"Welcome Baby" Lenox Personalized Ornament

This week I spoke with a member of the online marketing team for Lenox.com and learned more about the types of Lenox products sold online. I learned that giftware, collectibles, and jewelry are very popular items on Lenox.com. Also, I learned that Lenox makes personalized ornaments and found it very interesting how they make them. In case you didn’t know, personalized Lenox ornaments make a beautiful addition to your Christmas tree and are very popular, especially during the October through December months. They are commonly given as baby and wedding gifts but they are also given to commemorate graduations and other special occasions.  I was also told that some businesses order Lenox personalized ornaments by the hundred as corporate gifts for clients and employees.

During our meeting I asked for more details about the process of making a Lenox personalized ornament. To better answer that question I was connected with another Lenox team member who sent me the following information regarding the personalization process for Lenox ornaments:

A personalized gift makes a personal gift, and this is especially true of Lenox personalized ornaments. Crafted of Lenox ivory fine china, these ornaments are designed to be personalized with the name of your choice.

What’s extremely interesting is the personalization process itself. Skilled workers here in the U.S. create a decal of the name — often in pure 24 karat gold — and apply it by hand to the ornament. Then the ornament is fired in a kiln so that the name becomes permanently affixed. And, by the way, personalization is always free at Lenox.com.

So there you have the scoop on Lenox personalized ornaments! While the ornament “blanks” are made overseas, I was pleased to hear that they are personalized in the United States. I also invite you to check out the assortment of Lenox personalized ornaments at Lenox.com (and don’t forget to visit our Lenox coupons and free shipping page for the latest Lenox.com specials).

It’s summer time and many traditional past times are being enjoyed everywhere. One exciting — and tastefully rewarding — activity that takes place heavily during the warmer months is grilling. Whether you refer to it as grilling, cooking out, barbequing, BBQ, or something else…the basic idea is this: cooking meats and vegetables over an open flame or heat source (direct or indirect) that has been produced with wood, charcoal, electricity, or gas.

For the casual griller, there is a wealth of information on the Internet that can be used to your advantage when looking to purchase a grill. What features do you need? Do you want a gas grill? Electric? Propane? Natural gas or charcoal? These are questions that you need answered first. The next thing you need to do is find out what to look for in a grill and what to avoid. Our goal is to touch on the two most popular types of grills (gas and charcoal) and point you in the right direction so that you will be able to choose the grill that best suits your needs and desires.

Gas Grills

By far these are the most popular type of grills available. The majority of gas grills use propane gas which allows a bit more portability to your grill. The use of small propane canisters has allowed some grill manufacturer to design and offer very small, portable grills that are ideal for camping, tailgating, or afternoons at the park. Grills that use natural gas are also available, but they are generally stationary and not portable at all since they require connection to a natural gas line coming from your home. Gas Grills have a couple of unique advantages over regular charcoal/wood grills or smokers. Gas grills are easily started, reach cooking temperatures quickly, maintain constant temperatures, and shut down easily when you’re finished.

Some things to consider when shopping for a gas grill:

• Cast iron, cast aluminum, sheet metal, and stainless steel are the most popular types manufactured. Cast aluminum and stainless steel grills offer the best durability and strength for your money.
• The grill you choose should have two or three burners in order to offer greater heat control.
• A good temperature gauge is essential in order to monitor and maintain proper cooking temperatures.
• Good, adjustable heat control valves that allow you to accurately regulate the size of the flame and temperature.
• Good cooking grids/grates. Low budget grills will come with just a brushed stainless steel grid for use as a cooking surface. If you’re looking for a slightly higher quality grill, look for one that has solid stainless steel bars, ceramic grates, or porcelain coated bars that will maintain heat more evenly, keep your food from sticking to the cooking surface, and give you years of quality service.

Other features to look for in a good quality grill include:

• Self Igniter (no need for matches or lighters).
• Viewing window — while it may be difficult to keep clean, it’s a nice option to have so that you can avoid the smoke and avoid losing grill temperature in order to visually inspect your food items.
• Outside shelves — these are extremely convenient and will be appreciated when you need to keep your accessories handy.
• Side burners — many new grills come with a side burner. For folks who want to cook a side dish while they’re grilling, this is a nice option (eliminates the need to cook inside the house and outside at the same time). The drawback is that a side burner reduces available shelf/countertop space.

