Peace of Mind Organizing

A couple of shopping tips

7 April 2008

My husband and I have just one TV. I take perverse pride that our marriage has survived 18 years with only one television. And I’m a big TV watcher. TV + knitting = a very good time for me.

A week ago, our 14-year-old Panasonic 32” TV bit the dust. It had been threatening to die for a few months, so the sadness of its death was tempered with the excitement over the prospect of buying a modern TV. I was anxious to get one that didn’t weigh 150 pounds and take up so much space.

Our DVD player died a few months ago. I’ve been meaning to buy a DVD recorder to replace it, so that I could copy extra-good shows off our beloved DVR onto a disc. But I was having trouble finding the time to research the best machine and buy it. (And I was watching DVDs on my computer in the interim.) Since we had to go to an electronics store to buy a TV, we decided to also get a DVD recorder.

Here’s where my tips come in. I did some research on Consumer Reports, where you can buy a subscription for a month for $5.95. We decided on a TV, based on the Consumer Reports recommendations. It was a Best Buy house-brand (Insignia) TV. I went to Retail Me Not and found a printable coupon for 10 percent off my purchase. I found two, actually, and printed both of them.

So Saturday morning we set off to Best Buy. Where we live, there’s a Circuit City near the Best Buy. My husband wanted us to go to both stores, to comparison shop. That seemed crazy to me since (a) we knew we wanted a Best Buy TV, (b) we had a 10 percent off Best Buy coupon, so it seemed unlikely that we’d find a better price at Circuit City, (c) I hate electronics stores and (d) I was in a hurry to get over to my best friend’s house to help her celebrate her birthday. But I conceded that it was logical to comparison shop. And, as is so often the case, Barry was right.

We checked out the TVs and DVD recorders and Circuit City and proceeded to Best Buy. We made a beeline to the TV we knew we wanted and discovered that the quality of the picture was pretty lousy (though the price for the size was good). So we decided on a smaller (32-inch) Samsung HDTV with a great picture for the same price as the 37-inch Insignia HDTV.

In looking at DVD recorders, I found the Sony that I’d decided on and discovered that it was $30 cheaper at Circuit City. All I had to do was mention that price difference to the Best Buy salesperson, who verified it on the web and gave me the lower price.

So the shopping tips are these:

• Even if you don’t subscribe to Consumer Reports magazine, you can get the benefit of their buying advice for an investment of only $5.95 (just remember to cancel the membership by month’s end).

• Don’t take Consumer Reports words for it, though. Check out the product yourself.

• Always check online for a coupon before heading out to the store.

• Comparison shop so that you can get the best price, even if the store you’re in doesn’t offer that price.

We’re very fond of our new TV. One of its best features is that it swivels on its base, so we can angle it just so, depending on who’s watching and where they’re sitting. I’m hopeful it’ll be another 14 years before I have to buy another one!

Tagged with: belt-tightening, shopping, television

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