December 3, 2006
Amazon has a sale going on right now ranging from 25% to 70% off television show DVDs. This makes something like Fawlty Towers much more affordable at 29.97, instead of 59.98!
And, you can cash in on this deal as well:
Buy a DVD, get a free TV show download ($1.99 instant rebate)
What does this DVD + download deal mean for you? It means that you can buy DVDs of shows including Prison Break, CSI, Numb3rs and CSI: Miami. And, you can download current episodes just after they’re broadcast — and before they come out on DVD!
Remember, if you’re going Christmas shopping, make your lists FIRST, THEN shop lest you be lured in by the Siren song of deals deals deals! And if you’re ordering from a website such as the lovely Amazon.com, be sure to order early enough so that you can take advantage of the slower Super Saver Free Shipping, and not have to pay extra shipping charges. Those can absolutely kill any deal you might get!
December 1, 2006
In response to my letter regarding several problems I had at a recent Sheraton, I was offered a refund of the incidentals (about $200) or 10,000 Starpoints which is said to be the equivalent of a single night’s stay. I’ve never actually redeemed Starpoints before, so I don’t know how easy it is. Does anyone know if it’s better to take the cash or the points?
November 30, 2006
He got 2 tickets to the Bocelli concert for $320!!! Only 20 bucks over budget!!
AND he’ll be home for the weekend, so we can give them to my parents together! YESSS!!!
November 26, 2006
I have a bloggery, budgetary dilemma.
It all started when I resolved not to buy Christmas presents this year because I hadn’t any good ideas and I refuse to buy obligatory, unimaginative/thoughtless gifts. Funds aren’t any too abundant, either, so it made sense.
But then I overheard my parents raving about Andrea Bocelli and that mixed it up with my guilt over not being the best daughter around, so I decided just to check if he’s touring. Yes, I’m trying to buy their love. Wait, no, I already have their love. I’m trying to buy their approval. Ah heck with it, I’m just trying to buy myself an indulgence or seven. Let’s be honest, a couple of concert tickets should get me off easy for anything I screw up for a few months, right? Er, I mean, wouldn’t that be an awesome *early* Christmas gift? =) Uh, anyway, he just happens to be booked at the Honda Center in a couple weeks, and the tickets have been on sale for about two months now.
I’ve never bought concert tickets before. And, since I rarely go out, other than visiting BoyDucky, my monthly recreation budget hovers around … <$100. It's really kind of a sick cycle: I don't go out so I don't budget for it, so I don't go out. But mostly, all that means is that I have NO IDEA what normal concert tickets might cost. When I saw that the lowest prices started at $75, and even a first time ticket-buyer like me knows that the cheapest tickets are probably gone now, I realized that I'd have to resort to finding discount or alternative ticket sellers. Little did I know what a strange anti-budget world I'd be stepping into.
I unsuccessfully googled for a little bit, then realized – duh! eBay! So I checked eBay and oh. my. LORD. They have tickets selling for over a thousand dollars!! And for the low-end buyers like me, they have listings starting at $450 and up. $300 per pair actually started looking reasonable.
That got me thinking: I know that eBay basically reflects what I suppose “average” consumers are willing to pay. But, eBay’s listings have a way of really making prices, that I’d normally never consider rational, look like a pretty good deal. And I wonder what that does to a budget? I mean, the temptation to just BUY something without seeing the price in the bigger picture, for me, was overwhelming. Suddenly I forgot that $200 or $300 is actually a LOT of money. I mean, it’s no $750, right?
My problem is that I have no qualms setting a limit for myself. Miniducky, I say, you may spend X amount on yourself this month. No more than that. But when looking at an unbudgeted gift, especially a gift I’ve never shopped for before, how exactly should I set a limit for what’s reasonable and what’s not?
Case in point: is Signor Bocelli worth $150/pair? $200? $300? It’s a Christmas gift, and not one I’m likely to have the opportunity to give again. There’s no doubt that I will get them tickets, but which ones? Do I target the REALLY nice seats? After all, this is a one time shot. And, as TBH has said before, why work so hard to save if I can’t splurge for my loved ones?
Conversely, isn’t that kind of the same argument I could pose for every instance of gift buying? And doesn’t that add up REALLY fast?
I’ll post my solution when I hear your thoughts. Um, and after I HAVE a solution.
November 25, 2006
I read an article about how ten year olds are starting to dress, talk, and act like the typical teenagers, but far too early, and how physical development almost forces the rapid progression despite the slower mental and emotional development. I’d link to the article but it was hours ago and I’ve sort of forgotten where it was from.
It DID remind me of an oddly disquieting conversation I had with our secretary touting the cleverness of her 5th grade daughter (that puts her right about where? Ten years old?):
Mom: So-and-so asked me for your Christmas list.
Daughter: Oh! That’s EASY! Gift cards, gift cards, gift cards.
And the list is easy too! Bloomies, Target, Macys, etc. etc. etc.
Whoo! I mean, I know that she’s a single mom who’s proud of raising her kids on her own and she can be the ultimate bargain shopper and is somehow able to treat her daughter and herself to many things that they want that I couldn’t possibly splurge on [this is the person who insists that my financial picture can always afford to spend $50/month on myself even though all she knows is that I take care of my parents] … but that just gave me a chill. I suppose there’s no harm in that sort of mentality when you’re the favorite niece of a rich bachelor uncle and you have high career aspirations … but I still feel like that sets a poor precedent. Maybe I’ve just forgotten what it’s like to be a kid.
November 24, 2006
but apparently the Hyatt misses me anyway! I stayed at a Hyatt in February because BoyDucky’s family had a conference and wanted to make a mini-vacation out of it, but haven’t stayed at one since. They sent me an email last week offering a free night good until the end of April 2007 if I book a stay [of any length, apparently] between now and the end of January. That’s better than the deal they’re promoting for the general public of Book 2 stays, get a night free. Too bad they don’t have great rates, the better to claim that free night with!
At the other end of the spectrum, it’s been two months and I’ve heard no response from the Sheraton about the many things wrong with the stay I had in Chicago. Apparently customer satisfaction is NOT such a priority with the Starwood hotels?
