To Buy or Not to Buy

[Enuff2Eat]

We have an entertainment center in the living room with a big and bulky old style 32" TV Toshiba in it. DW says why don't we get rid of it and get the flat screen TV like everyone else, it's so "dirt" cheap.

My mentor said "don't fix anything that is NOT broken". In this case, nothing is broken but... obsolete and old. It's like upgrade your cell phone when there is nothing wrong with the old one.

The new cheap cabinet $300, a new TV 42" is another $1300, don't forget i might needs fancy cables, and other media storage for the dvd players, dvd movies and music, another $300...

to Buy or Not to Buy


Enuff

 

[Kronk]

How much time do you spend watching it? If you are watching a bunch of movies, the aspect ratio alone is a nice boost. Then you'll be sucked in to Hi-Def cable/satellite, too.

The main TV is one of those things we're willing to spend money on, because we use it so much and value the improved experience. Just buying it because "everyone else" has one doesn't make much sense.

 

[Marquette]

I'd sell you mine, it's gathering dust right now.

If you do get a new one, you might want to look into freecycling the old one (The Freecycle Network).

 

[Bestwifeever]

That is a great thing to give the family for a Christmas present, if you can wait that long. Then you don't have to justify the old one not being broken. Maybe you can use the old set and entertaiment center somewhere else in the house or sell them on Craigslist or donate them for a tax deduction?

 

[Tempesta]

well, if you upgrade your tv, then might as well go all the way, right?

- then you start adding the cost of HD channels, what's the point of having HDTV without HD contents, right?
- then you might wanna get blu-ray player, again what's the point of having HDTV if you still watch regular DVD, right?
- then, the blu-ray movies themselves. Do you collect movies? if you do, blu-ray movies are at least 1.5X more expensive than DVD. I think they cost the same, if you rent though
- Cables are not so much. You can get HDMI cable cheap online

that's the minimum....if you want to start adding audio, since blu-ray outputs much much better audio...

 

[Caoineag]

I upgraded to a LCD despite the CRT not being broken (gave to friend who needed a new one) for the sake of my poor eyes. I have always had an issue with CRT's making my eyes feel like they had sand in them (which is why my computers had LCD screens long before I bought a LCD TV).

If you don't see the point though, why upgrade at all?

 

[kcowan]

We bought a 32" Sony Wega for MIL because her eyesight was fading. I asked seller why so cheap (40% of what others were asking on craigslist) and he said DW insisted that old one was sold before he could upgrade to flat panel! 8)

 

[rogersteciak]

Based on a wealth building book I read back in the 1980s, here is an example from that book:

(1) If you have $10,000 in financial assets and buy a $2,000 projection TV (since affordable flat-screen TVs didn't exist back then), you will be using 20% of your capital.

(2) If you wait until you have $100,000 in financial assets and buy a $2,000 TV, you will be using 2% of your capital.

(3) If you wait until you have $1 million in financial assets and buy a $2,000 TV, you can probably afford more than one without noticing any impact on your capital.

What I've learned since then is that when you can afford many TVs without noticing the financial impact of purchasing them, you probably don't want to waste the time watching them because there are more productive uses for your time and money.

Your values may differ from mine, of course. When you are wealthy, you can afford to do whatever you want.

 

[Enuff2Eat]

May I repeat the question?

Based on a wealth building book I read back in the 1980s, here is an example from that book:

(1) If you have $10,000 in financial assets and buy a $2,000 projection TV (since affordable flat-screen TVs didn't exist back then), you will be using 20% of your capital.

(2) If you wait until you have $100,000 in financial assets and buy a $2,000 TV, you will be using 2% of your capital.

(3) If you wait until you have $1 million in financial assets and buy a $2,000 TV, you can probably afford more than one without noticing any impact on your capital.

What I've learned since then is that when you can afford many TVs without noticing the financial impact of purchasing them, you probably don't want to waste the time watching them because there are more productive uses for your time and money.

Your values may differ from mine, of course. When you are wealthy, you can afford to do whatever you want.

excellent logical Roger. Well then, i should be able to afford anything less than $1 without feelings the pain, based on my assets... jk

Can i repeat my question one more time

to Buy or not to Buy.

How many members here already dumped their old TV for a flat screen, just because u want to??

 

[FinanceDude]

We have an entertainment center in the living room with a big and bulky old style 32" TV Toshiba in it. DW says why don't we get rid of it and get the flat screen TV like everyone else, it's so "dirt" cheap.

