The anniversary day
Well, it's been a weird day... and a good one in a lot of ways.
We've been thinking about a laptop for some time now, and with the vacation coming up, the Hubby had expressed the idea that he doesn't want to see me go through computer withdrawal. So, we've been checking out some options to see what we can get for the least amount of money. We checked on Tiger Direct and Dell, first, but what I wanted cost more than I really wanted to pay. My brother got his through a "rent-to-own" place, so we were thinking about that option - though we knew it would be a monthly bill we really couldn't afford (and we'd end up paying a whole lot more in the long run). This week, a liquidation "show" was advertising laptops from $199. So we thought we'd check out the options a little more.
One of the rent-to-own places advertised some "cash and carry" computers with laptops starting at $299, so we went there. No laptops, just a desktop available. The liquidation "show" charged $5 to enter; with my kids it would have been $15. This was conspicuously left off their ads, on TV, radio, and online. It smacked of a scam to me, so we didn't go in.
We headed for Best Buy, stopping at the local computer repair and building spot to check their prices. Nothing appealed to me. In the car, we started talking about shoes, and how much the kids (and I) needed them. The road Best Buy is on was busy, so we took a sudden detour into a shoe store, where I found sneakers for all the kids (the Girl found her favorites, in her size, and on clearance! She bought two pair!!). Then we went to the New Balance store to order sneakers for me (I had a coupon!).
Then... we stopped in at Circuit City. Why not? It was right next to the New Balance store. Just to look, mind you. I wasn't seriously considering buying there; really I wasn't. But I found a computer without a price on it... and when I asked one of the sales people, he said, "Oh, that's the $399 one."
Ears perked up. He went to get the sign that should have been there. The specs were good: 2 GB RAM, 160 GB HD... the things I wanted where there. A Compaq Presario. The deal was I pay the sale price and get over $200 in mail-in rebates. I talked to the kids... don't ever talk to the kids on a decision like this! They all said, go for it! In three-part harmony. With their own reasons (like two of them playing Runescape at the same time). So, I took a deep breath, and plunged in.
It's sitting on a chair, charging the battery. Vista will take time to learn, but I'm insisting on a mouse. Those little track pads and I don't get along.
Then Hubby came home. He wasn't upset at all about the choice, as long as we could still go out to dinner for our anniversary. Which we did. The Melting Pot - very classy fondue place. I'd made reservations, and when we got there, they'd left a cute anniversary card at the table for us. The food - particularly the cheese fondue and the chocolate fondue - was wonderful! Well, except for the jerk-flavored steak - I didn't care for that much. I loved the Greek Goddess and the Ginger Pear dipping sauces! Very expensive meal; far more expensive than we're used to. But it was worth it for the togetherness, and time alone.
So, an unusual and expensive day!
The rebates go out in the morning...
We've been thinking about a laptop for some time now, and with the vacation coming up, the Hubby had expressed the idea that he doesn't want to see me go through computer withdrawal. So, we've been checking out some options to see what we can get for the least amount of money. We checked on Tiger Direct and Dell, first, but what I wanted cost more than I really wanted to pay. My brother got his through a "rent-to-own" place, so we were thinking about that option - though we knew it would be a monthly bill we really couldn't afford (and we'd end up paying a whole lot more in the long run). This week, a liquidation "show" was advertising laptops from $199. So we thought we'd check out the options a little more.
One of the rent-to-own places advertised some "cash and carry" computers with laptops starting at $299, so we went there. No laptops, just a desktop available. The liquidation "show" charged $5 to enter; with my kids it would have been $15. This was conspicuously left off their ads, on TV, radio, and online. It smacked of a scam to me, so we didn't go in.
We headed for Best Buy, stopping at the local computer repair and building spot to check their prices. Nothing appealed to me. In the car, we started talking about shoes, and how much the kids (and I) needed them. The road Best Buy is on was busy, so we took a sudden detour into a shoe store, where I found sneakers for all the kids (the Girl found her favorites, in her size, and on clearance! She bought two pair!!). Then we went to the New Balance store to order sneakers for me (I had a coupon!).
Then... we stopped in at Circuit City. Why not? It was right next to the New Balance store. Just to look, mind you. I wasn't seriously considering buying there; really I wasn't. But I found a computer without a price on it... and when I asked one of the sales people, he said, "Oh, that's the $399 one."
Ears perked up. He went to get the sign that should have been there. The specs were good: 2 GB RAM, 160 GB HD... the things I wanted where there. A Compaq Presario. The deal was I pay the sale price and get over $200 in mail-in rebates. I talked to the kids... don't ever talk to the kids on a decision like this! They all said, go for it! In three-part harmony. With their own reasons (like two of them playing Runescape at the same time). So, I took a deep breath, and plunged in.
It's sitting on a chair, charging the battery. Vista will take time to learn, but I'm insisting on a mouse. Those little track pads and I don't get along.
Then Hubby came home. He wasn't upset at all about the choice, as long as we could still go out to dinner for our anniversary. Which we did. The Melting Pot - very classy fondue place. I'd made reservations, and when we got there, they'd left a cute anniversary card at the table for us. The food - particularly the cheese fondue and the chocolate fondue - was wonderful! Well, except for the jerk-flavored steak - I didn't care for that much. I loved the Greek Goddess and the Ginger Pear dipping sauces! Very expensive meal; far more expensive than we're used to. But it was worth it for the togetherness, and time alone.
So, an unusual and expensive day!
The rebates go out in the morning...