from Money daily...including something on Valentines Day roses for those of you lucky enough to have someone you wish to send them too...
Seven ways to save on Valentine's Day roses
A Save on ... special
by Winifred Conkling
Valentine's Day may be a day for lovers, but nobody
loves this holiday more than florists. This February
14, flower merchants expect to sell more than 100
million roses -- most of them at a premium price.
A dozen long-stemmed roses in a box can set you back
$60 to $75 on Valentine's Day, though you can spend
considerably more -- or less -- depending on the
flowers you choose. Here are a few tips to help you
make your way through the thorny business of buying
flowers for your loved one.
A rose by any other name ... would be cheaper.
Florists jack up the prices of roses on Valentine's
Day because people are willing to pay the inflated
prices. Try substituting other cut flowers for roses
and you can save. A dozen red carnations costs about
$20 to $25 per dozen, leaving you with enough extra
cash to purchase your paramour a pound of premium
chocolates, too.
Size doesn't (always) matter. Many people receive
long-stemmed roses, only to admire them for a moment
before heading for the kitchen to hack six inches off
the stem so that the flowers will fit into a vase.
Long-stemmed roses cost more because several buds must
be sacrificed to produce a single long stem. Consider
buying shorter-stemmed sweetheart roses, which cost
about $40 or so per dozen, boxed.
Roses are red ... but they're also yellow and peach
and white. Three out of every four roses purchased
for Valentine's Day are red, increasing the demand for
-- and the price of -- traditional red roses. With
many florists, you can save money by thinking pink, or
another other color that isn't red. If you want to be
romantic, choose the color you used at your wedding or
some other special occasion.
Keep it simple. Pass on the fancy vases, stuffed
animals, balloons, and other add-ons that increase the
price of the flowers. A simple box is uncluttered and
elegant. Let the flowers speak for themselves.
"I have something for you." You want to be there for
the moment of excitement when your beloved first sets
eyes on your holiday bouquet. Don't give that
satisfaction to an anonymous delivery person. You can
enjoy the moment -- and save $5 to $15 in delivery
fees -- by picking up the flowers and presenting them
to your loved one face to face.
With you, every day -- or any day -- is Valentine's
Day. If your loved one isn't a stickler for dates,
try celebrating with flowers either the week before or
after Valentine's Day. Many florists raise prices by
$10 to $20 only for the few days around the holiday.
Make the moment last. Your beloved should be able to
enjoy the flowers you send for at least four to seven
days. To avoid wilting, use a sharp knife or shears
to cut an inch or two off the stems while holding them
underwater. Cutting stems in water prevents air from
blocking the flow of water to the head of the flower.
Flowers live four or five days longer when they are
properly cut. Before arranging the flowers in a vase,
strip away any leaves that fall below the water line.
Add fresh warm water every day, and change the water
when it becomes cloudy. Recut the stems every three
or four days. If you take care of the flowers and
they fail or open or droop after a day or two, return
them to the florist and ask for a replacement bouquet.
Save on can be found at:
money.com
Note: MONEY writer Ellen Stark offers tips on getting
the best deal from your bank today. Tonight at 9 p.m.
EDT on CompuServe <GO CONVENTION>
In other news...
AOL Gets Mo' Money
By Andrew Serwer, Senior writer at Fortune
street_life@pathfinder.com
Hello. You have just experienced an official breather
day in the rally of early 1998. Please remain seated
with your seat belts securely fastened. No worries,
mate. The Dow was off 9 points, to 8180 Monday. NASDAQ
was down a drop, too -- 3, to 1690. After last week,
we'll take it. Here's what we've been following today:
GOUGE CITY.... Whoa!!! AOL's stock was up more than
$12 today to $111!!! You wanna know why? Cause they're
getting Mo' of yo' Money!!! (Yeah, it's me! I'm back!)
Steve Case's little operation is raising the fee for
unlimited monthly use from $19.95 to $21.95. Thank
you. Thank you very much. Why did they do this?
Because they can! (Why does a dog...[never mind]!!)
Company said it needed more greenage to keep up with
expanded customer use. Ah, no. That wasn't it. They
needed to raise fees to keep profits growing to feed
the Wall Street beast. AOL's stock has TRIPLED over
the past 12 months and rising profits is the reason
why. Quarterly numbers have climbed from two cents in
March of '97, to 12 cents in the most recent quarter,
to an expected 35 cents in AOL's June quarter. Money's
got to come from somewhere. Might as well come from
YOU! (Company also announced a restructuring. Again.)
BIG WHEELS KEEP ON TURNING.... GM was the big positive
today amongst the Dow Jones Industrial Ave., climbing
$2.25. Big Wheel announced a $4 billion stock buyback.
Stock's been rolling, rolling, rolling on a river, up
from $55 in January, now up just under $63. (Which
version did you like better: Creedence or Ike & Tina?
Hey I'll admit it, I DUG Creedence: "Up Around the
Bend." Come on and ride the wind!) But seriously.
Would you EVER buy this stock?
LOSER OF THE DAY.... Actually, not too many to choose
from today. But not to worry children, I found one.
It's Realax Software. Down $2 to just below $8. All I
can say is: Realax don't do it. When you wanna sock it
to it! FRANKIE!
Loose Change Applied Materials reports tomorrow.
The expectation is for 50 cents a share. This puppy
will be watched closely. Down $1 today to $34. (Behave
yourself now, AMAT!)..... Philip Morris was taken off
Goldman Sachs' priority and recommended list. UGH!
This is never good for any stock. And I own the big
MO!.... Speaking of Goldman, the rumor du jour is that
they are in serious negotiations to merge with UBS.
You heard it here first!!! We'll see!!!.... So the
guv'mint is going after cigars. Watch out Ron
Perelman! They're coming after you, baby! I talked to
Ronnie about cigars once. That's one stogie-lovin'
billionaire. Owns Consolidated Cigar too!.... LHS up
$10 today. WOW! E*Trade up $4!!!.... Burger King is
NOT, contrary to rumors, for sale. Good thing. If one
company ever owned it for ten years running, it might
kick McDonald's butt. The King has better burgers
(true, fries aren't as good). Better ads, too.
Speaking of McDonald's, did you see Jack Greenberg, #2
man at the company, give Michael
Jordan the MVP trophy at the All-Star game? Jack was
psyched!.... Did that game rock or what? But hey, why
wasn't Kobe Bryant in the game at the end? Oh, I
forgot, George Karl was coaching the West. DUHHH!
Also, will Bill Walton and Isiah cut that
sanctimonious garbage: "The NBA is like more than life
man." Sheesh!.... Hi to the crew in Salt Lake. Hope
Crown Zellerbach keeps greening you right! And Elco,
Nevada! What can I say? Drank many Pecan Sandies (or
whatever they're called) later that night. Felt great
Saturday morning.... Happy birthday to Mia Farrow and
John Kruk. Hey Mia, he'll treat you better than Woody.
That's fer sure!!!!!.... That's it. As usual. I'm all
nude. But tasteful. Very tasteful. That's important. |
