View Full Version : Bought any Chrismtas Gifts for yourself?
lllovell
12-18-2007, 12:35 PM
I didn\'t buy it for myself but I got something FANTASTIC for Christmas that I was going to buy myself if I didnt get it.
It is a single cup coffee pot I can keep in my office.
I think I am driving everyone mad with the scent of the coffee each day, but it really hits the spot and is always fresh.
Thanks to my secret santa for remembering my request! :yahoo:
Are you buying yourself anything special for Christmas if someone else doesn\'t get it for you?
Laura
lllovell
12-18-2007, 12:40 PM
(and now the \"I got a used Kazoo for Christmas\" song wont get out of my head!!!) :scared:
idratherbeinwdw
12-18-2007, 12:41 PM
The Disney store had a sale on snowglobes ($39 for globes that originally sold for up to $79). Plus I had a 20% off coupon from Disney Visa. So even though the LAST thing I need is more Disney memorabilia I could not resist getting an awesome Beauty and the Beast snowglobe (originally $59 or $69, I forgot) for $32. It\'s really pretty and it plays (naturally) the Theme song \"Beauty and the Beast\".
Your coffee pot sounds like a great gift Laura, enjoy!! :goodvibes: :woohoodance :santa:
Nothing stands out. I just sort of buy things when the spirit moves me and don\'t really give it much thought. :blush:
I did buy an HD-DVD player when WalMart had them for $99 about 6 weeks ago. But that was even before Thanksgiving so I\'m not sure if it counts.
I have every intention of buying a 40\"+ flat panel TV for our living room sometime in the near future. It would go in a spot where our Christmas tree is now, so I\'m not in any great hurry. Hope I don\'t regret waiting until after the holidays.
lllovell
12-18-2007, 01:18 PM
There is always the President\'s Day sales Tim.
Things like electronics and mattresses are always on sale ever 2 months. I try hard NOT to impulse buy things like that because I know if I can just wait, it will be time for another sale day.
LLL
Rozzie
12-18-2007, 01:30 PM
Hey Tim, we are super happy with our Vizio. Mr. Roz wants a HD player too. It\'s finding room for all the stuff now that we have our TV wall mounted.
I have bought myself Cesar\'s new book \"Be the Pack Leader\" last night at B&N, and Mr. Roz got a few books himself. All we have left shopping wise is a few gift cards. I really want a press pot, and I don\'t know if I am going to get it, but I\'ll be buying that if Santa forgets. :rolleye11:
Hopefully I\'ll get to go to the happy place next month and I can pick up some Kona coffee to go with it. :rolleye11: :thumbsup:
lllovell
12-18-2007, 01:34 PM
Next month when possible?
If you aren\'t going, Carrie and I will both be down for the marathon. I bet you can twist one of our arms and we can send you some coffee if you aren\'t going to get there soon enough!
Laura
Rozzie
12-18-2007, 02:01 PM
lllovell wrote:
Next month when possible?
If you aren\'t going, Carrie and I will both be down for the marathon. I bet you can twist one of our arms and we can send you some coffee if you aren\'t going to get there soon enough!
Laura
You are too sweet! It all depends on this wait and see game with this new job I am trying out for. I might take you up on your offer. How is your training going?
One thing I do have to say, I always buy for myself at Christmas. Then again, I rarely feel guilty for splurging on myself when buying so much for others. :)
PoohsPal
12-18-2007, 02:21 PM
Yup, we can hit you up with a cdouble-dose of Kona i foyu want! WOuld rather se you there, though!
Tim - Can you teach my dh how to shop? He\'ll come home with a $10 household item or tool adn apologize for spending $. I\'d liek him to spend to ese my self-inflicted guilt! ;)
I\'m going to get a bigger SD card for my Palm. I may go ahead and buy it now, though.
:tink:That Rozz gets a new job fo CHristmas!
Technically, the Wii is for my daughter, but...;)
I also plan to order plenty of goodies for my Mustang, just haven\'t had time yet. That and the Twin Peaks DVD and I\'ll be a happy camper.
Rozzie
12-19-2007, 03:22 PM
Okay, I thought of this thread today. We went to Sam\'s and came home with 2 leather recliners. We have been in the market for over a year, and finally they got some in that swivel, rock, and the right color for the right price. Loser I am put them on my Discover to pay off in 6 months. Tis\' the season, right? :silly1:
lllovell
12-19-2007, 03:47 PM
round here we call that financial planning Rozzie!
Rozzie
12-19-2007, 05:56 PM
lllovell wrote:
round here we call that financial planning Rozzie!
