Friend Visit…Friend Bring Neat Toy

My guess is that from the beginning of time, mankind has had a fascination for new things that provide pleasure or provide something useful. Nowadays, that fascination can lead to some big spending of money and that’s partly why we are so deep in debt in the first place. My solution? Try to shield myself as much as possible from new gadgets and doohickeys so the fascination isn’t a problem.

Such is the case with the iPod. I’ve heard of it and saw it on the internet and TV. However, that doesn’t stir the fascination. I’m more of a hands-on, see it in person type. Believe it or not, before my friend’s visit last week, I have never held one in my hands.

He sat his iPod down on the end table and I was very tempted to pick it up. I leaned in for a closer look. My friend saw me and immediately said, “Wanna take a look?” Darn me. I said, “Yes.” It didn’t take long for the drool to start.

As I listened to Amy Lee sing “Lithium,” I could hear her take her first breath to begin singing the song. That’s even there? That’s amazing. I never heard that before when listing to the song through my computer monitor speakers. Then I found his stash of Enya songs. Before I knew it I was closing my eyes and listening to the soothing music.

I wanted one right then and there.

The next day? I searched around to see how much iPods are running. Wait…what was I doing?!? I shouldn’t be looking for a deal on an iPod. It’s something I clearly do not need. Sure, it was nice listening to music and being able to discern the individual instruments. But it is clearly a luxury in our case.

I still thought about that iPod for a few more days. I’m happy to report that a week later, I am no longer thinking about it. The urge has passed, and I didn’t buy one. Had this happened a few years ago and I had some available credit, I probably would have bought one.

To think of it, I’ve been doing quite well with my LCD TV obsession as well. It’s weird. I almost think it feels more gratifying to resist the impulse urges to buy something. I feel like I am accomplishing something by not buying it.

Posted by Tricia on October 12, 2007 at 9:00 AM in Spending Money | 6 Comments »
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Chris responded:
Posted: October 12th, 2007 at 9:59 am
iPods, for all their Apple-flavored shininess, are still just mp3 players. They run from $30-$400, and most of your basic-fancy players are in the sub-$100 range. I like the SanDisks myself.
Esther responded:
Posted: October 12th, 2007 at 10:37 am
You can go to Apple’s website and look up refurbished iPod’s. You can buy older models that are a fraction of the cost.
Mrs. Micah responded:
Posted: October 12th, 2007 at 11:10 am
*sigh* My sister has a real one and a nano. Of course, I bought a $2000 violin and she didn’t, so I suppose that could cover both. Sometimes I’m jealous, but then I ask myself how often I use my Discman. And how much of the time it’s because of the inconvenience. I think it’s mostly because I just don’t need it. I still lust, but at least I can say “Well, I wouldn’t use it, so it’s ok.”
Erik responded:
Posted: October 12th, 2007 at 11:25 am
As a music fan, I’d take a bullet for my ipod, but I have to say, if it’s the quality of the sound you’re after, you can upgrade those computer speakers for a fraction of the price of an ipod.
Tricia responded:
Posted: October 14th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
I do really like quality of sound. I really love music in general. More I think about it, I should just live with what I have and get back into creating my own music! I am not doing enough of that.

Mrs. Micah – I’ve always wanted to play violin
mapgirl responded:
Posted: October 14th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Chris is correct, they are only digital audio players. You can do just as well with a different brand like Sony or Creative without being forced to use AAC compression which is Apple’s proprietary format. If you want better sound quality, upgrade your computer speakers and get better codecs for your music when you rip a CD or play them back. Studio monitors are supposedly the best, but I think they take up a ton of room and cost too much for the value I’d get out of them.