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Post by richardsok on Feb 25, 2024 19:50:20 GMT
Let me end this Sunday morning with one constructive suggestion to help reinvigorate the forum. If no one objects, we might create a new thread called OLD REVEALS AND NEW FINDS. This would be an on-going thread and all active posters would be encouraged to reveal one helpful product, service or fact that they know about -- but few others do. Little-known tips could be about investing & spending, of course, but anything else too -- that in some small way might be appreciated by some of the lurkers. I propose we post no less than one hundred reveals and finds in the first month. I'll start with two.
1. When traveling by car, keep an eye out for WAWA gas stations and convenience stores. It is one of the only chains that offers ATM machines without bank fees as well as free air to inflate tires. 2. As you get older, you may find it harder to buy shoes that fit. If so, you might try SKECHERS shoes, which are cut a little wider than normal shoes and sneakers.
Finds & Reveals #3: You'll probably eye TEMU with healthy skepticism. I have made five purchases so far without a hitch. If bargains are your thing, you should take a look. One order arrived a bit late so I got a full refund -- and didn't have to return the item. From the customer's perspective, TEMU is different from Ebay & Amazon in four ways. (A) You are ordering items from China, so forget about next day delivery. Most items arrive in a week to ten days (B) they specialize in small, relatively light weight items that can be easily shipped. Forget machinery, foods or liquids. (C) Temu seems to have a minimum $20 total for each order so it helps to have a little shopping list and order three or four things at a time. Many Temu offers seem to be near the end of the product run, so it is not unusual for an offer to be expired a week or so later -- but you'll find plenty others nearly identical. (D) Did I mention CHEAP? Think half to 1/5 retail. Ridiculously low costs on stuff you use daily in the office, around home, in the garage, for your car, etc. Everything has been top quality, so far. To date I've bought fly fishing lures and supplies, utility knives and box cutters, easy-thread needles, carabiners for hiking backpack, work gloves, drill bits, a diamond sharpening file (works great!) metal washers, screws & bolts, replacement blades, sticky notes, high-strength shipping & packing tape, quality gel pens, cooking oil sprayer, scouring pads, no-screw hand grips for shower stalls, utility water-proof twine (high strength), etc. You get the picture.
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kent
Ensign
Posts: 44
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Post by kent on Feb 25, 2024 21:48:25 GMT
I bought two items recently from TEMU. I bought retractable hose 100 ft. I measured the hose it was less than 75 feet when fully extended. Hose burst on first use. Wife bought some items for grandkids, time will tell how long they last. I am holding buy for now.
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Post by archer on Feb 25, 2024 22:38:22 GMT
I bought a little handheld Vac for my car from TEMU. It took forever to arrive, but my inquiries were answered promptly which is a good sign in todays online shopping. The little vac didn't do as well as claimed but overall I'm still happy with it. I'd give them another try.
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Post by rhythmmethod on Feb 26, 2024 0:14:44 GMT
I'll play a round. I bought myself an adjustable standing desk and a high-end office chair. It changed my life! I went with the Uplift company. A "task rabbit" did the assembly in 45 minutes. I even got a 'fidget board" to use while standing. As a result, I have found myself more productive work in the admin side of my life. Stay well, RM www.upliftdesk.com/
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Post by fishingrod on Feb 26, 2024 0:18:27 GMT
I'll play a round. I bought myself an adjustable standing desk and a high-end office chair. It changed my life! I went with the Uplift company. A "task rabbit" did the assembly in 45 minutes. I even got a 'fidget board" to use while standing. As a result, I have found myself more productive work in the admin side of my life. Stay well, RM www.upliftdesk.com/
I like your idea of standing desk.
Do you like your office chair? If so what brand, if I may ask?
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Post by richardsok on Feb 26, 2024 0:59:58 GMT
I bought a little handheld Vac for my car from TEMU. It took forever to arrive, but my inquiries were answered promptly which is a good sign in todays online shopping. The little vac didn't do as well as claimed but overall I'm still happy with it. I'd give them another try. Agree they might be weak or risky with anything mechanical or appliance-oriented. I've only bought very simple items. Their fly fishing lures are particularly wonderful. That's why I never got into trying to tie my own flies. How can my big, oafish hands replicate what a delicate little 13yo Chinese girl can create?
