I have bought 2 new cars in the last 6 months. One for my family and one for my mother.
Never buy the first car you see. Dealers will do everything they can to not let you out the door once you walk in. Well, not all dealers but the one who sell the most cars won't. 97% of the people who leave without buying buy their car somewhere else.
Do a lot of research on what cars will do the job you want it for. Not everybody needs a big SUV or Pickup Truck every day let alone more than a day or two a month. Maybe you want one and can afford one. When gas prices go back up you might regret it. For you Hummer owners out there, now is a good time to sell it. Before gas prices go back up.
We bought a Honda Pilot. But first we looked at a Mazda CX9 and Toyota Highlander. We drove them all. Put them side by side as well. The dealers were all within a block of each other.
We also looked at a few others but they didn't fit the mission. Be able to carry 3 people, two dogs and enough clothes and gear to live somewhere almost 2000 miles away for the summer. The CX5, CR-V and Rav4 didn't cut it.
While the CX9 has more listed cargo space than the Pilot it's not really usable unless you are filling the vehicle with sand or water. All those sexy looks of the CX9 make the space less usable.
We also picked those 3 vehicles because they have really good reliability records. We also asked friends and Facebook Friends what they thought of them. Many of them had the Pilot and loved it. They would all buy another one.
Another cost is cost of ownership. The Honda gets and average 18MPG the way we use it most of the time. If we only needed the extra seats and cargo room 2 weeks a year we would have bought the
CR-V. The CR-V gets almost 30MPG. The reason we didn't get it is to rent a Minivan or Pilot size car in the summer is about $1000 per week. We need this car for about 6 weeks. Do the math.
On this car we didn't have a trade. That removes one way a dealer makes more money on you than you think. I will cover how to best deal with a trade in on how and why we bought the car we did for my mother.
Then I looked at TrueCar.com and other sites to see what the invoice price was and what others were paying. Since it was a 2015, the first 2015 the dealer had sold I had to go off the 2014 prices for reference.
They were giving a $1000 dollar incentive for buying a 2014, but $1000 to buy last years model is not enough. Mazda was giving $2,500 dollars of to buy last years model. That's almost enough to buy an older model but we chose the car for the job, not the price. there is nothing you will regret more than buying a car that doesn't do the job no matter how much cheaper it is.
The 2015 ended up costing only $500 dollars more than the 2014 with the $1000 end of year discount would have been.
O.K., so now you have the best deal on the car. Not so fast. You have to make it past the Finance guy. This is where dealers make all the money. They have lots of things to sell you. All of them are based on fear.
Extended Warranties, Paint Protection, Key and Tire Insurance. Don't but it. Any of it. If you really need an extended warranty look online before you buy. You can buy them form any dealer and many sell it for hundreds less than the one that has you locked in their office.
The paint protection costs more than getting your car waxed twice a year. Keys are covered under your motor club at least part of the cost. AAA is a good deal. Don't lose your keys.
Financing. You should know before you walk into the dealership what you can get financed for outside the dealer. When you have those numbers the dealer will either match or beat it.
If your buying a car that needs an extended warranty buy a different brand or buy a cheaper car. If you can't afford a repair out of warranty you probably can't afford the car your buying.
Out of all the cars I've owned they have all outlasted the warranty period. That's probably because I actually change the oil and fluids with Amsoil.
At the first oil change I put in Amsoil engine oil and extended life filter. Then I change it once a year or every 15,000 miles. While it's more expensive initially it's cheaper than changing oil every 6 months or buying an extended warranty.
My Astro Van has 274,000 miles on it. The first owner changed the transmission at 89,000 miles. That's about 14,000 miles past any extended warranty. I put Amsoil in the trans when I bought it at 139,000 miles and changed it again at 240,000 miles. I have gotten more miles, almost double, out of the rebuilt transmission than the original owner got out of the factory new transmission. It also has the original engine and rear differential. Buy Amsoil, not extended warranties. Use that money to do the regular scheduled maintenance.
Ask most owners of the reliable brands and most if not 98% have never used that extended warranty for more than they paid for it. My mother just traded in her 2000 Toyota 4Runner. In the whole time she had it she never had anything replaced that the extended warranty would have covered.
So do the research, pay for the Consumer Reports website, use TrueCar.com, Cars.com and or Edmunds.com among other websites. Drive many cars that fit the job and then and only then should you set foot in the dealer to buy a car. If you don't know how to negotiate then you should hire someone like me to do it for you or follow the online advice of how to buy using nothing but email.
One other thing about sites like TruCar. Most dealers probably don't have the exact car you want. They will give you a price for that car but the dealers will send you quotes on cars they have on their lot.
