Beating Broke

Personal Finance from the Broke Perspective

Costco Can’t Be Beat For Large Purchases

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I love Costco for so many reasons!  My primary reason for getting a Costco membership is because they offer fabulous prices on organic fruits and vegetables and rice milk and so many other grocery staples in our household.  But, now that I’ve been a member for over five years, I’ve discovered two new, perhaps even better reasons why Costco can’t be beat for large purchases: their concierge service and their return policy.

Why Costco Can't Be Beat for Large Purchases

Costco Concierge Service

Three years ago I bought a computer at Costco.  Within three months, I was having serious issues with it.  I called Costco’s concierge service, and they arranged for the computer to go back to the manufacturer for repair at no cost to me.  They sent me a box, and I shipped out the computer.

I’m a freelance writer, so not having my computer for two weeks was inconvenient.  When we were reaching the promised repair time of two weeks and I didn’t have my computer back, I simply called the concierge service who kept me on the line while they contacted the manufacturer’s customer service.  Thanks to some nudging by the Costco concierge service, I got my computer back within the promised two-week window.

The concierge service also helps you troubleshoot.  We bought a TV about five years ago that could show YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, and other internet programs.  Yet, when we moved across the country and set up the television, it no longer would sync with the internet.  A quick call to Costco’s concierge service, and we had the programs on our tv again at no cost for the assistance.

Costco Can't Be Beat for Large Purchases
Photo by Henry & Co. on Unsplash

Costco’s Return Policy

I love, love, love Costco’s return policy.  Forget holding on to receipts for proof of purchase.  If you need to return something, Costco simply looks into their data base using your membership card and finds proof of purchase.  I returned some new pajamas that my daughter didn’t like, no problem.  I rarely use their return service because I like almost everything I buy, but when I do need to use it, I couldn’t ask for better customer service.

Last May, my husband and I bought a Shark vacuum at Costco.  My daughters love to craft, and frequently, there are scraps of paper and yarn on the carpet, which we vacuum up.  Apparently, this type of work was too much for the Shark vacuum that we bought because by December, the vacuum had stopped working efficiently; instead, it just spit out everything it sucked up.

Costco Return Policy
Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash

I called the concierge service, hoping to have it repaired, but apparently they don’t repair vacuums.  Instead, I was told to return the vacuum to Costco, which I did.  To my amazement, Costco offered me a full refund, even though we had used the vacuum for seven months.

I took the store credit and turned right around to buy the heavy duty Shark vacuum that Costco sells.  You can bet I will keep buying all of my electronics and small appliances at Costco.  No other store rivals Costco with their concierge service and generous return policy.

Are you a member of Costco?  Have you taken advantage of their concierge service and return policy?

 

Investing in Your Personal Finances

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In business, we talk all the time about investing in your business.  We’re not talking about actually buying stock in your own company, although there are those that do that as well.  What we’re really talking about is investing the things that will make your business better.  For a cab company, that might mean investing in an extra cab or two.  Or replacing some of the older cabs in the fleet with newer ones.  It might be something as simple as sending an employee (or yourself) to training.  But, as much as we talk about investing in our businesses, how many of us actually invest in our own personal finances?

How to Invest in your Personal Finances

Invest in your personal FinancesInvesting in your personal finances can be something as complex as buying new investments.  But, it can also be something as simple as providing yourself with the training you need to improve your personal finances.  What part of personal finance scares you?  Is it the budgeting?  Is it the balancing?  Selling?  Buying?  Investing?  Maybe you just don’t understand how savings accounts work?  Investing doesn’t mean you need to spend money either.  All those things I just listed can be learned online for free.  It might take a bit longer because it isn’t all consolidated like it would be in a course.  You might need time sorting through sites like this one learning what the authors have to teach.  But, it can be learned.  And, when you’re done, and you understand something a bit better, you’ll have invested in your personal finance.