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Post by archer on Feb 26, 2024 1:42:36 GMT
I bought a little handheld Vac for my car from TEMU. It took forever to arrive, but my inquiries were answered promptly which is a good sign in todays online shopping. The little vac didn't do as well as claimed but overall I'm still happy with it. I'd give them another try. Agree they might be weak or risky with anything mechanical or appliance-oriented. I've only bought very simple items. Their fly fishing lures are particularly wonderful. That's why I never got into trying to tie my own flies. How can my big, oafish hands replicate what a delicate little 13yo Chinese girl can create? Making your own flies is 1/2 the sport! A friend of mine makes his flies, then makes a painting of them to frame on his walls. I think he is beyond saving
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Post by rhythmmethod on Feb 26, 2024 2:32:06 GMT
I'll play a round. I bought myself an adjustable standing desk and a high-end office chair. It changed my life! I went with the Uplift company. A "task rabbit" did the assembly in 45 minutes. I even got a 'fidget board" to use while standing. As a result, I have found myself more productive work in the admin side of my life. Stay well, RM www.upliftdesk.com/
I like your idea of standing desk.
Do you like your office chair? If so what brand, if I may ask?
I got an uplift chair - J3. The whole rig desk and chair was less than $1,200. I got lots of free stuff including a foot hammock - totatlly sold the deal. By high executive standard not that much but I LOVE it!.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2024 2:43:28 GMT
Agree they might be weak or risky with anything mechanical or appliance-oriented. I've only bought very simple items. Their fly fishing lures are particularly wonderful. That's why I never got into trying to tie my own flies. How can my big, oafish hands replicate what a delicate little 13yo Chinese girl can create? Making your own flies is 1/2 the sport! A friend of mine makes his flies, then makes a painting of them to frame on his walls. I think he is beyond saving You might be interested in the great feather heist: "He was only 20 when he stole the birds, 299 of them. And not just any dead birds, they were from one of the most important collections in scientific history. And also, their feathers would fetch about a million dollars if he took them apart and sold them to salmon fly tyers-- which he did, some of them" www.thisamericanlife.org/654/the-feather-heist
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Post by FD1000 on Feb 26, 2024 5:18:24 GMT
I specialized in buying stuff much cheaper that work well. From small stuff and all the way to expensive stuff. 1) Sketchers? When I was younger I could wear anything. In the last several years I have a problem that can only be solved by good sneakers/running shoes if they fit me. All the MDs I saw recommended New Balance or Brooks or any shoe that is very comfortable, wider with good cushions. As it turned out these 2 were the best, mainly Brooks, both have wide + extra wide. I checked many others including Sketcher, not as good. 2) Paying for ATM all over the world never bothers me because Schwab ATM pays me back all the fees. 3) Temu? I have been using Ebay for that, no min required and they come from China. 4) adjustable standing desk? this item has been used for years in many IT shops. From years of experience many tried that and gave it up within weeks-months. 5) I love buying FAKE stuff from Amazon based on expensive known items at a much lower prices because the Chinese fake stuff do a lot and reasonably reliable. I order several and keep the one I like most A used a fake Fitbit for $18 for 3 years, and it still works. I bought a fake tracker Apple watch for $25 and it still works. Technology keeps moving, even if it breaks, I don't care. Several weeks ago I bought wireless earbuds at $10.99 (they had a $9 coupon) with great sound because I got fed up with the cheap wire one when I go to LA Fitness that I have been using for 5 years. 6) Several years ago I decided that paying high prices for eye glasses makes no sense. Clark Howard is a consumer guru in ATL and many listen to him (https://clark.com/) he recommended www.zennioptical.com/. I took the bite and never looked back. One of the most expensive lenses you can buy are Transitions® XTRActive Polarized. Most opticians would charge you $500+, at Zennie it's only $121.95. 7) Hotels, motels, B&B, private people: booking.com is my bible 8) Flights : www.skyscanner.com/ Kayak kiwi 9) There are so many deals and great options using the internet. Amazon is the king, I buy several options and keep one, delivery is quick and returns are free. REI is a fabulous store with great knowledgeable people at a reasonable price. You can return up to one year, no questions ask. IMO, in order to stay in business, a store should have Amazon model, Walmart model, or REI.
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Post by archer on Feb 26, 2024 5:43:23 GMT
+1 on Zenni and REI
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Post by flipperxxx on Feb 26, 2024 12:07:49 GMT
+1 on Zenni. if i'm looking to buy just about anything, i always search the threads at slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9, not just to see who's got the best prices but also to read the conversations about whatever it is. it's where i found Zenni, too.
