Archive for the ‘Kids’ category

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Will Buying A Laptop For Christmas Make My Son A Digerati?

December 20th, 2011

Last month, I wrote an article called: For Christmas, My Eleven Year Old Son Wants a Laptop!

In this article, I revealed that my son wanted a laptop for Christmas.  I honestly thought I was going to get a response in the comment section where I would hear that he’s too young and that it would be a waste of money to buy him one this early…  boy was I wrong!

Young Digerati?

Young Digerati?

Exposure to Technology

I remember hearing talk about the digerati and how they would have a much larger role on society.  But 10 years ago, the technology was a joke and expensive too.  I remember when the palm pilot and blackberry’s first came out.  With the Palm Pilot and their “pda – personal digital assistant” technology, I decided to pass!  To me a good old paper notebook and pencil/pen was much more efficient and tons more cheaper.

Now times have changed!  Back then just the well-off crowd could afford the technology, but now it’s cheap enough and easy enough to use that almost anyone can access one form of the technology or another.  Even the very cheap “notebooks” are worth the money, if you don’t have gaming demands.

Rise of the Digerati

Just 10 short year ago, the technology as either too expensive or too underpowered to do anything really cool with it.  My how times have changed!  There are so many options and at such reasonable prices that I have a hard time resisting making Technology purchases myself.  I’m even going to buy a Republic Wireless hybrid phone once they come out!  The tablets that are out with the Android operating system all seem to be a great value.  Obviously the Apple iPad is a hit and incredible device too.

I consider myself a part of the Digerati crowd, but I’m not really in as tightly since I don’t have any of the really cool tech tools of the trade like most of the members of the Digerati have.  In some ways, since my son has an iPod Touch already, he’s more of a Digerati than I am.  Not to mention that he has his own blog called EntertainmentTimez.com.

Having a laptop will enable my son to blog more often and much quicker than he can on his iPod Touch.  I was shocked when I actually saw him writing his article on his iPod Touch… I almost laughed…

I was pushing for him to get a tablet, but he wasn’t interested in them yet, and to be honest, his iPod Touch and Cell Phone makes him pretty tech heavy already.

The Laptop

I didn’t want to spend a lot on a laptop for my son, but I didn’t want to buy him a netbook either (especially since he plays online games).  So I bought a laptop deal from Best Buy that seems like a good buy!  It was a $375 laptop from Samsung with 4 CPU cores, 4 Mbs of RAM, 500 GB hard drive.

 

Laptop

Laptop

This laptop is just another addition to help him become more technologically savvy.

Thanks everybody that commented in my original post about my son wanting a laptop.

I hope he enjoys it!

Thanks,

Don

 

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For Christmas, My Eleven Year Old Son Wants a Laptop!

November 21st, 2011

Well I just posted a few months ago about how my son got his first Cell Phone: “Buying My Son His First Cell Phone“, well now he wants a laptop!

At first I though, we perhaps he sees me with my laptop and want to follow suite, perhaps he wants to learn to program, or download some cool function software like Gimp or Open Office….

So I asked him why he wanted a laptop, and he said so he could play certain computer games while he watched kid shows on TV…

Now I’m sure your thinking: hard life huh.  Most likely, you’re thinking that my son is a slacker and lazy, but that’s not so.  He’s plays both soccer and basketball, and he’s a straight A student to boot.

Now my daughter has been begging for an iPod touch like my son has in the past (he now has an iPod Touch), so if I were to buy him a computer, well obviously, I would have to buy her an iPod Touch too!  Then before you know it, I have a very expensive Christmas suddenly on my hands!

You might think that this is a no brainer, but actually for me it isn’t!  My son is a great kid and doesn’t really ask for much, and he’s both courteous and kind.  Yeah his answer to my question about why he wanted a laptop wasn’t the most prudent, but at least he was honest, and I know he’ll use it for school work too.

So today, I’m going to ask you the reader, what would you do, especially if you child hasn’t asked from much in the past?  It’s obviously, more powerful than the iPod touch and ironically cost practically the same amount…

What would you do?

MR

 

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Are Star Wars Lego Sets An Investment?

November 7th, 2011

Three Years Ago, We Started Buying Lego “Star Wars” Sets…

We bought my son the Lego’s Star Wars “Republic Attack Gunship” (model 7676) for almost $100.

Lego Star Wars Republic Attack Gunship 7676

Lego Star Wars Ship

At the time, both my wife and I cringe at the purchase price, thinking that it was money down the drain. At the time that was all my son wanted, that has since changed!  Oh I tried to push the XBox 360 or other cool things that I want… erh, that I thought that he would enjoy!  But he insisted that the Lego Star War “Republic Attack Gunship” set was the primary gift that he wanted for Christmas.  I was very surprised when he even knew the model number was 7676 (he got it on ebay somehow)!