Yep, my Sam\'s Discover is my favorite card now, even better than my Disney Visa!! ;)
lllovell
12-19-2007, 06:37 PM
Rash wrote:
Technically, the Wii is for my daughter, but...;)
Good thing you like her well enough to get her that Wii huh? :P They actually do look like fun but I still have the \"nothing but leapfrog\" ban at my house. I am sticking firm, but I sounds like I might need to get a Wii to test out my ban and see if it needs to be updated.
Can I make the boxer look like my boss when I have had a rough day at work?
:silly1:
LLL
PoohsPal
12-20-2007, 07:34 AM
Laura - I think if there was an excpetion to be made, it would eb teh Wii. You know that retirement home and rehab facilities actually use them as therapy?
PoohsPal wrote:
You know that retirement home and rehab facilities actually use them as therapy?[/quote]
Geez, now I really feel old. Maybe I\'ll take back the Wii and get the lastest Nellie CD - doubt they use that for therapy.
PoohsPal
12-20-2007, 12:31 PM
Rash wrote:
Geez, now I really feel old. Maybe I\'ll take back the Wii and get the lastest Nellie CD - doubt they use that for therapy.
You\'re welcome! Always trying to help!;)
Stitch
12-20-2007, 12:33 PM
We picked up the Wii for our kids as well. Actually they haven\'t even asked for it. We kept waiting for them to say they wanted it, so we just went out before Thanksgiving and got it.
Oh well, if they don\'t care for it, yours truly will.
I heard they developed a new Wii game - The Yuengling Twist-Off - most bottles opened per minute wins.
Stitch wrote:
I heard they developed a new Wii game - The Yuengling Twist-Off - most bottles opened per minute wins.[/quote]
I have the high score on that.
Stitch
12-20-2007, 12:56 PM
Rash wrote:
Stitch wrote:
I heard they developed a new Wii game - The Yuengling Twist-Off - most bottles opened per minute wins.
I have the high score on that.[/quote]Well with four openers I should hope so.
Stitch wrote:
Well with four openers I should hope so.
Nope, just one hoof and a whole lotta talent.
lllovell wrote:
Rash wrote:
Technically, the Wii is for my daughter, but...;)
Good thing you like her well enough to get her that Wii huh? :P They actually do look like fun but I still have the \"nothing but leapfrog\" ban at my house. I am sticking firm, but I sounds like I might need to get a Wii to test out my ban and see if it needs to be updated.
I\'ll admit that, if anything, my kids probably spend a little bit too much time with such games. But I think there are a number of healthy side-effects.
Most of their time now is spent with the computer and you can really see the benefits in both computer skills and in their coordination (using the mouse, gamepad). My son is also turning into a big sports nut and some of the games help feed that habit. There may not be much benefit to him playing a baseball videogame, but I know for a fact that I won\'t have to twist his arm to go outside and play for real once the weather warms up. The videogames help keep that interest alive.
The Wii really is amazing. Check out a couple of these gameplay videos:
Bowling: http://us.wii.com/viewer.jsp?vid=6
Tennis: http://us.wii.com/viewer.jsp?vid=8
Baseball: http://us.wii.com/viewer.jsp?vid=11
It really is as easy and fun as it looks. (Except for the time my wife clubbed me in the face while playing tennis! :oweye:
Right now they are developing a game called Wii Fit which includes a platform you stand on (about the size of a bathroom scale) and the \"games\" are aerobic-type things to help you get a good workout while having fun.
PoohsPal
12-20-2007, 02:04 PM
tjkraz wrote:
[quote (Except for the time my wife clubbed me in the face while playing tennis! :oweye:[/quote]
OK, so I don\'t really want a wWIi. My poor dh would end up badly bruised. :blush:
Great that your ds uses uses the games to help his real life sports. I have a nephew who doesn\'t like real life \'because you can do more in a video game.\" HOnest, quote from a 7 YO. Sounds like your kids are doing just fine with balance, but there are some who need a lot more restriction.
kathleena
12-22-2007, 11:02 PM
I bought DH a Garmin for his car and he bought me a remote start.
Got my DGD lots of Tink stuff and my DGS gift cards to his favorite game store.
A few more gift cards for a few people and my shopping was done. We have a small family!
