Consumer Lust
I’ve been at this point in my life where I haven’t been buying a whole lot.. Some sushi stuff, but not a whole lot.. Recently I decided to buy a new laptop.. And that just hasn’t happened..
And then Apple had to go and release its whole new line of iPods. Now, understand two things about me. First. I am frugal. Friends (Brendo, Tiwire can atest) and family will tell you I am. The common joke during the winter is that when I open up the door to let people in, I’m letting the ice cold outside warm up my apartment (because naturally, I keep the thermostat way down. I have blankets! Why should I care!). Second, I’ve never liked Apple or the iPod. I beta tested (where you work on hardware to find bugs, but get to keep the electronic toys for free – see, frugal) Rios line of hand mp3 players. That was going swimmingly. I was getting all the coolest new gadgets, these guys made my Empeg MP3 car Player (Way before it’s time) and then the Japanese Company that owned them just shuttered the doors.
I was bummed, but I stuck it out. Nothing was better than my Rio mp3 players. Family members started jumping ship like rats jumping off the Titanic. Getting their trendy little iPods. Still. I hung strong. I put more hard drives in my car player, and was smug (Did I mention I got the car player for like 60% off during a firesale? See. Frugal).
Then Apple had to do it. They’ve release the iPod Classic this bad boy clocks in at 160 Gigs, and it plays video. And it can take my entire mp3 collection from my mp3 car player. And to add insult to injury, they added the iPod touchscreen. It’s like the iPhone, but without the phone, which is what I want 😉
So here’s my conundrum. I am too frugal to buy the thing outright. So I have to find someone with an educational discount or federal discount (or find out if work has a discount) or I can pan handle (heck, I added Adsense to the blog, and lets just say for two years, I’ve only made somewhere between 15 and 25 dollars (since I don’t want to break googles TOS, I won’t say exactly how much).
So here’s the deal, you paypal me money, and I’ll start blogging again. Or stop again. I don’t care, as long as I get the iPod Classic.
Kidding.
Seriously, if you have any kind of discount, or know of one, or just want to mock me and my frugalness, send me an email or leave a comment.
I’ll respond.
I promise.
If you must give in to the Apple cult then go for the IPod Touch. Not nearly the space, but if you got rid of all of your illegal music, it would all fit onto 16 GB. Plus you could surf from any Wi-Fi spot and email me instead of those @#$@# text messages…… that is of course since you refuse to get a new phone and just call.
Hey.
I have LEGAL MUSIC. You think I’m some sort of pirate, Monkey and all?
Well.. Wouldn’t mind having the monkey, but I’m no pirate.
And hey. If you contribute I’ll get both 😉
The phone.. Nother sign of me being FRUGAL!
Chris, I really feel you there, when it comes to frugality, and I can testify that Apple is a seductive mistress. My affair with Apple started way back as a teenager, when she somehow got me to part with a ton of paperboy savings to buy a IIe, which was easily obsolete before I even set it up. Still, I dragged it to college with me where it served as my principal computer until Princeton pulled out the stops and gave us access to labfuls of Macintoshes. (Oy!)
Then last year, I won an iPod. Winning an iPod isn’t really a gift. It’s a commitment to iTunes and the seduction of a music store that gets me. I’ve dropped way too much dough on music there, and if it weren’t for the crimp on my budget that a sudden move imposed on me, I’d probably be selling organs now. (Strangely, I also haven’t been listening to the iPod either.)
Since the move, I ignored frugality for at least a few weeks in decorating the new pad. I had inherited all the furniture and furnishings from my old place, but then proceeded to dispose of a tired sectional and most of the accoutrements (towels, blankets, etc.) that came along for the ride.
I was still quasi-frugal in my decorating (hello IKEA, Walmart, and Target), and now that I’m really settled in, my spending has dropped back into the frugal range, because after all, who needs to spend the cash? :^)
Get me that baby too. You sold me today.