The Chronic Consumer

We’re buying a new van next year to replace my husband’s current one, which is going on 9 years old. We haven’t quite decided what make or model we’re getting, but we’re sure that we want to install a dropdown DVD player once we get it. So we’re already shopping for auto DVD players, and have identified the Alpine PKG-RSE2 as our first choice.

From the reviews I’ve read, the Alpine PKG-RSE2 is one of the best aftermarket players available. Primarily, we’re looking for something with a big screen (this one is 10.2 inches) and that has a clear picture when viewed from the sides. This last part is extremely important since the player will be mounted in the center, which means both backseat passengers will be watching from an angle.

The only drawback to this Alpine is the price tag — nearly $700. That’s certainly going to do some damage to our checking account, but I think this is one instance where we shouldn’t skimp on quality.

We’re going to keep checking around, of course, as we still have a few months before we take the plunge on a new car. Even so, I think there’s a 90% chance that we’ll end up buying this Alpine.

I can’t wait to be able to watch DVDs on long road trips!

I meant to make this post last month during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but it completely slipped my mind. I don’t want to wait until next year, so I’m just going to post now.

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I like to buy products from websites, stores, and organizations that support a specific cause, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, or the Alzheimer’s foundation of America. I love knowing that a percentage of the money I spend goes to help these worthy charities.

Another cause that I support is breast cancer awareness, which is why I’ve purchased several items from The Breast Cancer Site. One of my favorite items from that site is the Classic Pink Ribbon Pin, a symbol that everyone recognizes.

This is an enameled pin that, according to the product description, is approximately 2cm tall and 1 cm wide. The ribbon is made of sterling silver, and is hand-painted in pink (with a silver trim around the whole thing). It has a simple pin and clasp mechanism on the back, allowing you to attach it to your blouse, lapel, or whatever.

The pin also came in a beautiful handmade gift bag, which was a surprise. The bag is made from a velvet-like material, has four drawstrings, and features an embroidered pink ribbon in the lower right-hand corner. (Click to enlarge a bit.)

The Classic Pink Ribbon Pin costs just $8.95 at The Breast Cancer Site, and best of all, the site contributes the cost of 1% of a mammogram for each pin sold. They also offer deals on purchases of two or more pins, and handle bulk orders as well.

If you’d like to support the fight against breast cancer, I encourage you to shop at The Breast Cancer Site this holiday season. There are tons of other items available for sale, so you’ll definitely be able to find something to your liking. Check it out!

With one week left until Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the entire year, I’d like to take a moment to recommend that you create — and stick to — a budget this holiday season. I know it’s tempting to spend more than you can afford on your kids, your spouse, or other loved ones, but that can really wreak havoc on your finances for months and months to come. It’s just not a smart move to overextend yourself during Christmas to the point where you have to cancel your cable package or discontinue your burial policy later in the year.

So if you can only afford to spend, say, $100 per child this Christmas, don’t break down and end up spending twice as much as that on gifts. I know from experience that it’s not worth it in the long run.

Make a commitment to shop smarter this year!

When I was in high school and college, I was very concerned about wearing brand-name clothes. Back then the most popular brand for shirts, tops, and jackets was Gap, while Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Girbaud were the only jeans the “cool kids” would wear. (I’m really dating myself here, aren’t I?) It seems so shallow now, but back then it just went with the territory.

These days, however, I really don’t feel like spending $100-$200 for Diesel jeans or any of the other hot brands out there. I would just rather buy jeans that are comfortable, durable, and fit well — which is why I now wear Lee Riders.

I bought a pair of Lee Riders Relaxed Fit jeans at Wal-Mart about six months ago. I had heard that these jeans were pretty good, so I wanted to check them out. I tried on a pair in the dressing room before making my purchase, and immediately noticed how great they fit. I was hooked almost from the start.

