Video Games

Tim and I used to play a lot of video games- now it's definitely more of a situation where Tim plays a few select titles and I play almost never.

Typically, video games hold very little value.  They are mass produced and if you purchase them when they first come out, you're looking at a $50-$60 price tag, which rapidly depreciates.

As we are getting ready for a church yard sale this weekend, I asked Tim to take a look at the boxes of video games we have sitting around gathering dust and decide if he wanted to sell any.  I came home to several piles of games, most in the $1 pile, while three to four had prices ranging from $2-$5.  Most of our games are just like new- we take very good care of everything from the disk or cartridge to the instruction booklet and case, so he felt like a few of the games could be worth a little more.

We went through the pile he wasn't sure about letting go and decided to just move out everything- we weren't playing the games, after all, so why keep them?  Just as he was about to slap $1 on them all, I suggested we check the prices on Amazon.com- just in case.

WHOA am I glad that we did!  We found 6 games that were worth $15-$25 each and of those 6, 5 have already sold- in less than 12 hours. 

Cha-Ching! 

What surprises me most is that the games that are selling the best are old Nintendo Gamecube games.  I guess it truly was the best system ever, because the value is holding to these games like crazy!

So the moral of the story is- price check your items when you decide to sell them- don't just assume you know the price.  Yes, it took us a little longer and yes, most of them were $1 games.  However, we made $100+ by spending 20 minutes making sure of our prices.  I could do that all day long.

-Kristen

Guilty

I've been guilty of neglecting this blog lately.  With having been sick, coupled with the various other hobbies I have, it's been pushed to the back burner.

I've been working a lot on working my Thirty One business lately.  It's been paying dividends for sure.  In addition to my paycheck in March (which was a HAPPY pay check!) I ended up winning two contests.  One was from the lady directly in my "upline" (aka, the lady I signed up under) and I won a $65 purse! I also tied in her second contest for having someone sign up under me, though the prize went to the person I tied with- quite rightly, I thought.

The second prize I won was second place in the Director's contest- and I won a set of $35 cosmetic bags in my choice of color.

So, I ended up adding $100 in free products to my paycheck in the month of March! Woot woot :).

Add the extra money coming in from Thirty One to my couponing, rebates, surveys and the fact that we no longer have to make payments on my car and I am feeling pretty good right about now- knock on wood, of course.  We all know life has a way of knocking you down a peg when you start to feel too good, but right now I plan on enjoying it!

-Kristen

River's Big Day Out

Despite waking myself up coughing every few minutes, I rolled out of bed all too early Friday- as is becoming all too common.

Tim & I loaded up River and headed to Concord, North Carolina.  There was a dog show going on at the Events Center and along with that was a health clinic.

I thought our appointment was at 11:20, but it was actually at 11:00. Oops.  Add to that the 20 minutes we wandered aimlessly trying to find the clinic and we were significantly late when we showed up. 

Thankfully, the ladies running the desk allowed us to wait and the doctor and her assistant were kind enough to go ahead and take us around noon.

River had to be coaxed in to the door- she hates small, confined places.  And mailboxes.  She's a nut.

We watched as an echocardiogram was performed.  Basically, they were looking for any arrhythmia or problems with the heart.  The "ear test" went off with out a hitch, but I don't think I breathed the entire time we were looking at her heart on the screen.  I'm pretty sure the most traumatic part for River-butt was when the vet tech clamped her mouth shut with his hands so the doctor could listen to her heart beat.

Finally it was done and we got the results- our baby girl is 100% normal!  Her test results will be sent in to OFA and she will become certified as having a healthy heart!

This means...wait for it-

River will be entering a breeding program!  Ok, breeding program sounds a little grand for my plans, but River, her "sister wife" Sienna and an adorable little mini poodle I happen to know named Biscuit will form the trio for KW Kennels- Breeding Small, healthy Goldendoodles.