Some will look really cheap or be within $100-$200 of all the other dealer. But read the small print and they have something called Dealer Installed Options. These are where they make more cash again. Some have $300 in options and some have $2000 in options. Most of these you don't need and many can even be removed from the car before you buy it. And then some let you keep them but take them off the price. Why? They are almost pure profit.
Once you have your new car make sure you follow all the maintenance recommendations. Here is a free website that lets you keep track and even sends you reminders. My Garage.
Enjoy your new car.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Why Doctors and Hospitals are Worse than Car Dealers
Lately I've been doing a lot of research on Doctors and Cars.
In the last year I have bought two cars. One for my mother and one for myself.
I have also had to decide on which health insurance I wanted to buy from my work.
By far the choice of insurance was far harder and has far more unknowns.
I had a choice between three plans. Insurance that is. Well, I really only had a choice between two plans. One of the three had way to much risk and no savings in premiums over one of the other two. It was only in there because the company offered a plan to part time employees. The same cost but way higher deductibles than the cheapest plan for full time employees.
Now why is this worse than buying a car.
First let me tell you a bit about my old plan the company decided they no longer wanted to pay for.
The cost to the employee was only $200 a month with specific copays and very low deductibles and low or no coinsurance.
Prescriptions were also covered for $10 a month. New cost for the same drugs, $30 a month.
$10 copay for primary care doctors.
$25 for a specialist visit.
Urgent Care $50
Hospital ER $100
If you needed surgery you had a 10% copay up to your maximum deductible of $1000 per person.
There were also many things that were free. For example I was having allergy shots 1-2 times a week.
Now heres my issue with the new insurance.
Most of the time when you need a doctor you are sick or injured, you don't have time to shop around. Even if you could shop around doctors don't publish their rates. And if they did they have more prices than a car dealer.
They have a price for people who call in with no insurance. Usually the highest price they charge. Hospitals are almost as bad. They know in an emergency they have to treat you so they handle it a bit differently. They treat you, send you the bill and then give you a discount if you pay in 30 days or less. If not you pay retail on some payment plan.
What might be a $10,000 dollar bill they will tell you it is only $7000 if you pay now. If you have insurance it might only be $5000 ,but, if you have a really aggressive insurance company the bill might get knocked down to $2000.
Then you get bills from the doctors who worked on you separately. Once again the prices could be all over the map. You don't have time to shop or any real power to negotiate. Most doctors or hospitals will just tell you to take a hike if you don't like what they charge.
Now back to my insurance.
If I want to see a specialist I now have to pay the whole bill up to my $800 per person deductible and after that I have to pay 20% of the billed amount up to my $3000 max out of pocket.
Another issue I have is that all my 20% cost sharing is based on rates that the insurance company negotiated. It could be higher than the cheapest price that doctor has said they are willing to take from someone else.
At least when you walk into a car dealer they have their labor rates posted on a wall. You also have time to shop around for the best rate.
Next time you go to the doctor ask them for their price list.
Last week I went into my allergy doc to get my weekly shot. When I was done I asked them how much I owed them if anything. Remember, up until now the shots have been covered 100%. I knew this because it was on my insurance companies website.
My new coverage. Nothing, nada, could't find anything about allergy shots. Are they covered 100%, do I have a 20% copay? Do I pay 100% till I meet my deductible? If I pay do I pay more or less than my last insurance company paid? They paid $5 a shot. Or since I have a new company I don't know.
The receptionist didn't know either. She said she just sent it to the billing people. It's been almost two weeks and I still don't know. The billing department must be way behind. Either that or the insurance company is way behind.
Until I know I'm not going back.
I'm also avoiding specialists. Which wouldn't be so bad if I could get an appointment with my Primary Care Doctor in less than 2 weeks. Urgent Care is now more expensive to visit as well. Which is pretty screwed up since there are several Urgent Cares in the are that let you "join" for a fee and get discount prices. Cheaper prices than I get with insurance. My insurance company is just a middle man siphoning off 20% or more of what I pay. One other side to the equation, what's their incentive to get me the best price when they get a cost plus deal.
I don't blame any of this on the Affordable Care Act. The system has been broken for a very long time. And my plan used to be cheap and cover more because of a collective bargaining agreement. That's right, I belong to a union. The company has been dying to get out from under that health insurance plan for 5 years and finally decided to pay us more so they could. Yet this year they are on track to make multi billions in profit. The CEO will make about 80 million or more this year. I don't think he has to worry about medical bills coating him a new car or his 401k.
So you can hate car dealers all you want but at least there are multiple sources of what a car costs them and now even more sources that will negotiate the price of the care for you.
Costco and Sam's Club, TruCar.Com, Consumers Reports. If you pay too much for a car it's your fault.
Where are these services for Medical Expenses. Why can't I go to the doctor and show my Costco card and get the lowest price possible and then use my insurance to pay their share.