About.com has a good, detailed list that features 10 gas grills for under $250. This list offers details about each of the grills, which in turn will allow you to do some comparison shopping before you purchase a grill.

If you learn best by watching, we encourage you to view this good series of “how to” videos on how to barbeque with a gas grill from eHow.com. There are 15 videos and they cover a wide variety of topics associated with using and maintaining a gas grill.

Charcoal Grills

There’s something appealing to many people about cooking over charcoal. The aroma and flavor produced by great charcoal is unrivaled. While it’s possible to get into the “grilling scene” in a much cheaper fashion by purchasing a charcoal grill, the longevity of your investment may also be dramatically reduced if you don’t choose a good grill. In order to do it effectively, there are several things that need to be considered when looking to purchase a charcoal grill. Several of the desired features are the same as those listed above for gas grills (temperature gauge, good cooking grids/grates, and shelves).

• Airflow control — the ability to hold a set temperature is extremely important for a charcoal grill. The presence of large, easy to maneuver vents is critical to the success of your grilling experience.
• Direct or Indirect? If you want to be able to indirectly grill chicken, ribs, or other tasty dishes, you need plenty of space to build a fire on one site and still have room on the other side for cooking.
• Sturdy insulated handles. Whether it’s a gas grill or a charcoal grill, you need to be able to open the lid without getting burned. Cheap grills have thin washers/insulators between the grill body and the handle. Look for a grill that has a good, thick handle with good insulators.
• Grills with two movable cooking surfaces will allow you to cook a greater variety of items at the same time.
• Heavier is better. Thin metal grills simply will not last. Look for thicker gauge metal or cast iron grills. These generally weather better and will give you better service over several seasons of use.

About.com has a great article that lists their top 10 charcoal grills, their features and where they are available. This is a useful tool if you’re interested in purchasing a charcoal grill.

Generally charcoal grills last longer than gas grills simply because they don’t have as many complex, moving parts. Of course they take longer to get going and lack the convenience of a gas grill. But, they offer you the ability to give your food authentic, smoky flavors based on the type of charcoal and wood chips you use. Also, while charcoal grills tend to be less expensive than gas grills, the fuel cost (over time) is higher and will balance out the equation over time.

When you are ready to start shopping, there are several good places to look for a good grill that will be within your budget. We strongly urge you to shop on the Internet first. Often times, many of the websites for the “big box retail stores” contain special pricing. Check out the websites for Walmart, Sears, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sam’s Club, and Costco as these retailers often feature relatively inexpensive grills with the features you need.  BBQ.com, a ShoppersChoice.com store,  is also a great resource for comparison shopping for myriad grills, smokers, and accessories suited to any budget.

We hope that these tips, links, and suggestions will be useful to you when choosing your new grill and you enjoy all of your tailgating, holiday cook outs, and backyard culinary adventures this summer!

Selected Online Retailers Selling Grills

• GrillsDirect.com
• Home Depot
• Home Everything
• OutdoorCooking.com
• Sears
• Shoppers Choice

Times are tough and the economy is tight. Most hard working people are finding it difficult to meet their financial obligations let alone set aside funds for a special project, vacation, or other extras. At Shopping-Bargains.com, we understand this dilemma. Not only do we try to offer you the best deals we can find on a routine basis, we also want to offer a few tips to you that may help you generate some additional cash. Hopefully one or more of these tips will be useful to you and will allow you to pay off some debt, finish a lingering project, or take your family on vacation.

Whatever your situation may be it’s always nice to find ways to bring in a little extra cash now and then for your family and yourself. The following tips are simply ways that we have found to generate cash in a relatively easy fashion.

1. Sell Stuff (Craigslist, eBay, Garage Sales, Consignment Shops)

What’s novel about this? Not much really. But, with the Internet and the reach it has now, it’s easy to sell just about anything. There are several methods that, if you’re reading this online, are available for you to sell your items. We recommend starting with Craigslist simply because it’s a heavily visited site and in most cases, it doesn’t cost you anything to list your ad.

