The Chronic Consumer

I know a lot of people who like to go to Las Vegas at least once a year for a quick weekend getaway. These are the types of trips that don’t require a lot of planning and preparation beforehand; instead, they can be organized fairly well even at the last minute — provided, of course, that you have the right resources on hand.

For a place like Vegas, the resource list is relatively short. If you’re just going there to gamble, then you won’t even need a rental car, meaning you’ll only have to worry about airfare and accommodations. So all you have to do to put a vacation together is have a good website for cheap airfare and discount hotels in Las Vegas, and you’ll be set.

Seriously, is any other U.S. vacation destination as easy to plan for as Vegas? I can’t think of one!

As a football fan, one of the things I do every year is buy new logo apparel and jerseys at the beginning of the season so I can cheer on my favorite teams in style. In keeping with that tradition, I purchased an Alex Smith replica jersey and a Reebok NFL Equipment Training Camp T-shirt about a month and a half back. I already reviewed the Smith jersey, so now here’s a quick review of the Training Camp tee.

The Training Camp tee is a long-sleeved t-shirt made of a 60% cotton/40% polyester blend, and features the team’s full name (e.g. Chicago Bears), the word “Equipment”, color logo, and the NFL Equipment shield. There’s also a Reebok logo on the left sleeve.

After six weeks of use, I have to say that this is one of the best long-sleeve t-shirts I’ve ever purchased. I know sounds a bit strange to talk about a t-shirt in this way, but that’s the whole point of a review, isn’t it? There are noticeable differences between this Training Camp tee and others I’ve bought, which I’ll list for you here.

• Pre-shrunk material that actually retains its size after repeated washings and dryings.
• Durable cuffs and collar that don’t stretch out of shape with regular use.
• Simple (yet cool) design that will never look outdated.
• Team issue shirt that players actually wear during camp.
• Generous cut makes the garment roomy and comfortable.

My Chicago Bears Training Camp tee has become an instant favorite. I can wear it with jeans, with sweats, under my jersey, or even to bed. It’s completely comfortable, looks great, and was well worth the $24.99 I paid for it. In fact, I’m thinking of buying a couple more for some of the other teams I like because it really is an awesome shirt!

A lot of the friends I’ve known since high school and college are finally starting to have kids of their own now, which means I’ve been buying lots of baby clothes and other gifts in recent months.

During the process, I’ve come across a lot of great baby-related websites that I never would have found on my own, and have discovered numerous products that I would have loved to have for my boy when he was that age.

I’ve also learned that prepackaged gift sets that come filled with items for newborns (bibs, onesies, booties, caps) are a godsend to those of us who are too busy to show for these items separately. All I do is order a gift box, fill in the recipient info, and I’m done. Perfect!

I was browsing through the Dell website earlier today and saw that they are currently offering instant rebates on several of their desktop computer models. The rebates are for the Inspiron line, and range from $150 all the way up to $450, which is pretty substantial, so if you’re thinking about buying a new computer, this would be a great time to do it.

To take advantage of the offers, just visit the Dell site and enter these codes at checkout:

Inspiron 530 Desktop ($450 off): DDDWDD4
Inspiron 531 Desktop ($450 off): DDDWED4

These rebates are only valid for a limited time and apply only to selected models, so be sure to read all the fine print before you buy!

I was browsing through some accessories on a travel products website today when I landed on their carry-on luggage page. I was surprised to see that there were a bunch of Samsonite backpacks available, because I usually associate that brand with huge suitcases and such.

Anyway, even though I just bought a backpack that I like a lot, I couldn’t help but look through the Samsonite selection. It turns out that they make some pretty neat packs with tons of cool features — all at reasonable prices.

I’m going to have to keep this in mind the next time I need a new carry-on!

I’m not the kind of person who uses big handbags or briefcases on a daily basis. Instead, whenever I have a bunch of stuff to haul around, I prefer to use a backpack. This is true whether I’m going to the library, the beach, or Six Flags. Even when I travel, a backpack is my carry-on of choice because of the convenience of being able to walk through the airport with both hands free.

