S09.E20: ChangEd, SnapClips, ShowerPill, The Dough Bar / S09.E21: Petrol, Everytable, Sap!

[cooksdelight]

Quote

Two health conscious entrepreneurs from Redwood City, California, introduce the sharks to their guilt-free sweet treat; three athletes from Berkeley, California, share their magic solution for when a shower isn't possible and you're in the thick of a stinky situation; brothers from Oak Forest and Chicago, Illinois, present their pricing tool that collects spare change to help student loan borrowers; an entrepreneur from Wheeling, Illinois, presents his patented technology geared toward athletes, which helps secure and swap weights quickly and safely.

A couple of dog-loving entrepreneurs from Cornelius, North Carolina, and New Albany, Ohio, present their healthy, hydrating treat for thirsty dogs; two outdoorsmen from San Diego, California, and Orem, Utah, have designed a convenient portable outdoor fire which is healthy and easy to use; cousins from Tinderhill and Burlington, Vermont, turn their passion for the maple industry into a business and share their tree-made product; entrepreneurs from Los Angeles, California, share their healthy grab-and-go meal concept that creates a new standard to make healthy food affordable and a reality for all.

Edited January 29, 2018 by cooksdelight

[judemorrigan]

But the pet drink had electrolytes, it had what dogs crave!

[cooksdelight]

I hate to tell the stinky body wipe guys, but airlines already have those. Delta does, in first class. it comes in the goodie pack they give you of toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, socks, sleep mask, etc. 

No one asked, and they never said.... where does the extra money come from when your purchase gets rounded up by this app and put into an account to pay your student loan?

I liked the gizmo the young guy invented to hold weights and other things. My husband, who is a home renovator/contractor, literally sat up and shushed me when he started his demo. That thing can be used for all kinds of stuff. And I agree with Alex, he should stay in college. The kid didn’t look too jazzed about that.

[Dots And Stripes]

49 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

 

No one asked, and they never said.... where does the extra money come from when your purchase gets rounded up by this app and put into an account to pay your student loan?

The money all comes from a consumer. The app is forcing you to save your own money. 

I was happy the food desert guys got a deal. They are trying to solve a real need. I get that the sharks are looking for a return on their investment, but it was a little disappointing to see them so disinterested.

I really liked Barbara blowing up the whole “more sharks are better” argument with Mark nodding along next to her. I’ve been wondering for a while if having multiple sharks was worth the equity. Sharks will say whatever helps them in the moment, but that one rang more true to me than it does when sharks start talking about how great it is to have more sharks invest.

Edited January 29, 2018 by Dots And Stripes
Correction

[cooksdelight]

I think one shark is enough. I’ve seen deals where 2 went in, but in the updates you only see one of them doing anything.

[mjc570]

I thought this was a decent pair of episodes, aside from the presence of AR.   He must have paid a lot to be included, since he brings absolutely nothing to the show. 

I wanted those donuts ASAP, but wonder how they taste without the toppings.  Barbara was perfect for them.  I liked  the wipes - I know there are similar products but they seemed good quality for the price.  Too bad the guys had no grasp on the numbers , I wonder why they weren’t better prepared.  I liked the fire tin, and could see myself buying it to use when we are sitting outside.  It’s a lot easier to use than a fire pit.  I think the point giving them a slot was to let Lorie and Mark say Instafire numerous times.  

The fastener seemed like a great idea, the young man was impressive  not sure why he needs to stay in school, though   

That dog lady was pathetic. I felt really sorry for her investor, he would have made a much better presenter. I’m surprised they didn’t take a Gatorade approach, and start by marketing it to working dogs/elite athletes who need a boost.  I’m a devoted dog mom who buys pretty much everything for my favorite child, but I can’t see buying that except possibly for an occasional treat. 

[rhys]

That was a swaying group of presenters! I really felt for the camera people. Oi.