Craigslist.org has become a favorite around the world for buying and selling items locally. Regardless of where you live, chances are that you have a local Craigslist site available that covers your geographic area. In most cases, it’s free to list items for sale. Do you have duplicate items, items you no longer use, or a gift that someone gave you that you’ll never really use? Sell those items!

However, if you desire, you can list your items on eBay (this will cost you money though). Just be sure that you’ll be able to easily ship what ever it is that you’re selling. If you are not interested in shipping it, we recommend that you not use eBay and stick with Craigslist.

If you’re one of those gifted people who have an eye for the hidden value in items, you might also consider shopping around local garage sales too. It’s possible to find truly cheap items at garage sales that you can clean up and then sell at a higher price on Craigslist or eBay.

Not interested in managing sales through eBay and Craigslist? If you have too many items or you’re simply not interested in using the Internet to sell items you should consider putting together a garage sale. Here are a couple of tips we found from a great article entitled “Ten Garage Sale Tips“:

• Do NOT Bad Mouth Your Items
• Be Willing to Bargain, But Be Less Flexible at the Start

Garage sales are a great way to generate one-time lump sums. If you can organize a garage sale with neighbors and advertise a much larger group sale, you’ll end up doing better. Garage sales are also a great way to get your entire family involved. Your children can sell items (with your permission of course) that they no longer use. Be willing to keep track of their portion of the sales too. This is a great way for your kids to earn their own spending money for vacation or a special item that they want to purchase.

If you’re not interested in a garage sale, you should consider using a local consignment shop to sell your items. You may not receive as much for them by using this method, but you also don’t have to do much to sell them either.

2. Sell Your Blood Plasma

It’s possible to earn over $250 per month selling plasma if you’re a healthy person and can meet the qualifications. Considering the fact that you’re body creates and replenishes plasma on a consistent basis . . . this is potentially a great source of additional income. You can learn more about how this works by reading this great article entitled “Plasma Donation:  How to sell your blood for $260 a month.” It also features a couple of helpful videos as well.

In Conclusion

These are just a couple of simple ways to generate some additional income. We will be featuring some additional tips and methods to earn extra cash in future articles. Do you know of a good method for generating additional income? We encourage you to share them with us in the comments section below (as long as they’re ethical and legal). We look forward to hearing from you!

Buying and sending gift cards and gift certificates online is very popular. Digital gift certificates can be sent via email and provide quite convenient gifting opportunities for both the sender and the recipient. Furthermore, emailing gift certificates make them easy and extremely quick last minute gifts.

With these thoughts in mind, there are a few things online shoppers should note about buying gift cards and gift certificates online. I offer the following five tips to enjoy the best deals on gift cards and gift certificates and avoid a few pitfalls.

1. Buy gift cards/gift certificates when they are on sale.

Yes, that’s right, gift cards and electronic gift certificates are sometimes put on sale. For example, sometimes you can buy a gift card or gift certificate for less than its face value. Other times you can use a special coupon code for a better deal or a bonus value on gift cards and gift certificates. Please note, though, that unless specified otherwise, gift cards are generally excluded from online coupon code discounts.

2. Buy gift cards/gift certificates when they are offered as a bonus.

Many online retailers sweeten the deal by offering a free gift card or gift certificate as part of a larger order. For example, sometimes all product orders of more than $100 receive a special $10 or $20 gift card bonus. Sales like this are more common around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays but can also be found for other gifting times like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Additionally, online shoppers can occasionally receive a bonus gift card or gift certificate when purchasing a gift card online of a certain value — an example would be to receive a $10 gift card for yourself when emailing someone a $100 gift certificate.

3. Buy unwanted store gift cards/gift certificates at a discount.

Some online retailers specialize in buying unwanted gift cards from consumers and reselling them to other consumers at a discount. Usually the retailer’s stock of “resell” gift cards are bought individually from consumers at 60-70% of their face value and then sold to other consumers for 80-90% of their value. The gift card reseller pockets the difference for providing such a gift card marketplace. One leading retailer in this space is GiftCards.com. [13-Dec-11 update: Another trusted gift card buyer and reseller is Plastic Jungle.]

A word of caution: One should always be careful when buying gift cards and gift certificates from any source other than the original issuing merchant. Gift card resellers range from ethical to scammers so beware. While successful transactions may occur at popular auction sites like eBay and gift card brokers like GiftCards.com, that does not mean all online transactions are honest and smooth. Be sure to review the seller’s reputation and terms of the sale and make sure you are comfortable with the sale before proceeding.