Now that I’ve had plenty of time to evaluate the jeans properly, here are some more thoughts on them:

• They are extremely durable, and have held up very well in the washer and dryer. After six months of use, the Riders are only slightly more faded than before, and have no noticeable signs of wear and tear, such as loose seams or whatnot.
• The jeans retain their size and shape better than any other pair I’ve owned. With most other brands, I have to struggle to get into them when they’re fresh out of the dryer because they’ve shrunk a tad in the process. But my Riders are always comfortable, no matter when I put them on.
• Riders have a relatively flattering fit. With most other brands, the term “relaxed fit” means you end up with jeans that make your butt and thighs look huge. Lee seems to understand that there’s more to relaxed fit than simply adding extra material to the backside. The result here is jeans that are comfortable and make you look good when wearing them.

I loved my first pair of Riders so much that I went out a month later and bought 3 more of the exact same style. I highly recommend these jeans, and at less than $16 a pair, you can’t really go wrong!

My husband and I had a lot of work done on our backyard over the summer. It’s not very big, so we wanted to have a professional landscaper come in and show us how to make the most out of the space we’ve got. We were able to put in a small garden, paved walkway, and a nice deck, and are pretty happy with the results.

But we’re not quite finished with the upgrades yet. Since several of our friends rave about their hot tubs, we’ve been thinking about getting one of our own. We only have enough room for a 2-person tub, but that’s really all we need anyway.

I was checking out some products at HotTubHeadquarters.com today and loved this particular model. It’s affordable, too, so maybe we’ll be able to buy it soon!

I wrote a post about NFL GamePass back in August before the 2007 season started. To get an overview of the service itself, please click the above link to go back to that earlier entry.

Right now I have a couple of friends living in England, and one of them is actually a GamePass subscriber. She thought my readers might be interested in a follow-up post, so she sent me an email telling me that Yahoo Sports is now offering a half-season discount on GamePass subscriptions. If you can subscribe now, you can see all games for all teams from now until January for just $99.99.

There are still seven weeks left in the regular season, so the $99.99 price represents a pretty solid deal. It basically comes out to $14.28 per week, whereas if you signed up at the beginning of the season, you would have had to pay $239.99 for 17 weeks, or $14.12 per week — pretty similar.

And my friend tells me this deal started before Week 10, so that would make it an even better deal, going on a per-week basis.

Anyway, if you’re an overseas NFL fan, you might want to check out GamePass!

My husband and I have a total of three working computers here at home, but for some reason we haven’t set up a network yet. So when we want to share files or print something, we usually have to transfer the stuff onto one of our memory sticks first, which is a bit inconvenient.

So now we’re going to take the plunge and set up a network. We’re currently looking at Ethernet LAN or wireless LAN, and are trying to determine the pros and cons of each choice — no small task for people as clueless about computers as we are!

Anyway, I think Ethernet LAN is probably going to win out, so we’re going to have to buy Cat5E cables and jacks sometime soon. I’ve already been checking around and love the prices and selection at Firefold.com, so I’m going to order from that site if (when) we go ahead with this.

I am an admitted junk food junkie, and just have to have my snacks throughout the day. I love anything crunchy and anything cheesy, so when my local grocery store started carrying Snyder’s Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Sandwiches, I was in heaven!

Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Sandwiches are pretty much exactly what they sound like. They’re made of two circular pretzel wafers with a layer of cheddar cheese spread between them. They’re bite-sized, which makes them perfect for snacking, and they taste fantastic.

The only drawback to this product is that it’s incredibly high in calories. The nutrition information states that there are 150 calories per 1oz serving, which might not sound all that bad, until you realize that each bag is 2.125oz, so if you eat the whole thing, you’re essentially taking in more than 300 calories. Yikes! And 2.125oz is a small bag — of course you’re going to eat the whole thing!!

Nevertheless, Snyder’s Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Sandwiches remains one of my favorite snacks. I just have to limit my intake more than with other snacks.