The Chronic Consumer

I love personalized stationery and Alden Grace is my favorite place to buy it from. I just got an email (I’m on their mailing list) saying that they’re having a special summer sale for a limited time only. From now until August 10, you can get FREE ENVELOPE PRINTING on every order!! If you’ve ever purchased expensive stationery before, then you know that the envelopes matter just as much as the letter sheets or note cards. Envelope printing is usually a costly option (adding at least $20 to the the order), so this is a fantastic deal.

Just go to the site and start shopping. No coupon needed to take advantage of this offer!

I was a huge fan of The X-Files television series. Although I got into the show a few years late, I was able to catch up thanks to borrowing VHS tapes from friends, so by the time the fifth season rolled around, I was completely up to date.

Anyway, I still love The X-Files and would really love to buy the special edition DVD box set that contains every single episode from Seasons 1-9, as well as a bunch of extra features, interviews, and commentary. Plus, it comes in a nifty briefcase-like carrying case with an X-Files logo across the front.

Unfortunately, this box set costs a whopping $546.69 at Amazon.com — and that’s considerably less than the $899 list price! I’m sorry, but no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot justify spending that much money on a DVD box set. Sure, I’ve only seen a majority of TXF episodes only once, so I’d definitely enjoy watching all of them again. But shelling out more than $500 for something like this is just way too much.

As an alternative, I could get the so-called “slim set” of DVDs, which is a bare-bones collection with no extras or anything cool like that. Those slim sets cost $19.99 per season, which means I could get the whole series for $280.

I don’t know. I’m undecided about the slim set, but am definitely not getting the special edition at this time. However, I’m still putting it on my Wish List. Maybe someone will buy it for me!!!

(Click photo to enlarge.)

I don’t actually golf very much these days, but that doesn’t stop me from buying related clothing and accessories. I love ladies golf apparel, ladies golf hats, and ladies golf outerwear because they’re just much better than other types of clothes.

For example, ladies golf shorts fit me much better than casual shorts from regular stores. They’re comfortable, durable, and the perfect length. I also love golf polos because they usually have special properties (like ClimaCool) that help me stay cool in the summer heat. Plus, golf apparel isn’t even that much more expensive than regular clothes, especially when I buy the stuff at huge discounts from websites like womensgolfproshop.com!

My mom is nearly 60 years old and has frequent problems with her legs and feet. For example, she suffers from arthritis in her knees, experiences poor circulation in her feet, and has general aches and pains in her calves. She used to treat herself to a spa visit once or twice a month for a massage, and that always helped alleviate the pain. But at upwards of $50 for a 1-hour visit, the massages were taking a toll on her limited budget.

So for Mother’s Day last May, I decided to splurge and buy my mom the OSIM iSqueez© Foot and Calf Massager from Brookstone. The following review is based on things my mom has told me about the product.

First of all, my mom loves the way the iSqueez© works. She uses it for approximately 15 minutes every single day while she’s watching TV and reports that her legs feel infinitely better since she began this routine. I’ve read other iSqueez© user reviews that reported the machine didn’t exert enough pressure on their legs. However, my mom is on the petite side, so she didn’t face this type of issue. The squeezing action is pretty intense according to her, which is precisely what she wants.

When my mom first started using the iSqueez©, she said that the machine hurt her feet. I read about other people having similar problems and discovered that most of them weren’t positioning their feet properly. You’re supposed to sit with your heels lined up against the back of the machine, which means you need to be in an upright position and not slouched over with your legs extended. Once my mom started sitting properly, the foot issues disappeared and everything was fine.

Now, my mom did have a very big problem with the iSqueez© when she first brought it home from Brookstone. Namely, the first unit didn’t work when she plugged it in! It didn’t turn on at all, but since it was brand new, my mom thought the problem was on her end. As a result, she lugged the iSqueez© around the whole house and tried it in every single electrical outlet she had, but no dice.

She called up Brookstone to explain the problem. I guess this must have been a known issue to them (though the clerk didn’t admit as much) because they just told my mom to come in and exchange it for a new one without asking any other questions or giving any troubleshooting advice. Since the unit is SO HEAVY and since my mom didn’t want to go through the same hassle again, she specifically asked that a Brookstone employee test the new unit in the store before giving it to her.