[Whimsy]

1 hour ago, mjc570 said:

I liked the fire tin, and could see myself buying it to use when we are sitting outside.  It’s a lot easier to use than a fire pit.  I think the point giving them a slot was to let Lorie and Mark say Instafire numerous times.  

I liked the fire tin too.  It seems to be meant more for outdoors, so I didn't really get why the 6 hour burn time was such an issue.  Think about it, how long do you really sit outside by the fire?  Not more than 6 hours! 

Quote

That dog lady was pathetic. I felt really sorry for her investor, he would have made a much better presenter. I’m surprised they didn’t take a Gatorade approach, and start by marketing it to working dogs/elite athletes who need a boost.  I’m a devoted dog mom who buys pretty much everything for my favorite child, but I can’t see buying that except possibly for an occasional treat. 

I agree. They started the presentation with a show dog.  They should've hit that market very heavily.  I would not buy that product for my dogs, but they don't really do anything except lay around.  Maybe sometimes chase a ball.

[cooksdelight]

13 minutes ago, Whimsy said:

I liked the fire tin too.  It seems to be meant more for outdoors, so I didn't really get why the 6 hour burn time was such an issue.  Think about it, how long do you really sit outside by the fire?  Not more than 6 hours! 

I loved it. And you can make one if you’ve got an old cookie tin. Use paraffin wax, scent, and several wicks throughout. I used to make candles when I was a teen. I had a dedicated mixer to whip the wax with to apply to the four blocks of parrafin I stuck together with a wick in the middle. 

I’ve lived in NC most of my life, born and raised here.... had to look up Cornelius. Never heard of it. Never want to visit if that woman is running around loose.

[BusyOctober]

29 minutes ago, rhys said:

That was a swaying group of presenters! I really felt for the camera people. Oi.

I felt like I was experiencing motion sickness and vertigo at the same time with that bunch.  

Dog lady was annoying (sorry Barb, I didn't think fire kit guy was annoying at all).  I am not a dog owner, so I don't know anything about what enhancement dogs need for their hydration routine.  I would think giving your dog access to a water bowl at home, and bringing along water on your dog + human outings would be enough.  A lot of dog parks have water spouts for the animals.  Around where I am, almost every shop & restaurants in downtown areas put out water dishes for dogs.  I don't get it.  Plus, as mentioned, she was annoying.  What was her deal with trying to shame Robert into making a deal?  Just b/c he loves dogs he's supposed to put up his cash for your broth water? Bye FUR-licia.

I liked the fire tin idea.  I wouldn't pay for the crazy shipping cost (due to the weight of the tin), but I would pick up one or two in a store if I were having people over. And 6 hours is plenty of time to sit around on my deck or at the beach.  How much time does Lori have to just sit in front of a giant candle?? Six hours would give most people two uses per tin I think. 

[rhys]

Yeah you could make them easily for gifts using tins from Dollar Tree or Goodwill, etc. But the objections last night were also weight (along with the 6 hour burn). No one wants to pay to ship such a heavy item & no one wants to tote it very far. I hadn't heard of instafire, so that was fun to read about.

[judemorrigan]

On a more serious (but still kind of related) note, I was surprised the Sap guys didn't compare their product to coconut water. Particularly as hard as they were trying to hit the supposed health aspects of their drinks, that seemed like an obvious point of comparison.

[Wings]

The food desert product wasn't that great an idea. 2 chicken dishes and 3 salads is what they gave the sharks.  They didn't mention other menu items.  

@$5 a meal that means $20 for salads for a family of 4.  I can get more food for that amount at Safeway. 8 pieces of baked chicken for $6 leaving $14 for salad stuff and toss in a piece of fruit for everyone.  That is a healthy choice by their standards. 

They did not seem to be offering more than a trip down the outside Iles of a supermarket. I do understand that these meals are done and only need a small amount of attention.   I just don't see this as a big seller in Compton. 

It looked like the fire tin held brickets embedded in wax. Expensive and very smokey.  And as @cooksdelight mentioned easy to make yourself.  A tin and wax from Michael's plus brickettes from the grocery.  I bet there are some who will do just that. 

