What am I going to buy - Thanksgiving/Christmas 2009 (upd)

[Edward64]

With CC going into reorg and BB with lowered expectations (including all the retail stores except for Walmart etc.) I figure the sales this holiday season will be much more aggressive.

Checking in to see what you are thinking about getting for yourself and immediate family? I decided to finally cash in on my hotel/air travel reward points. Getting $300 in BB, $100 in Amazon gift certificates to help out.

Thinking about a Blu-Ray < $200, some Wii games and maybe a cheap 32-36 inch LCD tv.

[Icy]

My wife surprissed me today. She has always thought that consoles or PC games were for kids mainly and that i was a bit immature for enjoying them as much as i do.

Today we were watching TV and we saw one of the hundreds of Wii spots and she said "Maybe we can buy one to play some of those games when we have friends at home, also for our baby to play educative and kids games". I had to pinch myself to see if i was awake or not.

I didn't even let her think twice about it, and totally agreed with it, giving a good amount of reasons of why it was a great idea. It will be one of our Christmas present for sure. Now if i could get her addicted to it so i could play more hours with my Ps3 or PC ...

[path12]

We're not buying gifts for each other this year.

[DaddyTorgo]

Minimal gifts this year - family "secret santa" with immediate family and I'm thinking ~$25 cap.

Even if the sales are aggressive, it's a time to tighten the purse strings, not open them wide.

[DeToxRox]

I'm looking at a 32-36" LCD myself for my room. Figure I'll hook up my PS3 on that and keep the 360 on the 46". We'll see though.

I am pretty pumped up for Black Friday though. Everyone is 23 or over in my family as far as who we celebrate XMas with, besides my godson who is 3. So basically we all buy for him, and then ourselves and divy up receipts and all throw in cash.

I plan on getting the Shield DVD's I need, as well as the Oz DVD's.

The big ticket thing for XMas though is Band of Brothers on Blu-Ray. Must get.

[Matthean]

I would love to find a way to fit in a PS3(must...play...LBP), but it will remain too expensive. Also thinking about getting an as cheap as possible laptop to replace my old one and then popping Ubuntu Server Ed. on it just so I can have a PC specifically for web development stuff. Both are low priorities so I'll probably just hang onto The Check I get for Christmas from my Dad. Yes, technically I could buy both, but I would feel guilty as hell for doing so. Probably lots of gift cards for everybody else. We're pretty much at that stage of gift giving now.

[Logan]

I've spent a ton of money on clothes over the past month, but that's no fun so I'm gonna think of something nice to buy for myself. It will help that I cashed out a bunch of vacation time since I never take time off and would probably lose it anyway, so my first paycheck of 09 will be about 75% more than usual. Any ideas?

[Glengoyne]

Ah...'tis the season.

I'm looking for a HUGE tv. 61", minimum. Just moving into a new house, and I need to be ready for a SuperBowl party open house. It's a must have...Well probably not if you asked my wife. I'm hoping for some Black Friday goodness.

[tyketime]

I have been in the market for a mid-level gaming computer for a couple of months now. But each time I open up another statement and notice our savings continue in a severe downward spiral, I'm very reluctant to spend a decent chunk of change on a "nice to have" instead of a "need to have".

We have also proposed dropping the Pollyanna we have with my wife's family. I am proposing the same for my side of the family.

We are cutting back on amount of money we spend for our kids gifts.

And we have set a $100 limit on gifts to each other. I'll probably get the new version of Football Manager & Mines of Moria expansion to Lord of the Rings Online.

In other words... we have slammed on the brakes for spending this year.

[Flasch186]

HAH! I took on another job

Liveops.com

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by path12

We're not buying gifts for each other this year.

That's what she said!

[stevew]

Wife-probably some sort of nice purse or something
Kids-collectively a bunkbed set.

Lauren the soon to be 10 year old-a few DS games, some probably one of those ultra portable laptop computers, one of those graphics pads where you can draw designs and print them out on the computer, maybe some clothes

LeahW-5 year old- some barbie stuff, a play castle, probably some polly pockets stuff too.

All of this depends on how much money I make at sears in the next few weeks though. As it could go either way as to how good or great christmas will be for the kids.

Family-I've got my eye on a 9 piece table and chairs set at sams.

[Rich1033]

Best Buy's black friday add is out and its very weak IMO.

Here is a link to the pdf.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Rich1033

Best Buy's black friday add is out and its very weak IMO.

Here is a link to the pdf.

Thanks for the BB ad. Disappointed that the Blu-Ray player is $250. Well, there is always wally world.

Has anyone bought the cheap Westinghouse/Sanyo 32-36 from Walmart? I'm not looking for state of the art, just something that is problem free without annoying sounds, heat, glitches etc.

