Lately I’ve been yapping about other peoples’ mistakes. Time to turn the focus on myself. I’m no stranger to dumb purchases now and then. This post is about one of them.I just ordered a drone. it’s not one of those that governments deploy to covertly zap their enemies. It’s a Parrot AR Drone and I feel a bit ridiculous for purchasing this thing. More on that in a moment. I’m no stranger to the occasional stupid purchase. Here are some things that I really didn’t need to buy, but did anyway: Shaun the Sheep lanyard and wallet: What am I, 7 years old? Caramel apple: It was marked down and my empty stomach got the better of me. Ford EXP: This was my first car and what a smelly pile of junk it was. Various Internet bubble stocks: Bye-bye hard earned money. Snowballs (the coconut covered, lard filled snack): On long road-trips, I have a hard time passing these up at the gas station. (I feel filthy and guilty admitting that I eat such an abomination.)

Programmable LED Christmas lights at Costco: These things are awesome, but they also set me back $60. Add a drone as the latest ridiculous purchase. I’ve been eyeballing these things for a long time, but so far, have resisted the temptation. After spending a couple mindless minutes on YouTube watching drone videos, I gave in. I have big plans for this thing: Perhaps I’ll put some green lights on it. I’ll then fly it around at night and whip up some UFO rumors in my little town. The drone has a camera on it. I’ll be able to take some killer aerial pictures and movies (I wish I had it during the recent floods). Supposedly kids can fly these things. I’ll find out in about a week! (Mrs. 1500 note: I REALLY hope this statement is true. The littlest 1500 can wreck almost anything.) Mrs. 1500 is starting a real estate company. Perhaps she can use it to take some cool overhead pictures and movies of client’s homes? (Note: This is how I’m selling the wife on our for a drone.)

How will my neighbor’s ultra-yappy, annoying-as-all-hell Schnauzers react to my new toy? Only one way to find out! My mind has changed, almost… Ever since I made up my mind to go down the path of early retirement, I’ve trained my brain to resist buying stuff I don’t really need. parrot ar drone slamFor the most part, I’ve succeeded. ar drone flight recorder testI’m no longer tempted by the shelves of Costco. ar drone 2 carbon hullI don’t go to Amazon unless there is something I specifically need. I don’t need to upgrade my phone every 2 years, so I don’t (go iPhone 4!). For the most part, it works. My one weakness is gadgets/geeky stuff. I’ve always been this way. I still have my Dinobot Transformers* from when I was a kid (Mrs. 1500 note: And he says I am a hoarder…).

When I’m not reading personal finance blogs, I’m reading the tech news. While I’m swinging a hammer on my home, I listen to tech podcasts (Mrs. 1500 note: Much to my chagrin, as I truly don’t care about technology.) (Mr. 1500 response: Hmmm, I wonder how Mrs. 1500 thinks I educate myself about those tech stocks I buy that have pushed our portfolio to dizzying heights?). I‘m pretty much obsessed with technology; especially when it makes our lives better. I’m not sure that the drone is going to improve my life much and it just zapped $300 from my wallet. (Mrs. 1500 note: $300?!? Honey, we need to talk…) I could have fed my family for a month on that. I could have paid my annual car insurance premium. I could have given the money to a worthy cause.Any crazy purchases lately? What do you do to prevent yourself from buying drones, BMWs, sheep related merchandise, etc.? *I was about 10 when the Dinobots came out and I thought they were the coolest things ever. However, if you think about it, the whole concept is ridiculous.

The whole point of the Transformers was that they could change into real-world objects to disguise themselves. Remember the theme song: “The Transformers! If you want to hide from society, turning into a life size, robotic dinosaur is no way to do it. Dinobots clearly marked the time when the Transformers franchise sold out**. **I still love my Dinobots. I know, this is super annoying... I'll never ever spam you though. And if you sign up, you'll be my favorite person until someone else signs up. This entry was posted in Bad Role Models, Rants and tagged bad purchases, dinobots, drones. If you’re one of the many people looking for a new smartphone this time of year for either you or a loved one, you may want to check out Verizon’s Black Friday deals. There are some really compelling deals in here. We recently brought you news of T-Mobile’s Black Friday ad, and while they are trying to lure people in with discounted lower-end phones and bill credits for switching to Big Magenta, Verizon is discounting some of the best phones and accessories on the market.

Here’s a look at what Verizon is offering. Samsung Galaxy S7: $10 per month for 24 months, 0% APR. $672 retail price, you pay $240. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: $24.66 per month for 24 months, 0% APR. $792 retail price, you pay $591.84. Read the AndroidGuys Galaxy S7 review here. Pixel, Phone by Google: $10 per month for 24 months, 0% APR. $649 retail price, you pay $240. Read the AndroidGuys first impressions here. Moto Z Droid: $10 per month for 24 months, 0% APR. $624 retail price, you pay $240. Moto Z Force Droid: $21.66 per month for 24 months, 0% APR. $720 retail price, you pay $519.84. Read the AndroidGuys Moto Z Force Droid review here. LG V20: $19.66 per month for 24 months, 0% APR. $672 retail price, you pay $471.84 Apple iPad mini 2: $99 with new 2-year activation Apple iPad Pro 9.7″: $479.99 with new 2-year activation Ellipsis 10: $50 with new 2-year activation ASUS ZenPad Z10: $149.99 with new 2-year activation ASUS ZenPad Z8: $99 with new 2-year activation

Fitbit Charge 2: $129.99, normally $149.99. Save $20 and receive a $25 gift card on fitness purchases Fitbit Alta: $99.99, normally $129.99. Save $30 and receive a $10 Visa gift card. Gizmo Gadget: $149.99, receive a $50 gift card. Gizmo Pal 2: $79.99, receive a $50 gift card. urBeats Earphones: $49.99, normally $99.99. Beats Solo3 On-Ear Wireless Headphones: $224.99, normally $299.99. harman kardon Onyx Mini Portable Bluetooth Speaker: $99.99, normally $199.99. JAM Double Down Wireless Speaker: $24.99, normally $49.99. UE Boom 2: $99, normally $199. Nest Security Cam: $149.99, normally $199.99. Drone 2.0 Elite Edition Snow: $169.99, normally 249.99. Hum by Verizon: $29.99, receive a $25 AutoZone gift card. Mophie Powerstation XL: $34.99, normally $69.99. All Mophie products on sale for 25% off. Buy two cases, get the third for free. for the run-up to Black Friday. We’ll be bringing you all of the deals you need to know about to get tech at the price you want.