I was glad to see Barbara dispell the notion that 2 sharks are better than one. I have always thought that to be the case.  One devoted shark is what I would choose. 

Edited January 29, 2018 by Wings

[sugarbaker design]

2 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

No one asked, and they never said.... where does the extra money come from when your purchase gets rounded up by this app and put into an account to pay your student loan?

When you buy your coffee with your debit card at Starbuck's for $2.41, your card gets charge $3.00 and the .59 is deposited in your account.  

[cooksdelight]

Thanks, we thought that was the case, but they didn’t make it real clear.

[Wings]

It seemed to me the 19 year old with the straps said he was going to quit college because he thought that is what they wanted to hear.  You often hear them say they want someone who is all in and have refused to make a deal with some who intends to keep their day job.  There haven't been many young ones who are still in college or deciding to go or not.  I can only remember 2.  Both were given the stay in school advice.  He must have missed those episodes.  The best answer would have been, he was going to finish but take a lighter load so he has time to devote to his business.  

[LAgator77]

You're never going to pay off your student loans by rounding up all your stupid little purchases... You can pay off your student loans by not making stupid little purchases and instead put that money towards paying off your debt. What a useless gimmick and I'm surprised Cuban, who supposedly hates gimmicky products, went for it. 

[Dots And Stripes]

54 minutes ago, Wings said:

The food desert product wasn't that great an idea. 2 chicken dishes and 3 salads is what they gave the sharks.  They didn't mention other menu items.  

@$5 a meal that means $20 for salads for a family of 4.  I can get more food for that amount at Safeway. 8 pieces of baked chicken for $6 leaving $14 for salad stuff and toss in a piece of fruit for everyone.  That is a healthy choice by their standards. 

They did not seem to be offering more than a trip down the outside Iles of a supermarket. I do understand that these meals are done and only need a small amount of attention.   I just don't see this as a big seller in Compton. 

 

The problems is some people do not have access to salad ingredients near their home nor are they easily accessible with the transportation available. If you don’t live near a Safeway or a grocery store, options for fresh, healthy food can be limited. I think they’re really competing with traditional fast food options. They definitely have a way to go, but I’m happy to see people trying to tackle this problem. 

[Jillybean]

Bank of America has had a Keep the Change program for years in which your purchases are rounded up and the extra money goes into a savings account. This was basically taking that model and directing the funds elsewhere.

I am a very devoted dog mom and I wouldn't buy Petrol for my dog. He is happy with plain water, which is also free. He gets his nutrients from his food. The woman was SUPER annoying and their business was a hot mess.

Fresh meals sold in food deserts would need to be priced at $1-2 to compete with fast food. The mission is great but their prices are probably going to need tweaking. I was surprised there was no discussion of how they planned to scale the business nationally. I thought it was unfair that they were accused of not being entrepreneurs. 

Edited January 29, 2018 by Jillybean

[Wings]

16 minutes ago, Dots And Stripes said:

The problems is some people do not have access to salad ingredients near their home nor are they easily accessible with the transportation available. If you don’t live near a Safeway or a grocery store, options for fresh, healthy food can be limited. I think they’re really competing with traditional fast food options. They definitely have a way to go, but I’m happy to see people trying to tackle this problem. 

If they can't get to a grocery how are they going to get to this food?  And if their target audience is eating fast food, they are driving to the establishments, walking or taking public transportation.   You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a burger joint.  They would have to open thousands of places!  I think grocery stores are as easily accessed as fast food.   

There are some interesting fast food places starting to show up.  One is a Japanese restaurant fast food chain.  I have only seen 2 of them.  I wish I had one near.  

[LAgator77]

7 minutes ago, Jillybean said:

Bank of America has had a Keep the Change program for years in which your purchases are rounded up and the extra money goes into a savings account. This was basically taking that model and directing the funds elsewhere.