Well, I saw this thread and thought, \"Oh, I haven\'t bought anything for myself.\" Then, Friday hit, and our new rocker for the new house arrived here (at the old house). It is truly lovely. It\'s not an expensive rocker, just all-weather wicker, but, it was the custom made cushions with a fabric that I thought I loved that was most important. It looks WAY BETTER in person as cushions than it did as just fabric. :) So, in a fit of joy, I ordered all the wallpaper for the new den and dining room to coordinate with rocker\'s fabric. I also ordered fabric for two recliners to coordinate with this chair. Now that I\'ve seen the store\'s upholstering abilities, I\'m OK with them doing the work on the Flexsteel recliners we will be ordering. Boy, did my VISA get a workout!
athenna
12-23-2007, 07:03 AM
Well, I didn\'t buy anything too exciting for myself, but I did buy a new winter coat on Friday....Kind of a necessity living in Boston...It was a great deal though! It was regular price $160 on sale for $64.
kathleena
12-24-2007, 01:06 PM
:lol: I think I thought I was replying to the other thread (my eyes don\'t follow lines well.......) about have you finished buying yet?
So let\'s see - what did I buy for me? Oh I bought a new Quickutz machines that diecuts fonts. It hooks up to the computer and you can use it with any font. It\'s still in the box and I bought it in October. I\"m waiting for tomorrow to use it to make it legitimate.
OK time to bump this thread up. I took the plunge and bought that TV for myself last night.
Got me a Sony Bravia 40\" LCD with full 1080p HD capability. :yahoo: I was looking at Panasonic and some of the other moderately-priced alternatives. But when I saw this set at Costco, I couldn\'t seem to get away from it.
It hadn\'t been on my research list so I waited to buy until I had done some checking at home. Turns out I found it for about $300 less thru Amazon (no sales tax, free ship, in-home delivery.) The only downside is I gotta wait a week or so to enjoy my new purchase. Oh, well. :beer:
dwelty
01-01-2008, 10:38 AM
You will be happy with the Sony. We have a 38\" bravia and were so happy with it, we bought an identical one for the bedroom. (the problem with hi def, is once you have one of them in the house, you cannot stand watching regular TV).
We have had them for 6 months and have had no problems.
lllovell
01-01-2008, 11:06 AM
Slowly backing away from this thread before hubby reads this over my shoulder.
:whistle:
dwelty wrote:
(the problem with hi def, is once you have one of them in the house, you cannot stand watching regular TV).
I\'ve already joined that fraternity. This will actually the the 3rd hi-def set in our house. I\'ve had a 48\" set in my basement home theater for 4-5 years now and a 27\" in our bedroom for a year.
I have been waiting for the right opportunity to add a showpiece tv to our living room. Now that the kids are getting older and we got the Wii for Christmas, we\'ve all been spending a lot more time in that room together. It will be a nice upgrade from the 32\" standard def TV we have now.
idratherbeinwdw
01-01-2008, 12:16 PM
I am considering buying one, but I know very little about which hdtv has the best quality. My nephew told me yesterday that Samsung is best for larger hdtvs. I have always been a sony person. What made you choose the set you chose tim?
idratherbeinwdw wrote:
I am considering buying one, but I know very little about which hdtv has the best quality. My nephew told me yesterday that Samsung is best for larger hdtvs. I have always been a sony person. What made you choose the set you chose tim?
Ironically I started out looking at Panasonic plasma sets and ended up with a Sony LCD. The first thing that pushed me toward the Sony was simply seeing it in person. Granted calibration plays a big role in how good a set looks in the store. But when you really concentrate on the image, it\'s still possible to detect the flaws in lower end models. Look for blocky pixelixation of the image or any stuttering of the image when objects are moving a high speeds. Those are real warning signs.
After being impressed with the Sony, I looked at web reviews. Cnet.com has a very extensive review section with user feedback. Amazon also has a good feedback section.
I won\'t impress anyone with my knowledge of things like black level or image warmth level. Still reading positive reviews--especially from the pros--does help validate the decision.
Ultimately one big factor that pushed me toward the Sony was its audio technology. Given that this will be in a living room, I was trying to get good audio performance without cluttering the room with a 5.1 surround setup. According to the specs of this particular Sony, it has an advanced audio system that creates a surround-like experience just using the speakers on the TV itself. I\'m not expecting anything teeth-rattling, but I\'m hoping it will be a significant improvement over the usual tinny flat panel speakers.
My basic recommdendations would be:
1. Make a list of any \"must-have\" features (screen size, resolution, certain number/type of inputs, etc.) and eliminate any that do not meet your minimums.
2. Look at them in the store. Eliminate any that do not impress you with their image quality.
3. When you\'ve settled on a couple of finalists, check reviews on the web. The professional reviewers will tell you where the performance is deficient (every single TV has its pros and cons)--use that to determine if the deficiencies are going to matter to you or not. Read the consumer reports too, but take many with a grain of salt. If you see the same problem recurring over and over, it may be signs of a manufacturing defect. But don\'t give much weight to occasional really bad review--consider that the reviewer simply has a beef or just happened to get a bad unit.
