MetaChat - This is likely my next musical instrument purchase.

Ugh, so many, especially because I've been putting things off in order to pay tuition and for some travel. On my list are: a really good technical parka, a decent road bike, a kayak, lamps for the house, a buffet for the dining room...

posted by Miko 26 January | 12:30

My 14-year-old car is getting to the point where I need to chop it in for another. I'm thinking about a Prius, not a new one but 3 or 4 years old.

posted by Senyar 26 January | 12:44

We're moving this summer, at which point I will want to buy, among other things, a couch.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 26 January | 12:57

A new roof for the house, in the spring.

posted by lriG.rorriM 26 January | 12:59

HTC Desire HD. I've been pondering the purchase for long enough now that I know it's not just an impulse buy.

posted by altolinguistic 26 January | 13:08

Not a tangible purchase, but my best mate from Dallas and I are kicking around the idea of meeting up for a three-day weekend during my spring break in an as yet undecided city.

posted by ufez 26 January | 13:09

It's weird, I've never ever ever wanted an e-book reader before, but ever since I bought a book for my sister's Kindle I kind of want one now. Not even sure why. Also, I really miss watching sports and would like to get cable tv again. In actuality I doubt I will purchase either of these things, though. Too expensive.

posted by JanetLand 26 January | 13:14

An oboe. Less expensive than a viola, fortunately.

posted by Melismata 26 January | 13:16

Not an acquisition, but thinking about booking an all-inclusive vacay at a family resort for summer. It's mad expensive, but is apparently awesome.

posted by gaspode 26 January | 13:18

A couple of times now I've had an HP Slate 500 in the on-line shopping cart, and one of these days I'll pull the trigger. I know I should wait and see what's coming this year in new tablets--there'll be a lot of them--but the market seems to be tilting in the direction of iPad-type things, whereas I want something I can use at work, with OneNote, and the Slate fills that bill.

posted by kat allison 26 January | 13:27

I never replace things until they fail (with the one exception of my most recent mobile phone purchase). Which is how I end up with a failing desktop computer that I bought in 2002. So once I know that I'll be working somewhere in March and can make rent, I'm going to set some money aside to build myself a nice (able to run Portal 2 is my benchmark) computer. I also always seem to need new clothes, so I'll probably buy part of a new wardrobe even before the computer.

Aside: I'm lefty, and wouldn't mind learning guitar. Should I get a lefty guitar to learn on?

Oh yeah, and on preview, what gaspode says. I have not had a vacation (unemployment doesn't count, mom, since you're unable to spend money and all your time is devoted to looking for work) in ages. Though my vacation will probably involve grabbing my hatchet and my tent, throwing them on the back of my motorcycle, and finding somewhere peaceful in Pennsylvania to camp. (I love PA!)

posted by Eideteker 26 January | 13:37

Should I get a lefty guitar to learn on?

NO!!! Get a righty. Good lefty guitars are hard to find. Also, if you think about it, a right-handed guitar is actually made for left-handers since you fret with the left and pick with the right. Fretting is a much more complex operation than picking.

posted by Ardiril 26 January | 13:41

Gonna go house-hunting this year. Our current house is just not suitable for long-term accommodation of my various disabilities. We have a wish list for a new house that's about three miles long; some of which we're hoping to find, some of which we'll almost certainly have to have done once we buy.

posted by galadriel 26 January | 14:01

Need to get Daughter her first car. Up in the air as to what to get her, exactly. Our car is 10 years, old, 135K but still runs well. Eventually, though.

And, I have my eyes and heart set on a Goodall, eventually.

posted by danf 26 January | 14:07

A new clothes dryer. Our current one has been making a very disturbing rumbly sound. But the clothes still come out dry, so for now, we wait.

posted by fancyoats 26 January | 14:12

Just bought a new electrical system for the house (that's been fun) and plan on new floors/carpeting sometime in the year depending on bonus money. Sometime in the next year or two we'll be buying a new side porch (one that doesn't tilt 10%) and an exterior paint job that will probably involve stripping all the paint off the bricks.

Yes, I've seen that Tom Hanks movie

posted by octothorpe 26 January | 14:12

New mobile phone, possibly Samsung Galaxy S.

