Thankful & Black Friday Finds
On this Thanksgiving Day weekend, even though I am sick with a head cold, I am thankful for a lot in my life right now. First, I am thankful I have a roof over my head. It could be a lot worse and I realize that many people are severely struggling from the effects of the Great Recession. I am thankful that I am now living in San Diego again and that I was able to take a risk and buy a condo. The mortgage and responsibility is a different feeling but I am getting used to it. I finally feel like a real adult at age 34.
In regards to the condo, I am also thankful and relieved that I finally received my First Time Home Buyer's tax credit check from the US Treasury in the mail this week! That's money in my pocket that I can use for whatever I want. I felt like I won the lottery since the check was probably the largest check I have ever deposited in my life. Even though the condo was purchased in 2010, I was allowed to amend my 2009 taxes so I could receive the funds this year instead of in 2011. I am also thankful that I am supposed to get even more tax credit money from the State of California First Time Home Buyer's program.
As a consumer in this sour economy I have really benefited from many of the stimulus programs that were aimed to jump start the economy.. Many people bash Obama for these programs, but I am not complaining and nor do I bash him. It IS helping the economy. Period. Check out this story here. I am a clear example of how these programs can affect the economy. I use the money I receive and I am spending it on things like furniture, new hardwood floors, TVs and other items.
I am thankful that I have a job and was able to find one in this piss poor economy. It was a 6 month struggle but I found a great agency to work at. Although I have freaked out recently about the stability of the agency, I feel better about it now after a meeting we had yesterday. We are not out of the woods yet, but I'm just not going to worry about it. This agency has been successful over the years and I am confident they will pull through any difficulties they may face.
Black Friday Finds
Since I have been sick I didn't know if I was going to feel up to getting up early for all the Black Friday deals. Also I was concerned about being trampled by the masses of heavy middle aged women who typically frequent Walmarts. My main goal was to get a 32 inch LCD HDTV. I have never owned a flat panel TV before (I know, I am stuck in the 90s when it comes to home entertainment). I had done a lot of research on BlackFriday.fm to find where all the deals were. I knew I wanted a quality brand. If I had to buy it at Walmart I would, even though I do not typically support such a corporation with a history of racism and homophobia.
Walmart was having their door buster sale for a 32in Emerson LCD TV priced at $198, down from a regular price of $448. I knew that if I got there just a few hours after opening (5am)) they wouldn't have any left. Well last night I went online at midnight and it was available online for the same price with free shipping. I was tempted but I hadn't read any reviews of this TV online. Since it was a lesser known brand (Emerson is more known for their other computer board products, not TVs) I decided that I would show up at 7am and see what was left. They also had a Samsung 32 inch LCD for $328. Since Best Buy and Target both had the same TV for that price, I decided to leave Walmart and take my chances at Best Buy. Before I left, I did purchase a Bissell Easyvac for just $25 with tax. It was a great deal ($20 off) and I saw it up at the front near the registers. I needed a quality vacuum since I didn't own one, but I didn't need a really hefty duty one since I only have 2 rooms with carpet.
It was 8am when I got to Best Buy and I immediately saw that same Samsung 32 inch that Walmart had. They still had tons left. I decided I would look around to see if they had anything better. The main issue I had with the Samsung model was it had just a 720p resolution. Right next to the Samsung was the LG 32 inch LCD HDTV that had a much better 1080p resolution and was just $50 more at $379. In the end I decided to just splurge and go with LG due to the resolution and the fact that it has a USB port so I can view photos and other stuff. I paid with tax including a CA $16 recycling fee, $429. Not bad. My goal was the spend around $300 but I really wanted a quality brand and I just didn't trust these other brands. The Samsung would have been OK, but then I didn't want to regret not getting the highest picture quality.
Now I can finally host a Glee night on Tuesdays! Yay!
In regards to the condo, I am also thankful and relieved that I finally received my First Time Home Buyer's tax credit check from the US Treasury in the mail this week! That's money in my pocket that I can use for whatever I want. I felt like I won the lottery since the check was probably the largest check I have ever deposited in my life. Even though the condo was purchased in 2010, I was allowed to amend my 2009 taxes so I could receive the funds this year instead of in 2011. I am also thankful that I am supposed to get even more tax credit money from the State of California First Time Home Buyer's program.
As a consumer in this sour economy I have really benefited from many of the stimulus programs that were aimed to jump start the economy.. Many people bash Obama for these programs, but I am not complaining and nor do I bash him. It IS helping the economy. Period. Check out this story here. I am a clear example of how these programs can affect the economy. I use the money I receive and I am spending it on things like furniture, new hardwood floors, TVs and other items.
I am thankful that I have a job and was able to find one in this piss poor economy. It was a 6 month struggle but I found a great agency to work at. Although I have freaked out recently about the stability of the agency, I feel better about it now after a meeting we had yesterday. We are not out of the woods yet, but I'm just not going to worry about it. This agency has been successful over the years and I am confident they will pull through any difficulties they may face.
Black Friday Finds
Since I have been sick I didn't know if I was going to feel up to getting up early for all the Black Friday deals. Also I was concerned about being trampled by the masses of heavy middle aged women who typically frequent Walmarts. My main goal was to get a 32 inch LCD HDTV. I have never owned a flat panel TV before (I know, I am stuck in the 90s when it comes to home entertainment). I had done a lot of research on BlackFriday.fm to find where all the deals were. I knew I wanted a quality brand. If I had to buy it at Walmart I would, even though I do not typically support such a corporation with a history of racism and homophobia.
Walmart was having their door buster sale for a 32in Emerson LCD TV priced at $198, down from a regular price of $448. I knew that if I got there just a few hours after opening (5am)) they wouldn't have any left. Well last night I went online at midnight and it was available online for the same price with free shipping. I was tempted but I hadn't read any reviews of this TV online. Since it was a lesser known brand (Emerson is more known for their other computer board products, not TVs) I decided that I would show up at 7am and see what was left. They also had a Samsung 32 inch LCD for $328. Since Best Buy and Target both had the same TV for that price, I decided to leave Walmart and take my chances at Best Buy. Before I left, I did purchase a Bissell Easyvac for just $25 with tax. It was a great deal ($20 off) and I saw it up at the front near the registers. I needed a quality vacuum since I didn't own one, but I didn't need a really hefty duty one since I only have 2 rooms with carpet.
It was 8am when I got to Best Buy and I immediately saw that same Samsung 32 inch that Walmart had. They still had tons left. I decided I would look around to see if they had anything better. The main issue I had with the Samsung model was it had just a 720p resolution. Right next to the Samsung was the LG 32 inch LCD HDTV that had a much better 1080p resolution and was just $50 more at $379. In the end I decided to just splurge and go with LG due to the resolution and the fact that it has a USB port so I can view photos and other stuff. I paid with tax including a CA $16 recycling fee, $429. Not bad. My goal was the spend around $300 but I really wanted a quality brand and I just didn't trust these other brands. The Samsung would have been OK, but then I didn't want to regret not getting the highest picture quality.
Now I can finally host a Glee night on Tuesdays! Yay!
Labels: Best Buy, Bissell Easyvac, Black Friday, Emerson, LG, Samsung, Thanksgiving, The Great Recession, Walmart
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