Only in America … or?

On the weekend Kris and I ran a couple of errands, including looking for a replacement light bulb (one of those eco kind, with the extraordinary description that went like this: 13W Cfl Gu24 Twist Lock Base).  Ace Hardware was out of our specific bulb (cost of $7.95), but the clever Ace handyman suggested that we purchase an inexpensive desk lamp which included the very bulb we needed for a total cost of $3.95.  What a deal!  We got the light bulb we needed plus a desk lamp (which we didn’t need and so will donate it to Purple Heart Veterans) for less than the cost of one light bulb.  But wait – there’s more!

I was talking with a friend last Friday afternoon, and telling him our story about the light bulb.  He proceeded to tell me his story.  He needed to replace the ink cartridge in his printer at a cost of $60.00 plus.  Clever man that he is, he found an inexpensive printer at Target for $20 or $30 (can’t remember the exact amount), and so got a printer and cartridge for less than the cost of a new cartridge.  Yes, we talked about the cartridge probably would not last as long as a new one, but a printer and cartridge for less than one cartridge?

What stories might you have along this line? What’s going on with these lamps and printers?