4. Convert credit card points and airline miles into gift cards/gift certificates.

Don’t forget to check out your airline frequent flier miles and credit card points to see if you can exchange them for some popular merchant gift cards. Often it is easy to convert $40 or $45 worth of points or miles into a $50 gift card so watch out for those great bonus opportunities.

5. Browse our gift cards/gift certificates section for the latest savings.

To make it easier for online shoppers to buy and send gift cards and to find gift card and gift certificate deals of all kinds, we created a special Gift Cards & Gift Certificates section. There online shoppers can sort an extensive selection of links to merchants selling their own gift cards and gift certificates online. We also provide information on available gift card bonuses and other gift certificate savings opportunities.

A few weeks ago in October I had the privilege of going to Oceanside, California and visiting the headquarters of Computer Geeks, also known as Geeks.com (pictured on left with me standing in front). I was very impressed with their facility, staff, warehouse and operations. In addition to offering some amazing prices on computers, electronics and accessories, they also are known for quick shipping. I have ordered from them many times both personally and for my company and have nothing but positive experiences to share.

It was good to hear that things were going well for Computer Geeks. I was told that Geeks.com was in the process of adding another large warehouse to better handle inventories and serve their customers.

Geeks.com ships everything from their Oceanside warehouse and manages all their ecommerce needs on site also. As many customers know already, they have great product photos and descriptions and I found out why — they have a dedicated team of authors and photographers on site who cover these areas with unusual detail. Very creative photo studio, I might add.

Geeks.com is an impressive company. Their president sits at a cubicle just like the majority of the company’s employees around him. Dress code was casual yet the company atmosphere was very professional and innovative. It looked like Geeks.com followed their low-cost pricing model by living frugally themselves. I didn’t see extravagance or waste which impressed me.

I have some photos to share below that Geeks.com graciously let me take during my lunchtime tour.

Here are a couple photos of their large warehouse and shipping area. I was not able to visit the new warehouse they were transitioning some operations over to.

Below is one of my favorite places since what is in this room is essentially Geeks.com. This photo only captures a portion of the racks, servers, cables and so forth required to power the Geeks.com ecommerce back-end and website. It’s an impressive feeling to stand in a room and listen to the whirl of fans knowing that millions of transactions have occurred right there and thousands of people were being served as I looked on.

In conclusion, I appreciated the opportunity to visit Computer Geeks and see what happens behind the scenes. I was thoroughly impressed. As a customer for many years, I have enthusiastically recommended them since 2004 to our shoppers and do so now with even more enthusiasm. Over the years Geeks.com has also sponsored prizes for a number of our prize challenges and I have appreciated their support of us.

I leave you with this tip: next time you shop at Geeks.com, use our exclusive Geeks.com coupon code and save even more off their already great prices!

Yesterday we posted an Eddie Bauer promotion for a “Veteran’s Day Sale.” Earlier today I received the following respectful communication regarding our publication of this promotion:

I saw your recent ad for a non-existent holiday. In the United States of America there is no Veteran’s Day (Singular possessive). The day is not the possession of one Veteran. Nor is there a Veterans’ Day (plural possessive). The day does not belong to all Veterans and only Veterans. It is properly Veterans Day – no apostrophe. It is a day for all Americans, including Veterans, to appreciate and respect those that have served their country and are currently serving in uniform.

While I appreciate you having a sale to commemorate the day, I would appreciate you correctly titling the day.

Thank you,
Rex A Schildhouse
Lieutenant Commander
United States Navy, Retired

We try to make it easy for customers to contact us and I appreciate customer feedback. I especially appreciate feedback like that above which highlights areas we can improve upon. Within minutes of receiving this feedback we had not only verified that Lieutenant Commander Schildhouse was indeed correct regarding the Veterans Day holiday but we had also corrected this specific typographical error and several similar ones on Shopping-Bargains.com. We also put measures into place that will hopefully prevent a recurrence of that error in the future.

After addressing the errors, I personally responded to Lieutenant Commander Schildhouse and thanked him for contacting us with that information. I also asked if I could share his note on this blog since confusion exists about the correct grammatical format for Veterans Day. He readily agreed.