Earning Dividends on your Personal Finances

In the investing world, dividend paying stocks are the ones that many investors (for sure income investors) will look at first.  Why?  Because, even if the stock doesn’t gain any value, it’s still going to pay that dividend out in most cases.  The people who run the company have invested in the business to improve it enough that it can pay some of it’s revenues back to the shareholders.  You can do the same.  As you invest in your personal finances, and implement the things that you’ve learned, your finances will get better.  You’ll be working on them all the time to improve them.  As they get better, you’ll start earning dividends on your investment.  Maybe it will be in a higher rate of income. Maybe a higher rate of savings.  Or, maybe it will just be a higher rate of understanding that leads to a calmer sense of where your finances are headed.

The quicker you start investing in your personal finances, the quicker you’ll start earning those dividends.  Click on a few of those links in that list up there.  Learn about something that you don’t feel in control of.  Invest in your personal finances today.

The Paleo Diet: A Good Alternative For Those With Celiac and Gluten Intolerance?

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I’m a carb and sugar lover, and I’m guessing I’m not alone among Americans.  Pizza, bread sticks, pasta, bread. . . we are a nation that loves carbs.  For many of us, though, digesting carbs is a challenge.  Dr. Joseph Murray of the Mayo Clinic analyzed blood samples from the 1950s to those now and “confirms estimates that about 1 percent of U.S. adults have [Celiac] today, making it four times more common now than it was 50 years ago”  (CBSNews.com).  Nearly that same amount has Celiac disease but have not yet been diagnosed

Even if you don’t have Celiac, you may have trouble with carbs.  I’m intolerant to gluten, wheat and many other grains.  When I eat them, I feel like I can’t breathe and get dizzy.  Thanks to my many intolerances, I turned to the Paleo Diet.

What Is the Paleo Diet?

The Paleo DietThe Paleo Diet is based on the idea that you’re health will be optimal if you eat like our Paleolithic ancestors did.  That means eating grass fed meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, eggs and nuts.

What’s off limits?  Grains, rice, sugar, beans, processed foods, dairy, and certain types of oil.  If you’re like most Americans, the off limit items probably make up a large portion of your diet, so if you’re thinking of moving to a Paleo diet, I recommend transitioning slowly.  Maybe first give up sugar, then dairy, then grains, etc.  Give yourself at least a month to transition off each so you don’t feel deprived giving everything up at once.

Why Grass Fed Meat?

Traditional meat on the market today comes from animals that are fed a diet heavy on corn and are fattened up on feed lots.  Their diet causes them to produce less omega-3.  When we consume the meat, we develop high levels of omega-6, which is bad for the human body and can cause inflammation.

Cows and lambs especially that are fed an entirely grass fed diet are rich in omega-3, which is good for your body.  According to a 2011 study in the British Journal of Nutrition, “Eating moderate amounts of grass-fed meat for only 4 weeks will give you healthier levels of essential fats.  The British research showed that healthy volunteers who ate grass-fed meat increased their blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids and decreased their level of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids.  These changes are linked with a lower risk of a host of disorders, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression, and inflammatory disease” (Eat Wild).

If you’re going to be eating a large quantity of meat on the Paleo diet, you want it to be the best meat available.

Other Health Benefits of the Paleo Diet

You may have seen the project where a photographer captured what families around the world consume in a week.  What is most startling is how much processed foods and how few fruits and vegetables Americans eat.

If you follow the Paleo diet, yes, you’re eating a diet heavy in meat (but if it’s grass-fed, it’s healthier meat), BUT you’re also eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.  Before I began the Paleo diet, I’m ashamed to admit that I only ate 2 to 3 fruits and vegetables a day.  Now I easily get 7 to 10 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables a day.

What Comes Next

Sure, maybe now you’re convinced that there are benefits to following the Paleo diet, especially if you have a gluten or even dairy intolerance.  However, I’m guessing you’re probably ready to argue that the Paleo diet is too expensive to follow.  While it IS more expensive than a traditional American diet, there are ways to cut corners and make the Paleo diet more affordable, which I’ll explain in my next post.

Have you tried the Paleo diet?  What are your thoughts?

Original Image Credit: Banksy’s Caveman by Lord Jim, on Flickr