Also my late-Nineties home stereo has broken and I really should find out what people use this century, maybe something with a hard drive like this.

posted by TheophileEscargot 26 January | 14:21

I've been kicking around the idea of getting the HTC Evo for a while now. And then out comes the Evo Shift that has a slide out keyboard. I think I'm leaning toward that since I've never been able to get the hang of a touchscreen keyboard. I'm usually pretty slow to get a new phone though. I've had my Treo for long enough to get the maximum upgrade credit from Sprint. So who knows when I'll actually get around to buying it.

I'm also thinking about a vacation to somewhere tropical, and all-inclusive. We did that for Jamaica last year and it really is the way to go - no worrying about carrying a wallet or how much you're spending on food and liquor. It was so much more freeing than I expected it to be.

posted by youngergirl44 26 January | 14:25

A carpet cleaner. With a toddler in the house this is becoming more of a need than a want.

posted by toastedbeagle 26 January | 15:01

Nothing in particular at the moment, but it's just a matter of time before one of the main appliances needs replacing.

posted by deborah 26 January | 15:13

Paying for our long (probably at least a month) trip to China and Hong Kong in October.

posted by bearwife 26 January | 15:49

Alloy wheels for my car. I put winter tires on my stock steel wheels so I need somewhere to mount my all-season tires. It's much easier to change wheels than tires.

posted by workerant 26 January | 16:31

A Fujifilm Natura Classica (Link in Moon Language) is on the top of my list as the thing to get before I leave Japan. Here's why. It can shoot beautiful pictures in low light with 800 and 1600 ISO film, but it's rarely available outside of Japan.

posted by gc 26 January | 16:40

I just bought an air-conditioner for the bedroom and it's gonna be installed on Monday. I'll survive summer after all!!

posted by ninazer0 26 January | 17:56

I would like some new bookcases for the bedroom, as my BookMooch habit is really straining the wire shelving cubes (already inadequate and cheap). I wish Ikea still sold the solid wood grid shelf that looked like the Expedit, but they don't. So I think we might go with a couple of these.

And the mattress has suddenly gone south, so maybe that'd be a nice wedding present to ourselves. How does one even shop for such a thing?

posted by Madamina 26 January | 17:57

I've splurged on little things: 4 odd books from Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore boxset, and a Tori Amos live CD + Lomo set.

It's weird, I've never ever ever wanted an e-book reader before, but ever since I bought a book for my sister's Kindle I kind of want one now. Not even sure why. Also, I really miss watching sports and would like to get cable tv again. In actuality I doubt I will purchase either of these things, though. Too expensive.

1. Kindles are surprisingly attractive, once held. I haven't done any actual reading on it yet, but my wife went through 3 novels on her mom's kindle in a day, and really enjoyed it. I keep thinking about tablets, but for the cost vs. my potential uses, I'm staying away.

2. Have you thought of making a DIY HD TV antenna? As vouched for by a MeFite. We have a commercial antenna, and I'm surprised at how nice the signal is in our little corner of the world. It might not be all the channels you want, but we've watched sports on the basic channels, some in luvrly HD.

And the mattress has suddenly gone south, so maybe that'd be a nice wedding present to ourselves. How does one even shop for such a thing?

Mrs. flt + I went into a mattress store, laid on a lot of beds (which was a lot of fun) and the Mrs. decided on one (without spending time on price comparisons! Here's to having a small surplus fund pile). It's a giant bed, and super comfortable, though I was still stunned by the price for a week. Then I kept sleeping really well, and thought about the cost per night of really good sleep (vs. a possible cost savings of mediocre sleep per night).

posted by filthy light thief 26 January | 19:08

A remote starter for my car.

posted by amro 26 January | 19:19

Have you thought of making a DIY HD TV antenna?

That looks quite fascinating, and certainly doable. The snag is that I have no attic, so it would have to be outside, and I'm not sure about doing that. Also, I suspect, given my research into the locations of the tv towers near me, that I wouldn't do any better than I do with my small indoor antenna: PBS, PBS World, and FOX. (I live in the boonies.)

posted by JanetLand 26 January | 20:36

My husband and I are arguing the merits of buying a boat slip. We've been renting. Buying is hella-expensive. And complicated. I don't want to do it.

posted by supercapitalist 26 January | 21:06

Ha! This evening I got an email coupon for $100 off a $500 order at an online music store. Order placed!

posted by Ardiril 27 January | 05:04

Well, looks like the most immediate expensive purchase ended up being a hospital stay for the horse. Drat.

posted by galadriel 27 January | 22:25

I'm leaving the Dark Side and going to the light.

posted by Lynsey 28 January | 17:51

26 January 2011