Simple but effective!
A greedy chipmunk kept coming back for more so I decided to take action….
Don’t worry I didn’t hurt the little fella… and he/she kept coming back for more after.
A cheat sheet for saving even more money at major retailers–by knowing their secret price codes.
Several popular retailers use “secret” price codes that can clue you in on whether an item is the best deal at the store or not. Here’s a handy chart you can use while shopping to decode those numbers.
Here are the pricing structures for Costco, Target, Sam’s Club, BJ’s, Home Depot, Gap/Old Navy, Sears, and Office Depot. Look for the price on the tag and if it ends in one of these numbers or letters/symbols, you’ll know if you’re getting a really good deal or just the regular price. (Marked down just means it’s on sale, Final Markdown is the lowest price the store will drop it to, Clearance/Discontinued means the store isn’t gong to restock it.)
If you only remember one thing, though, just look for the price ending in any number other than 9 or 99, and you’ll know you’re getting less than full retail price.
You better watch out Barack, something like this may put California in play this November.
Gasoline station owners in the Los Angeles area including Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) are beginning to shut pumps as the state’s oil refiners started rationing supplies and spot prices surged to a record.
Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) stopped selling gasoline on the spot, or wholesale, market in Southern California and is allocating deliveries to customers. Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) is also rationing fuel to U.S. West Coast terminal customers. Costco’s outlet in Simi Valley, 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, ran out of regular gasoline yesterday and was selling premium fuel at the price of regular.
The gasoline shortage “feels like a hurricane to me, but it’s the West Coast,” Jeff Cole, Costco’s vice president of gasoline, said by telephone yesterday. “We’re obviously extremely disheartened that we are unable to do this, and we’re pulling fuel from all corners of California to fix this.”
Spot gasoline in Los Angeles has surged $1 a gallon this week to a record $1.45 a gallon premium versus gasoline futures traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange, data compiled by Bloomberg show. That’s the highest level for the fuel since at least November 2007, when Bloomberg began publishing prices there. On an outright basis, the fuel has jumped to $4.3929 a gallon.
Wondering if a Costco membership is really worth it? This grocery store vs. Costco experiment compares food prices.
Buying in bulk at Costco can save your family lots of money—depending on what you buy. To find out exactly which items are the best deals at the wholesale club, personal finance blog Squawkfox did a shopping experiment comparing unit prices on fresh, frozen, and packaged goods between a local grocery and Costco.
The results are interesting, with the local grocery store coming out ahead for fresh foods (fruits, cheese, chicken, and milk), but Costco saving almost 21% on everything else priced out:
Importantly, the quality of the frozen foods at Costco was better than the supermarket’s generic brand.
In short, a Costco membership might make sense for buying in bulk once a month for those strategic items (frozen foods, canned goods, diapers, etc.)—keeping in mind our previously tip to avoid buying soda, toilet paper, and office supplies at Costco because you can get these at the supermarket on sale cheaper with coupons. Of course, your mileage may vary, so definitely check prices yourself, but the figures above may give you an idea if shopping Costco for certain foods is worth it or not for you. Check out the full article for more tips on making the most of a Costco membership and saving more at Costco.
The monstrous, 5,000 serving package, courtesy of food outfitter Shelf Reliance claims their end days buffet contains “only top-of-the-line products,” “developed with everyday menu planning in mind.”
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