As most know, Veterans Day is an American holiday honoring all our military veterans. With Veterans Day only four days away (November 11), I am once again reminded of the incredible sacrifices endured by those in uniform who currently serve and who have served our country. We are truly blessed for their actions. They have not only safeguarded our personal liberties but have also protected our very lives and nation. As Americans, we owe them our respect and gratitude, not just on Veterans Day, but each day.

Thanks to Lieutenant Commander Schildhouse, I’m also glad to properly list Veterans Day specials on our website. Since I was ignorant of the correct way to write this holiday before today, I wanted to share this information with others who may have likewise been in error.

On a final note, I’m pleased to report that Eddie Bauer had correctly called their promotion a Veterans Day Sale. And with this in mind, while you take advantage of some great Veterans Day shopping opportunities over the next few days, I encourage you to also think of ways to honor our veterans throughout the year.

With money tight and the Presidential election less than a week away, we’ve been hearing a lot about the economy, taxation, government and so forth. Somebody posted a very interesting quote in the comments section on a news site and I wanted to share it with our readers. Although this quote is sometimes wrongly attributed to Abraham Lincoln, it actually came from a pamphlet entitled The Ten Cannots that was first published in 1916 by William J. H. Boetcker (1873-1962). And though written 92 years ago, I think its wisdom is relevant for all times.

1. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
2. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
3. You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
4. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
5. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
6. You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
7. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
8. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
9. You cannot build character and courage by destroying men’s initiative and independence.
10. And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.

What do you think?

We recently added a new online jewelry store named Apples of Gold Jewelry to our directory at Shopping-Bargains.com. This week one of their marketing managers sent me the following helpful information for couples to use when choosing wedding bands. I wish I had known all this — especially the parts about metals — when my wife and I were selecting our wedding bands.

Guide to Choosing a Wedding Band

One of the most important parts of planning a wedding is choosing the wedding bands. While the wedding itself lasts only a few hours, the wedding bands will symbolize a couples’ love and commitment to each other for a lifetime. It is an important decision that, with a little guidance, can be a fun and rewarding process.

Types of Metal

The three basic types of metals that wedding bands are made from include gold, platinum and titanium. All of these metals are strong enough to last a lifetime, although titanium is by far the strongest of the three.

Gold: Wedding bands come in yellow gold, white gold and rose gold. Yellow and white gold are more traditional choices, while rose gold is making a strong comeback as a unique and beautiful option for wedding bands.

Platinum: Platinum bands look nearly identical to white gold wedding bands, but the metal is more durable and less likely to darken with time. Also, price is a consideration with platinum since it can be three times as costly as gold for the same style of band.

Titanium: The strongest metal for wedding bands, titanium is a popular option, especially among men. It has a sleek look and is an extremely strong metal that will not dent or scratch like gold or platinum. When purchasing a titanium wedding band, make sure to order the ring in your exact size – titanium is not good for soldering due to its strength, and therefore cannot be easily resized.

Match the Ring with Your Personal Style

Finding the perfect wedding band is an incredibly personal decision. It will hypothetically be worn for the rest of your life, and should reflect your individual taste and aesthetic. If you enjoy elegant, traditional styles you might be happiest with a simple gold band. However, if your taste is more eclectic, a wedding band with a hammered finish or diamonds is a great choice.

Many women’s wedding bands are diamond-encrusted to compliment the diamond band of an engagement ring. Though many couples choose to match their bands to the engagement ring, this practice is not required. In fact, many women choose to wear only their wedding band for the sake of comfort and utility, so the engagement ring and band are rarely worn together.

Newlyweds hunting for the perfect band should also take into account their lifestyles and activity levels. If they spend every weekend hiking in the great outdoors, or all day working manual labor, they might want to choose a strong metal. Though it may be striking, an elaborate band with gemstones and soft gold does not offer the practical durability of a titanium band or even a gold hammered band, which will easily hide natural wear and tear.

Work Within a Budget

Couples shopping for wedding bands should always keep a budget in mind. Otherwise, it can be tempting to spend more than intended while perusing ring options. Take the time to sit down and have an earnest discussion with your significant other about your budget for rings. If you do this before you begin shopping, making a decision will be easier and more satisfying.

