From a retailer’s perspective, it doesn’t make much sense to deliberately take a loss on its products. After all, they’re in business to make a profit. So how does it benefit a retailer when they offer ‘buy one, get one free’ deals? Are they just cutting their losses, hoping to sell enough to make up for it? This is something I pondered as I took advantage of one such ‘buy one, get one free’ sale at my local department store this week.
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A trip to a restaurant can be a slice of needed convenience after a long and difficult day. That relief of having someone cook and serve us dinner can turn to frustration when the server is nowhere to be found and you’re dealing with hungry kids with grumbly stomachs, though. That slice of convenience also loses it’s luster when you’re ready to go but it takes another fifteen minutes to pay the bill. The service industry thrives on looking for ways to improve the guest experience, and there’s something coming to restaurants near you that could remedy these specific issues and give customers more control over their experience, and the size of their bill.
Tabletop ordering tablets have been installed in about 1,500 restaurants across the country, including the Olive Garden I dined at recently with my family. The tablet was resting at the end of our booth, and attracted instant attention from every member of my family. Exploring the tablet’s capabilities, I found that I was able to use the system to order drinks, appetizers, and deserts. There were also online games that could be played for a price, and our current bill could also be viewed. The glaring omission was the ability to order main entrees. However, it does make sense given there are commonly special instructions or questions that need to be addressed.
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The sharing economy has been growing by leaps and bounds over these past few years. You may not have heard the term ‘sharing economy’ before, but you might be a part of it and not even know.
So what exactly is it? To start, its name is a pretty good indicator.
The sharing economy is built around exactly what it’s named after, sharing. In this economy, any person can rent or use resources from someone else, both physical and in the form of services. Think of it this way – you rent or borrow something of someone else’s and in turn, pay them for this service. For instance, have you ever borrowed someone’s car for a day and paid them a fixed amount for it? You were part of the sharing economy. The difference between this and just buying something from a store is that you’re working with an individual. That person in turns profits and maybe even participates himself in the sharing economy as a consumer.
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I love to save money whenever and wherever possible. I have no issues about dressing my children in second hand clothing or decorating my home with garage sale finds. However, I splurge whenever it comes to common home appliances.
Quality Always Wins
I do not want to deal with cheaply made items when it comes to important appliances or home tools that I use frequently. I have found that when I spend more money on an appliance or gadget, I am also more willing to use it. For example, I was using a Ninja blender. It was super cheap, didn’t blend smoothly or process food evenly, and was a pain to clean. My husband wanted to buy me a Blendtec blender for Christmas. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend that much money on an appliance I use only once a week. Thankfully, he ended up getting me the blender. Since it works so efficiently and is simple to clean, I actually use it once or twice daily.
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I’m a big believer in quality over quantity. Even though I’m a self-proclaimed frugal, I think it’s definitely worth the cost to pay a little more sometimes. I use to buy anything and everything that was on sale, but I quickly learned that you get what you pay for.
With that said though, there are certain things I will never buy at full price. Why spend more money when you don’t need to? With online shopping and constant sales in stores, there are some things you can always find a good deal on. Whether it’s buying used or waiting for a promotion, you can save a good chunk of money. Here are 5 things you should never buy at full price:
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My husband and I have tried a few different budget apps the last few years, and the latest one we’ve settled on is YNAB: “You Need a Budget.” In light of our recent cross-country move and job changes, we decided to make the switch from free platforms such as Good Budget (which offers a lot for a free app) to a paid service that would allow us more options for fine-tuning our new budget. So far we’re happy with its performance and are learning more about the available features as we go. Here’s the lowdown on YNAB, and why you might want to check it out for your own budget needs.
How it Works
YNAB operates very similar to other budget apps, with a few extra perks. Its Cloud Sync technology connects your accounts across all devices to maintain to-the-second accuracy on your balances. You do have to manually download the transactions into YNAB from the banking websites though. As with any budget app, the sooner you enter the details, the more accurate your categories. Entering transactions immediately is by far the best habit to get in to.
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