Yeah, the Acorns app does the same thing, and for savings I think it's not a terrible model. People generally suck at saving. These apps/programs are "feel good" solutions but don't really solve anything because most people need to be saving a lot more than spare change. However, fooling people into thinking they'll magically pay off their student loan debts with spare change is a bunch of BS.

[basiltherat]

The best way to pay off your student loan is to NOT go to Starbucks and spend three or four bucks for coffee, but make and take your own and put the ENTIRE cost towards your loan.

Fast food places usually have a salad option and would cost about the same as their gourmet-ish meals.  And a lot of those neighborhoods they mentioned are very violent and small food stores are constantly robbed, shot at, etc. so the owners leave to save their lives. Thus the desert.

[Dots And Stripes]

16 minutes ago, Wings said:

If they can't get to a grocery how are they going to get to this food?  And if their target audience is eating fast food, they are driving to the establishments, walking or taking public transportation.   You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a burger joint.  They would have to open thousands of places!  I think grocery stores are as easily accessed as fast food.   

There are some interesting fast food places starting to show up.  One is a Japanese restaurant fast food chain.  I have only seen 2 of them.  I wish I had one near.  

I assure you, food deserts are a very real problem in America. I was surprised Barbara didn’t seem familiar with the term. A lot of people walk or take public transit to get their food and so they are primarily limited to the options they can either walk to or that are near public transit. One store selling fresh food is obviously not going to solve the problem overnight, but it can provide healthy alternatives to people in its vacinity. They are not going to replace burger joints entirely, but absolutely a lot of people would be better off if in addition to those burger joints they also had a fresh, healthy option in their neighborhood.

[hula-la]

44 minutes ago, Wings said:

If they can't get to a grocery how are they going to get to this food?  And if their target audience is eating fast food, they are driving to the establishments, walking or taking public transportation.   You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a burger joint.  They would have to open thousands of places!  I think grocery stores are as easily accessed as fast food.   

There are some interesting fast food places starting to show up.  One is a Japanese restaurant fast food chain.  I have only seen 2 of them.  I wish I had one near.  

As @Dots And Stripes stated, it's not that there's no food available in food deserts, it's that there's no high quality, nutritious food available. Most options include corner stores, where they sell mainly highly processed food, and fast food options. If people living in food deserts need to take public transit to get to a grocery store, that's going to limit the amount of food that they can buy in one trip, which becomes even more of an issue, as less processed food has a shelf life, and needs to be purchased regularly. People want to make healthy food choices--it's just extremely difficult in many areas of the country (including Canada, where I live). I wish I could find it, but I remember an episode of the Daily Show where one of the correspondents clocked how long it took them to get to the closest grocery store. It was quite a while--imagine doing that with bags of groceries or pulling a grocery tote.

[bilgistic]

When responding to the Sharks' questions, the doughnut couple started almost every sentence with "So..." It's all I could hear.

Edited January 29, 2018 by bilgistic

[eel2178]

7 hours ago, Jillybean said:

I am a very devoted dog mom and I wouldn't buy Petrol for my dog. He is happy with plain water, which is also free. He gets his nutrients from his food. The woman was SUPER annoying and their business was a hot mess.

I didn't catch that she had named it "petrol." Does she not realized that is how most of the English-speaking world refers to gasoline? 

About 25 years ago someone came out with flavored bottled water for pets: beef flavor for dogs and tuna flavor for cats. I don't remember the brand name, and I don't think they were on store shelves for more than six months before it  disappeared.

A local newspaper tried a research study to see if their claim pets preferred flavored water was true. Cats and dogs were given a choice of tap water, toilet water, regular bottled water, or their flavored water. The conclusions they came to were: 1) dogs preferred tap water over the others, and 2) "cats are too paranoid to participate in research of any kind."

[eel2178]

9 hours ago, Whimsy said:

I liked the fire tin too.  It seems to be meant more for outdoors, so I didn't really get why the 6 hour burn time was such an issue.  Think about it, how long do you really sit outside by the fire?  Not more than 6 hours! 

