Cheap but Smart

Who needs HDTVs Anyway?

2008-04-12T17:04:00.008-05:00

After hours of research and window shopping, I'm not going to purchase an HDTV anymore. Several factors that influenced this decision:

An HDTV will not fit into our current entertainment set, thus, a new TV stand needs to be purchased.
My family currently stays at a 3bedroom apartment and space is limited. No matter how nice they look, HDTVs will look best at a place that we own, not rent.
Can I really say that we NEED the HDTV? Or am I just buying it for playing the Wii? If the latter is true, then, this is the most expensive Wii accessory.
A friend who I shared my plan to purchase teased me for being American-ized on this purchase. Acquiring stuff on credit, interest free or not, is an American way of living.
$50 is enough to send 2 children in Africa to school for a month.
And finally, HDTVs cause cancer and premature aging. (HA!)

So, we'll be settling for a RCA 27" Tube SDTV, 27F554T instead. (See image below) It's still a TV, and is fully prepared for digital broadcasting at that. I'm going to look back at this decision as one of the smartest I've made so far.

HDTV Financing

2008-04-03T16:57:00.001-05:00

Personal Research on Interest Free HDTV Options.

My boys received a PAL-supported Wii that was purchased in England as a gift. It wouldn't work with an older TV model that we had since it supported the NSTC format only, and, having delayed impulse buying on an HDTV, I finally went searching for a TV that would fit our needs. Having researched and window shopped for a suitable HDTV on stores and in the Internet, I settled for a Samsung LN-S4095D 40" 1080p LCD HDTV that had a $1,300+ price tag.

As I had planned a higher priority purchase later in the month, my budget couldn't accommodate me paying the purchase in full. I balked at the wisdom of having to use a credit card, even with its less than 10% APR, to purchase something that wasn't a basic necessity. So, my challenge was - I wanted to pay only a certain amount per month, and I also didn't want to pay any interest. My payment options were limited to making the purchase using a financing scheme. That led me to check around for the best possible options.

For the amount of purchase I was planning to make, most of the offers available were 90-day interest free payments. Stores like Best Buy, Amazon.com and Sears required using their credit cards to avail of this program. Online sites using Bill Me Later such as Overstock.com also had a 90-day period to pay without interest.

The best options I found were that of Circuit City and Wal-Mart. Both allowed up to 12 months to pay without interest. Circuit City even had a 36-month interest waived payment scheme, though this is for another TV brand. But, I will be choosing Wal-Mart for the following reasons: (a) the budget I have should allow me to fully pay the Samsung HDTV in less than a year, and, (b) our family often shop at Wal-Mart and this new credit account will allow us to take advantage of their rewards program.

HDTV: To buy or not to buy

2008-04-02T06:19:00.000-05:00

After spending some time shopping for a TV, reading numerous product reviews, understanding the advantages of LCD and plasma, and getting feedback from friends, I found what I believe is best for us - the Samsung LNT4061F 40-inch 1080p LCD HDTV.

Questions remain: What value would this add? Am I buying a TV just so we can play Wii on it? Is it really necessary? And, the most important question is: How can I pay for it?

As our family has a higher priority purchase slated for this month, I can only set aside a certain amount per month to pay for this TV. I don't want to pay interest either. So the only option for me is to check out interest free financing if there is one available.

Searching for a TV

2008-04-01T17:34:00.001-05:00

A friend from England gifted my boys with a Wii, possibly their most expensive toy to date. The problem was, when we connected the Wii to our TV, the screen vibrated and there was no way it can be configured with that.

We figured that the power input might be the problem. The US uses 110 volts, while European appliances use 220 volts. We needed a step-up transformer to provide the necessary voltage. It took us an evening visiting the neighborhood stores looking for one but to no avail. I couldn't believe it, until a friend did say that the only place we could possibly check is the Internet.

So, I did. After a week, we got our step-up transformer and I was very excited to try it. However, the result was the same. With or without transformers, the screen was vibrating. I mentioned this problem to a colleague and he thought that it must be the TV. We did some googling and learned that Wii from England worked with PAL format, as opposed to the NSTC standard here in the US. Apparently, newer TV models should be able to handle both. The same friend lent me his 19" Samsung TV to test this, and when I did, it worked!

So now, we're in the market for a bigger TV.

