playstation 3 | Online Savings Blog

Why an iPhone is a Worthy Investment
04.02.08 | Consumerism | 6 Comments | by junger

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I love gadgets. I can't hide that.

I've written before about wanting to buy a PlayStation 3 (to play Blu-ray movies) and Rock Band (to jam out), but talked myself out of it.

Apple's iPhone, however, is a different story.

Since it came out, Debbie and I have pretty much lusted at the iPhone. It's gorgeous. It's groundbreaking. And it's pretty cool, too.

But we didn't pull the plug. The price was too high — $500 to start — and it required switching to a different cellphone provider (AT&T).

Until recently. Debbie's contract with Sprint is up (we don't get service in the house, anyway) and AT&T started selling refurbished iPhones online for $250.

Since her birthday was last week, I bought her a refurbed iPhone — and now we're proud owners.

What makes the iPhone worth it is that it's a practical gadget. So many times, we find ourselves wanting to know how to get somewhere in the car or to look up some information when we're away from the computer.

Now we can do that.

The iPhone is a pretty sweet gadget, but it has real-world, practical use. It's not like the PS3 or Wii, where you only derive entertainment value from it — the iPhone can save you time and money.

For that, it's a worthy investment in my book.
The Secret to Stopping Impulse Buying
02.21.08 | Money | 1 Comment | by junger

Everyone has impulses. For a lot of us, those impulses tell us to buy things that we want but don't necessarily need.

Right now, I really want either a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox 360 — partially to play Rock Band but also to get a Blu-ray player (now that it has won the format war).

I even had to spend an hour in Best Buy — twice! — in the past two weeks while I was getting new speakers put into my car (the old ones blew). To top it off, I spent most of that time playing the in-store demo of — you guessed it — Rock Band.

But I didn't walk out of there with any extra purchases.

Every time I consider hopping onto Amazon.com and buying something or picking up a gadget at Best Buy, I think about what I'm saving for — and I stop. We're saving for a home, and any big impulse purchase I make before then is going to take away money from that goal.

To stop your impulse buying, always remind yourself what you are saving for. It may help you to carry something physical — say, a picture of a house or photo of your kids.

How much is your impulse purchase going to hurt your savings goal? Don't let it.

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