Yes, goldendoodles.  There is a market out there for these dogs and my kennel partner and I have very carefully selected healthy dogs with excellent temperaments to meet the needs of those wishing to add a "doodle" to their families.

I'm very, very excited, as River will be bred very soon.  She will be coming back to raise her litter here- I can't wait!

-Kristen

Crocheting Excitement

I just placed a large order online for various sizes of safety eyes! Those are plastic eyes with locking backs that keep them from coming out of whatever material you put them in.  Once they arrive, I can continue with my crocheting and begin to build my inventory for the craft show I want to do this summer.

My plan is to have an inventory for the show, but also see about starting a facebook page and selling via it as well.

Unfortunately, I'm stuck until those eyes come in.  I have been to all the craft stores in town and can't find one that sells the size I want- they are all much too big.

The sad thing is scarves won't be in demand in the middle of the summer.  I really enjoy making those.  Oh well, I can channel that energy in to making washcloths I suppose.

-Kristen

Book Update

Slowly but surely I'm getting closer to the end of the book- I'm working on "the beginning of the end" as we speak now.  After that, it's more edits, then I'll be ready to get a few folks to read it cover to cover for continuity and understanding.

Then it will be time to start Book 2- as well as shopping around for publishing options.

It's a very scary thing- writing a book.  You pour a lot of yourself in to it.  Even if it isn't written about you or people you know- or even your world, you created those characters, situations, interactions...it's very much one of the hardest things I've ever done.  I think I've put my roadblocks in my own path because I want this book to be perfect.  I have to accept it won't be perfect, but it will be the absolute best I can make it.  I will do justice to my characters.  If it works, it works.  If it doesn't, I will try again :).

-Kristen

It's Mine!

Not my actual car.

It's mine, it's mine, it's mine!

Today, the check cleared for our final payment on one of the cars!   We ended up paying it off early (the last payment was due in August) and I am so excited!

Once we get the title, we can drop the insurance down on the car for an additional savings- which means we can snowball that car payment (once I pay our savings back for the loan it gave us to pay off the car) and the insurance savings in to hitting another piece of debt harder!

I feel like we are finally on our way! I have dreamed of the moment we'd have this car taken care and be able to move forward.  I'm so thankful we'd been paying a little extra for the past few years as well, as it helped us "cash out" even earlier.

I just had to share my joy!  It feels so good to be one step closer to my goals.

-Kristen

It's Better Than Good-Enough, It's Great- (12 Months of Christmas Post)

Nothing gives me more pleasure than to see someone's face light up with something I've made.  Cookies? A nice meal? A handmade scarf? I love it.

Any other time of year, we love to give things we've made to people we love, or have them give something to us.

Why is it that around Christmas, that nasty little voice makes us second guess ourselves?

"That isn't good enough."
"Oh, so you made presents? Tightwad."
"You're so weird and different for not just buying things."

Let's rethink these for a second:

"That isn't good enough."  No, it isn't "good enough"- it's better.  You made something that is 100% unique.  Even if you used a pattern or followed a recipe, there will never be the exact same item out there ever.  It's better than good-enough, it's GREAT!

"Oh, so you made presents? Tightwad."  You only spent untold hours in planning and making an item.  You only spent the cost of ingredients or materials.  You only put your love in to every stitch, stroke or stir.  You gave up your free time when you could have been napping, watching tv or just staring out a window.  What a scrooge you are to put your love and so much thought and effort in to a gift!

"You're so weird and different for not just buying things."  How dare you not just toss out a few bucks and get something "just to be done with shopping"? You truly are a weirdo for overthinking a gift that could make someone smile.  Be like the rest of the world and just buy something poorly made that will break in 6 months and will be forgotten before the wrapping paper is thrown away.

I love homemade gifts.  Last Christmas I received a handmade Christmas ornament from a friend and I am in love with it- every time I go to trim my tree, I will think of her.   Had she given me a $25 gift card to a restaurant, that would have been appreciated, but forgotten as soon as the meal was over.

