I need two big ticket items right now that I'm shopping around for:
1. a cell phone – my cell phone is 95% dead. It charges up, I turn it on and it dies. Luckily, my "new every two" kicked in and I can get a new phone. YAY! Now comes the hard part… which one?!?!
(sidebar: don't tell me to get an iphone. i know they are awesome. but i need to stay with verizon.)
I visited the Verizon store today. And I've pretty much decided to upgrade to the data plan. (Way to finally join the 21st century, Mel!) And I've narrowed it down to a few.
- the droid by motorola: awesome. I love the combo of a touch screen and still having a keyboard. And its just so, so cool. The downside? $200 after rebate.
- the droid eris: just like the droid, only lacking the turn-by-turn navigation. And $100 less than the Motorola Droid. Sweet.
- blackberry storm: still touch screen, which is cool, and the cheapest option at only $50.
Thoughts? What do you have?
2. a vacuum cleaner – my vacuum is one that I inherited from my mother-in-law when she got a new one. I'm not sure how old it is. Lets just say its reaaaaaallly old. Parts of it fall up when I'm trying to do pretty basic things like, say, vacuuming the floor. Annoying. It also randomly loses all suction. Which is a problem.
I have NO CLUE what kind of vacuum I want. I've just begun looking and I admit, pretty ones like this
are making my head turn. But we have a split level, so I'm wary of getting a big bulky upright.
What vacuum do you have? What do you love or hate about it? What are the best brands I should be looking at?
Help!
About Melissa
Can’t help you with a phone, but as far as a vacuum, I highly recommend an Oreck. What I love is the suction is great and the upright is VERY lightweight which is perfect for a split level. Also, the model I have is guaranteed for 10 years so I can also take it in once a year where they check every belt, etc. and replace anything needing replacement. But the best part are the attachments which are separate and come with their own machine which you can wear on your shoulder and walk around while you clean edges, etc.—-also great for cleaning the car!
I am no help to you – I’m still in the dark ages here with a phone that doesn’t even take pictures! And forget about the internet. I’m drooling over friends’ iPhones, but I’m way too frugal to spend that kind of bank monthly! My phone is due for an upgrade as well, but I think I’ll hang on as long as the battery can hold a charge. I hate the hassel of learning a new phone!
And I’ve yet to be satisfied with a vacuum. I use the Eureka upright that is designed for smaller spaces (such as the tight corners in my rowhouse). It’s fine and lightweight, but I’m constantly cutting my hair out of the rotating brush. Between my dog and me, the house is shed-central…
Go with Dyson…I went through several begore I shelled out the money and haven’t been sorry! Love it!
I have the blackberry curve and I LOVE IT! Pretty sure you can get those at Verizon!
TK4 has the blackberry storm and it’s not so great. I have a really hard time with the keyboard. I have a blackberry 8830 and love it.
As far as vacuums go, I have a Dyson. We got it about a year ago at Bed Bath and Beyond and used our 20% coupon. TK4 got me the handheld Dyson for Christmas last year (romantic, I know) and I really like that too – especially for picking goldfish and chex up off the floor in the kitchen!
I would go with the Droid although having to shell out $200 after rebate stinks. The Droid has all kinds of cool apps.. so I’ve heard. We have Sprint and my husband has the HTC Hero which I guess is like the Droid? I’m not completely sure. I hear all kinds of good reviews on the Dyson and hear that it’s worth the money. I buy cheapo Walmart brands of vacuums and have to replace them about once a year.
I have the Droid and it’s awesome! You also will get an additional $50 off if you have your new every 2. The way I look at it, you pay the same monthly regardless of the phone so I’d rather spend a bit more on the phone and get the one that I really want. The Eris is really great too, but to me it was too small. I like the Droid because it doesn’t get lost in my purse. Verizon is also supposedly coming out with another HTC phone called the Passion or Dragon soon. It’s like the Eris but with a bigger screen.
Have fun shopping!
I cannot say enough good things about the Dyson. A group of our friends gave us one for a wedding gift and I LOVE it. It has great suction and the fact that you never have to worry about changing a bag or having one explode is wonderful. I highly recommend it.
