Friday, October 30, 2009

Technology - Bright & Shiny Addiction



My name is Jill and I am addicted to Technology. I am the marketing guru's dream come true. Show me any commerical or ad that is high tech - and shows some new gadget that has just been invented - especially things that can do everything and are portable and have buttons and can go in my pocket......I start drooling. I get obsessed. Have to have new item. How can I get new item. What can I sell or forego to have money to buy new item.


But then - do I really use the item? I spend money, I spend days, even weeks of time reading the manual learning all that it can do and tweeking it to make it do cool things. And pulling my hair out making it talk to all of my other technology. Then.......a new commerical...a new gadget....Have to have NEW gadget.


And so it goes....


But the funny thing is - I really don't have the hi-tech paperless spirit to go along with it. Take for example - my Samsung Omnia Windows Media Phone. Close to an iPhone as you can get - without the iphone. HAD.TO.HAVE.IT. Got it - loved it - played with it all that. It was a phone of course, and an mp3 player - as well as syncing with Media Center and watching TV shows or other videos, 5 meg Pixel camera, Microsoft Office, Outlook, etc - everything. And Facebook of course.


I still wrote my Dr and Hair Cut appts on little cards in my wallet - i couldn't concentrate enough to actually type in an entry while I was at the receptionist window carrying on a conversation. Believe me I tried. But the appt entry was undecipherable. Something like....Ft Vjiollj on some random day at midnight - and the alarm would sound to tell me I'm supposed to be somewhere -but who knew where and really when?


I've never once attempted to do an Excel spreadsheet on my phone, or a Power Point Presentation - or even a letter to my Mother in Word. But gosh dang it - it's really cool that my little phone as Microsoft Office.


But - the music.....you gotta love that, right? Well......for one - there are like 3 different music players on it - and they confused me...and when I told them to go find my library - they would say it wasn't there. Cause there is so many places to store files. My Documents My Music on the device, but there's also something called My Storage. and it has a My Documents and My Music too. But hold on....there is also something called My Storage Card...and it has folders too! Oh where oh where did I put those 500 songs? Ok - i'm going jogging - I'll just grab my little Creative Zen it's a 2 inch square and it fits in my little zipper pocket - and I hit play and it plays the music!


The Internet is kinda cool though. One time I looked up movie times while we were out to dinner. And one time someone in the car asked who sang some obscure song - and I looked that up too.


I also signed up for the Verizon Navigation program - of course that cost extra - but it was an emergency - we were on our way via Amtrack to go see a show Morgan was in - and we didn't have any idea how to get to the theater once arriving in downtown Chicago. So while on the way up there I activated the service. And it went about figuring out where we wanted to go and where we were......and OMG - it was very alarming - it said out load for everyone to hear "YOU ARE NOT ON A ROAD". Duh. Glad it told me - wouldn't have known I was on a train tracks if not for it's warning.


So in theory - such a cool thing. In one phone - it could replace all these devices that I use: phone, camera, mp3 player, PDA and computer. And I want it to - I really do. Cause you know it's really cool sitting in the middle of church browsing Facebook..... (just kidding - I don't do that)


And I was working towards breaking all my ties to my other devices and just figuring out how to use everything. But the final straw. I must pay $30 a month on top of all other phone charges for the privilege of using it. This if for unlimited Internet package. I've already told you that I really don't use the internet. Well - i could get addicted to facebook - but I can stop cold turkey. So I asked the nice little phone company to shut that off so I can save $30 a month (see post about needing money to buy dog heart meds). They said ----uummm - No. You want the phone - you gotta have the Data package. I said - I love the phone - the internet pkg - not so much. They say - they're a package deal. I try to explain that the phone has WiFi (how cool is that) - if I want the internet I can just go to a public hot spot and use it for free. They don't like that. No internet pkg - no phone activation.


Have you seen my current phone - it's a nice little Chocolate model.....

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Frugal Times


I don't know about your house - but at our house we have been looking for any way to save money. It's been a gradual process - but a little more intense since our last "recession" started - or whatever it is. Prices have gone up, income has stayed the same and we've had some new expenses.


We've even considered cancelling our cable service. (GASP). Currently for both Cable & Internet we pay around $90/month with MediaCom. I really need that $90. See, one of our dogs - Hannah - is soon to turn 13. And she has been healthy as a horse (are they really generally healthy?) her whole life - but now she has congestive heart failure and the beginnings of kidney failure. So she is on two heart meds - one is $75 a prescription, the other an economical $13. And the prescription dog food is ~$50/month. When John, Ian and I were talking about it - someone said it's not like we can watch our dog die while we continue to enjoy TV. It would be an easy choice. So far I'm still trying to find that money somewhere else in the budget.


So here are things that we currently do to save money:



  1. Rarely, if ever go out to eat - eat at home and/or bring my lunch)

  2. Don't go to movies

  3. John stopped buying DVDs - buys or trades for them occasionally at used book store.

  4. Buy clothes at Thrift and Consignment shops. (Exceptions undergarments & shoes)

  5. Go 8 weeks between hair cuts/color

  6. Made dog toys from old jeans

  7. Use leftovers for dog treats

  8. Use library or swap sites for books, dvds, cds (check out http://www.paperbackswap.com/ )

  9. Save electricity by only turning lights on in rooms we're in.

  10. Air Conditioning - set at 78-80, Heat - set at 65.

So what do all of you do to save money?

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

A New Perspective....A Fresh Start


Ok guys - this is the night that I'm going to take my blog in a different direction. In the past - the way distant past - I used to write - but mostly about dogs. Now, a couple of years later - I still LOVE dogs but also have other interests or things on my mind that would like to "chat" about.


"Chat" - That's where you come in. I'm hoping that I'll have a few friends and relatives actually read this blog. What I'm hoping for is instead of me just telling you a story about something - that I will present a topic or question - and then through the comments everyone can participate and discuss.


See - from my year on Facebook I have found that I find it really interesting what other people think...getting a different perspective. And I love to read discussion forums where people that are smarter and more experienced than I discuss the way they do things or see things.


So if you have a topic you'd like to discuss....well you'll have to write your own blog.....just kidding...just let me know and I'll add it to my list.


So my first topic...is Blogs. Do any of you have your own blog? Do you read any blogs? Which ones - or what topics/kinds of blogs do you find yourself drawn to?


The topics I'm usually looking for in a blog are


  • Frugality/Saving Money

  • Simplifying/De-cluttering

  • Recycling - Vintage Decor

My visual qualities I look for are....



  • Pretty pictures

  • Nice layout

  • Not cluttered

  • No Ads

Okay - for those of you that I'm sending a link to this - I know the first post is VERY dry - but stop back by and join a discussion...