Because I use backpacks so often, I try to buy durable ones that are still reasonably priced. Of course I could spend a few hundred bucks on a North Face pack that’s designed for scaling mountains, but that would be overkill for me. Instead, I try to stay in the $30-$60 range, which can definitely get me a quality bag. The last one I had was from Eddie Bauer and cost me $35. It lasted seven years before finally giving out a couple weeks ago. After doing some research, I decided to go with the Nike Edge Elite Utility backpack this time around.

The first thing that attracted my attention to this backpack was its looks. I saw the black/anthracite one on the rack at a local sporting goods store and just had to take it down to examine it more closely. The Edge Elite Utility simply looks very cool, which is always a bonus.

Next, I checked out the Edge Elite Utility’s features. As I said, I don’t need anything too elaborate from my pack. I just like to have several different compartments for keeping things separate, and the Edge Elite Utility does reasonably well in this regard.

The main compartment has a large divider that’s supposed to be for a laptop, but I honestly couldn’t see myself lugging my laptop around in this thing. There’s not enough padding for that. Nevertheless, the divider could definitely come in handy, like for keeping file folders separate from other junk or whatever.

There’s also an iPod/music player pouch (with a velcro strap) in the main compartment, with an audio port for your headphones to go through. This sort of thing is pretty standard in backpacks these days, so I wasn’t surprised to see the feature included with a Nike bag. The pouch is large enough to accommodate any device on the market, and I do like the headphone port, as it allows me to listen to my iPod without exposing the MP3 player to potential thieves.

Outside of the main compartment, there’s a smaller secondary compartment with a zipper that goes halfway around the bag. Within this compartment, there’s an unsecured pocket and a small, zippered pouch. I keep my pens, keys, wallet, USB memory stick, and other small items in here for easy retrieval.

Then there’s a “cargo net” stretched across this outer compartment, which is a fantastic feature. I love being able to shove stuff in there (napkins, Kleenex, sunglasses) without having to open up the backpack and deal with the zippers.

And finally, there are two smaller pouches on the sides of the backpack. One of these has a zipper on it and is perfect for carrying my digital camera or cell phone securely. I love being able to keep those items separate from everything else so they don’t get banged up, while still having them be easily accessible so I can grab them quickly.

The other small compartment is billed as a water bottle holder, and is also extremely convenient. It’s lined with rubber so the condensation from your drink doesn’t seep into the rest of the pack and is perfect for my 16-oz. diet Coke or Evian bottles. I can get the bottles out of the pouch and put them back in without having to remove the backpack, which is exactly what I want.

Oh, another fantastic feature that I forgot to mention is that the shoulder straps are padded with the kind of Nike Air cushions that you’d expect to find on this company’s athletic shoes. This padding makes the Edge Elite Utility backpack the most comfortable one I’ve ever owned to date. I have used the backpack numerous times already, and even when it’s loaded down, my shoulders and neck don’t get tired or sore from the burden.

Overall, the Nike Edge Elite Utility backpack seems to be well worth the $54 (and change) I paid for it. Now I just hope it lasts me half as long as my old Eddie Bauer pack did!

(Click all thumbnails to enlarge)

The more I think about what to get my husband for Christmas, the more I’m convinced that I need to go with a nice tool box. He always works on his motocross bikes in the garage, and over the years has built up a pretty sizable collection of tools. But he only has a small box to keep them in, which means a lot of his expensive tools are just lying around on the ground. I know that proper tool storage is important in order to keep everything in good shape, so I don’t mind spending a lot of money on this present.

The “mobile work station” in this photo is exactly the kind of thing I would like to buy for my husband. It would be perfect or his needs, and I like the fact that he can wheel it out of the way when he’s not working on the bikes. And hey, if I get this, maybe we’ll even be able to park our cars in the garage sometime soon!

