I'm developing a DVD phobia! (1 Viewer)

[Keith_R]

Lately it seems as though I have developed a DVD phobia. I say this because lately I'll go in the store and I can't purchase the DVD I want to get even though I really want to buy it. For example I just returned from Bestbuy, I had gone in there with $80 in gift certificates and planned on purchasing American Beauty as well as a cordless mouse. I sat in the DVD aisle(s) debating this for a few minutes and finally determined that I just couldn't do it and left the store with only the cordless mouse. This has been happening to me a lot lately. I a lmost didn't buy Moulin Rouge because of it. Has anything similar happened to anyone here? how did you get over it?

 

[David Von Pein]

Sounds as if immediate emergency-room treatment is in order!! (Hopefully, it's not too late!)

 

[David Von Pein]

99% of HTF'ers probably have the opposite syndrome ... DVD MANIA, instead of PHOBIA. Buying way too many, instead of not enough.

 

[Kevin T]

that seems odd. i generally will browse the dvd aisle and leave with nothing due to having to restrain myself. still trying to pay off some of the debt incurred by this monster of a hobby. i often find myself debating some choices though because i wonder if i will ever watch the movies more than once. hell, i bought killer klowns...and still haven't even watched it yet. of course, i watched it like 100 times on hbo when i was a teenager.

kevin t

 

[Cees Alons]

Keith,
It's rather serious, but all is not lost yet.
Please, relax, and tell us exactly how you feel in that DVD aisle. What do you think exactly. Do you feel uncomfortable, are you feeling too much pressed? Did you have a .. uhm.. were you sexually aroused?
Talk about it as much as you can. Tell us everything, spill your heart, and it will probably end well, after all.

Cees

 

[TheoGB]

This is a good and important sign. It is you subconscious telling you that you don't really want it. I always listen to this 'inner voice' when working out if I should impulse buy stuff.

 

[Kelley_B]

I have the exact same problem! I was in Best Buy today for like an hour trying to force myself to buy several horror DVDs that I have been meaning to pick up, but I just couldn't do it. My problem is I get on kicks, like right now I am on this home furnishing/decorating kick and I spend all my money on that, and before that I was on a PC upgrade/game kick, and before that was DVDs, and before that was PS2 games, and before that Xbox/GameCube stuff, and etc...For me it works in a cycle, matter in fact I feel the Xbox/GameCube kick starting to come back, though I do have Jin-Roh and Book of the Dead to look forward to in two weeks.

 

[NickSo]

I have DVD Phobia too.. thats coz i have like so little money i am always pessimistic about spending it on DVDs...

 

[Andrew_Sch]

I have phobia of buying everything. After sitting on well over 300 bucks (a lot for a lazy-ass teen like myself who just sits around and does nothing)for about a month I finally broke down and bought Se7en and State of Emergency last night. I still have the problem of only owning two wearable pairs of pants and two wearable pairs of shorts, and having shoes that are well over a year and a half old. My parents are always telling me to go buy some clothes, but my philosophy is, "Who needs clothes as long as you're well-entertained?"

 

[Stacey]

I have heard that if there is an item you are interested in buying (DVD or whatever), think it over for a week. If you have forgotten about said item in that time then you really didn't want it...if however you can't stop thinking, dreaming, fantising about it...Go buy it!
Other steps to help:
1) Have DVD title in your mind before you arrive at store.
2) Go directly to DVD section...don't loiter!
3) Pick up said DVD...don't hesitate!
4) Go to the shortest line at the Cash.
5) Pay for DVD and leave the store.
You've done it! Relax, take a bubble bath, and enjoy your purchase.

 

[Scott Strang]

I go through spells like this. I'll stand there in the aisle and think "hmm I could dump this extra $20 into my 401k or savings". Then I quickly slap myself back into reality.

I've only regretted this one time though. While at Sams I saw the Disney Tomorrow Land DVD (Treasures series) for only $20 and I didn't buy it. Now I've come to realize I'll never get that DVD unless I get it off E-bay for an absurd price compared to what I could have paid. It's now OOP.

Now some self punishment is order. Ahhhh feeeeeeeel the pain.

 

[John Beavers]

I too am having a problem with buying DVDs of late. I was in Best Buy this weekend with the intent of buying the SG1 Season 1 DVD box set. Once I had it in my hand, the voices started..."it's a TV show, how much better quality do you think you're gonna get with DVD?" "It's going to be in syndication for years, why spend $60 for something you can watch for free?" "You can live without it". At that point I decided to forgo the expensive box set and purchase a movie. After going through Drama, Sci-fi, Action, Music, War & Westerns, and special interest, I could not find one DVD that was able to pass the "voices" test. I am, I believe, possessed by the Anti-DVD spirit. And until I can find a movie that can pass the "the reasons not to buy" test of this evil spirit, I am stuck with network TV entertainment. Woe is me :frowning:

 

[Bjorn Olav Nyberg]

my 401k or savings

Sorry for taking this off topic, but I've heard 401K being mentioned many times before and figured it had to do with money. Now, if it isn't the same as saving, what on earth is it? Could someone please jump a little off track with me and post a short sentence or two? It's not that this info will be put into any good use by me, but I've seen it mentioned just enough times to start wondering.

 

[Denward]

401k's (the name comes from the section and paragraph of the tax law) are corporate sponsored tax-deferred retirement savings plans.

If you earn $50000 of wages, you normally pay taxes on it so now you've got $35000 left. You could put some part of it (say $5000) into a normal savings or investment account. Any earnings on your money are taxed every year whether you leave it in the account or withdraw it. When you retire, you've got your nest egg to spend, and pay no more taxes on it since it's all been taxed already.

If you sign up for your company's 401k and put $5000 in it, the government only taxes you on $45,000 of wages so you might only pay $13,500 in taxes instead of $15,000 in the previous example. Any earnings on your 401k money are not taxed until you withdraw the money at some much later date. When you retire, you have your nest egg. However, since none of it has been taxed yet, every dollar you withdraw from your 401k is taxed as if it were normal wages. However, you have delayed paying taxes for decades and presumably you now have less annual income than you did when you were working so your tax rate should be lower.

It is an extremely popular form of retirement savings because the tax benefits are compelling and many companies make matching contributions (e.g. they will put in 50c for every dollar you contribute) so your $5,000 immediately becomes $7,500. Typically you only get to keep the matching contribution if you stay with the company for 5 years.

 

[Bjorn Olav Nyberg]

Thanks! Now back to the DVD phobia