Staples + Husband + Black Friday = Bargains!

Laptop. Laptop. Laptop. Can you tell I want a laptop. I covet laptops. I drool over netbooks. Heck, I’d even love an iphone. Apologies to my “Little Engine That Could” Samsung Rogue phone. “I’ve seen an iphone. You’re no iphone.” None of the above appear to be coming my way any time soon.

Sizing myself up against Betty Crocker

In the last few months, I have attended blogging events, gatherings, tweetups, and the TypeAMom Conference. I know a laptop would be very helpful. My lovely husband loaned me his laptop for the TypeAMom Conference with the understanding that I would face death, dismemberment, or worse if I returned with so much as a scratch on the laptop. Needless to say the laptop never left my side.

So you can imagine my excitement when I was picked as one of the SVMoms to shop with a Staples gift card. A Staples gift card worth $200 no less. Visions of laptops whirled around my head. I plotted how I would put the card towards  the purchase of a laptop.

But, I kept hearing that voice. You know the voice. The voice that said: “Forget the laptop. Buy a printer/fax/copies/scanner!” The voice that offers sensible suggestions and will not allow you to go off on frivolous tangents. The voice prevailed.

We decided as family that our old InkJet printer/copier/scanner was dead and that the 90s fax machine was just not cutting it anymore. Anyone remember how heavy 90s fax machines were?

My husband is Mr. Research. He never purchases anything without consulting Consumer Reports, checking online feedback, and price matching. He’s a bargain hunter who hates to shop. A conundrum hidden in a riddle inside an enigma…

Black Friday found me feverishly writing posts and doing work tasks while the kid, the preteen, and the teen watched gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Suite Life on Deck. My husband sat in front of his laptop looking for a printer for our family. 

He settled on a wireless printer/copier/scanner/fax at Staples. After checking Staples and several competitors, the HP OfficeJet J4680 became the logical choice. Mom needs a fax that does not weigh 100 pounds. Dad needs a copier/scanner for sports team stuff. The kids need a printer to print out important documents like WebKinz adoption certificates. The HP OfficeJet J4680 was only $64.98…the price was cut by $65!

A few extra items “fell” in to his shopping cart. He went over the $200 budget by about $28.

• A cable for uploading old VHSC tapes to the computer. The cable also works with a record player. Just writing that I feel 100 years old. Kidding aside, I would love to be able to play LPs and singles from my college DJ days. I have a huge collection mostly purchased from Virgin Records in London and my hometown, Manchester.
• Print cartridges — black and color — since we never know how many coloring sheets the kids will print off accidentally.
• A wireless mouse for my husband’s laptop.

There was one item he desperately wanted to get. Can you guess what it was? Give up? The Easy Button! Shopping at Staples is Super Easy.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 3:16 am and is filed under Computers, Reviews, organization, shopping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.