When she went in to make the exchange, there was a new, boxed-up unit waiting for my mom behind the counter. She could tell that the package hadn’t been opened, so she asked the clerk why no one had tested it for her as requested. She got some b.s. excuse and made them do it right there and then in front of her.

Well, guess what? That unit didn’t work either!! The snotty clerk started backpedaling and apologizing then, but whatever. They tested a third machine and finally found one that turned on, so my mom was good to go after that.

These power issues are obviously a major flaw, but I wouldn’t necessarily let that stop you from buying the iSqueez© altogether. The machine has worked without any problems since my mom got a good one, so keep that in mind. I would, however, caution you NOT to purchase the iSqueez© online. Because of these potential return issues, you might end up paying through the nose for shipping if you have to send the unit back to an online retailer. BEWARE of this issue, and please go to a physical Brookstone location instead.

Overall, I think my mom feels that the OSIM iSqueez© Foot and Calf Massager is definitely worth the $400 price tag. She says that her legs feel better than ever and she’s saving money by not having to go to the spa for massages anymore. So she does recommend purchasing the product, but be very careful of the power issue first and have Brookstone test the machine before you take it home.

My husband and I are both obsessed about losing weight, so our house is filled with various diet and exercise aids that are supposed to help us shed pounds as effortlessly as possible. We’ve got a bunch of exercise equipment purchased from late-night infomercials and a medicine chest full of diet pills, yet we’re still not as thin as we’d like to be.

So what we’ve decided to do is institute a moratorium on purchasing similar products for the time being. No more exercise equipment that will just gather dust in our garage. No more pills that will just sit in the cupboard for years. Instead, we’re going to try to lose weight by eating less and doing the types of exercises that don’t require special equipment (sit ups, push ups, walking, jogging, etc.).

Let’s see how well this new plan works out!

What’s the very first accessory you should purchase along with your new Nintendo DS Lite? Not a case (although that’s recommended), pouch, character-topped stylus, or anything like that. I recommend buying screen protectors first.

Screen protectors are just thin, plastic films that fit over the top and bottom screens to protect them from scratches. If you’ve got a cell phone, PDA, iPod, or similar device, then you probably use screen protectors on those as well. But they’re even more important for the DS Lite because of all the writing and tapping you’re likely to do with the stylus. You certainly don’t want to scratch up your screens so much that it becomes impossible to play the thing!

I’ve seen DS Lite screen protectors over at Amazon.com for as little as $1.99 (yes, you get two in a package if it specifically says it’s for the DS Lite), so there’s no excuse not to buy them. I think I paid $5 for mine because I just grabbed whatever was at the store that I bought my DS from.

Well, even though I didn’t technically shell out $17.99 for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (my cousin passed her copy on to me after she finished it in record time), I’m writing about it anyway. It seems that with the Order of the Phoenix movie out there, plus the release of this final book, and the news that Daniel Radcliffe just turned 18 and can now enjoy the millions he’s earned from the films, I simply can’t get away from Potter mania, so why not join in.

Anyway, for those of you who haven’t been keeping track, the seventh book of the series reportedly sold 8.3 million copies in the U.S. alone — in 24 hours at that! Have you ever seen this much excitement over books before? Do you think we’ll ever see this type of worldwide appeal again? Can the winning Potter formula be replicated?

Now that I have a copy of the book, I can’t wait to get to it. As soon as my husband comes home from work, I’m going to pass my son off to him, go into the bedroom with a bowl of popcorn and a can of diet Coke, draw the blinds, and settle in for a long night of reading. I am completely unspoiled about this book (meaning I don’t have a clue as to what supposedly happens in it), so I’m really looking forward to the experience!

Okay, I don’t know how long Crocs shoes have been around. I thought at first they would just be a one or two season trend, but it looks like they’re here to stay for at least a few more summers. I have never owned a pair of these shoes and think they’re the ugliest things I’ve ever seen!! Yes, I’ve tried them and I know they’re pretty comfortable, but come on! How can you get past the look?? And the whole charms-in-the-holes trend seems dumb as well.

Yeah, yeah — if I were in junior high right now, I’d probably be sporting a pair. But as an adult? Uh uh, no way.