So even though we didn’t want to pay close to a hundred buck, we bought it because that was one of the few things that he asked for.  I admit, once it came to the house, the packaging looked cool, and after he opened it for Christmas, it was pretty awesome putting it together, especially since the entire family helped.  This particular model has over 1,000 pieces and is actually very challenging and fun to put together.

A Room Overrun with Lego Star Wars Kits

Now my son is 11 years old, and has grown beyond the Star Wars Lego kits!  He still has an interest in Lego, and have a few Lego city models, but the Star Wars models have gone the way of Woody from the movie Toy Story where they just sit on a shelf in his room collecting dust… or did.  He has decided to take it upon him self to sell some of the Lego Star Wars models on eBay so he can get enough money to buy a decent laptop.  He told me that he wants to watch TV and play online computer games at the same time.  He studies this way too, and is still able to get straight As… go figure!

So after asking him if he was sure three for four times, I got online and decided to see what they were going for on eBay!

Legos Hold Their Value, and Then Some!!!

I expected to see prices from the range of $40 to a high of $75, but much to my surprised, they were going for $180 to about $200!  And for new ones over $200 and I even seen a few priced at $256!  I was amazed!  In three short years, the used models practically doubled in value!  Who would have guessed?

I suggested that if he wait, it might appreciate more by next year, but he thought that $200 was plenty for him!  Now we are going thru and checking to make sure all the pieces are there, and then we are going to list it on eBay (October and November are the best months to see toys on eBay).

Anyway, I thought it was impressive that a Lego Star Wars kit could appreciated so much in such a short time!

If you have kids that have Lego Star Wars sets, you might want to check the value of them just for fun.

Cheers,

MR

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Should I Spend More Money On My Kids, Especially My Young Daughter?

October 23rd, 2011

First, let me say that I spend more money on my kids than I do for myself.

And in my mind that use to make it okay that I don’t really get the latest and greatest electronic, or motorized things for them.  But lately, I’ve been thinking that perhaps I don’t spend enough and perhaps I really should spend more money on my kids.

I think we are somewhat rare in that we really only spend a few hundred dollars on each kid at Christmas, and even less for their birthdays.  To me that seems like a lot, but when I compare what my kids have to the neighborhood kids, it seems like they have less.

In particular, my daughter seems like she’s at a huge disadvantage because she’s ready to try advanced electronics.  She’s been asking for a laptop, ipod touch, or a cell phone for the last few months.  I’ve been telling her that she’s too young, but really she’s not.  I know she has the focus and skills to work such devices, but it just seems unfair to my son to give her such devices now at such a young age (she’s still 7-years-old).  Of course the costs are a concern too, I do hate to busy expensive things that lose their value so quickly.

Perhaps if I think hard enough on the matter, I can come up with something that isn’t too expensive, yet still gives her exposure to such technology.  Think, think, think…

On the other hand, I would like to give both of my kids some of the adrenalin rushing fun I had as a child (go-karting, motorcycle dirt bikes etc).

20′s Finances:  The Dollar Challenge: Invitation  Great idea, check out this challenge!

101 Centavos:  Community Garden FAIL!  What a great attempt and a ton of knowledge gained from the attempt.  Great story.

First Gen American:  Babci on Death  Wise advice from Babci!  Great saying “Death doesn’t have favorites.”

Live Real, Now:  53 Percent  And to think, I thought I was tough working at the age of 15…  This is a great story of working at an early age and pulling yourself up by the bootstraps.  Read this, I’m sure you’ll be impressed.

My Journey To Millions:  Do You Use a Professional For Items That Can Be Purchased Online?  Information use to be power, but slowly it’s being commoditized in my option.  Interesting take!

Budgeting in the Fun Stuff:  Tipping after a Bad Experience  I usually go as low as 10% if they provide very, very bad service.  I think our tip is an evaluation of their service, if not, then why even have tipping as an option?  Include it into the price of the meal.

Mortgage Free By 30:  Do you have a 5 year plan? I do.  I don’t, but I should have one!

Everyday Tips and Thoughts:  Craziest Ways People Save Money  This is a funny, and yet sad story about being too frugal!

Wealth Informatics:  When frugality = stupidity : Illusion of saving money  This rings very true!  It is possible to be too frugal!

Beating the Index:  Aroway Energy: A Rising Junior Oil Company in Alberta’s Hot Peace River Arch Area  Interesting investing prospect, definitely worth looking further into.

Invest It Wisely:  Invest Wisely in Protecting Your Most Precious Data: How to Back Up Your Stuff to the Cloud  I have a hard time turning down a tech article!  This is spot on though!