For couples on a budget, remember to search online jewelry stores. Since online retailers do not pay rent on a physical store or employ salespeople, their overhead cost is significantly lower than many jewelers. As a result, their prices for the same style ring can be significantly lower. The perfect wedding band at a perfect price for your pocketbook? Priceless.

This advice, especially the last section about working within a budget, is very fitting for a bargain-oriented shopping site since we publish a variety of Apples of Gold coupon codes. These coupon codes can save you even more when you shop for your engagement ring and wedding bands.

When you’re ready to buy those special rings, be sure to check out the fine jewelry selections at Apples of Gold Jewelry. You just might be surprised at what you can save without compromising quality or style.

Today I was talking with an employee at ClickN Kids, the makers of ClickN READ Phonics and ClickN SPELL educational software, and she gave me some interesting information about teaching children to read. I was also given permission to share this information with our readers and I plan to post much of it in several articles over the next few weeks. This post is the first in the series. (In case you didn’t know, ClickN Kids is listed in our shopping directory and produces phonics reading and spelling software and educational materials for children.)

Many parents wonder when it is time to teach their children to read. They ask how will I know if my child is ready to start reading? According to the reading experts at ClickN READ Phonics, “all children are alike in that they all want to become readers, eager to open that important door to independent learning.” However, just because all children may want to read doesn’t mean they all experience that desire at the same stage or in the same manner. “Children are different when it comes to the when, why, how, and what works best” in reading. It is by understanding and knowing how to work with these differences that parents can better prepare their children for reading.

Is It Time to Teach Your Child Reading?

Here are some additional thoughts from the ClickN READ Phonics experts:

Your six month-old baby didn’t show any signs of possessing the preliminary skills necessary to put on their shoes, so you didn’t waste time and energy trying to teach them how. Instead, you patiently helped them gain the coordination and waited until they had a good chance to succeed before showing them how to do this themselves, right?

Well, the same principle applies when determining if your child is ready to start learning to read. The age at which a child is ready to read can vary dramatically. Children can start from the age of three years old on up to eleven years old and beyond, but generally reading occurs between the age of four and ten years old.

According to the reading experts at ClickN READ Phonics, the “age of readiness or desire to read can be easily determined by paying attention to the clues that children freely provide.” Here are some signs of reading readiness that children demonstrate:

1. Your child pretends to read

2. Your child maintains phonemic awareness or knows the sounds that letters make.

3. You notice your child takes interest in the environments written words on street signs, cereal boxes, TV, magazines, fliers, books, etc.

4. Your child looks at pictures and tells a story or repeats a known story in her own words

5. If your child can add the missing word to an incomplete sentence presented orally

6. If they can define or give the meaning of simple words

7. If they use left to-right progression

8. If they can pronounce their own first and last names

9. If they can print their name

In the next article I will address why would a child want to read and how you can help them read. Again, this material was made available to me from ClickN READ Phonics. Please note that their team also provided us with an exclusive ClickN READ Phonics & ClickN KIDS coupon code for 5% off their advanced reading and spelling software and phonics products.

I don’t usually paste long quotes into blog posts but this one is difficult to break up without disrupting the flow. In a nutshell, it offers a very simple and somewhat humorous analogy of how the U.S. income tax system works by comparing it to the responses of ten beer-drinking men.

Since our Presidential election is less than 3 weeks away I though it might be appropriate to consider income tax policy from a non-partisan, “middle class” perspective. You might even learn something about tax cuts and taxing the rich and all those other political buzzwords.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. “Since you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.”Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men? The real paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share?’
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

“I only got a dollar out of the $20,”declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,” but he got $10!”

“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar, too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I!”

“That’s true!!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!”

“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!”

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

I’m not sure who to attribute the above analogy to since it has been “floating” around the Internet for a long time. I was reminded of it again today through a friend who sent me a link this blog post. I did some searching and a few blog posts gave credit to David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D., Professor of Economics at the University of Georgia (however, his bio already notes that he is not the author of another piece floating about the Internet so I am doubtful he wrote this one either). In any case, I think the analogy is interesting and, in spite of its limitations and the obvious disconnect with reality, it’s worth thinking over.