My mentor said "don't fix anything that is NOT broken". In this case, nothing is broken but... obsolete and old. It's like upgrade your cell phone when there is nothing wrong with the old one.

The new cheap cabinet $300, a new TV 42" is another $1300, don't forget i might needs fancy cables, and other media storage for the dvd players, dvd movies and music, another $300...

to Buy or Not to Buy


Enuff

Enjoyment is a factor in and of itself. If you have the money to buy it for CASH, and will enjoy it,why not? Sometimes folks go overboard on "denying" themselves when they don't have to. I haven't had cable for 31 years, with the money I've saved, I don't feel bad buying Ipods, lots of DVDs, etc........it's worth it to me........

 

[Marquette]

We moved our 24" wega to the basement and bought a 40" LCD several years ago. We've since sold the house and the 24" wega. The 40" LCD was never really used for TV but movies & games. No hi-def tv, no blu-ray, no surround sound. Oddly, I have a very nice Integra receiver as well but that was for the whole-house sound.

We now live with people that have digital tv and we could easily just hook up a cable box, but we don't really watch tv and what tv we do watch we just go down to the living room for... that's a 65" plasma with surround sound and all that.

If I had to do it over again, I probably would still buy the lcd... I think we got our money's worth out. But then, we buy electronics at cost+5% so it's easier to clear that enjoyment number sometimes.

 

[ProspectiveBum]

I put together a modest home theater a few years ago on a budget of less than $5k. I used to love going out to the movies, but now I find I prefer the experience at home. I enjoy the heck out of my set-up, and would do it again in an instant (it'd probably be cheaper now, since prices have come down).

If you like watching movies, or want to upgrade to HD (great for sports, IMO), I'd say go for it.

A few things to consider:

1. I find that standard-definition TV looks noticeably worse on the flat-panel TV. The same shows look great on the CRT TV. If you watch mostly standard-def programming, I'd stick with the CRT (it doesn't bother me since my flat-panel is mostly for watching DVDs and HD programming).

2. Flat-panel LCD TVs can have a noticeable blur when showing fast action. If you watch a lot of sports or action movies, this can be an issue. Be sure to watch some of this type of programming on the set you want to buy BEFORE you buy it.

3. If you don't absolutely need a flat-panel TV, there may be cheaper alternatives. My home theater TV is a 42" rear-projection LCD. It's *maybe* 10" deep, but was quite a bit cheaper than comparable flat-panels when I bought it.

4. If you do decide to buy it, and you can wait that long, you can often find great deals on new TVs right before the SuperBowl.

Good luck...

 

[Goonie]

How many members here already dumped their old TV for a flat screen, just because u want to??

Not me. My old tube TV died while I was watching it one night......just some squiggling, then a "pop" with a little flash, the smell of burnt electronics, and that was all she wrote! Poof! If it hadn't been for that, I'd still be watching it! Heck, I still watch my old 12" B&W with the 12-channel & UHF knobs, that's in the other bedroom.....on a regular basis. (Amazing how those old b&w westerns look just as good on it, as they do on the new LG wide-screen.)

Anyway, I went shopping the next day, and found a nice LG wide-screen, flat-panel LCD for cheap! The dealer had a couple that were on a special sale that week, and they were only slightly more $ than a similarly sized (though not wide-screen) tube set. And although it's a HD set, I've thus far resisted getting the HD programming from Dish......maybe someday.....but not yet.

So to buy or not to buy......I dunno......you could always call Suze and ask her.

 

[rs0460a]

DW says why don't we get rid of it and get the flat screen TV like everyone else, it's so "dirt" cheap.

to Buy or Not to Buy

Enuff

It's cheaper to upgrade your TV rather than upgrading your DW ...

I would get it. Hey a few bucks (unless it takes food off the table) is part of the game of marriage.

- Ron

 

[Moemg]

Can i repeat my question one more time

to Buy or not to Buy.

How many members here already dumped their old TV for a flat screen, just because u want to??

I was too thrifty to it while my Tv was still working and one day it just stopped and forced me to upgrade but I love the new TV and probably should have done it sooner .

 

[Texas Proud]

I am like Goonie in a way.... but not really...

I was on Woot and they had a 26" LCD for cheap.... thougth I would get it to take a look at some HD programming and eventually give it to my mother when the regular TV programming stopped...

