Help a Gadget Addict

[jamesdmanley]

+1 for the no impulse buying. if theres something expensive i want i research it and similar items. if i still want it after spending a few hours reading about it i usually sleep on it for a few weeks. i also think about things in terms of how much time i would spend at work to pay for it. it may not help you much if you make a decent salary, but with college tuition and my meager wage it helps me curb any expensive impulse buys.

on my list of future purchases is a canon 5d (upgrade to my 30d) and a couple lenses, rockband the game (to play with my dad and uncle, all of us former/current musicians), cz 75 b (for protection and sport), and of course several thousand dollars worth of parts and modifications to my cars (to quench my addiction to speed).

[Patricia]

Or you could adopt a 'one in, one out' policy. If you buy a new gadget then one of the existing ones has to go.
This does help to cut down on clutter and makes one think twice about whether an item is necessary.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Adam B.

Technology is the most important aspect of my life. Without it, I wouldn't have a job, and probably won't have many useful skills.

I think that impulse buying is a big part of the issue. However, it's not all impulse. I meticulously research all of my purchases before buying them. I compare to alternative products. I know every detail about what something can do before I buy it.

This thread isn't really a cry for help or anything like that. It's meant more as a humorous observation of something I deal with daily.

Getting married and responsibility of a family certainly cut down on my purchases but I still buy gadgets for technology reasons. I have a bigger collection that you but it is because I don't get rid of older things and am older than you. I still have my original Commodore Pet, my HP21 calculator and countless others but I do not buy the same thing over and over like 4 different eBook readers. I will likely buy another one but only after the current one is a bit older.

Dale

[nrapallo]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

... I still have my original Commodore Pet, my HP21 calculator ...

Dale

Dale:

I sold my Commodore 64 ages ago (for an Amiga 1000/3000) but still have my trusty HP15C and Commodore Scientific Programmable calculator (SR 9190R)!

Reference pictures attached for the younger crowd!

[NatCh]

I've got a Nixdorf around here somewhere ....


I also have an HP 35 calculator, two recordable 8-tracks and several unused punch-cards ... do those count as gadgets?

Oh, and my Flashy Light Box.

[zelda_pinwheel]

y'all should get together and open a museum of decrepit technology. i'm honestly not being sarcastic. you could probably retrace the evolution of the computer between you,it would be fascinating.

i remember having a Commodore 64, i beleive, but i don't remember doing much with it. to be more precise my *father* had the commodore 64. also i remember the detail that it (or maybe the one that came after it) could save data to audio cassettes and that always seemed very fishy to me.

i have no idea where any of all that is now. maybe my father still has it. that wouldn't surprise me.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by nrapallo

Dale:

I sold my Commodore 64 ages ago (for an Amiga 1000/3000) but still have my trusty HP15C and Commodore Scientific Programmable calculator (SR 9190R)!

Reference pictures attached for the younger crowd!

Never owned a 64 but I do still own a Commodore Plus 4. I even have an original Osborne. I had an original mac but my son took it back. He now works at Apple and thinks it is cool to have it setting on his desk at work.

Dale

[RWood]

Adam, the answer is simple -- get a second or maybe a third job. This will repair your finances (if required), reduce the time available to research or purchase gadgets, and reduce wear and tear on your current gadgets.

It is not a terminal condition that 30+ years couldn't cure. At least that's what they tell me. There are only 4 computers in this room plus the laptops and theres my wife's computer and ....

(I think there's some parts from the old S-100 bus Z-80 computer in the basement.)

[TallMomof2]

I'm a fellow gadget addict, too. And I'm married with kids! My solution is stay out of gadget stores and only allow myself visits to gadget websites once a week. And a strict budget. Put at least 10% of your paycheck into savings/retirement before you pay bills.

Let's see between the four of us we own: 2 desktops, 1 media server (all built by me), 1 linux desktop, 1 laptop (does not include husband's work laptop), 1 tablet, 2 working PDAs, 2 dedicated readers, 2 HDTVs, 2 regular TVs (actually more like displays for game systems), 6 or more MP3/MP4 players, 3 cellphones (one semi-smart), Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, DS, 2 GBA, and 1 embroidery machine (Bernina 200E which runs Windows CE). I'm a little embarrassed by the list, my kids are spoiled (and gadget addicts in the making!)

Personally, I tend not to keep old computer parts even though we have a nice collection of older Cisco routers thanks to hubby.

[Adam B.]

A female gadget lover? I need to find me one of those

I tend not to keep things around too long after they've outlived their usefulness. But then again, I have a very large container filled with spare parts and cables. You never know when you might need an AGP video card...

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

Let's see between the four of us we own: 2 desktops, 1 media server (all built by me), 1 linux desktop, 1 laptop (does not include husband's work laptop), 1 tablet, 2 working PDAs, 2 dedicated readers, 2 HDTVs, 2 regular TVs (actually more like displays for game systems), 6 or more MP3/MP4 players, 3 cellphones (one semi-smart), Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, DS, 2 GBA, and 1 embroidery machine (Bernina 200E which runs Windows CE). I'm a little embarrassed by the list, my kids are spoiled (and gadget addicts in the making!)

Whoever dies with the most toys wins. You certainly got me beat. Wait... Do only operating devices count?

BOb

[Elsi]

Originally Posted by Adam B.

A female gadget lover? I need to find me one of those

There are several of us around. Be aware, however, that the type of gadget loved by the woman you find may differ -- maybe significantly -- from those that attract you. Note TallMomof2's Bernina 200E. That may not be interesting to you. Nor the Cricut I've been lusting after. But then again, I don't plan to use the neighbor's CarveWright computer-controlled router, though I do admire it.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Elsi

There are several of us around. Be aware, however, that the type of gadget loved by the woman you find may differ -- maybe significantly -- from those that attract you. Note TallMomof2's Bernina 200E. That may not be interesting to you. Nor the Cricut I've been lusting after. But then again, I don't plan to use the neighbor's CarveWright computer-controlled router, though I do admire it.

Just remember from the bible:

Thou shall not covet thy neighboors router.

BOb

[Adam B.]

Originally Posted by Elsi

There are several of us around. Be aware, however, that the type of gadget loved by the woman you find may differ -- maybe significantly -- from those that attract you. Note TallMomof2's Bernina 200E. That may not be interesting to you. Nor the Cricut I've been lusting after. But then again, I don't plan to use the neighbor's CarveWright computer-controlled router, though I do admire it.

I respect gadgets of all types, shapes, colors. Being a gadget lover is enough for me.

[NatCh]

Compuuuter controlled routers ... oooooh.