Swagbucks

There was a span in my life when I ordered things off Amazon and other sites almost every day.  At first, it started out small, but as more time passed, I started buying more and more things, putting myself in a bigger financial hole.  I always paid off all the money I used, but I hated using so much money on things I rarely used, which is why after awhile, I stopped buying things online altogether (besides on things I really wanted).  Then a year or two ago, my friends showed me this website called Swagbucks, where you can take surveys, watch videos, and do other things to get points to buy cool things (including things off Amazon).  They tried to get me to join for a year, but I never did because it seemed so tedious and I thought I'd never have the time.  Amazing how your view of something can change once you give it a chance.

So with that in mind, yesterday I made my Swagbucks account and began earning points.  My first impression so far is that it isn't that hard, and there are lots of things to do, but it does take awhile to accumulate points in the day.  I reached my first daily goal, though, so I feel pretty excited.  Yes, it's going to be awhile before I can really buy anything, but I'm making progress, and in time, I'll be able to buy things and save money at the same time.  I was skeptical of the site before, but now I can say, it's for real and pretty awesome. 

Here's to winning!

Prime Number

Being so busy with life the past few months, I haven't bought anything off Amazon in so long.  But now that school's out and I have some cash to spend, there's a few things I wanted to buy.  Nothing too expensive, just trading cards, and the WWE 2K14 video game, since I've been watching wrestling a lot recently.  But when I went to buy those things off Amazon, I saw that I didn't have enough for free shipping since they raised the price from $25 to $35.  It's nothing I didn't already know, and something that could easily be solved with Amazon Prime, but this was my sister's account, so it wasn't up to me.  And even if it was, I wouldn't pay extra for something I rarely use now.  It's just annoying that they raise the prices, even though they make millions of dollars already since it's manipulative, and just makes you use more money.  Something that won't change, but I wish things went back to the way they used to be.

For The Person Who Has Everything

I'm currently facing in a dilemma right now in my life (although it's hardly something most would consider a problem).  The past few years, I've been spending lots of money on Amazon, buying all sorts of things from trading cards to films.  And for the most part, I was happy since I was buying things that were solely mine, and having fun enjoying them my way.  At the beginning, I bought things solely because I liked them, but after awhile, I started buying things based off of collecting or reputation.  The problem was that after awhile, I had everything I wanted since I bought everything.  And everything I did want either cost too much, or was something I decided I didn't need.  With that in mind, I wonder what I should do now?  I don't have everything in life (because who does), but now that nothing interests me enough to buy/want it, what do you get for the person who has everything they could ever want currently (not counting things that aren't material goods like happiness and love)?  And does it have anything to do with disillusionment of life, or is it simply finding something new to like?  I'm curious to see what you all think.

Out-of-Print Merchandise

The Slifer The Sky Dragon Shonen Jump Card that I want

With the recession and the ability for consumers to purchase merchandise online at a premium, this is a great time to buy things, especially with Black Friday less than a week away.  I usually never buy anything on that day, but I do buy lots of things off Amazon: films, cards, etc., but one thing I cannot stand is when merchandise is out-of print.  When that happens, it causes one thing that would usually only be a few dollars to skyrocket in price like it's a collector's item, when most of the time it isn't.  For example, there are really old films that cost a lot, but that is understandable because it's historical and may be one of a kind.  And even then, it's still reasonable.  But when a Disney film is selling for $60, or a card like that Egyptian God card from Shonen Jump costs close to $100, that's when you know things are crazy.  Worst of all, there are people who go crazy buying all these things.  I understand why a person would because as a collector myself, it's something I can relate to, but there are times when you have to know when to say no and walk away.  It's tough to do, especially with something so tempting, but if you don't, you'll be paying lots of money for something you may never enjoy.  I wish it wasn't like this because people buy things online to save money, not pay more.  You expect these kind of crazy kind of transactions from businesses, but not from regular people like you and me. 

Buying Textbooks

As a child, one of the things I think I took for granted was textbooks because through 1st-12th grade, they were all funded by the schools, unless you lost them, meaning you had to pay for them.  The penalty for losing a book back then was steep, but it's nothing compared to the cost of buying textbooks now, a process I loathe doing every year.

I recently looked up the cost of my textbooks this upcoming semester, and was disappointed to see the total amount come to $300.  I've had semesters where the textbooks cost as much as $600, but no matter the amount, I'm always disappointed because colleges and manufacturers make their products so high to make a profit.  I see the reasoning behind it, but I don't think it's fair to students who already have to pay so much for school, and then have to cut off an arm and a leg just to buy textbooks.  Also, you might buy the textbooks, but then it might be the wrong one, which is just a pain in the ass to deal with.  College, you're supposed to be helping our future, not endangering it, so you need to change, but I know that's never going to happen.  It's just another sign of the "college machine" trying to take what isn't theirs, which is a shame.

Rage Against The "College" Machine

I don't consider myself a person with great fashion sense since I wear common clothing like t-shirts and jeans, but despite being that way, one thing I am proud to say I am against is college clothing.  I'll never understand how/why someone will buy clothing from their college, yet they despise the school so much.  Do they want to reward them for giving tons of loans or wasting years of their life?  A person's money is hard enough to come by as it is.  It's bad enough students have to overpay for books they'll never use again.  Now they have to overpay for shirts or sweats if they do want to represent the school.  It just isn't worth it, especially for colleges because they always have money even when they say they don't.

Sometimes, I wish colleges would give back to the students, but most of the time they're just machines who want money at another person's expense.  I know not all colleges and situations are like this, but when you're a college student, it seems like most of the time colleges always get what they want. It sucks, but it's reality.  That's why I maintain my independence, and will never feed the machine.