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Post by johntaylor on Feb 26, 2024 14:37:34 GMT
Just ordered a new ab roll wheel from TEMU, a $7.98 item
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Post by yakers on Feb 26, 2024 16:22:47 GMT
Sketchers=good. I used to laugh at my mom wearing some thick soled, soft shoes, now its all I wear.
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Post by archer on Feb 26, 2024 17:12:12 GMT
I have bought from usedworkclothing.com
I used to have a better connection for work cloths but the owner retired and closed shop. I used to get 6 pair of pants and 6 shirts shipped to my door for $20. This was 20 years ago, but adjusted for inflation it was better than the link above
Also, when I take items I don't need to Salvation Army or Goodwill, I browse the store for good deals. I bought a working espresso machine for $5.00.
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Post by anitya on Feb 26, 2024 19:08:26 GMT
What is wrong with Costco optical, which I have been using for 20 years? May be I should look into zennioptical.com
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Post by anovice on Feb 26, 2024 20:49:15 GMT
What is wrong with Costco optical, which I have been using for 20 years? May be I should look into zennioptical.com I love Costco optical. Good prices, good quality, and good service. The glasses automatically come with scratch resistant coating, anti-reflective coating, and the blue filter (clear). And you can bring your own new frames and for a $25 (patient own frame charge), they will put new prescription lenses in the frames for the regular cost of the lenses. Any problem that I have had, Costco stood behind 100%, even a year or two down the road. I am in the store every two weeks and get my glasses cleaned and adjusted.
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Post by richardsok on Feb 26, 2024 23:26:10 GMT
Agree they might be weak or risky with anything mechanical or appliance-oriented. I've only bought very simple items. Their fly fishing lures are particularly wonderful. That's why I never got into trying to tie my own flies. How can my big, oafish hands replicate what a delicate little 13yo Chinese girl can create? Making your own flies is 1/2 the sport! A friend of mine makes his flies, then makes a painting of them to frame on his walls. I think he is beyond saving I do a pale version of fly-tying, I suppose. Standing out in the middle of a rushing river, I have found some of the metal eyes of my smallest lures are so tiny I cannot connect them to a tippet at all. So I pre-tie my smallest flies -- some not much larger than a gnat -- at home with a magnifier, bright light and even tweezers -- and roll the ready-to-connect lure onto old wine cork or round foam rubber. From there, connecting a new fly onto my leader with a simple square knot is easy. A perfectionist might connect with something like this: www.animatedknots.com/double-fishermans-bend-knotBut lines are so fine, there's always a breeze, one needs steady hands to do well. So I practice. Wife thinks I'm nuts.
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Post by richardsok on Feb 26, 2024 23:27:05 GMT
Yeah, I read about that somewhere once. Great story.
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Post by liftlock on Feb 27, 2024 4:31:31 GMT
What is wrong with Costco optical, which I have been using for 20 years? May be I should look into zennioptical.com I like Costco optical, but my experience is that they have a poor selection of frames.
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Post by FD1000 on Feb 27, 2024 4:48:22 GMT
Costco optical is probably the best choice if you need to see someone at the store + the guarantee, but I'm not a member and probably will never be one because it's too far of a drive, not many options, quantities are too big, a fee for membership. It all means I would go there just 3-4 times annually. The prices are really good. Costco transition = Transitions® Signature® GEN 8 = $99 is a great price. Zenni = $70.95 They don't have the best one IMO = Transitions® XTRActive Polarized. It's actually amazing that Zenni has them.
You can get glasses at Zenni for just $12. The frame starts at $6.95, it includes High-quality frame, Basic prescription lenses, Anti-scratch coating, UV protection. Shipping is $4.95. I looked at both Costco + Zenni and Zenni has better selection. I could not find anything I like at Costco. At Zenni I found 3 frames at $19.95
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Post by richardsok on Feb 27, 2024 14:06:10 GMT
Agree w/ Costco remarks, as it's just me & the wife here. But Zenni is a good find. I have it noted, as is the used work clothing site. Ten years ago I probably would have used it a lot more; but at my age, boondocking for distant trout streams is something I do less often.