[ColtCrazy]

We got a nice Sony Bravia 32'' from Dell for $200 off with a DVD player. Paid $640 with free ship, which was actually a little cheaper than Wal-mart. After getting that, I'm good with getting nothing for Christmas. Will keep an eye out for a good deal though.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Thanks for the BB ad. Disappointed that the Blu-Ray player is $250. Well, there is always wally world.

Has anyone bought the cheap Westinghouse/Sanyo 32-36 from Walmart? I'm not looking for state of the art, just something that is problem free without annoying sounds, heat, glitches etc.

I sent you a PM.

As a general rule of thumb I recommend avoiding cheap LCDs. The 32" Vizio Plasma wal mart sells for 477 seems pretty nice, although I would almost certainly pick up their 2 year extended warranty for 58 bucks on it. Just as a hedge bet.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by stevew

I sent you a PM.

As a general rule of thumb I recommend avoiding cheap LCDs. The 32" Vizio Plasma wal mart sells for 477 seems pretty nice, although I would almost certainly pick up their 2 year extended warranty for 58 bucks on it. Just as a hedge bet.

Thanks, got it.

[CleBrownsfan]

Originally Posted by Rich1033

Best Buy's black friday add is out and its very weak IMO.

Here is a link to the pdf.

Best item on that list:

Entourage Seasons 1, 2 or 3 DVD Box Sets $9.99

[Cork]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Minimal gifts this year - family "secret santa" with immediate family and I'm thinking ~$25 cap.

Even if the sales are aggressive, it's a time to tighten the purse strings, not open them wide.

We are doing the same as well.

-Cork

[Mustang]

I'm thinking Black Friday will generally be blah this year all around. People are going to be spending less so, why lure someone in with deeply discounted items if they aren't going to be spending much anyways.

As for us, we are cutting back. We've eliminated completely my side of the family other than my Mom. We just stick with getting together for the holidays and maybe bringing some backed goods over or my wife makes candles and ornaments for everyone and we call it a day.

Unfortunately, that hasn't translated to my wife's side of the family. We really really really want my wife's Dad to cut back, but he has this habit of just buying stuff for everyone and going overboard. Unfortunately, it will still happen this year because he buys all the stuff at discount at post-holiday sales the previous year. Of course, then my wife feels bad that her Dad spends that much so then we spend and her sister feels bad so she spends and so one... blah.

[Raiders Army]

Free shipping on the Tokyoflash Rogue: Tokyoflash Rogue LED / LCD Hybrid watch.

I'm geeked out over it.

[molson]

I want a big TV.

Disappointed at the black friday hype so far....they should be giving a kidney to have me buy their shit.

[Buccaneer]

I'll be dropping off a good-sized check to our local ecumenical family services.

[Flasch186]

Like I said. I do Liveops, live operator service from home to earn extra $....Oh yeah, the wife and I split our dogs medical bills. Merry Christmas and Happy fuckin chanukkah.

[Tasan]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Thanks for the BB ad. Disappointed that the Blu-Ray player is $250. Well, there is always wally world.

Has anyone bought the cheap Westinghouse/Sanyo 32-36 from Walmart? I'm not looking for state of the art, just something that is problem free without annoying sounds, heat, glitches etc.

There was a Samsung Blu-Ray player for $199.

[Edward64]

Just got through my Sunday ads

• Sears - Sharp Blu-Ray for $180
• Target - Olevia 32/37 for $449/$598.

Blu-Ray or TV set? I think cost-benefit tells me TV (replace at 24 inch lcd, eyes getting bad) and wait for Blu-Ray and media to get just a tad cheaper?

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Blu-Ray or TV set?

I say TV. You can start to use that immediately, and will much more eye-friendly. If you buy Blu-Ray, then you also have to start shelling out for the movies.

[Calis]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Thanks for the BB ad. Disappointed that the Blu-Ray player is $250. Well, there is always wally world.

Has anyone bought the cheap Westinghouse/Sanyo 32-36 from Walmart? I'm not looking for state of the art, just something that is problem free without annoying sounds, heat, glitches etc.

I have a 32" Westinghouse and have for about a year and a half. It's a very nice looking TV and I've had very few issues with it, and those are pretty minor. It tends to hardlock sometimes if I'm on a HD channel and have a weak signal where I have to physically unplug it to get it to shut off and come back on, but that happens pretty rarely.

I did some research on it before and read really positive reviews on it as well for a budget LCD, so it's not just me.

The guy at Best Buy said that he's had lots of issues with them though, so I guess it could be hit or miss but I have been extremely pleased with mine.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

Like I said. I do Liveops, live operator service from home to earn extra $....Oh yeah, the wife and I split our dogs medical bills. Merry Christmas and Happy fuckin chanukkah.

hey that LiveOps thing sounds pretty cool, i checked it out. i gotta PM you a question.