I'd say the system is broken and impossible to fix but it's not. It just requires a change in the way we do business.
My Mother who is 84 has probably the best insurance around. She goes to the doctor, any doctor and pays nothing. Zip, nada, zero.
She pays about $200 a month to a AARP medigap policy. That and her Medicare covers everything.
I know Doctors complain about how much medicare pays. They also complain about all the people they need to pay to keep track of their billing and all those different deals they make with insurance companies.
As I said before I belong to a union. We negotiate a contract every 7-10 years. Almost everyday we complain we are getting paid to little. That we deserve more. We can't come to work one day and just raise our prices.
Well Doc. you might think you have your own business, but you don't. You have expenses and overhead and you have to manage your office and employees but you really work for the insurance companies. Just like my boss tells me that there is now money to pay me more, so does yours. The insurance company.
Actually many doctors are realizing this. They are selling their practices to hospitals and large groups and becoming employees of those groups or retiring. The savings is in hiring fewer people to do the billing among other things.
And don't let Hospitals, Insurance companies tell you the lies they have been. They are getting bigger. A lot bigger. Building more buildings buying more practices and paying CEO's high salaries and bonuses while complain how tough life is.
The medical business is far worse than the auto industry.
In the last year I have bought two cars. One for my mother and one for myself.
I have also had to decide on which health insurance I wanted to buy from my work.
By far the choice of insurance was far harder and has far more unknowns.
I had a choice between three plans. Insurance that is. Well, I really only had a choice between two plans. One of the three had way to much risk and no savings in premiums over one of the other two. It was only in there because the company offered a plan to part time employees. The same cost but way higher deductibles than the cheapest plan for full time employees.
Now why is this worse than buying a car.
First let me tell you a bit about my old plan the company decided they no longer wanted to pay for.
The cost to the employee was only $200 a month with specific copays and very low deductibles and low or no coinsurance.
Prescriptions were also covered for $10 a month. New cost for the same drugs, $30 a month.
$10 copay for primary care doctors.
$25 for a specialist visit.
Urgent Care $50
Hospital ER $100
If you needed surgery you had a 10% copay up to your maximum deductible of $1000 per person.
There were also many things that were free. For example I was having allergy shots 1-2 times a week.
Now heres my issue with the new insurance.
Most of the time when you need a doctor you are sick or injured, you don't have time to shop around. Even if you could shop around doctors don't publish their rates. And if they did they have more prices than a car dealer.
They have a price for people who call in with no insurance. Usually the highest price they charge. Hospitals are almost as bad. They know in an emergency they have to treat you so they handle it a bit differently. They treat you, send you the bill and then give you a discount if you pay in 30 days or less. If not you pay retail on some payment plan.
What might be a $10,000 dollar bill they will tell you it is only $7000 if you pay now. If you have insurance it might only be $5000 ,but, if you have a really aggressive insurance company the bill might get knocked down to $2000.
Then you get bills from the doctors who worked on you separately. Once again the prices could be all over the map. You don't have time to shop or any real power to negotiate. Most doctors or hospitals will just tell you to take a hike if you don't like what they charge.
Now back to my insurance.
If I want to see a specialist I now have to pay the whole bill up to my $800 per person deductible and after that I have to pay 20% of the billed amount up to my $3000 max out of pocket.
Another issue I have is that all my 20% cost sharing is based on rates that the insurance company negotiated. It could be higher than the cheapest price that doctor has said they are willing to take from someone else.
At least when you walk into a car dealer they have their labor rates posted on a wall. You also have time to shop around for the best rate.
Next time you go to the doctor ask them for their price list.
Last week I went into my allergy doc to get my weekly shot. When I was done I asked them how much I owed them if anything. Remember, up until now the shots have been covered 100%. I knew this because it was on my insurance companies website.
My new coverage. Nothing, nada, could't find anything about allergy shots. Are they covered 100%, do I have a 20% copay? Do I pay 100% till I meet my deductible? If I pay do I pay more or less than my last insurance company paid? They paid $5 a shot. Or since I have a new company I don't know.
The receptionist didn't know either. She said she just sent it to the billing people. It's been almost two weeks and I still don't know. The billing department must be way behind. Either that or the insurance company is way behind.
Until I know I'm not going back.
I'm also avoiding specialists. Which wouldn't be so bad if I could get an appointment with my Primary Care Doctor in less than 2 weeks. Urgent Care is now more expensive to visit as well. Which is pretty screwed up since there are several Urgent Cares in the are that let you "join" for a fee and get discount prices. Cheaper prices than I get with insurance. My insurance company is just a middle man siphoning off 20% or more of what I pay. One other side to the equation, what's their incentive to get me the best price when they get a cost plus deal.