The phone, on the other hand, I’m not sure. My husband really wants a Droid but I don’t know enough about the other phones. Good luck.
Don’t get the blackberry storm! I have friends who have had it or have it and HATE it! It is an awful phone! The reviews for the two others are rather positive. I find the more expensive you go the more you get- not always the case but with phones. They also last longer. Just an observation, from my experience.
As for vacuum cleaner I have only had one vacuum in my life- I dont know what that says but I have had it for 8 years. Here is a link to the one that is a step above mine.
http://www.target.com/Bissell-Hair-Eraser-Cyclonic-Vacuum/dp/B000VDQ38E/ref=br_1_10?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&searchView=grid5&searchNodeID=49590011&node=49590011&searchRank=salesrank&searchPage=1&searchSize=30&id=Bissell%20Hair%20Eraser%20Cyclonic%20Vacuum
I have a dyson animal and I love it… After many, many vacuum failures, I will never go back from dyson.
I have not heard good things about the storm. I just joined the 21st century about a month ago, trading in my flip phone for a blackberry curve. Doesn’t have the cool apps (at least that I know of) but it gets you email, phones, etc. I don’t text though.
As someone marrying the makeshift cell phone tester for his company, let me tell you that we have been through EVERY phone possible. Stay away from HTC – went through three of those in two weeks. The storm seems to have issues as the first generation of phones normally does. The blackberry tour or curve is your best bet – they aren’t touchscreen but have all the same benefits. Plus personally, I don’t like the touchscreen phones. It is IMPOSSIBLE to dial a phone number in the sunlight or while driving. My curve is getting traded in for the tour next month and I can’t wait. You might want to check out other cell phones too if you don’t need the email plan. It’s $30-45 a month for a verizon data plan and that adds up.
Oh I do believe I can help!
Phones: I like my Curve, but as you know, I’m itching for something with better web browsing. The Storm may be a good option, but the Droids are very cool. If it were I, I’d spring for the $200. Seriously.
Except, what is “turn-by-turn navigation” ?? Is that like a GPS? I have a Garmin Nuvi so I wouldn’t want to pay extra to have GPS on my phone.
Vacuums: I love my Oreck. It is incredibly light weight and easy to use. And they are fairly affordable. LOVE IT.
these aren’t exactly the kinds of fun things I imagine shopping for on Black Friday. I have verizon and am sticking with my dud won’t-hold-a-charge phone until I can get that iphone. I have an ipod touch and LOVE it.
Funny you brought this up. We had friends over for dinner last night and he just got the Motorola Droid. Amazing stuff. You can scan a bar code and do a search for the lowest price! Can you say totally helpful during Christmas shopping!? But it is spendy. I got the Envy Touch. It’s ok. Wish I would have had the option of the Droid when I renewed. Good luck! (PS: I have a central vac, so I can’t help ya there!)
Good news! Google just updated their Navigation tools so the Eris can use it (turn by turn navigation). Here is the story: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2009/11/happy-thanksgiving-travels-google-maps.html.
we just got the samsung rogue and i love it. it’s a slider phone. if you get one, definitely get a screen protector. you will avoid scratches.
we have an oreck upright. it’s very old. still works very well. there’s an oreck store in springfield that sells stuff and makes repairs, so that’s convenient for us. (dana says there’s one in exton, too.) i would definitely buy it again. it’s worth the money.
dana has a blackberry storm. he likes it, though not enough that he’d get it again. i can’t stand it. the keyboard is really hard to use, and the sound quality is terrible. it’s hard for me to understand him when he calls from his cell.
I’m still loving my Blackberry – but I wouldn’t get one without the keyboard – I hear the touchscreen ones aren’t great if you want to email or text very much. Perhaps they are just too cool for me.
I know there are tons of more important things to consider when buying a house – but… I love my home’s built in vacuum. It’s in the basement so there is a lot less noise when it’s running. Then there are three places upstairs (in the floor or on the wall about a foot off the floor) where the 12 ft long hose attaches. It has a regular power head and rigid long handle too. So my vote is for a built in vacuum. Good luck, but maybe also add to your Christmas wish list a few things that are more for YOU, instead electric/electronic things.