(no subject)

[vicarz]

Qnty left: 1
This morning I clicked on woot, selloff, and a few other sites as I scanned the amazing bargains for today. Sellout woot had(s) a 42" Akai respiffed monitor for $650. Thought about it. Checked, it had multiple standard audio/video inputs, vga 15 pin, and of course multiple dvi. Resolution was good, 8ms response time, all the other numbers I don't understand but can compare to others. I checked for 42" tvs, running 800 refurb. So this is a bargain. Clicked on buy, found shipping was a minimum of another $59. Then to battle me. I have a tv, it works fine, and I probably won't notice the extra 10". If I buy a larger tv, I'll need to buy a different stand to house it. Then again, I paid an absurd price for this tv and could probably still sell it for 4-500 even used. This isn't a great time to buy as I am spending money on fixing up the old place and may be strapped until it sells. I don't need a tv! I wasn't looking for one, and like that blond girl in the gym yesterday with the muscular legs and thin tank top stretched over her sports bra...I didn't know I wanted it until I saw it. I checked again, quantity remaining fell from 9 to 6 (it was 6am EST). I was nearly late to work, but I said NO and put it down. Drove to work. Now typing this, quantity fell to 1. I've noticed it isn't a tv, monitor means monitor - so this has no tuner (not that it is relevant with my setup, but that explains the price). Decision finalized - money saved or not wasted.

My old place is being fixed up - snuck in to see how the guys were doing last night. The rug is nowhere to be seen, the floors are already sanded to a very light color - I'm impressed, even the closets were prepped for fresh finish. It smells good. Refinishing all the floors, laying down quarter-round, and slapping makeup on the pig (pergo in the kitchen) $2100. Painting everything $1500 (excepting ceilings that don't need it). The few extra hundreds put in a new countertop (granite look), replace the sink with a pullout faucet, fix that light switch, paint and strip down parts of the bathroom, details. Last check was $2000, $2300 expected on completion though the door was left open for further suggestions and adjustments up. So far all suggestions taken and prices unreal (the counter replacement part and labor is only $200, he added installing the faucet I bought for free). I know a 2br sold about a year point five ago for 325, I've had it suggested I list for 312-317 in this market. I'd rather get that 325, though now it's only 320 for me after the work, another 5 comes off for fees, even my low commission realtor will get about $15, so a very high take would be 300, more likely buyer gets closing costs so 295, I'd guess 285 - 275 when all is said and done. Since I bought in 1995, most of that is profit.

No idea what to do with that - sure I could blow my wad, eat out a lot, travel to the islands and stay in nice places, show off a midlife crisis car (I think you need kids or a divorce to really qualify for the car, or at least a distended belly or receding hairline), buy a tv as big as my wall, buy all the cable channels I don't watch...not me. I may eat out more and buy more people drinks, but I don't really want anything I don't have already. To me money is a way to ensure security - my goal was 2 mil to be able to retire comfortably at 62 (I'll need to adjust for inflation but that figure is still ok). I've sort of adjusted that figure to the possibility of owning the house I live in, a rental property, AND 2 mil in the bank to retire. Obviously that is a long-term goal, but a reasonable one for my income and age (to say nothing of increases in income).

You know what would fuck my entire financial plan? Kids. Just sayin.

Comments

[djpsyche.livejournal.com]

Funnily enough we found monitors were MORE expensive than televisions of the same size. Because you need a TV license to operate a TV, but not a monitor. Cynical, moi?

[vicar.livejournal.com]

If it weren't for that one episode of the young ones, I wouldn't have any idea what you were talking about! Bloody yanks don't pay licenses (but our tv sucks balls for free, with ads).

Ah ha! That old trick! Eat the tele before the inspector can get inside!?
Naw - it's a toaster!
You young yobo! I'll wait. I know HOW to wait! And when that tele...comes out the other end...

[djpsyche.livejournal.com]

And Brits think paying a monthly fee to have a bank account is outrageous. Heh.

[eolh.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind that size isn't the only indicator on a TV anymore. Many 720p TVs have a native resolution of 1024x768, and many 1080i TVs have a native resolution of 1366x768. In comparison, most LCD monitors 24" and over have a native resolution of 1920x1200. What you're paying the higher price for is the resolution. You won't really see a big difference between them with a TV signal (even an HD one), but the difference is very significant when using it as a computer display.

[eolh.livejournal.com]

And on that note, for the record, it being a monitor rather than a TV made it more of a bargain, not less of one. :)

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Well shucks! Thanks, good info.

Actually it went from 1 left, to 2, to 9 remianing...odd...

[eolh.livejournal.com]

Weird. I've never actually ordered anything from Woot, so I don't really know how their system works.

Of course, the other thing to keep in mind is that there are lots of other factors that come into play with LCD monitors and TVs as well -- contrast ratios, brightness, viewing angles, etc. It all really requires a lot of research and comparison shopping if you want a good one. I don't think I'd want to buy a monitor (or a TV) with the kind of snap decision that a site like Woot requires.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

I wish this was on woot - they get enough forum feedback that it's fairly safe. I'm not expert enough to care about much specificity in the picture. This is the woot side deal, listed at the top of the screen (they since pulled the 42" from that banner, but if you follow the other ads it takes you to the same site.).

(edit - here
http://www.ecost.com/detail.aspx?edp=39398925&navid=155441524

[beatnikbetty.livejournal.com]

That is why I am not planning on pro-creating. too effin' selfish.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking of doing something solo, not just that, but perhaps procreating. If I can't just become fertile and breed, I might just slap together some leftover parts and see what I can make on my own. Why pick something so pre-ordained when I can reduce, reuse, recycle, and frankenstein? So many perfectly good parts go to waste...