Economic Stimulus

Are ya happy, Mikey??

Today after work, I spent exactly five minutes running into Best Buy, and I bought myself a proper digital camera. Did my research online last night and I knew I could get what I wanted for under a hundred bucks, so I am now the proud owner of a little, itty-bitty Sony Cyber-shot.

I've been meaning to do this for awhile... really, since Christmas... and I decided to just go for it.

Like a lot of Americans right now, I've been in "saving" mode for awhile. We didn't spend a lot at Christmas, and I've been trying to be budget-conscious when menu planning and doing my weekly shopping. When I got my usual Christmas Cash from the parent-in-laws, I spent a little and tucked a hundy in my undie drawer, wanting to hold on to it for a rainy day.

You know what? That day is here.

Sure, we're now facing the 10% pay cut I'm dealing with, but since a raise kicked in right before they calculated all this, it sure could be worse.

My particular industry niche basically makes stuff that tests all those chips and doohickeys that go into all sorts of high-end electronic stuff. The stuff that no one bought over the holidays. The stuff that is still sitting in store rooms at retailers across the country. And with a backlog of inventory, no need to buy new stuff. So they haven't needed to test new doohickeys, and the bottom dropped out with our sales stuff. Not good.

So as a little bit of self-help to my own industry, I acted. For a hundred bucks I got a camera that is smaller, lighter, more powerful and also "comes with it's own chargeable battery" goodness that is better than our old digital camera. Which was like three times the price just a few years ago.

And a bonus... for a couple bucks more (woo! more cash into the economy!) it looks like I can get an adapter to turn my impulse purchase of a 2-gig Micro SD adapter that won't work in my Palm to work in the camera. Woo!

So Mikey and all... look forward to better pictures here, when I finally do some cooking that is worth taking picture of (dinner tonight was a repeat of frozen chicken cordon bleu, go me) because the inaugural picture I took of the hubby taking his evening nap, drooling on the pillow, is really not very exciting for anyone but me.

Now ya'll... if you are fortunate enough to be in a position where you're just holding in anticipation of what will happen in the upcoming months.... eat desert first since you never know what will happen... and go make that purchase you've been holding off. Not just for high-end techie stuff... every industry and market is feeling this. Even if it's swinging by a nice local eatery for some-take out as a treat (which I'll also be doing three times by the end of the week... lunch tomorrow at a former co-worker's Thai place, going out for a b-day lunch on Friday for some authentic Mexican at a nearby place, and hitting an Italian place we've been meaning to go to for years for my b-day dinner).