One of my favorite gifts from my little brother ever came three Christmases ago.  He was a poor student in Nashville.  Come Christmas, he gave me a stocking full of Coke Rewards caps, a small Rottweiler stuffed animal (I love rotties) and a bag of these delicious sugared nuts a place in the Mall in Nashville sold.  The nuts were shared around the family and eaten quickly, the stuffed puppy is collecting dust somewhere and the coke rewards caps have all been redeemed- but I will never forget when I saw all those codes.  It's silly, but it showed me that he really stopped and considered what I like (saving money!) and spent his time collecting them for me.  It wasn't done in a rush because he needed to check my name off his list.   In a few more years, time will cloud the memory and the nuts and stuffed puppy will be forgotten, but I don't think I'll ever forget how much thought and effort he put in to a silly stocking full of drink caps.


So no, his gift wasn't just "Good-Enough".  It was Perfect.

-Kristen

Catch up on all the 12 Months of Christmas posts here.

Reading

bookishly.com

I'm a voracious reader- I always have been.  Sometimes it is almost like I am afflicted with the desire to read.  In the past 5 days, I've devoured 6 books.

So what- 6 books in 3 days? Geez.

If I enjoy a book, I will read it over and over again- sometimes back to back.  I've had to replace several worn out copies of my favorite paperbacks thanks to reading them so often- thank God for the Kindle!

Sometimes when the mood to read strikes me, it becomes an obsession.  Even as I type this, as I sit at work, all I can think of is the plot in one of the stories I'm reading.  Thankfully I was able to leave it this morning on a good note- if they were in danger, if there was a problem, it would have been almost impossible. 

I almost rush through the books, in an eagerness to find out what happens, to predict the outcome.  I never flip to the back and read the ending first- that's cheating.  I will admit I often rush the journey to get to the destination.  Maybe that's why I reread novels so many times?

Tim, on the other head, reads a book once and he's done with it.  Occasionally, years later, he may pick up a book and read it again but that is a rarity.

At least I can say that rereading books is frugal- after all, I don't have to buy new ones if I'm content to read the ones I already have!

-Kristen

A little bit of organization-

 So, I've been working on being more organized and I decided to tackle our pantry.  I didn't get a before picture, but suffice it to say it was a disaster.

In fact, I'm pretty much only posting these pictures because I know as soon as a few days go by, this will be absolutely destroyed.   You can see a bit of my stockpiling- mac & cheese, pasta, homemade canned salsa, though most stockpiled items are in a separate closet.

It feels so nice to have everything organized.  I can tell what we have, what we need and I tossed out all the old stuff. I even found an old, empty BOX in there.  Nothing in there- just taking up space.

Anyway, this is just a little brag post.  Buwahaha.

-Kristen

Promises to Myself

I said I would stop making New Years Resolutions because they always get broken- often in the very first week.

I couldn't stop myself from having certain goals, making certain promises to myself.

To start off with- I'm promising myself that I will keep up with housework more.  We both hate to do it, so often dishes will pile up in the sink.  We finally clean out the dishwasher and load it- and there are enough dishes left over for a second load. 

I've been doing well so far.  Yesterday I even managed to can some French Onion Soup, and while I was waiting for the pressure canner to heat up, I washed up what I had to, then unloaded the clean dishes and put the dirty ones in to the dishwasher.  Ultimately, only one pan was left in the sink!   

It's my hope that taking time to clean up a little each day will help prevent pile ups.  The hardest part is going to be getting Tim to help.



I'm promising myself that I'll worry less.  That's the harder promise.  I run off worry.  I live off of stress.  Stress and swedish fish flavored candy canes.   I find myself even as I type this worrying about an even that may or may not happen six and a half months in the future.  Oh yes, I am that much of an over-achiever in the worry department.  I imagine if I were a dog, I'd be one of those that twitches and shakes all the time for no apparent reason.   I'm lookin' at you chihuahuas.