However, I think their claim that it can be used during a burning ban is wrong. Just because it is self-contained doesn't mean it couldn't cause a forest fire.

[hoodooznoodooz]

4 hours ago, bilgistic said:

When responding to the Sharks' questions, the doughnut couple started almost every sentence with "So..." It's all I could hear.

Me, too! Drives me crazy. Also there are some entrepreneurs, whenever a shark asks a question, such as, "What are your sales?" or "What's your background?" they begin answering with, "Sure..."

[hoosiermommy]

10 hours ago, hula-la said:

As @Dots And Stripes stated, it's not that there's no food available in food deserts, it's that there's no high quality, nutritious food available. Most options include corner stores, where they sell mainly highly processed food, and fast food options. If people living in food deserts need to take public transit to get to a grocery store, that's going to limit the amount of food that they can buy in one trip, which becomes even more of an issue, as less processed food has a shelf life, and needs to be purchased regularly. People want to make healthy food choices--it's just extremely difficult in many areas of the country (including Canada, where I live). I wish I could find it, but I remember an episode of the Daily Show where one of the correspondents clocked how long it took them to get to the closest grocery store. It was quite a while--imagine doing that with bags of groceries or pulling a grocery tote.

Well, this is because the presenters did a horrible job at defining a "food desert". While the socioeconomic of a region impact amperaon's ability to get to places outside their zipcode for food, they didn't explain that a good desert was the absence of healthy food options within the reasonable travel radius that would make access to healthy food a possibility. Sheesh. Their graphic was perfect for those words and they totally whiffed at the explanation.

Edited January 30, 2018 by hoosiermommy

[Jillybean]

12 hours ago, eel2178 said:

I didn't catch that she had named it "petrol." Does she not realized that is how most of the English-speaking world refers to gasoline? 

A Google search reveals that they're trying to market it as "fuel for dogs"...

[illini1959]

I highly doubt dogs are sitting around watching people drink their Starbucks, etc., and wishing they had something other than water to drink.

:/ 

[cooksdelight]

My dog and two cats are happy with water in a bowl, or in the toilet. I doubt they’d be impressed by anything fancied up to look like Starbucks for pets. :)

I just don’t see that couple getting very far, especially since she’s the spokesperson.

[sasha206]

21 hours ago, hula-la said:

 People want to make healthy food choices--it's just extremely difficult in many areas of the country (including Canada, where I live).

I wonder about this to be honest.  The food they described -- kale whatever -- sounded like something that people in affluent areas may enjoy.  Some of what they mentioned sounded a little fru fru.  Did they actually have locations in "food deserts" where it shows that the restaurants were profitable?  I may have been distracted but just because they could make some money off the meals that have limited shelf-life, are they actually able to support the restaurants?  It seemed more of a concept than something that they demonstrated?  

And of course, fast food restaurants serve a lot of unhealthy foods but they usually have a few options  -- think Chic-Fil-A where you can get really good salads, chicken sandwich on whole wheat buns with fruit sides.  KFC you can have grilled chicken with corn on the cob.  There are certainly options even in a "food desert."

I'm always dubious of what appears to be altruistic start-ups.  

23 hours ago, Wings said:

It seemed to me the 19 year old with the straps said he was going to quit college because he thought that is what they wanted to hear.  You often hear them say they want someone who is all in and have refused to make a deal with some who intends to keep their day job.  There haven't been many young ones who are still in college or deciding to go or not.  I can only remember 2.  Both were given the stay in school advice.  He must have missed those episodes.  The best answer would have been, he was going to finish but take a lighter load so he has time to devote to his business.  

I don't even understand why it's a problem if the person decides to drop out when they have what appears to be a really, really great idea that could make him more money than an education would provide.  Why not go for the great idea first?  You can go back to college at any time.   I can see them giving the "stay in school" speech when the person has a really dumb idea that is going nowhere.