Go ahead a few days and 'fzzt... crackle pop'.... what the heck is my TV making that noise... it is on mute... let's turn it off so I can hear the person on the phone... that was the death of it... a nice 36" JVC down to toilet.... and three weeks before I had just given away to charity my two OLD 19"... so I was without ANY TV... then two days later the WOOT TV shows up.... it is small, but still good...

Still trying to find the right antenna being 36 miles from the antenna....

 

[Helena]

How many members here already dumped their old TV for a flat screen, just because u want to??

I'm still using my $300 TV bought at Wal-Mart over 10 years ago...
and will only buy a new one when it stops working.

This type of frugal lifestyle is one of the reasons I was able to retire
at age 55.


~

 

[rogersteciak]

... i should be able to afford anything less than $1 without feelings the pain, based on my assets... jk

Can i repeat my question one more time

to Buy or not to Buy.

This is really a question only you can answer.

To be able to FIRE means your investment income must exceed your living expenses (including taxes) by your desired margin of safety. You can have living expenses as high as you want as long as you have enough investment income to cover your expenses (otherwise, you can't FIRE).

Spending a dollar every now and then without doing a lot of financial analysis first will not likely hurt most people. But spending three dollars a day for the rest of your life (e.g., Starbucks coffee) means you may be drinking away your retirement money by spending it now rather than investing it for FIRE (because three dollars a day compounds into many tens of thousands of dollars over a period of many decades).

But the choice is still yours. Only you can make the tradeoff between spending versus investing now, along with what you spend it on now versus invest it in now. There are no right or wrong answers in the absolute sense; there are only choices to be made in the personal sense.

 

[Dave J]

Go for it. A couple years ago I upgraded my 35 in. Sanyo(tube)to a 42in Sony rear projection(10 deep) and very happy with the upgrade.Mine is the 720 resolution and it is good enough for me.If you can find a 720 vs: a 1080,you can usually save a few bucks and still have a nice upgrade.

PS: Gave my old 35 in. to my son and his new wife and they were thrilled.

 

[Coach]

Can i repeat my question one more time

to Buy or not to Buy.

How many members here already dumped their old TV for a flat screen, just because u want to??

Enuff, I haven't bought yet. I have a perfectly good 7-year-old CRT and I just can't justify replacing it.

I do lust after a flat screen, though. I'll capitulate eventually.

Coach

 

[Khan]

I'm still using my $300 TV bought at Wal-Mart over 10 years ago...
and will only buy a new one when it stops working.

This type of frugal lifestyle is one of the reasons I was able to retire
at age 55.


~

Still watching the TV(I think it's a 20") I bought new 19 years ago. One of the first things I brought home in my new car; replaced the car last year.

When it dies, I'll watch on the laptop.

 

[windsurf]

ProspectiveBum said:
"A few things to consider:
2. Flat-panel LCD TVs can have a noticeable blur when showing fast action. If you watch a lot of sports or action movies, this can be an issue. Be sure to watch some of this type of programming on the set you want to buy BEFORE you buy it."


We bought a Samsung LCD. The blur is not an issue; it's been tuned out. Had a 35 inch Toshiba CRT and got 15 years out of it. The tube was dimming a tiny bit and that, combined with my degrading visual acuity ( and the DW's), led to the high def. Gave the Toshiba to my daughter which was an upgrade for her (no cable; too busy to veg in front of the tube). Now we can again see the tennis ball as we watch a lot of matches and the small box scores they put in the corner of the screen for NBA, NFL, MLB. Movies are awesome. What a waste of high def as to the local (tabloid) news and schlock. We don't live in front of the TV but it's a change akin to b & w vs. color (showing my age).

 

[HFWR]

Buy!

 

[ERD50]

Is the current 32" a crt?

Just remember, a 42" widescreen may not be bigger (in height) than a 32" SD (I'm too lazy to look it up or do the math).

What about the old tv is 'obsolete'? Newer stuff does not 'obsolete' the old,. Only changes that make the old unusable or impractical to use make it obsolete.

It's a personal decision - does the new have something you value that the old doesn't? Is it worth the $ versus anything else? But to buy just because there is newer stuff - well that'll make it tough to FIRE, if that is your goal.

-ERD50

PS - they will be cheaper and better next year.

 

[FANOFJESUS]

I'm still using my $300 TV bought at Wal-Mart over 10 years ago...
and will only buy a new one when it stops working.

This type of frugal lifestyle is one of the reasons I was able to retire
at age 55.


~

Amen