My Greatest Assets

2008-03-31T15:30:00.001-05:00

I got married when I was 22. My wife and I will be celebrating our 10th anniversary this July. I was just starting in my first IT consulting job, and I took a leave of absence telling my project manager that I was going to get married over the weekend. She smirked and asked me if I was sure. I thought that it was an insulting question - of course I was sure. But I dont blame her. I married young. Back then, I didn't come across as someone "marry-able".

And, in the course of six quick years, 3 boys joined the family. When I had only two boys, a warehouse supervisor at a small town in Portugal looked at me from head to foot and asked, "Don't you have anything else to do in the Philippines?" Again, that was insulting. I was 25 then. Easily insulted.

Now, I have a 9-year old, a 7-year old, and a 4-year old. My wife and bestfriend, and my boys, are my most prized possessions.

IKEA Beds

2007-09-02T06:59:00.001-05:00

After several months of sleeping in mattresses on the floor, we finally were able to set aside some of our budget to buy bed frames. There's plenty of choices out there, but since we didn't know until when my assignment would be here in the US, we went for something that was quality yet affordable.

IKEA offered the best choices for what we needed. They provided a large catalog of cheaper but quality tested products. We chose a queen sized frame for the master bedroom, and a bunk bed to be shared by our boys. I had to rent a small truck at Enterprise just so we could transport our purchase.

I did the assembly of the queen sized frame, while a friend single handedly assembled the more difficult bunk bed. At last, no more sleeping on the floor for us!

The Public Library: Books, CDs, DVDs, Events

2007-01-25T16:47:00.007-06:00

Imagine cooped up in a hotel room in the middle of Illinois winter, with 3 boys. Only the TV and a few toys were available to entertain the kids. One of the first tips my sister gave me was to check the local library. We found one that was a 5-10 minute drive from where we are.

We visited one evening and was awed at the resources available for a family like us. We borrowed 3 bags of books on our first visit, which would bring much excitement to the reading exercises of my home-schooled children. My youngest who loved puzzles was wide-eyed with the variety of puzzles that can be taken home. Not just books though, there were computers for playing games, along with CDs and DVDs to be borrowed.

One impressive feature of libraries here is that they're online. You can bring your laptop and connect to the Internet for free. They have a book search capability at your fingertips. And, you can renew books from home by accessing your account online. (And let me gripe here, why can't we ever do this back home?)

We also visited a couple of events hosted by the library, one included a Wii playing session with other kids. Visits to the library are cheap (it's free!) but very educational times for the whole family.

The library that we visit is the Vernon Area Public Library.

Chicago, Here we come...

2007-01-02T06:42:00.000-06:00

After joining my wife and the boys in spending the holidays with my 3 sisters and their families in Maryland - our dday arrived. Waking up at 3am of Jan 2, a sister and a brother-in-law took my family and our 20+ baggages to the Washington DC airport for our flight to Chicago. I was concerned about adjustment; after 1.5 months with their cousins and plenty of activities in Maryland, we're moving to a hotel room in the northwest suburbs of Chicago where we'd be on our own. My wife would have to know how to get around the new environment, and the 2 older boys would have to start their homeschooling in earnest after a prolonged holiday.

We were given the biggest room in the hotel - and my wife took a couple of days to arrange everything to make use of the limited space. She did quite a good job, and we have ample space for the boys to jump all they want and do 10m races (no kidding!). It's one of those places where there is a fully equipped kitchenette and my wife has since been whipping up wonderful home made meals since our first day.

For the first week, checking out our surroundings was a priority. We visited a major shopping complex, checked out several grocery and fresh food stores, visited a couple of indoor playgrounds, and went to a very good library - all within 5 to 10 minutes of where we were staying. Furthermore, my workplace is near so I am able to join my family for lunch. Only the Fil-Am church where we attended Sunday worship took almost 45 minutes to drive.

After almost 2 weeks, we're pretty much settled. Not all have been smooth sailing though - there was the time when we had to wait for an hour and a half for the reserved van to fetch us at the airport only to find out that our 15 checked in baggages wouldnt fit in. Then, our middle son asks me why I had to work in the US when he misses his friends and the ability to play outdoors anytime in Marikina. Of course, we miss our househelp. And, in winter, going outdoors is a burden with the all the dressing up that has to be done - gloves, scarves, sweaters, jackets, and that pesky facial cream. But these are all a bundle of experiences that we as a family are gladly facing together - and for that, we're very thankful.

