Willing To Wait

I've discovered something interesting about Amazon products -- they're not always the same price!

Ok. You may be smarter than me, and figured this out already. But if Amazon has an ample stock of something, and it's not moving, they lower the price, from 80 cents to a dollar a day, until it's gone.

Case in point: The 'Old Nuremberg Chest' Lebkuchen package from Schmidt.

(You can see more photos here on the Schmidt website.)

If you've never had it, Lebkuchen ("layb-koo-ken") is a German/Austrian crunchy-out, soft-inside ginger cookie that has tiny bits of fruit, nuts, or orange peel here and there. It's often baked on a thin layer ('gebacken') foundation, or coated with sugar frosting. And if it's coated with dark chocolate, brrr...it is one of the best cookies in the world. It's also remarkably long-lasting -- if the package isn't opened, it can easily last for months. (An important factor -- you'll see why in a minute.)
     Lebkuchen was originally made by monks who mixed honey with flour and spices. (Old honey is said to be the best.) They would store it for months to let it age -- in fact some recipes say to mix the dough and store it for six months...then bake the cookies, frost them and store for another six months before they're ready to eat.
     Yow! Can you see Twinkies lasting this long?

Schmidt is a prominent German company -- they make other baked products, like stollen, almond stars, etc. Every year, they come up with a new series of tins with designs that reflect their heritage. These tins are beautifully graphic, and have a pretty use holding craft supplies and such. (My biggest one holds a selection of small prizes for my piano students -- 5 times practiced equals a prize.)

These usually come out in the fall, in time for Christmas. And boy, are they expensive -- this is one of the smaller chests, and it retails for a little over $95.00, including shipping.
     But remember what I said about the cookies going for long periods? (In fact, the old recipes insist on it.) These cookies are only getting better with time!
     I first stumbled across the tin a few weeks ago, when it was more than $45. I thought that price was a good buy, but had something else to do, and set it aside in my order cart.
    Two days later, it was $2 less!
    Since then, I've watched it go down, dollar by dollar, day by day. As of tonight, it's:
               $29.83.

Only 8 boxes are left. The price will only go down a buck or so more before they sell out completely. I ordered one for the Mama's Mother's Day present, but will wait it out a day before ordering more. Sure, it's just a buck's savings -- but I've gotten caught up in the game. The Brick said, "You're really enjoying saving on this, aren't you..."

I am! 
    Even better, it's taught me a valuable lesson -- that being patient (and vigilant) can save a bunch of money. 

Even if I miss out, there's always the 6.2 pound Schmidt Festive Chest of Lebkuchen -- nearly twice as much. You guessed it -- that price is starting to go down, dollar by dollar. Hey, I can wait...