Buying electronic gizmos for Christmas presents

I'm going to go out on a limb here and talk about the two electronic items we received last year for Christmas.  Maybe a testimonial or a personal story will help you make your decisions about these two items for this year's Christmas list.

The first item was a Garmin Nuvi 265W/WT GPS that I purchased for my sister.  She had recently moved here and was having trouble getting around in such a big city.  She got so frightened, that she simply quit going anywhere because she was afraid she would get lost.  So, unless I was her chauffeur, she stayed home.

At Christmas 2010, I finally bought her the Garmin Nuvi.  I did quite a bit of research online and determined that this model and product was the best fit for my sister who is over 60.  It is mobile in that she can attach it to her windshield while driving and then remove it when she is home.  She is very cautious about safety and she worried that someone would break into her vehicle to steal the device if she couldn't remove it.

When she got the Garmin Nuvi, she was really happy.  The only problem was that it did not come with much of an instruction booklet and she was not comfortable using it.  I went online and downloaded the booklet for her, but she was still cautious.  Finally, I set the device up and showed her how to use it.  We even named the device, Miss Ellie!  I got her a zipper bag to put it in when she was not using it and she was set.

I'd love to say that was it.  I'd love to say that she is now mobile and fearless, but that is not so.  She is more mobile and will go places on her own now, but we have to drive to here destination first and make sure to add it to her Favorites so she can see how to get back home.  So far, this seems to soothe her fears and is working.  She has quite a few places in her favorites and she will go solo to those locations using the Garmin.

The only other problem we have is that Miss Ellie was always trying to get her to get onto the highways (which she absolutely will not do).  I had to do a bit of tweaking to make Miss Ellie stop that and now peace reigns.

We laugh alot because of this device.  Miss Ellie can be heard frequently saying, "Recalculating..." because my sister did not follow her directions.  It's really nice to see my sister mobile again.  I wholeheartedly recommend this device to anyone on your list that is getting older and can't remember things right anymore.  With this device in hand, anyone can get anywhere!

For more information about this product, you can visit my site:  Garmin Nuvi 265W/WT GPS

Tomorrow I'll post about the second gizmo we got last Christmas and tell you what we think about it, too.

Related articles

• Garmin GPS Repair Tips & Tricks (brighthub.com)
• Garmin Nuvi 3760T Hands On (slashgear.com)
• Top 6 Garmin nüvi GPS Systems (brighthub.com)
• 10 Christmas Gift Ideas For Sisters (mademan.com)
• Which Electronic Devices Would Make Good Christmas Presents (theseoscout.com)

How To Avoid Overspending At Christmas

Well, the first quarter of the year 2011 is about to end and that means Christmas is closer than you think.  One of the ways you can prepare for Christmas is to start early and make a list.  The summer sales is a wonderful time to find items that you want to give but at a reduced price.

Below is an article from Forbes talking about how to curb your holiday spending.  I hope you enjoy.  Please don't procrastinate.  Christmas will be here before you know it!

The article below has several related articles that you can visit, so please go to the site.

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The best gift you can give your family is often sound finances for the new year.

In Pictures: How To Avoid Overspending At Christmas

Unemployment is high this year, and savings accounts are low. But that won't stop Americans from filling shopping carts with gifts this Christmas. With shopping a firmly entrenched holiday tradition, the average American will spend an average $715 this season--even if for some it's spending they can ill afford.

Before you head out to Target , Best Buy , Nordstrom or your local mall this holiday season, give yourself a big gift: restraint.

The reason so many people fail to show it is the intense social pressure to go out and spend this time of year. Plus the legion of ways people justify overspending. That's according to Shawn Young, creator of Bootstraps Asset Building Education, an organization that uses elements of behavioral economics to teach average Americans how to better handle their finances.

In his previous career as a manager at Wal-Mart and Starbucks , Young, now 41, saw many colleagues become overwhelmed by financial troubles that it distracted them from their work. The stories led to Young developing an interest in financial education. In 2007 he moved to Louiseville, Colo., and founded Advocates for Young Adults, a nonprofit which has since been renamed Frontier Asset Building. It has five employees, a $300,000 budget and, says Young, helped 10,000 people in 2010 through its various programs.

One is a class on spending. In it, Young works primarily with people who have low and moderates incomes and are at risk of overspending in ways that can have devastating effects on their finances. If a student in one of his classes overspends at Christmas, that student might have trouble paying the January electric bill. People of greater means rationalize excessive spending in similar ways but generally face less devastating consequences, Young says.

Temptations are so great leading up to Christmas that some of Young's students this year suggested he offer a class addressing the season's shopping. While Young ponders the idea, he suggest others slow down while hitting the malls.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

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• The Causes of Overspending (gomestic.com)
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• 35 Articles About Avoiding Holiday Credit Card Debt (balancetransfercreditcards.org)
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What will you do for Christmas 2011?

Image via WikipediaI know.  I know.  It's only the start of 2011 and I am talking about Christmas.  What's up with that?  Well, today is the last day of January 2011.  One-twelvth of the year is already gone.  The way I look at it is if you plan and prepare for this big holiday season, it doesn't have to have such a large impact on either your psychological well-being or on your pocketbook.

