Recession Me

We love Lifeway Kefir. Costco sells a 12-8 fl. oz. package for $9.99 or $0.104 per ounce.

The question is whether a 12-8 fluid ounce package of kefir would cost less per ounce than a single 32 fluid ounce bottle of kefir.

If a retailer was selling a single 8 fl. oz. bottle of kefir, I’m pretty sure that the 32 fl. oz. bottle of kefir would be cheaper per ounce. Likewise, a single 96 fl. oz. bottle of kefir would probably be cheaper than a single 32 fl. oz. bottle of kefir. However, would 12 8 fl. oz bottles of kefir be cheaper per ounce than a single 32 fl. oz bottle?

I picked up a 32 fl. oz. bottle of Lifeway kefir from Milk Pail in Mountain View, CA for $3.99. The per ounce cost is $0.125.

So, a lot of small bottles purchased together costs less than one larger bottle, despite all the extra packaging.

After using the Karma WiFi device for one afternoon, I purchased the Verizon Jetpack MHS291LVW instead. The big advantage of the Karma is the low initial cost. For those needing access to Wi-Fi once a month or even once a week for a few hours, the no commitment $14 per 1 GB Karma would probably suffice.

However, once your usage level increases, you’re looking at $56 per 4 GB versus $50 per 4 GB on Verizon, provided your usage level remains steady month-to-month.

The big difference though is the speed. On the Karma, I was seeing 1.34 Mbps download and 0.11 Mbps upload. The Verizon unit was a lot faster at 4.94 Mbps download and 0.93 Mbps upload, which was pretty close to my 6 Mbps AT&T DSL connection. Ookla Speedtest clocked my AT&T service at 5.07 Mbps download and 0.64 Mbps upload.

Update – August 29, 2013

I wonder if the speedtest.net numbers are valid. At one location in Palo Alto, the Verizon MiFi clocked in at 10.92 Mbps download.

In Mountain View, speedtest.net reported the same unit achieving 27.15 Mbps download.

Recently, I needed an occasional WiFi connection while away from home and work, so I started studying my options. I looked at the usual suspects; i.e., AT&T and Verizon mobile hotspots, but the monthly pricing on their websites is a bit opaque. Tethering might have been an option, if I didn’t have to surrender an unlimited data plan.

So, I borrowed a Karma social hotspot from Nicholas Moline for a trial.

The big difference between Karma and the big boys is its no commitment pay-as-you-go model. If I don’t like the experience, I won’t be saddled with a 2-year contract. Considering that the quality of the mobile WiFi service is completely location dependent, being able to move to another provider if service is not up to par is quite important. Also, for a low-power user, $14 per 1 GB (which may last days, weeks or months) offers a lower entry level than the $50/month that the major services charge.

On to the review. The device is quite compact and light. I placed a quarter on the device for reference.

Just press the power button and away it goes. To access the network, I selected it from the available WiFi networks. It did require a Facebook account or e-mail address to register. I’m not sure if this is the smartest design because Facebook freaked out and requested account verification details . Probably accessing the internet via an out-of-state IP address that geolocated to Duluth, MN tripped up some security settings.

I ran a broadband speed test, which took some time to spit out these numbers:

On a browser, text renders pretty quickly, while photos noticeably lag while loading. So, it isn’t awesome, but depending on your individual usage, it may be decent or event acceptable. For browsing the news or chatting with friends, I had no issue. But. if your usage is any heavier, I can see how the WiMAX connection may not be enough. MailPlane (an email application for accessing Gmail accounts) struggled as well.

Karma credited me with an initial 100MB allocation for free. During about 45 minutes of work, I burned through 30MB of data, and I was really trying to conserve bandwidth. At this rate, I might get 25 hours of usage from a 1GB allocation, which may last 1-2 months for me. For not much more, Verizon offers a existing customers a $20 plan, instead of the $50 plan, which also features a faster internet connection. I have no idea how much AT&T charges additional customers on a Family Plan. I couldn’t find the information after looking on its website.

For the occasional, budget user, the Karma probably fills the niche quite well.

Our local Costco has started stocking pistachio gelato. I’m pretty sure that it is a permanent item because I’ve seen it in the warehouse for a few weeks now. The first time I saw it, I bought two containers because I wasn’t sure if it would be there the following week. Some items, like the much beloved pog, I’ve only seen once in the warehouse.

Anyways, the gelato comes from Italy, and sells for $9.99 per 2.2 lbs container.