Green Money Life:  Tips for Living the Frugal Life – While Still Enjoying Yourself

Barbara Friedberg:  Go Beyond Keeping Up With The Joneses – Great advice on not competing with the financial destructive spending of others.

20 and Engaged:  Quarter Life Crisis: WTF Am I Doing? I feel like this even now!

Canadian Financial Blog:  Five Fall Car Care Tips to Do Now  I so need to do these five checks!

Krant Cents:  Is the American Dream Dead?

Car Negotiation Coach:  What Should I Pay for a New Car? Let’s Ask TrueCar  Never heard of TrueCar site before, I’ll have to use this next time when I go car shopping!

Stupid Cents:  What is Stopping You From Earning Money Online?  It doesn’t get any truer than what Mike has identified here.

Free Money Wisdom: Best Gift Ideas for Men Under $100  Not a half bad list if I may say so myself.  I do find that I like a little from each of the categories, I guess I’m a bit more complex (or confused)…

Well Heeled Blog:  Getting Into Credit Card Points & Miles  Very clever use of her reward credit cards, and some great new ones to consider!  I’m be back to check what Well Heeled is considering!!!

Lazy Man And Money:  Reviewing My Necessary Expenses (October 2011)  Gotta love spending breakdowns like this!

Free From Broke:  Find the Money to Pay Down Debt  Smart way to accomplish paying down debt.

Narrow Bridge Finance:  Fixing Your Own Economy  Great advice from all angles on your financial well-being!

Tight Fisted Miser:  Online Income Report – September 2011  Very impressive online income stream, much better than mine!

Special Announcements:

Check out the new social health site “Health Buzzing” for some great health articles!  Now that I’m trying to improve my shape and health, I’m sure to be a regular there!

Well enough links for this week.  Next week I’ll scale back a bit.

Bests,

MR

 

 

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Buying My Son His First Cell Phone

October 19th, 2011

I’ve had mixed feeling about buying my son (who is 11-years-old) a cell phone.

As someone who works with technology, I want him to have exposure to the technology at a young age so he has a certain comfort level with such devices.  I also want him to be able to hack his way through problem and basically just have experience with technology now instead of when he’s an adult.

The Purchase

No, I didn’t buy him a iPhone (although that would have been the ultimate), I can’t afford such a phone for myself, let alone my son!

Instead, we went with a Samsung Seek cell phone with featured a “no contract” $19.99 service plan offered by Kajeet:

Samsung Seek

The Kajeet $19.99 plan includes 150 anytime minutes (pathetic huh…), but also unlimited texting!

Initially I balked at the 150 anytime minutes, but my son convinced me that he wouldn’t be using the phone except for when we called him anyway.  Surprisingly, he just wanted to text.

I was dubious that he would use the text feature (I’ve never seen him text before), but once the phone arrived, he was texting like a pro.  I couldn’t believe how quickly he adapted to this new form of communication!  In fact, I don’t think he’s used what I consider the cell phone part of the phone yet.

A cell phone is more than just a cell phone to a kid!  It’s a status symbol for those that have a phone and communicate with one another, and those that don’t have a cell phone and can’t play in the modern tech playground.  While he did a good job resisting at first to the temptations (he’s a great kid), all of his friends kept asking when he was going to get one.  Finally, he broke down and asked me.  I’m not the heavy when it comes to technology or science gifts in the family so I said I was okay with it.  He’s getting smarter!  Had he went to his mom first, she would have said “no”, and that would have been the end of the story.

Special Conditions With The Phone

I’m always looking for a chance to bring finances into the picture.  So while I bought the phone for $150, I made a deal with my son.  I told him that while I’d cover the cost of the phone, he would have to pay half of the cost of the $20 monthly service plan.  While $10 isn’t a lot, when you only get about $44 a month, it’s almost a quarter of the money that you get each month!

He got a small pained look in his face when I told him that, but he still wanted to go ahead with it anyway.  I was proud that he made such a quick and absolute decision.  If it were me making the decision, it would probably had taken me at least a week to mull it over.

So if you have a young child, consider going with the Kajeet option if they primarily want it for texting.

Oh, one more perk is that it comes with a GPS built-in.  This way if we decided we want to track him for whatever reason, we can do so.  Of course we won’t, but at least it’s an option.  Note that with the $19.99 plan, each use of the GPS capabilities is an extra fee per use.  Had we going with the next higher service plan (at $27.00), the GPS tracking would have been included in the higher price.

If you have the money, I would recommend buying your child a cell phone, if they start asking for one.  So far, for us it has been a very positive experience.

Best,

MR

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