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Post by anovice on Feb 27, 2024 18:52:16 GMT
Costco optical is probably the best choice if you need to see someone at the store + the guarantee, but I'm not a member and probably will never be one because it's too far of a drive, not many options, quantities are too big, a fee for membership. It all means I would go there just 3-4 times annually. The prices are really good. Costco transition = Transitions® Signature® GEN 8 = $99 is a great price. Zenni = $70.95 They don't have the best one IMO = Transitions® XTRActive Polarized. It's actually amazing that Zenni has them. You can get glasses at Zenni for just $12. The frame starts at $6.95, it includes High-quality frame, Basic prescription lenses, Anti-scratch coating, UV protection. Shipping is $4.95. I looked at both Costco + Zenni and Zenni has better selection. I could not find anything I like at Costco. At Zenni I found 3 frames at $19.95 Being that you are such a huge fan of Consumer Reports, I wanted to share this with you. CR conducted a survey (see below) and Costco Optical came in #1 with an "Overall Satisfaction Score" of 80 based on the 7 attributes. Zenni Optical was #11 with a score or 59. "Guide to the Ratings: Ratings are based on Consumer Reports’ 2022 Fall Survey from 11,450 CR members’ responses to eyeglass purchases made within the past 2 years prior to October 2022. Overall Satisfaction Score of eyeglass retailers is derived from CR members’ ratings of retailers’ product quality, selection, care taken to fit glasses, quality of service, follow-up service, price paid, retailer policies, and our CR Consumer Experience Score (not included in the ratings table). All attributes listed under Survey Results reflect average scores on a scale from “very poor” to “excellent.” Ratings reflect the experiences of CR members, who may not be representative of the general US population. Dashes (“-”) indicate insufficient sample size to provide a rating or that an attribute is not applicable to a retailer."
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Post by catdog on Feb 27, 2024 20:55:28 GMT
I have talked before about using the Fidelity credit card and linking our cash back directly to our Fidelity money market fund. We recently took it a step further and now have our Social Security checks deposited right into the money market fund.
Also don't give up just yet on brokered CD's. Three and four month CD's are creeping back to the 5.3%/5.35% area.
Catdog
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Post by FD1000 on Feb 27, 2024 22:22:37 GMT
anoviceCR is good about vehicle rating but not with many products, especially cheap ones. Examples: Walmart ranks low, millions don't care including me. Publix ranks a lot higher than Kroger, millions, including me say otherwise. I don't agree with CR rating for electronics, and home appliance. There are great options at a 30% cost of the best ones. Eyeglasses is a pretty simple product to make and last. Costco is a great example of cheap and good but you must be a member and like the other stuff I pointed out. If you like the frames at Costco I would use them.
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Post by anovice on Feb 28, 2024 0:55:02 GMT
anovice CR is good about vehicle rating but not with many products, especially cheap ones. Examples: Walmart ranks low, millions don't care including me. Publix ranks a lot higher than Kroger, millions, including me say otherwise. I don't agree with CR rating for electronics, and home appliance. There are great options at a 30% cost of the best ones. Eyeglasses is a pretty simple product to make and last. Costco is a great example of cheap and good but you must be a member and like the other stuff I pointed out. If you like the frames at Costco I would use them. FD1000, CR had nothing to do with rating these eyeglass purchases. The ratings are based on Consumer Reports’ 2022 Fall Survey from 11,450 CR members.
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Post by habsui on Feb 28, 2024 2:48:21 GMT
Titleist AVX 2024
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Post by FD1000 on Feb 28, 2024 4:23:08 GMT
anovice CR is good about vehicle rating but not with many products, especially cheap ones. Examples: Walmart ranks low, millions don't care including me. Publix ranks a lot higher than Kroger, millions, including me say otherwise. I don't agree with CR rating for electronics, and home appliance. There are great options at a 30% cost of the best ones. Eyeglasses is a pretty simple product to make and last. Costco is a great example of cheap and good but you must be a member and like the other stuff I pointed out. If you like the frames at Costco I would use them. FD1000, CR had nothing to do with rating these eyeglass purchases. The ratings are based on Consumer Reports’ 2022 Fall Survey from 11,450 CR members. I know that and how they rate vehicles, supermarkets...and more. As I already said, I don't use or like many of their rating because they are not good IMO. Examples: Apple laptop has been better than all/most other laptops. I'm sure it's true but at 3 times the costs, it is not IMO. A simple wash machine that I bought years ago is great, the more expensive ones are double in price but have more electronics and/or apps and much more. All I want/need is to wash my clothes with several options. My phone camera is OK for me, I'm sure I can spend a $1000 for a great camera. CR is right but not for me. Publix vs Kroger. We have both at around 1-1.5 miles. If we miss something I will go to Kroger. If I want something special I can only find at Publix, I will go the Publix. Publix has a better service, Kroger service is fine but prices are much cheaper. I still shop mainly at Aldi+ Walmart. Better service about generic stuff doesn't matter to me. If I want great advice on camping, sneakers I go to REI, these are unique things and REI staff is very knowledge, their prices are pretty good too, this is where I look for advice. On the other hand, most Toyota vehicles are superior for a similar price. It makes sense to buy a Toyota over other options. "Consumer Reports’ product ratings are unique in that they combine product performance, measured through expert lab testing, with predicted reliability and owner satisfaction data gathered through surveys of product owners. The latter two measures are based on consumers’ real-world experiences with products they have purchased and reflect consumers’ use of products over time. By combining lab performance testing with data based on the experiences of hundreds of thousands of real consumers, Consumer Reports ratings give consumers the most complete information on what they can expect from each product."