I don't blame any of this on the Affordable Care Act. The system has been broken for a very long time. And my plan used to be cheap and cover more because of a collective bargaining agreement. That's right, I belong to a union. The company has been dying to get out from under that health insurance plan for 5 years and finally decided to pay us more so they could. Yet this year they are on track to make multi billions in profit. The CEO will make about 80 million or more this year. I don't think he has to worry about medical bills coating him a new car or his 401k.
So you can hate car dealers all you want but at least there are multiple sources of what a car costs them and now even more sources that will negotiate the price of the care for you.
Costco and Sam's Club, TruCar.Com, Consumers Reports. If you pay too much for a car it's your fault.
Where are these services for Medical Expenses. Why can't I go to the doctor and show my Costco card and get the lowest price possible and then use my insurance to pay their share.
I'd say the system is broken and impossible to fix but it's not. It just requires a change in the way we do business.
My Mother who is 84 has probably the best insurance around. She goes to the doctor, any doctor and pays nothing. Zip, nada, zero.
She pays about $200 a month to a AARP medigap policy. That and her Medicare covers everything.
I know Doctors complain about how much medicare pays. They also complain about all the people they need to pay to keep track of their billing and all those different deals they make with insurance companies.
As I said before I belong to a union. We negotiate a contract every 7-10 years. Almost everyday we complain we are getting paid to little. That we deserve more. We can't come to work one day and just raise our prices.
Well Doc. you might think you have your own business, but you don't. You have expenses and overhead and you have to manage your office and employees but you really work for the insurance companies. Just like my boss tells me that there is now money to pay me more, so does yours. The insurance company.
Actually many doctors are realizing this. They are selling their practices to hospitals and large groups and becoming employees of those groups or retiring. The savings is in hiring fewer people to do the billing among other things.
And don't let Hospitals, Insurance companies tell you the lies they have been. They are getting bigger. A lot bigger. Building more buildings buying more practices and paying CEO's high salaries and bonuses while complain how tough life is.
The medical business is far worse than the auto industry.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Wayne-Dalton Garage Doors or at least the reason why you should not buy one with Torquemaster Springs.
This is my latest experience with a home repair.
In our current house we have a Wayne-Dalton garage door. In our last house we had a Wayne-Dalton Garage door. What did these houses have in common other than a WD garage door? They were built by tract home builders.
There is another thing these doors had in common. I only know what kind of door they had because I have had to replace the springs on both of them.
Who is the first person you call when you need to replace garage door springs? Usually the company that has their phone number on the door. Usually that's the installer. or in my case, Wayne Dalton.
So why should you care or why do I care enough to write about it.
Well on this recent occasion I had a reason to question what the guy from Wayne Dalton told me.
Usually when my garage door springs break, they come out and fix them in one visit. The cost if I remember correctly is a bit less than $300.
Not this time. This time when the single spring broke (not a Wayne Dalton Torquemaster spring), the door strength was compromised. The garage door opener, instead of pulling the door up started to pull it in. About a foot before the Genie Door Opener stopped and reversed. Being that the door was the original door, installed in 1996, you could no longer buy a single panel to replace it. The diagnosis by the technician. The whole door would be need to be replaced. And by the way, so will the opener. Your opener has a stripped gear and while it working now it may be a day or a year but it will fail. And since that opener is as old as your door you can no longer buy the part needed to fix it. I will have the sales department call you on Monday and give you a quote.
So Monday morning I get a call from Sean at Wayne-Dalton and we negotiate a price. New door, new opener installed for about $1400. But, do to unfortunate circumstances we can't install it till next Monday.
So in the interim I was telling one of my friends the story when he asked me if I had a Home Warranty? Well, it just so happens that I do. The reason why I will cover in another post. So, I look at my contract and low and behold, it covers not only the opener but springs as well.
So I file a claim online and within an hour I get a call from the warranty company. I should also add it was around 8PM so that was pretty good.
The next day a women from Legends Garage Door in Phoenix calls me. She tells me she can get a person out the next day (Friday) and he will either fix or give me a quote on the door.
While I have her on the phone I ask her how much it will cost if she needs to replace the door and or the opener. Her price is about $150 more than Wayne-Dalton. But is it? Melissa gave me a lot of advice as well. She said if you do buy their door don't get the Wayne Dalton springs. She also told me not to get the Genie Garage door opener. In Sean's defense he also tried to sell me the Liftmaster opener. It was me who wanted the Genie because the other door is a Genie.
I call Sean back and get a quote for the WD Door and Liftmaster opener. Still cheaper than Legends but only $100. Sean also said I could get regular door springs for no extra cost.
Now it's Friday and Dean from Legends shows up as promised. He looks at the door and says that for $100 he can put on two steel braces that will fix the rigidity of the top panel. The springs, covered by the home warranty.
