Debt, Schmebt

We are not people who have to have every new electronic toy as soon as it comes out.  We only have one really old non-HD, non-flat panel TV, one computer, no laptop, no smart phones, not even a GPS in our cars.  The oldest kid has an old DS and an iPod touch - only because someone else gave them to her - and we (sort of) have a Wii.

It's not a moral stance we've taken - we're not opposed to electronics or anything.  I guess there are a variety of reasons - not the least of which is financial.  Most of the time it just isn't a priority in our budget.

But a few things have happened recently that may require a budget adjustment.  The DVD player died or more accurately, was murdered by the two-year-old.  Lightning struck the ground outside our house and knocked out our router (Verizon provided a new one), the cordless phone (bought a replacement already) and the Wii (bought a new adapter cord, but that didn't really fix it - really hating the idea of having to buy a new one).  And yesterday, as I was driving back from meeting my sister in Lexington, VA, I got lost.  Well, I was just paying too much attention to my "all alone in the car sing-a-long to my own music" to realize that I'd passed my exit many miles ago.  I had to call Greg at home and get him to mapquest a new way home.

We could go on with our lives without replacing these things (the DVD player hasn't worked in well over a month and we're all still alive) or getting a GPS and we will probably do that for a while longer because of the chain reaction of buying something new. 

So far we've used the computer whenever one of the kids wants to watch a DVD, but that isn't terribly convenient with only one computer.  It's had me really thinking we should get that laptop we've been wanting.  And instead of replacing the DVD player we should probably upgrade to a Blu Ray.  But will our crap TV even work with a Blu Ray?  Maybe we should upgrade the TV, too. Of course, that would probably mean a new TV stand.  And while we're replacing furniture, we could really use new end tables and a new sofa (although husband is being all level-headed and says we should just wait till the potty-training era is over before doing that). 

So much for the college fund, but I think our family could end the debt ceiling crisis in one shopping trip.