[Anthony]

i'm going very aggressive with my holiday shopping. my holiday shopping involves buying gifts for my wife. anything for family members gets paid out of our joint accounts, but gifts to each other are out of our personal accts.

i plan on buying her a Nokia d40 (a really nice entry level digital SLR camera) AND a JVC digital hard drive camcorder. that's pretty aggressive. that means i have to live like a pauper between now and december 15 (my last paycheck before christmas), but if i can manage it and if my ghetto deadbeat friends can pay up what they owe for our fantasy baseball league where i came in 3rd place and won our head to head championship (which is separate from winning overall points) i got another $350 or so coming in which will put me over the top. if i don't have enough money for both i'll just pick whichever one i think she'd use more and use the surplus to buy her gifts from her christmas list.

[SunDevil]

I am cutting back and going to keep it simple this year.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by tyketime

I say TV. You can start to use that immediately, and will much more eye-friendly. If you buy Blu-Ray, then you also have to start shelling out for the movies.

Yup, agreed with you. I bought the BB Samsung LN40A500 40" LCD Saturday afternoon for $799 - gift cards. No reviews anyone can find, a 'special version' from the better A550 I think. With a 1080p ... ready for the Blu-Ray next year! Lucked out getting it so late, BB associate checked and there are 2 on the way, so I reserved one for the price.

Also got the Fry's Panasonic DECT 6 KX-TG9344T phones for $70. My wireless setup was really messing around with my older model phones.

I think my shopping is over for this year.

[Edward64]

Definitely targetting the Walmart $79 Bluray player and maybe Band Hero deal (with $40 "rebate" from Amazon/Walmart). Traded in Hilton points for a couple $100 BB gift card. Approx 4-6 more weeks of Marriott stays and I can get my wife the D3000 DLSR ... she understands it'll probably be post-Christmas though.

Anyone else going shopping? Here's where I monitor deals.
Black Friday 2009 - SlickDeals.net Forums

I think as a whole, having survived the carnage of last 4Q and 1Q, I feel much more optimistic and we'll probably spend more.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm getting a new car in the next 2-3 weeks, so that will be my Christmas and birthday gift. As far as my wife, I'm still trying to figure out what to buy her.

[DeToxRox]

I'll pick up the TV shows I need to finish collections. Last year I picked up every season of The Shield and Rescue Me for like 240 bucks at Best Buy. This year I'll get the final season of the Shield, the final season of the Wire, and maybe start up the Oz collection if it looks like a good deal.

[lighthousekeeper]

I miss HA. I want HA for xmas.

[Izulde]

Not sure yet. I know everyone in my family is cutting way back this year, even more so than last year. Besides, I already got a few gifts early this year.

[stevew]

Anyone who wants a 54" Panny S1 plasma, they're 1099 at sears tomorrow with 10% extra off with sears card.

[Edward64]

One down. Got the Walmart Band Hero with the $40 gift card. Really wanted to expose my kids (11 & 7) to music more ... they know computers/internet pretty well now. Wanted Band Hero with the pop songs.

I think the $79 Walmart Bluray deal is going to be tough though. Anyone know what time Walmart opens for their BF sale?

[dervack]

5

[Butter]

Walmart's having Rock Band for $50 on Black Friday. Isn't that supposed to be better than the "Hero" series anyway?

[Telle]

RendeR's going to make out like a bandit this year.. I keep finding more and more stuff that I want to get him, all at great deals.

I'm getting my mom a 10" digital picture frame from Macy's with 800x480 resolution and holds 2500 jpeg's. It's usually goes for $150 and will be on for $50 on Black Friday.

My kids (ages 3 and 4) are getting some board games, some more games for their Leap Frog ClickStart system, and maybe a floor puzzle. They have so many toys already I can't see just getting them more junk.

I don't know what I'm getting my brothers yet, but both Sears and Home Depot are having some great deals on tools so once I found out what they need I'll probably get them something along those lines.

Still not sure what we're getting RendeR's mom. She really doesn't need anything, and I don't want to just get her "stuff" because she has a pretty small living space. I might grab some music and dvd's off of her Amazon list.

[Edward64]

There were plenty of the $78 Walmart Bluray players when I showed up around 9:30ish, picked up 2. Also got BR version Pirates of Caribbean. They don't come with the HDMI cables, but I swapped it out with my DVD player. It was beautiful on my 42 inch 720p. Plan on checking out the 2nd player on my 40 inch 1080p soon.

Anyone know a reputable online company that sells used BR movies? Time to start my collection ... I think Kingdom of Heaven is next.

[Danny]

Bought yourself a car, you better buy your wife two cars.