[sasha206]

On 1/29/2018 at 7:50 AM, cooksdelight said:

I hate to tell the stinky body wipe guys, but airlines already have those. Delta does, in first class. it comes in the goodie pack they give you of toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, socks, sleep mask, etc. 

Baby wipes have been around for years.  Much cheaper.  I'd rather use several baby wipes than one small towel to rub everywhere.  And If I'm really not that concerned about taking a shower after a workout, I'm not really that concerned with having a towel that doesn't split apart.  I'm surprised no one mentioned that wipes have been around for a long, long time and there's no need for this product.  Plus the name was stupid.  "Shower Pill."  Huh?  Sounds more like I'm going to down a supplement that takes away my body odor.

[cooksdelight]

Speaking of pills.....I went to a seminar and they had little travel kits as a take-home item. Inside was a packet of four big pills. They looked like big vitamins or Airborne tablets. No....add water and they pop out into a washcloth! Seriously, it is a great little thing to have when I travel! These guys got nothing on the airlines!

[sasha206]

On 1/29/2018 at 11:39 AM, Jillybean said:

I am a very devoted dog mom and I wouldn't buy Petrol for my dog. He is happy with plain water, which is also free. He gets his nutrients from his food. The woman was SUPER annoying and their business was a hot mess.

I wouldn't buy their drink, but I would buy a t-shirt.  That was one of the cutest logos I've ever seen!

[lexytheblasian]

2 hours ago, sasha206 said:

Baby wipes have been around for years.  Much cheaper.  I'd rather use several baby wipes than one small towel to rub everywhere.  And If I'm really not that concerned about taking a shower after a workout, I'm not really that concerned with having a towel that doesn't split apart.  I'm surprised no one mentioned that wipes have been around for a long, long time and there's no need for this product

It kind of reminds me of Dude Wipes, which Mark invested in and I think they're doing quite well. Still... why not just buy baby wipes?

[rasalas]

On 1/29/2018 at 9:15 AM, judemorrigan said:

On a more serious (but still kind of related) note, I was surprised the Sap guys didn't compare their product to coconut water. Particularly as hard as they were trying to hit the supposed health aspects of their drinks, that seemed like an obvious point of comparison.

"Sap beverages: Naturally flavored and fortified -- fresh from the forest."

There is the one-line differentiation that the Sharks so desperately wanted but the makers seemed unable to provide.

[bilgistic]

4 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

My dog and two cats are happy with water in a bowl, or in the toilet. I doubt they’d be impressed by anything fancied up to look like Starbucks for pets. :)

I just don’t see that couple getting very far, especially since she’s the spokesperson.

I know a guy who had a cat that drank water exclusively from one of the toilets in his townhouse. He never used that toilet for its intended purpose, but still...ew.

[Jersey Guy 87]

19 hours ago, eel2178 said:

I didn't catch that she had named it "petrol." Does she not realized that is how most of the English-speaking world refers to gasoline?

That was one of my first thoughts as well - she's obviously only going for the North American market.

[eel2178]

7 hours ago, Jillybean said:

A Google search reveals that they're trying to market it as "fuel for dogs"...

I'd interpret that as, "We'll make your dog gassy."

1 hour ago, rasalas said:

"Sap beverages: Naturally flavored and fortified -- fresh from the forest."

Doesn't fortified mean something has been added? How can something be naturally fortified?

[eel2178]

5 hours ago, sasha206 said:

  Did they actually have locations in "food deserts" where it shows that the restaurants were profitable?  -

I think the idea was to take a higher profit from the affluent neighborhood to offset the loss in the food desert.

[cooksdelight]

14 hours ago, eel2178 said:

Doesn't fortified mean something has been added? How can something be naturally fortified?

“A fortified item simply has vitamins, minerals or other nutrients not normally present in the food added to it during processing. For example, milk does not naturally contain vitamin D, but is often fortified with it because vitamin D enhances calcium absorption.”

I got that from Google. Yes, their packaging information is confusing.

