The Chronic Consumer

I just got an email from Chase Bank saying that if I open a new bank account with them and set it up to receive direct deposits, then I’ll get an extra $125 as a reward. The offer is good until July 15, and the only thing the fine print says is that the account has to be opened with at least $100 of “new money”, which I guess means no transferred from another Chase account.

I received this email because I have a Chase credit card, and there’s a very long coupon code that I’m supposed to use if I want to follow up on the offer. So I don’t know if this is available to everybody, but it might be worth asking about if you’re looking to open a new checking account anyway.

As part of my efforts to lose some weight, I’ve decided to follow the 10,000 Steps program. The concept is simple: you should strive to take at least 10,000 steps every day, which is the approximate equivalent of 5 miles. This is is supposed to represent the minimum amount of extra activity/exercise that you need on a daily basis, but I’m not sure if that claim is accurate or not.

Anyway, in order to follow the 10,000 steps program, you need a good pedometer. I had a hard time choosing one because it’s hard to tell whether or not the device is accurate, but finally went with a mid-range model from Yamasa, a Japanese manufacturer. It cost around $25. I saw cheaper options for $10, and more expensive ones for about $50.

The pedometer has three display settings: Steps, Distance, and Calories, and I’m sure you can guess what kind of information is displayed for each of the settings! To get the calorie info, you have to input your age and weight first, which took about 5 seconds. The device also displays the current time.

This Yamasa pedometer has a clip so you can attach it to your pants. The instructions say that the device also works if you just carry it around in your purse or pocket, but I haven’t tried that, so I wouldn’t know.

So far, I like my Yamasa pedometer well enough, but I don’t think it’s totally accurate. For example, I’ve tested it by counting my steps as I walk and seeing if my numbers match the display. I’ve done this both for short distances (20 steps or so) and slightly longer distances (100+ steps) and have gotten mixed results. Sometimes the numbers are accurate, sometimes not. When they’re not, the mistakes can be on the plus side (the device counting too many steps) or on the minus side (not counting enough). It’s weird.

Overall, this pedometer is good for giving me a rough estimate of how far I’m walking every day. At least I’m far more aware of having to get up and move around when I’m wearing than I was before, so even if I’m not taking exactly 10,000 steps, I’m definitely getting close. And it’s surprising how much extra movement is needed to hit that goal!

If you’re looking for a pedometer to help count your steps, this one will serve just as well as any other. It’s not 100 percent accurate, but from what I’ve read, none of them are.

I don’t wear baseball style hats that often, mostly because the FlexFit style is everywhere but I need a hole for my ponytail to go through. Adjustable hats are the only ones that have the right hole. Too bad most of them are completely cheesy looking!

So when I was lucky enough to come across this Missouri Tigers hat from Sports Specialties (which is a division of Nike, I think), I had to snap it up.

The hat has a six-paneled structured crown (great for people like me who have oddly-shaped heads!), and an adjustable Velcro strap in the back. The logo is embroidered on, and the hat is made from a blend of 85% acrylic, 15% wool. It’s pretty good quality, considering it was only $14.95!

Right now the hat is just sitting on my tv stand, but once the summer starts in earnest, I’ll wear it every day!

So Mother’s Day is tomorrow, which means there’s not a whole lot of time to buy something for Mom if you haven’t done so already. Fortunately, stores are open for their regular hours tomorrow, so even if you can’t find a gift tonight, you’ll have some time tomorrow. Hey, it’s not like Christmas morning when you have to have the presents ready first thing, right?

If you’re stuck on what to get Mom, just remember that it’s the thought that counts. I’m sure she won’t care what the present is, as long as it comes with love from you. So a nice floral arrangement or bouquet would be much appreciated, and so would a bottle of Mom’s favorite perfume. Jewelry is always a hit, too, so why not splurge a little and buy Mom that beautiful diamond necklace she has always wanted?

Sure, these gift ideas aren’t exactly original, but they’re perfect for last-minute shoppers that are scrambling to come up with something for Mother’s Day.

No matter what you get, I’m sure your mother will appreciate the sentiment. Except for maybe French maid costumes! There’s a time and a place for those, but I’m afraid this isn’t it!

