Restaurant.com FAIL!

So a few weeks ago, my mom bought some Restaurant.com “gift certificates” for me. It seemed like a good deal – $25 gift certificates for just $2. Not bad, right? Well, that is until you read the fine print and actually go to one of their “participating” restaurants…

[Flickr/Twain]

MAJOR FAIL #1
To sum up my dining experience this evening in a nutshell, the restaurant did NOT accept my Restaurant.com gift certificate. In fact, so many customers before me have tried to redeem their coupons that the restaurant has had to post a sign on their front door stating that they would not honor them. What the heck, Restaurant.com?! Seems like you’re just arbitrarily listing any restaurant that you can think of on your site as a participant. What a MAJOR FAIL!

MAJOR FAIL #2
Coincidentally, my mom decided to try and use her Restaurant.com coupon this evening as well. While she had a completely different experience, it was equally as disappointing as my experience.

Rather than telling you the story, let me break it down with some simple math:

Here’s the premise: The Restaurant.com gift certificate for this restaurant requires the user to spend at least $50 and provide an %18 minimum gratuity on the pre-discounted meal.

Cost of the meal: $58
Cost of the gift certificate: $2
Tip: $10
Tax: $5
Discount: $25
Total: $50

In the words of Mastercard, this is “priceless” and ridiculously ironic if you ask me. Once again, MAJOR FAIL!

CONCLUSION
Now believe you me, I have no intention of ever using Restaurant.com again and I am pretty sure my mom feels the same way,  but don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what some other more prominent bloggers have to say:

• Consumerist – Chris Walters calls it “shady” and warns consumers to watch out for a no good, sneaky third-party vendor – Shopping Essentials – that wants $15 from you every month in exchange for a non-existent service.
• WiseBread – As much as I like and respect WiseBread, I can’t help but wonder if Xin Liu and her readers have been force feed Restaurant.com Kool-Aid, ’cause the feedback is overwhelmingly positive and supportive.

The Spender and The Saver

[Flickr/DiamondSheepRebirth]

A spender and a saver – would you say this is a match made in heaven or a future divorce statistic? You’d think that when it comes to saving and spending, birds of the same mindset would flock together. Not really – say some personal finance experts – in fact, polar opposites tend to attract when it comes to money and love.

But what if you’re a spender when it comes to some things (like Blu Rays or vacations) and a saver when it comes to other things (like starting a retirement fund). Given this, could it be that as individuals, we’re all a mix of both? What is it about a relationship that makes one person take on the role of the saver while the other becomes the spender?

In most cultures, men have taken on the role of the saver since they were the breadwinners of their families while women were the spenders as the homemakers. Not the case in Japan. While men are typically the breadwinners, they almost always hand over their paychecks to their wives to manage. The thinking there is that women will put the interest of the family first while men have the tendency to squander their money.

Cultures aside, in this day and age, are money management roles assumed or are they assigned?

Many personal finance gurus recommend engaged couples to have a conversation about money before they actually get married. This way, they can work out their financial differences before a horrible spat leads to splitsville. While it doesn’t surprise me that money is a leading cause of divorce, I really wonder how many people actually have this conversation.

Ron Lieber at The New York Times wrote a good column for Your Money last week about the money talks to have before marriage. In a nutshell, here are the things that couples should go over during these conversations:

• Ancestry: Discuss how your partner’s parents managed their money. This will give you a good idea about how he/she does or will relate to money.
• Credit: It’s now or never – find out what your partner’s credit score is. You’ll either have a big sigh of relief or cry…better to do it now then when you’re trying to buy your first home together.
• Control: Figure out how will you manage your money as a couple. Will the responsibility fall on one person or will both of you have a hand in the bills? Will you keep private accounts or combine everything together?
• Affluence: Know if your financial goals are aligned – in other words, “just how rich do [you and your partner] want to be one day” and how will you get there?

I Heart Coupons: Sephora

[Flickr/DisneyMike]

So to bring a little structure to this blog, I’ve decided to start a new section called “I Heart Coupons.” To start things off, here’s a little something for beauty mavens everywhere – Sephora is having their friends & family sale (e.g., everything is 20% off) from now until Mon., 11/2. Here’s the coupon code: FF2009

In using this code and making my first online purchase at Sephora.com, I got a pretty good deal. I bought two full price items (basics which I consider to be must haves) and a few three sale items (things that I wouldn’t buy at full price). While I won’t line list everything that I bought, here are my favorite buys:

Cargo OneBase
(This is a great foundation/concealer for people like me who just needs some light cover up. It has also been a pain in the ass to find. I must have went to at least 4 different Sephora stores and NONE of them had my shade in stock. Unbelievable!)
Original Price = $26.00
W/Discount = $20.08

Sephora Illuminating Tweezers
(Since I lost my good tweezers, I’ve been in the market for a new one. I like the fact that this one lights up, we’ll see if it’s any good though.)
Original Price = $22.00
Sale Price = $11.00
W/Discount = $8.80 (^_^)

In total, I saved $11.70, got free shipping (which is typically over $5) by ordering more than $50 worth of merchandise and got three free samples with my order. IMHO, I thought it was pretty good deal even if Sephora is just a tad bit pricier than Target. My only gripe is that my purchases are not showing up on my Beauty Insider account – I want my points damn it! Gurr…I’m gonna have to call customer services to see what’s up, what a pain!

College Alumni Membership: What is it good for?

[Photo via Ju_li_a/Flickr]

When I graduated from college, I decide to become a lifetime member of my alma mater’s alumni association. I figured that paying $250 upfront at the recent grad rate would eventually pay for itself (since an annual membership would cost about $10-25 a year). In hindsight, I am not so sure if this was the smartest financial decision that I’ve ever made.

Subnote: What I paid was is a bargain compared to the current price of membership, which is $500 for a lifetime membership while an annual membership is now $20-$50 per year.

You see, the only “benefits” that I’ve taken advantage of since graduating three years ago was getting discount at the student store for campus swag and the receiving the alumni magazine. T_T

After re-discovering of the member’s discount and services page this week, I’ve decided that I need to pay more attention and put my alumni status to better financial use. My first order of business will be to reinstating my library card. FYI, this was my original reason for buying the membership, but in all honesty, I haven’t stepped foot in that building since I left….but that’s gonna change!

Save with 2 One-Way Tickets

[Photo via Johnny Vulkan/Flickr]

So according to David Grossman at USA Today, it’s actually cheaper to buy two one-way plane tickets than a round-trip flight.  It seems crazy since it pretty much goes against what most people are taught about booking air travel, but the man’s on to something.

This past week, DL and I decided to abandon our original plan to drive to Vegas in October and fly instead. After trying every combination of flight times, airlines and coupon codes on every travel site that I could think of, I too made the surprising realization that I would save more money with two one-way tickets than a round-trip flight (of course, this was also made possible because of good timing and a coupon):

• Flight #1: Virgin America is having a sale right now FYI. I booked one of the price-slashed flights and added a 20% off promo code from Banana Republic (I’d share it, but it’s one-time use only coupon). TOTAL, including tax & fees: $41.30
• Flight #2: United isn’t having a sale, but the price was right on Priceline. (Memo to self, avoid flights on Sundays ’cause they’re outrageously expensive!) TOTAL, including tax & fees: $79.60
• Hypothetical Round Trip Flight: Let’s say, I bought a round trip ticket from Virgin America. TOTAL, including tax & fees: about $135.00 (I can’t remember the exact number at the time and those flights have already jumped in price.)
• TOTAL SAVINGS: Over $15.00…in Vegas lingo, that could be a buffet breakfast at the Bellagio.

W00T! W00T! W00T!