Single Income Family

2007-01-01T02:29:00.001-06:00

My wife stopped working when she was 8 months pregnant with our eldest child. We both agreed it was to our family's best interest if she stays at home with our children. She's done that for the last 9 years. Our youngest is now 4 years old.

An acquaintance, a Russian immigrant, once commented that you'd need to be rich to have 3 boys. Materially, we're not; though we're doing much better financially here in the US than when we were in the Philippines.

I consider it a tremendous blessing to be able to support our family of 5 with a single income. I think I can write a book about it. But, we're budgeting wisely and keeping track of our expenses. Plus, with my wife at home, it allows me to fully focus on my work. I really think that allowed me to progress on my career knowing fully well that if I leave our house to go work, my household is under the best manager it can ever be under - my wife.

Blogging from Illinois

2006-11-05T06:47:00.000-06:00

Having stopped traveling for almost two years, the opportunity to go to the United States was a welcome change, especially as there was also an opportunity to bring my family along. So, when I got notified that I passed an interview for a project management role at a client in Illinois last Oct 23, my wife and I were very elated. The joy lasted for a day! Soon, I found out that I was needed as early as possible, my family can’t join me on my flight since they had to fix their visas on December 5 at the earliest, I had to turnover a lot of things to my Manila colleagues, I had to renew my driver’s license that was 2 years expired, take my winter clothing out from hibernation and get some new ones, etc… etc… the logistics were staggering. So, I pushed for a Nov 1 flight to give me a weekend and 2 additional work days to prepare.

I did manage to do a lot of things (not all but a lot) before I finally left on Nov 1 – and now, I’ve just spent my first 2 days at the office and my first weekend at Buffalo Grove, a suburb 20-30 minutes from downtown Chicago. I was aware that the weather is real bad for a tropical person like me so I was prepared with long-sleeves, a sports sweater, and a heavy ski jacket when I went down the plane. I landed at O’Hare International at midnight, and was surprised that there were other adults who were lightly dressed and there were even kids on my flight with just shorts and shirts on; so I couldn’t help but compare the way they dress in Europe and here – it is a stark contrast. In Europe, people are bundled up when the temp goes down to single digits; and here, it doesn’t seem to matter.

Got a rental car on my first morning, a Thursday – hadn’t driven an automatic car ever, but it seemed I was born to drive one, ahahahaha, knowing my driving history. And, there was a slight snowfall which I thought was quite early but I heard that in this area, winter starts early. Got to the office, a 15 minute drive from the hotel, took a compulsory drug test, met some colleagues, and was off to the grocery for some fruits and greens. Yes, might as well take advantage of the easily available fresh produce to finally clean up on my diet. The next day, Friday was my official first day – and by 3pm, jetlag became a struggle. I was finally able to leave by 5pm. The midweek flight helped me as I at least, will have a weekend to rest before my first full week.

The plans and prayers right now are for my family to join me for the holidays. Until then, the wonders of technology keep me from being homesick. We are in touch via webcam everyday – talking and being able to view your family and having them see you in turn is much better than the regular phone calls. Best of all, IT’S FREE! I even played a couple of chess games with my eldest, and view my second son’s paintings. My youngest gets to say goodnight. And, there's endless chatting with Bev and myself... I even turned the camera on while I slept, hehehe. Of course, these wouldn’t compare for them being here, but in God’s perfect timing, that would happen.

IT Consultant

2006-11-01T15:31:00.000-06:00

I thought that if you worked in IT, it will allow you to be on the Internet full time. That's how I viewed it way back in 1998. A friend chided me for thinking that the "I" in IT stands for "Internet". For me back then, it wasn't far from the truth. (Lest someone gets confused, here's the Wikipedia entry on IT Consultancy).

I majored in Chemistry as an undergrad. The day I took my oath as a chemist was my last day on that field. I shifted careers and never looked back. I'll be 10 years on this profession next June. Looking back, it has been a most fulfilling one -and will still be for the next 10 years or so. Then, I'd shift to being a high school math teacher. Or a house husband. Or maybe a stage dad. Who knows?

But I digress. Being an IT consultant has brought me to places I've never thought I'd visit. It made me a resident alien here in the US. It brings food to the table. And on occassions, it could be real nice food. I'm very thankful for this career. It's far from being over.