Less than an hour after he showed up my door was fixed and worked even better than it did before the spring broke. No more sagging door like before. He also changed the angle of the bracket that pulls the door open so it starts by pulling up instead of out. The original install was not done properly.
So now on to the opener. We still had the gear problem. The opener is covered by the warranty as well. Turns out that you can no longer get the part so they replaced the opener as well. I did pay for the upgrade that includes a belt drive, internet gateway and some other cool stuff. The Liftmaster 8550. Total Cost with the door supports, opener upgrade and warranty deductible, $366.22. Not the $1400 or so dollars that Wayne-Dalton wanted.
So not the usual quick fix and business as usual that I'm used to. If not for this sequence of events I would still be as happy and ignorant as usual.
But what does all this have to do with Torquemaster Springs? Well, in the opinion of more than a few people they are junk. I told another friend this story and he told me about his door spring ordeal. Once again Wayne-Dalton springs, another door repair company and his replacement of WD Springs.
He then started noticing garage door repair trucks in his neighborhood often. WD springs are like printer ink. Sell the doors to builders really cheap and have a reliable source of income replacing springs every 3 or 4 years. It cost my friend $500 to replace his springs because he converted them but now they should last about 10 years, the average lifespan of normal door springs.
In our current house we have a Wayne-Dalton garage door. In our last house we had a Wayne-Dalton Garage door. What did these houses have in common other than a WD garage door? They were built by tract home builders.
There is another thing these doors had in common. I only know what kind of door they had because I have had to replace the springs on both of them.
Who is the first person you call when you need to replace garage door springs? Usually the company that has their phone number on the door. Usually that's the installer. or in my case, Wayne Dalton.
So why should you care or why do I care enough to write about it.
Well on this recent occasion I had a reason to question what the guy from Wayne Dalton told me.
Usually when my garage door springs break, they come out and fix them in one visit. The cost if I remember correctly is a bit less than $300.
Not this time. This time when the single spring broke (not a Wayne Dalton Torquemaster spring), the door strength was compromised. The garage door opener, instead of pulling the door up started to pull it in. About a foot before the Genie Door Opener stopped and reversed. Being that the door was the original door, installed in 1996, you could no longer buy a single panel to replace it. The diagnosis by the technician. The whole door would be need to be replaced. And by the way, so will the opener. Your opener has a stripped gear and while it working now it may be a day or a year but it will fail. And since that opener is as old as your door you can no longer buy the part needed to fix it. I will have the sales department call you on Monday and give you a quote.
So Monday morning I get a call from Sean at Wayne-Dalton and we negotiate a price. New door, new opener installed for about $1400. But, do to unfortunate circumstances we can't install it till next Monday.
So in the interim I was telling one of my friends the story when he asked me if I had a Home Warranty? Well, it just so happens that I do. The reason why I will cover in another post. So, I look at my contract and low and behold, it covers not only the opener but springs as well.
So I file a claim online and within an hour I get a call from the warranty company. I should also add it was around 8PM so that was pretty good.
The next day a women from Legends Garage Door in Phoenix calls me. She tells me she can get a person out the next day (Friday) and he will either fix or give me a quote on the door.
While I have her on the phone I ask her how much it will cost if she needs to replace the door and or the opener. Her price is about $150 more than Wayne-Dalton. But is it? Melissa gave me a lot of advice as well. She said if you do buy their door don't get the Wayne Dalton springs. She also told me not to get the Genie Garage door opener. In Sean's defense he also tried to sell me the Liftmaster opener. It was me who wanted the Genie because the other door is a Genie.
I call Sean back and get a quote for the WD Door and Liftmaster opener. Still cheaper than Legends but only $100. Sean also said I could get regular door springs for no extra cost.
Now it's Friday and Dean from Legends shows up as promised. He looks at the door and says that for $100 he can put on two steel braces that will fix the rigidity of the top panel. The springs, covered by the home warranty.
Less than an hour after he showed up my door was fixed and worked even better than it did before the spring broke. No more sagging door like before. He also changed the angle of the bracket that pulls the door open so it starts by pulling up instead of out. The original install was not done properly.
So now on to the opener. We still had the gear problem. The opener is covered by the warranty as well. Turns out that you can no longer get the part so they replaced the opener as well. I did pay for the upgrade that includes a belt drive, internet gateway and some other cool stuff. The Liftmaster 8550. Total Cost with the door supports, opener upgrade and warranty deductible, $366.22. Not the $1400 or so dollars that Wayne-Dalton wanted.
So not the usual quick fix and business as usual that I'm used to. If not for this sequence of events I would still be as happy and ignorant as usual.