IMO, the most important step is to pick something that YOU feel looks good. If you are happy with the picture quality, it doesn\'t really matter if a professional tech says that the TV doesn\'t display the color black well. :rolleye11:
No matter what you buy, I suggest you ask around for someone local who\'s a good tuner. Mr. Nono is, and he can make a crap set (old 4:3 units) look fantastic! And, since you will be putting down good dough for the unit, another $50-100 will be a great investment and add to your enjoyment. (JMO)
Tim\'s list is really good, but I\'d back up a step further. Decide whether the benefits of a particular technology are a benefit for you and your lifestyle. For instance, we live in a sun-soaked area, so no matter how good a front projection unit is, we can\'t really consider one unless we\'re willing to make one of our rooms a cave (doesn\'t go over well in our case with Mrs Nono ;) ) OTOH, we\'ve lived in some small spaces, so the ability to hang a flat panel on the wall was a definite benefit that knocked rear-projection units off our list years ago, when they were arguably a better deal.
It\'s really fun to go through the process, esp. with prices creeping lower and lower. Also, there\'s a lot of good to great units out there. Using Tim\'s list, think about the law of diminishing returns - how much more are you paying for an incrementally better unit, and does that matter enough to you?
And, btw, yeah, we have a couple of plasmas with incredible black levels, but that\'s because \"THE EYE\" (Mr Nono) can see it and loves that feature. Me...I can see it \'cause he taught me, but really, in all the Disney/Pixar stuff I get to watch over and over and over, it doesn\'t matter all that much to me. :rotfl2: But, I\'m happy that he\'s happy. :hug1:
idratherbeinwdw
01-01-2008, 04:19 PM
Thanks to you both for all the excellent suggestions. I wasn\'t even thinking about getting a new TV, as there is nothing \"wrong\" with the Sonys that I have. I was brought up with a mentality that you don\'t get rid of something perfectly good. It\'s hard to get away from that sometimes. And I wasn\'t going to spend over 2 Grand when what I had wasn\'t broken.
But now the price of HDTV has suddenly become a lot more affordable. I knew it would drop in cost eventually, but it seems to have happened more quickly than I expected. I just got a raise, and it just might be time to treat myself to a toy.
I\'ll tell you right now what means the most to me, sound quality. I have 40% hearing loss in both ears, and the clearer the sound the better. I use captioning on my tv, but it\'s still nicer to be able to hear what\'s being said rather than have to rely on reading the captions. So the audio system you refer to in the Sony sounds really good to me.
I will take your advice and go look/listen for myself to see what most appeals to me, and couple that along with some reviews. That sure makes sense! :listen: :driver:
idratherbeinwdw wrote:
I\'ll tell you right now what means the most to me, sound quality. I have 40% hearing loss in both ears, and the clearer the sound the better. I use captioning on my tv, but it\'s still nicer to be able to hear what\'s being said rather than have to rely on reading the captions. So the audio system you refer to in the Sony sounds really good to me.
Here\'s Sony\'s description for the enhanced sound feature:
S-Force™ Front Surround
Built around a sophisticated set of Sony algorithms, the S-Force Front Surround enhancement function generates realistic surround sound from the two speakers in the TV. Unlike some other \"virtual surround\" technologies, S-Force Front Surround sound does not need to be bounced off of side walls or other surfaces to hear three-dimensional sound. No matter what the size or shape of the room it\'s possible to hear sounds from behind you.
I\'ll let you know what I think of it once I have the TV installed. If/when you start looking, be careful because not all Sony\'s have this feature.
idratherbeinwdw
01-01-2008, 06:31 PM
tjkraz wrote:
Here\'s Sony\'s description for the enhanced sound feature:
S-Force™ Front Surround
Built around a sophisticated set of Sony algorithms, the S-Force Front Surround enhancement function generates realistic surround sound from the two speakers in the TV. Unlike some other \"virtual surround\" technologies, S-Force Front Surround sound does not need to be bounced off of side walls or other surfaces to hear three-dimensional sound. No matter what the size or shape of the room it\'s possible to hear sounds from behind you.
I\'ll let you know what I think of it once I have the TV installed. If/when you start looking, be careful because not all Sony\'s have this feature.
The description of the sound is really appealing. Thanks for the warning about not all sonys having that feature, and I\'m looking foward to your review. :goodvibes:
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