The ELEMENTS of money

Pocketful of music costs a pocketful of cash

I saw the latest Microsoft Zune (zunepass.net) commercial the other day and it claims that at $0.99 per song on iTunes, you can spend as much as $30,000 to fill an iPod. Now that’s a whole grip of money! With the Zune Pass, for $14.99 a month, you can subscribe to the service, which allows you to play music on up to three PCs and three Zune players for as long as you have your subscription. Then you also get to keep 10 of your favorite songs each month. But even this can set you back almost $180.00 a year. I even did the math and those ten songs you get to keep each month, they cost you almost $0.67 per song.

So before you buy into a service or purchase individual songs, consider some of the following tips to get the most out of your music:

•    Stream internet radio, it’s free and there’s lots of stations to choose from
•    Before buying music online, check out second-hand shops for used CDs, you might score a great deal on some tunes
•    Check out different resources online and compare prices, you may find that song or album for less somewhere else
•    Consider buying the entire album over individual songs, you will get more for your money that way

There’s lots of great music out there and lots of ways to load up your player, so check out your options and happy listening!

-Nayla

Determined to bypass “Flipping Burgers” … the update!

OMG!!!  I just found out that I may be closer to getting my iPhone than I thought I was!  Apple just announced today that they are reducing the price of the current model because they are coming out with a new version later this month. (You can see the prices here)

Now, this is where I have to put emotions aside and try to be smart about this decision.  This is an investment!  Do I go with the $99 current version, or do I keep saving for the new & improved one at $199?  

NEW? or ... CHEAP?!????  Help!

Here is what I’m thinking … I am already on my way to saving enough money, because I was counting on the phone costing me $199 anyway.  And, everyone always tells me that I should always buy “up” when it comes to technology … it gets outdated so quickly.

BUT …if I get the $99 version, I’ll have extra cash to play with! I can buy more apps, get my Paul Frank skin that I’ve been wanting ever since I saw it - AND, I might even have extra money left over for some new ringtones!

This is such a tough decision!  It seems like the $99 phone with all of the extras I wanted is a better deal.  But I am still so unsure!  Should I stay the course and continue to save … or do I quit while I am ahead and purchase the cheaper phone and SAVE the extra money instead of getting everything?!? Come on you guys … what do you think?  I need your opinions!

Kim