I'm learning to manage my stress a bit. Rather than looking around and seeing something that may cause my trouble six months from now, rather than worrying about events that might not even come to pass, I'm working on letting it go- letting it not be a factor in my life until I know if it will even come to pass.  I'm working on enjoying life and being content to know we have enough, not trying to squirrel away every single penny I can eke out from our checks, stressing that this month I saved a dime less than last month.

This isn't to say I won't be couponing- I very much enjoy that.  I enjoy trying to save money in general.  I just can't let the need to have more money cause me extreme stress.



I'm promising myself that I will finish my projects.  Whether it's the quarter crocheted wash cloth sitting in my bag, or the book, I will finish what I start this year!  I will be the success I want to be, simply by not standing in my own way. 



So there we have it- my promises to myself.
-Kristen

New Skills

I've known how to crochet in a while, in the most basic way possible. I have perfected the art of chaining and double crochets.  There, my knowledge ended.

It gets incredibly boring to only do double crochets.  A friend taught me to do a V stitch and suddenly my world opened up again- only to close back down when I got bored with that stitch.

I finally made the leap and purchased Crochet for Dummies.  I am usually much more of a visual learner, benefiting more by having a real teacher than trying to learn from a book or video (which I tried).  However, I've found it to be really helpful to have this book! Not only has it taught me several new stitches, I've got tabs on each page so I can quickly refresh my memory on some little part of a stitch- like the half double.  Do I yarn over first? I flip to my page and see yes- yes I do yarn over.

The book has also managed to teach me a rudimentary crochet circle!  I am planning on practicing a bit more, then finding a very easy amigurumi pattern and trying to make my first stuffed toy!  It will probably end up a stuffed dog toy, but we all have to start somewhere.

I'm really happy to finally taking my crochet to another level.  It is so relaxing and at the same time it is so empowering! You start with a little piece of yarn and then you make cloth.  You, all by yourself, create.  Dish towels, scarves, sweaters, toys- it doesn't matter what it is, you did it with nothing but a little hook and a ball of yarn. 

It's incredible.

-Kristen

A Lesson

A saw a Little Blue Heron this morning.

I was driving in to work and suddenly to my right, a creature appears- the color of dark, winter storm clouds- ponderously clawing its way vertically into the air.  It labored for several moments as I turned into the parking lot of my job.  When I turned back to look, it suddenly shot forward, gliding effortlessly along. 

If I hadn't seen it struggle, I would have never known how hard it was to take to the air for the Little Blue Heron.  If I hadn't continued to watch, I wouldn't have seen everything suddenly turn beautiful.

The Little Blue Heron was amazing to watch fly.  Even when things got difficult, he never gave up- a few more strokes and he knew he'd be soaring.  That's just what happened.

It is easy to see someone flying and think "They have it so easy."  It's easy to look at our struggles and think "I'll never claw my way out of this mess, this trouble."  You never know what they went through, only to finally have their moment to ride the wind.

This winter, when I see the storm clouds, I'll remember the Little Blue Heron.

-Kristen

Finding the Beauty in Winter

Why, Hello there November.   Are you here so soon?  It seemed like just a few weeks ago I was seeing the back end of you and your vicious cold weather friends December and January, yet here you are again.


Today is cold.  It's also the first time I've seen most of the sky a color other than gray and it is beautiful- a beautiful "Carolina" blue with wisps of gorgeous white clouds dotted here and there.   The air is crisp, but it's clean.

I'm trying to learn to appreciate winter- to find the beauty in it. 

It's easy to find Spring beautiful.  There is a riot of colors as the flowers bloom and the trees bud.  The weather warms, the grass comes back and of course, the wild animals wake up, the birds come back and everywhere little creatures emerge.

It's easy to find Summer beautiful.  The skies are blue, the grass is soft and green under bare feet and it's the time to play.   Days are long, temperatures are warm and we still have flowers to enjoy, not to mention the beautiful colors of a garden ripening.  We are treated to such beautiful, golden sunsets.

