The Chronic Consumer

The third season of the TV show Bones was released on DVD yesterday. This is the strike-shortened season, and was pretty crappy IMO. Even though I watch the show pretty regularly and own Season 1 on DVD, I’m not going to go out of my way to buy this season — mostly because the episodes were downright awful at times.

But, for those of you who are interested in the product, it seems to come with a bunch of extra features that might make it worth your while. Since there were only 15 episodes produced, the studio has included numerous bonuses, such as a gag reel, extended scenes and episodes, the original version of an episode that was edited after the Va Tech shootings, and even four complete episodes from Season 4. Not bad!!

The box set is listed at a rather steep $59.99, but the usual discount sites offer it for around $37.99 or so. Could make a good Christmas present for someone on your list, I guess!

Although I’m not in the market for a cell phone right now, I do like to keep up with new products that are being released — such as the Sony Xperia X1, which is being called the most expensive mainstream cell phone in the U.S. with a retail price of around $800. Sure, there are more expensive units out there, but those are usually the diamond-studded ones that you’d never see a regular person using, thus the “mainstream” qualifier.

So what kinds of features does the Xperia X1 have to warrant this high price? Well, from the sounds of it, not too much. I’ve read a few reviews that say the best apps on the phone are an FM radio, calendar, clock, photo viewer, and the Opera web browser, which all are pretty standard on high-end phones these days anyway. In addition, there’s a 3.2 megapixel camera, a microSD card slot, and built-in WiFi — again, nothing to pay $800 for.

The Xperia does have a full QWERTY keyboard for those that don’t like manipulating the touchscreen, so that’s a plus. However, a couple of reviews have pointed out that the keys are a little hard to get to because of the way they sit too deep in the handset.

Anyway, I don’t anticipate the Sony Xperia X1 becoming a major seller anytime soon. There are just too many other phones out there that have comparable features for a more reasonable price. I’ll be skipping this one for sure!

My husband loves shopping at hardware stores, which I guess is pretty typical for guys. I, on the other hand, absolutely hate going to those places, especially if I have to go with Jerry. He could easily spend an hour or more looking at everything from riding lawn mowers to door hardware, even if what we really need is a can of paint thinner.

That’s not my style of shopping at all. I can’t stand walking aimlessly around a store looking at things that I know I’ll never buy. Instead, I would much rather just go in, grab what I need, and get the heck out again. I prefer to do all my browsing online from the comfort of my desk chair to cut down on all the schlepping back and forth.

There’s good news for people who didn’t receive a rebate check from the IRS this year as part of the government’s economic stimulus package. If you didn’t qualify based on your 2007 tax return, you could qualify based on your 2008 return — particularly if you’ve been laid off or your income dropped dramatically because of the bad economy.

I just read an article saying that another $10 billion in rebates will be distributed in 2009, and the IRS will soon post guidelines on their website telling you how to figure out if you qualify for a rebate.

Rebates come in different amounts based on a variety of factors, beginning at $300 or $600 per individual, and culminating at $1,200 per married couple. Additionally, each child claimed on your tax return could net as much as $300 as well.

Most of my friends received rebates in 2008, and were able to use the money for a variety of things ranging from home improvement repairs to paying off credit card debt. One guy I know even put his rebate towards CDL training so he could get a better job, which I thought was a smart move. No matter what you end up doing with it, a rebate check from the IRS can really make a difference in your finances.

Anyway, keep checking back at the IRS website for more info and get your taxes filed on time this year!

Jennifer Hudson has decided to move forward with a Gap ad campaign that was photographed back in July. The campaign is part of the store’s holiday push, and the Hudson ad features the singer sporting a red turtleneck sweater and a huge smile. Some people had worried that this ad would be inappropriate given the recent tragedy that has struck Hudson’s family, but Hudson has decided to move forward with the campaign.

I think this is a good decision on Hudson’s part. I can’t even imagine the horrors that she has had to face in the past few weeks, but usually it’s better to move on than to put your entire life on hold. I don’t doubt for one second that she still mourns the loss of her mother, brother, and nephew, nor do I believe that the cheerful-looking ad disrespects their memory in any way.

Kudos to Hudson for going forward. This is a beautiful ad, and I will show my support by buying something from the Gap this holiday season.

Don’t you hate having to dig through your purse to find your keys? No matter what I do, it seems like my keys always end up at the very bottom of my purse, underneath all kinds of other junk. That’s why when I saw one of my friends using a key finder, I knew that would be the perfect accessory for me.

After looking around online for a bit, I found this cute one on a wholesale fashion jewelry website. It’s a football design, which is totally what I’m all about these days, and has a clip so it can be fastened to the outside of my purse. Plus, it’s less than $10, which is no sweat at all.

Anyway, this should definitely solve my problem with buried keys. I better order this thing soon!

I have to go to a baby shower in two weeks, so I’m currently trying to find a good gift to bring. The mom-to-be is part of my regular group of friends and has been to several other showers that I’ve attended. As a result, I kind of want to get something different than what I ordinarily get so she can really be surprised.

Right now, the leading gift candidate is a Ju Ju Be diaper bag. These things are all the rage around here, as I see sooo many mothers carrying them around. They’re supposed to be really light and comfy, are reversible, and even have “crumb drains” so the inside doesn’t get nasty after a while.

Anyway, I’ve still got some time to look around, but I have a feeling I’ll end up buying one of these Ju Ju Be bags!

Not only is Christmas coming up soon, but I’ve got several family birthdays looming on the horizon. So I’ve been spending some time browsing around for cool, unique gifts to get for everyone.

RedEnvelope.com, which is one of my favorite gift sites, has this neat-looking flask lighter that can be personalized with engraved initials. My uncle is a big cigar smoker, and I KNOW he would love this thing! It’s available in brushed chrome or polished silver chrome for $39.95, and engraving costs an extra $5.

I think I might buy a couple of these and hold onto the extra one just in case I need a last-minute gift for someone. I can always get the engraving done at a local shop later if need be.