want to try out a new product and save money on the purchase.
• Read coupons carefully. There may be some requirements or restrictions. Some coupons are very specific to grocery stores and product type (e.g. flavor, volume, quantity).
• Stay alert for savings. Coupons or information about where to get them may be overlooked in the magazines or newspapers to which your family subscribes.
• Do your research. Spend some time looking for resources on how to organize your coupons, where to get coupons, and what is available online. Consider joining e-mail lists, participating in online forums, and exploring reader blogs on couponing. Participants in these e-sites are usually very generous in giving advice and sharing their experience.

If you are new to couponing, it may take some time to locate the best resources and create the organizational method that best meets your needs and suits your style. However, as the system becomes more familiar, you will find yourself enjoying major savings.

Taken from: Smart Shopping: Tips on Coupon Use for Grocery Shopping

Report It to FTC

Even if you were not caught by frauds and scams, you are encouraged to report it. You may be fortunate and better informed, but others (e.g. kids, less-informed) may not.

It’s easy to report … via phone, letter, and internet.

Consumer Trend Report

Some of these looks so extreme (e.g. the cross fashion example) ….

… but I could see some trends that are already becoming popular in other nations.

Poverty

New Mexico is ranked at the bottom of the states for the percentage of working families who are low-income, according to an analytical study conducted by The Working Poor Families Project.
Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the project identified an increase in income inequality by almost 10 percent from 2002 to 2006; the number of low-income working families has increased by almost 350,000 in the same time period.
“The economic turmoil of 2008 is creating even greater challenges for these families and making economic advancement more difficult,” according to the documents.

*******************************

Myths and facts about low-income working families:
• Myth: Low-income families do not work.
Fact: 72% of low-income families work.
• Myth: Low-income families do not work hard.
Fact: The average annual work effort for low-income working families is 2,552 hours, roughly one and one-quarter full-time jobs.
• Myth: Low-income working families are headed by single parents.
Fact: 52% of low-income working families are headed by married couples.
• Myth: Low-income working families are headed by immigrants.
Fact: 69% of low-income working families have only American-born parents.
• Myth: Low-income working families have very young parents.
Fact: 89% of low-income working families have a parent between the ages of 25 and 54.
• Myth: Low-income working families are overwhelmingly minority.
Fact: 43% of low-income working families have white, non-Hispanic parents.
• Myth: Low-income working families are dependent on public assistance.
Fact: 25% of low-income working families receive food stamp assistance.
Source: The Working Poor Families Project

Working Poor Families Project State Data Snapshot – New Mexico