But what does all this have to do with Torquemaster Springs? Well, in the opinion of more than a few people they are junk. I told another friend this story and he told me about his door spring ordeal. Once again Wayne-Dalton springs, another door repair company and his replacement of WD Springs.
He then started noticing garage door repair trucks in his neighborhood often. WD springs are like printer ink. Sell the doors to builders really cheap and have a reliable source of income replacing springs every 3 or 4 years. It cost my friend $500 to replace his springs because he converted them but now they should last about 10 years, the average lifespan of normal door springs.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Why you should use a Double Edge Razor instead of one of those Super Speedy Multi Blades
In an earlier post I talked about how my wife bought me a starter shave kit from Art of Shaving. Fortunately she did not by me one of their $100 plus razors. While they sell a few different types of razors, since they are owned by Proctor and Gamble the razor they push is one of their Mach Disposable Razor Handles. Not only do they charge big bucks for the handle but they get close to $2 per blade cartridge.
So I did a bit of research and found a whole big world of "Wet Shaving" on the internet. Wet Shaving is not really what it sounds like. After all, if you're not using an electric razor aren't you wet shaving?
Well, in the world of wet shaving you aren't. Most people use a can of shave cream that is filled with a bunch of chemicals that dry out your face and skin and then run a multi-blade cartridge or disposable razor over their face. You know, what of those high tech blades where the first blade pulls the hair and the next 1-5 blades cut the hair off below the skin.
Well, as it turns out while this sounds great it's not really good for you. Cutting the hair below the skin can cause ingrown hairs. If you get red bumps and irritation after you shave that's probably why.
In the world of Wet Shaving one uses a brush, usually made of Badger and some type of single razor blade, either single or double edge (D.E.) a.k.a Badger and Blade. Just like your father or grandfather did prior to 1980. That's around the time companies in the U.S. stopped making the DE Safety Razor. Just like drug companies when a patent runs out there's little money to be made from your product.
King Gilette is the best known as the first person to mass market the safety razor. He was one of the first people to use the business model where the big money is made by selling consumables for a proprietary product. Think HP Printers and Ink. Sell the printer cheap and charge a lot for the ink.
Well, that concept is alive and well in the razor and blade world. One exception being Dollar Shave Club. Well, not really. They give you a fairly cheap handle and sell you some pretty cheap blades (compared to Gillette) on a subscription basis. They must be making a pretty big impact because Gillette now has their own version of the subscription model. The blades are closer to $2 each instead of $2 dollars a month but even that $2 a month is way more than you need to spend if you use "Badger and Blade".
So why is B&B shaving so much better than any of those super duper high tech scientifically marketed to all of us gullible folks for the last 50 years?
Many reasons. So lets list a few now.
It's cheaper. Or at least it can be. A good new D.E. Safety Razor made in England or Germany can be had for about $50. You can find cheaper one made in China or India but unless you are really strapped for can I wouldn't recommend it. There is a definite difference and a well made razor can last a lifetime or two if it's cared for. There are many razors made prior to 1980 and even as far back as the early 1900's still out there. If you can find one it could be worth lots of money to a collector.
The blades. Most people, myself included try to get one of those expensive cartridges to last far longer than it should. Most blades last 3-5 shaves on average and when you are spending $2 a piece most people use them far longer than they should. This causes more irritation as well. The duller the blade the harder you tend to press. The harder you press and drag your not so much cutting the hair but ripping it out of your face. I'm sure you have noticed that the best shaves come from the newest blades. D.E. razor blades can be had for as little as $.05 to $.10 cents a piece if bought in bulk.
Picking the right razor is pretty easy. Picking the right blade not so much. There are many blade manufactures out there and there are big differences in the sharpness of the blade. Sharper is not always better.
I was lucky. I bought two sampler packs of many different blades for $40 and right out of the gate the first blade I picked has worked great for me. I chose a Gillette. I chose that one first because I had been using a Gillette Disposable Razor from Costco. You know, the ones you buy in the 100 pack. Blade and handle all in one. I have some Bic blades in my sampler pack but since the Bic Disposable has always ripped my face to shreds when I have used them I did not start with the Bic. If you like the Bic then that might be the blade for you. Everybody's face and beard is different so blades are a very individual preference. I have almost 20 different types of blades to try but since the Gillette has worked so well I'm afraid to try and others.
So now we need something to keep that really sharp blade cutting your beard and not your face. You can choose either cream or soap. They make both for shaving. I'm not talking about the stuff that comes out of a can. That stuff is expensive, even the cheap brands aren't really cheap. At around $3 a can and it only lasts a month or two if you shave every day that's a lot of money not to mention a lot of cans filling up a landfill or recycle bin.
You can buy Shaving cream or soap from that will last a month for $2 or some high end really luxurious brands for $15 and up that will last 6 months or more.