Now is the time to make a list of all the people you want to buy for this Christmas.  Make a tentative list of what you plan to spend on each person.  If you have ideas for personal gifts, write that down too.  Carry this list with you when you go shopping.  That way you can take advantage of bargains and sales throughout the year and as you mark off each name you can guage your readiness for the season.  Who knows, maybe by Thanksgiving you can be totally through with seasonal shopping and focus more on enjoying the social activities of the holidays.

There is no time like the present to get started.  My list is ready.  Is yours?

Related articles

• Toy giveaway brightens Christmas spirits (charlotte.news14.com)

Check out Amazon's Great Toy Bargains this Christmas!

Click here to visit Amazon

Electronics are the #1 gift this year. Browse below!

Why not get you and your entire family a really great gift this Christmas?  Instead of buying many small, maybe under-appreciated gifts for each member of the family, why not buy a single, large family gift that everyone in the house can enjoy?  Just a thought.  Check out these deals below:

Colorful Angel Christmas Decoration I

Here's a really cute and easy craft to help decorate your home in time for the Christmas holidays.  This looks really quick and even a novice crafter can work with styrofoam, so there is no excuse not to try this!  I found this tutorial at FaveCrafts.com, so please visit them and check out some of the other wonderful ideas to help make this a happy holiday!

With inexpensive foam materials and foam paint, create a this lovely Christmas angel. The colorful angel is perfect as a table-top decoration or mantel piece.

Materials:

• STYROFOAM Brand Products:
  • Sheet: 1" x 12" 18"; 1/2" x 12" x 18"
  • Ball, 2"
• Wooden dowels: 1/4" x 9"; 1/8" x 2"
• One gold Chenille stem
• Two 6mm black beads
• Acrylic craft paint: metallic gold, ruby, blue, emerald, barn red, peach, pink, brown
• Fineline marker
• Serrated knife or utility knife
• Old candle
• Paintbrush
• Low temperature glue gun and glue sticks

For pattern, click here.
Steps:

1. To cut foam sheets, use serrated knife or utility knife; wax knife blade first for smoother cuts. From 1" foam sheet, cut 8" x 3-3/4" rectangle for angel's dress and 5" x 7" oval for base. Using patterns, cut two feet and heart (wings) from 1/2" sheet. Cut foam ball in half. (NOTE: bold lines on pattern are cutting lines, fine lines are decorative glue lines.)
    
2. Glue half-ball on wings; glue wings to dress. Glue feet to gown as shown, with one foot positioned on top and in front of the of other; when gluing, insert toothpick between feet and dress for enhanced hold.
    
3. The golden highlights on the angel are created with low temperature glue. Using black, fineline marker, transfer design lines onto dress, shoes and wings. (Do not draw face and hair.) Draw wavy line around edge of base; add dots to top of base. Practice gluing technique on scrap of foam; squeeze glue gun in steady, controlled manner to create fine, even lines. Trace over design lines with glue. Let dry.
    
4. Paint dress, wings and base following colors used in photo. Let dry. Paint all glue lines and dots on gown, wings and shoes with two coats of gold paint; paint wavy line around base gold and dots on base barn red. Paint dowels gold.
    
5. Glue beads to face for eyes, pressing into foam. Using low temperature glue, make a small dot for nose and two larger dots for cheeks; when glue is almost set, press cheeks with fingers to flatten. Paint nose gold and cheeks pink. Paint red smile.
    
6. Make hair with glue, adding glue in several layers to build height. Before hair is completely dry, insert small dowel in top of head. Paint hair brown. Bend 4" chenille stem into circle; glue to top of dowel to make a halo.
    
7. Insert large dowel into center of base; remove dowel, fill hole with glue and replace dowel. Repeat, pushing dowel into center bottom of gown.

®™ Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow. For more project ideas, please see styrofoamstyle.com.

If you like this project, we also suggest:
Colorful Christmas Angel Decoration II
Americana Angel

More Black Friday Ads!

This year Target is kicking off Black Friday on Sunday with a huge pre-Black Friday sale. We just received a copy of the sales circular and wanted to share some of the items in it. One of the best deals we could find in this circular is on an Acer 10.1" Netbook with 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive, and Windows XP. You will be able to get this during Target's 4-day pre-Black Friday sale for only $179.99 saving $50 off the normal retail price. While this netbook is significantly dated compared to current models on sale this year, it's still one of the lowest prices we've seen so far. Another deal you will find in this ad is the Nintendo DSi gaming console for only $119.99. These typically retail for $149.99, so if you're on the market to buy this console, we suggest doing so during this early Black Friday sale.

View the Target 4-Day Pre-Black Friday Ad Black Friday ad:
http://www.black-friday.net/bf/target-4-day-pre-black-friday-sale-black-friday.html

View the Acer 10.1" Netbook for $179.99:
http://www.black-friday.net/follow/4879

View the white Nintendo DSi gaming console for $119.99:
http://www.black-friday.net/follow/4896


To see even more check out www.black-friday.net

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• Best Black Friday Deals (abcnews.go.com)
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