It's easiest to find Autumn beautiful. The temperatures are perfect, the skies are still blue, the gardens are winding down, but they are still producing.  The colors of the trees rival the beautiful range of spring flowers.  The wild animals are everywhere as they prepare for the winter.  The sunsets come earlier, but they are still beautiful- not as golden as those in the Summer, but fiery in their own right.

It's hardest to find Winter beautiful.  A newly fallen snow beautiful- but it is soon melted and muddied, it's pristine beauty ruined by dog tracks and people tracks.  The winds are harsh, the temperatures cold.  The animals are gone, hibernating or in the warmer places they've migrated to. The colors are gone- the only greens the evergreen trees.  The rest of the trees are stark against the cloudy skies, bare of leaves and birds.  It seems like the world is painted in muted tones and gray.

This year, I will find the beauty in winter.

-Kristen

Storing

I've always joked I'm part squirrel, because I love to "squirrel" things away.  I've got a tendency towards pack-ratty-ness, but thankfully nothing Hoarder level.

I think this is why canning appeals to me so much.  I've got the opportunity to take too much of something (like too many tomatoes, too many peppers, etc) and turn it in to something I can store and use later- salsa, canned tomatoes, stew fixings, etc.

Imagine how excited I am right now to have a bag of apples, a carving pumpkin and five pie pumpkins sitting on my dining room table, waiting to be stored. 

I'm expecting to use most of the pumpkins to can pumpkin pie filling- that way when I want to make one, I have it already cooked and spiced- voila! Tim has guilted me in to making some more apple butter, so that takes care of the apples.

However- I've got something new to can that is making me all kinds of excited:

French Onion Soup!  That's one of those things that is yummy, but can be a pain to make, between cutting the onions, caramelizing them, etc- plus you end up making too much and you mess up a lot of dishes, spoons, etc.

I'm planning on making a big batch of the soup and canning it in to more manageable portions (sans cheese and croutons of course), so any time we want some, we can just eat it up and eat. Look for that post soon.

Canning is definitely a good way to direct my "storing" tendencies.  It leads to less mess, less clean up and more good food for us! Yum yum.

-Kristen

Shop Til You Drop!

Yesterday didn't start out being a full day of shopping- but it just kind of turned in to that.

We started off at Mimi's Cafe for lunch, since we had a B1G1 lunch coupon.  It was delicious and Tim and I both brought our huge muffins home, because we simply couldn't eat them.

Then it was off to Bath & Body Works to pick up my free 2oz. Aromatherapy Body Wash (coupon which is making it's way around Facebook, but which I can no longer post on the blog because of the format.  Sigh.  Run to their Facebook page to get it!).

We ran to Petsmart to take advantage of their Friends and Family 15% off event. The majority of my money left me here, since we stocked up on cat food, dog food and cat litter.  I had coupons to stack (just for the dog food) in addition to the 15% off, so we ended up saving around $30.  Hey, that's not bad at all!

We ran to Belk to get new pillows, since ours were flat and dead.  This is where we ran in to some unexpected news- Belk is having a huge clearance sale! I picked up five new shirts for work, since my others are definitely starting to be too big (yay), a t-shirt and the two pillows.

Kohls yielded a new shirt for Tim- also on clearance.  It was marked down to 80% off! Cha-ching!

We hit the local Goodwill stores, looking for items for our Halloween costumes.  We finally found a great shirt for Tim (once we do a little bit of dyeing) and he also found two new pairs of shorts! I picked up a pair of jeans that fit perfectly and are a size smaller than the shorts I was wearing.  Talk about a confidence booster!

Then, we ended up going to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.  Believe me, I hadn't planned on eating dinner out again but we were hungry and we were there.  Since we both ended up bringing food home, at least that helps cut the cost down.

A quick trip to "The Sock Store" in search of knee high black and orange striped toe socks was fruitless (c'mon Sock Store...), but I found a great piece for my costume at a Spirit of Halloween store. 