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Post by anovice on Feb 28, 2024 11:23:22 GMT
FD1000, CR had nothing to do with rating these eyeglass purchases. The ratings are based on Consumer Reports’ 2022 Fall Survey from 11,450 CR members. I know that and how they rate vehicles, supermarkets...and more. As I already said, I don't use or like many of their rating because they are not good IMO. Examples: Apple laptop has been better than all/most other laptops. I'm sure it's true but at 3 times the costs, it is not IMO. A simple wash machine that I bought years ago is great, the more expensive ones are double in price but have more electronics and/or apps and much more. All I want/need is to wash my clothes with several options. My phone camera is OK for me, I'm sure I can spend a $1000 for a great camera. CR is right but not for me. Publix vs Kroger. We have both at around 1-1.5 miles. If we miss something I will go to Kroger. If I want something special I can only find at Publix, I will go the Publix. Publix has a better service, Kroger service is fine but prices are much cheaper. I still shop mainly at Aldi+ Walmart. Better service about generic stuff doesn't matter to me. If I want great advice on camping, sneakers I go to REI, these are unique things and REI staff is very knowledge, their prices are pretty good too, this is where I look for advice. On the other hand, most Toyota vehicles are superior for a similar price. It makes sense to buy a Toyota over other options. "Consumer Reports’ product ratings are unique in that they combine product performance, measured through expert lab testing, with predicted reliability and owner satisfaction data gathered through surveys of product owners. The latter two measures are based on consumers’ real-world experiences with products they have purchased and reflect consumers’ use of products over time. By combining lab performance testing with data based on the experiences of hundreds of thousands of real consumers, Consumer Reports ratings give consumers the most complete information on what they can expect from each product." FD1000: "As I already said, I don't use or like many of their rating because they are not good IMO" FD, I will try one last time. Consumer Reports did not rate the eyeglass purchases. They only conducted the survey. 11,450 CR members rated their eyeglass purchases.
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Post by FD1000 on Feb 28, 2024 14:10:06 GMT
FD1000: "As I already said, I don't use or like many of their rating because they are not good IMO" FD, I will try one last time. Consumer Reports did not rate the eyeglass purchases. They only conducted the survey. 11,450 CR members rated their eyeglass purchases. I will also try once more. I have a direct quote from CR. "Consumer Reports’ product ratings are unique in that they combine product performance, measured through expert lab testing, with predicted reliability and owner satisfaction data gathered through surveys of product owners. The latter two measures are based on consumers’ real-world experiences with products they have purchased and reflect consumers’ use of products over time. By combining lab performance testing with data based on the experiences of hundreds of thousands of real consumers, Consumer Reports ratings give consumers the most complete information on what they can expect from each product." Regardless if it's only customers and/or CR testing, I don't think CR ratings are good for many items. I gave several examples, customers + CR disregard prices or availability. I looked at Costco and I can't find any frame I like regardless of the price while I found 3 at Zenni, at this point ratings don't matter. I ordered my first pair 3 years ago and now have 3. Usually I would have only one but the first 2 costs me $20 each. All my kids have glasses and sometimes they broke them. If Zenni was available, I would buy each kid 2-3 pairs. He is a site that rates all the online sites for glasses ( www.cnet.com/health/personal-care/best-places-to-buy-glasses-online/) Zenni is highly rated.
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