The monitor went out but she needs WHAT done to her teeth?!?
Sep 10 '00
Oh no! $2000 dollars worth of braces. $500 up front, $100 a month for the next fifteen months. And this is for only the first set. And wouldn't you know it, the monitor went out, leaving us feeling as if we were stranded on a desert island with no rescue in sight.
But today is Sunday at 6:23 a.m. and all is well. In a few weeks my daughter will sit at the orthodontist, mouth wide open while we sit in front of our inexpensive replacement right now.
As much as people want to have something new, sometimes other things take priority and when there is a limited income for a huge family, the new is the last priority.
So how much did we spend on a so-called new monitor? Believe it or not, Zero down for Zero dollars a month. In other words, it was free. You are never going to believe how.
This is how the story goes.
About six months ago, our monitor began to blink, frizzle and singe as we sat in front of it. I assumed it must have been some type of power surge. Dumb notion, after all, we had a power surge protector on it. To keep it short, a couple weeks later, we woke up to a dead, quiet monitor. This was after we received the news that our daughter needed braces.
We knew from the start that we really could not afford a new monitor so we started with repairing the old one. It was inspected and advised that it could be fixed for approximately $75 dollars. By the way, repair men don't train at the same school as a car salesman do they? Just thought I would ask. Any how, our final billed totaled $135.00. That did not come as a surprise. What did come as a surprise though is the moment it was hooked back up to the computer, it turned on as blurry as looking through a glass of dirty water. So off to the shop it goes again. It stays a week (first time it stayed for a month and a half!) After this, we receive a call that says the monitor is fixed and we can pick it up anytime.
What wonderful news! So off we go. Husband walks in empty handed and then walks out with our new flower pot! That's right. We had spent that much money for the repair man to tell my husband when we returned that they all tried to fix it but if it doesn't work right when we get home then it HAS to be the picture tube.
It was the picture tube. Ever priced fixing that? We didn't either. We were simply told it was not worth it. The tube alone was nearly as expensive as buying a new monitor. Well laa dee friggin daa! Why didn't he pick up on that when we first brought it in? Simple, it would have saved us $135.00 and made him nothing.
So our last decision was this. We would have to check out a re-compute shop for something else. Our budget allowed for nothing, so we were not to happy at the thought of shelling out more money that just wasn't there to spare.
But nonetheless, we (me, dad, four kids) all load up to spend a couple hours looking for what we needed. Husband got behind the wheel, kids buckled down in the back, mom sitting next to dad, wondering where to begin. Van backs up, kids start fighting, dad stops thirty five feet away from apartment, looks in review mirror, says be quite or we go home. As he starts forward again, mom spots monitor, laying on it's side, ten feet away, right beside a garbage can.
"Hun! Look!" I point to it. "think it works?"
"I doubt it!"
"Can we get a picture tube out and put it in ours?"
"I'm sure we can't." husband ponders for a second.
"Will you look at it?"
Husband looks at me in disgust. "Do I have to?"
I look at him and mumble "please"
Husband sighs and pulls up to garbage can. (It's a garbage can used by YWCA Thrift Store, so don't go there folks!) He squats, looks, touches, turns, and then grabs. "Looks fine to me, missing the stand but we can take the one off your "flower pot" and attach it, IF it works."
So we back up, kids arguing, dad doubting, mom hoping. I sit back, waiting as he plugs it in and hooks it up. He pushes the button and turns it on. It BEEPS! Good sign. Husband then sits in front of it where I cannot see. A second passes before he says, "We got a winner!"
I clap my hands and punch the air with excitement. "Yesss!" I'm happy, he's happy, and we are in the black again! (speaking as an accountant, okay?)
So, we were lucky. Somehow, we turned right instead of left that day, somehow that puter was put on it's side on the ground instead of being dumped in the bin that day. And, somehow it turned out to have the right plug for a perfect fit that day. You think what you like, I think someone higher up is helping us out!
So what type was it and how old? Well let's put it like this. The monitor I am now using is the same type his mother is using. One that she has had since my husband was just a little boy. Nothing fancy! Nothing huge! Nothing grand! The simple letters on the front read "CTX - COLOR MONITOR". In fact, it's so old that the shell is a discolored yellow instead of a crème color like I imagined it to be.
Now, I know an average sum of you reading this could walk out tomorrow (today or next week) and walk into SEARS, slap that credit card down and walk away with a new monitor, probably a new computer all together. The fact is, not all of us can. We have children, budgets, little money or higher priorities. And if the truth be told, a lot of us wouldn't mind saying, "I got another _______ for nothing today!"
It sure made our day when we did!
Thing is, don't expect to get lucky first time or every time. After all, we did spend (waste) $135.00 on repairs. It wasn't the lottery (and no, I don't think it was luck. Higher power remember) but it sure did help, come in handy and turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Must be, because I have just written something that you are reading. From my monitor to yours. Happily.Do I really need to understand specs? Not this time. Only size of plugs and compatibility.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Annie_Crane
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: MT
Reviews written: 355
Trusted by: 186 members
About Me:
Bee Happy
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.