It was a full day yesterday, including our meals, we spent right around 8 hours out and about.  I feel great though, we got things we needed, our costumes are almost done and we did it all on one trip to the same town, which ultimately will save us money in gas!

-Kristen

Feeling Good

I'm feeling pretty proud of myself lately.  I've done a lot of canning, I've started a second job- oh and I've lost 25 lbs :).

It wasn't an all at once thing and I'm actually at 26 lbs lost as of this morning.  Still working on getting down to my ideal weight, but I'm very pleased in general. 

We are going on our vacation in just a few weeks.  That thrills me to death, though I'm starting to stress a little just on general principle.  I've just got a few little extra things to do that can all be done in a day or so, but I haven't done them yet.  I'm planning on finishing up this week on the planning so I can do nothing but start packing and getting excited for a week off work!

The weather has been gorgeous the past few days- cool temperatures and sunny! I love this time of year. I don't think I ever feel as good as I do in September and October. 

-Kristen

Lessons in Nail Painting

I've finally managed to stop biting my nails.  This is big news for me, I've only had nails twice in my life- once in High School and when I got married!  Inevitably I have found myself forgetting and biting them- or one breaks and I get frustrated, or I get stressed and I gnaw them off.

So far, none of that has happened this time.  Dare I start to hope that the habit is truly gone?

I let my friend's daughter paint my nails last night.  She was thrilled.  Meanwhile, I had forgotten a very important rule- or pair of rules- for nail polish.  1.) Bright teal is probably not the best choice to go on your nails.  2.) Make sure your manicurist is over 10 years old.

So today I am sporting remnants of having my fingers painted.  It made her happy and it wasn't hard to remove most of the color.  How she got the paint under my nails, I will never know.

-Kristen

Don't give up

Have you ever dieted?  You know that one day where you lose your mind, can't take it anymore and end up eating half a cake by yourself? Or maybe it's a whole pizza or a pint of ice cream.  What happens? You end up getting upset at yourself and more often than not, you give up on the diet because you've "blown it anyway".  Maybe you don't give up totally, but you stop being as strict with yourself because "it's not as bad as that day where I ate that whole pizza".  You stop losing weight and eventually you are right back to where you were.  Maybe you even self justify it by saying "Well, I'd be worse off if I hadn't dieted that two weeks- I'd weigh more."

Money management is just like dieting.   There will be some point where Murphy (you know, Murphy's Law- what can go wrong will) will pop up and slam you with some big bill- new tires for the car, a broken leg, a vet appointment- something will happen.  Or perhaps you end up taking an unexpected and unbudgeted for trip.  Maybe you just can't stand it and run out to buy the new iphone. Whatever.  Things happen.  This is no time to give up on money management or your long term financial goals.  Don't think about how you saved $20 that month and said "well, good enough, I can quit."  Don't say "I blew $1000... I'm so dumb, I am just not going to try anymore."

There is no need to throw good money after bad (which is one of my favorite sayings ever).  Get back on track.  So what, it will take a little longer to reach your goal, whether that's to pay off all your debt, or whether it's to save a specific amount- or for a specific item.  If you stop now, will you ever hit your goal otherwise?  How many times have we all said "I wish I'd stuck with that diet in January, I'd look so much better in this bathing suit now in August".   "I wish I had started couponing twenty years ago, I'd be so much better off now."

Stick with it.  Accept there will be mistakes and mishaps along the way, but it's the trying that counts.  Every $20 you save, every penny you shave off a bill, is moving you towards a better life- one including financial freedom and hopefully financial security.  So you had to take $500 out of savings to blow on new tires for your car- at least you had it to begin with.  It isn't on a credit card that will ultimately cause you to pay even more than $500.  You aren't having to beg family members to loan you the money and straining relationships with them.

You can do this! Even if it takes you a little longer because of setbacks, don't give up.