The pistachio gelato is absolutely delicious, if you like pistachios. Costco also carries a lemon sorbet and mango sorbet by Michielan as well. However, without the cream (and accompanying calories), the sorbet just lacks the indulgence that gelato offers.

It all began in 2012 during the Obon Festival at the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple. One thing led to another, and before long, we ended up walking out with a goldfish in hand. So cheap to win, so expensive to maintain.

Next up was finding a place to live for our new-found friend. Being non-committal, I started small with a Tetra 3-Gallon Cube Aquarium Kit. Almost a year later, I’m switching out the internal filter with a Hang on Back (HOB) filter. A reviewer on Amazon recommended the AZOO Mignon Filter 60, so I’m giving it a try.

While the AZOO Mignon comes with some basic filters, this YouTube video offers modifications to enhance the performance of the filter. Hence, my adventure to track down AquaClear Form, BioMax and Zeo-Carb filters.

PetSmart, the closest big box pet store, did not carry AquaClear 20 accessories. However, Pet Club did. AquaClear 20 Foam was $1.19, AquaClear 20 BioMax was $3.29, and AquaClear 20 Zeo-Carb was $2.19.

Now, Amazon has a 3-pack of Aquaclear 20-Gallon Foam Inserts, 3-Pack for $4.85 or $1.62 each. So much for buying in bulk. Aquaclear 20-Gallon Biomax goes for $4.82. AquaClear 20 Zeo-Carb goes for $3.86.

Update: The AZOO Mignon Filter 60 works really well, and fits right in the space vacated by the old filter. It cleared up the water in the aquarium right away, and I could see particles in the water head straight for the filter. Additionally, as an HOB filter, it opens up some space in the small tank. However, the AZOO did create a small current, even at the lowest setting, which really excited the White Cloud Mountain Minnows. Suddenly, these docile fish turned really active and even headed to the water surface to grab the flakes. Unfortunately, one of the minnows proceeded to jump out of the tank over night out of the gap created when the filter was replaced. If you do switch to the AZOO, keep that in mind. I closed the gap with a sheet of plastic wrap.

Just because journalists keep repeating the lie that bricks-and-mortar establishments cannot compete against Amazon, it doesn’t mean that it’s true.

Costco sells this memory foam pillow for $24.79.

Scanning the bar code with the Amazon iOS app brings up the same item selling for $39.99 + $3.99 shipping. Not even close.

Needless to say, I did not buy the pillow through Amazon.

Amazon started off as a bookstore, so it must offer the lowest prices on books, right? After all, that’s the reason why independent bookstores cannot compete with the online goliath.

By no means is Costco a bookstore. At best, it offers a rotating stock of selected books all in one convenient aisle. However, since I’m in Costco on a weekly basis, I do browse and see what books Costco has for sale on occasion. Bookstores? Not so much.

So, Costco is selling Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days for $7.99.

Target is selling the same book for $9.99, or 25% more!! So much for being a discount retailer.

Amazon sells Dog Days for $10.39, which “saves” you 26% off the list price. But that is 4% more than Target and 30% more than Costco.

A while back, there was some controversy over Amazon’s price check promotion. The assumption in all the complaints is that Amazon offers the lowest prices and that bricks and mortar stores simply cannot compete. That is not true.

Lately, the weather has been blazingly hot. So, I was thinking ice cream during a recent visit to Costco.

Costco was selling the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Ice Cream Maker for $39.99.

Using the Amazon iOS app, I scanned the bar code and came up with this:

Costco beats Amazon by almost 30%!

Next item, which must be a Cinco de Mayo special: Casa Maria Natural Stone Mortar & Pestle.

$14.99 from Costco.

From Amazon, it was $45.87 + Free Shipping. This stone mortar and pestle is heavy. So, shipping must cost the retailer a small fortune. When I searched for the same item again today by scanning the bar code, Amazon returned a price of $32.89 + $12.99 Shipping (or $45.88).

The lesson is don’t buy into the myth that Amazon always offers the lowest prices. For large bulky or heavy objects, this is particularly true. What Amazon does offer is convenience. You don’t have to drive around town to find a specific item that a bricks and mortar store may not have in stock.

Spring has arrived. I know because Costco has been selling soil, compost tumblers, tomato plants and other gardening supplies lately. I’ve been thinking about the Lifetime Dual Composter Model #60072, which Costco sells for $149.99. Amazon sells the Lifetime 60072 Dual Compost Tumbler for $230.49. I guess the 81 pounds in shipping weight skews the economics of purchasing from Amazon.