Comments on: Twelve bargains that aren’t bargains

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:30:44 +0000

Hi there,

Interesting article..

I have heard that if you drop a motor cycle helmet from a height of about 3 feet, then it becomes useless, or inadequate from a British standards point-of-view…

Ciao ciao

By: JohnO

JohnO — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:12:47 +0000

LOL. Sorry about your “free offer” experience, but I’ve had a lot of luck with them. There are lots of freebies online and it all depends on where you look, feedback from other people, and a spam email account. I’ve gotten tons of free stuff without any hassle from others.

By: SMB

SMB — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:16:45 +0000

I’ll add “off-brand floss” to your mention of off-brand toothpaste. Ouch! My poor gums!

We installed Corian in our last house, and I wasn’t that impressed with it. I’d heard how it was indestructible, and I found that it scratched easily and that water rings were incredibly hard to remove (that might have had more to do with our water, though I wasn’t aware of it being all that “hard”). I think I’ll consider something else when we redo our current kitchen.

By: CC

CC — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:13:11 +0000

Regarding Corian, this is the leading brand for a countertop product called solid surface. There is a great deal of industry research regarding the positive ROI for upgraded kitchens and kitchen countertops, one of the top returns for any home improvement. In the last four years, the price of solid surface has been eroded as low-cost imports have attacked their margins. Additionally, the cost of granite has declined to a point that granite countertops are competitive with solid surface. A third option for countertops is Engineered Stone or Engineered Quartz. These are found under the brand names Silestone, Caesarstone, Cambria, and Zodiaq. They are made from 93% quartz, making them extremely resilient.

By: H Lee D

H Lee D — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:42:05 +0000

I get 30 miles to the gallon. The cheapest gas station is 2 miles out of the way. I wouldn’t drive 10 miles to get to it, but going to the closest place is not always the most cost-effective answer.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 03:10:01 +0000

With the off-brand toothpaste: my mom was picking up a few random things at the dollar store one day, and bought some toothpaste. She didn’t use it, but a few days later the tainted toothpaste (with diethylene glycol) was discovered…that could have been a dangerous purchase had she used it!

My coworkers and I like going out for Indian food…but most places are buffet. I like going there because I can try a bunch of foods, and get pretty much unlimited naan, but it costs more than just a single serving of Indian food, and I end up stuffing myself to try to get my money’s worth…which in turn makes me feel sick and lethargic for the rest of the day.

By: Make Money Online Info

Make Money Online Info — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:57:50 +0000

I could not agree with you more. Even though we always like bargains, sometime health and safety is not worth the saving at all. Great Topics.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:45:47 +0000

Thanks for all the tips. I had looked at the Corian before so I’m glad you shared your experience. However, it looks like Fin gave you a money saving tip to get rid of your scratches.

As for bargains, my wife and I are supreme bargain hunters. We clothe the whole family and usually furnish the entire house usually from thrift stores or Craigslist or ebay. We don’t buy unless we’ve budgeted for it and can pay cash for it. As for the power tools, that’s good to know. We usually buy new for stuff like that but have considered it a few times on freecycle.org (we belong to the site in our area). You can’t have any kind of insurance when you’re buying used for things like that so it seems best to buy new. As for car seats, I accepted a used one from a trusted friend. Other than that, no way. If not and it lead to a car accident, you’d never forgive yourself.

Jerry
http://www.leads4insurance.com

By: laowaitattler

laowaitattler — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:40:23 +0000

Any loyalty card or program that requires you to consume more of a product or service than you would normally to so to get something free are scams.

Sure, buying 12 coffees at StarJerks and having that card punched to get the 13th one free may seem like a deal, but it isn’t. You spend more over the long term with that loyalty card than you might normally…just for what…another lousy cup of over-price joe.

By: Fin

Fin — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:16:12 +0000

While I agree it’s overpriced and isn’t as heat-resistant as one might like, Corian isn’t all bad. For one thing it’s really _easy_ to get rid of scratches: a Corian worktop is a solid block of material (not a plastic skin over particle board, like a melamine worktop). So to remove the scratches one sands the Corian block down. For small scratches one can do this by hand; for a badly scratched up surface then a mechanical sander can be used. For larger jobs getting a nice overall finish can be tricky (in particular avoiding creating shallow depressions in which water can like).

Another advantage of Corian is that entirely flush joints can be made (where there’s no valley and no jointing strip between blocks). This is a minor nice-to-have for the kitchen, but it’s a much bigger advantage when absolutely cleanliness is a must. In particular, Corian is often used for worktop surfaces in treatment room for healthcare professionals like dentists and podiatrists.