-Kristen

Selling Books

Tim and I spent Saturday bumming around the counties adjacent to the one we live in.  It was fun, we went to a festival that grossly misrepresented itself (150-200 vendors?  Try 15-20).  We walked the Farmer's Market, which was super crowded, then we headed to the county I grew up in to check out the Hospice Thrift Store.

I found a beautiful frame for a print Tim gave me for our anniversary- only it was $40 and had no glass! No thank you.  I did end up getting several other pieces of art though, so that was nice.

The biggest find was also the one I was least looking for.  Tim purchased several paperback books and I was browsing them in hopes of finding a few cheapies that might be fun to read.  I don't want to pay $10 on Kindle for a series I'm on the fence about.

Instead, I found books 1-3 of the Game of Thrones series.  I know that's not the series name, but you people know what I'm talking about.  I tried to read book 1 "Game of Thrones" years ago and couldn't get in to it.  At all.

So I called up my friend Becca to see if she needed Book 2 or 3- nope, she has them already, but asks that I pick up Game of Thrones because she loaned out her copy and the loanee is slow in returning it. 

I remember an app on my phone called "Redlaser"- it tells you the online prices of things with barcodes. I scan the two books and see both are selling for around $5.00 on amazon.  So, I take a deep breath and take the plunge, buying the two new books for 50 cents each.

Around 11:00am I listed both for sale and I'm thrilled to announce both have sold.  Yes.  In less than 8 hours I sold two books I've owned for less than 24 hours.

After Amazon takes their cut and after I ship them out, I'll be netting around $7 for both books. Not too shabby!  I was surprised that there was such a market since the books are hardly new- I first tried to read Game of Thrones 10 years ago and it wasn't new then!  I suppose the HBO series helps the books take on a new life.

Needless to say, I'll be more mindful when I'm checking out thrift stores from now on! I am thinking I'll do a follow up post soon on what to look for in items you'd like to resale.

-Kristen

In a Completely Irresponsible Move-

I did it. 

My poor Kodak Easyshare is 5 years old.  On the trip to Grandfather Mountain, it was having real trouble.  After a small amount of usage, the camera had to "process" for quite a while after each new shot- causing me to miss some excellent pictures of a black bear.

We went in to Best Buy a week ago to browse cameras.  Unfortunately Kodak went bankrupt and isn't making cameras anymore, so I knew I'd have to go with a different brand- not really a problem, since I have owned Nikon film cameras and Canon digital cameras in the past.

I spent an hour browsing the cameras and talking the ear off a sales associate.  I don't think he minded, I'm pretty sure I tripped him out. I have that effect on people.

Tim made me go look at the DSLR cameras.  I wasn't really planning on purchasing one because of the price difference.  Imagine my surprise when I saw that the basic DSLR wasn't much more expensive than a regular point-and-shoot.  Tim of course was standing on the sidelines cheering me on to get the DSLR.  He's so not helpful when it comes to temptation.

I left the store and spent a few days reading reviews and gathering opinions (and price comparisons) online.

We headed back to Best Buy today and I made a purchase.  I actually ended up purchasing the DSLR, a Nikon D3100 with a bonus package- an extra lens, a camera bag and a lens filter.  The "extras" ended up putting me over my planned budget by several hundred dollars.

However, I did happen to have $95 in Best Buy gift cards, which helped ease the pain a little.

So, to cut a long story a little shorter- Tim convinced me to spend several hundred dollars over my budget on an awesome camera that I am going to need a college degree to use to the best of it's ability (ok, it's not that bad, but it sure does have a lot of options).

I am, of course, wrestling with guilt over spending a hunk of money on a "pleasure" item like a camera, especially with all that is going on in the economy and with my job worries.

At least I will have it for vacation- and Tim's right about one thing, I will use this camera until it dies on me.  The Kodak will still be going to the west coast with us- that's right, it's not retired!  It still works and will be helpful in situations where I don't want to risk the DSLR.

-Kristen