Sorry I haven’t posted here in a while, but I’ve been busy with my other sites (and I was also out of town all weekend). Anyway, to make up for the lack of shopping deals and reviews, I thought I’d let you know about a great website I came across a few months ago. It’s called Hey, It’s Free, and as the title implies, is all about alerting readers to various freebies and giveaways. From cereal bars to t-shirts, keychains, and deodorant samples, Hey It’s Free is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to score some goodies. Check it out!

A couple of my friends have children who are beginning to play organized sports like soccer and baseball. As a result, they of course have to start buying uniforms that include things like team t-shirts and jackets.

I recommended that my friends check out an online wholesale clothing supplier for their uniform needs instead of going to local screen-printing shops. That’s because online wholesalers often provide the same quality garments at much lower prices and lower minimum quantities than local bricks and mortar stores. And given the fact that my friends’ children will need new uniforms and such nearly every year, I think buying whole would definitely save a lot of money.

This is what I’m going to do when my boy starts playing sports, so let’s see if I can benefit from my own tip here!

I signed up for Snapfish a long time ago, so I now get email updates from them. I just received a notice that they’re offering free shipping on 2007 holiday cards from now until October 31. All you have to do is enter the code SHIPCARDS at checkout, and the discount will be applied.

I’ve never actually used Snapfish, but have heard that it’s pretty good. For the holiday cards, they have over 50 different designs you can choose from (available in 4×8 and 5×7 sizes). According to the Snapfish website, each holiday card personalized with your favorite photo costs less than $.50, which is a pretty good deal.

Anyway, if you’re into photo greetings for the holidays, order now and get free shipping at Snapfish!

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about how I bought a Nintendo DS game called Pac ‘N Roll as a little reward for my son’s efforts at school. But as I said in that review, the extensive use of the stylus during gameplay makes the whole thing too difficult for my four-year-old, so I continued shopping for another title that he would be able to enjoy right now. I bought DK Jungle Climber, and am happy to say that my son loves this game!

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a huge video game fan. I used to play when I was a kid, but gave everything up once I entered high school. I just started playing again earlier this year when I bought my DS Lite, so I’ve been out of the loop for quite a while. As a result, I don’t know the history of the games I write about or anything like that. For instance, people have told me that the Donkey Kong franchise has been going strong for years and years — a fact that surprised me since I hadn’t heard about any new DK games since the original came out in the 1980s.

Anyway, after playing DK Jungle Climber for about 10 days now, I’ve formed some initial impressions that I want to tell you about. First of all, I think this game is a lot of fun and is well suited to players of all ages. You mostly use the L and R buttons to move DK through the worlds, which is something that takes a while to get used to in the beginning. But after that, the game is really a blast!

What you’re basically doing is just controlling DK through different levels while collecting special items and avoiding enemies. DK moves by climbing and swinging across pegboards and other obstacles using a hand-over-hand style. That’s where the L and R buttons come in, as those buttons correspond to DK’s hands. By pushing L-R-L-R, for example, you would climb up a pegboard by using your left hand, right hand, left hand again, and then right hand again.

Along the way, you’ll have opportunities to play with Diddy Kong clinging to your neck, and you might also get tips and advice from Cranky Kong to help you navigate particularly tricky sections.

I haven’t made it all the way through the game yet, so there aren’t really too many other details I can give you. I do want to say that my son likes this game a lot and hasn’t gotten bored with it yet, so I definitely recommend this title for younger kids as well!

My mother is in her late fifties and goes to the gym three times a week for an aerobics class, some weight training, and about 30 minutes on the treadmill. She’s been following this routine for more than a decade now, and is in much better shape than I am! The problem is that recently she’s been feeling the aftereffects of her workouts much more acutely in the form of muscle and joint pain.

This is likely just the result of aging, so there’s no need to be alarmed by what’s going on. But she does need some kind of pain reliever to help get her through. Obviously she doesn’t want to take anything that she could potentially become hooked on, so we’re looking for some all-natural products here.

Do you have any recommendations for products that have provided you with osteoarthritis relief and/or eased muscle pain? If so, please share the info with me! My mom was thinking of pain relief pills, but I guess if you’ve had success with creams or gels she’d be willing to try those too.