Now the best way to apply that cream or soap is with a nice Badger Brush. Do you really need one? No, but it does help and it makes for a really nice experience every time you shave. Which is something I do most every day now when I used to avoid shaving as much as possible. You can get a good brush for around $30 and if you want can spends $100's.
So let's recap. Less expensive. More enjoyable. Less waste so better for the environment. Better for your face. Less irritation and few ingrown hairs. And the best part, surveys show that men with a smooth clean-shaven face get laid more often. What's stopping you now?
Maybe you need some suggestions to get you started. Be careful though. Wet shaving can quickly lead to SAD. Shaving Acquisition Disorder. In just one month since I started I have 2 Razors. Two Brushes and many soaps and cremes not to mention a few other items to compliment my daily shave ritual.
So I did a bit of research and found a whole big world of "Wet Shaving" on the internet. Wet Shaving is not really what it sounds like. After all, if you're not using an electric razor aren't you wet shaving?
Well, in the world of wet shaving you aren't. Most people use a can of shave cream that is filled with a bunch of chemicals that dry out your face and skin and then run a multi-blade cartridge or disposable razor over their face. You know, what of those high tech blades where the first blade pulls the hair and the next 1-5 blades cut the hair off below the skin.
Well, as it turns out while this sounds great it's not really good for you. Cutting the hair below the skin can cause ingrown hairs. If you get red bumps and irritation after you shave that's probably why.
In the world of Wet Shaving one uses a brush, usually made of Badger and some type of single razor blade, either single or double edge (D.E.) a.k.a Badger and Blade. Just like your father or grandfather did prior to 1980. That's around the time companies in the U.S. stopped making the DE Safety Razor. Just like drug companies when a patent runs out there's little money to be made from your product.
King Gilette is the best known as the first person to mass market the safety razor. He was one of the first people to use the business model where the big money is made by selling consumables for a proprietary product. Think HP Printers and Ink. Sell the printer cheap and charge a lot for the ink.
Well, that concept is alive and well in the razor and blade world. One exception being Dollar Shave Club. Well, not really. They give you a fairly cheap handle and sell you some pretty cheap blades (compared to Gillette) on a subscription basis. They must be making a pretty big impact because Gillette now has their own version of the subscription model. The blades are closer to $2 each instead of $2 dollars a month but even that $2 a month is way more than you need to spend if you use "Badger and Blade".
So why is B&B shaving so much better than any of those super duper high tech scientifically marketed to all of us gullible folks for the last 50 years?
Many reasons. So lets list a few now.
It's cheaper. Or at least it can be. A good new D.E. Safety Razor made in England or Germany can be had for about $50. You can find cheaper one made in China or India but unless you are really strapped for can I wouldn't recommend it. There is a definite difference and a well made razor can last a lifetime or two if it's cared for. There are many razors made prior to 1980 and even as far back as the early 1900's still out there. If you can find one it could be worth lots of money to a collector.
The blades. Most people, myself included try to get one of those expensive cartridges to last far longer than it should. Most blades last 3-5 shaves on average and when you are spending $2 a piece most people use them far longer than they should. This causes more irritation as well. The duller the blade the harder you tend to press. The harder you press and drag your not so much cutting the hair but ripping it out of your face. I'm sure you have noticed that the best shaves come from the newest blades. D.E. razor blades can be had for as little as $.05 to $.10 cents a piece if bought in bulk.
Picking the right razor is pretty easy. Picking the right blade not so much. There are many blade manufactures out there and there are big differences in the sharpness of the blade. Sharper is not always better.
I was lucky. I bought two sampler packs of many different blades for $40 and right out of the gate the first blade I picked has worked great for me. I chose a Gillette. I chose that one first because I had been using a Gillette Disposable Razor from Costco. You know, the ones you buy in the 100 pack. Blade and handle all in one. I have some Bic blades in my sampler pack but since the Bic Disposable has always ripped my face to shreds when I have used them I did not start with the Bic. If you like the Bic then that might be the blade for you. Everybody's face and beard is different so blades are a very individual preference. I have almost 20 different types of blades to try but since the Gillette has worked so well I'm afraid to try and others.
So now we need something to keep that really sharp blade cutting your beard and not your face. You can choose either cream or soap. They make both for shaving. I'm not talking about the stuff that comes out of a can. That stuff is expensive, even the cheap brands aren't really cheap. At around $3 a can and it only lasts a month or two if you shave every day that's a lot of money not to mention a lot of cans filling up a landfill or recycle bin.
You can buy Shaving cream or soap from that will last a month for $2 or some high end really luxurious brands for $15 and up that will last 6 months or more.
So let's recap. Less expensive. More enjoyable. Less waste so better for the environment. Better for your face. Less irritation and few ingrown hairs. And the best part, surveys show that men with a smooth clean-shaven face get laid more often. What's stopping you now?