I get that it’s naturally fortified with good things, they didn’t have to add anything because nature gave it all of the “extra” ingredients without man’s help.

Edited January 31, 2018 by cooksdelight

[sasha206]

3 hours ago, eel2178 said:

I think the idea was to take a higher profit from the affluent neighborhood to offset the loss in the food desert.

Did they actually have stores in affluent areas that were profitable?  I missed that if so. Restaurants are iffy to begin with. I'm surprised they got an investment based on basically altruism.

[aemom]

The Sap guys seem to have gotten nailed for not having great marketing, but I've seen countless pitches where the Sharks say "you need help with branding and marketing and my offer can help with that."  Sometimes the inconsistency just confuses me so much.

The petrol drink for dogs is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen.  And you had to look at the logo for a few seconds to realize that it was a dog's face.  I would probably see it on the shelf, think it was an additive for my gas tank and keep on walking.

I thought that the kid with the strap thing had an amazing opportunity and I totally agree with the Sharks who gave him the deal that the value is in the patent.  He can make a shitload of money with that patent.  And they wanted him to stay in school.  Win-win for him!

I wasn't impressed at all with the body wipes.  I'm sorry, but not taking a shower after a workout is laziness in my opinion.  It might be useful if you're camping in the middle of nowhere.

The fake campfire - if I brought that on vacation and told my kids to use that instead of making a fire in the fire pit, they would disown me.  They were Scouts too, and I was Girl Guide, so we'd have to give back many badges if we didn't make a "real" fire.  For that reason, it didn't really interest me.

I'd love to try those donuts, put the price is a little dear for me.  But if I ever saw them on my store shelves, I'd totally pick them up.

The food guys were interesting and if it does help families, then good on them.

I agree about the student loan app.  As a Canadian, I really cannot wrap my head around the cost of university in the US, but if the loans are that bad, then you shouldn't be buying anything at Starbucks, etc, and should be saving your money like a dog.

[chocolatine]

14 hours ago, sasha206 said:

I'm always dubious of what appears to be altruistic start-ups. 

The "food desert" business model isn't altruistic. They're charging different prices for the same products based on location, so they're taking half of their customers for a ride to make themselves look good. I'm never going to buy anything from them.

Did I understand correctly that you have to pay to use the student loan app? That means you'd save less money in the long run. Worst idea ever.

I've had birch sap before, fresh from the tree. It's not terrible, but nothing I'd pay money for.

[aemom]

8 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Did I understand correctly that you have to pay to use the student loan app? That means you'd save less money in the long run. Worst idea ever.

I think it was $1/month.  Clearly the people who would pay to use this app are the same people that are buying Starbucks coffee instead of making coffee at home and saving money the old-fashioned way:  By not spending it on unnecessary things.

[sasha206]

15 hours ago, AEMom said:

 

The fake campfire - if I brought that on vacation and told my kids to use that instead of making a fire in the fire pit, they would disown me.  They were Scouts too, and I was Girl Guide, so we'd have to give back many

Agreed.  It seemed too small to be something that could take the place of a real outdoor fire and large enough to be a fire hazard. Hell, there are those sterno gas fire things that would be easier to transport and you can put a couple on a table and have nice ambience.

[basiltherat]

It seems like the campfire-in-a-tin would be nice in a backyard or on the patio -- especially the one with citronella.  Just cover and reuse when done.  Its in a metal tin and seems safe in this age of wildfires.  Wonder if you could make s'mores on it?

[cooksdelight]

12 minutes ago, basiltherat said:

It seems like the campfire-in-a-tin would be nice in a backyard or on the patio -- especially the one with citronella.  Just cover and reuse when done.  Its in a metal tin and seems safe in this age of wildfires.  Wonder if you could make s'mores on it?

I bet you could, if you left out the scent or citronella in the mix. I think I’m going to make some for my backyard patio. Easier than going through the motions to fix a fire in the fire pit, and we only sit out there for an hour or two anyway.