That’s not to say that I’m rich now, but I don’t have financial problems like I used to. When I was in my mid-twenties, I was pretty bad off. I hadn’t yet graduated from college, was living in an efficiency apartment at the Westgate complex, and was working the night shift at a metals factory. I remember that I took home about $230 per week after taxes (I was making just $6.50/hr), and would spend almost my entire check over the weekend.

I had no money management skills at all, and just spent whatever I had on whatever I needed. If it was the week that rent happened to be due, I’d pay my share of the rent ($125) and have only $105 left to spend. If there was nothing due, I blew everything on cigarettes, beer, and blackjack.

Everything turned around when I got a better job and forced myself to follow a budget. I spent only what I had to, made sure I saved at least 10 percent every week, and cut up my credit cards until I got out of debt.

I know times are tight right now, so you’re probably tempted to charge more stuff on your cards, but I’m telling you: don’t do it! You’ll regret it in the end, and have a mountain of debt to show for it. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but it requires discipline to get there!

As someone who shops online all the time, I make a large number of email inquiries about products I’m thinking about buying. I’d say that 99% of the time, I get replies within 1-3 days of submitting my email, no matter how big or how small the company is. Some places even promise to respond within 24 hours — and they almost always do.

But there’s still that 1 percent out there that either don’t answer my emails at all or that take their sweet time about it. Desert Essence, makers of personal care products such as shampoo, skin creams, and mouthwash is one of these companies with absolutely atrocious customer service practices.

Waaay back on January 27 of this year, I emailed their customer care department (the address of which was prominently displayed on the site: CustomerCare@DesertEssence.com) with a simple question.

Hello,

I am new to the Desert Essence website. I have a question about your Jojoba Oil. I see that one product is “100% pure certified organic”, while another is simply “100% pure”. Can you tell me about the differences between these two items?

Thank you,

[Name]

I waited approximately two weeks, but when I didn’t receive a reply, I just went ahead and ordered one of the items anyway, since I didn’t think the difference would be all that critical.

Imagine my utter astonishment to receive an email reply on MAY 1 of this year — more than 3 months after my initial inquiry:

Thank you for your question. Both oils are “pure” and cold pressed. However one is certified organic.

Healthy Regards,
Country Life Nutritionist

Wow, did they really need three whole months to come up with that response? That’s like, what, one sentence per month? Or maybe there was some other problem. Do they simply get so overwhelmed with emails that there’s a 3-month backlog??

Personally, I think this is inexcusable. It doesn’t take much to reply to an email inquiry from a customer, no matter how big or how small your company is, and no matter how many emails you receive.

I won’t go so far as to say that I won’t buy Desert Essence products again. I will, because their jojoba oil works for me. But I will try to buy it from third-party retailers rather than directly from the company itself.

Three months… unbelievable!

Everyone loves free stuff, including me! Today I just read on Oprah.com that KFC is giving away FREE meals to help promote their new grilled chicken. You can go to UnthinkKFC.com to download a coupon that entitles you to a FREE two-piece grilled chicken meal that includes two sides and a biscuit.

This offer is good from May 5 to May 19 (excluding Mother’s Day), but the coupon is ONLY AVAILABLE from 9 a.m. CDT on May 5, 2009, to 9:59 p.m. CDT on May 6, 2009.

There is likely to be very heavy demand for the coupon, so if you have trouble getting on the site, you should wait a while and then come back.

You better believe I’ll be taking advantage of this offer!

Am I the only one who can’t make sense of all the weight loss products on the market today? All of the different manufacturers make slightly different claims, use slightly different ingredients, and warn about slightly different side effects. I say “slightly” because it’s actually pretty hard to distinguish between all the supplements out there. Even after reading reviews of what are purportedly the best weight loss pills, I’m still not sure which one is right for me.

Ugh, this is so difficult! Usually I wouldn’t fret about a seemingly minor decision like this, but many of these pills are actually quite expensive, so I do want to make a smart choice here. Also, I’ve tried diet and exercise without any extra supplements, but haven’t been able to get my body fat percentage down to a level that I’m happy with. I want to try a supplement to see if that will finally get me over the proverbial hump.