Rebuilding Rob

To answer this prompt, I have to think back to a time before I had my kids. I must admit that since having kids, I haven’t really spent a crazy amount of money for myself.

One year, I decided to break down a get myself my first DVD player with my tax refund. I wasn’t going to be cheap about it; I got a 5 disc DVD player. You know, for all those time I would sit down and watch 5 movies in one sitting.

Not only was I upgrading my viewing experience, I was also buying my first home theater system as well. This was still relatively early in the age of DVD. One of the big selling pints of the new technology was as “5.1 channel surround sound”. In my mind better picture quality needed better sound quality to match. I wanted to hear the bullets in The Matrix fly from from one side of the room to another; just as I heard them in the theater.

In the days (weeks?) leading up to my big purchase, I did my research. I went online and learned not only about the difference between home theater systems; but also the differences in the audio and video cables. if I was making this big of a purchase, I was going to do right. I’ve never been “made of money” so I had to get the most bang for my buck – keeping within my budget of course.

Of course, a DVD player is pointless without some DVDs to play in it. The first DVDs I purchased were The Matrix, Fight Club and SE7EN.

It’s funny the way we buy into the hype surrounding new technology. Here I thought I was taking a quantum leap forward; getting up-to-speed with what we were told was the next step in the evolution of home entertainment. I’m sure people acted the same way about VCRs in the 80s. Little did we know we know that in the next few years, we would see HDTV, Blu Ray, and wireless speaker systems.

This isn’t to say that my home theater purchase was a bad purchase. It provided me years of home entertainment. But it served as a reminder to me that any new technology you buy is already obsolete before you leave the store.

What is the most expensive personal item you have ever purchased?

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The article “The most expensive personal item I’ve ever purchased” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.