Maybe you need some suggestions to get you started. Be careful though. Wet shaving can quickly lead to SAD. Shaving Acquisition Disorder. In just one month since I started I have 2 Razors. Two Brushes and many soaps and cremes not to mention a few other items to compliment my daily shave ritual.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
It's all about the bass.
I really, really hate this song. How can a song about fish be so stupid. And the most stupid part, we all know it's all about the Tuna, not the bass.
I'm bringing fishy back
Go ahead and tell them skinny fishes, hey
No, I'm just swimming, I know you think you're smelt,
But I'm here to tell you,
Every inch of you is perfect from the dorsal to the pelvic
Yeah, my momma she told me don't worry about your size
She says 'fisherman like a little more fin to hold at night'
You know I won't be no sardine, or baby seal,
So, if that's what's you're into
Then go ahead and move along
Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass
Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass
Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass!!
'Bout that bass, 'bout that bass, hey
I'm bringing fishy back
Go ahead and tell them skinny fishes, hey
No, I'm just swimming, I know you think you're smelt,
But I'm here to tell you,
Every inch of you is perfect from the dorsal to the pelvic
Yeah, my momma she told me don't worry about your size
She says 'fisherman like a little more fin to hold at night'
You know I won't be no sardine, or baby seal,
So, if that's what's you're into
Then go ahead and move along
Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass
Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass
Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass!!
'Bout that bass, 'bout that bass, hey
Friday, December 5, 2014
Buy that BMW you have always wanted.
The best time to buy a BMW is December.
This is the time of year they run all their sales offers and rebates.
They will either finance it or lease it with an affordable payment.
If they don't have a new one you can afford don't be afraid to buy a used CPO model.
This is the time of year they run all their sales offers and rebates.
They will either finance it or lease it with an affordable payment.
If they don't have a new one you can afford don't be afraid to buy a used CPO model.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
My lessons learned from Chipotle.
My first experience with Chipotle, the restaurant, was watching the guy who started it on one of those contest shows where the winner got backed to open their own fast food style restaurant.
He was one of the biggest Richards around. He would go on and on about how he borrowed 80k from his dad and turned it into such a big success. 80 grand is a lot of money. At least to most people. His father was either really rich or really stupid. Why you ask?
If you have 80k and you are not rich and you give it to your kid, odds are really good you will never see it again. Only in hindsight was that ever a good idea. Most parents who give their kids anything rarely see it again.
But I digress. He is a very savvy marketer. The place is hip and uses only the freshest local ingredients. They are even from well treated animals if we are to believe the hype.
But the kicker. The guacamole is $2 extra. Yep. It's like charging extra for bags at airlines.
Many a time I have made fun of the question that you always get asked when you want Guac on your burrito, "That is $2 extra"? DO you still want it?
Of course my answer and that of most people is, yes. Then you think to yourself, do I look like I can't afford it? Is there something about the way I'm dressed or what.
But then I thought about it. I should be asking why. Why is it an extra $2. I don't really want that big spoon of Guac, I just want enough to get some of the flavor. No more than the cheese or pico or any of the other ingredients.
I bet you that extra 2 bucks is what makes the place so profitable.
Next time they ask you if $2 is OK ask them why it's extra? Start giving Chipotle the inferiority complex.
Tell them no. For two bucks their Guac can rot and turn green for all you care. 2 bucks is too much.
He was one of the biggest Richards around. He would go on and on about how he borrowed 80k from his dad and turned it into such a big success. 80 grand is a lot of money. At least to most people. His father was either really rich or really stupid. Why you ask?
If you have 80k and you are not rich and you give it to your kid, odds are really good you will never see it again. Only in hindsight was that ever a good idea. Most parents who give their kids anything rarely see it again.
But I digress. He is a very savvy marketer. The place is hip and uses only the freshest local ingredients. They are even from well treated animals if we are to believe the hype.
But the kicker. The guacamole is $2 extra. Yep. It's like charging extra for bags at airlines.
Many a time I have made fun of the question that you always get asked when you want Guac on your burrito, "That is $2 extra"? DO you still want it?
Of course my answer and that of most people is, yes. Then you think to yourself, do I look like I can't afford it? Is there something about the way I'm dressed or what.
But then I thought about it. I should be asking why. Why is it an extra $2. I don't really want that big spoon of Guac, I just want enough to get some of the flavor. No more than the cheese or pico or any of the other ingredients.
I bet you that extra 2 bucks is what makes the place so profitable.
Next time they ask you if $2 is OK ask them why it's extra? Start giving Chipotle the inferiority complex.
Tell them no. For two bucks their Guac can rot and turn green for all you care. 2 bucks is too much.
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