There is no lack of boasting of our recent deals among Jakob men. However, I have noticed that my father is getting soft on coin pinching. I think he is trading his haggling efforts for ease of purchase (less searching and traveling for deals). At first I couldn't understand it but I think it is almost a natural transition that comes with age. Older men don't want to put the work into dealing (generalizing again).
I've found myself getting lazy sometimes and taking a lesser deal out of convenience, but I still have enough youth in me to fight the fight.
Another realization........Good consumers make good salesman. Understanding the ins and outs of distribution and supply and demand and how to work it to your favour. The opposite is also true. A good salesman makes a good consumer.
I'm not a great salesman but I do think the position has helped me find deals. Others tell me that I find good deals. That makes me feel......well.......manly. (by the way, never tell a guy he didn't get a good deal unless it is something that he will buy frequently and you can save him money with the advice. It'll unneccessarily break his heart and it is too late to help) .....I digress....
Maybe people tell me I find good deals because I just brag about them all the time and people have to say something.
Anyhow, shopping shark or not two heads are better than one. Therefore, here is my proposition:
Anyone who would like a second opinion before making a purchase is welcome to email me with details on the product you want general or specific, with features, and the best price you have been able to find so far. I would like the challenge of trying to save you more money. If I am unable to find a better deal then I will start emailing you before I make purchases if you are that good. As I said two heads are better than one.
If this works well maybe one day we can start an online business where we split the difference.
6 comments:
k so we need an electrician... I'd like someone who is maybe self employed (no pouring money into these big companies) who can do some odd jobs for us without it costing an arm and a leg.... that is your mission.
However we are not looking to purchase an electrician so maybe this isn't valid!
There is a guy just around the corner from you. He works for himself. His name is Joey and he is the longtime boyfriend of Maria Hernandez, a member of the riverside ward. I've had him out to the house a few times. Hes pretty good and he will tell you what it will cost before he does the work which is better than just doing it and charging you 78.00 / hour. (I think that is what the going rate is for an electrician) You will definately save some money with him. I'll call him for you.
Eric - I need an electrician, too. Can you call Joey and ask him to come to our house, too? :)
Hey Eric,
We are going down to Salt Lake City for my brother's wedding, which is November 1. We could drive, which would take one entire day (15 hours) and cost us approx $250 for gas and food.
On the other hand, we could fly. The best deal I have been able to find is on Delta. You pay $100+tax to buy a Calgary-Phoenix ticket and just don't get back on when you change planes in SLC. On the way home, you pay $200+tax to fly SLC to Calgary.
We would want to fly out on Friday early enough to go trick-or-treating in SLC, and fly back on Sunday or Monday (Nov 2 or 3).
Have at it.
Can you beat this deal?
You've got me stumped bro. These days if I see a flight for $100.00 I wouldnt' look any further. I'd book it quick though. I see it is already at $150.00 which is $270 after taxes and fees. Too bad.. Westjet goes for 69.00 but it is direct to phoenix.
How bent are you on saving money? Because the flight looks tasty to me saving time and all. Remember you only go there once in a while so hours may hold more value. Maybe I'm getting older.
If you do drive you could sit down and come up with a list of money savers to widdle away the trips cost. For instance... Filling up just before you come back into Canada will save you $10.00. Maybe you could take orders from your Young men for firecrackers to bring back, get that 2 pant suit at ZCMI to add value. Lots of church stores you could pick some unique church themed Christmas gifts whos originality would compensate for not spending as much on Christmas gifts
Hope you guys are doing well.
Oh.. also be sure that there is a debarking of the plane when you stop over in SLC. Sometimes if you are booked for Phoenix and they get into SLC late they wont even open the doors.
Eric
Thanks for the input. I would certainly prefer to fly, given the short attention span of our 15-month-old travel companion. It would also give us much more time at the destination, and that is worth a great deal. My dad has offered to give us a "student discount" on some new tires on our Jeep if we drive it down there (he's running the family tire store these days), but the Jeep gets much worse gas mileage than our car. If we drove our car, we could also load up on cheaper consumer items to bring home.
There wouldn't be a problem with getting stuck on the plane, because they actually have you change planes in SLC.
What are you doing these days, now that you aren't YM pres? I can't imagine life after YM, but I think I could adjust.
-D
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